Apple releases iPhone SDK Beta 3; code points to 3.5G iPhone

Apple today released iPhone SDK Beta 3 (build 9M2158a) which fixes bugs and adds support for the latest iPhone OS.

This third beta release of the iPhone SDK includes a complete set of tools, compilers, frameworks, and documentation for creating iPhone OS applications. These tools include the Xcode IDE, and the Instruments analysis tool, among many others. With this software you can develop applications that run on iPhone and iPod touch using the included iPhone Simulator.

For information about the iPhone Developer Program, please visit: http://developer.apple.com/iphone/program/

Aidan Malley reports for AppleInsider, “Hidden away in the latest test firmware for iPhone developers is the mention of the chipset that will power third-generation cellular Internet access in Apple’s next generation of the device.”

“Discovered by the creators of the popular ZiPhone jailbreak and unlocking utility, a small, nondescript entry in the new firmware used to identify the phone’s chipset refers to a device known as ‘SGOLD3,'” Malley reports. “Sleuthing reveals this to be an Infineon chipset, the SGOLD3H… The iPhone currently uses a predecessor of the chipset, the SGOLD2, to drive its communication link.”

The SGOLD3H chipset “not only adds 3G over HSDPA but runs up to the international standard’s newer 7.2 megabit per second spec — twice the speed of the 3.6-megabit access seen on most HSDPA networks,” Malley reports. “It also supports WCDMA, a related 3G technology needed for countries such as Japan and Korea.”

More in the full article here.

Infineon’s description of the S-GOLD3H chipset verbatim:

With its new S-GOLD3H baseband, Infineon Technologies extends its well known S-GOLD baseband family to support the 3.5G mobile phone generation. The integrated dual-mode HSDPA/WCDMA/E-GPRS modem technology, together with high speed multimedia hardware accelerators and the advanced connectivity options enable S-GOLD3H to fulfill the requirements of tomorrow’s mobile phones.

Infineon is one of the early platform vendors to support HSDPA category 8 (7.2 Mbit/s). The implementation of equalizer based advanced receiver technology improves the data throughput, especially at high data rates, by up to 40%. In addition, the software programmable slot processing in the HSDPA Rx path provides further flexibility for performance enhancements. The HSDPA performance of S-GOLD3H meets and exceeds all test cases as specified in the 3GPP standard. Infineon’s 3.5G physical layer architecture is future proof and designed for an easy upgrade to higher HSDPA data rates, HSUPA and also Rx-diversity.

Key Application Features
■ ARM 926 based single modem and application processor with cache support and fast tightly-coupled memories
■ Hardware Crypto box – DRM 2.0, SIM Lock, IMAI protection
■ Hardware security – E-fuse, Boot Code Protection, Secure Mode
■ CPU, RGB display interface supporting high resolution color displays up to HVGA
■ High-speed serial display interface for cost effective clamshell mechanics up to HVGA
■ Support of cameras up to 5 MPixel
■ MPEG4 / H.263 hardware accelerator
■ MP3, AAC, AAC+, enhanced AAC+
■ 2D Graphic hardware
■ Support for video telephony, streaming, recording and playback
■ 2 x MMC/SD interfaces, SDIO capable
■ USB 2.0 on-the-go, full speed
■ Fast IRDA
■ Multimedia extension interface (MMIC-IF) for support of high end graphic accelerators
■ 2 bi-directional digital audio interfaces (I2S) to connect audio companion ICs and Bluetooth modules
■ Dedicated NAND flash controller supporting burst mode and error detection
■ Support of DDR-SDRAM devices

Key Modem Features
■ HSDPA – category 8 (7.2 Mbit/s)
– Implementation of fractional chip rate equalizer
– Configurable to lower categories / data rates
– Option to switch off HSDPA to save power
■ WCDMA
– 384 kbit/s class for uplink and downlink
– 640 kbit/s peak data rates for uplink and downlink independently
■ EDGE multislot class 12
■ GPRS / GSM
■ FR, HR, EFR, AMR
■ SAIC
■ Tx diversity
■ DTM class 11
■ Polyphonic Ringer support for up to 64 voices at up to 48 kHz sampling rate
■ Echo cancellation/noise reduction
■ GTT/TTY

S-GOLD3H with its ARM 926 CPU, capable of processing speeds of up to 312 MHz, is extending the capabilities of wireless multimedia without the need for a dedicated Application Processor. The powerful multimedia engine integrated with the advanced dual-mode HSDPA/WCDMA/E-GPRS modem technology enables a wide spectrum of multimedia functionalities, mobile entertainment and office applications with high data rates of up to 7.2 Mbit/s.

S-GOLD3H based platforms enable handsets to provide consumer electronic quality such as camera support of up to 5 MPixel as well as video telephony, streaming, recording and playback with up to 30 frames per second and a resolution of up to 320 x 480 pixels (HVGA) in MPEG4, H.264 or Real video formats and advanced audio codecs, like enhanced AAC+.

THE OPTIMIZED S-GOLD3H architecture makes it possible for the users to run several applications simultaneously; e.g. surf the internet, download emails or data to a SD-card with HSDPA category 8 (7.2 Mbit/s) while listening to MP3 music over a stereo Bluetooth headset.

Key Benefits
■ High integration level of key multimedia features allows minimum cost of system solutions for tomorrow’s feature phones
■ High overall system performance with high speed ARM subsystem and double-data rate memory access
■ Proven leading-edge modem technology with WCDMA, HSDPA Cat. 8 as well as third generation E-GPRS evolution
■ Feature upgrade flexibility through optional companion/multimedia chips via standardized interface
■ Support of connectivity modules such as Bluetooth, WLAN, A-GPS, DVB-H, FM Radio, etc.

Infineon’s S-GOLD3H product brief (pdf) is here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Adam W.” for the heads up.]