1GHz of processing power on a cell phone? That's right, and Marvell's PXA168 has enough mettle to do the job!
Incorporating Marvell's Sheeva technology, the PXA168 doesn't sound like anything spectacular, however the processor clocks in at 1 GHz, providing extreme speeds for computing and digital consumer devices, delivering the capabilities of an entry-level laptop. Users can experience full-featured web surfing, multi-format video, video conferencing, Adobe Flash-based content playback and even advanced GUIs. Not only will the processor be affordable for the general consumer, but it also consumes low power for longer battery life. Any type of portable device qualifies: mobile phones, navigation devices, media players, automotive dashboard displays and anything else that exploits Internet connectivity, media processing and touch screen interfaces.
"Marvell prides itself on being at the forefront of innovation, and developing products that give consumers what they want before they even know it can exist," said Roawen Chen, vice president and general manager, Communications and Computing Business Group at Marvell. "For the first time, consumers can utilize the processing power of Marvell's Sheeva technology in their low-power digital devices. With the Marvell PXA168 they get gigahertz plus processor speeds, coupled with a WMMX2 SIMD co-processor, creating the opportunity for whole new markets such as low-cost mobile computing devices."
According to the company, the Marvell PXA168 supports high-definition video with hardware graphics acceleration, rendering fluid framerates on screens up to widescreen ultra extended graphics array resolution. The processor also incorporates the company's Intelligent Color Remapping technology, preserving skin tones while rendering vivid color without shifts or clipping. Northbridge and southbridge interfaces are integrated into the processor as well, offering support for 5-in-1 memory card readers, DDR2 memory, USB, Ethernet interfaces and more.
The biggest selling point of the PXA168--outside its speed--is likely the CPU's scalability, says Marvell. Previously, digital consumer devices featured proprietary real-time operating systems with custom-crafted applications "that yielded non-scalable, single-function products." Apparently, the PXA168 offers a scalable environment with the capability of creating a new ecosystem. As an example, the company said to look at how advanced smart phones have changed the mobile market. "This new innovative architecture enables a new suite of software and applications, such as Adobe Flash and Flash Lite player as well Internet widgets running on top of full-featured operating systems, such as open-source Linux," the company said. To be honest though, current generation phones like the Android G1 and iPhone offer these features already.
As of this writing, the Marvell PXA168 supports the Linux and Windows CE platforms, as well as all standard video and audio codecs, Adobe Flash products, advanced GUIs and many other third party software. Marvell is also offering packaging options that include BGA and a QFP with a 1mm pad pitch, enabling the use of 2-layer PCBs. Marvell said that it can also provide complete platform solutions that could utilize embedded Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and power management.
Currently, Marvell is selling its 1 HGz PXA168 processor to "top-tier" digital consumer OEMs and working with third-party developers to port their applications to the PXA168 platform.
