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February 2002 -- Intel Corporation has introduced
a new family of microprocessors specifically designed to bring
high performance and long battery life to wireless communications
devices. The new processors are based on the Intel XScale technology
and will power multimedia cell phones, handheld computers, in-vehicle
(telematics) systems and other wireless Internet products.
The added performance and power savings from the new Intel
processors come at a time when significant amounts of data
are beginning to be processed on wireless devices. According
to Cahners In-Stat/MDR, of the 400 million handsets sold worldwide
in 2001, only about two to three percent are capable of processing
large amounts of information. By 2005, the analyst firm believes
that more than 50 percent of the 900 million cellular phones
sold will be data enabled.
"Consumers today want to access the Internet, share
information and stay connected wherever they go, and that
puts significant processing demands on their cell phones and
personal digital assistants (PDAs)," said Peter Green,
general manager of Intel's Handheld Computing Division. "These
demands will only increase over time. The new Intel XScale
microarchitecture-based processors deliver longer battery
life and increased computing power for accessing the Internet
with handheld communications and telematics devices today,
and well into the future."
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The Intel PXA250 and Intel PXA210 applications processors will
enable the ability to deliver richer music, movies and games as
well as many of the latest applications being developed for the
workplace. The new processors complement the Intel StrongARM SA-1110
applications processors, the leading platform for Pocket PC devices
today, and set the stage for a new class of high-performance, low-power
wireless communications devices.
Many of today's wireless and handheld devices sacrifice processing
horsepower in order to maximize battery life. This trade-off does
not impact the ability to manage simple personal information such
as calendars and phone numbers. However, processors used in many
current handheld products are unable to power popular compute-intensive
consumer applications such as mobile digital music, Internet access,
color video and gaming.
The new Intel PXA250 and Intel PXA210 applications processors allow
makers of wireless communications devices to take the next step
in high-performance and low-power wireless handheld computing technology.
Products using the new processors are expected to be available to
consumers by mid-2002.
The Intel PXA 250 applications processor, running at clock speeds
up to 400 MHz, delivers advanced integration, leadership multimedia
performance and improved power savings required for many full-featured
handheld communicators, telematics systems and PDAs. Running at
speeds up to 200 MHz, the Intel PXA210 applications processor delivers
a highly integrated, low-power solution for cell phones and entry-level
handheld and wireless devices.
Increased Capabilities for Applications Processors
Building on Intel StrongARM technology, the Intel XScale microarchitecture
core was engineered to improve the performance of a wide variety
of wireless Internet devices as well as powering networking infrastructure
equipment. Both technologies are fully ARM architecture compliant,
enabling software compatibility for products based on Intel StrongARM
and Intel XScale microarchitectures. Today's announcement marks
the first general-purpose processor based on the Intel XScale microarchitecture
for the wireless device market segment.
These new processors feature architectural enhancements including
support for the new Turbo mode technology. Turbo mode enables the
processor to scale the performance as high or as low as necessary
in a single clock cycle, which helps conserve battery life while
still providing the necessary boosts in performance. In addition,
the new micro-power management features for these devices allow
the new processors to potentially use less than half the power at
the same performance levels of today's Intel StrongARM SA-1110 applications
processor.
To increase multimedia efficiency and performance, Intel also added
Intel Media Processing Technology. It is designed to work specifically
with the device's audio, video and gaming applications to increase
the number of frames per second in videos, improve sound quality
and give advanced graphical effects.
Industry Support for New Processors
Manufacturers endorsing the new processors include: Acer Inc.,
Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Compaq Computer Corporation, DaimlerChrysler,
Inc., Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu-Siemens Computer, Hewlett-Packard
Company, Hitachi, Ltd., Intermec Technologies, InFocus, Johnson
Controls, Inc., NEC Computers, Inc., Symbol Technologies and Toshiba
Corporation. Operating systems supporting the new processors include
Microsoft Windows CE.Net, Windows Pocket PC 2002, PalmOS, SymbianOS,
and embedded Linux from multiple vendors.
In addition, more than 200 independent software vendors are introducing
versions of their popular multimedia software applications in support
of the new Intel processors. Adobe, Macromedia, PacketVideo, RealNetworks,
Inc., and other companies have optimized their software to provide
Intel-powered devices with rich audio, video and gaming capabilities.
The new processors are key components of the Intel Personal Internet
Client Architecture (Intel PCA), Intel's development blueprint for
designing wireless handheld communication devices that combine voice
communications and Internet access capabilities. A growing community
of developers, called the Intel PCA Developer Network, offers wireless
companies development, technical and marketing support for designing
cell phones, PDAs and other mobile Internet devices and applications
supporting Intel PCA. To date, more than 800 companies have joined
the network and have access to its more than 400 hardware and software
design tools. The Intel Communications Fund, a $500million strategic
equity investment fund within Intel Capital, has made 15 investments
worldwide related to wireless and handheld computing and continues
to specifically target PCA-related investments.
Pricing and Availability
Both the Intel PXA250 and Intel PXA210 applications processors
are available today in sample quantities. The Intel PXA250 processor
at 400 MHz has a suggested list price of $39.20 (USD) and the Intel
PXA210 processor at 200 MHz has a suggested list price of $19 (USD)
in 10,000 unit quantities.
Additionally, Intel is making the Intel DBPXA250 development system,
DCPXA250 daughter card and Intel XScale microarchitecture XDB Simulator
2.0 with support for Intel PXA250 available today. These products
allow rapid development and prototyping of hardware and software
built around the Intel PXA250 and Intel PXA210 applications processors.
For more information please see http://developer.intel.com/design/pca/applicationsprocessors.
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