Imagination announces Android for META-based SoC application platforms

Full Android OS on single or multiple threads delivers unique SoC solution

December 10, 2010 -- Imagination Technologies, a leading multimedia and communications technologies company, announces Android™ support for its META multi-threaded processor family, including META connected application platform solutions.

The complete Google Android OS (Operating System) has been ported to run on the META Linux kernel and offers full SMP (Symmetric Multi-Processor) and hotplug features. Android for META runs standard binary Android apps and features an optimised port of the Dalvik VM (Virtual Machine) written especially for META.

META multi-threaded processor and META connected application platform solutions, which combine META processor and ENSIGMA connectivity technologies, are designed to power the 'Internet Everywhere' generation of consumer electronics.

Imagination debuted Android for META at Embedded Technology 2010 in Yokohama on Dec 1st and will show the implementation today (December 6 th) at Imagination’s exclusive annual industry event at the British Embassy in Tokyo.

META provides a scalable Android solution from very small footprint and highly-efficient processors up to very high performance SoCs. Imagination is demonstrating an entry level META connected application platform suitable for enhanced embedded devices such as connected radios, smart photo-frames, information terminals, thin client devices, internet edge appliances, tablets and set-top-boxes.

According to market research company Gartner, in the 3rd Quarter of 2010 the Android OS had 25.5% worldwide smart phone sales market share. However, the latest trend is that Android is now also being deployed into a growing number of other markets including tablets, set-top boxes and other consumer devices such as photo frames, cameras and printers. It is this growing trend that makes Android a compelling proposition for Imagination’s META licensees.

Says Tony King-Smith, VP marketing, Imagination: “By delivering support for the Android OS, which is rapidly becoming an industry standard for app development, we are now able to provide a complete META-based application platform solution The rich application environment offered by Android ensures that our META partners can take full advantage of the growing Android-based community of developers, middleware and content.”

The META family of 32-bit SoC processor IP cores is a unique range of embedded processors that use hardware multi-threading to combine both general purpose and DSP capabilities with exceptional tolerance to SoC system latencies while also delivering extremely fast and deterministic real-time response, which makes them ideal for SoC applications.

META connected application platforms combine Imagination's innovative META multi-threaded processor and ENSIGMA multi-standard programmable communications technologies, fully optimised for low power and high performance under all operating conditions. 

Imagination will add further features to Android for META on an aggressive timescale, including wide integration with other Imagination IP cores including POWERVR SGX graphics and VXD video decode, META AXD audio platforms and ENSIGMA UCCP communications and connectivity cores.

Continues King-Smith:  “Only META-based SoC platforms can combine Android over one or more hardware threads with demanding real-time and native DSP algorithms all on the same SoC processor platform. This makes META an increasingly unique and attractive for end product designers wishing to combine the flexibility of Android applications with demanding real-time DSP or communications tasks in a highly optimised cost engineered single-chip based solution, especially when combined with IP from our ENSIGMA and POWERVR IP portfolio.”

About Imagination Technologies

Imagination Technologies Group plc (LSE:IMG) – a global leader in multimedia and communication technologies – creates and licenses market-leading processor cores for graphics, video, multi-threaded embedded processing/DSP and multi-standard communications applications. These silicon intellectual property (IP) solutions for systems-on-chip (SoC) are complemented by platform level IP and services, a strong array of software tools and drivers and extensive developer and middleware ecosystems. Target markets includemobile phone, handheld multimedia, home consumer entertainment, mobile and low-power computing, and in-car electronics.Its licensees include many of the leading semiconductor and consumer electronics companies. Imagination has corporate headquarters in the United Kingdom, with sales and R&D offices worldwide. See: www.imgtec.com.