Toshiba Launches Application Processor Development Platforms For Wearable And IoT Devices

SAN JOSE, Calif., April 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC)*, a committed leader that collaborates with technology companies to create breakthrough designs, today rolled out hardware and software development kits (HDK and SDK) for the Toshiba TZ1000 Application Processor Lite (ApP Lite™) series of processors for wearable and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Together, the kits allow evaluation of devices in an environment closer to that of their final application. The TZ1000 processor can also be optimized for specific product characteristics, compared with the previous development environment.

"Given the explosive growth of the wearable and IoT markets, customers need to be able to quickly and easily design application processors into their products," said Deepak Prakash, senior director of marketing, Logic LSI Business Unit, System LSI Group at TAEC. "Our new development platform allows them to do just that, enabling new and innovative products with short development cycles."

Toshiba will supply a limited number of reference boards to select IoT device developers free of charge, under certain conditions.

Three elements make up the TZ1000 development environment:

• HDK, consisting of a main reference board embedded with a TZ1001MBG processor and a biometric sensor board that measures pulse waves and the heart's electrical activities;
• SDK, comprising driver software that controls each component incorporated in the TZ1001MBG, middleware that measures activity and pulse waves, and application software that controls the overall system; and
• Supporting software development tools. Examples of supporting development tools available include Keil^® MDK-ARM and IAR Embedded Workbench^® for ARM.

First introduced in 2014, the TZ1000 series of ApP Lite devices integrate a sensor, an ARM^® Cortex^®-M4F processor, flash memory and a Bluetooth^® Low Energy (BLE) controller in one package. Also included is a high-resolution ADC that can convert analog signals from external sensors, such as pulse wave and electrocardiogram, into digital data and deliver it to the processor. The single-device solution measures, processes, saves and communicates data required for IoT devices and wearables, operating at low power to enable long battery life.

Availability
The TZ1000 development kits will be available beginning May 7.

ApP Lite is a trademark of Toshiba Corporation. ARM, Keil and Cortex are registered trademarks of ARM Limited in the EU and other countries. Bluetooth is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., and Toshiba uses this mark under license. IAR Embedded Workbench is a registered trademark owned by IAR Systems AB.

About ApP Lite
Toshiba ApP Lite processors not only enable raw data to be fed to the cloud, but also carry out high-performance and efficient signal processing. They extract necessary data through sensors and image recognition, contributing to a reduced data load. The ApP Lite family consists of four series, each optimized for specific applications: TZ1000, TZ2000, TZ3000 and TZ5000.

*About TAEC
Through proven commitment, lasting relationships and advanced, reliable electronic components, Toshiba enables its customers to create market-leading designs. Toshiba is the heartbeat within product breakthroughs from OEMs, ODMs, CMs, VARs, distributors and fabless chip companies worldwide. A committed electronic components leader, Toshiba designs and manufactures high-quality flash memory-based storage solutions, solid state drives (SSDs), hard disk drives (HDDs), solid state hybrid drives (SSHDs), discrete devices, custom SoCs/ASICs, imaging products, microcontrollers, wireless components, mobile peripheral devices, advanced materials and medical tubes that make possible today's leading smartphones, tablets, cameras, medical devices, automotive electronics, industrial applications, enterprise solutions and more.

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. is an independent operating company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, Japan's largest semiconductor manufacturer and the world's sixth largest semiconductor manufacturer (Gartner, 2014 Worldwide Semiconductor Revenue Estimates, December 2014). Founded in Tokyo in 1875, Toshiba is at the heart of a global network of over 590 consolidated companies employing over 200,000 people worldwide. Visit Toshiba's web site at www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm.

© 2015 Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. All rights reserved.
Information in this press release, including product pricing and specifications, content of services and contact information, is current and believed to be accurate on the date of the announcement, but is subject to change without prior notice. Technical and application information contained here is subject to the most recent applicable Toshiba product specifications.

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SOURCE Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc.

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