May 23, 2012 - Wolfson Microelectronics today announced that its power management solution, WM8326, and audio hub solution, WM8958, have been selected for the latest OPEN-6 design and production platform (DPP) by connected device developer Intrinsyc Software International.

The OPEN-6 platform will be unveiled at the Intrinsic booth at the Freescale Technology Forum in San Antonio, Texas, June 18-21. The OPEN-6 DPP is based on Freescale's i.MX6 quad-core CPU and the ARM® Cortex™-A9 architecture.

This product line includes licensed production packages, development kits, and system-on-modules (SOMs) for portable electronic devices, including tablet computers, e-book readers, industrial handhelds, and automotive educational entertainment systems, combining components and support from leading technology providers to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original design manufacturers (ODMs).

Wolfson's power management solution, 'WM8326', is specifically designed for a variety of low-power portable multimedia applications such as tablet computers, smartphones, e-book readers, and media players.

Featuring four programmable DC-DC synchronous buck converters, the WM8326 delivers high performance and high efficiency across a wide range to extend battery life.

Additionally, the integrated One-Time Programmable (OTP) non-volatile memory with the InstantConfig™ interface enables changes to startup settings and preferences during the product development phase before finalizing the user-defined OTP, reducing time to market for new products.

Wolfson's WM8958 audio hub solution, along with the WM8326, also helps set the performance benchmark for high-definition audio. This multi-channel, low-power device delivers a 100dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) during digital-to-analog (DAC) playback, while its integrated speaker and headphone drivers minimize power consumption during audio playback.

The WM8958 also features an audio enhancement digital signal processor (DSP) that runs a multi-band compressor, enabling louder and better sound from small speakers commonly found in portable products.

In addition, the WM8958's powerful analog mixing, combined with stereo sample rate conversion and multi-channel digital mixing, supports other product architectures and use cases (descriptions of potential scenarios in which the system receives and responds to external requests from the user).

“Wolfson has a history of providing innovative power management and audio solutions to leading consumer electronics applications worldwide,” said Dr Jess Brown, Product Line Manager, Power Management at Wolfson Microelectronics. “We are delighted that Intrinsic has selected our technology for their latest design and production platform.”

“Intrinsic has chosen Wolfson as a leading choice for components for our OPEN-6 design and production platform, including power management and audio solutions, to enable OEMs to bring high-performance products to market quickly,” said Alkarim Kassam, Vice President of Engineering at Intrinsic.

The OPEN-6 development kit is scheduled to be released in the third quarter of this year.