China’s Ingenic has developed an asymmetric, dual-core MIPS-based chip for 301, as well as a 15 x 13mm development kit.
The Newton2 dev kit includes the new processor (M200), eMCP memory, power management controller, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, sensors and seven micro-connectors for peripherals. The board runs both Android and Linux.
As for the M200 itself, the device features a 1.2GHz core for heavy-duty tasks and a 300MHz core for less-demanding jobs. With both running, power consumption is 150mW. A spokesperson for MIPS said, “[The] M200 includes [a] special fabric that creates multiple low power modes of operation and distinct power islands; these islands can also be switched on by special programmable triggers; voice activation, for example”.
As well as LCD, the display controller in the M200 supports E Ink screens. A 3D graphics engine (OpenGL ES 2.0) is on-die, as well as a separate video engine supporting multiple standards, including H.264 and VP8.
