14 DAY TRIAL // ST-Ericsson and ARM announced on Monday, at the MWC in Barcelona, their collaboration aimed towards the optimization of Android for Symmetric Multi Processing (SMP). The first handset to benefit from this technology will be the high-performance ST-Ericsson U8500, powered by a dual-core ARM CORTEX-A9 MPCore processor. This next-generation platform enhances the multitasking capabilities and overall performance of Android handsets while keeping the power consumption to a minimum. The addition of SMP support into the next-generation Android handsets will include an easy access to advanced multimedia and web content, social networking, location-based services, as well as an attractive user interface.
The increasing demand for advanced applications and full web browsing on handsets directly affects the battery life of these devices. The ARM MPCore technology offers lots of improvements on the multicore architectures used mostly in servers and personal computers for the higher performance and power-efficiency. This technology uses power-management schemes designed to decrease the dynamic and static power consumption. The optimization will be introduced into the Android Open Source community.
“Using mobile phones solely to make phone calls and send short messages is becoming a thing of the past,” Ronan de Renesse, senior analyst, head of Mobile Media, Screen Digest, said. “Revenues from mobile data services and applications are set to double in the next four years to reach Euro 100bn. For the market to reach its full potential, new mobile devices must become more versatile. With Web browsing being the most popular application on smartphones, it is also therefore critical for manufacturers to offer the best browsing experience.”
Android's optimization for SMP on the Cortex-A9 MPCore processor will aid device manufacturers in meeting the increasing demand for more advanced handsets with a higher power efficiency and lower prices. ST-Ericsson's U8500 smartphone will be one of the first handsets to incorporate the ARM Multicore Cortex-A9 MPCore and the Mali-400 graphic processor. On a single battery charge, the U8500 will be able to provide up to 120 hours of audio playback, 12 hours of Full-HD video playback, as well as a higher application performance.