S3 Group and Texas Instruments Deliver First Continua Certified Platform for Faster Development of Telehealth Devices

TI’s MSP430TM ultra-low power microcontrollers and S3 Group’s Embedded Agent Stack make it easier and faster for OEMs to build Continua personal health devices

Dallas, TX -- February 10, 2010 -- Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN)and S3 Group, a connected healthcare technology solutions company, today announced the availability of the first Continua Certified™ USB-enabled platform for building agent healthcare devices. The platform consists of TI’s ultra-low power MSP430 microcontroller (MCU) and S3 Group’s Embedded Agent Stack (EAS) – an 11073 PAN device (agent) stack, which has been optimized for resource constrained platforms. The platform for agent devices will enable original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to bring personal health devices to market quicker and easier. Both TI and S3 Group are members of the Continua Health Alliance, a non-profit, open industry organization of healthcare and technology companies joined together to establish a system of interoperable personal telehealth solutions to better manage health and wellness. This new platform will help developers improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare by simplifying the design of USB-enabled consumer medical products such as blood glucose meters, digital thermometers, pulse oximeters and blood pressure monitors.

“S3 Group has been at the forefront of devising ways to leverage the latest technology to enable faster delivery of telehealth for years, and we are very proud to have been selected by TI for the development of this Continua Certified™ platform for device manufacturers,” John Mulcahy, general manager, telehealth, S3 Group.

TI’s MSP430 platform of 16-bit, RISC, mixed-signal MCUs provides ultra-low power and high-quality analog integration, making MSP430 a leading MCU for portable consumer medical devices.  The new MSP430 MCUs with integrated USB functionality easily enable Continua devices that incorporate USB connectivity. These devices, combined with S3 Group’s EAS, now provide a comprehensive hardware and software solution for developers who want to quickly and confidently design Continua devices. Products based on this platform will be capable of functioning as a personal area network (PAN) device that can communicate with any Continua Application Hosting Device (AHD). 

“TI is dedicated to providing solutions to customers so they can design products with confidence, and the S3 Group, a proven player in the development of telehealth solutions, worked closely with us to develop this MSP430-based platform,” Rajesh Verma, medical business development manager for TI’s MCU business. “This platform will greatly reduce the development time for our customers by allowing them to focus on refining their applications rather than having to develop the lower-level connectivity layers of software.”

TI and the S3 Group are committed to delivering solutions that drive industry innovation and meet customer needs. For more information about the EAS software component,please visit www.s3group.com/telehealth. For more information about MSP430 MCUs, please visit www.ti.com/usbplatform_msp430-pr.

To learn more about TI and S3 Group solutions, go to:

• TI’s medical USB platform: www.ti.com/usbplatform-pr
• S3 Group: www.s3group.com/telehealth
• TI's MSP430 medical portfolio: www.ti.com/usbplatform_430medical-pr
• TI’s ultra-low power MSP430 MCUs:  www.ti.com/usbplatform_msp430-pr 
• TI’s MCU platform: www.ti.com/usbplatform_microcontrollers-pr 

About S3 Group

S3 Group is the Connected Consumer Technology Company, providing systems integration, software products and design services to the Telehealth Industry, the Digital TV Industry and the Semiconductor Industry. In S3 Group’s Telehealth business we provide world leading Telehealth Design, Consultancy and Integration services to companies developing and implementing connected health and wellness systems. We are specifically skilled in providing Telehealth System Deployment, End-to-end Telemonitoring Systems, Health Gateways, Sensor Devices, Personal Health and Wellness Devices and Quality Management Systems and Services. S3 Group is a member of the Continua Health Alliance and actively contributes to its Technical Working Group and Marketing Working Group.

Founded in 1986, S3 Group has 6 design centers in San Jose in the USA, Ireland (Dublin and Cork), Portugal, Poland and the Czech Republic with sales offices and representative globally. For further information please visit www.s3group.com/telehealth. 

About medical components from Texas Instruments

TI is helping shape technology to improve the quality and accessibility of medical equipment to revolutionize healthcare in the 21st century and beyond. With its full range of analog and embedded processing products, from building blocks to complete semiconductor solutions, plus systems insight, global support infrastructure, advanced process technology and medical industry involvement, TI is helping make innovative medical electronics more flexible, affordable and accessible. TI’s experience in diverse markets, such as wireless communications, consumer electronics, automotive and aerospace, enables engineers to meet increasing needs for higher speeds, higher precision, lower power and smaller equipment, while maintaining the high standards for quality and reliability that the medical market demands. For more information, please visit www.ti.com/medical.

About Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) helps customers solve problems and develop new electronics that make the world smarter, healthier, safer, greener and more fun.  A global semiconductor company, TI innovates through design, sales and manufacturing operations in more than 30 countries.  For more information, go to www.ti.com.