MediaTek has announced a new mobile chipset, the MT6575, that promises to bring Android 4.0 to entry-level smartphones. The hardware is based on a 1GHz Cortex-A9 processor, stepping up from the 650MHz chip of the previous-generation components that were utilized in Lenovo's A60 handset.
Microsoft's Windows leader Steven Sinofsky picked an interview this week to reveal that Windows 8 on ARM wouldn't support plugins. He explained to AllThingsD that Internet Explorer on these chips, even in the regular desktop, wouldn't run Flash or any similar browser add-ins. Mobile devices were moving away from Flash as a whole, he said.
Intel and New York state together stated Thursday that they had settled New York's antitrust lawsuit. The chip designer had managed to pay just $6.5 million and avoided having to admit or change its behavior over the wrongdoing. Its light penalty came after a district court judge had previously ruled that New York couldn't get tripled damages for willful violations and cut the statute on those affected by half, to three years.
Microsoft's Windows lead Steven Sinofsky in an elaborate breakdown Thursday ended rumors and confirmed that Windows 8 on ARM would support a conventional desktop. Users could still have access to the file system, desktop Internet Explorer 10, and "most" other core features as their x86-running counterparts. Office 15 would carry over, too, and would have touch and power optimizations despite running in the conventional desktop space.
An incidental rumor floated next to talk of a purported iPad 3 case back has raised the possibility that Apple's expected A6 chip isn't quad-core. Citing unnamed sources, The Verge claimed that it would stay dual-core but have a "significantly more powerful" graphics core. Although not mentioned, it's presumed the clock speed, architecture, or both would be upgraded with the new chip.
India's $35 Aakash Android tablet may be free to some students, if HRD Minister Kapil Sibal is right. Not all students will get the device without paying anything, however, as the respective educational institution would be responsible to subsidize the $35 that the government doesn't. The tablet actually costs $70, but India's government covers the $35.
Key Microsoft program managers Sharif Farag and Ben Srour on Tuesday gave a detailed outline of how Windows 8 will manage Metro apps to control power. While the two stressed that multitasking will still be active, the principle will be to devote attention almost exclusively to apps in the foreground. If in the background, especially if the screen is asleep, it should be having no impact on the battery, they wrote.
Windows 8 on ARM may retain the same desktop as the standard OS, despite a number of early rumors that suggested otherwise. In a blog post on Microsoft's Windows 8 development site, several of Microsoft's lead program managers make references to both desktop and Metro-style apps for system-on-a-chip (SoC) hardware.
A paper written by a former Apple intern, and now Core OS engineer, has detailed Apple’s attempts at getting a full version of Mac OS X to boot on an ARM processor, reports iMore. Initially subject to an embargo, but just recently published, the paper was written as part of a Bachelor degree thesis in 2010 by Tristan Schapp. It details the technical aspects and challenges associated with getting Darwin, which underpins OS X, to work effectively on the ARM architecture.
AMD in conversations at the end of the week wouldn't discount the possibility of making ARM-based processors. When pressed by Wired, CTO and former Apple executive Mark Papermaster made the unusual non-denial that "the answer is not no." The company's long-term plans were aiming for a modular chip design that could drop in ARM or another architecture without losing Radeon graphics or other AMD-specific touches.
Apple is likely uninterested in building a MacBook Air with an ARM-based processor, says Citigroup's Richard Gardner. The analyst met with Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer at the company's Cupertino campus on Thursday, when among other things Cook repeated a view that iOS expansion will eventually result in tablets outselling conventional PCs. "We have wondered whether Apple might offer an ARM-based version of the MacBook Air at some point; we walked away from this meeting with the impression that Apple feels iPad satisfies -- or will soon satisfy -- the needs of those who might have been interested in such a product," writes Gardner in a new memo.
ARM CEO Warren East suggests that Windows 8 may have an edge over Google's Android OS in the tablet arena. When answering an analyst inquiry regarding Microsoft's prospects in the tablet market, East argued that Windows brand awareness represents a "fundamental difference" that could carry over into tablets.
New leaks have hinted that Windows 8 could make important gestures to catch certain users. Although it's still thought by The Verge that the regular Windows 8 desktop won't be on ARM, it will purportedly kick in for Internet Explorer and Office 15. The restriction would in part be to keep traditional Windows apps from draining the battery, since they can't suspend themselves like Windows 8's new Metro apps.
ARM benefited from the surge in mobile Tuesday after it saw fall revenue surge 34 percent to the equivalent of $217 million. It credited the gain both to getting more royalties from existing deals as well as to having customers licensing ARM for the first time. Its profits were also up 47 percent.
Multiple sources stated Monday that the ARM-native version of Windows 8 is in good enough shape to reach developers in February. The release was deemed "quite stable" by CNET contacts, which had been told by hardware partners to anticipate a release sometime in February. There was no indication that Microsoft planned to separate the Intel- and ARM-based versions of Windows.
Microsoft corporate VP PJ Hough confirmed that the temporarily-named Office 15 had just entered the Technical Preview phase in what could create concerns for Windows 8 tablets. The stage sees a small group of customers get early access in secret to offer feedback as Microsoft moves towards a beta and an eventual release. Hough couldn't address rumors and leaks, but he did promise that it would be the first time Microsoft would simultaneously update Office's web, cloud, and server apps on both desktop and mobile.
Friday signaled the second anniversary of the iPad's introduction and what has since been interpreted as the start of a shift in the entire computing space. Apple's tablet was unveiled this day in 2010 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco by its late co-creator, Steve Jobs. It would only go on sale April 2, but it proved to be polarizing from its unveiling, even for Apple loyalists.
Toshiba has introduced a new seven-inch color e-book reader in Japan, the BD50. Effectively a local alternative to the Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet, the Android 2.3 slate carries a 1024x600 LCD as well as 8GB of internal storage space. A 1GHz Freescale CPU powers the device and is paired with 1GB of RAM.
Having just shown its hardware running AirPlay, the Raspberry Pi team has shown the $25 and sometimes $35 micro PC running XBMC (video below). The hardware, even at its price, can still run the full interface smoothly. It also plays back 1080p through the use of Open Max to give a hardware accelerated boost to the video and audio sides.
The sub-$40 Raspberry Pi single-board computer has now been shown to be able to support Apple's AirPlay wireless media streaming thanks to a tweak. The ARM-based, Debian Linux-running system can stream from an iPad to a connected HDTV, as shown in the video below. While there was a bit of a delay before it started, the YouTube video otherwise played back without a hitch on the big screen.
Toshiba and Lenovo have reportedly signed deals with contractor Quanta Computer for production of new tablets based on the Windows 8 on ARM architecture. Unnamed sources within the industry have told DigiTimes Quanta will handle the tablet production for both companies, with the first models expected to arrive on the market early next year.
A company called Kopin has shown off its wearable, Motorola-branded computer, the Golden-i. It connects to the cloud using 4G and has many possible uses, from law enforcement, to medicine (such as surgery) to mechanical work at home. It sports Kopin's uniquely dense one-inch display, which equates to a traditional 15-inch monitor due to its proximity to the wearer's eye, and the display appears to be 18 inches away.
Microsoft's Secure Boot feature will be mandatory on ARM-based Windows 8 tablets, according to a discovery in Windows hardware certification documents just found this weekend. While it will be optional on x86, disabling Secure Boot "must not be possible" on ARM. As described, it would prevent any unsigned operating system from running on the resulting hardware, including Linux and variants on it, like Android.
An insistence on earlier pricing policies from Intel and Microsoft may put Windows 8 tablets out of contention, notebook PC builders getting into the field claimed Monday. Intel was reported by Digitimes contacts as unwilling to cut profit margins on its Clover Trail-based Atom chips, while Microsoft wasn't planning on trimming its Windows 8 price. As such, Intel-based Windows 8 tablets might start at a minimum $599 and scale up to $899, all well over the benchmark $499 price of the iPad.
Norway's FXI technologies showed off its tiny USB dongle-looking device that doubles as a computer. Dubbed Cotton Candy, the prototype has a full-sized USB connector, a micro USB connector and HDMI input, letting users access cloud services on their TVs, so long as there is a USB port or adapter for power and an HDMI port. The stick uses a 1.2GHz ARM Cortex processor paired with a quad-core ARM Mali-400MP graphics core and 1GB of RAM.
ASUS in a presentation in Taiwan confirmed its commitment to Windows 8 tablets while also renewing its efforts in Android. Eee Systems chief Samson Hu mentioned with Netbook News present that there would be an ARM-based tablet using Microsoft's new OS. Partly supporting rumors of a September date, Hu said it would arrive before the end of the year, hinting at a wait for Windows 8 itself.
An unusual first came in tablets late this week after Hong Kong exporter Brando began offering the Gadmei T863 3D Tablet. The eight-inch Android 2.3 tablet uses a 1280x768 lenticular display that makes it the first readily available tablet to have glasses-free 3D. Gadmei has given it the support it needs to play content, supporting both common MPO 3D videos as well as H.264 videos encoded with left-right views and a specific file name prefix.
The One Laptop Per Child project's long-in-waiting XO-3 tablet, now called the XO 3.0, will get its formal unveiling at CES. The eight-inch, 1024x768 slate will have a ruggedized body to survive rural schools and, like the original notebooks, consumes very little power. OLPC notes that it can take energy from a solar panel and that a hand crank can give it 10 minutes of power for every minute of turning, letting it work even in remote areas where electricity isn't guaranteed.
A delve into the iOS 5.1 beta has supported beliefs that the A6 chip will have four cores. Its processor management software was seen by 9to5 as referencing "core.0" through "core.3," a giveaway that it has to control quad-core hardware. iOS 5.0 only stops at "core.1" and hints Apple is at least using iOS 5.1 as a testbed for quad-core devices, if not as the initially shipping version.
Google and Marvell together confirmed a plan to move Google TV to ARM on Thursday with a new platform launch. Marvell's Foresight platform, led by the Armada 1500 HD full system on a chip, will handle all the processing for 2D and 3D video, audio, and general tasks. Its dual-core design is fast enough to handle Flash and HD, and has power levels likened more closely to a cellphone than a set-top box.
Acer is reportedly changing is tablet strategy, shifting its focus toward Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 platform. Although Acer has yet to formally announce its full product lineup for 2012, unnamed sources within the supply chain have told DigiTimes that the company will be diverging from the Android tablet market in the near future.
Velocity Micro promised five new devices as its contribution to CES. Two new Cruz Tablets, the seven-inch T507 and 9.7-inch T510, will both ship with Android 4.0 from the start (not yet shown). The pair both run on a 1.2GHz, single-core ARM Cortex-A8 chip with fast Mali-400 graphics, 8GB of built-in storage, and HDMI video out.
Acer and Lenovo are putting their faith in Intel-based Windows 8 tablets for the summer, part suppliers claimed Monday. The two, according to Digitimes, would depend on Intel's tablet-oriented Clover Trail Atom platform. No details existed for the tablets, although Clover Trail would help get thinness and battery life closer to ARM tablets like the iPad and some future Windows 8 models.
Intel has pitched ultrabooks as the answer to ARM-based tablet shortcomings. In a document titled "Ultra Excited for Ultrabook" referenced at the home page of its newly launched Ultrabook Community, Intel outlines why it believes that ultrabooks offer users a better alternative to tablets. In its materials, Intel argues that notebooks based on its ultrabook specification “marry thin and light” (the best of tablets) with the “best in performance, responsiveness, security and battery life.”
A new discovery Tuesday has shown that Intel's Medfield chip for smartphones and tablets could temporarily claim the performance lead when it ships. Benchmarks at VR-Zone of a 1.6GHz example of the new Atom had it reach a score of 10,500 in Caffeinemark 3, an Android test for Java. The best ARM chip in the test, the 1.2GHz Exynos from the Samsung Galaxy S II, scored 8,500 points and let Intel take a roughly 24 percent lead.
JXD is hoping to target an unusual balance of tablet use and gaming through a new tablet, the S7100. The design mixes a seven-inch, 800x480 touchscreen Android tablet with Sony PSP-like hardware controls for those games that support it. It's using Android 2.2 with a customized interface and borrows very bluntly from Apple, including copying iOS icons and inaccurately claiming to run "Apple games."
Intel in a rare step gave a hands-on test of its Medfield-based Atom phone and tablet reference designs to MIT. The institute's Technology Review in testing the Android 2.3-based phone called it "powerful and pleasing," noting that it could play "Blu-ray-quality" video with wireless TV streaming and could shoot burst photos at up to 15FPS for 10 shots. It was "on a par" with newer Android and iPhone hardware, according to the close look.
The PS Vita has just launched in Japan two days ago and the company is already issuing a software update to fix touchscreen problems, software bugs and system freezes, along with poor performance. The update notice in Japan also apologized to gamers for the inconvenience. Its timing hinted that Sony may have had an idea the system was shipping with software flaws.
Intel later on Wednesday confirmed talk that it was uniting divisions to boost its poor standing in mobile. The mobile communications, mobile wireless, netbook and tablet, and ultramobile groups under one single mobile and communications group. It would be headed up by Mike Bell, a former iPhone team member who left Apple in 2010, and by ex-Infineon veteran Hermann Eul.
Intel is on schedule to begin building its next generation Ivy Bridge architecture with an advanced 22 nanometer production process in the first quarter of 2012. The technology will help keep Intel a step ahead of its competitors, AMD and ARM. In an interview with Nordic Hardware, Pat Bliemer, Managing Director Intel Northern Europe, has revealed that Intel already has the generation beyond that, 14nm, off the drawing board and running in its test labs.
French tablet maker Archos has just announced that it will bring Android 4.0 to its existing G9 tablets. All will be upgraded to Android 4.0 during the first quarter of 2012, the company promised. The devices are powered by a dual-core, 1.5GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, with prices starting at 350 euros (about $460).
Coby has just revealed it will bring five Android 4.0-powered tablets to CES in January. They will include the seven-inch MID7042, eight-inch MID8042, nine-inch MID9042, 9.7-inch MID9742, and 10-inch MID1042. All will be powered by the same 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor and up to 1GB of RAM.
Asus is reportedly attempting to downplay the significance of its lack of participation in the Windows on ARM (WOA) development project, following reports pointing out that the company had not been chosen as one of the initial partners, according to a DigiTimes report. As part of the computer maker's shipment goal disclosures, the company claimed to have the strongest research-and-development capabilities of any notebook vendor.
Windows 8 will be "largely irrelevant" to anyone who isn't using a tablet PC variant, IDC analysts predicted this weekend. Suggesting it was even more true than for Windows 7, System Software research VP Al Gillen and others saw any Windows 8 upgrades coming as part of the regular PC refresh cycle. Most of the changes revolve around touch, something which is largely non-existent on the desktop.
The unofficial first Android 4.0 x86 port won't get help from Intel, the company's Google program lead Alec Gefrides said in an interview Friday. He noted to EE Times that the Android-x86 project, which is focused on bringing Android to traditional PCs, was largely a straight compile of the basic source code with generic PC support that wasn't Intel's focus. Intel was focused only on optimizing Android for Atom-based phones and tablets, and a spokeswoman added that supporting Android-x86 might fragment the platform further.
Microsoft may be shedding the traditional Windows desktop on Windows 8 ARM tablets to deliberately create a more iPad-like design, according to an inside source. Well-known Microsoft-focused technology writer Paul Thurrott stated shortly into TWiT's Windows Weekly podcast (embedded below) that the current plan was to not only pull the traditional Windows desktop from ARM systems but prevent them from running conventional apps compiled for ARM. Only the touch-native Metro interface would be available, Thurrott heard.
Samsung on Wednesday raised the bar for mobile chips with a preview of new Exynos 5250 chips. The dual-core design is the first based on the ARM Cortex-A15 and, through the 32 nanometer process and other optimizations, should be much faster than an ARM Cortex-A9. Samsung estimates that a 2GHz Exynos 5250 is twice as fast as a 1.5GHz A9 design without having to jump to quad-core.
Windows 8 might not be running on any ARM-based devices besides tablets until 2013. Notebook builder sources claimed to Digitimes Tuesday that the systems themselves might not be shown until the end of 2012 and wouldn't ship until June 2013, just as Microsoft's OS would be near its expected first anniversary. ASUS and Lenovo were some of the first lining up, and they would "test the water" with full growth expected in 2014.
Chinese mobile processor and device maker Rockchip claimed Friday that it would bring the first Android 4.0-powered tablet to market during the first week of December. The company also brands tablets with its name, and Android 4.0 will be loaded onto tablets running on the company's RK2918 chips. If true, the tablet will beat the Transformer Prime to market with the OS.
The next Samsung Galaxy smartphone may get a quad-core Exynos processor from, a newly leaked piece of Linux code revealed. The rumor indicated it may offer much more processing power than the 1.2GHz Exynos 4210 used in the current Galaxy S II. The likely processor would be the Exynos 4412, which could use a 32 nanometer design that runs its four ARM Cortex A9 cores at up to 1.5GHz. The chip compares favorably with NVIDIA's Tegra 3, which uses a larger 40nm design.
