Alun Williams - Google+
With Qualcomm, TI and Nvidia chips based on ARM, the UK company is dominating Android offerings, with the industry still waiting for an Intel offering... But in the meantime MIPS is also there. The Register reports that a processor based on the MIPS architecture has passed the Android Compatibility Test Suite.
It writes:
The chip comes from Beijing-based Ingenic Semiconductor, whose MIPS32-based SoC (System on a Chip) XBurst has passed the 24,000 tests required before one can put the small green robot on the box. More importantly, the test allows manufacturers to install Google's Android application suite onto handsets, including the Android Marketplace.
Phones and tablets using Ingenic's SoC are already on sale in China, but without the critical Android endorsement which passing the test makes possible. MIPS reports that a Froyo-running handset is already on sale in China for less than $100, and will be shipping into the US any day now.MIPS itself writes:
Until now all of the devices in the market that are known to have 'passed' the CTS are based on the ARM architecture. We at MIPS are proud to be the first to publicly announce a non-ARM based device to pass the CTS. This device is an Android Froyo based smartphone with an SoC from Ingenic Semiconductor based on the MIPS32 architecture, retailing for under $100. The phone is currently shipping in volume in China, Europe, India, and soon - North America. The phone has access to several hundred thousand apps, including popular titles such as Angry Birds, Pandora Radio, Shazam, Google Docs, Kindle, YouTube etc. We congratulate Ingenic Semiconductor for achieving this feat.Read the full Register article >>
See also: Mobile processor strategies shift - report
Leave a comment