Hardware 3D graphics acceleration for mobile devices

Mobile phone handsets are evolving rapidly from simple voice communications terminals into portable multimedia computers. Applications of these devices include photo and video capture and display, stored or streaming media playback, Web access, and 3D video games. These applications, together with attendant improvements in display quality and processing power, have created a need for hardware graphics accelerators optimized for mobile devices. This paper reviews the state of mobile 3D graphics, focusing on factors driving adoption, standards, and opportunities. It also discusses technical and practical challenges that must be met to enable a lively and successful content industry.