SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Atmel®( )Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML), a leader in touch- and microcontroller-based solutions, today announced that it has been named an International CES Innovations 2010 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree for its maXTouch(TM) mXT224 capacitive touchscreen controller. Products entered in this prestigious program are judged by a preeminent panel of independent industrial designers, engineers and members of the media to honor outstanding design and engineering in cutting edge consumer electronics products across 36 product categories.

Atmel's maXTouch solutions provide unlimited capacitive touch capability combined with the industry's lowest power consumption and unsurpassed configurability to exceed user interface requirements. The mXT224 is the first capacitive touchscreen solution able to support the touch of a finger, stylus or fingernails for drawing or signature capture and character recognition. It is so sensitive that it can even detect touches from a user that has gloves on. It has 224 nodes that allow it to accurately report the positions of unlimited, simultaneous touches and can completely rescan the screen every 4/1000 of a second (4 mS) to give the user an instant response. Atmel's mXT224 also includes fast performance to make it the world's first touchscreen solution suitable for advanced touch screen functionality, such as rejection of unintended touches, stretch/pinch and rotate gestures, handwriting and shape recognition on mobile phones, mobile Internet devices (MID) and Netbook screens surpassing 10 inches. For more information on Atmel's maXTouch solutions, please visit http://www.atmel.com/products/touchscreens/default.asp.

"Being recognized as a 'CES Innovations 2010 Design and Engineering Award' is an honor for us," said Jon Kiachian, sr. marketing director for touch products at Atmel Corporation. "Atmel's maXTouch mXT224 is the first product that enables an unlimited number of touches. This technology is the result of Atmel's mutual capacitive sensor design, combined with our patented Charge Transfer method of signal acquisition. Atmel's mXT224 is the first of many products targeted at the consumer, display and other markets."

The prestigious Innovations Design and Engineering Awards have been recognizing achievements in product design and engineering since 1976. It is sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®, the producer of the International CES, the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow, and endorsed by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), the voice of industrial design, committed to advancing the profession through education, information, community and advocacy.

Atmel's maXTouch mXT224 capacitive touchscreen controller will be displayed at the 2010 International CES, which runs January 7-10, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase will feature honorees by product category in the Grand Lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center and will also be featured at CES Unveiled: The Official Press Event of the International CES on Tuesday, January 5.

The Innovations entries are judged based on the following criteria:


    --  Engineering qualities, based on technical specs and materials used
    --  Aesthetic and design qualities, using photos provided
    --  The product's intended use/function and user value
    --  Unique/novel features that consumers would find attractive
    --  How the design and innovation of the product compares to other products
        in the marketplace

Products chosen as an Innovations honoree reflect innovative design and engineering of the entries. Examples may include the first time various technologies are combined in a single product or dramatic enhancements to previous product designs.

Innovations 2010 Design and Engineering honoree products are featured on http://www.CESweb.org/Innovations, which lists product categories, as well as each product name, manufacturer information, designer, description, photo and URL.

About Atmel

Atmel is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of capacitive touch solutions, microcontrollers, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry's broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is able to provide the electronics industry with complete system solutions focused on consumer, industrial, security, communications, computing and automotive markets.

© 2009 Atmel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Atmel®, Atmel logo and combinations thereof, and others are registered trademarks, maXTouch(TM) and others are trademarks of Atmel Corporation or its subsidiaries. Other terms and product names may be trademarks of others.



    Press Contacts:
    Agnes Toan, PR Manager
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SOURCE Atmel Corporation