A 10-inch smartbook from Pegatron was spotted at the Connected Community Technical Symposium on Friday. It runs on Linux Ubuntu and is powered by an ARM processor, though other details are scarce. The sighting comes just one day after Pegatron GM Chou Biao Sheng said the company will bring out a smartbook in the first quarter of 2010, priced at less than $200.
Talk of Nintendo using Tegra 2 gained support today through new sources of information that also point to a faster Sony PSP. Detailed explanations given to DigitalFoundry say the sequel to the DSi should use the future NVIDIA processor and not only see a "colossal" jump in speed versus the DS line but could be as fast as the Wii while supporting more visual effects.
Qualcomm today updated its MDM family of cellular chipsets with some of the first anywhere to support dual, advanced 3G and 4G formats. The MSM7630 supports GSM, HSPA and HSPA+ standards but will also work on CDMA phone networks and support up to EVDO Revision B for 3G on those services. The addition would let a phone work on a CDMA carrier like Sprint or Verizon but still work with AT&T or T-Mobile and roam at speeds of up to 21Mbps on networks from Rogers, other international carriers, and eventually T-Mobile USA.
Nokia on Tuesday said it has started shipping the N900, its new flagship. The crossover between its Internet tablets and media smartphones is the company's first phone to use Maemo Linux instead of Symbian and is better-suited to modern computing: it has both a full Mozilla-based browser with Flash but basic multi-touch and multitasking that can support many simultaneous apps open. Helping this is along are a fast ARM Cortex-A8 processor and 256MB of RAM that closely resemble the hardware in the iPhone 3GS.
Microsoft's corporate VP for the Windows Platform Strategy, Mike Nash, revealed in a Digitimes report that Windows 7 will not support ARM processors in the near future, as Microsoft will continue its close cooperation with Intel. This is significant as numerous manufacturers will be bringing out smartbook PCs powered by ARM CPUs in 2010. Nash did point out that Windows CE, which supports ARM processors, can be used to power smartbooks.
ZiiLabs today claimed a milestone in mobile processors with the ZMS-08, its second new chip in a year. The new design blends the existing many-core design of the original ZMS-05 with a 1GHz ARM Cortex processor and should process video at a level previously unseen in mobile chips. While other chips can decode 1080p video, the new design reportedly processes the HD output in High Profile H.264, or enough quality to match Blu-ray.
NVIDIA chief Jen-Hsun Huang has denied rekindled talk of his company making x86 processors. Speaking after a conference call, the CEO claims that his focus is still "very, very clear" and that the focus is on graphics processors and closely related parallel computing cards like the Tesla line. The only full processors that NVIDIA is making are mobile chips like the ARM-based Tegra series for handhelds, Huang tells CNET.
ARM president Tudor Brown at a presentation on Friday provided early details of his company's next-generation architecture for smartphones and other handhelds. Nicknamed Eagle, the processor design will focus on speed and come with a multi-core main processor, "high-end" graphics and better security against hardware-related attacks. Power use will be kept down by using GlobalFoundries' new 28 nanometer process and should get more efficient still when the assembly process shrinks to 22 nanometers.
A source today claims the sequel to NVIDIA's Tegra mobile processor could muster double the performance of the original. The new chip is purported by "high ranking" industry contacts to be switching from an ARM7 architecture to the much newer ARM9 and also to use a dual-core design. Combined with improvements to the graphics core, the updated Tegra would be roughly twice as fast overall.
The One Laptop Per Child Association, the manufacturer behind the OLPC notebooks, has axed its plans to build a dual-screen XO device, according to an Xconomy interview with the group's founder and chairman, Nicholas Negroponte. The second generation notebook, originally announced in May of last year, has been scrapped as OLPC instead focuses on adapting the first-generation XO with updated internals.
Broadpoint AmTech analyst Doug Freedman today revived talk of NVIDIA making its own x86 processors in a new research note. He claims that the graphics company has been recruiting "extensively" from employees of the one-time chip designer Transmeta and is using these to speed along one or more unknown designs. It may also not need to use Transmeta-like code translation as many of the original x86 architecture patents lose their effectiveness.
Apple may have taken out support for Atom processors in its latest beta seed of Mac OS X 10.6.2, one user says. Those testing it claim Apple has changed support in a way that breaks compatibility with the small Intel chips, including their ability to enter sleep mode through an unofficial extension. If it reaches the final build, the move leaves those making "Hackintosh" systems with little choice either to stay with 10.6.1 or else to wait for an unofficial fix.
ASUS chief Jerry Shen at an investor conference late yesterday said his company should have an Android-based smartbook on shelves by early 2010. Reversing earlier doubts about a market for such a system, Shen says a portable based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip and the Google mobile OS should be the first "secret weapon" for the company and will likely cost just $185. The price is roughly half what most builders charge for an Atom-running netbook.
Apple has flatly rejected Intel's Moorestown Atom platform for being too power-hungry, a rumor claims today. Unnamed industry contacts say Intel reportedly approached Apple on its own to suggest the ultra-mobile platform but that the Mac creator rejected it outright due to power concerns. According to the Fudzilla source, Apple needed idle power consumption about ten times lower than what Moorestown can manage.
ARM used its presence at TechCon3 today to unveil a new processor architecture built to speed up lower-cost handhelds. The Cortex-A5 is about twice as power-efficient as older budget designs but shares many of the same foundations as fast processors like the Cortex-A8 found in the iPhone 3GS, including the NEON vector instructions that boost media and some other tasks. It can work either as a very low-power single-core design or scale up to quad-core for more demanding devices.
ARM at the TechCon3 expo starting today will begin showing working examples of its Mali graphics core. The design is now known to be much faster than most existing mobile graphics and, even with the basic single-core Mali-200, can render modern-looking 3D in 720p at 30 frames per second. In many cases it can use 4X antialiasing to clean up the image without a performance hit.
Dell's rumored media tablet has been confirmed today by a leak from Vietnamese source Tinhte. To be called the Streak, the device will be almost exclusively controlled by a 5-inch, 800x480 capacitive touchscreen and should not only use Android 2.0 but support multi-touch gestures, including pinch to zoom. It should have 3G onboard and will even support calls, though the size means this will be a secondary role.
Livescribe on Monday added two new capacities to its Pulse smartpen lineup. Customers can now opt for a 2GB or 4GB model, in addition to the original 1GB smartpen. The devices can also now be had in titanium and sport an ARM9 processor and the ability to save audio and handwritten notes through sync. The 4GB model can hold 400 hours of recorded audio or a combination of audio recording or even applications that will soon be available through a Livescribe Application Store.
What appears to be a keyboard-free version of Nokia's as-yet-unreleased N900 smartphone has been spotted on the Internet recently. While the image is not official, it reveals the handset will have a larger, 4.13-inch capacitive touchscreen display and no hardware keyboard. The N900, in comparison, uses a 3.5-inch resistive (pressure-based) touchscreen with 800x480 resolution.
Nintendo's next-generation DS may be powerful enough to rival the current iPod touch in terms of power if a purported source is accurate. Contacts at BSN say NVIDIA has won a contract with Nintendo to use a variant of the Tegra chipset in a future handheld. Which model would be used is unknown, but it's still expected to be a single-chip design and may be a second-generation Tegra rather than the existing component.
Samsung this morning unveiled a pair of components that could give smartphones 1080p video playback and capture. The S5PC110 (not pictured) is based on ARM's faster Cortex-A8 architecture but can run at 1GHz even in the tight space of a smartphone; the feat is achieved through a 45 nanometer manufacturing process that keeps it relatively cool and power-efficient. Running it past even the 833MHz of earlier chips lets it decode and record 1080p video at a full 30 frames per second, including with HDMI 1.3 output of the image at full resolution.
Chinese portable multimedia player maker RAmos will soon release an Android-powered mobile Internet device that will have the capability of playing back 1080p high-definition videos, according to a recent Pocketables report. The official release is expected to come at a press event on Friday, September 25th, with the device based largely on, if not simply a rebadged version of, the Rockchip Android-powered MID concept spotted last month.
ARM this morning said it as developed a 2GHz, dual-core version of its Cortex-A9 architecture. The new design is intended to be built on a newer 40 nanometer (nm) manufacturing process and so achieves the added speed without consuming much if any extra power versus slower parts; ARM estimates just 0.25W per CPU. The design is pitched as ideal for particularly fast home devices that still need either to fit into tight spaces or to use little energy.
As promised, Archos today launched its first-ever device to use a smartphone-class OS. The Archos 5 Internet Tablet still uses Archos' own more developed interface for media playback but takes advantage of Google's platform for more advanced web browsing, e-mail, and true third-party apps. Speeding this along is a new app portal known as AppsLib that carries Android apps written with the Archos 5 in mind or reformatted for its input, such as Deezer for Internet radio or ThinkFree Office for Microsoft Office document viewing (and later editing).
Chinese chipmaker Rockchip has made good on its promise of introducing an Android-powered device using its CPU, with this unnamed mobile Internet device (MID). The 5-inch touchscreen concept is powered by the company's RK2808 chipset that can decode 720p high-definition videos. The hands-on videos reveal a well-rounded interface that sports an on-screen keyboard, the ability to browse the web and have multiple windows open at the same time.
Nokia may add a second netbook PC to its lineup besides the upcoming 10-inch Booklet 3G, according to unofficial sources from cellphone makers in Taiwan. They reported on Wednesday that the second netbook will reportedly be based on an ARM processor, like so many of Nokia's smartphones. The Digitimes insiders claimed Nokia may contract Compal or Foxconn to build a device that would fit Qualcomm's "smartbook" label but which would not arrive on store shelves until sometime in the middle of 2010.
Apple chief Steve Jobs has spent "almost all" his time since his return to work developing the heavily rumored tablet device, according to sources close to the company. Those "people familiar with the matter" tell the WSJ that the executive is committing a level of attention to the project not seen since the original iPhone's development. The sheer control has reportedly been a shock to some workers, who during Jobs' roughly six-month medical leave had some relative freedom on projects.
NVIDIA general manager of mobile Mike Rayfield today hinted at a future Tegra-based device in coming months in a video interview (seen below) that may hint at links to Apple. The executive told Hexus that an unnamed company is developing a "media pad" that would have 3G and a touchscreen between 7 and 13 inches in size that would be based on the chip. No indication was given as to the feature set other than the entertainment focus.
A weekend demo campaign at Best Buy stores has inadvertently betrayed Microsoft's plans to offer third-party app support for the Zune HD. A visitor briefly given control of the player by a representative has captured footage (shown after the jump) of a conspicuous "apps" menu item alongside music and made it clear the production player can download and install third-party software. The in-store unit's Wi-Fi was "blocked," however, and made it impossible to enter that section and see whether a true store is available and what titles are complete.
Dell's first smartphone could be unveiled within the next 48 hours if a purported source is accurate. The tip, likely coming from Asia, mentions to TechCrunch that the device should be made public for Chinese customers within the next day or two. Information is admitted as "thin," but it's also claimed that sources for Asian product launches have normally been accurate.
Dell's return to handhelds in the US may be led by a mid-size device with an unusual sales strategy, one rumor maintains. A "well-connected" source in the industry for Wired says it would have a 5-inch touchscreen but would be based on Intel hardware, likely an Atom chip, rather than the ARM architecture normally used in phone-class devices. Rather than insist on a full price, though, Dell would give the tablet away for free in return for agreeing to a content subscription; users would agree to take books or "other media" that would be viewable on the tablet.
A variety of smartbooks and netbooks integrating ARM-based Snapdragon and Tegra processors are scheduled to ship later this year, according to a DigiTimes report. The devices are being produced by several companies such as Acer, Foxconn, Pegatron, Compal and Inventec.
Pegatron, a subsidiary of ASUS, has built a prototype netbook that uses the same ARM Cortex A8 chip on its Freescale iMX515 CPU that's in the Palm Pre smartphone. In the nameless netbook, however, the chip is clocked at 1GHz rather than the 600MHz in the Pre. While the clock speed is lower than that in the majority of Intel Atom-powered netbooks, the Pegatron netbook's CPU is capable of playing back 720p HD movies and supporting 3D games.
Samsung today unveiled a new ARM processor that could show the direction for future smartphones. Nicknamed Hummingbird, the design uses the same Cortex-A8 architecture as the chip in the iPhone 3GS but clocks at 1GHz, significantly higher than the 833MHz of its previous best. The feat is accomplished both by a smaller, more energy-efficient 45 nanometer process as well as partly customized circuits designed to handle the load.
The previously promised NVIDIA netbook, which spawned a prototype built by Mobinnova, will be called the Firefly, according to a recent SemiAccurate report. The nettop will reportedly be powered by the Tegra chip that is also being used in Microsoft's Zune HD, and unnamed netbook manufactuers claim a September launch date. The Tegra chip itself is already known to be delayed beyond NVIDIA's own 2008 timeframe, however, and has cast doubts on the new timeframe.
Google early today staked out its claim in full computer operating systems with word that it would launch its own. Chrome OS is meant "initially" for netbooks and relies solely on web apps; while Linux underneath, all software is just an instance of the Chrome web browser running in a custom windowing system. The approach not only keeps a small app footprint but sandboxes any content to prevent malware attacks from spreading. Importantly, nearly any Chrome OS app should also work in a truly standards-based web browser regardless of platform.
Bsquare today said it has developed a port of Adobe's Flash plugin for most Android phones. While officially coming first to the HTC Hero early next month, any Android device running Android 1.5 or later on an ARM-based processor should support the extra features. The addition should let those phones with enough performance play Flash videos in the browser rather than in a separate container like Google's YouTube app. It should also render websites much in the same way as desktop versions.
Dell's rumored smartphone may only be an Internet-capable handheld, a leak today says. A contact for the Wall Street Journal supports the belief that an Android-based touchscreen device is in the works but that it won't have phone features. It should be slightly larger than the iPod touch and would instead focus on Internet access.
The most recent unofficial report regarding a rumored Nokia netbook has it being released in 2010 and using the open-source Android operating system from Google. According to Lazard Capital Markets analyst Daniel Amir, Nokia will sell the devices via wireless carriers, like it currently does with its cellular phones. In a research note issued on Friday morning, Amir said conversations with device manufacturers have confirmed this information, though he expects Nokia will face stiff competition from the established PC makers in the class.
HTC at a press event this morning launched its third-generation Android phone in less than a year. The Hero is designed as a web- and music-focused phone with a touchscreen-dependent design like the Magic but is even more compact. Its key, however, is a new interface known as Sense: like TouchFLO, it offers quicker access to calendars, contacts, the time and the weather as well as a quick launcher for the phone dialer. These are all accessible as Android-standard widgets.
Apple's newest iPhone actually costs slightly more to make than the older version in spite of the more modest update, iSuppli says. The iPhone 3GS' total bill of materials amounts to $178.96 for a 16GB model, or slightly more than the previous $174.33 of the 8GB iPhone 3G. Some of the cost difference is attributed to recent rises in the prices of NAND flash memory; although 16GB costs less to make than it did a year earlier, a small rebound due to economy-driven supply cutbacks means Apple has had to absorb some costs to double its storage.
Intel and Nokia today struck a multi-year deal to develop a new form of mobile device processor architecture. The two have few details but hope to produce pocketable hardware which is nonetheless in a "new class" rather than a smartphone or even a larger system like a netbook or notebook. They intend to work together on multiple mobile Linux projects related to the architecture, including the oFono cellphone OS as well as Nokia's Maemo, Intel's Moblin and components they intend to share, such as Mozilla's browser technology.
A last-minute leak this past evening would have Nokia use Intel processors for the first time in some of its devices. One unnamed source for Bloomberg claims that an announcement could come as early as this morning from Intel senior mobility VP Anand Chandrasekher that it has landed a deal to supply chips to Nokia. What this would entail isn't evident, though it would almost certainly involve a variant of the Atom processor and likely wouldn't be a complete replacement of Nokia's line.
Known for its processors in portable electronics devices such as Mobile Internet Devices and smartphones, chipmaker ARM on Monday announced a partnership with LG that would have the latter integrate ARM products into its digital TVs. This includes both ARM's ARM11 MPCore multi-core processor, which offers LG the option to implement single or multiple SMP cores, as well as the ARM Mali-200 and Mali-400 MP graphics processors that should support both true 1080p resolutions and web browsing. Integrating these chips into the TVs obviates the need for a set-top box.
A teardown of the just-launched iPhone 3G S by RapidRepair this morning has revealed that Apple is using a processor capable of HD video and otherwise more than what Apple has enabled. The disassembly confirms the existence of a 600MHz ARM processor, Samsung's S5PC100, based on the much more advanced Cortex A8 platform. However, official specifications (PDF) show that the chip could run at 833MHz and that, while Apple officially limits video recording to 640x480, the full-speed component could not only play but capture 720p.
NVIDIA staff are now known today to have confirmed that the Zune HD uses a Tegra processor at its heart. Mentioning the feature to PC Perspective at Computex, the graphics company has made its first deal for the use of Tegra in a major product and is necessary for the Microsoft player's namesake HD video playback. The all-in-one processor offers hardware acceleration of video and can consume just 150mW of power at full speed, giving it battery life like a regular media player in spite of the demands of 720p video playback.
ARM has teased the future of the iPhone and other smartphones with added early details for its first dual-core mobile processor design. The Cortex A9 will shrink the manufacturing process from the 65 nanometers used on the single-core Cortex A8 used in the iPhone 3G S to 45 nanometers, letting it add the extra core without significantly affecting the power draw. Although it consumes more energy at peak, the smaller process and multiprocessing should ultimately lead to longer battery life.
Qualcomm upped its stake in the mobile space today with an upgrade to the Snapdragon line of mobile processors. The QSD8650A jumps from the previous 1GHz to a new 1.3GHz but is also Qualcomm's first 45 nanometer processor; it's about 30 percent faster than its predecessor but simultaneously uses 30 percent less average power than earlier parts. Video performance in 3D and elsewhere has also been given a boost, the company says.
The next revision of the iPhone should be characterized by a dramatic increase in processing power, an alleged scoop by veterain technology writer John Gruber says. He refers to "informed" sources who say the iPhone will jump from its existing 412MHz clock speed to 600MHz but adds that a change in architecture should lead to a disproportionately larger increase in performance. Similar to the leap from Intel's 80486 design to the Pentium, the change is large enough that the difference should be more than the 50 percent gain implied by the clock rate increase.
Apple has posted a job listing that hints at the company's future hardware direction for the iPhone, iPod touch and possible other devices. The position for a High Perform/Low Level Programmer asks for someone familiar not only for programming assembly-level code for ARM processors, which Apple already uses in its handhelds, but for the NEON vector math units used in the newer Cortex architecture for the mobile chips. Apple is especially concerned about experience with vector math and particularly values anyone with additional knowledge of vector units through general CPUs, such as Intel's SSE or the AltiVec units found on PowerPC G4 and G5 cores.
