VIA launches 1.2 GHz WM8980 dual core processor for Android, Linux, Windows CE
Taiwanese chip maker WonderMedia’s latest low power processor is a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 chip called the PRIZM WM8980. It runs at speeds up to 1.2 GHz and features ARM Mali 4 dual-core graphics.
WonderMedia is a subsidiary of VIA Technologies, and while neither company is a big name in the US, WonderMedia chips can be found in a number of inexpensive Chinese tablets. The company also recently introduced a line of inexpensive ARM-based developer boards called the APC Rock and APC Paper.
The WM8980 looks like a modest improvement over the company’s previous top-of-the-line chip, adding support for Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and increasing the processor speed.
Interestingly, the new chip also drops support for Ethernet, something that was baked into the earlier WM8950 processor.
Both chips feature support for H.264 video encoding and 1080p HD video playback and both support Windows CE as well as Android. The WM8980 product page also mentions Embedded Linux support — something that’s not mentioned on the WM8950 page.
via CNX-Software
