Motorola’s DragonBall Processor Portfolio to Include ARM Architecture in 2001
December 11, 2000 — Motorola's (NYSE:MOT) DragonBall(TM) microprocessor family plans to expand its best-selling personal digital assistant (PDA) solutions portfolio to include ARM(R) technology during the next 12 months. The announcement was made during PalmSource 2000, a yearly gathering of supporters of Palm, Inc., the DragonBall family's top customer.
"Our approach to DragonBall's product family makes it an excellent bridge between ARM and 68K for years to come, through reuse of peripheral set and interface structure," said Omid Tahernia, vice president and general manager, Motorola's Wireless Communications Division. "We plan to introduce new DragonBall(TM) products – including some based on the ARM core — throughout 2001. The DragonBall microprocessor is already the number-one, best-selling PDA processor in the world, and these new products will enhance our position of providing leading solutions for creating PDAs, smart phones and Internet appliances."
The DragonBall family is Motorola's DigitalDNA solution specifically targeted for advanced information appliances and messaging applications such as the popular Palm(TM) OS-based handheld computers and Motorola's own two-way pagers. "Fast On the heels of the recently announced partnership agreement between Motorola and ARM, this announcement further confirms Motorola's strong commitment to meeting customer requirements with the ARM architecture", said Eric Carpenter, Director of Strategic Platforms for ARM. "Motorola's expertise in providing a complete solution for mobile communication devices, combined with ARM's industry-leading technology and market momentum enables the creation of scalable solutions for ARM based handheld platforms."
The new members of the DragonBall family that are planned for introduction throughout 2001 are expected to enable continued mobility, scalability and connectivity for creating the next generation of PDA, smart phone and Internet appliance products. They anticipate including both ARM-core-based DragonBall platforms with media and expanded peripherals, and higher-performance, 68K-based DragonBall platforms with expanded peripherals. These platforms continue the legacy that Motorola has established worldwide in the PDA market and will leverage its 60 years of wireless expertise by creating new handheld applications.
Industry research points to continued accelerated growth for portable microprocessors such as the DragonBall product family. International Data Corp. (IDC) predicts a compound annual growth rate of 36 percent worldwide and 29 percent domestically for handheld/pocket-sized devices during the next few years.
"We are broadening our high-performance, low-power DragonBall product family to continue growing our worldwide customer base," said Tahernia. "We fully expect the DragonBall platform to continue its success as the best-selling microprocessor for PDAs. With the inclusion of ARM architecture in our portfolio, our customers have a clear design path for developing even more advanced, innovative PDA and wireless devices." About the DragonBall(TM) product family
With more than 11 million shipments worldwide, the DragonBall microprocessor is used in both low-cost, entry-level products as well as high-performance, feature-laden devices that may include wireless communication functions. The DragonBall microprocessor has been developed to reduce component count and board space, lower power consumption, minimize system costs, and shorten time to market while offering ever-increasing system-level performance. Since its debut in mid-1995, the DragonBall series has become the No. 1 microprocessor sold in the handheld computer (PDA) market segment.
Key features making the DragonBall portfolio ideal for a variety of portable applications include an integrated liquid crystal display (LCD) controller, two power saving modes, real-time clock (RTC), pulse width modulator (PWM), timers, serial peripheral interface (SPI) and universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) with support for the infrared data association (IrDA) standard.
The DragonBall family currently is comprised of:
– DragonBall 68VZ328 – Running at 33 MHz, the DragonBall VZ microprocessor is designed for higher-end applications requiring higher performance. It also supports color LCD displays without the need for any additional logic. An expanded peripheral set is also integrated on-chip.
– DragonBall 68EZ328 – The second in the series, the DragonBall EZ microprocessor is the low-cost product of choice and comes in a smaller package than the original. Available in 16 MHz and 20 MHz versions.
The DragonBall family is expected to expand throughout 2001 to include both the handheld computer market leader, DragonBall68K, and DragonBallARM-based for the wireless market. This roadmap will allow customers to retain and leverage their software investments, and will serve as a bridge between 68K core and ARM core through the reuse of peripheral sets and interface structure. The 2001 DragonBall family of products is expected to enable continued mobility, scalability and connectivity.
For software developers, the DragonBall family will be fully supported with the CodeWarrior(R) development environment from Metrowerks, a Motorola company. With more than 35,000 registered users developing applications with CodeWarrior for Palm(TM) OS tools, Metrowerks is the leading commercial tools provider for the DragonBall platform. http://www.motorola.com/dragonball
About Motorola
As the world's No. 1 producer of embedded processors, Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector offers multiple DigitalDNA(TM) technologies that enable its customers to create "smart" products and new business opportunities in the networking and computing, wireless communications, transportation, and imaging and entertainment markets. Motorola's worldwide semiconductor sales were $7.4 billion (USD) in 1999. http://www.motorola.com/semiconductors
Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) is a global leader in providing integrated communications solutions and embedded electronic solutions. Sales in 1999 were $33.1 billion. http://www.motorola.com
About Metrowerks
Founded in 1985 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, Metrowerks develops, markets and supports CodeWarrior hardware and software development solutions for a number of operating systems and the most popular microprocessors. CodeWarrior allows programmers to build applications from one unique integrated development environment (IDE). In September 1999, Metrowerks became an independently operating subsidiary of Motorola Inc. http://www.metrowerks.com.
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Carolyn Smith, 512/895-2446 [email protected]
or
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Gary Silcott, 512/320-9043 [email protected]