Qualcomm demo's Android running on Snapdragon
John Walko
(01/08/2009 6:52 PM EST)
URL: eetimes.com
LONDON — Qualcomm is using the Consumer Electronics Show to demonstrate Google's Android operating system running on its Snapdragon chipset.
The Snapdargon, which Qualcomm has been developing for several years but is not yet commercially available on any mobile device, is a 1GHz, DSP-enabled processor specifically focused on 3G mobile devices.
Qualcomm says the demonstration shows "tight integration" between the firm's processors and the Android platform, and is being targeted at larger mobile Internet capable devices and Web tablets, not just handsets.
T-Mobile's G1 handset, the first to use the Android platform and made by Taiwanese group HTC, already uses a Qualcomm mobile chip set, the MSM2701A. Other manufacturers have also announced their plans for phones based on the OS, many of which also will use the Qualcomm device.
Motorola is strongly committed to bringing out handsets using the Android platform, and Samsung is also known to be readying phones using the open source OS.
Wind River provided the software code that supports the Android mobile software running on larger screen-sized handsets using the Snapdragon chip, and the demonstration runs at WVGA resolution.
Wind River said it will make available the code to the Open Handset Alliance (OHA) repository in the near future.
Jason Whitmire, general manager of the Mobile segment at Wind River, said: "Our work will help drive the availability of Android-based mobile computing devices that run at WVGA resolution in the market by allowing device manufacturers to commercialize their products much faster and more easily."
Mark Frankel, vice president of product management for Qualcomm CDMA Technologies, added: "Android broke new ground in mobile functionality and user interfaces and Qualcomm believes there is a logical fit between the expanded capabilities of the software and our Snapdragon chipsets for mobile computing devices."
Showing the flexibility of the Snapdragon platform, Qualcomm also demoed Snapdragon chips on a prototype Windows Mobile device and on Linux netbooks.
Late last year, Qualcomm said the Snapdragon is gaining traction with more than 30 device designs in development and more than 15 leading device manufacturers opting in.
The first Snapdragon devices are expected to be launched by customers in the first half of 2009.
Customers for Snapdragon include such OEMs and ODMs as Acer, ASUS International, C-motech, Compal, Foxconn International Holdings (FIH), High Tech Computer (HTC) Corporation, Inventec, LG Electronics, Quanta Computer Incorporated, Samsung, Toshiba Corporation and Wistron Corporation.
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