Paving paths to software radio design

What is a DSP?
Digital signal processing; The study of signals in a digital representation and the processing methods of these signals; Digital signal processor; A specialized microprocessor designed specifically for digital signal processing, generally in real-time.

What is an ASIC?
An application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) is an IC that is customized for a specific application (end product or a closely related family of end products), such as a chip which is designed to run a cellular handset.

What is an FPGA?
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a type of gate array that is programmed in the field rather than in a semiconductor fab.