01 August 2008

Gumstix Announces ARM Based Overo Board

Gumstix, Inc.has selected Texas Instruments' (TI) ARM based OMAP35x applications processors for its next generation Overo small form factor boards, slated for release in the fourth quarter of this year.

Gumstix said the Overo family will give open source innovators a small form factor, state-of-the-art ARM processor platform that can run advanced multi-media application content.

TI’s scalable OMAP35x application processors, are based on the ARM Cortex-A8 processor - ARM’s first superscalar processor. With the ability to scale in speed from 600 MHz to more than 1 GHz, the Cortex-A8 processor can meet the requirements both for power-optimized mobile devices operating with less than 300 MW and for performance-optimized consumer applications requiring 2,000 Drhystone MIPS.

"Overo combines the power and function of TI's application processors with the ease of development and volume deployment of Gumstix' technology," said Dr. W. Gordon Kruberg, president and CEO, Gumstix, Inc. "As a very small, open source solution, Overo gives unprecedented performance at hand-held power levels to Gumstix and TI customers worldwide."

Additionally, the combination of features in the OMAP3530 device - with the ARM, high-performance digital signal processor (DSP), 3D graphics engine and multimedia-rich peripherals - allows for the development of high-performance and low power consumer, industrial and embedded applications, Gumstix said.

"Gumstix' technology and large active community coupled with TI's OMAP35x processors create a very functional, small form factor product line that speeds up design work and reduces development costs. This enables product designers to get their ideas to market faster,” added Gerard Andrews, applications processors product line manager at TI.