Tag Archives: mips

Imagination Technologies snaps up CPU designer MIPS in an attempt to wrestle ARM

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Imagination Technologies snaps up CPU designer MIPS in an attempt to wrestle ARM

Looks like we can kiss goodbye to any lingering politeness in the rivalry between these two UK chip houses, because the smaller one has just embarked on a cheeky expansion. Having been known mainly for its PowerVR graphics processors, not least in many Apple products, Imagination Tech could potentially push into the CPU arena too, through its $60 million acquisition of MIPS Technologies. Just Like ARM, MIPS designs low-power RISC processors for consumer electronics, but it has generally focused on smaller chips for devices like routers and TVs rather than smartphones and tablets. In addition to a portfolio of 82 exclusive patents, a squad of 160 MIPS engineers will now be transplanted to Imagination, where they'll no doubt be debriefed and reassigned to conquering the world. Meanwhile, in some sort of flanking move, ARM has paid a far higher sum of $170 million to gain access to a number of other MIPS patents.

[Thanks, Michael]

Imagination Technologies snaps up CPU designer MIPS in an attempt to wrestle ARM originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 06:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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$125 MIPS-based Smart Tab 1 brings Jelly Bean on a budget to India

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$125 MIPS-based Smart Tab 1 brings Jelly Bean on a budget to India

A MIPS-based tablet was the first slate to officially run Android Ice Cream Sandwich, and the processor technology will also beat the crowds to running the new Jelly Bean OS. It might be second to the Nexus 7, but Karbonn Mobiles' new Smart Tab 1, available to the Indian market only, runs Google's latest software -- and its MIPS-based JZ4770 SoC, clocked at 1.2GHz, allows for the low price of $125. The 7-inch Smart Tab 1 itself isn't new -- it debuted with ICS in July -- but current owners will receive an update, and new units will ship with Jelly Bean. Other specs include a 2-megapixel front shooter, HDMI support, 3G support through a USB dongle and up to 32GB of expandable storage via the microSD card slot. Head to the press release past the break for more info.

Continue reading $125 MIPS-based Smart Tab 1 brings Jelly Bean on a budget to India

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$125 MIPS-based Smart Tab 1 brings Jelly Bean on a budget to India originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 16:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MIPS unveils new Aptiv mobile chip design, vows more speed in a tiny space

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MIPS has only had a slight amount of traction in smartphones and tablets given that its best friend is Ainovo. It might get a better footing in an ARM-dominated world with a new range of processors in the Aptiv line. The highest-end chip of the bunch, the ProAptiv, is reportedly much smaller than its ARM opponents across the aisle while managing the same speed, goosing the floating-point math, memory addressing and multi-core support to where it's as much as 75 percent faster over the previous generation. That's good news for mobile devices and set-top boxes where space is tight. MIPS isn't leaving embedded gear like 4G LTE modems alone, either, as the mid-size InterAptiv and tiny MicroAptiv are getting similar improvements. If you're eager to get cracking on a processor of your own, you can license MIPS' new work right away -- and us plebeians who simply buy the devices can expect Aptiv to be ready for gadget use by the middle of the year.

Continue reading MIPS unveils new Aptiv mobile chip design, vows more speed in a tiny space

MIPS unveils new Aptiv mobile chip design, vows more speed in a tiny space originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 May 2012 19:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMIPS Aptiv  | Email this | Comments