Wednesday January 19 3:00pm
Transmeta Breaks the Silence, Unveils Smart
Processor to Revolutionize Mobile Internet
Computing
PR Newswire
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 19 /PRNewswire/ --
Transmeta Corporation today ended four and a half
years of secrecy with the introduction of Crusoe(TM),
the world's first family of smart microprocessors.
Designed to create a new category of Mobile Internet
Computers, the Crusoe processor family
(www.crusoe.com) is based on a breakthrough software
approach that will revolutionize the field of mobile
computing. Crusoe delivers on the market's need for "all
day computing" with a PC compatible solution that is
unmatched in performance with low power.
The Mobile Internet Computing Market
The evolving class of Mobile Internet Computers
includes a rich set of products that spans from Web
pads to ultra-light (less than four pound) Mobile PCs
that share the common need of x86 software
compatibility and long battery life. It represents a
significant shift from today's mostly stationary laptops
or incompatible handheld devices to a platform that
offers greater mobility and access to the Web from
most anywhere at anytime.
Ultra-light Mobile PCs operating with the Windows
operating system and Microsoft Office applications can
take advantage of the Crusoe processor's low power to
increase the average user's productivity by operating on
a single battery for up to a full work day.
Crusoe-based Internet devices such as Web pads and
mobile clients can take advantage of the Mobile Linux
operating system to create a robust yet economical
machine that can handle all the required Internet plug-in
applications. Mobile Linux offers an additional
advantage in that it is an operating system that can be
stored in solid state Flash ROM thus removing the need
for an expensive hard disk drive.
"Cellular phones became more pervasive when they
were made smaller and provided greater battery life,"
said Dave Ditzel, Transmeta's CEO. "We believe that
Crusoe will bring about a change of similar magnitude in
Mobile Internet Computers."
Commenting on the current state of the mobile market,
analyst Martin Reynolds of the market research firm
Dataquest, concurs with the need for a new mobile
processor. "When people build mobile computers
today, they use what's basically a desktop processor in
a different package," he said. "There's definitely room
for a fresh approach."
"Our customers are telling us that significant battery life
improvement is the most requested feature by a margin
of two to one. That's why Crusoe's low power is so
important," said Transmeta's Jim Chapman, vice
president of sales and marketing. "The current mobile
market needs to evolve from today's heavier (six to ten
pound) laptops to lighter weight, high performance
mobile PCs. Crusoe will help propel that change."
Re-thinking the Microprocessor
In a radical departure from traditional microprocessor
design, Transmeta made innovative use of software to
implement many functions that had previously been
implemented in hardware. This approach gives Crusoe
both the high performance and low power required for
today's demanding mobile computing environment.
The key to Crusoe's unique architecture is its Code
Morphing(TM) software. Code Morphing software
surrounds a simple Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW)
silicon engine to deliver a fully PC compatible
processor. It is this software that provides the
compatibility by "morphing" (i.e. translating x86
instructions) to the underlying hardware engine.
Crusoe is a smart processor that "learns" about an
application while it runs and uses that experience to
greatly extend battery life. Using a new Transmeta
invention called LongRun(TM) power management,
Crusoe continuously adjusts its operating speed and
voltage to exactly match the needs of the application
workload. LongRun can make adjustments hundreds of
times per second, which can dramatically extend
battery life. This is in contrast to other processors that
run at a fixed operating speed on batteries, needlessly
wasting battery life.
LongRun also provides a solution for today's strenuous
multimedia applications that typically drain an ultra-light
PC's battery in as little as an hour. With LongRun, it is
possible to design a light-weight mobile PC that plays a
DVD movie for three hours or more.
"We rethought the microprocessor from the ground-up,"
said Ditzel. "Crusoe is the first processor to deliver all
three of the key requirements for Mobile Internet
Computing: low power, high performance and full PC
compatibility. Now manufacturers have the ideal
solution for true mobility."
The Crusoe Product Family
The Crusoe processor family consists of two solutions,
the TM5400 and the TM3120, for the Mobile Internet
Computing market.
The model TM5400 is targeted at ultra-light mobile PCs
running Microsoft Windows and NT operating systems.
These PCs will take advantage of the TM5400's high
performance (up to 700MHz) and LongRun power
management to create the longest running mobile PCs
for office applications, multimedia games and DVD
movies.
The TM3120, operating at up to 400MHz, is designed
for economical Web pads and mobile clients. With the
Crusoe processor and the Mobile Linux operating
system, users can expect a complete Internet
experience, including access to the full range of plug-in
applications. Transmeta provides Mobile Linux
assistance to OEMs looking to accelerate their time to
market with new mobile Internet devices.
Pricing and Availability
The TM3120, available immediately, is economically
priced for Linux-based Web pads and devices selling for
$500 to $999. The 333MHz version sells for $65 while
the 400MHz version sells for $89.
The TM5400, sampling now, will be offered in a range of
performance levels from 500MHz to 700MHz to meet
the needs of ultra-light mobile PCs selling for between
$1200 and $2500. Transmeta expects that
Crusoe-based systems with these attractive price
points will be available in the marketplace by mid 2000.
The 500MHz version will list for $119, while the 700MHz
version will list for $329.
About Transmeta Corporation
Founded in 1995, Transmeta is a privately held
company based in Santa Clara, California. Transmeta
develops, in concert with its OEM customers, platform
solutions for the Mobile Internet Computing market.
Transmeta markets and sells the Crusoe processor
solution as the engine for a new class of computers.
Crusoe is the only x86 compatible processor solution
built to run the large installed base of PC software
applications with high performance and extremely long
battery life.
To learn more about Transmeta, visit the company's
Website at transmeta.com.
NOTE: Transmeta, the Transmeta logo, Crusoe, the
Crusoe logo, Code Morphing and LongRun are
trademarks of Transmeta Corporation.
Carla Cook of Ketchum Thomas Public
Relations, 650-596-2281, or
carla@thomaspr.com, for Transmeta
Corporation |
