New Wireless Chips Reduce Power Consumption in Mobile Devices

This could be just the ticket for those who really ‘go through the batteries’ with their mobile devices. The biggest power hog I can think of has got to be notebook PCs. If technology can help out in this area, then I say more ‘power’ to it! (OK, that was a really lame pun)

ParkerVision Inc., of Jacksonville, Fla., this month announced a new line of efficient, high-performance, low-cost wireless chips.

The new design extends the company’s patented digital radio frequency transceiver technology called D2D (Direct2Data) to power amplifiers, the devices that boost the power of RF signals so that they reach their intended destination. RF amplifiers are used in cell phones, cordless phones, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and VOIP products and applications.

In an analysts’ call last week, ParkerVision CEO Jeff Parker explained that power, consumed by heat loss, is a key challenge to manufacturers of mobile and wireless devices. 802.11g devices typically run at 5 percent efficiency and 802.11b devices typically run in the 8 to 9 percent efficiency range. “This means that 95 percent of all the power it takes to run those circuits goes up in heat. It does not come out the antenna in any usable purpose,” Parker said.