From Palmmicro to CSR in Ten Years
Feb 19, 2009
A customer asked if we can keep shipping current AR1688 for the next ten years. The answer is definitely NO.
Ten years is too long for a chip's life circle. The only way to do a ten year product is to take the last order chance and place enough orders for the next ten years plan.
Actually ten years is also very long for a man's life. Looking back myself, ten years ago I only knew how to program under Windows and Dos.
I joined the original Palmmicro founded by Dr Wang ten years ago in 1999 and began to do embedded software since then.
During those years, Palmmicro became Centrality, Centrality merged into SiRF, and then SiRF merged into CSR, surprisingly, I am an UK company's share holder now.
Check how ten years can change a man, the larger picture was taken in 2008, and smaller in 1997:
Ten Years of Another Man
Mar 3, 2009
Only old people like to talk about history.
I sat in front of him, did not find much changes on him. He is still thin and full of energy. It was 12 years ago when I first met him, and we had not made much contact all those years.
He still introduces me to others according to his old memory This guy says he can do everything.
But he did not know what I mostly said in recent years was I do not know how to do this.
In 1999, when Dr Wang hired those new graduates including myself to start Palmmicro, Dr Wang was hoping he could join too and manage us.
We had a few meetings at that time, still had the impression that he insisted instructing us to find similar products on market to define our own plan.
But he did not join Dr Wang, instead, he joined a local Chinese consumer electric company as a precious leading role back from abroad.
After the 3 years contract ended, he went back to US, spent half of a year working in a company. I met his once in that 2003 period,
and installed a newly designed PA1688 IP phone in his home.
Later I heard that he went back to China again and working in Shanghai with some our old acquaintance.
In 2006, I met a Shanghai Centrality people in Shenzhen by chance, and heard that he was designing GPS products in Shenzhen. I got his contract information and called him.
I met him yesterday and got to know more. He ended another 3 year contract with a public company 3 months ago. Now he is running his own design company.
The GPS product in 2006 was not successful. Did not go back to US for many years, his green card was cancelled by immigration already. He said Once you come here you can never go back again.
I did not ask him how about the 10 years in China, but I guess we feel the same. Although it is far from successful, I never regretted.
中文