Marvell said it has teamed up with E Ink to create an integrated application processor. E-readers based on the technology are expected to hit the market in the first quarter of 2010.
The first devices include the already announced enTourage Edge, a combination e-reader and netbook; the Alex reader from Spring Design, and an offering from Plastic Logic.
Marvell's platform is based on its new Armada family of processors, announced last month.
The company is also partnering with FirstPaper, which is backed by media giant Hearst Corp, for content and graphics technology.
Weili Dai, Marvell's co-founder and general manager of its consumer and computing business unit, estimated the entry level price point of a e-reader based on the Marvell platform at roughly $150 -- cheaper than devices currently on the market, which range upward from $199.