|
|
|
|
|
|
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 | |||||
 |
 
|
 |
First Look: Freescale unveils 2nd gen Smartbook tablet design Bernard Cole Las Vegas, Nev. – At the CES here, Freescale Semiconductor unveiled what it thinks is the future of the so-called smartbook with a tablet reference design featuring a 7-inch touch screen with up to four times the viewing area of a typical smartphone and based on a form factor that is approximately one-third the size and volume of today’s typical netbook. The design is intended to help consumer device makers to create a second generation of smartbook products with prices less than $200 and featuring form factors that fully leverage the power, performance and functionality advantages of advanced ARM processor technology. It is designed to provide instant-on functionality, persistent connectivity and all-day battery life. Designed to help OEMs jump-start creation of smartbook tablets, the solution is based on Freescale’s highly integrated i.MX515 processor incorporating ARM Cortex-A8 technology. It also includes Freescale’s MC13892 power management IC, SGTL5000 audio codec and MMA8450Q 3-axis accelerometer. End products based on the design could hit retail shelves as soon as the summer of 2010. The design is the first platform in Freescale’s Smart Application Blueprint for Rapid Engineering (SABRE) series. The SABRE tablet platform for smartbooks incorporates feedback from a recently completed end-user research study conducted in conjunction with Savannah College of Art and Design’s Industrial Design program. The Freescale tablet includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® wireless connectivity, and also features a 3D desktop framework with touch screen/QWERTY keyboard support. 3G modem and RF4CE protocol options are available. The tablet reference design incorporates a modular approach to 3G connectivity to allow systems developers select carrier-specific air interfaces appropriate for different regions. Modules can be pre-certified by carriers and selected to match a range of features and performance targets. This method makes it easy to migrate quickly to new modem technologies as they are introduced. Example smartbook platform applications intended to run on the tablet include a web browser with Adobe Flash Player and multimedia plug-ins, a media center, PDF and image viewers, a mail client, an RSS reader, an office suite, handwriting utilities and various widgets for Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Weather SMS and other applications. The smartbook reference design is expected to be available for evaluation beginning February 2010 through local Freescale sales representatives. Reference design details are available at www.freescale.com/consumer.
For more information about topics, issues and technologies mentioned
in this story go to the flashing icon in the upper left corner on any
page or go to the iAppliance Web Views
page and call up the associatively-linked Java/XML-based Web map
of the iApplianceWeb site.
|
|
| |||||
Terms and Conditions Privacy Statement | ||||||||||
