Freescale offers new i.MX53 multimedia products and development solutions

AUSTIN, USA: Freescale Semiconductor is expanding its i.MX53 high-performance applications processor portfolio with two advanced development platforms and new consumer and industrial devices.

“Freescale’s newest i.MX53 products and development resources demonstrate our uncompromising commitment to deliver the technology and support our customers need to differentiate and win in highly competitive markets,” said Ken Obuszewski, product marketing director for Freescale’s Multimedia Applications Division. “Ease-of-use is a hallmark of Freescale’s i.MX products, and our latest i.MX53 development solutions and market-specific products underscore this distinction.”

With more than 100 million units shipped to date, Freescale’s applications processors are a top architectural choice for OEMs and systems designers requiring rich feature sets, high performance and best-in-class power efficiency. The company’s i.MX processor portfolio has been broadly adopted across a wide range of applications, including many of today’s fastest growing product categories.

Quick Start development platform
To help customers more quickly and easily create innovative products for a variety of markets, Freescale is offering a Quick Start development platform based on i.MX53 technology with a manufacturer’s suggested resale price of $149 (USD). Designed for an optimal out-of-box experience, the platform includes a 1GHz i.MX53 applications processor with 1 GB of DDR3 memory and an extensive set of peripherals.

Also included are drivers, hardware, software-optimized multimedia codecs and other critical components. The Quick Start solution runs on an optimized Linux OS distribution supported by a large and vibrant community of open source developers at imxcommunity.org.

SABRE platform for tablets
Freescale is also introducing a new reference design in its Smart Application Blueprint for Rapid Engineering (SABRE) series. The SABRE platform for tablets, based on i.MX53 technology, offers market-specific connectivity and user interfaces to help speed system-level development of next-generation tablets and mobile devices.

Engineered to help developers and manufacturers provide compelling user experiences on a near-production-ready device, the SABRE platform includes an i.MX53 applications processor built on a 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 core capable of running the Android, Linux and Microsoft Windows Embedded Compact 7 operating systems. The reference design features a 10-inch, high-resolution LCD display and an array of market-critical features, functionality and technologies. The design also includes the Freescale MMA8451Q 3-axis accelerometer, MAG3112 magnetic sensor, MC1323x transceiver and SGTL5000 audio codec.

New i.MX537 and i.MX538 devices
Freescale is expanding the i.MX53 product family with the i.MX537 derivative for industrial applications and the i.MX538 derivative for consumer applications. Based on Freescale’s latest implementation of the advanced ARM Cortex-A8 core, these new processors deliver ultra-fast processing for applications including tablets, smartphones, automotive infotainment systems, patient monitoring equipment and industrial devices with human-machine interfaces.

The products’ low power consumption qualifies them for the Freescale Energy-Efficient Solutions mark, which designates Freescale products whose implementation of energy or power management technologies and/or performance within a specified energy budget over the life of the application is truly optimal and/or best in class. Merging outstanding performance with 1080p HD video, high-end 2D/3D graphics hardware acceleration and industry-leading input/output flexibility on a single system-on-a-chip (SoC), the newest i.MX53 products are expected to be deployed across a broad range of industries.

The i.MX537 processor incorporates an 800 MHz ARM Cortex-A8 core and provides key environmental differentiators for the industrial market. These include 3.3V I/O support, a 0.8 mm pitch package to reduce PCB and manufacturing costs, extended temperature coverage of -40 C to +85 C for harsh environments, industrial qualification for extended reliability, and a strong ecosystem of module manufacturers, software integrators and development tools providers. In addition, the i.MX537 device is part of the Freescale Product Longevity program, with a minimum of 15 years of assured supply.

Freescale’s new i.MX538 processor for consumer markets is delivered in 12mm x 12mm package-on–package (PoP) housing, built on a 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 core and supports LPDDR2 with optional MMC/SD flash memories. The processor’s PoP technology allows vertical layering of logic and memory ball grid array packages, resulting in a small footprint ideal for consumer applications.

The Quick Start board is available now for a manufacturer’s suggested resale price of $149. The SABRE platform for tablets is expected to be offered in March 2011 at a manufacturer’s suggested resale price of $1,499. The i.MX537 and i.MX538 applications processors are available now in sample quantities for select customers, with general sampling anticipated in June 2011.