Today, MediaTek launched the MediaTek Labs program to help developers create wearables and IoT (Internet of Things) devices more easily for the company's platforms. MediaTek will provide developers with software development kits (SDKs), hardware development kits (HDKs), technical documentation and technical and business support.
"With the launch of MediaTek Labs we're opening up a new world of possibilities for everyone — from hobbyists and students through to professional developers and designers — to unleash their creativity and innovation," says Marc Naddell, vice president of MediaTek Labs. "We believe that the innovation enabled by MediaTek Labs will drive the next wave of consumer gadgets and apps that will connect billions of things and people around the world."
The combination of hardware and software kits for wearables and IoT is called the Linkit Developer Platform, and it's based on Mediatek's Aster (MT2502) chipset. The LinkIt platform consists of the following components:
- Aster (MT2502) SoC which Mediatek claims is the smallest and most efficient chip in the world for wearables and IoT
- LinkIt OS – a compact operating system that enables control software for the Aster chip, peripherals and sensors
- Hardware Development Kit (HDK) – the first development board called LinkIt One, which was co-designed with the Seeed Studio and will help developers create fully working device prototypes by allowing them to easily add sensors, peripherals and Arduino Shields to it
- Software Development Kit (SDK) – the SDK makes it possible to port existing Arduino code to the LinkIt One developer platform and will also get additional APIs to make use of the hardware's GSM, GPRS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi communication technologies
“MediaTek has a very competitive solution for Wearables and IoT, so now it's time that makers swap out their traditional industrial components for LinkIt when creating new connected IoT devices. With the LinkIt ONE hardware kit as part of the LinkIt Developer Platform, we're excited to help Makers bring prototypes to market faster and more easily," said Eric Pan, founder and chief executive officer of Seeed Studio.
Mediatek's Aster chip appears to be several times more efficient than ARM's stock Cortex M4 chip in run mode (built on an older process), according to some benchmarks run by (and provided by) Mediatek:
Mediatek also managed to make the Aster chip highly integrated with external RAM resulting in a significantly smaller chip than the competition.
Developers and makers can sign up for MediaTek Lab today to download all the tools and documentation for its new wearables and IoT platform.
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