Atheros offers Wi-Fi, Bluetooth for computing platforms

Semiconductor company Atheros Communications has launched two wireless services that bring Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to notebooks, netbooks, desktops and tablets. Atheros has enhanced its WLAN architecture and by cutting the power consumption of its standalone and combination services in half, Atheros is enabling wireless features with a greatly-reduced impact on the battery life of mobile devices. The AR9485 extends Atheros' family of Align 1-stream 802.11n systems. It uses silicon integration and advanced process technology to offer lowest power consumption. For OEMs adding both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to their computing platforms, Atheros has combined the AR9485 with its AR3012 Bluetooth product on a standard half mini-card. The AR9004WB-1NG supports the Bluetooth 4.0 standard, which features a low-energy mode to extend Bluetooth connectivity to sensors and other battery-powered devices. Atheros' new products also use a Green Transmission mode, which adjusts the system's Wi-Fi transmit power depending on the distance between the router and the client device. The new products also include Atheros Direct Connect peer-to-peer technology, which enables computing devices to connect with Wi-Fi enabled printers, cameras and other peripherals, without an access point or broadband connection. The AR9485 and AR9004WB-1NG are now sampling and are expected to be in volume production in Q2 2011.