Chip maker Marvell says it has created a new ARM-based microprocessor tailored for the eBook market that could eventually lower eBook reader costs to under $100.
Marvell has integrated the E Ink electronic paper technology into a new member of its Armada microprocessor family, reports Venture Beat. No longer is it necessary to have a separate and costly e-paper subsystem. By doing so, Marvell has been able to cut about 15 percent of the costs of an eBook system.
“Because this is a total platform solution – including Marvell key technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G modem, and power management – the ARMADA eReader has the potential to deliver the first mass market product accessible and affordable to billions of consumers around the world”, said Weili Dai, Marvell’s Co-founder.
One of the customers for the new chip is enTourage Systems, which will use the Marvell device in its upcoming Edge eBook reader (above). Another Marvell customer is Plastic Logic, which is launching its Que eBook reader in the first quarter. The chip will also support eBook readers with screens larger than 9.7 inches and will have the ability to download content via Wi-Fi or 3G networks and may use Google’s Android operating system.
Marvell will also power the dual-screen Alex e-reader from Spring Design (right). Like the enTourage Edge, Spring Design’s dual-screen display combines a monochrome electronic paper display with a color LCD screen. It runs on the Android operating system and includes WiFi and cellular connections.
“Periodicals are the next big frontier in eReading,” said Gil Fuchsberg, President of FirstPaper, which will bring a new eReading ecosystem to market in 2010.
These new eBooks won’t initially be priced at under $100, but they are expected to get there eventually. Marvell says its Armada family of processors are based on the Intel Xscale technology that it bought in 2006. This new eBook chip, the Armada 166E, runs at more than a gigahertz and is based on the Armada 100 series chip designs.
The chips are based on the ARM microprocessor designs, which are shipping in 600 million Marvell-based chips each year.
Rivals in the market for eBook chips include Freescale, Texas Instruments, and Samsung. The original Amazon Kindle uses a Marvell chip, but the newer Kindle uses a Freescale chip.
