we just started a design with a RM48L950 device.
We needed several GIOs - we looked at the pin out on the datasheet and it looked like there were hardly 8 of them (GIOA[0..3] and GIOB[0..3]). We were using only the analog, spi and sci ports - all the high end timer pins etc. were being unused.
Since the pinout does not mention that many other pins (as many as 56) can double up as GIOs, we included an SPI i/o expander. Only after reading the reference manual for the RM48 did we realise that so many other GIOs were available and we can work on these through the appropriate peripheral registers themselves.
I think it will be a great help if TI puts this information in the datasheet in an obvious way so that other designers do not go down this path!
Or, is there any issue with using them as GIOs that TI does not "recommend" them to be used as GIOs?