| MacUpdate Weekend Sale | :This weekend MacUpdate has slashed prices on Painter 12 and Painter Lite. Painter 12 retails for $429, but has been reduced by 54% to $199. Painter Lite has seen a 58% price cut from $69 to $29. Hurry, because these deals are only available until May 19th 2013. |
Vertu, the luxury handset maker formerly owned by Nokia, has released it's first Android-powered handset. The Vertu Ti, leaked at the start of the month, will cost potential customers 7,900 euros ($10,500), despite the company's head of design claiming that "Vertu will never be at the bleeding edge of technology."
Texas Instruments has indicated that it will refocus its business efforts around the embedded application processor market including the automotive market. To do this, it will shift from its current emphasis on developing its OMAP processors for smartphones and tablets, reports Reuters. According to TI, the embeded processor market offers the prospect of greater financial stability moving forward, despite its OMAP SOCs appearing in the high-profile, but low cost, Kindle Fire HD and Barnes & Noble Nook HD tablets.
UK electronics retailer Expansys is now offering the Panasonic Eluga smartphone for sale as an unlocked device. Introduced at MWC, the Android 2.3-powered smartphone is powered by a dual-core, 1GHz TI OMAP processor and 1GB of RAM. It is entirely waterproof, however, and an upgrade from the current Android 2.3.5 to Android 4.0 is promised to come this summer.
ARM on Tuesday rolled out a unique variant on the Cortex-A15 designed to bring the next-generation chip to shelves faster and with less power use. A new hard macro variant that has fixed specifications, including quad cores clocked at 2GHz based on a 28 nanometer TSMC-made (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) design, instead of the "soft core" that lets firms heavily customize an ARM design to their own ends. In return, however, it's both faster to implement and uses the same power as the earlier Cortex-A9.
Motorola might be making a fundamental shift from its loyalty to TI if an inadvertent GLBenchmark test run posting is an indicator. A phone known as the MB886, codenamed Qinara and possibly a reference to the Dinara has shown up using Qualcomm's MSM8960, or the same 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 chip as found in phones like HTC's One S. Motorola has used TI's OMAP and occasionally NVIDIA's Tegra 2 in its Android phones, suggesting a new direction in chip options.
Qualcomm senior VP Rob Chandhok in discussion Friday made clear that the quad-core version of the Snapdragon S4 would be destined for Windows 8 notebooks. Confirming that ARM wouldn't be confined to tablets for Windows 8, Chandhok told IDG that he expected them to show up Intel's ultrabook concept with thinner designs and longer battery life. They would share the 28 nanometer process behind the dual-core versions, but the extra power would make them more viable for games and more complex apps as the software underwent an "maturation."
The slowly building rumors surrounding the 2012 iPhone were joined by another after claims late Wednesday. A source at Texas Instruments told iPhone maintenance outlet RepairLabs that the company had started producing the power management chip for the next iPhone. Senior staffers in the company were referring to Apple's project as the iPhone 5, the source said, although it's more likely this is a placeholder name.
Intel has managed to not only hold on to but widen its lead as the world's largest chip designer in the past year, iSuppli determined Monday. By revenue, Intel had seen its revenue in 2011 go up over 20 percent to $48.7 billion dollars despite the effect of the iPad and other tablets. ARM's champion, Samsung, had moved just over half a point to $28.6 billion.
Panasonic's extra-thin Eluga smartphone has edged closer to release with more concrete launches for Japan and Europe. Its home country is getting the Android 2.3 hardware as the P-04D on March 29 through NTT DoCoMo. That carrier is getting a special Deep Purple hue instead of the normal black.
An FCC filing has given away Lenovo's plans for a previously unannounced tablet that would show the company trying to take on the iPad more directly. The IdeaTab S2109 would have a 9.7-inch, IPS-based, 4:3 ratio display like its Apple counterpart, although it's more likely to have the 1024x768 screen of the iPad 2 than an exotic greater-than-HD panel. Its design would be unusually power-thirsty: the FCC labeling would point to a 12.5W power, or more than the 10W maximum carried by most tablets.
With Windows 8 Consumer Preview being released on Wednesday and the announcement it will support ARM mobile chips, Qualcomm revealed it will supply hardware for developers who make software for ARM-powered tablets. NVIDIA will have a similar program in place, with tablets using its quad-core Tegra 3 chips sent out to programmers. Qualcomm Snapdragon S4-based test devices will be distributed to developers at Qualcomm's discretion on an invite-only basis. The test machines will have the newest dual-core MSM8960 chips onboard.
TI has posted a demo video (below) of its OMAP5 processor in what could be a sign of how fast many next-generation processors will be next to even chips that have yet to arrive. Even clocked at just 800MHz with only two main cores, the use of ARM's new Cortex-A15 was able to run a web browser, MP3 playback, and downloading multitasking test more than twice as quickly as a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor. While the A9 wasn't named, it was likely NVIDIA's 1.3GHz Tegra 3, showing how little clock speed mattered.
LG continued a run of new smartphones as part of the lead-in to Mobile World Congress by introducing the Optimus 3D Cube, also known as the Optimus 3D Max. A direct sequel to the original, the device formerly codenamed the CX2 can now edit, not just play back, 3D video. The hardware is also noticeably slimmer at 9.6mm (versus 10.9mm) and bumps up the dual-core processor from 1GHz to 1.2GHz.
LG has officially provided details surrounding the Optimus Vu, its own take on the same blurring of lines between the phone and tablet as Samsung's Galaxy Note. True to leaks, the device has a five-inch display like its Samsung rival but uses a 4:3 aspect ratio like the Pantech Pocket. The 1024x768, color-rich IPS display is said to improve text reading, LG claimed, although the ratio could make it even wider than the Galaxy Note.
AMD's recently departed graphics CTO Eric Demers is now thought to have jumped ship for Qualcomm. An insider connection talking to The Inquirer said the graphics expert had made the hop "under good terms," but partly in the view that Qualcomm wasn't seen as a direct competitor. Intel and NVIDIA may have tried to poach him in the past.
Another AMD executive departure has fueled speculation Tuesday. Graphics division CTO Eric Demers is known to be exiting the chip designer as of February 17. Former Apple executive and current primary CTO Mark Papermaster would temporarily take over during his absence.
TI kicked off the week with a new all-in-one wireless chip that could make NFC (near-field communications) much easier. The WiLink 8.0 is the first of its kind to build NFC into the chip alongside Bluetooth, FM radio, GNSS positioning, Wi-Fi, and even ANT+ for exercise and . It both shrinks the size of a chipset with NFC by as much as half and, as a complete design, can offload much of the work that would normally go to the main processor.
Verizon delivered one of its first smartphones of the new year Friday in the Droid 4. The Motorola headliner we tried at CES is up for $200 on a contract, making it one of the more affordable LTE phones. Buyers can also pick it up for $550 contract-free.
Eolas' attempt to patent the "interactive web" may have been dealt a permanent blow after a jury in the normally patent lawsuit-friendly town of Tyler, Texas ruled that the patent was invalid. The decision negated both any attempts at claiming damages and also negated three future trials. The rejection came in part after testimony from the spiritual creator of the web, Tim Berners-Lee, as well as individual creators whose work predated that of Eolas owner Michael Doyle.
Apple late last week quietly filed for a US trademark that shows it possibly getting closer to having its own chip architecture. After having slowly filed trademarks in countries outside the US, such as Trinidad and Tobago, the joint USPTO and Hong Kong application caught by Patently Apple suggests that Apple has been continuing development on a project it could be willing to show soon. Mentions of work had started as early as 2004.
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.
Specs for two upcoming LG smartphones have been spotted online by Italian site HDBlog. The phones are expected to show up at the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona at the end of the month, and include the P880, with a 720p display, along with the unusual, 640x480 P700.
Two sources have hinted that the Droid 4 may have an imminent launch and a moderate price point. The Droid-Life contacts had it shipping on February 9 for $199 on a contract, or as much as the pared-back 16GB Droid RAZR. It was originally rumored to come a week earlier but was moved back for unknown reasons.
RIM's BlackBerry London has been refined in looks ahead of what could be an attempt to return to the US in force. New leaks to CrackBerry have the render of the first BlackBerry 10 phone's expected finished look making it considerably more refined than the very angular, Porsche Design-like look of a dummy unit. A presumably mock screenshot also points to a more refined media player than either on BlackBerry 7 or on the PlayBook.
Notion Ink CEO Rohan Shraven has taken the unusual step of explaining why his Android-based tablet company opted to follow its NVIDIA Tegra 2-powered Adam tablet with a TI OMAP 4 processor for its Adam II . Rather than plumping for the quad-core Tegra 3, Shraven argues that the TI OMAP platform offers Notion Ink certain advantages. As a small vendor, with its limited software and hardware engineering resources, it believed that it could not leverage the NVIDIA Tegra 3 as well as it can the TI OMAP 4, leading to a better implementation for end users.
Germany's OpenPandora will begin shipping a handheld UMPC/gaming console in February. The device has been in the works for nearly four years, having suffered through production and shipping delays. It still carries no name and there are 4,000 units slated for shipping in February. The company did ship 2,800 units to date since May, 2010.
Following unintentional slips, Verizon on Tuesday confirmed that the Droid RAZR MAXX will be on shelves this Thursday, January 26. The extra-long lived 4G smartphone will be the new high-end version of the RAZR and carry the 32GB that was cut in half to lower the price for the original design. A RAZR MAXX wil cost $300 on a contract like the original 32GB version.
Notion Ink in a update early Saturday Bangalore time uncovered one of the first details of next-generation tablet. Referring to the slate as the Adam II, it plans to use a TI OMAP 4400-series multi-core processor mated with Android 4.0. What clock speed and which exact graphics core weren't mentioned, apart from the video coming through a PowerVR SGX500-series core.
TI has added a new SimpleLink Wi-Fi chipset, the CC3000, which is designed to bring wireless Internet connectivity to common consumer products such as fridges, printers, TVs and more. The company said the chip can be integrated into such devices within hours, with no need for a display. It doesn't require a specific operating system and will allow the devices to communicate with smartphones or tablets.
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.
Huawei isn't normally known for high-end phones; usually, it's the company serving the $200 off-contract smartphone to a Chinese resident who might never get a smartphone otherwise. The Ascend P1 S, then, came as something of a surprise at CES this week when it it not only hit a record-breaking 6.7mm (0.26 inches) thickness but became one of the first truly official phones with Android 4.0 beyond the Galaxy Nexus. We gave the P1 S a shakedown at CES; read on for whether it signals a change in Huawei's impact in smartphones.
TI has teased its first practical OMAP5 reference hardware. The dual-core, dual-graphics ARM-Cortex A15 device shown to Engadget by VP Remi El-Ouazzane was capable of playing 1080p content at 64 frames per second and ran Android 4.0. The executive anticipated it being fast enough at 800MHz to rival a Cortex-A9 chip at 1.5GHz, overshadowing Apple's A5.
Earlier this week at CES, LG and Motorola unveiled two new phones destined for Verizon's 4G LTE network. Phone Scoop has learned that the two phones, the Motorola Droid 4 and LG Spectrum, will be able to roam globally using GSM as well as CDMA, Verizon's core wireless technology. This capability should be available sometime during the first half of this year.
During Toshiba's CES booth tour, the company showed off its latest and greatest wares. Of the most interest were the current and soon-to-be-released tablets, along with some interesting concepts the company is considering. We got our mitts on the company's Excite X10 Android tablet, which is claimed to be thinnest and lightest, at 7.7mm and 1.18lbs, respectively. It certainly feels nice and light, yet solid when held, and the brushed aluminum rear panel offers a sure grip.
Huawei has unveiled the Ascend P1 S, which for now is the world's slimmest smartphone at 0.26in (6.68mm). The Ascend P1 S is a major upgrade to its previous flagship smartphone, the Mercury. The Ascend P1 S has a dual-core TI OMAP 4460 chip powering a Cortex A9 CPU running at 1.5GHz, the same engine that powers the Google Nexus Prime. Not surprisingly, it will ship with Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich. The Ascend P1 S also has SGX 540 graphics for its 4.3-inch 540x960 Super AMOLED display. It is capable of recording 1080p HD video with its 8-megapixel main camera, and 720p video with a 1.3-megapixel front facing camera.
Motorola has begun taking pre-orders for a Wi-Fi only version of the Xyboard. Losing the Droid name from Verizon, they remain identical on the inside and cost significantly less. The 8.2-inch 16GB and 32GB models cost $400 and $500 respectively, while climbing to 10.1 inches adds another $100 to the cost.
The last-minute delay of the Motorola Droid 4 was inadvertently confirmed after a pair of sightings. Visting the Best Buy Reward Zone shows a picture of a bonus point giveaway with the unannounced Android slider clearly in view. Separately, a scrape of the DroidDoes.com page by a Droid-Life tipster has produced audio samples that showed Verizon had already prepared at least some of a Droid 4 page.
LG will begin shipping its designer Prada Phone by LG 3.0 Android 2.3 smartphone in South Korea on January 5. LG had officially announced the phone earlier this month. Although not shipping until January, the phone will be available for pre-order on Thursday.
CUPP Computing has shown off a new version of its PunkThis board that could lead to tablets with both Android and Windows without compromising both. Taking residence inside an ASUS Eee Slate, the board tested by Engadget would replace the 2.5-inch SATA drive with a full Android device with a 1GHz TI OMAP3730 processor, 512MB of RAM, its own Wi-Fi, and Android 2.3.4. A mini PCIe slot would provide room for a solid-state drive to give storage to the Windows side.
As expected, LG and Prada's upcoming handset has been shown off on Wednesday. The details confirm many of those leaked earlier. Along with its 4.3-inch Nova Plus screen, it gets a Prada-based texture on the back, its own docking station, and a matching Prada bag.
LG will officially show off its fashionista-oriented Prada Phone 3.0 on December 14, the invitation sent to Engadget indicates. The handset is being dubbed the Prada Phone by LG 3.0 in the invitation. The event is due to take place in London, England.
Verizon followed up on the end of its LTE outage by starting sales of the Motorola Droid Xyboard. The 8.2- and 10.1-inch Android tablets are available to buy online as of Friday and should be in physical stores on Monday. Prices start at $430 for the Xyboard 8.2 with 16GB and 4G on a contract, and $530 for the similarly-equipped Xyboard 10.1.
RIM's rumored BlackBerry Milan may have solidifed after details and a conceptual rendering appeared Wednesday. The BlackBerry 10 phone is now thought by CrackBerry sources to be a vertical QWERTY slider much like the Torch 9800 series. As described, it would have some angular elements like the London but would have more of the signature black, with all of the dedicated hardware buttons and trackpad of a current BlackBerry removed in favor of, presumably, bezel gestures.
Microsoft is taking the unusual step of letting ARM processor designers choose their own partners for Windows 8 systems, part suppliers stated Monday. NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments were each being told to pick one major and one minor partner, Digitimes understood. Among the major partners, NVIDIA had picked Lenovo, Qualcomm had chosen Samsung, and TI had selected Toshiba.
Motorola has submitted a new LTE-enabled tablet to the FCC for approval. The device supports CDMA/EDVO and the LTE band used by Verizon. This gives rise to speculation that this is the Xoom 2 Media Edition which the carrier will be selling in the US as the 8.2-inch version of the Droid Xyboard.
A shortfall in NVIDIA's chip sales could be a sign of problems for both the Tegra 3 and for Android as a whole. Purported insiders claimed to Digitimes that the chip designer wouldn't make a target of 25 million Tegra 2 processors shipped. Difficulty getting more wins away in smartphones from Qualcomm's Snapdragon were a problem, but the inability of Android tablets to compete with the iPad was also supposedly impacting numbers.
Archos has begun shipping a high performance version of its 10.1-inch Android tablet. The 101 G9 Turbo upgrades the dual-core TI OMAP4 processor from 1GHz to 1.2GHz. Also new is the storage, doubling to 16GB.
The recently introduced Verzo Kinzo Android phone has just received a price cut after getting customer feedback. Kinzo has also now broken up the device into two models, with one basic option and another paired with an offline navigation package. The basic phone gets a price cut to $349, while the Plus GPS model is $384.
Early benchmarks of the Galaxy Nexus have shown it to be the first Android phone that can outperform an iPhone 4S on the web. The AnandTech tests show that Google's late addition of dual-core processor support gave the phone the edge over Apple both in the SunSpider JavaScript test and Rightware's BrowserMark. The only other Android device to get close, the Droid RAZR, slightly won in one test but lost in another.
IHS iSuppli revised its earlier cost breakdown for the Amazon Kindle Fire to a lower figure in a more final estimate that showed Amazon was still taking a loss on each device sold. While it's now expected to cost just $201.70 to make, that still told AllThingsD the $199 Android tablet was losing Amazon money on each sale, even before factoring in shipping and other costs. A look at the final product showed that there were cost savings even beyond what had been expected, including on the inside.
