Intel and Safaricom announce Yolo, Africa’s first Intel-Inside smartphone

Intel and Safaricom have announced Africa’s first Intel-powered smartphone, the oddly-named Yolo. The handset is being launched in Kenya, and is aimed at customers who are looking at buying their first smartphone with a budget in mind. The Yolo will be priced at Kshs. 10,999, and will include 500MB of free data.

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Yolo will be the first Intel-Inside smartphone available in Africa, and is based on the company’s Intel Smartphone Reference Design. Inside you’ll find an Intel Atom Z2420 1.2GHz processor with Hyper-Threading technology. The display measures in at 3.5-inches. There’s a microSD slot for memory expansion, FM radio, and HSPA+ with Intel’s XMM 6265 modem.

Safaricom’s General Manager of its Consumer Business Unit Peter Arina offered this statement. “We’re redefining what cost-conscious Kenyans can expect from a smartphone. The Intel-based Yolo smartphone strikes a unique balance between price and performance – we consider it to be a real breakthrough. It’s great news that Kenya will be the launch country in Africa for smartphones with Intel Inside and we expect a great reception from our customers.”

Other specs include a 5-megapixel camera that can record in up to 1080p HD; it offers burst mode for a 7-frame capture in one second. For those interested, McAfee can be enabled for data protection. The announcement doesn’t mention a release date, but hopefully it’ll happen soon. The clock’s ticking, and you only live once.

[via Intel]


Intel and Safaricom announce Yolo, Africa’s first Intel-Inside smartphone is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Daily Roundup for 01.24.2013

DNP The Daily RoundUp

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

Microsoft reports Q2 2013 earnings

Microsoft posts record revenue of $21.5 billion, and $6.38 billion profit…

Nokia makes a 2012 Q4 profit of $585 million

From somewhere atop a Finnish mountain, Stephen Elop is both bellowing and whispering…

Pebble smartwatch unboxing

It’s here! After nine months of waiting and a whopping 31 project updates…

Intel gets go-ahead for $4 billion chip plant

Intel has been planning to make its Ireland base one of three global manufacturing sites for its 14nm chips…

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Safaricom announces the Yolo, Africa’s first Intel-powered smartphone

DNP Safaricom announces the Yolo, Africa's first Intelpowered smartphone

Intel is finally opening its wings and spreading its mobile influence to Africa, as Kenya’s Safaricom has officially introduced the Yolo phone. The device, which will be the very first Intel-powered smartphone on the continent, will be priced at Kshs 10,999 ($126) and bundled with 500MB of data. The handset supports HSPA+ network connectivity and packs a Z2420 Atom processor that reaches speeds of up to 1.2GHz. If that CPU sounds familiar, it should, because it’s the same “Lexington” chip that we sampled a few weeks back at CES. As for the rest of the Yolo’s specs, you’ll be looking at Android 4.0 on a 3.5-inch display and snapping pictures with a 5-megapixel shooter capable of recording 1080p HD video. Not looking to compete with top-shelf handsets, Safaricom hopes to catch the eye of frugal first-time buyers with this budget-friendly device. If you fit the bill, you may want to check out the Yolo as soon as possible — after all, your phone only lives once.

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Safaricom, Intel Introduce Yolo[TM], Africa’s First Smartphone with Intel Inside

Nairobi, Kenya, 24th January 2013 — Leading integrated communications provider Safaricom Limited today announced the Yolo[TM] smartphone, the first smartphone for Africa with Intel Inside(R).

The device is aimed at the growing number of cost-conscious and first-time buyers in Kenya who do not want to sacrifice device performance or user experience for cost. The Yolo smartphone will be sold in Safaricom shops countrywide at the entry price of Kshs. 10,999 and comes bundled with free 500 MB data.

The phone is based on Intel’s latest smartphone platform for emerging markets, launched earlier this month at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). With Intel Inside, users of the Yolo smartphone are assured of fast Web browsing, impressive multimedia capabilities and a great Android* applications experience.

“We’re redefining what cost-conscious Kenyans can expect from a smartphone,” said Peter Arina, general manager, Safaricom’ s Consumer Business Unit. “The Intel-based Yolo smartphone strikes a unique balance between price and performance – we consider it to be a real breakthrough. It’s great news that Kenya will be the launch country in Africa for smartphones with Intel Inside and we expect a great reception from our customers.”

“We are delighted to partner with Safaricom in bringing the first smartphone with Intel Inside to Kenyan consumers” said Aysegul Ildeniz, Regional Director for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa Region. “The new handset extends the benefits of Intel technology to more smartphone users around the world and we believe that Kenyan consumers will welcome the increased functionality and overall value of the device. We look forward to our continued cooperation with Safaricom.”

The Yolo[TM] smartphone is based on the Intel Smartphone Reference Design for the value segment of the smartphone market. The device is powered by the Intel(R) Atom[TM] processor Z2420 with Intel Hyper-Threading Technology that can achieve speeds of up to 1.2 GHz. The efficiency of this technology package helps to enable a smooth and responsive user experience, which includes support for 1080p HD video capture, and a camera with advanced imaging capabilities, including burst mode that allows people to capture seven pictures in a second in 5-megapixel quality.

The device is housed in a compact design and features a 3.5-inch touchscreen display for crisp text and images, support for FM radio and an expandable memory slot for greater flexibility, and HSPA+ modem support with Intel’s XMM 6265 modem for global roaming. The handset can also be enabled with McAfee mobile security software, providing consumers with added protection as well as data backup and restore capabilities when needed1.

About Intel
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is a world leader in computing innovation. The company designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the foundation for the world’s computing devices. Additional information about Intel is available at newsroom.intel.com and blogs.intel.com.

Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Atom, Intel Inside, the Intel Inside logo and Yolo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Intel

Intel Makes Mobile Push Into Africa Via Partner Safaricom, Releases Android-Powered Yolo Smartphone

lexington

It’s no secret that Intel is gunning to gain some mobile traction in emerging markets, and the chipmaker doesn’t seem to be wasting any time in 2013. Kenyan wireless operator (and Intel partner) Safaricom has just officially revealed Africa’s first Intel smartphone, the Android-powered Yolo at an event in Nairobi.

Yeah, you read that right: the Yolo.

Now despite what you make of its name, the phone isn’t actually encouraging young, tech-savvy Africans make poorly-considered life decisions. Instead, it seems more like the continuation of some weird existing naming practices — Intel’s first Atom-powered Android smartphone for instance was dubbed the XOLO X900 when it made its debut in India in April 2012.

The announcement doesn’t come as much of a surprise since Intel’s Mobile and Communications VP Mike Bell pointed out at CES that Safaricom (among other carriers in developing regions) would release smartphones based on the company’s value-oriented smartphone reference design in Q1 2013. That focus on highly cost-sensitive markets means that the Yolo and its ilk don’t exactly have a spec sheet that will set your world on fire — the Yolo sports a 3.5-inch touch display, and its Atom Z2420 processor can hit speeds of up to 1.2GHz, encode and decode 1080p video, and support HSPA+ data speeds. Naturally, that sort of performance is reminiscent of the sorts of devices you can find on domestic store shelves a few years ago (a sentiment Engadget echoed when they got some brief hands-on time at CES), but it’s still a pretty compelling package considering the competition in Kenya.

Of course, there’s always the issue of cost to deal with. Safaricom will soon begin selling the Yolo (and 500MB of free data access) for Kshs. 10,999 (roughly $126) — sounds like a pretty sweet deal, but companies like Huawei have already waging a price war with devices like the $80 IDEOS smartphone on the front line. Really, with the explosion of even less expensive smartphones in Kenya and beyond, one has to wonder how much of a market Intel will actually be able to carve out in Africa.

Intel set to build $4bn chip plant in Ireland, 14nm chips on the way

Intel is looking to set its sights on 14nm chips soon, but the company needs a new manufacturing plant in order to make it happen. Luckily, after several months of waiting, the country of Ireland has finally given Intel the go-ahead to build a $4 billion chip plant that will be home to 14nm chips in just a couple of years.

intel-logo

The new plant will take approximately two years to build, and it will create 3,500 construction jobs, as well as 800 full-time jobs inside the plant once its complete. Intel CEO Paul Otellini confirmed in May of last year that Intel’s Ireland plant is one of three plants that has been chosen to produce the company’s next-generation 14nm chips. The other two plants will be Intel’s Oregon and Arizona facilities.

Intel taking the success from its 22nm process and will launch 14nm chips in just a couple of years. The company also aims to create 10nm, 7nm, and even 5nm chips beyond 2015. The new Ireland plant will have a total floor area of 2,635,200 square feet, and will operate alongside existing Intel infrastructure and buildings.

The new facility will include a three-story main fabrication plant with a floor area of 1,085,000 square feet. Other buildings include a facility that will house liquid chemicals and collect waste water, as well as a facility support building, a two-story boiler/chiller facility, a water treatment building, and emergency generation and electrical buildings housed with diesel generators.

[via Silicon Republic]


Intel set to build $4bn chip plant in Ireland, 14nm chips on the way is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Intel gets go-ahead for $4 billion chip plant in Ireland, will produce its next-gen 14nm processors

Intel has been planning to make its Ireland base one of three global manufacturing sites for its 14nm chips since May last year, and its now been given the okay by Ireland’s lead planning agency. The new $4 billion plant will create around 4,300 jobs for the region in Co. Kildare, where Intel already has around 4,000 on staff. The two-year plan involves redeveloping its existing operation, expanding and shifting to make its smaller, more efficient 14nm process. Intel’s plans don’t stop there, however. It still plans to roll out 10nm products sometime in 2015.

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Via: Silicon Republic

Source: Pleanala

The Daily Roundup for 01.23.2013

DNP The Daily RoundUp

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

Apple announces Q1 2013 earnings

Record $54.5 billion in revenue, 47.8 Million iPhones and 22.9 Million iPads sold…

Report: Next PlayStation features AMD GPU

Chalk up another potential win for AMD. The latest report on the next PlayStation console…

Pebble smartwatches begin shipping

Pebble has just informed backers that the very first orders will begin shipping today…

Intel will discontinue desktop motherboards

The decline in desktop PC sales is beginning to ripple throughout the industry…

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Intel To Ramp Down Production Of Its Motherboard Lineup

desktop motherboards marquee 640x417 Intel To Ramp Down Production Of Its Motherboard LineupFor the most part, most PC enthusiast builders turn to third party companies such as ASUS, Gigabyte and etc. when it comes to their motherboards, but for those who actually prefer going with Intel, a report from Anandtech has revealed that Intel has outlined their plans to begin ramping down the production of desktop motherboards. Apparently the Intel Haswell will be the last generation platform where Intel will develop complementary motherboards. However Intel will continue the development of desktop CPUs for third-party manufacturers, such as ASUS, Gigabyte and ASRock to name a few.

Apparently this was brought about by the shift of focus to more mobile devices, such as Ultrabooks, tablets and smartphones, not to mention with all-in-one desktop systems getting slimmer by the year (think 2012’s iMac). It seems that Intel did not manage to generate much profit from its motherboard line to begin with, so this isn’t a total loss for the company. Intel is said to focus their efforts on creating reference designs for Ultrabooks and tablets.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Microsoft Certified Professionals Will Apparently Help You “Downgrade” From Windows 8 To Windows 7 For A Fee, Chrome Gets Native Client Support On ARM,

Intel to Stop Making Desktop Motherboards

It’s the end of an era: Intel has announced that, over the next three years, it will wind down production of desktop motherboards to zero. More »

Intel will discontinue desktop motherboards following Haswell release

The decline in desktop PC sales is beginning to ripple throughout the industry, as Intel has revealed plans to wind down its desktop motherboard division over the next three years. According to AnandTech, the company will release boards that are based on the Haswell architecture before completely suspending development. Moving forward, Intel will instead focus its efforts on creating form factor reference designs for the Ultrabook, tablet and desktop markets. Curiously, one product that’s currently immune from the announcement is the Next Unit of Computing (NUC), a miniature barebones system that will see continual development from Intel. While custom PC builders will likely take a moment to reflect upon the news, it’s said that the transition is unlikely to affect the company’s workforce. Instead, current employees will be absorbed into other divisions within Intel. After all, there’s no point in showing talented engineers to the door, even in an age of market shifts.

[Image credit: huangjiahui, Flickr]

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Source: AnandTech