Machine chameleon [handheld devices]

This paper presents the development of a multimedia platform that users can not only upgrade, but also reconfigure into a PDA, an MP3 player, a game console, or a cellphone. With one handheld device, then, you could surf the Web, transfer documents, listen to music, watch a movie, play a game, or make a phone call, switching modes as the mood strikes. Project Gecko is a three-year research effort to develop a prototype of such an all-purpose device. Gecko, named after a colorful genus of lizard, consists of three basics elements. It has a FPGA to provide high performance for certain applications, fixed application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) to handle functions like wireless communication, and a microprocessor to run software application and the real-time operating system that manages the whole show.