Jason Dunn
09-15-2003, 10:30 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,112446,00.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,112446,00.asp</a><br /><br /></div>Motorola is on a rampage today! In addition to some interesting info about the new multimedia chip, there's some juicy info in this article about a new ARM-compatible CPU that Motorola has in the works. Give this article a read!<br /><br />"Motorola is announcing a new applications processor Tuesday that is designed to improve the performance of multimedia applications and the security of mobile transactions in cell phones and handheld devices. Basic voice-only cell phones have traditionally used two processors, a digital signal processor to manage the communication process, and another processor to operate the phone's keypad, contacts list, and calendar operations. But with the rise of new smart phones that incorporate digital cameras and connect to broadband networks, a third processor is often needed to ensure that audio and video playback runs smoothly.<br /><br />Motorola is adding several hardware accelerators to its new i.MX21 chip in order to offload computationally intensive tasks required by software for security applications and streaming video, says Kathleen Wiggenhorn i.MX product marketing manager. By executing those tasks in a hardware accelerator rather than by sending software instructions through the main processor, Motorola has reduced the power consumption and improved the overall performance of the chip, Wiggenhorn adds. The hardware accelerator used for the security controller allows several pieces of sensitive information, such as credit card numbers or digital rights management code, to be stored in a secure portion of the chip away from the memory, Wiggenhorn says."