11/05, 3:40pm
MOTO ships Android 2.0 MID for developers
The MOTO Development Group is now making its 5-inch Android Media Platform (AMP) mobile Internet device (MID) available to developers. The device can run Google's Android 2.0 mobile OS and lets developers prototype interfaces, develop apps and extend hardware features. The MID is powered by a Texas Instruments OMAP3430 CPU and uses a 5-inch OLED capacitive touchscreen, though an LCD of the same size is optional.
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10/19, 3:30pm
Tiny TI Bluetooth chip with low power usage
Texas Instruments will showcase an ultra low-power coin cell demo using the upcoming Bluetooth low energy open standard on Tuesday at a Bluetooth conference in Munich. The device will use TI's future CC2540 single-mode system-on-chip, which TI says will consume so little power that it will allow wireless to run on devices for very long periods of time. Among other examples, it would allow for a small button cell battery to power such a device without recharging for more than a year.
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10/06, 10:50am
Case involves embedded web apps
Research and development company Eolas Technologies has filed a lawsuit against over a dozen companies, including major technology businesses such as Apple, Adobe, Amazon, Google, eBay and Sun. Eolas accuses the companies of violating two US patents, 5,838,906 and 7,599,985; the broadest of these is the first, which allegedly covers all "fully-interactive" embedded web applications. The second is an extension, specifically covering embedded apps using plug-in and AJAX (asynchronous JavaScript and XML) code.
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10/01, 4:50pm
Nokia now a member of Wireless Power Consortium
The Wireless Power Consortium on Thursday announced that cellphone maker Nokia has become one of its members. This is expected to result in quicker development and the more widespread use of the Qi wireless charging standard the Consortium is working on. With the addition of Nokia, the company has backed the open standards that would be shared among many makers of cell phones and other portable electronics devices.
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09/28, 4:50pm
Three new BenQ projectors have dual HDMI inputs
BenQ has recently said it will soon begin shipping three new HD projectors for us in home theater installations. The three projectors are pitched to tech-savvy home theater enthusiasts, and the front-projection W600, W1000 and W6000 all work on Texas Instruments-based DLP front projection chips. The W6000 is the most feature-packed of the three, with 1080p, native 24fps support, a 50,000:1 contrast ratio and 2,500 ANSI lumens of brightness.
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09/10, 2:40pm
Flagship Harman Kardon receiver with TI dual DSP
Harman Kardon is currently showing off its latest flaghship home theater receiver, the 7.2-channel AVR 7550HD, at the CEDIA Expo. Like some of the other receivers in its range, it supports Dolby Volume technology that keeps its volume consistent no matter what source is playing, and is the very first to use Texas Instruments' Aureus DA710 dual audio digital signal processor for improved sound quality. Faroudja DCDi Cinema digital video processing uses a Torino chipset to upscale videos to near 1080p quality.
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09/08, 4:30pm
InFocus brings back ScreenPlay projector series
InFocus has revived its ScreenPlay projector lineup with the SP8602, which offers native 1080p resolution and is meant for use in home theater installations. The SP8602 uses Texas Instruments' DLP DarkChip technology with BrilliantColor, Pixelworks' DNX 10-bit video processor, and InFocus' proprietary 120Hz motion engine. It's also said to have a 30,000:1 contrast ratio and 1,300 lumens of brightness.
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07/30, 4:10pm
Acer Android netbook a go
Despite a recent report to the contrary, Acer is still on track to deliver a promised Android powered netbook PC later this summer, according to a representative at the company. The announcement was made after reports of a delay emerged, and the Aspire One-series netbook will sport a 10-inch screen along with an Intel Atom CPU. Thus far, Acer's Aspire One runs on Windows XP, but a prototype device on display recently contained both operating systems. Acer executives said the production version will only have Android.
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06/29, 9:30am
Apple Agrees to Micro USB
Several major cellphone makers today agreed to support a European Union push for a universal charger standard. Apple, LG, Motorola, Nokia, RIM, Samsung and Sony Ericsson have signed a deal with the European Commission that will see micro USB become the default connector for powering cellphones in the continent. Chipset producers like NEC, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments have also agreed to the deal.
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06/25, 4:40pm
Touch Book due out in July
First unveiled back in March, the Touch Book from Always Innovating is due to ship sometime in July. The device uses an 8.9-inch touchscreen with 1024x600 resolution and can be used as a tablet PC, or like a more conventional netbook-like PC with the addition of the optional snap-in keyboard.
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06/24, 7:40am
iPhone 3GS iSuppli Costs
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.
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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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06/15, 12:20pm
ViewSonic 120Hz projectors
At the InfoComm 2009 show in Florida on Monday, ViewSonic announced the availability of its PJD6211, PJD6221 and PJD6381 projectors with 3D display capabilities thanks to their 120Hz refresh rates. All three have network management capabilities and multiple inputs, along with a focus on low energy consumption. The highest-end model, the PJD6381, offers one of the shortest throw ratios among DLP projectors on the market, at 0.68. It is compatible with whiteboards used in school districts across the US, and sports 1024x768 resolution, a 2,500 lumens brightness and 2,500:1 contrast ratio.
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06/10, 11:15am
Palm Pre Final Cost Study
The Palm Pre may cost significantly more to make than first anticipated and has surprising similarity to the iPhone's supply chain as it's existed in the past, according to a post-launch cost breakdown by iSuppli. Originally thought to cost $138 in raw manufacturing and parts, the smartphone is now estimated to cost at least $140 and as much as $160. Much of the price is attached to the 3.1-inch Sony multi-touch LCD, which with its Cypress controller costs about $40.60.
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06/05, 3:35pm
Palm May Ship 1 3m Pres
Palm could ship as many as 1.3 million Pre phones before the end of the year, according to estimates from iSuppli. The researchers believe that a Sprint-only launch could result in about 1.1 million of the webOS smartphone trading hands in 2009 and could climb slightly to 1.3 million if a version with GSM and HSPA-based 3G arrives this year. It's not known if the sales factor in sales of the Pre through Bell Canada, though it's rumored that O2 UK will have a GSM Pre for the holidays and give Palm at least one more major carrier.
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05/21, 4:20pm
Sharp outs e-dictionary
Sharp has recently released its new RD-PM10 multimedia e-dictionary that shares many of the same design traits as a Mobile Internet Device (MID). While there is no Wi-Fi connection for web access, users can watch videos and play back music on the device thanks to its internal 8GB of storage and a microSD memory card slot. The interface for the sliding form factor device is via a 4.3-inch, 480x272 touchscreen with a QWERTY keyboard and a number of shortcut buttons.
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05/12, 1:55pm
MS iPhone Killer Specs
Specifications have surfaced today that may represent Microsoft's expectations for its "Pink" Zune phone platform. Known as Windows Mobile 7 Chassis 1, the design obtained by Microsoft observer Mary Jo Foley appears to set a baseline level of hardware that would outperform iPhones. A system would use either an NVIDIA Tegra, Qualcomm 8000-series, or Texas Instruments 3430 processor at its heart, at least 256MB of memory, and an 800x480 or larger screen.
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04/01, 12:40pm
Android netbooks coming?
The Android platform for mobile phones, developed by Google, may soon be used in netbooks, with HP confirming interest and ASUS and Dell rumored to be developing devices as well, says the Wall Street Journal. HP says its engineers are testing the technology, but the decision has not yet been made to go ahead with the plan. The free open-source software could drop the prices of netbooks, which are entry-level devices with low margins that make ultra-low price points hard to achieve. Taiwan's ASUS has said it is considering Android-powered netbooks; Dell may be more likely to develop Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) with the software, but neither company has elaborated on statements.
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03/02, 12:25pm
Always Innov Touch Book
Tech startup Always Innovating is using the start of the DEMO expo today to unveil the Touch Book, a system which its creator considers one of the first truly hybrid netbooks. The system can work both as a traditional notebook or as a convertible tablet but can also detach the keyboard entirely from the system to use it as a stand-alone touchscreen device. A set of magnets built into the back even lets users mount the screen on a refrigerator or elsewhere.
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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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02/13, 11:30am
Samsung Show W7900
Samsung this morning officially unveiled the first phone to have Texas Instruments' DLP Pico technology built-in. The Show W7900 for Korea (pictured) and its Euro-centric equivalent, the i7410 both take advantage of the small chipset and a compact projector to cast an image on a screen or wall which is much larger than the phone's LCD: images upwards of 50 inches diagonal are possible in suitably low light. Samsung envisions the feature as letting owners present slideshows directly from phones or for playing videos at a TV-like size.
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02/12, 12:10pm
TZero ceases operations
A company that focused on developing a wireless HDMI technology and standard, TZero, is out of business, a Thursday EETimes post notes. The company has been developing wireless HDMI technology using ultra-wideband (UWB) but has been forced to close prematurely by the poor market conditions that began last year. TZero joins Intel and others that have stopped their own in-house development of UWB.
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02/09, 1:35pm
Archos Android Phone
Archos on Monday leapt into the cellphone business with word that it will release a version of its Internet Media Tablets as a smartphone based on Google's Android operating system. The handset will be based closely on the Archos 5 with the same 5-inch touchscreen but a new, faster ARM Cortex processor from TI that the company believes will supply "PC-like" performance: the tablet will not only support full-screen Flash-based video in the browser but play back HD video offline.
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02/03, 9:55am
Nokia Multi-Touch Rumor
Alleged market sources tell DigiTimes today that Nokia is planning a resurgence that may hinge on multi-touch devices. The Finnish company is said to be planning several cellphones with advanced 3G as well as "multi-touch and multimedia functions" for the year that will help not only itself but the companies that make the cellular chipsets and touchscreen technology, including Qualcomm, Synaptics and Texas Instruments. Other details aren't mentioned, though the multi-touch technology doesn't apply to the N97.
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01/21, 4:05pm
Leica intros DLP projector
German photo camera manufacturer Leica has recently introduced its Pradovit D-1200 DLP projector at the Photokina show, the first product of its kind for the manufacturer. The 16:10 aspect ratio projector sports a 1920x1200 native resolution along with a 2,000 lumens brightness and a 2,500:1 contrast ratio. The D-1200's magnesium body houses a 0.98-inch DarkChip sensor sourced from Texas Instruments and a six-segment RGB color wheel. Setting up the D-1200 is made easier thanks to a vertical lens shift feature, and minimum projection distance is rated at nearly 3.3 feet.
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01/15, 11:40am
Bug Labs five new modules
At CES, user-programmable electronics hardware maker BUGLabs introduced five new BUGmodules to expand on its hardware offerings and allow users to create more applications. Each of the new modules, including the BUGprojector, BUGsound, BUG3g GSM, BUGwifi and BUGbee, can snap onto the four-port BUGbase that is a programmable Linux-based computer. The BUGprojector is a DLP Pico projector good for 480x320 resolution and rated at a brightness of 9 lumens. It has stereo sound playback capabilities and is the first BUGmodule to be created in conjunction with a major electronics company, in this case Texas Instruments.
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12/19, 3:50pm
Wireless Power Consortium
A new organization hopes to make wireless power a widespread option for electronics in the near future. The Wireless Power Consortium hopes to develop a universal standard that would use contact plates to power portable devices by magnetically inducing an electrical charge in an attached device. The move would let users charge devices simply by placing them on a particular surface, including hidden ones, and could avoid the risk of over- or underpowering a device by using conflicting hardware.
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12/18, 1:35pm
Cellphone market slowdown
Market research and analyst company IDC announced on Thursday it believes the global economic plunge will have an adverse effect on cellular phone shipments in 2009, declining overall by 1.9 percent worldwide and 8.7 percent in the US compared to 2008 levels. IDC analysts point to recent announcements by top two phone manufacturers Nokia and Samsung, suppliers, and operators that all foresee lower volumes of phones shipped in 2009. Mobile phone chipmakers Qualcomm, Texas Instruments and MediaTek are just some of the major named suppliers that have already announced reductions in manufacturing for 2009.
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11/17, 8:15am
Adobe Flash for ARM in 2K9
Adobe today said it would develop optimized versions of its AIR and Flash 10 apps for ARM11 and Cortex processors. The update will be part of the Open Screen Project initiative and is meant to bring both complex Internet apps as well as more advanced web video to more than desktop computers. The partnership specific to ARM includes a combination of chipmakers such as Broadcom, Freescale, NVIDIA, Samsung and Texas Instruments and should use both a newer, faster generation of ARM processors as well as OpenGL ES 2.0-capable graphics hardware to handle tasks that were previously impractical for lower-performance devices.
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11/11, 9:50am
Optoma PK-101 for iPod
Optoma today said it has struck a deal with Apple Japan to launch its version of Texas Instruments' DLP Pico projector in the country under the PK-101 name. The pocket-sized unit will support both the headphone jack-mounted video output of the fifth-generation iPod but will come with a Dock Connector kit that handles video from iPhones and all video-capable iPods that support TV out, creating a picture as large as 60 inches for Apple's mobile devices.
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08/21, 4:00pm
Planar DLP HD projector
Planar on Thursday announced it is now shipping its first 3-chip HD projector based on DLP technology. Called Viper, the projector features a 1,280x720 native resolution and can throw up images in excess of 110 inches. It was designed with custom home theater applications in mind and uses one of Texas Instruments' higher-end DLP chipsets.
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06/19, 5:25pm
InFocus' X10 projector
InFocus on Thursday introduced the X10 Full HD 1080p projector in the UK. Part of the company's Home Theater range of offerings, the X10 features a 16:9 native aspect ratio, and a contrast ratio of 2500:1, which can be boosted with a button push to 7500:1 via the company's Active Iris in the lens.
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06/18, 12:40pm
'Lamp-free' home projector
At today's ongoing InfoComm expo, Texas Instruments is demonstrating a new projector technology (not pictured) which it claims will significantly improve home theater setups. Combining a PhlatLight LED with a BrilliantColor chipset, the TI arrangement completely omits a lamp, instead relying on mirrors and the LED itself to provide enough light. The major advantage is said to be a lack of lamp replacements and filter changes, which can potentially be expensive for home viewers.
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05/13, 1:55pm
TI develops WUXGA DLP chip
Texas Instruments' DLP Products announced on Tuesday it produced the first Wide UXGA DLP chip for data projectors. The chip offers a 1920 by 1200 pixel resolution, resulting in a 16:10 aspect ratio. Norway-based Projectiondesign will be the first to utilize the WUXGA chip in its Professional-series F10 line and flagship F30 range, either of which is capable of 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution, among others. The DLP chip, called .95, allows two full pages of text to be viewed side-by-side and matches the native resolution of many normal computer displays.
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03/24, 3:05pm
NEC NP-series projectors
NEC announced the release of two mobile projectors on Monday, the NP100 and NP200, aimed for use in small or home offices and developing businesses. Both look nearly identical and feature Texas Instruments’ DLP technology that allows for a 1,300:1 contrast ratio. The NP100 has just SVGA (800x600) resolution, while the NP200 increases that sharpness to XGA (1024x768) for computers and other high-resolution sources.
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02/06, 12:20pm
Ultra-efficient MIT chip
Researchers have developed a new technology, being demonstrated this week at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference, which is said to dramatically improve the battery life of cellphones and other portable electronics. MIT and Texas Instruments claim they have developed a new chip design which is up to 10 times as efficient as current ones, thanks mainly to a DC-to-DC converter which helps reduce necessary voltage. Where many chips need 1V of power, Prof. Anantha Chandrakasan of MIT notes that testing at his university has a chip running at 0.3V.
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02/04, 4:20pm
HSPA Plus Chipset
Texas Instruments today said it had reached a major milestone by introducing a new platform for HSPA+, a new form of "3.5G" high-speed cellular Internet access that builds on today's normal HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) connections. The technology, currently based on a new signal processing chip, would effectively turn a cell tower's base station into a standard IP (Internet protocol) router that uses standard Ethernet to make its connection. This plus other optimizations should permit downloads as quick as 42 megabits per second and uploads at 11 megabits per second; the uplink speed would be roughly double that of already advanced 5.8Mbps HSPA uploads, while downstream access would be as much as six times faster.
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