Atmel's Proven GPS Single-chip Receiver ICs with Highest Navigation Accuracy Now Also Automotive Qualified

Detroit (ots/PRNewswire) -

Convergence Show 2008 -- Atmel(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML)
announced today the availability of two new automotive-grade GPS
devices featuring excellent navigation performance. The new ICs
ATR0630P1 and ATR0635P1 are based on Atmel's well-known and
industry-proven standard GPS receiver devices ATR0630 and ATR0635,
which have shipped in their millions since 2005. Measuring just 7 x
10 mm, they incorporate a complete GPS receiver. Their small size,
unsurpassed navigation accuracy and AEC-Q100 automotive quality make
the ATR0630P1 and ATR0635P1 a perfect option for automotive
applications such as In-Vehicle Navigation Systems (IVNS),
telematics, fleet management, dynamic car insurance fee systems,
e.g., pay-as-drive, and after-market navigation products.

Like the well-known ATR0630 and ATR0635 devices, the new P1
versions boast maximum chipset integration, resulting in an excellent
cost-performance ratio. Lower system costs are achieved thanks to not
only a 45% reduction in footprint, a simplified board layout, minimal
external component count, but also by reduced costs in purchasing,
stocking, and mounting. The ATR0635P1's high sensitivity of -158 dBm
allows weak-signal acquisition and tracking in urban canyons. This
excellent tracking sensitivity is especially beneficial when using a
dashboard antenna instead of an external one.

Due to their full pin-to-pin and functional compatibility to the
industrial-graded standard variants ATR0630 and ATR0635, the new P1
versions enable the re-use of existing designs.

"Combining highest navigation accuracy with automotive quality,
these single-chip GPS receivers perfectly meet the needs of our
customers and enable them to address the steadily growing automobile
navigation market", said Atmel's BU RF & Automotive Marketing
Director, Matthias Kaestner. "The ATR0630P1 and ATR0635P1 are
exciting GPS OEM solutions for next-generation navigation systems
that require high performance, low power, and small size. Reliable
operation without tracking interruptions using antennas inside of the
car and under other difficult receiving conditions are possible with
these automotive-qualified GPS ICs."

Availability and Pricing

Samples of the automotive-grade GPS receiver ICs ATR0630P1 and
ATR0635P1 are available now in small-outline 7 x 10-mm 96-pin BGA
packages. Pricing starts at US $13.00 for the ATR0630P1, and at US
$15.00 for the ATR0635P1 for 10k-piece quantities each. A complete
evaluation kit including ultra-small footprint sample designs, which
dramatically shorten development cycle times, is also available.

Footnote
BGA = Ball Grid Array
GPS = Global Positioning Systems
OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer
PCB = Printed Circuit Board
IVNS = In-Vehicle Navigation Systems

About Atmel

Atmel is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of
microcontrollers, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory
and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry's
broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is
able to provide the electronics industry with complete system
solutions focused on consumer, industrial, security, communications,
computing and automotive markets.

(C) 2008 Atmel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Atmel(R), Atmel
logo and combinations thereof, and others are registered trademarks,
or trademarks of Atmel Corporation or its subsidiaries. Other terms
and product names may be trademarks of others.

Information

Product information on Atmel's automotive-grade GPS receiver ICs
ATR0630P1/ATR0635P1 may be retrieved at:

http://www.atmel.com/dyn/products/product_card.asp?part_id=4250
(ATR0630P1)
http://www.atmel.com/dyn/products/product_card.asp?part_id=4417
(ATR0635P1)
Press Contacts
Dr. Susanne van Clewe, Marcom Manager Communications and Automotive
Products
Tel: +49-7131-67-2081, Email: susanne.van-clewe@atmel.com
Helen Perlegos, Public Relations
Tel: +1-408-487-2963, Email: hperlegos@atmel.com

Web site: http://www.atmel.com

ots Originaltext: Atmel Corporation
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Contact:
Dr. Susanne van Clewe, Marcom Manager Communications and Automotive
Products, +49-7131-67-2081, susanne.van-clewe@atmel.com, or Helen
Perlegos, Public Relations, +1-408-487-2963, hperlegos@atmel.com,
both of Atmel Corporation