01/07, 11:30am
Gadmei T863 uses glasses-free 3D with Android
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.
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01/04, 10:30am
Velocity Micro Cruz Tablets, Shine arrive for CES
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.
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12/26, 10:00am
JXD gets into tablet and gaming crossover
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."
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11/25, 1:15pm
Rockchip promises Android 4 tablet in December
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.
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10/19, 2:10pm
ARM Cortex-A7 promises speed in sub-100 phones
ARM chose Wednesday to reveal a new mobile processor design that could make possible smartphones under $100 that still have real performance. Cortex-A7 MPCore borrows some of the optimizations from the A15 and rolls them into a budget design. Although it's a fifth the size of the older Cortex-A8 at 0.5mm square and five times more power efficient, speed is "significantly greater" and closer to that of a higher-end $500 phone, ARM argued.
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10/18, 11:55pm
ARM and TSMC get test samples of Cortex-A15
ARM and its frequent hardware partner TSMC said they had managed the first tape out, or working production samples, of the Cortex-A15 processor. The chip runs on a very dense 20 nanometer process and was produced just half a year after the basic design was ready. All the factory tools were those that could be found in an actual factory, the two said.
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10/11, 2:00pm
Budget tablet has 1GHz processor
ViewSonic has announced its first ten inch Android-only tablet, the ViewPad 10e. The Viewpad 10e has a 9.7in. IPS LCD display with 1024x768 resolution. Like its smaller sibling the ViewPad 7e, the Viewpad 10e uses a 1GHz, single-core Cortex A8 processor, 512MB of RAM, and 4GB onboard storage expandable to 36GB with an SD card. It will use the Android 2.3 and ViewSonic's proprietary 3D interface.
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09/20, 1:40pm
NVIDIA releases 2 Kal-El mobile chip whitepapers
NVIDIA has just detailed more information and released a couple of white papers on its upcoming Kal-El mobile chip. The new revelation is that the quad-core chip will actually use five cores, with the so-called "companion" core being another ARM Cortex-A9. It will perform more mundane tasks such as web browsing, listening to music, or running live wallpapers. This core operates at 500MHz for higher per-watt efficiency.
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09/19, 3:05pm
Meizu MX smartphone priced for China
The upcoming quad-core smartphone that is the Meizu MX has just been officially priced and dated for its release in China. The device will be available in 16GB and 32GB capacities, priced at ¥3,999 (about $625) and ¥4,999 (nearly $780), respectively. The base version will get a dual-core ARM Cortex A9 processor while the 32GB model will have a four-core A9.
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09/12, 9:35am
Qualcomm dual-core processor may be mystery cpu
The processor in the Samsung Galaxy II S for T-Mobile will not be Samsung's own Exynos chip. Samsung Telecommunications Marketing Manager Philip Berne says the the T-Mobile version will use a different dual-core processor than the 1.2GHz Exynos found in both the AT&T and Sprint versions of the handset. Industry watchers see the Tegra 2 as an unlikely choice for a flagship handset. Speculation is centering on a Qualcomm next-generation Snapdragon processor such as the 1.2GHz APQ8060, the chip that powers the discountinued HP Touchpad. The manufacturer says the APQ8060 is not only faster than the Tegra 2 but consumes 47 percent less power.
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08/26, 3:40pm
Analyst thinks iPad 3 may be stalled by A6 chip
Senior analyst Kevin Krewell of The Linley Group asserted in a research note that Apple's A6 processor would be relatively late. Citing a Taiwan Economic News article as part of his support, he believed the A6 wouldn't be in full production until spring at the earliest. To get it into a shipping product would mean the A6 not arriving until "at least" June, Krewell said.
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08/05, 11:05am
Pierre Cardin ships 7-inch, Android 2.2 tablet
French design house Pierre Cardin has just introduced its first electronics with a seven-inch Android tablet. The designer device, the PC-7006, is unusually modest for the luxury credentials with a 1GHz Cortex A8 processor and 512MB of RAM. There is just 4GB of storage space onboard, though it can be expanded through the microSD card slot.
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07/12, 2:25pm
Integrate processor with EPD/KCD controllers
Freescale Semiconductor has expanded its iMX50 family of applications processors. The three new products, the iMX502, iMX503 and iMX507 offer ARM Cortex-A8 800MHZ cores with integrated LCD controllers. The iMX507 adds an integrated Electronic Paper Display (EPD) hardware-based display controller. The combination of processor and controller is well suited for uses such as e-readers as well as outdoor signs and even smart labels.
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06/08, 12:05am
Smart TV chip handles HDTV, streaming internet
Embedded chip specialist ARM announced that it has partnered with Panasonic to develop a system-on-a-chip solution for set-top boxes. The system is based on ARM's dual core Cortex A9 processor. It also uses ARM's Corelink network interconnect to handle streaming data. Dubbed the Uniphier MN2WS0220, the company claims its system is now the fastest on the market and uses 40 percent less power than its current generation.
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05/30, 3:40pm
ARM plans for 50pc computer share in 4 years
ARM could be in half of all mobile computers within four years, company president Tudor Brown said in a speech at the Computex show in Taiwan. He gave the chips about 10 percent of the mobile PC market owing to the iPad and other tablets or smartbooks, but he expected that to jump to over 50 percent by 2015. The architecture's stake should to 15 percent just by the end of the year.
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05/11, 10:45am
ZiiLabs intros ZMS-20, ZMS-40 tablet chips
ZiiLabs this week announced the upcoming release of its latest processors, the dual-core ZMS-20 and quad-core ZMS-40. The former is much closer to production, and has a 1.5GHz ARM Cortex-A9 at its core. The company says this chip is four times faster than its previous flagship offering, the ZMS-08. Both the ZMS-20 and ZMS-40 are optimized for Android 3.0 tablets with HD video playback.
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05/04, 2:00pm
Galaxy Tab Wi-Fi has older components than 3G
The Wi-Fi-only version of the 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab uses lower-spec components than the 3G version, beyond just the radio. As confirmed the official page, the Wi-Fi tablet uses a 1GHz A8 Cortex CPU paired with an older PowerVR SGX530 graphics core. The 3G version of the tablet has a 1GHz Cortex A8 as well, but it's a newer generation C110 version, the Hummingbird, along with a newer SGX540 for video.
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04/26, 3:40pm
Qualcomm Krait-based Snapdragon chips detailed
A leaked Qualcomm presentation has given clues as to its plans for its next-generation Snapdragon processors. The MSM8270, MSM8930, MSM8960, and APQ8064, all based on the future Krait architecture, are expected to be as much as five times faster than their predecessors in raw CPU power and four times faster in graphics with "console quality gaming." MobileTechWorld's example showed it supporting not just 1080p displays and 3D video but 7.1-channel Dolby Surround and up to a 20-megapixel camera should one exist.
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04/26, 7:25am
LG makes ARM deals for Cortex-A15 and Mali video
LG early Tuesday showed its hand for some of its future mobile plans with licenses for a slew of high-speed ARM chips. Along with getting direct access to the Cortex-A9 MPCore it previously had to buy with NVIDIA's Tegra 2 in devices like the G-Slate and G2X as well as TI's OMAP chips, it now has design rights to the upcoming and much faster Cortex-A15. Its deal further landed ARM's Mali-T604 graphics and its CoreLink interconnect part.
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04/20, 10:40am
ARM Cortex-A15 to start with dual-core late 2012
ARM's US mobile division head James Bruce said in a conversation late Tuesday that the first phones and tablets using the Cortex-A15 architecture should be available by the end of 2012 or early into 2013. The much improved chip design will start out cautiously with dual-core designs before moving on to quad-core later on. The performance leap over the A9 was such that he predicted to PCWorld that phones like the Motorola Atrix were part of a larger trend towards mobile devices used for desktop-level tasks.
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02/14, 12:20pm
SmartQ Ten shown with Android 2.2, IPS screen
China's Smart Devices has unveiled its latest tablet, the SmartQ Ten. It uses an In Plane Switching (IPS) 9.7-inch, 1024x768 display and a Cortex-A9 CPU of unspecified clock speed as well as the Mali 400 GPU. It's also the company's first tablet to use Android 2.2.
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11/11, 10:15pm
Similar tech rumored to power the next iPad
Samsung has previewed a new chip, named Orion, based on ARM's Cortex-A9 architecture. The technology is based on the 45nm process, which is said to offer an improvement in power efficiency compared to A8-based chips. The previewed hardware, shown in an ARMdevices video, was paired with a quad-core Mali-400 GPU.
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10/27, 11:55am
PandaBoard for developers now shipping for $174
The PandaBoard development tool for mobile app developers is now shipping. The mainboard sports a dual-core 1GHz TI OMAP4 processor and 1GB of RAM, along with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1. It will help devs create OMAP4-compatible apps for Android, Angstrom, Chrome, MeeGo and Ubuntu-based devices.
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09/14, 2:25pm
Nufront shows dual-core 2GHz ARM-based SoC
China's Nufront together with chipmaker ARM announced on Tuesday that they launched the former's first computer chip, the NuSmart 2816. Based on 40nm architecture, the system-on-chip includes a dual-core Cortex A9 and runs at 2GHz. Unlike most ARM chips, the NuSmart is intended for full-fledged computing and should reach netbooks, tablets, ultra-thin notebooks and all-in-one desktops.
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08/31, 12:40pm
Hannspree shows dual-core Tegra tablet with Froyo
Hannspree in Europe has sent out a press release that it will soon release a 10.1-inch multi-touch tablet preloaded with Android 2.2. It will be powered by NVIDIA's Tegra 250 platform to drive the 1024x600 display, while a mini HDMI output will let users view 1080p videos on external screens that support the resolution. General processing is handled by the Tegra's dual-core 1GHz Cortex A9 chip.
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08/18, 12:05pm
Amex Digital shows smallest 1080p media player
Amex Digital has introduced what it's calling the smallest media player capable of playing back 1080p videos, the MP-501. Sized at about 0.6 by 6.9 by 5 inches, it packs an ARM Cortex-A8 processor and has support for nearly all common file formats. The files can be played from an inserted SD memory card or a USB drive.
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08/09, 1:25pm
TI first to get next-gen ARM Cortex-A chips
Texas Instruments (TI) on Monday announced itself as the first company to license ARM's next-generation Cortex-A series processors. The chips, also known as Eagle, remain efficient, with an estimated draw of just 0.25W per CPU and will be initially built on a 28nm architecture before scaling down to 22nm.
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08/02, 1:40pm
Notion Ink's Adam tablet to get SIM card slot
Notion Ink has released a spec sheet for its long overdue 10-inch Adam tablet, which reveals it will support GSM networks, not just data over EDGE or HSPA. The addition raises the possibility that it will also have voice calling capabilities, like the Dell Streak tablet. The sheet also reinforces beliefs that the Adam will be available with either a Pixel Qi and a more traditional LCD screen.
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06/21, 1:30pm
Galaxy S Pro gets unofficial early hands-on
The upcoming Samsung Galaxy S Pro smartphone has received preliminary, unofficial specs from a reliable tipster, courtesy of AndroidCentral. The phone is still said to be in the testing phase, however, so some of the below specs may still change. The QWERTY slider is said to be about a half-inch shorter but thicker than the Sprint Evo 4G.
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02/15, 4:40pm
BUG 2.0 platform with Android support outed
BUGLabs, maker of the modular, Linux-based electronic device has released a second-generation base, the BUG 2.0, at the Mobile World Congress show on Monday. Most notably, the new hardware allows users to run apps developed for the open-source Android operating system or create their own. At the same time, it is based on the Cortex A8-based OMAP3 platform from Texas Instruments, making the device faster and more usable.
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12/11, 4:25pm
ODRIOD now available to international developers
The ODROID gaming console is now shipping in a worldwide developer edition. The device has a touchscreen and an HDMI output and can indeed support HD resolutions on TV sets, as seen in the video, below. The Korean device uses an 833MHz Samsung ARM Cortex processor and 512MB of RAM. There is also an accelerometer for certain motion-control games.
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08/28, 5:15pm
Nokia World spoilers
Ahead of next week's Nokia World show, German site NokiaPort is claiming to have some news about the future of the world's largest handset-maker's future products. This includes a debut of two new series of devices, including the Cseries and Xseries, both of which the company trademarked earlier this summer. The first Xseries model will apparently be an updated version of the 5530 XpressMusic handset, with the addition of 3G network support. This indicates the XpressMusic line will be replaced by the Xseries-branded devices.
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06/16, 8:55am
Dual Core A9 and iPhone
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.
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05/22, 11:20am
iPhone 2009 Next-Gen CPU
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.
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02/23, 7:30am
ARM Cortex M0 Processor
ARM on Monday rolled out the Cortex-M0 as its smallest and most energy-efficient processor design. The 32-bit chip is as featured as the earlier Cortex-M3 but has a small enough number of circuit gates and other optimizations that it consumes just 0.085mW of energy and is estimated to have a footprint the size of a much simpler 16-bit processor. The shift lets companies make small media and communication devices that need very little energy but which still need the same complexity as other processors.
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02/16, 3:40pm
ARM Cortex 32nm Chip
Joining in the slew of mobile introductions, ARM today demonstrated its first 32 nanometer (nm) mobile processor. Part of the Cortex series, the chip is much smaller than many existing designs and allows smaller smartphones while simultaneously increasing the speed by shortening the distance between components. The new design additionally hinges on high-K metal gate process that reduces energy leaks and prevents the chip from wasting much of its power. ARM also expects the chip to be less costly to build.
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