One key difference between MediaQ's and NeoMagic's late-2002 product offerings was that, whereas NeoMagic's MiMagic 5 strived to encompass all PDA-processing tasks, MediaQ's MQ-1188 was content to be a multimedia-tuned companion to a separate CPU (see "Power-stingy peripheral chips provide partitioning options," EDN, Nov 28, 2002, pg 14). With its follow-on Katana family, however, MediaQ embraces its competitor's all-in-one approach; ARM-based products from former partners, such as Intel and Texas Instruments, now become competitors, too.

The first chip in the Katana lineage, the $14 (10,000) MQ9000, integrates a 144-MHz ARM922T core and includes 320 kbytes of SRAM, along with three UARTs; LCD- and CCIR656-camera interfaces; and USB 1.1, SDIO (Secure Digital I/O), keypad, 72-MHz SDR SDRAM, and EDAC (error-detection-and-correction)-inclusive NAND-flash-memory controllers. The MQ-9000 also hardware-accelerates 64-bit, 2-D graphics; MPEG-4 postprocessing; and Java byte codes. The Java support is reminiscent of NanoAmp Solutions' recent product announcement (see "Software, silicon acceleration brew a stronger Java," EDN, March 20, 2003, pg 18).

Preliminary silicon testing results peg the MQ9000's average power consumption at 12 mW in idle mode when you run the core at 1.5V and the I/O buses at 3.3V. Power consumption in full operating mode will be approximately 200 mW. Follow-on MQ9100 and MQ9150 chips build on the MQ9000 base by also hardware-accelerating JPEG encoding, akin to the JPEG acceleration in the cell-phone-targeted MQ2100 (see "Accelerator makes cell phones snappy," EDN, March 20, 2003, pg 20). The MQ9100 handles VGA-resolution images, and the MP9150 tackles 1.3 million-pixel resolutions. Both chips boost the embedded-memory array to 480 kbytes, commensurate with their JPEG support; can simultaneously drive two LCDs, a requirement for flip-style handsets; and offer dual video-input ports. MediaQ is now shipping MQ9000 samples operating across a –30 to +85°C temperature range, and the MQ9100 and MQ9150 are scheduled to follow it in July and September, respectively. MediaQ has achieved functional first silicon on all three devices. Because power-consumption numbers may change with subsequent device revisions, check with the manufacturer for updates (Picture).

MediaQ, 1-408-733-0080, www.mediaq.com.