InHand Electronics announced an Intel Atom-based board targeting developers of UMPCs (ultra mobile PCs) and MIDs (mobile Internet devices). The FireFly offers a Z530 processor, gigabit Ethernet and PATA, three USB ports, daughtercard connector, plus microSD and ExpressCard expansion, says InHand.

As befits a product designed for development of battery operated products, the 4.5 x 3.75-inch FireFly can accept power from either lithium-ion or lithium-polymer batteries. InHand says the board works with single or dual quad-cell batteries up to 14.4 Volts, and hot-swapping is supported.

The FireFly uses Intel's original, mobile-oriented Z530 processor, which is clocked at 1.6GHz and has a maximum TDP of two Watts. InHand says the board's overall power consumption, including the draw from Intel's SCH (system controller hub) companion chip is between five and seven Watts, in line with other devices using these parts. In addition, “BatterySmart” software is claimed to further extend battery life.

Via Intel's integrated graphics capabilities, the FireFly features support for 24-bit LVDS displays with resolution up to 1600 x 1200 pixels. It also has 3D graphics acceleration and hardware support for playing H.264- and MPEG4-formatted videos, the company says.

InHand's device comes with 1GB of DDR2 RAM, apparently soldered on. Other features include a real-time clock with alarm wake-up functionality, and a TPM (trusted platform module) with a FIPS 140.2-compliant random number generator.

As for interfaces, “real world” connectors include a gigabit Ethernet port with RJ45 interface, two USB 2.0 host ports, a USB 2.0 client port, and 3.5mm jacks for audio I/O. On the board, there's also a PATA interface, 16 GPIO pins, an RS232 port, and a four-wire touchscreen interface.

Further, the FireFly has a daughtercard interface that Inhand says can be used to add an PCI Express slot, an additional PATA interface, SATA, three more USB 2.0 ports, SMBus, and system status lines.

Finally, the FireFly has both microSD and ExpressCard expansion slots. Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi, and a 20-channel GPS receiver are optionally available too, though InHand does not specify how these are connected.

Features and specifications listed by InHand for the FireFly include:

• Processor — Intel Atom Z530 clocked at 1.6GHz
  
• Memory — 1GB of DDR2 RAM
  
• Networking — 1 x gigabit Ethernet with RJ45 connector
  
• Other I/O:
  • 1 x RS232
    
  • 1 x PATA
    
  • 2 x USB 2.0 host
    
  • 1 x USB 2.0 client
    
  • 4-wire touchscreen interface
    
  • 24-bit LVDS LCD support
    
  • 16 x GPIO
    
  • audio mic in and headphone/line out

• Expansion:
  • daughterboard connector
    
  • microSD slot
    
  • ExpressCard slot

• Dimensions — 4.5 x 3.75 inches
  
• Power consumption — 5-7W, support single or dual quad-cell batteries up to 14.4VDC

Further information

According to InHand, the FireFly is designed to run Linux or Windows XP Embedded. Pricing and availability were not cited, but the board will reportedly be shown from Aug. 19-21 at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco. InHand will be located at the Moscone Convention Center, booth 354.

 
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