• Home
• Products
  • Smartphone and tablet platforms
    • NovaThor L9540
    • NovaThor U9500
    • NovaThor U8500
    • NovaThor L8540
  • Application processors
    • Nova A9540
    • Nova A9500
  • Thin modems LTE/HSPA+/TD
    • Thor M7400 LTE
    • Thor M7300 HSPA+
    • Thor M57x0 HSPA+
    • Thor M6718 TD-HSPA
  • 2G and 3G entry platforms
    • 6710 HSDPA
    • E4910 EDGE
    • G4852 GSM
  • TD-SCDMA platforms
    • Thor M6718 TD-HSPA
  • Platform enhancements
    • Audio DACs and codecs
    • Video interfaces
    • General power management
    • RF power management
    • PowerHUB
    • GPS/Bluetooth/FM
    • USB solutions
    • Wi-Fi solutions
• Technologies
  • Connectivity
    • Combo chip
    • GNSS (GPS)
    • Wi-Fi
    • Bluetooth and FM
  • Mobile computing
  • Modem technologies
    • LTE
    • HSPA+
    • TD-SCDMA
  • Multimedia
    • Audio
    • Video
    • Display and TV
    • Augmented Reality
  • Operating systems
  • Packaging
  • Power and energy
    • Power management technology
    • Smarter power distribution
    • PowerHUB
    • Extended music playback
• Developers
• Partner Zone
• Contacts
  • Sales Contact
  • Distributors
  • Press Contact

Cool Stuff: ST-Ericsson Launches Feature-Rich, Low Cost Snowball Developer Board and Igloo Community

February 15, 2011

Nova A9500-powered developer board to drive innovation and creation

Barcelona, February 15, 2011 – ST-Ericsson, a world leader in wireless platforms and semiconductors, has launched the Igloo open source community and the Snowball developer board to accelerate the development of system and software innovations that fully harness the capabilities of its cutting-edge smartphone and tablet platforms. Together, the low cost, feature-rich developer board and community will facilitate and drive innovation of software for Android, Ubuntu and MeeGo embedded devices based on ST-Ericsson’s platforms.

The production-grade small-sized Snowball developer board combines ST-Ericsson’s newly announced Nova A9500 dual-core application processor, with innovative MEMS (3D gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer, barometer), GPS and connectivity features. Calao Systems designed the board, while Linaro developed the board’s low-level software, which is optimized for the Nova A9500’s ARM dual Cortex A9-based architecture.

At the heart of the Igloo community will be the web portal, where device developers, manufacturers and application developers can gather, exchange information and ideas, and even solve problems collectively. ST-Ericsson has selected open source specialist Movial to develop, support and run the Igloo community.

“The Snowball developer board is a powerful, rich, yet low cost tool that enables easy and fast development of mobile applications. Snowball is ST-Ericsson’s first Nova A9500 application processor developer board and sets new standards by incorporating leading-edge MEMS, GPS and connectivity features, all battery operated and in small form factor.” said Edgar Auslander, senior vice president, strategic planning of ST-Ericsson.

“Equipped with all of the features and functions you would expect to find in a high-end smartphone or tablet, Snowball is the perfect tool for developers looking to create apps that really take advantage of ST-Ericsson’s advanced platforms,” said Stéphane David, CEO of Calao Systems. “With its dual-core processor, combined with support for 3D graphics, HD video and HDMI output, Snowball is a multimedia powerhouse.”

“Software developers now have low-cost access to the most advanced application processors, with the performance of a PC and the power efficiency of mobiles,” said Stephen Doel, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Linaro. “Snowball significantly extends the choice for software developers who want to create great code with better performance.”

“Igloo is the one, unified space where Snowball users can quickly ramp up, get recommendations for hardware interfaces and peripherals, as well as complete software packages that are already aligned with open source requirements and standards, ” said Tomi Rauste, President of Movial Creative Technologies. “We designed Igloo in the true spirit of the open source community – it’s free, fosters creativity and enables real-time collaboration.”

Notes to Editors

• Movial will showcase Snowball running on Android and MeeGo, and will give a preview ofIgloo at ST-Ericsson’s partner stand 7E69 in Hall 7 (App Planet at Mobile World Congress).
• Two versions of the Snowball developer board will be sold by Calao Systems from the second quarter of 2011. The software development version will cost about USD 200, while the product development version (also usable in end products) will cost about USD 300.
• Visit the Igloo web portal at: igloocommunity.org

About ST-Ericsson

ST-Ericsson is a world leader in developing and delivering a complete portfolio of innovative mobile platforms and cutting-edge wireless semiconductor solutions across the broad spectrum of mobile technologies. The company is a leading supplier to the top handset manufacturers and ST-Ericsson’s products and technologies enable more than half of all phones in use today. The company generated sales of about USD 2.3 billion in 2010. ST-Ericsson was established as a 50/50 joint venture by STMicroelectronics and Ericsson in February 2009, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
www.stericsson.com
www.twitter.com/STEricssonForum

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Media Relations
Phone: +41 22 930 2733
Email: media.relations@stericsson.com

Investor Relations
Phone: +41 22 929 6973
Email: investor.relations@stericsson.com