Zeevo And Smart Modular Technologies, Inc. Collaborate On Advanced Bluetooth Modules For Embedded Communications And Quality Wireless Audio Applications

Zeevo, Inc., a leading provider of single-chip Bluetooth communications solutions and the leading provider of transceiver chips for quality audio over Bluetooth, jointly announced today with SMART Modular Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of wireless modules, that the two companies have entered into a strategic alliance to develop and sell Bluetooth modules into the embedded Bluetooth solutions market, as well as into the accelerating audio-over-Bluetooth market. The modules will be based upon announced and future Zeevo Bluetooth chips. Bluetooth is the increasingly prevalent standard for the wireless transmission of data between personal-use devices and their peripherals, such as cell phones to wireless headsets, or wireless keyboards and mice to personal computers.

"The Bluetooth marketplace continues to show strong growth as more and more companies add wireless capability to existing systems and applications," said Robert Ragusano, vice president and general manager of SMART's communication products division. "As audio-over-Bluetooth evolves, consumers will have the opportunity to enjoy the luxury of CD-quality sound without being physically tethered to their MP3 players. This wireless freedom may fuel more consumer interest in products featuring Bluetooth capability, which is expected to help Bluetooth gain broader acceptance in diverse markets."

The audio-over-Bluetooth market is expected to be one of the fastest growing segments of the Bluetooth market over the next few years. With the promise of transporting CD quality sound wirelessly across a Bluetooth link, a whole host of new applications have become possible - such as stereo wireless headphones, multi-mode stereo headsets for converged cell phone/MP3 players, and wireless speakers. And - sensing the potentially huge market - original device manufacturers (ODMs) are already queuing up to offer such products in time for the fall markets. For these ODMs, highly-integrated Bluetooth modules represent not only a faster time to market, but design and manufacturing economies, as well as market-leading performance.

Anil Aggarwal, vice president of marketing of Zeevo, agrees that Zeevo's family of system-on-a-chip (SoC) Bluetooth products are an ideal design platform for SMART's modules. "We are the leading Bluetooth chip manufacturer that incorporates an industry standard ARM7 microprocessor on our chips," said Aggarwal. "The ARM7 permits SMART or their customers to run embedded Bluetooth applications right on the chips themselves. This gives designers not only the unparalleled flexibility that software offers, but also yields significantly lower bills of material [BOM], improved module size, lower power, and higher throughputs." Ragusano concurs: "The Zeevo 4002 IC allows SMART to address the emerging industrial, medical and audio markets with a solution that affords the customer the flexibility to port their application directly to the module."

Zeevo's highly integrated, ARM7-based single-chip Bluetooth solutions are designed for high performance, cost-sensitive, very-low power applications.

About SMART
SMART Modular Technologies, Inc., a leading independent manufacturer of memory and communications products, offers more than 500 standard and custom products to leading OEMs in the computer, industrial, networking and telecommunications industries. The memory product line includes DRAM, SRAM and Flash in various form factors. The communications product line offers modules and other product solutions that address the wireless and wire-line communications markets. SMART has manufacturing and design facilities as well as sales offices in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Latin America. More information on SMART can be obtained on the Internet at www.smartm.com.

About Zeevo
Zeevo is a leading-edge semiconductor provider that designs and markets "system-on-a-chip" (SoC) mobility wireless products for use in portable and handheld devices ranging from cellular phones to MP3 players to personal computers. Zeevo's latest wave of products uniquely solve the problem of high quality audio over Bluetooth - increasingly in demand as the wireless movement floods over in to headsets, stereo headphones, and speakers. The company pioneered the concept of "Sound Design for Bluetooth", a quality, reliability and convenience benchmark for Bluetooth audio that includes high-quality audio, interference-free co-existence with 802.11 wireless, dynamic mode switching for convergence applications, and fail-soft out-of-range behavior.

Zeevo has succeeded in integrating analog, digital, and radio-frequency (RF) circuitry, as well as memory and a programmable ARM7 processor, in single-chip Bluetooth "platforms" built with highly cost-effective, standard CMOS technology. Zeevo's chips are delivered in design- and manufacturing-friendly packages that incorporate all RF components, and are accompanied by standardized but modifiable ARM microcode modules that embed Zeevo's advanced ZSound algorithms, CODEC interfaces, and operating software. This results in quality Bluetooth audio solutions that are distinguished by small size, low cost, low power consumption and ease of integration by OEMs and ODMs into market-leading end products.

Zeevo was founded September 1999 in Silicon Valley by industry veterans. Investors in the privately-held company include Sequoia Capital, Raza Venture, Focus Ventures, WK Technology Fund, Institutional Venture Partners (IVP), CDIB, Neomagic Corporation, and Capital Group Companies.