Imagination Technologies has launched a Kickstarter campaign for what it calls "the ultimate IoT-in-a-box development kit". The full $106-122 kit includes a Ci40 dev board, two Clicker expansion boards, and three Click sensor boards. Tom's Hardware reports:
Imagination is far from a brand new startup that needs its own Kickstarter campaign, but we've seen other large companies before, such as Sony or Canonical, try to launch their own crowdfunding campaigns as a way to safely prototype certain products (and simultaneously gauge interest in the product). They can also use the campaigns as a marketing tool.
The Creator Ci40 board, which acts as the "hub" that connects other pieces from the IoT package, has a dual-core and dual-threaded 550 MHz MIPS InterAptiv CPU and an Ensigma connectivity engine that supports 802.11ac 2x2 MIMO Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1 (Smart and Classic).
The developer board also comes with 256 MB of DDR3 RAM, 512 MB of NAND flash, one microSD card, and a dedicated TPM chip for storing encryption keys securely. The Creator Ci40, as well as the Clicker expansion boards, also support 6LoWPAN low-power wireless communication, which they use to communicate with each other through standards such as Thread.
The IoT in a box package can include two MikroElektronika Clicker expansion boards as well, which come with a 32-bit Microchip microcontroller, a USB connector, two LEDs and push buttons, a reset button, a mikroProg connector, and the headers for interfacing with external electronics. The expansion boards are AAA battery-powered so they can function as standalone devices, too.
Imagination also offers three types of MikroElektronika Click sensor boards in its complete IoT kit: one board for measuring temperature, one for detecting motion, and another for controlling a relay.
(Score: 2) by jmorris on Wednesday November 25 2015, @09:10PM
Like most things of this nature, lots of marketing crap, almost no details outside the partner paywall. Lots of hints though. The RF chip would be the most interesting bit if it were both documented and unlocked but it is a safe bet it will be neither. I'd give even odds the main CPU will have a locked bootloader, just to be evil. Why else put a TPM module and security everywhere?
(Score: 2) by novak on Thursday November 26 2015, @12:26AM
And by the same company that brought you the PowerVR GPU series, renowned as having zero open source drivers whatsoever! Just because they advertise "openness" doesn't mean that they will deliver in the least.
That said it looks like the Ci20, this thing's little brother, does have u-boot (https://github.com/MIPS/CI20_u-boot). I guess we'll see once they deign to release more info to us.
novak
(Score: 2) by tonyPick on Thursday November 26 2015, @07:24AM
Yes it does [elinux.org]
For all the info the elinux page [elinux.org] has fairly complete resources on the hardware & software, and it's pretty open.
I have one of the ci20's and have hacked around a bit with the board [blogspot.co.uk] and using the peripheral IO [blogspot.co.uk]
However - the large missing piece (IMO) is the binary-only GPU driver stuff [elinux.org], which is a real shame; without the GPU source then the imagination board is nothing particularly special when compared to other embedded 32 bit boards, which tend to have larger ecosystems around them and comparable performance & peripheral mixes.
(Score: 2) by novak on Sunday November 29 2015, @12:20AM
About the GPU being a big loss- agreed. But then, it's PowerVR.
Cool projects, though.
novak
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 26 2015, @08:39PM
They're a pretty rotten company, but then so may of them are.
(Score: 1) by Decker-Mage on Thursday November 26 2015, @03:14AM
Definitely on the wait and see list since, some process totally nonobservable process, engineered capabilities are reduced to "We hope you don't remember that list we gave you for the Kickstarter just aren't there." If it should pan through, I'll kick the tires and probably buy one. I have an Intel Galileo with a 2x2 802.11ac here that could use the company. This might suit a flying drone. Galileo is for a ground hugging remote vehicle.
-- "To know the world one must construct it." - Pavese
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday November 25 2015, @10:36PM
Knowing what none of "IoT", "Ci40", or "Clicker" are...
I'm guessing "IoT" = "Internet of Things"? Come on, editors.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 25 2015, @10:38PM
Especially when the initials of the company in question is "IT" and you're talking about "IoT".
(Score: 2, Disagree) by NullPtr on Thursday November 26 2015, @08:53AM
No. This is a nerd site; you can be expected to know a few modern/technical buzzwords. We don't want to end up like Slashdot; full of idiots and users.
(Score: 1) by islisis on Thursday November 26 2015, @10:29AM
IoT = Internet of Tears
(judging by the crying face)