MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., March 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Actel Corporation (NASDAQ: ACTL) today announced the availability of SoftConsole version 2.2, the next-generation free development environment for embedded design. This new version includes enhanced capabilities for debug and the downloading of programs, including a new flash loader, and support for the Microsoft(R) Vista operating system. Leveraging Actel's IGLOO(R) low-power FPGAs and Actel Fusion(R) mixed-signal FPGAs, SoftConsole is a single programming environment that enables software engineers to write and debug C and C++ programs targeted at Actel's portfolio of embedded processors, including ARM(R) Cortex(TM)-M1 and Core8051s.

"System designers using the new SoftConsole version 2.2 with our embedded processor cores will directly benefit from improved usability and faster time-to-market," said Tom Moore, Actel's director of IP engineering. "Actel is the only FPGA provider to offer the ARM Cortex-M1 embedded processor free of licensing and royalties."

SoftConsole version 2.2 is based on familiar and widely used open-source tools, including the CodeSourcery(TM) ARM7(TM) and Cortex-M1 GNU C Compilers (GCC) and GNU Debugger (GDB), Eclipse IDE, and 8051 Small Device C Compiler (SDCC). This complete, comprehensive, and free development environment works seamlessly with Actel's Libero(R) Integrated Design Environment, development kits, and FlashPro3 programmer.

Pricing and Availability

SoftConsole is available for free via download from Actel's website at http://www.actel.com/products/software/softconsole/.

About Actel

Actel is the leader in low-power FPGAs and mixed-signal FPGAs, offering the most comprehensive portfolio of system and power management solutions. Power Matters. Learn more at www.actel.com.

The Actel name and logo, IGLOO, Fusion, and Libero are trademarks of Actel Corporation. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

Web site: http://www.actel.com/