The company said that these enhancements support applications such as video scaling and multiplexing for multi-display applications up to 720p HD, and functions such as timing control and color space manipulation for color reflective displays. Static power consumption remains below 50µA.
According to Forward Concepts, over the next four years, smartbooks are expected to outgrow netbooks with over 60 million units predicted to ship in 2014. In that same year, Credit Suisse predicts that over 32 million eReaders will ship. During this period of growth, vendors will seek to introduce differentiating features to gain market share.
SiliconBlue said that by utilizing iCE65 mobileFPGA devices, designers can utilize existing mobile application platforms and add differentiating features such as multiple displays and color, eliminating a full system design and validation cycle.
The family consists of the L-Series, which has been optimized for power, and the new P-Series, which improves system performance while maintaining the ASIC-like capabilities of the family, the company said. The first iCE65 P-Series device will be the iCE65P04, available in two packages: CB196 and CB284, as well as Known Good Die (KGD).
Kapil Shankar, CEO of SiliconBlue, said: ”Being the first to introduce innovative features is essential in emerging markets. Designers don’t have the time to wait for new application processors, nor can they afford the skyrocketing cost of custom silicon.
“The new P-Series devices enable designers to implement innovative and differentiating features on existing mobile application platforms, getting them to market in the shortest time possible.”
