Synaptics Inc. (Nasdaq: SYNA), a leading developer of capacitive interface solutions for mobile computing, communications, and entertainment devices, today entered the home appliance market and announced it is providing the capacitive touch control panel solution for the new Samsung Hauzen ZERO air conditioner.
Samsung incorporated the Synaptics TouchButtons™ solution to provide easy operation and a pleasing aesthetic design for the product. The Hauzen ZERO air conditioner is being launched in Korea with a high profile advertising campaign for the 2010 Winter Olympics featuring Yu-Na Kim, Korea's national treasure and the reigning World champion figure skater, and her coach, Brian Orser, a former Olympic and World champion figure skater.
"We see a lot of opportunity in the home appliance market, where the benefits of capacitive touch can improve not only the functionality, but also the aesthetics and competitiveness of these products," said Rakesh Mehrotra, senior director of strategic marketing at Synaptics. "We are confident that Synaptics' comprehensive offering gives us a distinct advantage over other vendors with only standalone chip offerings."
The Synaptics TouchButtons solution selected by Samsung includes Synaptics' proprietary mixed-signal ASICs purpose-built for capacitive sensing, as well as Synaptics' full suite of easy-to-use, GUI-based design and development tools. Together with Synaptics' complete documentation and world-class support, Samsung had great flexibility to design and configure the illuminated capacitive touch buttons that they created for the ZERO air conditioner's front panel to manage power, temperature, fan speed, and other controls. All of Synaptics' TouchButtons solutions support industry-standard interfaces to communicate with host processors for optimal interoperability and easy integration.
"Capacitive touch solutions also offer greater durability, spill resistance, and sleek industrial design for consumers, while offering manufacturers easy system integration, faster time to market, and the ability to differentiate their products," continued Mehrotra.
Synaptics TouchButtons capacitive sensors create intuitive interfaces that simplify navigation and control, and offer a more compelling alternative to mechanical buttons and scroll wheels for notebook PCs, PC peripherals, handheld devices, and home appliances. Manufacturers can choose from a range of TouchButtons options to meet specific size, shape, and space requirements, and can create TouchButtons using Synaptics OneTouch™ design and development tools or by utilizing Synaptics custom design solutions.
The Samsung Hauzen ZERO air conditioner kills harmful bacteria and viruses, and delivers clean, healthy air – an important consideration for Olympic athletes in training – and will be available in early 2010. Television and print advertisements featuring Kim and Orser will run in Korea throughout the Winter Olympic Games, where Kim will be competing for gold in the women's singles figure skating event.