| Reference design targets video-centric handhelds |
Jan. 16, 2007
 A mobile device design specialist in Bangalore, India has announced one of the first hardware reference designs based on Freescale's currently-sampling i.MX27 processor. IWave's "iW-Rainbow-G3" design supports Windows CE 6, and targets video-centric mobile devices such as hard drive-equipped, D1-capable portable media players.
(Click for larger view of iW-Rainbow-G3)
The G3 design appears to be iWave's third-generation Rainbow reference design for portable multimedia-enabled devices. Its earlier Rainbow designs included:- The original Rainbow G1 design, based on an Intel PXA270 (Bulverde) processor
- A Rainbow G2 VoIP add-in card design based on a pair of FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays)
IWave's Rainbow G3 design is among the first board-level IP (intellectual property) products based on Freescale's i.MX27 processor. Freescale announced the i.MX27 at its annual Technology Forum last summer, promising the chip would "move mobile applications toward high-definition (HD) quality video" with H.264 acceleration and a hard-drive interface.
iW-Rainbow-G3
(Click to enlarge)
Suggested applications for the Rainbow G3 design include medical PDAs, information kiosks, pollution monitoring devices, industrial PDAs, sports terminals, field force terminals, door phones, video-on-demand terminals, mobile TV, handheld multimedia players, video conferencing nodes, handheld data loggers, hand-held gaming devices, smartphones, and surveillance systems.
Freescale's i.MX27
The i.MX27 is a descendant of Freescale's venerable i.MX21 mobile applications processor, with which it shares many of its on-chip subsystems and peripheral interfaces. New in the i.MX27 is an "enhanced multimedia hardware accelerator" (eMMA) said to efficiently process MPEG4, H.263, and H.264 video streams at D1 resolution (DVD-quality, 720x480).
Freescale's i.MX27 adds to its earlier i.MX21 design
(Click to enlarge)
Other new i.MX27 features include:- Enhanced ARM926 core
- ATA interface for consumer devices with hard drives
- USB OTG (on-the-go) interface for device-to-device connectivity without a PC
- Support for up to three SD/MMC cards
- A MemoryStick interface
The i.MX27 design targets clock rates of 400MHz at 1.6 Volts, or 266MHz at 1.2 Volts. The system bus runs at 133MHz. Fabbed on 90nm process tech, and delivered in a 404-ball MAPBGA, it measures 0.67 inches (17mm) square.
IWave's Rainbow G3 design
IWave's i.MX27-based iW-Rainbow-G3 design measures 3.3 inches (85 mm) square. It has 64MB of RAM, and 128MB of flash memory, expandable through a plethora of storage interfaces.
iWave's Rainbow 3G design
(Click to enlarge)
Additional touted Rainbow G3 features include:- SVGA (800x600) LCD touchscreen interface
- VGA interface
- Keypad interface
- Wireless connectivity:
- I/O
- USB 2.0 host
- USB 2.0 OTG
- Serial port
- 3 x UARTs
- Ethernet
- Audio I/O
- Storage/expansion
- SD/MMC interface
- ATA HD
- CE-ATA HD
- NAND flash interface -- up to 1GB supported
- FM radio
- CMOS camera
- Battery
IWave says drivers are available for all peripherals on its Rainbow G3 design. Supported embedded operating systems include Windows CE 6.0 and Linux 2.6.18, according to the company.
Mohamed Saliya, iWave managing director, stated, "Be ready to head start your hi-tech products."
Availability
The Rainbow G3 design, like Freescale's i.MX27, appears to be sampling. Pricing was not disclosed.
Related Stories:
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.
4 Legal Reasons to Control Internet Access
The Internet is obviously a valuable resource for many organizations. However, many are exposed to legal liability concerns because they fail to control Internet access. Learn if you're safe in this white paper.
Rapidly Resolve J2EE Application Problems
Whether you are in the process of building J2EE applications or have J2EE applications already running in production, you must ensure that they deliver the expected ROI. Learn how in this white paper.
Load Testing 2.0 for Web 2.0
There are many unknowns in stress testing Web 2.0 applications. Find out how to test the performance of Web 2.0 in this white paper.
Build Better Games Online
For the game infrastructure providers, life is complex. Making money from games has become more complicated. Why? Find out in this white paper.
Building a Virtual Infrastructure from Servers to Storage
This white paper discusses the virtual storage solutions that reduce cost, increase storage utilization, and address the challenges of backing up and restoring Server environments.
Gaining Faster Wireless Connections with WiMAX
Welcome to what is quickly becoming the hyperconnected world where anything that would benefit from being connected to the network will be connected. Learn more in this white paper.
Is Your Desktop a Security Threat?
The new wave of sophisticated crimeware not only targets specific companies, but also targets desktops and laptops as backdoor entryways into those business’ operations and resources. Learn how to stay safe in this white paper.
Increasing SAN Reliability by 100 Percent
Storage area networks (SAN) are a strong part of storage plans. Learn how to increase your reliability and uptime by 100 percent in this case study.
|
|
|
|
|
Use of this site is governed by our Terms of
Service and Privacy Policy.
Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008
Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is
prohibited. Windows is a trademark or registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries and is used by WindowsForDevices under license from owner. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. WindowsForDevices is an independent publication not affiliated with Microsoft Corporation.
news feed