Mentor Graphics has announced that its Nucleus PLUG Real Time Operating System (RTOS) and the Eclipse-powered EDGE Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and debugger now support the i.MX31 multimedia applications processor from Freescale Semiconductor. As a result, users of he Nucleus PLUS RTOS and EDGE tools can develop i.MX31 processor-based applications that include video and audio media players, mobile gaming consolers, GPS systems, smart phones, PDAs, ultra portable handheld computers and other wireless mobile devices.

“The Mentor i.MX31 Nucleus RTOS and enhanced EDGE tools, in combination with Eclipse, is an excellent use of proprietary and open source technology, creating a solid set of integrated and validated tools for i.MX31 customers to leverage,” said Monica Hamilton, director of wireless developer relations for Freescale.

“The i.MX31 is aimed at the sweet spot of our user base. The Nucleus RTOS has a lot of momentum in the consumer electronics market, so it is to our major benefit to provide support for a key architecture such as the Freescale i.MX31 processor,” said Glen Johnson, product marketing manager, Embedded Systems Division, Mentor Graphics.

The Nucleus RTOS is based on a royalty-free business model that enables consumer electronics manufacturers, who generally ship in large volumes, to save money. In addition, while the Nucleus RTOS includes a large selection of middleware including networking, USB, file systems, and a graphics package, the RTOS is scalable so developers can use only those pieces of the RTOS that are required for their application.

The EDGE Tool Suite, based on the Eclipse platform, provides a set of plug-ins to Eclipse. The EDGE software includes an IDE, compiler, debugger and system profiler, all of which work together to create products from concept to deployment. The EDGE software gives embedded developers tighter tool integration, total control over the quality and stability of their applications, full control of release cycles, shorter learning curves and a common platform with desktop tools.

Licenses for the Nucleus RTOS software begin at USD 12,495 and licenses for the EDGE Tool Suite begin at USD 3,000 per seat for the IDE and debugger package.