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Bluetooth Low Energy watch features stylish analog display while providing smartwatch functionality including steps taken, calories burned, and call alerts
InSo Technology’s ‘Mi Quartz Watch’ employs Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF52832 SoC to wirelessly report a range of exercise metrics via partner iOS and Android smartphone app
Nordic Semiconductor today announces that China-based, Shenzhen InSo Technology Co., Ltd, an ecosystem company of Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi, has launched its ‘Mi Quartz Watch’, employing Nordic’s nRF52832 System-on-Chip (SoC) to provide the device with Bluetooth® Low Energy wireless connectivity.
Manufactured from stainless steel with a quick release interchangeable strap, the Mi Quartz Watch weighs 42g, is water resistant to 30 metres, and features a stylish 40mm analog display while also offering both smartwatch and sportswatch functionality. The watch incorporates a three-axis accelerometer to measure steps taken, distance covered, and calories burned, as well as providing vibration alerts for incoming phone calls, alarms, and reminders. Nordic’s nRF52832 SoC is the main control chip for the watch, providing the timekeeping functionality in addition to the Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity to Bluetooth 4.0 (and later) smartphones and tablets.
Activity data is synced to the user’s device from where the iOS- and Android-compatible ‘Mi Home’ app enables the user to review their exercise performance, and set alarms, interval timers, and call reminder alerts. The Nordic Bluetooth LE SoC also enables automatic time calibration, quick time zone adjustments, and secure over-the-air device firmware updates (OTA-DFU).
Nordic’s reference designs, development kits, and fast technical support were important in helping reduce development time
Cao Chen, Shenzhen InSo Technology
The Mi Quartz Watch employs a CR2340 320mAh coin cell battery, providing between six and 12 months operation depending on usage between replacement, thanks in part to the ultra low power consumption of the nRF52832 SoC. The nRF52832 SoC has been engineered to minimize power consumption with features such as the 2.4GHz radio’s 5.5mA peak RX/TX currents and a fully-automatic power management system that reduces power consumption by up to 80 percent compared with Nordic’s nRF51 Series SoCs. The result is a Bluetooth LE solution which offers 58 CoreMark/mA, up to twice as power efficient as competing devices.
Nordic’s nRF52832 multiprotocol SoC combines an 64MHz, 32-bit Arm® Cortex® M4F processor with a 2.4GHz multiprotocol radio (supporting Bluetooth 5, ANT™, and proprietary 2.4GHz RF protocol software) featuring -96dB RX sensitivity, with 512kB Flash memory and 64kB RAM. The SoC is supplied with Nordic’s S132 SoftDevice, a Bluetooth 5-certifed RF software protocol stack for building advanced Bluetooth LE applications. The S132 SoftDevice features Central, Peripheral, Broadcaster and Observer Bluetooth LE roles, supports up to twenty connections, and enables concurrent role operation.
“There were a number of important factors behind our selection of Nordic’s nRF52832 SoC, but the compact package size and its low power consumption were the primary reasons as battery life was a key design consideration,” says Cao Chen, Shenzhen InSo Technology, CEO. “Furthermore, Nordic’s reference designs, development kits, and fast technical support were important in helping reduce development time.”
