Broadcom announced that it has ported the Android and Windows CE operating systems to run on its “advanced navigation processor” – BCM4760. As a result, the company expects a new generation of location-aware mobile internet devices (MIDs) and personal navigation devices (PNDs) will emerge on the market. And unlike the earlier generation of PNDs, these devices should be smarter, allowing apps to run on them for instance. This is not to say we already don’t have smartphones that act like PNDs and MIDs for that matter.
Anyway, the Broadcom BCM4760 navigation processor integrates the necessary technologies and components in a single-chip solution that saves cost, minimizes footprint size, and extends battery life. Key features include:
- A 65nm CMOS design process with a high performance GPS receiver and baseband, an ARM11 processor, an OpenGL ES 1.1/OpenVG 1.0-compliant graphics processor and advanced analog technology.
- Single die that integrates an audio codec, touchscreen controller and USB 2.0 controller with high speed transceiver.
- Support for Broadcom’s connectivity solutions such as Bluetooth and WiFi.
As expected, you can see the Broadcom BCM4760 being demoed at the CES as we speak…