Freescale, Mentor Graphics to provide unique bundle of applications processors and user interface tools

AUSTIN, USA: Freescale Semiconductor and Mentor Graphics have established a unique, industry-leading agreement to bundle Mentor’s advanced Inflexion user interface (UI) development tool and runtime software with several popular i.MX applications processors.

The agreement is intended to help i.MX customers lower their total cost of ownership and streamline implementation of 2D, 3D and animated user interfaces in products using the Android and Linux operating systems.

The Inflexion UI allows product manufacturers to quickly differentiate their devices and offer end-users highly functional and dynamic experiences. Mentor’s development technology is ideal for the implementation of UIs in tablets, industrial control and home appliance panels, medical equipment, digital TV, in-vehicle infotainment and in-flight entertainment systems.

“The investment to provide Mentor’s Inflexion solution underscores Freescale’s commitment to making our i.MX products easy for our customers to use,” said Bernd Lienhard, vice president and general manager of Freescale’s Multimedia Applications Division. “By providing the Inflexion UI at no charge for our customers, we are helping them streamline development, speed time-to-market and ship products that deliver highly compelling user experiences.”

Customers purchasing Freescale’s i.MX51 and i.MX53 products can register and download the Mentor Embedded Inflexion UI solution at no additional cost. Inflexion UI development technology supporting the Freescale i.MX 6 series of applications processors is planned for availability at a future date as part of the same agreement.

“Freescale’s i.MX applications processors are well known for their rich multimedia capabilities,” said Glenn Perry, general manager of the Mentor Embedded Software Division. “Adding the Mentor Embedded Inflexion UI software, which provides outstanding user interface experiences, is intended to give our mutual customers the added advantage they need to create more distinctive products.”

“Compelling and intuitive user interfaces are essential for success in the highly competitive smart mobile devices space,” said Daryl Chiam, principal analyst for Canalys. “OEMs and system designers are increasingly turning to UI technology to provide product differentiation, and the availability of the Inflexion UI solution for i.MX processors is clearly an advantage for Freescale’s customers.”

Inflexion platform
The Inflexion UI Platform consists of the Inflexion UI Express drag and drop development tool that allows customers to develop compelling UIs in less time, and the Inflexion UI Runtime target resident engine, which is optimized for Freescale i.MX devices to help ensure optimal performance.

Once integrated with the application, codeless UI customization capabilities enable product differentiation with minimal effort and without additional software changes.

i.MX processors
Freescale’s i.MX products are highly integrated, power-efficient applications processors based on advanced ARM Cortex technology. These scalable processors enable a number of high-growth applications, such as tablets, smartphones, smartbooks, automotive infotainment systems and eReaders.