|
MontaVista targets OMAP and MIPS SoCs with Android kit
2010-04-27 Article Rating:  / 0
MontaVista announced a "rapid deployment program" offering software reference platforms for Android development on Texas Instruments's ARM Cortex-based OMAP3x and MIPS Technologies' MIPS processors. The reference platforms include a system-wide Automated Test and Validation Suite, as well as integrated IPTV, DTV, and video on-demand engines, says the Cavium subsidiary.
Expanding upon MontaVista's earlier commercialization services for Android, announced last July, the rapid deployment program targets a variety of consumer devices running Android on OMAP and MIPS platforms, says the company. The primary focus appears to be set-top boxes (STBs), digital TVs (DTVs), IPTVs, and Internet-connected TVs, but other targeted devices are said to include smartphones, e-readers, and In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) systems. The initial Android rapid deployment reference platforms are designed for the Texas Instruments (TI) OMAP3430 and OMAP3630 system-on-chips (SoCs), as well as unnamed MIPS-based SoCs (see farther below for more details).The rapid deployment program consists of Android software reference platforms, an Automated Test and Validation Suite (ATVS), and Android commercialization services, says MontaVista. The Android reference platforms are said to include:
Key features of the ATVS are said to include:
Android on OMAP3430 and OMAP3630 In November 2008, MontaVista first demonstrated Android running on an OMAP3x SoC. Then in October of last year, several months after announcing its Android commercialization services and on the eve of its acquisition by Cavium, MontaVista announced an Android Market Specific Distribution (MSD) for its MontaVista Linux 6 commercial embedded development distribution that targeted the OMAP3430.
Announced by TI in Feb. 2009, the OMAP36xx series die-shrinks the earlier 65nm OMAP34xx product line using a 45nm production process, thereby delivering speeds up to 1GHz. Other claimed improvements included a 25 percent reduction in power consumption, as well as 75 percent better graphics performance. The OMAP3630 is otherwise identical to the OMAP3430, except for higher graphics resolutions and the expanded support for digital cameras of up to 12-megapixels. The OMAP3630 also appears to be identical to the OMAP3640 except that it offers a 720MHz clock speed instead of the OMAP3640's 1GHz rate. The processor is said to provide hardware PowerVR accelerated graphics, while delivering up to 720p quality video. TI has yet to publicly focus much attention on Android, yet embedded software developers appear to be targeting the company's OMAP processors for non-smartphone designs. In November, Mentor Graphics announced it was shipping an Android development platform for the OMAP35x SoC family aimed at medical, communication, industrial, instrumentation, home security, and digital video applications. In December, MontaVista's rival, Intel-owned Wind River, announced an Android development kit that initially supports the TI's OMAP34x and OMAP36x processors. MIPS Android port gains third party support Over the last year, MIPS Technologies has placed Android front and center in its plans for its 32-bit MIPS cores. (The 64-bit cores, meanwhile, are more at home in the high-end networking world.) Since Embedded Alley (now part of Mentor Graphics) helped the company developed an Android port for MIPS last summer, the semiconductor vendor has announced a continuous series of Android announcements, primarily targeting the growth of the operating system on MIPS-based STBs. In January, for example, the company announced a variety of STB and DTV Android prototypes and reference designs from companies including KDDI running on MIPS-based Sigma Designs processors (see image below).  KDDI's MIPS-based set-top prototype showing Android-based VOD interface Stated Art Landro, president at MontaVista Software, "Coupled with MontaVista's renowned high quality commercial quality embedded Linux, our new rapid deployment program can cut months off the time required to deliver an Android-based device to market in addition to helping improve overall product quality, providing great value to our customers." Stated Fred Cohen, director of OMAP wireless ecosystem, wireless business unit, TI, "Though Android's complexity can present challenges in getting started, the reference platforms, test suites, and services offered as part of the MontaVista rapid deployment program ease this process for our OMAP customers." Stated Art Swift, VP of marketing, MIPS Technologies, "An offering like this from MontaVista has the potential to add great value for [our] customers." Availability MontaVista did not offer pricing or availability information on the Android rapid deployment program reference platforms. The company will be showing components of the new program in booth #2222 at the ESC Silicon Valley event this week at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, Calif., April 27-29. More information on MontaVista's Android Commercialization service and rapid deployment program may be found here. Related Stories:
|
The ARM Cortex-A8-based, 600MHz 
news feed
