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Intel updates its PDA/ phone processor line

Intel today announced three new processors for personal digital assistants (PDAs), and smartphones.

The full announcement is Intel.com but here is the text:

The new processors incorporate the latest microprocessor packaging and stacking techniques, and deliver higher performance and longer battery life in less space than previous versions.

PDA capabilities have increased significantly over the last year to include integrated WiFi (802.11) high-speed wireless Internet access, color screens, integrated cameras, and more. This has resulted in the need for greater processing and memory capabilities, all delivered by smaller chips.

"The PDA segment has had a number of exciting developments, aided by the performance and power of the Intel PXA250 processor introduced a year ago," said Hans Geyer, Intel vice president and general manager of the Intel PCA Components Group. "With today's announcement, Intel has continued to enable even more features and functionality by continuing to take advantage of Intel's industry-leading design and manufacturing expertise."

Today's announcement includes the Intel PXA263 processor, Intel's first stacked processor for PDAs; the Intel PXA260 processor, a smaller "pin compatible" product that makes upgrading a PDA design easy and cost-effective for OEMs; and the Intel PXA255 processor, a replacement to the popular Intel PXA250 processor that extends the overall system performance and battery-life of PDAs.

Intel will also continue to extend the value of the new Intel XScale technology based processors to wireless smart display and portable media player (PMP) market segments. Fujitsu, Philips, Trigem, Wyse and ViewSonic are shipping smart displays today using Intel XScale technology based processors, and will adopt the new processors in upcoming versions. PMP makers including Creative, Philips, Samsung and Sonicblue also plan to take advantage of the high performance, low power benefits of the upcoming Intel PXA processor family in their devices.

New "Stacked" Processor for PDAs

Extending the industry's first family of innovative "stacked" processors, the Intel PXA263 processor brings memory and processor chips together for powerful computing and memory capabilities in a single system package. The Intel PXA263 processor (200 MHz, 300 MHz, 400 MHz) stacks 32 MB of 32-bit Intel StrataFlash® memory with an Intel XScale technology based processor for up to 72 percent space savings over stand-alone products.

Stacking advanced computing and memory capabilities in a "system-in-a-package" design reduces the number of components in a PDA and enables manufacturers to create new and different capabilities and functionality, including better ability to execute such performance-intensive applications as MPEG4 video decode, speech and handwriting recognition, and games.

New Processor Package Helps PDA Makers Save Development Time, Cost

The Intel PXA260 processor (200 MHz, 300 MHz, 400 MHz) is a standalone device that is nearly 53 percent smaller (13mm x 13mm x 1.4mm) than prior standalone processors (17mm x 17mm x 1.75mm). It is "pin-compatible" with the Intel PXA26x processor family, enabling the designer to build a single board that can easily stack flash memory and computing products without changing the design. This saves manufacturers significant time and cost associated with designing a family of PDAs ranging from thin and light to high-end, full-featured devices.

Extending the Power and Performance of Intel XScale Technology

The Intel PXA255 processor extends the overall balance of system performance and power consumption of its predecessor Intel PXA250 processor. Intel has doubled the internal system bus speed to improve application performance. In addition, Intel has lowered the voltage of the technology to 1.3 volts at 400 MHz through a variety of manufacturing techniques, resulting in a lower power consumption of more than 30 percent in run mode and more than 60 percent in idle mode. Acer, Casio, Dell, Symbol and Toshiba are among the customers using the new processors.

Pricing and Availability

The Intel PXA263 and Intel PXA260 processors are sampling today with production volumes expected in the second quarter of 2003. Products using the new processors will be available later this year. The Intel PXA263 processor (200 MHz) has a suggested list price of $42.35 (US) in 10,000 unit quantities, and the Intel PXA260 processor (200 MHz) is being sold at a list price of $ 22.85 (US) in 10,000 unit quantities.

The Intel PXA255 processor is available in products now from leading OEMs. More information on the new processors can be found at http://www.intel.com/design/pca/applicationsprocessors/index.htm.