CSR and PortalPlayer Bring Wireless Connectivity to Personal Media Players; Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Give Consumers Additional Freedom and Flexibility to Download and Enjoy Digital Content

To download: http://www.csr.com/images/hires/pem4497.jpg

CSR plc (LSE:CSR) a wireless solutions provider and leader inBluetooth technology, and PortalPlayer, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAY), a leadingsupplier of semiconductors, firmware and software for personal mediaplayers and secondary display-enabled notebook computers have joinedforces to eliminate the inconvenience of wires on personal mediaplayers by adding Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Through seamlessintegration between PortalPlayer's PP5022 applications processorfamily and CSR's UniFi Wi-Fi chip and BlueCore Bluetooth chip,consumer electronics and other media device manufacturers will gain asignificant time-to-market advantage in delivering wire-free mediaplayers. Wi-Fi will simplify the synchronisation of media players witha PC as well as opening up entirely new ways to download and streamcontent from the Internet. Bluetooth will enable wireless stereoheadset connectivity.

The two firms are running a Wi-Fi technology demonstration at the3GSM World Congress 2006 in Barcelona, Spain.

"CSR's UniFi was designed for this type of application. Thecompany worked long and hard to get both power and coexistence(operating both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in a single design) to levels thatmake these technologies suitable for portable devices," said SimonFinch, vice president of strategic marketing at CSR. "Working withPortalPlayer to equip these devices with our power efficient Wi-Fi andBluetooth solutions will give consumers more flexibility and moreoptions to enjoy digital content whenever and wherever they wish."

"Adding Wi-Fi means that the personal media player is no longer aslave to the PC. Consumers will no longer have to dock their mediaplayer to change playlists or add new songs, photos and videos," saidScott Tandy, vice president of marketing from PortalPlayer. "We areexcited to continue the expansion of our core technology platformsinto new and rapidly growing segments such as wirelessly connectedpersonal media players."

CSR's UniFi and BlueCore4 technologies

CSR's UniFi-1 Portable is the world's smallest single-chipsolution for 802.11a/b/g and has been designed specifically tominimize coexistence design issues. In addition to functioningproperly in close proximity to a Bluetooth radio, UniFi providesmulti-mode 802.11a/b/ or g operation, extremely low power consumption,and built-in antenna diversity processing for extended speed andrange. CSR's BlueCore4-ROM implements Bluetooth v2.0+EDR (EnhancedData Rate). In addition to delivering data rates up to three timesfaster than products using previous versions of Bluetooth, EDRBluetooth also has a similar effect on power consumption withBlueCore4 powered products lasting up to 3 times longer.

PortalPlayer's PP5022 Applications Processor and FirmwareDevelopment Kit

PortalPlayer personal media player platforms drive many of today'sleading digital audio players. The company's PP5022 system-on-chiputilizes dual 32-bit ARM7 microprocessor cores and extensive firmwareto provide scaleable performance and maximize battery life forpersonal media players. This efficient design provides support fortoday's leading audio encoders, digital rights managementtechnologies, and multiple I/O and networking connectivityenhancements. This unique combination of capabilities gives consumersa feature-rich and easy-to-use digital media experience.

CSR and PortalPlayer both have expertise in delivering an optimumbalance between battery life and performance in personal mediaplayers. This proficiency enabled the two firms to develop a completesemiconductor, firmware and software platform that will enable devicemanufacturers to create Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-equipped media playersthat enhance the current user experience.

The current generation of portable media players relies on wiredheadphones and a cradle, USB or cable connection for synchronizingmusic from a PC. Adding Wi-Fi and Bluetooth will enable a wide varietyof new usage models and possibly new content access services. Examplesinclude:

-- Wirelessly synchronising content on a personal media player with a PC

-- Downloading content such as Podcasts directly from the Internet

-- Streaming audio or video content from a PC or the Internet

-- Access the Internet at public Wi-Fi hotspots or in Metro Wi-Fi networks

-- New purchase opportunities in public Wi-Fi-enabled venues

-- Wireless stereo headsets

These technologies can also be used in other types of devices suchas the new Preface-enabled Personal Media Displays (PMD) in notebookcomputers. In the PMD environment, always on Wi-Fi connectivity andBluetooth can be used for a wide variety of enhanced productivityapplications.

PortalPlayer and CSR will be showing reference designs anddemonstrating Wi-Fi connectivity at the 3GSM World Congress next week.The PortalPlayer and CSR platforms are expected to be available in thesecond half of 2006.

Editor's Note:

PortalPlayer will be demonstrating its Wi-Fi reference design at3GSM 2006 in Fira de Barcelona, Suite HS3.03 Hall 4, level 3, Feb.13-16. To make an appointment, please contact Tim Yankey at+1-650-201-8810 or tyankey@arpartners.com.

CSR will be exhibiting at 3GSM 2006 in Hall 1, stand D72

To make an appointment, contact EML, +44-208 408 8000 orcsr@eml.com

About CSR

CSR plc is the leading global provider of Bluetooth technology andhas developed expertise in other single-chip wireless communicationstandards such as Wi-Fi (IEEE802.11). CSR offers developedhardware/software solutions for Bluetooth based around BlueCore, afully integrated 2.4 GHz radio, baseband and microcontroller.

CSR has now launched its fifth generation BlueCore suite and is involume manufacture of its fourth generation BlueCore devices.BlueCore4 supports the Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) standard, which wasratified at the end of 2004. BlueCore4 remains the only EDR silicon tobe shipping in volume today. In November 2004 CSR launched UniFi, thefirst single chip 802.11a/b/g embedded solution specifically targetingthe mobile phone and consumer electronics markets.

BlueCore features in over 50 per cent of all Bluetooth devicesshipped and over 60 per cent of all qualified Bluetooth enabledproducts and modules listed on the Bluetooth website with industryleaders including Nokia, Dell, Panasonic, Sharp, Motorola, IBM, Apple,NEC, Toshiba, RIM and Sony using BlueCore devices in their range ofBluetooth products.

In March 2005, CSR acquired Clarity Technologies Inc., for itsClear Voice Capture (CVC) technology that enhances the audioperformance of any voice-based product or system. Applications for CVCinclude wireless headsets, handsets and automotive hands free systems.

In August 2005, CSR completed the acquisition of UbiNetics'software business, providing a strong R&D team to accelerate itsexisting software development in Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and UWB. TheUbiNetics team gives CSR the capacity to extend its offering to mobilehandset customers.

CSR has its headquarters and offices in Cambridge, UK, and officesin Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, India, France, Denmark, Sweden andboth Texas and Detroit in the USA.

More information can be found at www.csr.com and the partner website www.btdesigner.com

More information about Bluetooth technology can be found on theSIG web site at www.bluetooth.com

About PortalPlayer

PortalPlayer develops semiconductor, firmware and softwareplatforms for portable multimedia products such as personal mediaplayers and secondary display enabled notebook computers. PortalPlayerproducts empower consumers to quickly and easily manage, enjoy andhave access to multimedia content and other forms of information.PortalPlayer is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with offices inKirkland, Wash., Taipei, Taiwan and Hyderabad, India.

Forward-Looking Statements:

Except for the historical information contained herein, thematters set forth in this press release, including, but not limitedto, statements regarding the future availability of a combinedPortalPlayer and CSR solution for wirelessly enabled personal mediaplayers, the adoption of such combined solution by manufacturers, andthe performance of such a combined solution, including the powerconsumption, the timing of the introduction of consumer products thatincorporate such a combined solution and the market acceptance of suchnew consumer products, the potential time to market advantage thateither PortalPlayer or CSR will gain with respect to the combinedsolution and the growth of the wirelessly connected personal mediaplayer market, and the anticipated new usage models and new contentaccess services made possible by the combined solution areforward-looking statements within the meaning of the PrivateSecurities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "expect,""believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," "designed to,""forward" and similar expressions are intended to identifyforward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees offuture performance. Actual results could differ materially from thosediscussed in these forward-looking statements as a result of risks anduncertainties, including, among others, the acceptance of the combinedsolution of PortalPlayer and CSR by device manufacturers, the marketfor consumer electronics, the capabilities and performance of thecombined solution, manufacturing and supply risks, the timing andintroduction of combined solutions and consumer products thatincorporate the combined solution, and other risks and uncertaintiesdetailed in PortalPlayer's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for thequarter ended September 30, 2005 and from time to time inPortalPlayer's SEC filings. These forward-looking statements speakonly as of the date hereof. PortalPlayer does not undertake anyobligation to update forward-looking statements.

PortalPlayer, the PortalPlayer logo and Preface are trademarks ofPortalPlayer, Inc. All other product and company names herein may betrademarks of their registered owners.