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Mobile Phones, 3G, Linux, Global: Intended to accelerate 3G mass-maket penetration, the new Linux mobile phone from NXP and Purple Labs will sell for a transfer price of under US$100. Video telephony, music playback, high-speed Internet browsing and video streaming are all featured. The Purple Magic phone will be exhibited at the Mobile World Congress.
NXP Semiconductors, the independent semiconductor company founded by Philips, and Purple Labs, which supplies embedded Linux solutions for mobile phones, have jointly released a 3G Linux reference feature phone offering video telephony, music playback, high-speed Internet browsing and video streaming. The mobile phone's transfer price will be below US$100. The new Purple Magic phone serves as a reference design for phone manufacturers, creating entry-level 3G handsets, including those targeting mobile markets such as South-East Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. According to the GSA mobile industry trade group, while there are now 197 commercial 3G/WCDMA networks in 87 countries, the adoption of 3G services is concentrated in mature European and Asian markets.
The viability of 3G services in emerging markets requires large volumes of affordable data-capable devices - and the 3G Purple Magic has been highly optimised specifically to meet this market challenge. "During the recent holiday period, mobile operators were purchasing entry-level 3G phones for US$120 - US$145," commented Simon Wilkinson, CEO of Purple Labs. "Leveraging our Linux technology, the Purple Magic design now enables manufacturers to deliver compelling 3G products at a transfer price below US$100." The Purple Magic reference phone is based on the NXP Nexperia Cellular System Solution 7210 for 3G, coupled with the Purple Labs Linux suite, and is available as a fully integrated, turnkey solution. Production of an initial quantity of fully working phones has enabled Purple Labs to undertake considerable testing and validation, further reducing investment and time to market for OEMs and ODMs that leverage the Purple Magic design. NXP offers powerful 3G and 3.5G multimedia platforms running on a single ARM926 processor core. The Nexperia Cellular System Solutions with Linux support true UMTS performance, delivering seamless service coverage in 2G and 3G networks as well as advanced multimedia features that allow consumers to take full advantage of next generation applications and mobile operator services.
Dan Rabinovitsj, Senior Vice-President and General Manager, Cellular Business, NXP Semiconductors, has stated: "NXP believes in Linux as the basis for the next generation of mobile handset innovation...We've been working closely with Purple Labs to develop Linux-based mobile terminals that meet the cost and performance requirements of the mass market. Our joint achievement is to bring the advantages of an Open OS environment to the mass market based on industry-leading silicon and software."
* NXP is a top-ten semiconductor company founded by Philips more than 50 years ago. Headquartered in Europe, the company has 37,000 employees working in more than 20 countries. NXP creates semiconductors, system solutions and software for mobile phones, personal media players, TVs, set-top boxes, identification applications, cars and a wide range of other electronic devices.
** Founded in 2001, Purple Labs offers a full Linux software suite to the wireless industry packaged as a customisable software solution or as part of full hardware and software reference design. The company offers solutions allowing design houses, ODMs and phone manufacturers to address market demands and segment their offer. Working with pre-defined but modular platforms, Purple Labs enables its customers to deliver cost-effective and state-of-the-art mobile handsets within an optimised lead time.
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