The Hindu : National : A phone-PC-camera-navigator?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 06, 2005

National

National

A phone-PC-camera-navigator?

By Anand Parthasarathy

BANGALORE, FEB. 5. Is it a mobile phone beefed up with navigation and PC functions? Or, a pocket PC that can communicate four ways while doubling as a camera?

The customer will have to decide, because as of now, industry does not know quite what to call it. An Indian chip design team has created a lightweight handheld device that combines the functionality of almost every portable smart device currently available — and adds some more.

The Bangalore-based embedded systems player, Mistral Software, has just unveiled a fully functional concept platform for an all-in-one smart handheld, named ``Sunada'' (or `good sound') — claimed to be globally, the first device, with four-radio technologies built in: A GSM mobile phone that includes Global Packet Radio Service or GPRS Internet connectivity; a Global Positioning System satellite navigator; a BlueTooth link for short range device-to-desktop connection and Wi-Fi capability to access wireless Internet hotspots.

The device which weighs less than 150 grams and features a 10 cm. diagonal high-resolution liquid crystal screen, can also take still and video pictures; record sound, display video clips and play up to eight hours of songs recorded in the MP3 format.

The software is Windows' CE version — which gives it full PC functionality. While these are features that are available in some measure in smart hand helds today, ``Sunada'' may be the first to throw it all together on a single platform. And it has added two functions rarely encountered except in very high-end systems:

* Voice recognition software allows the users to speak their instructions — for example to tell the device whose telephone number to dial.

* Speech synthesis, enables Sunada to read out incoming SMS text messages: both features are important in countries like the US, where one is not allowed to take one's hand off the steering wheel to make telephone calls, while driving.

OMAP processors

This level of functionality, said Mistral CEO Anees Ahmed, was made possible because Sunada (named for its very good audio quality — made possible by decoders designed by another Bangalore firm, Epigon) is the first device anywhere to harness the new series of OMAP processors (number 5912 & 1611) launched by the U.S.-based Texas Instruments (TI) only weeks ago.

Sunada will be globally unveiled next week at the 3GSM World Congress at Cannes, France, a major gathering of the mobile phone industry.

The intellectual property of the product that took Mistral' s 10-strong Bangalore design team, about six months and Rs 1.5 crores of development effort, will be offered for licensed manufacture to major handheld device makers.

Unlike many Indian companies that work for a global clientele, Mistral openly displays the `desi' origins of its products and has in fact patented the phrase "Design by Indians" which it proudly stamps on to every circuit and chip it makes.

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