28th August 2001
The Pocket DAB
IFA, Berlin, 28th August, 2001 - Roke Manor Research, part of the Siemens group, and Panasonic System LSI Design Europe today unveil the world’s first hand-held digital audio broadcast (DAB) receiver, the Pocket DAB.
The Pocket DAB is the culmination of research and development by Roke Manor Research and Panasonic System LSI Design Europe. Paul Smith, Business Unit Director for Radio Devices, at Roke Manor Research said, "The miniaturisation of the DAB receiver will open up the market for digital radio, as it can now be marketed as a small, stylish ‘must have’ for the savvy, digital consumer. With Panasonic we are currently engaging partners to take the Pocket DAB to the next stage of commercial development."
The pre-production model which is being displayed at Panasonic’s stand (Hall 5.2, Digital Broadcast World by Panasonic) measures just 50mm x 76mm x 24 mm. The headphones supply digital quality sound whilst doubling as the receiving antenna. It features a full dot matrix display screen that offers up to ten lines of text or graphics and a battery that provides up to five hours of radio listening time per charge.
The heart of the Pocket DAB is Roke Manor Research’s Gold Card II receiver module, which is a complete DAB receiver. The advanced state of development of the Gold Card II will enable manufacturers to bring the product to market in the shortest possible timescale.
The predecessor to the Gold Card II, the Gold Card, has been used in the Arcam, Radioscape and Roberts digital radio products, as well as providing the core radio design for the Psion Wavefinder.
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