Staccato Introduces Ripcord2(TM) Single-Chip, Ultra-Wideband IC Family

Industry's First 65nm All-CMOS Implementation Sets New Bar for
Power, Size, Performance and Integration
SAN DIEGO--(Business Wire)--
Staccato Communications, an Ultra-Wideband (UWB) wireless
technology pioneer and leader in Wireless USB from the USB
Implementers Forum (USB-IF), today announced the availability of the
Ripcord2(TM) family of single-chip, all-CMOS solutions targeted for
WiMedia UWB and Wireless USB applications. This second-generation
family is the industry's first implementation utilizing 65nm CMOS
process technology, and offers a quantum leap in power consumption,
size and integration over existing solutions.

Leveraging software development on the fully certified Ripcord1
family, Staccato's Ripcord2 supports multiple protocols, including
Wireless USB, High-Speed Bluetooth, Wireless IP and Wireless
Audio/Video. In addition, several features were added to Ripcord2
including support for WiMedia Band Groups 1, 3 and 6, as well as the
capability for detection and avoidance (DAA), providing a worldwide
compatible solution in a single device.

"Staccato's implementation of a 65nm, single-chip solution should
help to drive adoption of UWB technology in a broad class of devices,"
said Brian O'Rourke, principal analyst with In-Stat. "In terms of
size, cost and power-efficiency, Ripcord2 has the potential to be the
leader among second-generation UWB chip offerings."

"We are pleased to partner with Staccato who continues to push the
boundaries of innovation in UWB products," said Brad Paulsen, vice
president of Business Management at TSMC. "This is one of the most
complex RF solutions in a deep sub-micron process technology, and we
have worked very closely with Staccato to ensure that the IC meets all
of its aggressive design targets."

Designed to meet and exceed the rigorous power, size, performance
and system cost requirements associated with enabling mass deployment,
Ripcord2 is ideally suited for high volume consumer applications
including handsets, DSC/DVC, printers, PMP, wireless audio/video and
mass storage. Staccato has already shipped samples and development
kits (DVKs) to key customers and is currently developing several
reference designs to be released in the coming months. The Ripcord2
DVK provides an integrated development environment that accelerates
native Wireless USB device and high-speed Bluetooth designs, as well
as generic WiMedia UWB applications. The Ripcord Control Library (RCL)
included with the DVK provides a fully abstracted embedded software
library with portable services to simplify the interface to the
Ripcord2 IC enabling easy integration on a wide variety of platforms.

"Ripcord2 has the features to make UWB a viable technology for
mass market deployment," said Kyung Soo Park, chief research engineer,
Wireless Connectivity Lab at LG Innotek. "By working together and
combining our expertise, we have been able to create an integrated
module solution that is just 8.5mm x 6mm, which is comparable to high
volume module solutions available today in other established wireless
connectivity markets such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi."

"As history has shown with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, only aggressive
single-chip implementations, which meet the strict requirements of PC,
CE and handset vendors, will allow the market to meet the expectations
of the technology," said Marty Colombatto, CEO for Staccato
Communications. "Our Ripcord2 solution is a market enabler. By
leveraging our single-chip expertise and the inherent advantages
afforded by 65nm CMOS technology, Staccato will enable the inclusion
of UWB into high volume, mainstream products."

Based on the Wireless USB 1.0 Specification and the WiMedia UWB
Common Radio Platform, Ripcord2's high-level of integration minimizes
design risk, lowers system cost and accelerates customers'
time-to-market by consolidating all hardware and software components
necessary to implement a complete solution.

Ripcord2 Features:

-- Single-chip 65nm all-CMOS implementation

-- Fully integrated RF front-end, digital baseband, MAC and IO

-- Support for WiMedia Band Groups 1, 3 and 6

-- Support for all Time Frequency Codes (TFC 1-10) and data rate
modes (53.3-480Mbps)

-- Support for detection and avoidance (DAA)

-- Protocol Independent Kernel(TM) (PIK) architecture supports
multiple protocols

-- USB 2.0 host/device and SDIO 2.0 interfaces

For a product brief and images of the Ripcord2 family, please
visit www.ripcord2.com.

Availability and Pricing

Samples of Staccato's Ripcord2 family as well as Ripcord2
development kits are currently available. Pricing for each is
available upon request.

About Staccato Communications

Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Staccato Communications is an
Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology pioneer with applications expertise in
Wireless USB, High-Speed Bluetooth and Internet Protocol (IP)
connectivity. The fabless semiconductor company serves the personal
computing, mobile phone and consumer electronics industries with small
form factor, single-chip, all-CMOS high-speed wireless solutions.
Staccato's WiMedia Platform Certified products include PHY, MAC,
drivers, application software, development kits and reference designs.
The Team Staccato Partner Program enables total solutions through
alliances with industry leaders throughout the value chain. For more
information, please visit www.staccatocommunications.com.

Ripcord and Staccato are trademarks of Staccato Communications.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Staccato Contact:
The Ardell Group
Angela Edgerton, 858-792-2941
angela@ardellgroup.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008