Freescale SoC doubles rendering performance of previous processor
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A processor designed to help lower costs for next generation eReaders has been launched by Freescale Semiconductor. According to Freescale it is the first SoC to integrate ARM Cortex A8 technology together with a hardware based display controller from E Ink.
The i.MX508 processor doubles the rendering performance of Freescale's previous eReader processors when the ARM core is running at 800 MHz and supports next generation eReader panels and panel resolutions up to 2048 x1536 pixels at 106 hertz.
Bernd Lienhard, vice president and general manager of Freescale's Multimedia Applications Division said that by integrating the E Ink display controller, the i.MX508 reduces part counts and lowers costs associated with electronic paper display control functionality by as much as 50% compared to systems without an integrated controller.
Lienhard said: "Working closely with E Ink and our customers, we are able to offer an integrated silicon solution to facilitate lower eReader retail prices and enable the next phase of growth in the eBook market."
The i.MX508 processor includes power modes created for eReaders designed to allow the cpu and some peripherals to operate at full speed while rendering a page and then turn off to save power when they are not needed. It is designed to work with Freescale's
Freescale plans to begin providing samples to select customers early in the third quarter of 2010.
