VR-Zone

In as much as we're all for Bluetooth headsets, they're generally not that great for listening to music on, but getting a high-quality wired headset that actually works with your phone isn't always that easy, as not every manufacturer wires up the connector the same. An unlikely candidate has stepped up to the task of solving this problem in the shape of Fairchild Semiconductor with its FSA8049 cross point switch.

What is a cross point switch you ask? Well, it's a little chip that would be integrated into the handset you're using at the time it's being manufacturer and it has the ability to detect the type of headset that's being connected to the handset. It will automatically detect the location of the ground and microphone poles on the headset and thus allow any type of headset or headphones to be used, something that isn't always the case today.

The chip could of course be used in just about any device with an audio jack to auto detect what's being plugged into the jack and with modern laptops seemingly moving to a single jack for headsets, this is another potential market where you have the same problem. Now if only all the device makers would be willing to implement the FSA8049 into their devices and the life of all consumers would be so much easier.

Source: Fairchild Semiconductor