Jay,

Just a few things to add:

PIC: I dissagree that a PIC is low on capability. Sure, the first PICs were rediculously simple, but they have come a long way since the GI days. The 17CXX and 18CXXX micros are very powerful. I think that many engineers dismiss them as being weak because they associate PICs with hobbyists or the venerable 16C54. I have yet to find a mainstream micro with more power/$. If anyone knows of one, please let me know. PS: Microchip, #2 in 8-bit micros. Motorola #1???
5-10 MIPS in the $5-$10 range.

I²C: Inter-Integrated Circuit. Great bus, but slower than SPI.

FPGA: Some are serially programmed at boot up. Some are one time programmable (OTP).

ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit. Typically a custom die designed for a specific and custom purpose. They may be programmable by design, but these are not off the shelf parts. These typically take many system functions, analog and digital, and integrate them into one die.

Cory Spackman