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ARM-based chips get a lot of love from makers of smartwatches and other wearable devices, and Intel is making its own play for the wearable space. But Imagination Technology doesn’t want you to forget about MIPS-based processors.
The company points out that it’s already partnering with Google to support the upcoming Android Wear platform for wearables… and that MIPS licensee Ingenic has unveiled a new platform for smartwatches called Newton.
The Newton platform features an Ingenic JZ4775 processor clocked at up to 1 GHz, dedicated 2D graphics and support for 720p video playback, up to 3GB of memory, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, and FM Radio, and a range of sensors including a gyroscope, accelerometer, and pressure, humidity, and temperature sensors.
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Here’s a roundup of tech news from around the web.
- Ingenic introduces Newton platform for MIPS-based wearables
The reference platform is available to developers of wearable devices such as smartwatches or glasses as well as home appliances, security systems, or other platforms. [Ingenic] - ABI: 2.1 million Chromebooks shipped in 2013, could hit 11 million/year by 2019
Notebooks running Google’s browser-based operating system may have a pretty small share of the notebook market, but according to ABI, it’s growing. As of 2013, the average selling price of a Chromebook, by the way, was about $338. [Business Wire] - Chrome Remote Desktop app for Android hits private beta
Google’s been working on bringing support for remote controlling any PC with the Chrome browser (and the Chrome Remote Desktop app) from an Android device for months. Now it’s one step closer to release. [Droid Life] - Xiaomi unveils cheap button for Android phones that adds functionality… could get sued by original devs of concept
Xiami just introduced a $1 button that you can plug into the headphone jack of a phone and program to let you trigger up to 10 different actions on your phone depending on how you tap it. The only problem is it looks like Xiaomi ripped the idea off from Kickstarter success story Pressy… which owns the intellectual property for the idea. [Engadget] - USB Type-C cables will reversible with no right-side up, work with phones, PCs, tablets, etc
Tired of trying to plug in your USB cable only to realize it’s upside down? That could soon be a thing of the past. In fact, it might not even matter which end you plug into your phone and which end goes into your PC once USB Type-C cables (and ports) become common. [The Verge]
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Ingenic introduces Newton platform for MIPS-based wearables, rethinks name.
I got burned by MIPS back in the days of PocketPCs. Too many apps not compatible when most everything else ran on ARM. I won’t make that mistake again.