Freescale Semiconductor on Monday announced a new processor that could help make the next generation of e-readers more affordable. Freescale’s i.MX508 applications processor relies on ARM Cortex-A8 technology and a hardware-based display controller from E Ink to drive costs down.
With the ARM core running at 800 MHz, the i.MX508 provides twice the rendering speed of Freescale’s last round of e-reader processors. That means faster page turns for consumers, more speed for value-added applications, and advanced touch solutions for manufacturers.
“DisplaySearch forecasts that the worldwide e-book/e-reader device shipment will triple that of 2009, increasing to over 14 million units in 2010,” said Dr. Jennifer Colegrove, director of display technologies at DisplaySearch. “Key to this growth will be improving the quality of the digital reading experience while simultaneously making it affordable. The results coming from the Freescale and E Ink collaboration are very encouraging.”
Meet the Next Gen E-Reader
Freescale said the i.MX508 can support next-generation e-reader panels that are expected to offer larger dimensions, faster page turns, and better resolution. The processor supports panel resolutions up to 2048×1536 pixels at 106 hertz.
By integrating the E Ink display controller, Freescale said the i.MX508 needs fewer parts and lowers costs associated with electronic paper display control by as much as 50 percent compared to systems without an integrated controller. Raw NAND memory also helps drive costs down, Freescale said.
The i.MX508 processor has power modes created for e-readers that allow the CPU and some peripherals to operate at full speed while rendering a page and then turn off to save power when they are not needed, Freescale said.
E-Price Wars
“Shaving the price of e-readers below $200 is going to be critical for those devices to stay competitive,” said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT. “I suspect we are going see more multimedia-focused devices, ranging from the Sony…