MIPS Launches Android Products At CES

While Google was launching its much-ballyhooed Nexus One Android phone Tuesday, a group of companies led by MIPS Technologies was unveiling a group of Android-based products for the home including set-top boxes and Blu-ray disc players.

MIPS has made its Android platform available on its MIPS architecture and several device makers and software application developers have jumped on the Android bandwagon in an effort to spread Android-capable products throughout homes. The products were unveiled at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

"We've made great progress in optimizing Android for a broad range of consumer devices," said Art Swift, MIPS vice president of marketing, in a statement. "We've delivered a full HD experience to Android, and now we're delivering multi-channel audio and enhanced user interfaces required for digital home devices."

Western Mediabridge and Sigma Designs teamed up to demonstrate what was billed as "the world's first commercially available Android set-top box." The firms envision Android set-top boxes positioned as main devices among in-home Android-based multimedia devices. Another set-top box, a prototype developed by KDDI R&D Labs, was on display at the MIPS booth at CES.

MIPS also demonstrated a netbook computer operating Android, the Lemote YeeLoong8089. The device features various applications including a browser, according to MIPS, which powers the Loongson processor utilized in the netbook. Home Jinni's ConnecTV, a home entertainment hub, was on display showing its capability of serving as a controller and distributor of media content in the home.

Separately, MIPS said it is participating in the Open Screen Project, a program led by Adobe to spread the use of Adobe Flash Player 10.1. Adobe vice president Ricky Liversidge noted that bringing Flash technology to the digital home is "a priority for Adobe."

MIPS recently completed optimizations of Android 2.0 for its MIPS32 architecture.

For Further Reading:

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