New Sony PSP announced

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. has announced its next-generation portable entertainment system (codenamed NGP) will be run on a four-core Cortex-A9 processor from ARM and a PowerVR SGX543MP4+ graphics core from Imagination Technologies. NGP will make its debut at the end of the year 2011, Sony said.

Source: EETimes.

Intel Atom versus ARM Cortex-A9

The ARMflix channel on Youtube has provided a side-by-side performance comparison of a netbook based on the Intel Atom processor and a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 development board.

ST and ARM team up

STMicroelectronics and ARM today announced that ST has adopted the ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore™ processor, in addition to the Mali®-400 graphics processor, for its upcoming set-top-box and digital TV system-on-chip.

The Cortex-A9 MPCore processor provides ST with the scalable high performance required to enable the high-bandwidth broadband and broadcast content being streamed into homes, while significantly improving power efficiency when compared to alternative solutions. ST has also licensed the ARM Mali-400 MP multicore scalable graphics processing unit (GPU) technology to meet the growing demand for exciting new graphical user interfaces and the needs of increasingly sophisticated web-based services.

On October 21st, ST-Ericsson also announced a cooperation with ARM to accelerate the next step in mobile user experience and graphics innovation with the creation of a Mali technology-enabled development platform for content and application developers available via the ARM Mali Developer Center. The cooperation will speed up bringing consumers a better gaming experience in terms of high quality graphics, video and audio on their mobile devices.

Nokia cooperates with ST-Ericsson

Yesterday in Barcelona, at the Mobile World Congress, the new ST-Ericsson joint venture announced an important partnership with Nokia to provide the Symbian Foundation with a reference platform based on ST-Ericsson’s U8500 single chip.

The chip, which combines ST-Ericsson’s well-proven application processor and state-of-the-art HSPA (High-Speed Packet Access) Release 7 modem, will enable the wide adoption, across the industry, of feature-rich, multimedia 3G Smartphones.

The U8500, which relies on the Nomadik application-processor technology, integrates the latest SMP (Symmetric Multi-Processing) ARM dual-Cortex A9 CPU in a platform supporting Symbian Foundation software. The chip is the first device enabling full High-Definition 1080 progressive-scan camcorder functions together with high-end 3-D graphics acceleration.

Read the press release.

Advanced graphics capabilities in HDTV

On January 7th, STMicroelectronics announced its plans for its next generation of Set-Top Boxes and digital HDTV application platforms with the licensing of the ARM Mali-400 MP multicore scalable graphics processing unit (GPU) technology to meet the growing demand for superior graphics on increasing screen resolutions in home entertainment products.

Laurent Remont, Advanced System Architecture Director, Home Entertainment and Displays Group, STMicroelectronics, said: “As a long-time leader in the set-top-box and digital TV market, ST has continuously been at the forefront in providing broadcasters and consumer OEMs the right technologies at the right time for the development of world-class home entertainment products. HDTV is now the standard in this market, and 3D graphics technology at high-definition resolution has an increasingly important role to play in further heightening the entertainment experience for consumers.”

Flash goes mobile

Adobe and ARM yesterday announced a technology collaboration to optimize and enable Adobe Flash Player 10 and Adobe AIR for ARM Powered devices, ranging from mobile phones to set-top boxes, mobile Internet devices, televisions, automotive platforms, personal media players and other mobile computing devices. The collaboration is expected to accelerate mobile graphics and video capabilities on ARM platforms to bring rich Internet applications and Web services to mobile devices and consumer electronics worldwide.

The joint technology optimization is targeted for the ARMv6 and ARMv7 architectures used in the ARM11 family and the Cortex-A series of processors and is expected to be available in the second half of 2009.

Go to the press releases here and here.