MWC 2008: NVIDIA processor for smartphones

In addition to advanced power management, the APX 2500 chip offers HD experiences.

NVIDIA has timed its latest bang for the MWC in Barcelona, ​​but in line with the theme of the exhibition, this time it has announced a product for the smartphone market that can not only shake up market participants but also the manufacturer’s own mobile division. Although the term smartphone refers to several platforms, in this case Microsoft's Windows Mobile system came to the fore, as the development of the APX 2500 is a joint effort, of which Microsoft also took part. Yesterday’s announcement is likely to be the first step in a longer-term collaboration that will open up new dimensions not only in hardware design but also in the bumpy paths of software creation.

Let’s also turn to the specifics, which is the culmination of 800 years of work by:

• Processor and memory subsystem:
  • ARM11 MPCore
  • 16/32 bit LP-DDR
  • NOR and NAND Flash support
• High Definition Audio Video Processor:
  • 720p H.264, MPEG-4 and VC1 / WMV9 playback
  • 720p standard H.264, MPEG-4 encoding
  • Support to play AAC, AMR, WMA and MP3 music files
  • JPEG display and compression acceleration
• Ultra Low Power GeForce:
  • OpenGL ES 2.0 and D3D Mobile compatibility
  • Programmable pixel shader, vertex and lighting
  • CSAA (Coverage Sampling Anti-Aliasing) support
  • More advanced 2D display
• Imaging:
  • up to 12 megapixel camera sensor support
  • integrated ISP (Image Signal Processor), which helps with unique algorithms e.g. following the face
• Display support:
  • Real dual display support
  • HDMI 1.2 support (1280 × 720)
  • LCD and CRT support (1280 × 1024)
  • Use TV output via composite or S-Video connection
• NVIDIA nPower technology:
• • up to 10 hours of HD playback or 100 hours of MP3 music listening with advanced power management
  • energy consumption according to the load

Although NVIDIA is fully unveiling the APX2500 in Barcelona, ​​there are currently only engineering copies of the chip. Mass production is expected sometime from the end of the second quarter.