xIDE for Interface Express - new version for Bluetooth 2.1

Paul Boughton

Cambridge Consultants is releasing a new version of its embedded Bluetooth application development toolkit, xIDE for Interface Express, which enables developers to create sophisticated multi-profile Bluetooth 2.1 qualified products and accessories. xIDE for Interface Express applications run natively on a single Bluecore chip from CSR (Cambridge Silicon Radio), so developers get access to more performance and more memory to support multi-profile applications without the need for a costly host-processor.
 
This software development environment provides a comprehensive set of Bluetooth profiles and a complete protocol stack for developing and integrating applications directly on to the CSR Bluecore chip. Supporting BlueCore4 and BlueCore5-Multimedia devices, it also provides a comprehensive application support library that includes MMI widgets for menus and icons, colour and monochrome display drivers, keypad scanner functionality, access to the USB port, and an interface to on-chip Kalimba DSP (digital signal processing) for audio processing and codecs, as well as other signal processing functions.
 
xIDE for Interface Express now provides a complete project environment for editing, fast compilation (using a new GCC tool chain), and build and debug from a single tool, thereby simplifying and accelerating development cycles. The new compiler provides enhanced on-chip debug capabilities compared with the previous toolkit. The toolkit also retains its support for prototyping and debugging application software in a PC environment, prior to targeting the code at the Bluecore devices - a facility that can significantly enhance productivity for developers.
 
Tim Fowler, commercial director at Cambridge Consultants' Wireless Division, comments: "Our new toolkit lets developers push the envelope for more sophisticated, feature-rich and multi-application Bluetooth-enabled devices. By enabling applications to run on a single CSR Bluecore, costs are dramatically reduced for developers of new products with differentiated functionality and value. Software running natively on the XAP2 processor within Bluecore also means more processing power and RAM for applications."
 
xIDE for Interface Express has been used to develop a wide range of high-end Bluetooth-enabled audio, telephony, printer and storage devices including the Sony Ericsson Media-viewer, Planon's Printstik pocket printer and Chipcomm's CTP access point technology. The toolkit is also used in Cambridge Consultants' Vena platform, enabling a new generation of seamlessly interoperable Continua-Certified healthcare and fitness wireless devices, including what is claimed to be the world's first qualified Bluetooth 2.1 health device profile (HDP) and products for A&D Medical.
 
One company looking forward to the new version is Wireless Werx, Inc., a leader in delivering in-building location information via Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices. Jim Ashley Jr, the chief technology officer, says: "At Wireless Werx we have been using xIDE for Interface Express for more than a year in the development of our products. It has allowed us to develop extremely complex and robust Bluetooth products compared to alternative solutions. xIDE has enabled our products to deliver exceptional performance beyond our expectations, allowing us to focus our efforts on our applications."
 
For more information, visit www.cambridgeconsultants.com