World’s thinnest wireless touch surface enabled by CSR’s Bluetooth® Smart

CSR offers glimpse of future computing interfaces with paper-thin wireless touch surface

Cambridge, UK and Sunnyvale, California, USA

Bluetooth® Smart innovator CSR plc (LSE: CSR; NASDAQ: CSRE) has developed the world’s thinnest wireless touch interface to demonstrate the revolutionary potential of the technology for computing interfaces. The flexible device, which is less than 0.5 mm thick, turns any area into a touch surface. Combining CSR’s low-power wireless technology with the latest in printable, flexible electronics and touch screen sensing, the device can be used to extend the touch interface of tablets and smartphones.

Light weight and flexible, the device can be integrated into a protective cover or used to create large touch zones on a desktop. With minimal weight and bulk, a full keyboard experience can be added to a tablet without taking up valuable screen area. Thin enough to slip behind the pages of a notebook, it can be used to pick up handwriting and sketches from the nib of a modified pen.

The paper-thin surface is wirelessly connected using the recently launched CSR1010® chip, part of the CSR µEnergy® range, which is optimised solely for Bluetooth Smart. This allows it to connect to the latest iOS7 mobile devices and Windows 8 PCs using a fraction of the power of standard Bluetooth, enabling market-leading battery life and maintaining the smallest form factor. Touch latency is also minimised to less than 12mS, ensuring near instant visual feedback and enabling a seamless user experience.

“Consumers want innovative, portable wireless accessories that just work with their mobile devices,” says Paul Williamson, Director of Low Power Wireless at CSR. “The ultra-thin touch surface we’ve developed is a perfect example of how Bluetooth Smart can give them just that. We’re committed to working collaboratively with developers using the CSR µEnergy platform to help them bring similar next-generation accessories to the market quickly.”

CSR partnered with Atmel and Conductive Inkjet Technology (CIT) to develop the ultra-thin wireless touch surface. The device uses Atmel’s touch silicon to sense multiple contact points on a surface, and can offer a full touch surface or power optimised key detection. The flexible membrane is enabled by CIT printed conductors. CIT’s reel-to-reel printing process enables copper and other conductors to be applied to the surface of the ultra-thin and flexible membrane, and can be printed to fit a range of tablet shapes and sizes.

CSR’s ultra-thin touch surface will be unveiled to customers for the first time at IFA Berlin (Hall 1.2 Stand 104) from 6-11 September 2013.

Notes to editors

Supporting video content: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asOOL7YHIRg


About CSR

CSR is a global provider of innovative silicon and software solutions for the location-aware, media-rich, cloud-connected world. Our platforms are optimised for the automotive navigation and infotainment, digital cameras and imaging, connected home infotainment and wireless audio markets. We provide solutions to complex problems in the audio-visual, connectivity and location technology domains across a broad range of markets, with a technology portfolio that includes GPS/GNSS systems, Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi®, FM, NFC, aptX® and CVC™ audio codecs, JPEG, MPEG, H.264 imaging, PDL printing, microcontrollers, DSPs and broadband receivers. CSR’s technology solutions and market platforms enable its customers to deliver a superior user experience and are adopted by leaders in the auto, computer, home and mobile markets. More information can be found at www.csr.com. Keep up to date with CSR on our technical blog or CSR people blog, YouTube, Facebook or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CSR_plc.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains certain statements (including statements concerning plans and objectives of management for future operations or performance, or assumptions related thereto) that are not historical facts and constitute ‘forward looking statements’ within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 in relation to CSR’s Bluetooth® Smart platforms, and their performance characteristics in consumer electronic products, and other future events and their potential effects on CSR. These forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as ‘will,’ ‘can deliver,’ offers’, ’allows’, ’to enhance,’ ‘enables,’ ’designed to’ and other similar expressions regarding the performance characteristics of CSR’s Bluetooth® Smart platforms or the CSR1010® chip, and their performance characteristics in consumer electronics products, and their potential effects on CSR. Any future release of CSR’s Bluetooth® Smart platforms or the CSR1010® chip or consumer electronics products containing such technology, related products or modifications to such products’ capability, functionality or features are subject to ongoing evaluation by CSR and its customers, and may or may not be implemented and should not be considered firm commitments by CSR or its customers and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. Such forward-looking statements represent the current expectations and beliefs of management of CSR, and are based upon numerous assumptions regarding CSR’s business strategies and the environment in which CSR will operate and therefore involve a number of known and unknown risks, contingencies, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of CSR, including, but not limited to, those detailed from time to time in CSR’s periodic reports (whether under the caption Risk Factors or Forward Looking Statements or elsewhere), which are available at the SEC’s web site http://www.sec.gov. Each forward looking statement speaks only as of the date hereof. CSR does not undertake to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward looking statements contained herein, otherwise than required by law.

Bluetooth® and the Bluetooth logos are trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and licensed to CSR.

Wi-Fi®, Wi-Fi Alliance®, WMM®, Wi-Fi Protected Access®, WPA®, WPA2®, Wi-Fi Protected Setup™ and Wi-Fi Multimedia™ are trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance.

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