Mentor Blogs

Andrew Patterson hosted a webinar that was very popular recently on the options for making use of Android in IVI systems. This includes porting Android to run directly on an SoC as the sole operating system, running Android in conjunction with another operating system such as Linux with use of a hypervisor, or making use of Android via a Linux Container. As a follow-up Ned, one of experts on Linux … Read More

Automotive, GENIVI, Android, Linux, linux container, Infotainment, IVI

Next week in Barcelona over 400 Automotive industry experts are expected at the latest GENIVI All-Members meeting. Over 5 days, more than 100 separate meetings are scheduled, covering a wide range of topics relating to In-Vehicle Infotainment platforms. An on-going challenge with the GENIVI project is to build in sufficient flexibility that the platform can be used by a wide range of Tier One and OEM … Read More

Infotainment, Android, Infotainment Android Linux, GENIVI, Genivi Alliance, Linux, Automotive

In a previous blog, I shared news of work that we at Mentor Embedded had done with NVIDIA to help enable development of Android applications for NVIDIA Tegra devices, within the Microsoft Visual Studio environment. This technology is a key part of the NVIDIA NSight Tegra (https://developer.nvidia.com/nvidia-nsight-tegra) product. Earlier in the month, we hosted a joint webinar with NVIDIA to talk … Read More

tegra, visual studio, android development, Android, OSS, Nsight, Nvidia

Voice activated features such as placing calls have been available in automobiles for many years. Today the most advanced systems under development and research are in the areas of autonomous vehicles. At the Embedded World Conference 2013 I was reminded about a car from the 1980’s that already had all these capabilities built in. Yes it was KITT (the Knight Industries Two Thousand)! The car was right … Read More

Linux, Infotainment, Automotive, Automotive IVI, Android, Embedded World, Autonomous Vehicle, AUTOSAR

As the differentiation pendulum swings more towards the software side of the platform, it is becoming increasingly vital that embedded hardware and system integration companies enable their customers’ (and in turn their own) success via robust, professional quality software development kits (SDK). A SDK usually consists of a dev toolchain, optimized libraries, reference designs and documentation – … Read More

Android, toolchain, visual studio, OSS, sourcery

This year was my first time attending CES. The first day was definitely a little overwhelming, with well over 100,000 people there the show is massive. We’ve been hearing about connected devices for a while and this show was no different. Smart TVs where being touted by most companies, there was a lot more phone and tablet connectivity to appliances. The biggest shock for me were the number of … Read More

appliances, CES, Android, Connectivity

RTOS’s have been around for a long time in the embedded industry.   And with the introduction of the TI RTOS, Freescale’s MQX, FreeRTOS and several others, I hear all the time that “RTOS’s have become a commodity.”  And to some extent, I agree.   While every RTOS has its pros and cons with various features and benefits, selecting the right one for “your” application requirements can be a little tricky.  … Read More

OSS, RTOS, Freescale, Android, Mentor Embedded, Nucleus, Linux, Medical

The trend of migration from a proprietary OS such as Windows® CE to an open source OS such as embedded Linux® and AndroidTM continues to accelerate. The motivations for moving are obvious – access to a rapidly evolving technology base via a thriving open-source community, source code access, royalty-free model and more. However, the effort to migrate from one design environment to a new one is … Read More

Linux, Android, Windows CE

As I spend a lot of my time talking about embedded software via a variety of media – conferences, articles, Web seminars, this blog are examples – I frequently get emails requesting copies of materials or posing questions. All of this communication is very welcome and I do my best to respond promptly and, where I can, usefully. If I think a question might be of wider interest, it seems … Read More

Nucleus, Android

The increasing complexity of cars has taught automakers the value of cooperating with competitors on technology that customers won’t see and don’t care about but would be prohibitively expensive for a single automaker to develop in-house. Automakers and suppliers formed the GENIVI Alliance, for example, to create an open source (Linux-based) development platform for in-vehicle infotainment, facilitating … Read More

Jaguar Land Rover, intel, Genivi Alliance, Visteon, Microltron, MontaVista Software, QNX, Linux, Android, PSA Peugeot Citroën, in-vehicle infotainment, Magneti Marelli, Mentor Graphics, XS Embedded, Renault, Delphi, Microsoft, ARM

A panel at Telematics Update Detroit next week will discuss if not argue about automotive-grade operating systems such as Android, QNX, GENIVI, and Terminal Mode. Teaser copy for the session suggests that with so many operating systems competing, software development and implementation is a minefield. Attendees will hear which operating systems are gaining traction with automakers, and how to improve … Read More

QNX, Krishna Javaraman, smartphones in infotainment systems, application programming interfaces, automotive grade operating systems, Android, Telematics Update Detroit, human-machine interface, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), Terminal Mode, Frost & Sullivan, GENIVI

On September 23, 2010, the Department of the Army (U.S.) issued solicitation W9124D10IPADS for the purchase of 587 Apple iPads prepared to the following specification: “Item shall be equal to the salient characteristics of the Apple 32GB iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G.” Requirements include: - 32GB of storage that operates on skip-free flash memory eliminating the need for a hard drive and provides instant … Read More

soldier, Software, Mil-Aero, Computer, COTS, Milaero, Military, Operating System, Android, Electronic, iPhone, Mentor, Embedded Systems, Mentor Graphics, Electric, Mentor.com, electrical, Hardware, Geek, iPad, soldiers, Warfighters

The Apple iVolution has been going strong since the initial release of the iPod on October 23, 2001. Apple has significantly impacted cultures around the world; you can’t go around a corner these days without seeing the tell-tale white ear buds hanging from someone’s ears. iPods were so successful that they were followed up with a touchscreen variant, the iPod Touch, which was followed by the hugely … Read More

Mentor.com, Mentor Graphics, soldier, soldiers, Android OS, Inflexion, tablets, App Store, iPad, Warfighters, iPhone, Android, Mentor, COTS, Embedded Systems, Geek, battlefield, Google, Computer, Hardware, DoD, Design Automation, Electronic, Software, Mil-Aero, Operating System, RTOS, Nucleus, Open Handset Alliance, Military, network-centric, mil-std, Milaero

Mil-aero organizations the world over are investigating, and even already adopting, non-ruggedized, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) computing and communications devices, including Apple’s popular iPad. It’s appealing: sleek, slim, compact, shiny. All good things. What it is not, not yet anyway, is rugged enough to withstand military and aerospace environments, missions, and applications. Some may recall … Read More

Mentor.com, Mentor Graphics, soldiers, Warfighters, Apple, Hardware, battlefield, iPad, iPhone, Mentor, Android, Electronic, Design Automation, Embedded Systems, Computer, FBI, COTS, Geek, Electric, DoD, electrical, soldier, Mil-Aero, rugged, Software, Operating System, Overheat, Military, network-centric, mil-std, Milaero

Android is sexy, as are the ever-increasing number of smartphones and PC tablets that take advantage of Google’s operating system (OS). Military personnel, even officials at the highest ranks, agree. Soldiers want to use Android devices and Apple’s iPad in the field, while on a mission, communicating, socializing, killing time, or blowing off steam. Soldiers have historically been frustrated by the … Read More

Electronic, iPhone, Mentor Graphics, Software, Sony, DoD, Mentor, Geek, soldier, Google, USB, Xbox, Hardware, soldiers, Mentor.com, VHS, electrical, PlayStation, Warfighters, iPad, Military, mp3, Operating System, Microsoft, Apple, Mil-Aero, Computer, Android, Milaero