Broadcom Blog Squad

The Broadcom Blog Squad is an enthusiastic team of bloggers covering the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show on behalf of Broadcom Corp. Keeping with the company’s mission of connecting everything, our team is not a run-of-the-mill group of booth staffers. Rather, the Blog Squad is headed by professional blogger (ZDNet and CBS Interactive) and tech journalist Sam Diaz, and includes a tech-savvy group of Broadcom engineering interns with fresh perspectives from around the world.

Bluetooth Pairing with Your TV

By: Broadcom Blog Squad Posted: Jan. 18, 2012

Bluetooth® has proven to be the dominant wireless technology in the office and on the go for connecting accessories and peripherals to our computers and mobile devices. The one domain into which Bluetooth has only lightly treaded until now, though, is the living room. That is quickly changing, however, as companies like LG Electronics have started adopting Bluetooth into their new televisions.

So what can Bluetooth do for your TV?

3D TV
To view 3D images on a TV, a …

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The Case for Ethernet in Cars

By: Broadcom Blog Squad Posted: Jan. 13, 2012

With an abundance of in-car infotainment systems such as Toyota Entune, Ford Sync, and MINI Connected – most complete with a complementary smartphone app – it’s clear that the automobile is the next big thing to be connected.

Consumers want more connectivity in the car and Broadcom is helping make that happen.

Broadcom’s BroadR-Reach® automotive portfolio enables the next-generation of connected cars to achieve 100 Mbps Ethernet over unshielded single twisted pair cable. Currently, cars use low-voltage …

Myriad and Broadcom Partner to Deliver Android Ecosystem to TV

By: Broadcom Blog Squad Posted: Jan. 13, 2012

The traditional passive television could well be a thing of the past.

Broadcom and Myriad Group have teamed up to deliver a new set-top box called Alien Vue, bringing Android interactivity to home theater systems. What ”sets” Myriad’s solution apart (pun intended) from a typical Android-powered smartphone is the operating system itself: Alien Vue runs a virtual engine called Dalvik, normally responsible for launching programs within the Android OS.

Broadcom understands the power and memory demands from modern cell phone processors and, in response, …

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Connected Home Primer: Broadcom Supports Basket of Technologies

By: Broadcom Blog Squad Posted: Jan. 13, 2012

We’ve already talked about how Broadcom is helping connect the car. Today we’ll take a look at Broadcom’s role in connecting the home.

Broadcom’s set-top box chips support four technologies for home networking: Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11), Ethernet (IEEE 802.3), HomePlug powerline networking (IEEE P1901), and MoCA (coaxial networking).

A little about each technology:

802.11(a/b/g/n/ac) Wi-Fi
With an abundance of mobile devices such as notebooks, tablets, and smartphones in the market today, it’s no wonder that Wi-Fi is such a popular choice …

Navigation Boost: Explore the Great Indoors with Broadcom

By: Broadcom Blog Squad Posted: Jan. 12, 2012

GPS is an important resource in allowing users to navigate their worlds, whether through modern smartphones or in stand-alone devices.

Because information comes from orbiting satellites, stepping outside places the device within range. However, entering a parking garage or any indoor space blocks the satellite’s ability to track the user.

Broadcom offers a novel solution with a hybrid positioning system, informally coined as “Indoor Navigation.” By accessing multiple sources of location-based information, modern high-tech devices can patch together relevant bits …

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Near-Field Communications: Not Just for Payments [Video]

By: Broadcom Blog Squad Posted: Jan. 11, 2012

When you hear the term “NFC,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

No, I’m not talking about the National Football Conference, but rather Near Field Communications. Think Google Wallet.

NFC has the potential to be the future of simplified connectivity–not just in your wallet, but your living room as well.

NFC complements other wireless technologies such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, offering a quick and easy ways to initiate a wireless connection. Rather than digging into menus and …

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5G WiFi: The Next Big Thing

By: Broadcom Blog Squad Posted: Jan. 11, 2012

CES is all about showcasing the latest and greatest in consumer technology. The next big thing on the wireless technology front is undoubtedly the fifth generation of Wi-Fi: 802.11ac, or the more consumer-friendly term, 5G WiFi.

Last week, Broadcom announced its first family of 5G WiFi chips, which are rated for 1.3 Gbps at the PHY level, with an actual throughput of 800 Mbps to 1 Gbps. These speeds make 5G WiFi comparable to wired gigabit Ethernet, as well …

Broadcom Blog Squad Day 1 Reporting from CES

By: Broadcom Blog Squad Posted: Jan. 10, 2012

For the next few days, all eyes in the tech industry will be riveted on Las Vegas while it hosts the International Consumer Electronics Show. The Broadcom Blog Squad is here to be your eyes and ears on all the latest products and innovations that are already being announced.

For a sense of the sheer magnitude of this tradeshow, here are some fun facts about CES 2012:

More than 140,000 industry professionals are expected to attend – around 30,000 of whom come from 140 countries

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