Xamarin Adding Support for MIPS Architecture to Popular Mono for Android Application Development Platform

Six Million C# and .NET Developers Worldwide Will be Able to Develop Apps for MIPS-Based™ Android™ 4.0 ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ Devices

MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS, Barcelona, Spain- February 27, 2012 - Xamarin, a leading provider of development platforms to simplify the creation and operation of cross-platform mobile applications targeting phones and tablets running iOS, Android and Windows, together with MIPS Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: MIPS), a leading provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores for digital home, networking and mobile applications, today announced that Xamarin's Mono for Android platform will support application development for MIPS-Based Android 4.0 'Ice Cream Sandwich' devices. 

"We are excited to work with Xamarin so that millions of .NET and C# developers can bring their tools, skills and creativity to create consumer and enterprise apps and games for the growing number of MIPS-Based Android devices," said Gideon Intrater, vice president of marketing, MIPS Technologies. "The elegance and efficiency of the MIPS architecture allow our licensees and their OEMs to deliver higher-performance, lower-cost devices - such as the world's first Android 4.0 tablet, which retails in China for less than $100. At this price/performance point, such devices are poised to drive widespread adoption of Android tablets and apps worldwide." 

Mono for Android 4.0 allows C# developers worldwide to use a unified framework and language, with full access to the native platform to create cross-platform apps running across all three major mobile platforms: Android, iOS and Windows. 

"Mono for Android provides the power of Visual Studio and the .NET framework that developers are used to, along with complete access to all of the native APIs and UI toolkits unique to each operating system, allowing them to create truly unique native user experiences on each platform, while sharing up to 90% of their source code," said Nat Friedman, CEO of Xamarin. "In particular, now corporate, consumer and games developers can target lower-cost Android devices." 

Additionally, Xamarin's Mono for Android will give .NET developers the ability to create embedded applications that run on MIPS architecture, which is already adopted widely in a broad range of consumer devices, including cell phones, tablets, set-top boxes, and digital TVs. By supporting MIPS processors, Xamarin will help mobile app developers exploit the predicted explosion of more efficient and lower-cost mobile devices targeting consumers in both developed markets and emerging markets such as China and India.  

"By working closely with MIPS to make Mono for Android work well on MIPS-based devices, Xamarin will help developers bridge another fork in Android fragmentation, so developers can build native apps without worrying about the underlying architecture where the application will be executing," said Seth Jones, lead analyst at Vision Mobile, a leading market analysis and strategy firm based in London. 

Pricing and Availability

For complete pricing and product information about Mono for Android, and to download a free trial, visit http://xamarin.com/monoforandroid. 

To see example apps built with Xamarin technology, visit http://xamarin.com/apps/all. 

About MIPS Technologies, Inc.

MIPS Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: MIPS) is a leading provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores for digital home, networking and mobile applications. The MIPS architecture powers some of the world's most popular products, including broadband devices from Linksys, DTVs and digital consumer devices from Sony, DVD recordable devices from Pioneer, digital set-top boxes from Motorola, network routers from Cisco, 32-bit microcontrollers from Microchip Technology and laser printers from Hewlett-Packard. Founded in 1998, MIPS Technologies is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices worldwide. For more information, contact (408) 530-5000 or visit http://www.mips.com. 

About Xamarin

Xamarin was founded in 2011 with the mission to make it fast, easy and fun to build great mobile apps. With more than 500 downloads a day, Xamarin's products are used by individual developers and companies including VMware, Target, Rdio, Medtronic and Unity Technologies to simplify creation and operation of high-performance, cross-platform mobile consumer and corporate applications targeting phones, tablets and embedded devices running iOS, Android and Windows. For more information visit http://xamarin.com.