OREANDA-NEWS. Toshiba Corporation announced the latest addition to its TZ1000 series of ApP Lite(tm) application processors for wearable devices. The new device, "TZ1021MBG", integrates a processor and Flash memory, without the Bluetooth(r) Low Energy and accelerometer that Toshiba integrated into the previous "TZ1001MBG". The result is a smaller, slimmer package that is ideal for wearable devices. Sample shipments will start within this month, with mass production scheduled to start in March 2015. "TZ1021MBG" will be showcased at "Electronica 2014" in Munich.

There has been an explosion of interest in services that monitor activity levels and durations, as tools to help prevent lifestyle diseases, promote exercise and improve nutrition. It has increased demand for the wearable devices that these services depend on.

Toshiba's new application processor integrates highly sensitive analog to digital converters (ADCs) that are well suited for measuring weak biomedical signals such as the pulse and the heart's electrical activity (like an electro-cardiogram). The processor also offers an original low power consumption design, allowing use in wearable devices that require long battery run times.

Toshiba is also expanding its TZ1000 series by adding functionality to the basic "TZ1001MBG": "TZ1031MBG" adds a gyroscope and "TZ1011MBG" adds a gyroscope and a magnetometer.