Abstract
The so-called mobile application processor is centered on a variety of
particular applications such as Algorithm, graphic processing, 3D formation,
MPEG-4/H.264 decoding and full-function online surfing; and is the application
processor focus on mobile products. The mobile application processor contains
a Modem of mobile communications, and can play as a kernel or an auxiliary
role in its applied products. By application fields, mobile application
processor can be classified into five categories as following:
The application processor stems from instant innovation and development of
mobile phone applications. Application processor rests its biggest merit with
its absolute independence from mobile phone communication platform, being
flexibly and conveniently with the shorter design flow and maximum utilization
of own experiences and IP. The emergence of camera mobile phone created a
group of application processor vendors focus on camera back-end processing,
then baseband vendors integrated the IPEG decoding function for camera back-up
1-2 years later, thus resulted the sharp revenue drop and shipment decline of
those application processor vendors in the year of 2006.
The application processor of smart phone can be divided into two types, one is
the IC highly integrated with Modem, taking Qualcomm' s SNAPDRAGON, Freescale' s
MXC300-30 and Marvell' s PXA930 for instance; another is the single
algorithm-based IC without Modem, represented by Texas Instruments and
Samsung. In opposition to the latter type, the former type featured as high
degree of fulfillment and simple design but not quite well in algorithms and
flexibility. Any communication protocol in 3G field cannot avoid Qualcomm, but
Qualcomm also means a high patent fee. Therefore, the both types have a reason
of coexistence.
Portable navigators are under great influence of smart phones. To add much
functions on portable navigators seem superabundance, in this sense,
application processor has no market, but the situation is different for an
in-car navigator due to it will alternatively become the in-car information
system which can play sundry stream media and DVD, or become the in-car
computer. The in-car navigator is mainly produced by Japanese vendors;
therefore, Renesas almost monopolizes the market, and its latest product was
SH7775.
MID is defined both in a narrow sense and in a broad sense. As usual, the
insiders prefer the definition in the narrow sense, so do this report. MID
refers to the mobile network equipment by size between netbook and smartphone.
MID has superior portability to netbook and bigger screen size than smart
phone, and it seems to have a considerable market prospect. However, the
screen size of smart phone is becoming bigger with an average size of 3.2
inches, and the biggest is over 4 inches. MID is of single functionality and
has neither the function of traditional mobile phone nor the capability to run
the simple office system as Netbook. It also short of full sized keypads, its
portability also far inferior to that of mobile phone; The vital defect of MID
lies in the price due to its small sales volume. As a whole, MID market has a
dim prospect, however, considering MID can be the upgrade of PMP, it will
enjoy some market potentials.
Netbook is the highlight of electronic products, and also is the battle field
between ARM and Intel. OMAP3640, the masterpiece of Texas Instruments, enjoy
the overwhelming advantage regarding cost, volume and power consumption, while
Intel enjoys the advantages of performance, the operation of complicated
software, and industrial support.
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