Mobile semiconductor chip manufacturer Broadcom has begun shipping a next generation GPS chip that allows indoor navigation around a building and extended battery life.
According to Phone Arena, the new BCM4752 chip will use beacons placed around buildings to allow mobile device users to use indoor maps to navigate their way through a building.
The chip will also handle more location processing itself, a task passed on to the CPU in current generation GPS chips, allowing devices to have extended battery life or more processing power.
Near Field Communications (NFC), used in contactless payment services such as Visa’s PayWave and Mastercard’s PayPass, will also be built into the new chip.
Broadcom expects that smartphones and tablet computers based on the chip should begin shipping in Q4 2012.
Andrew Sadauskas is a former journalist at SmartCompany and a former editor of TechCompany.
