| First Soleus-based PND set to ship |
Jun. 12, 2008
 Intrinsyc Software has announced the launch of the first consumer device using Soleus, its Windows CE-based application software stack. Mio's Moov 380 PND (personal navigation device) includes GPS, tri-band GSM telephony, a SIM card slot, and a 4.3-inch display, according to the companies.
(Click here for a larger view of Mio's Moov 380)
 Soleus (right), first demonstrated in 2006, achieved a version 1.0 production release later that same year, at which time it ran atop Windows CE 5.0. The software stack, which includes a user interface along with a suite of development tools, was ported to Windows CE 6.0 in 2007.
Intrinsyc originally touted Soleus as a "turnkey" development platform for "feature phones" that didn't have enough power to run Windows Mobile. More recently, it has aimed the stack at PNDs, and while the company has hailed a bevy of reference design wins for the software stack (see our extensive earlier coverage, starting here), it had been unable to point to an actual shipping product -- until now.
The Moov 380 puts Soleus on a Windows CE 5.0 platform, employing a Samsung S3C2443 processor clocked at 400MHz. With undisclosed RAM and ROM complements, the device has a 4.3-inch touchscreen display with 480 x 242 pixel resolution.
For its GPS capabilities, the Moov 380 includes MioMap 2008 maps on a microSD card and SiRF's market-dominating starIII chipset. It also appears to be one of the first devices incorporating SiRF's InstantFixII, an enhancement announced in January that uses "sophisticated, patent-pending algorithms" to predict satellite locations. This shortens "warm start" times from the typical couple of minutes to as few as five seconds, according to SiRF.
Even more unusually for a PND, the Moov 380 also includes tri-band (900/1800/1900MHz) GSM telephony, along with a SIM card that supports it. Partnerships with one or more carriers in Taiwan will provide Moov 380 buyers with always-on GPRS connectivity, providing both voice calling and web browsing, says Mio.
Features and specifications released by Mio for the Moov 380 include:- Processor -- Samsung S3C2443 clocked at 400MHz
- Memory -- n/a
- Display -- 4.3-inch touchscreen display with 480 x 242 resolution
- Wireless:
- WAN -- tri-band (900/1800/1900MHz) GSM
- GPS
- Other I/O:
- 1 x USB 2.0
- microphone
- 2.5mm earphone jack
- Expansion:
- Dimensions -- 5.07 x 3.07 x 0.48mm (129 x 78 x 12.3mm)
- Weight -- 5.8 ounces
Glenda Dorchak, chairman and CEO of Intrinsyc, said, "This is an important milestone for our Soleus business. As this product begins shipping Soleus royalty revenues will commence. This platform further validates Soleus' capabilities for enabling the rapidly growing connected PND category."
Micro-Star International's MSI 5608 uses Soleus
(Click image for further information) |
The next Soleus-based product to reach consumers' hands may be the MSI 5608, a phone that includes EDGE/HSDPA WAN capabilities, WiFi, and may also be offered with WiMAX. The 5608, which also boasts GPS and digital TV reception, was announced in January, at which time MSI said it would ship during the second quarter of 2008.
Availability
Mio showed the Moov 380 at last week's Computex show in Taiwan, but pricing and availability information was not confirmed.
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