MD Satmap
Witekio have been instrumental in helping us get the Active 20 Sports GPS to market and support us with post-launch upgrades.
In an efficient commercial manner, this has allowed Satmap to remain forward looking and customer focussed, and at the same time call upon leading edge, affordable, embedded, technical knowledge and insights to keep our GPS platform best-in-class.
Witekio have worked closely with the management and technical teams at Satmap to develop a cost-effective development roadmap, and are always on hand to assist with short term issues.
In all, a very strong and solid partner for us.
Satmap is a SME that manufactures rugged outdoor and sports GPS devices.
Based on the desire to improve their product range, Satmap has developed a new product called Active 20 which is based upon Windows Embedded Compact 2013.
With the launch of the Active 20 in 2017, Satmap wished to improve the technical characteristics of this device, specifically: to improve the battery life and low light performance to provide increased satisfaction to their users.
In developing this new device, Satmap was seeking a partner with an extensive Windows Embedded Compact expertise and a proven track record of system level optimization for mobile devices. This new product represents a step-ahead solution for serious enthusiasts of The Great Outdoors, especially walking, hiking, cycling, and off-roading.
Witekio applied its architecture and software expertise to the low-level software layer of the solution. This set of services includes embedded software optimization relating to USB, backlight brightness management and power consumption. For a successful walking and sports GPS device, optimal management of the power consumption is a mandatory requirement.
Witekio collaborated with Satmap’s technical team to optimise the Pulse-width modulation (PWM) frequency control of the display backlight. This allowed for a lower minimum level and a logarithmic brightness curve which replicates how the human eye perceives brightness, as well as greater granularity of the display’s backlight. In line with Satmap’s expectations, Witekio also profiled and optimised power states, the gating of unused SoC peripheral clocks and completed a power optimization review of all drivers.
These technical improvements provide a solid foundation for on-going platform optimization and represent a key success in the development of the Active 20, an every-day product that must be reliable in any type of environment.
