Hasta La Gadget!

Whenever we see a smartphone optimized for China Mobile’s TD-SCDMA 3G, it usually represents one of two things: it’s either a China-specific variant of a phone we already know, or it’s a local-only model that’s unlikely to ever travel abroad. Marvell has just unveiled a new mobile processor platform that could allow for a lot more globetrotting with those basic designs. The PXA988 is limited to China Mobile’s technology for data, but its PXA986 doppelganger can fit the same slot to offer regular HSPA+ 3G without forcing phone makers back to the drawing board. Both run on a dual-core, 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 at their heart — nothing exciting in mid-2012, although they’re well-enough equipped to capture 1080p video and tout extras like NFC. Only test samples exist today, but there’s a chance we’ll soon see phone designs that are just as much at home in Berlin as they are in Beijing.

Continue reading Marvell PXA988, PXA986 chips support 3G for China, the world without reinventing the wheel (or phone)

Filed under: Cellphones

Marvell PXA988, PXA986 chips support 3G for China, the world without reinventing the wheel (or phone) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Aug 2012 14:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo has been showing a lot of support for Windows 8 lately, and today it showed even more. ABC News reports that the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga will be running the Windows RT version of Windows 8 when it arrives later this year, but that isn’t all, as Lenovo is apparently preparing multiple versions of the Yoga for release. Even better is that the IdeaPad Yoga is expected to launch around the same time Windows 8 does, which is on October 26.

According to ABC, Lenovo is making two versions of the Yoga: one with an ARM NVIDIA Tegra processor, and one with that uses the more powerful line of Intel processors. The ARM-based model will have a longer battery life, obviously, and sources say that it can last up to two times longer than Intel-based models. Earlier reports suggested that Lenovo was working with NVIDIA to build a Windows RT tablet, and ABC confirms that the tablet in question is indeed the Yoga.

The Lenovo Yoga was announced at CES earlier this year, and is something of a laptop-tablet hybrid. The unit looks like a laptop, but comes with a rotatable screen that can flip over and fold in on the keyboard, turning it into a tablet (get it? Yoga?). The unit is 0.67-inches thick and weighs in at just over three pounds, so despite the 13.3-inch screen, it’s definitely a very portable device. It also supports up to 8GB of RAM and comes equipped with a 256GB SSD, so you probably won’t want for speed when using the Yoga.

Sadly, we don’t know the exact date the Yoga will be available, nor do we know specific pricing details for all models. Intel-based Yogas will cost somewhere in the area of $1,199, but there haven’t been any such estimates for the price of the ARM-based Yoga. With the launch of the Yoga apparently just around the corner, expect Lenovo to unleash those details soon. Stay tuned to SlashGear for additional information.

Lenovo hits Windows 8 with IdeaPad Yoga is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Sure it’s British, but ARM’s mobile empire is being built through careful alliances rather than conquest. The chip designer’s latest deal with Globalfoundries, which mirrors a very similar agreement signed with rival foundry TSMC last month, is a case in point. It’s designed to promote the adoption of fast, energy-efficient 20nm processors by making it easy for chip makers (like Samsung, perhaps) to knock on Globalfoundries’ door for the grunt work of actually fabricating the silicon — since the foundry will now be prepped to produce precisely that type of chip. As far as the regular gadget buyer is concerned, all this politicking amounts to one thing: further reassurance that mobile processor shrinkage isn’t going to peter out after the new 32nm Exynos chips or the 28nm Snapdragon S4 — it’s going to push on past the 22nm benchmark that Ivy Bridge already established in the desktop sphere and hopefully deliver phones and tablets that do more with less juice.

Continue reading ARM and Globalfoundries hammer out deal to promote 20nm mobile chips

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs

ARM and Globalfoundries hammer out deal to promote 20nm mobile chips originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 10:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Arduino has shields and now BeagleBone has capes. The Cortex A8-based hobbyist board has earned a number of fans for its speed and affordability. Now it’s adding simple versatility with 20 expansion capes, ranging from touchscreens, to cameras and even weather stations. Some have been available for some time, but the latest — the Camera Cape — allows you to easily capture 3.1 megapixel images. Obviously, the perfect partner cape would be one of the several displays available, such as the seven-inch 800 x 480 resistive touchscreen. Really, they’re essential if you hope to preview your photos before snapping them. To check out all the available boards hit up the source link, and check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading BeagleBone gets plenty of expansion options with new ‘cape’ add-ons

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

BeagleBone gets plenty of expansion options with new ‘cape’ add-ons originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 04:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Raspberry Pi faithful have been looking forward to the Gertboard almost as much as the main device itself: Gert van Loo’s I/O extender promises to flash lights, spin motors and otherwise take on the tasks that the Raspberry Pi doesn’t directly manage on its own. While we’ve seen work on the project since late 2011, the expansion now looks to be closer to reality following a fresh teaser. The refined design’s biggest tweak is replacing its original PIC controller with an Arduino-powered chip — an element no doubt familiar to the crowd that would already be looking at a very hackable, miniature Linux computer. Most everything else is a refinement, although Gert has brought in three physical buttons and two-channel analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters. We’ll learn the full story later this week, and until then we’ll be dreaming of all the off-kilter Arduino projects that might be made better with a little Raspberry Pi companionship.

Update: The wait turned out to be short, and interested parties ready to do some soldering of their own can pre-order the Gertboard for £30 at element14 now. Check the Raspberry Pi blog (2) for more info, or check out a video interview with Mr. van Loo himself embedded after the break.

Continue reading Raspberry Pi teases finished Gertboard I/O extender, revs creative engines (Update: pre-orders open now, video)

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Peripherals

Raspberry Pi teases finished Gertboard I/O extender, revs creative engines (Update: pre-orders open now, video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 18:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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