
PC Magazine takes a look at Broadcom Corp.’s tiny, low-power Wi-Fi chip called the AirForce One, a technology that promises to put built-in wireless networking into all sorts of electronics gear. The AirForce One is the first Wi-Fi solution to combine a 2.4-GHz radio, power amplifier, 802.11b baseband processor, and medium-access controller on a single CMOS chip that’s smaller than a postage stamp. By putting more than 100 components on a single chip, Broadcom claims the AirForce One requires 70 percent less transmit power, 80 percent less receive power, and 97 percent less standby power than a typical Intel Centrino Wi-Fi solution.