Archive for the ‘freescale ereader processor’ tag
eReader & Tablet News – 8/25/2010 no comments
The fracas that the Wylie Agency brought about last month when it decided to unilaterally publish 20 classic (but still under copyright) ebooks via its new Odyssey Editions exclusively through the Kindle Store has apparently come to an end. A joint statement by Markus Dohle , CEO of Random House and Mr. Wylie indicated that they had come to an agreement on the matter.
Reportedly Amazon will remove 13 of the 20 books released by Odyssey, but the ebooks should return to Amazon under Random House’s auspices, although that may mean Amazon will loose its exclusivity. I just checked a few of the titles and all were still available and still shown as published by Odyssey Editions.
Random House will also resume a normal business relationship with Wylie, which had been suspended during the dispute.
So it looks like Random House has won, but Wylie’s move hopefully will do something to speed up the digital publishing of publisher’s backlists, which would be a win for readers.
For more on this see the WSJ.
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Samsung will reportedly be stopping production of e-paper based ereaders, citing the high cost of the displays. The company is not completely abandoning the ereader space though, as it plans to launch an LCD-based ereader next year.
Samsung has also released a teaser video of the Samsung Galaxy Tab, which is below. According to the video the Galaxy Tab will be at IFA 2010 in Berlin.
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Ok, this is rather morbid. At last there is an iPad version of the trivia game “Celebrity Dead or Alive.” This is a game that “tests players knowledge and know-how of which stars are still the life of the party and which have permanently retired their dance cards.” $0.99 at iTunes. Great.
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Hanvon Technology Co., the largest Chinese ereader manufacturer, has announced that it will be using Freescale Semiconductor’s i.MX51 applications processor for its next generation ereaders.
The first Hanvon ereader to use the new 
processor is the E-800, which sports an 8-inch e-ink screen with 1024 x 768 resolution and weighs “only” one pound.
Freescale’s flagship i.MX51 processor delivers a compelling blend of features and functionality to meet the stringent requirements of eReader products. The processor combines an 800MHz ARM Cortex–A8 CPU with a large L2 cache memory to deliver high performance for fast rendering and page turns. It also includes advanced power management features to help extend battery life and increase usage between charges, while innovative ultra-low standby power schemes extend battery standby time.
In addition to i.MX technology, Hanvon’s eReader will also incorporate Freescale’s MMA7660FC low-power capacitive accelerometer and MC13892 power management IC, resulting in highly advanced eReader products that deliver extremely low power consumption in a slim, ultra-thin design.
In other Hanvon-related news, the Daily Yomiuri newspaper yesterday reported that the company will start providing Japanese content to Chinese readers. Tokyo-based Creek & River Co. has contracted to supply Japanese manga, novels and magazine articles to Hanvon.
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ebrary, which is a provider of digital content and technologies, announced today that it has partnered with CHOICE to offer digital editions of more than 1,000 of Choice’s recent Outstanding Academic Titles (OAT). CHOICE is the premier source of scholarly reviews. More from the press release:
Spanning all academic subject areas including Business & Economics, Education, History, Language & Literature, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religion, and Sciences, ebrary’s CHOICE selection features leading publishers including Cambridge University Press, Duke University Press, Harvard University Press, Oxford University Press, Routledge, University of California Press, University of Chicago Press, Wiley, and Yale University Press. The titles may be previewed at http://site.ebrary.com/lib/choicetitles.
Additional key features and benefits:
- Available anytime through any web enabled device including the iPad—no cumbersome downloads.
- Ability to subscribe to and purchase additional titles that seamlessly integrate.
- 24/7 web-based training with a real person.
- Free MARC records.
- COUNTER-compliant usage statistics.
- Powerful tools for easy researching:
- Multiple options for searching, navigating, and browsing.
- ebrary InfoTools™, which turns every word into a portal to additional information on the web. InfoTools can be customized to link patrons to the resources of libraries’ choice.
- Notes and highlights that are automatically stored on a personal bookshelf.
- Ability to copy/paste and print text with automatic citations and URL hyperlinks back to the source.
- Personal bookshelves with moveable folders that can be shared with others.
- Much more!
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New Freescale SoC Could Result in Cheaper and Faster Ereaders no comments
Freescale has announced a new Soc that integrates ARM Cortex A8 technology running at 800 MHz with a hardware-based e-Ink display controller. The 
i.MX508 processor is said to be twice as fast as previous ereader processors from Freescale. Other benefits include lower cost and better power management resulting in longer battery life.
From the press release:
AUSTIN, Texas – March 1, 2010 – Freescale Semiconductor is helping drive down the cost of next-generation eReaders with its i.MX508 applications processor, the first system-on-chip (SoC) to integrate advanced ARM Cortex™-A8 technology together with the newest hardware-based display controller from E Ink. Freescale’s highly integrated i.MX508 processor is designed to deliver the performance, energy efficiency and system cost savings necessary to help OEMs evolve and grow the dynamic eReader product category.
With the ARM core running at 800 MHz, the i.MX508 provides twice the rendering performance of Freescale’s previous eReader processors, resulting in faster page turns and snappy responsiveness for consumers. The increased processing capability also gives manufacturers the additional performance to add features like advanced touch solutions and the ability to run other value-added applications.
The i.MX508 is notable for its support of next-generation eReader panels, which are expected to feature larger dimensions, faster page turns and significantly better resolution. The processor supports panel resolutions up to 2048 x1536 pixels at 106 hertz. Leveraging the ARM Cortex™-A8 engine, the i.MX508 processor has the potential performance to quickly handle complex image manipulations and color processing. …
Longer battery life
The i.MX508 processor includes special power modes created for eReaders that allow the CPU and some peripherals to operate at full speed while rendering a page and then turn off to save power when they are not needed. As eReader panel resolution increases, the i.MX508 with its integrated display controller, offers lower power than software-based display controller solutions. …Availability and pricing
The i.MX508 applications processor is expected to be priced at less than $10 (USD) in quantities greater than 250K units. Freescale plans to begin providing samples to select customers early in the third quarter of 2010. The SABRE platform for eReaders based on the i.MX51 is available for purchase now from Freescale. The suggested resale price is $1,995 (USD). For more information, visit www.freescale.com/eReader.
Processors made by Freescale are used in many current ereaders including the Kindle. Marvell also recently announced a new SoC for ereader applications.
