Hasta La Gadget!

Apple’s attempts to extricate itself from reliance on Samsung components continue, with titters from Taiwan that TSMC will begin trial production of the Apple A6X chip (found in the latest iPad with Retina) ahead of a bid for the next-gen A7 contract. The test will kick off in Q1 2013, The China Times reports, with TSMC producing a new, 28nm version of the existing 32nm A6X that Samsung has been producing for the full-sized iPad 4th-gen; the smaller chip, which will likely be more power efficient as well, will debut in a new iPad 5th-gen and iPad mini 2.

Those product launches could take place as early as the middle of 2013, the Chinese paper suggests, though it’s unclear whether that’s based on Apple leaks or extrapolation from TSMC’s trial production run. Until 2012, Apple had worked on a yearly refresh cycle for the iPad, but broke that pattern when it bumped the 9.7-inch model to the 32nm A6X and introduced the new 7.9-inch iPad mini late last year.

Although Apple has been sniffing around TSMC production for some time now, a number of factors have apparently delayed any significant plans to shift to the company from Samsung. TSMC’s manufacturing capability has been unproved, for instance, and there were doubts that the firm could in fact supply Apple with sufficient chips to meet iPad and iPhone demand.

However, there were also licensing issues around the earlier A5 and A5X processors, which were covered in part by Samsung IP. Apple switched to its own, in-house designs for the A6 and A6X, meanwhile, which give it the freedom to shop around for production foundries.

The threat to Samsung’s bottom line is that, should TSMC prove itself capable, it looks a likely candidate for the next-gen Apple A7 chipset, which could go into initial production in the second half of 2013 the paper suggests. Apple is rumored to not only be considering ARM-based processors for new iOS devices, but for future MacBook notebooks as it shifts away from Intel. Suggestions of a “Project Azalea” that would involve working with non-Samsung suppliers emerged late last year.

[via 9 to 5 Mac]

Apple in 28nm A6X trial run with TSMC as Samsung faces chip contract loss is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Urban car company smart plans to equip its next-gen ForTwo with a removable tablet dashboard, insiders claim, with the upcoming city runabout offering a detachable display to offer navigation and other information on the move. Details of the tug-off tablet have not been revealed, with Auto Express‘ sources merely suggesting that the slate section will handle sat-nav and trip computer duties, though previous smart concepts have hinted that the company has more functionality in mind than a basic PND.

The smart forstars concept from September, for instance, featured smartphone support to remotely set air-conditioning levels, stream music and video over Bluetooth, and control overall playback through the outlandish car’s dashboard-mounted projector system. Before that, the electric for-us concept used a docked smartphone in the dash to replace a traditional rear-view mirror, squirting the feed from a back-facing camera to the handset’s display.

Whether features like those will make it into the new smart ForTwo, expected to hit roads in early 2014, is unclear. The report suggests some similarities with the detachable sat-nav system in the VW up!, which is in reality a simple dockable Navigon PND. VW did flirt with the idea of more comprehensive tablet integration with its 2011 Bulli microbus concept, that put a full-sized iPad in the center console.

smart already offers a touchscreen navigation system on the current-gen ForTwo, though it is not removable. A more impressive touch system would certainly fit with the general direction of the auto industry; currently Tesla probably leads the way with its expansive finger-friendly dashboard in the Model X, though regulators look set to clamp down on overly-distracting systems.

The new smart is expected to use a 64bhp, 900cc petrol two-cylinder engine, with an 87bhp electric model arriving at the end of 2014; a drop-top will also be offered. Meanwhile, a new four-door ForFour is also due in 2014, with a crossover – based roughly on the forstars concept – tipped for late 2015 and based on the underlying architecture of Nissan’s next-gen Juke.

[via Autoblog]

2014 smart ForTwo detachable tablet dashboard tipped is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Intel is reportedly pushing for voice control as a standard feature of Shark Bay based ultrabooks in 2013, with a combination of hardware and software for speech recognition tipped to join the minimum spec list. The hands-free technology would join touchscreens as part of Intel’s premium feature-set for next-gen ultrabooks, Fudzilla reports, though exactly how such a system would be implemented is unclear at this stage.

Windows 8 already supports speech recognition, with spoken commands being used for dictation, for navigating around the UI, and for triggering features like cut/copy/paste and opening apps. The nature of Intel’s hardware/software mix – and which elements it would provide to OEMs, and which would be sourced from third-parties – is unstated, given Microsoft has the software side under control.

One possibility, however, is that Intel could specify a certain type of digital microphone array, with active noise cancellation for better performance. The chip company already has certain criteria which manufacturers must meet if they’re to use the ultrabook branding, such as around thickness and storage.

In that respect, the new focus on voice control could be more about marketing than new technology. Given Apple is expected to add Siri to OS 10.9 next year, bringing natural speech recognition across from iOS devices to the company’s mainstream Mac line-up, reminding ultrabook owners that their svelte laptops can do something similar (and making sure they have a reasonable experience using it) would be a useful tick on the product sheet.

Shark Bay – aka Haswell – will also include extended battery life, and Intel is supposedly pushing for Full HD display support, at least on ultrabooks priced at $800 or above. Always-connected WWAN and facial-recognition are also tipped to be key selling points for new models.

Intel reportedly prioritizing voice control for 2013 Haswell Ultrabooks is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Intel is readying a set-top box mixing on-demand streaming media, free cable content, and a virtual DVR, sources in the video industry claim, with the first-gen hardware tipped for preview as soon as CES 2013 next week. The new push for a slice of the living room follows Intel’s apparent frustration with the failure of first-gen Google TV boxes powered by its chips; according to TechCrunch’s tipster, the company has grown tired of “everyone doing a half-assed Google TV so it’s going to do it themselves and do it right.”

According to another source inside of Intel itself, an early version of the STB will be brought to CES next week, with a preview of the system tipped for its January 7 press event. However, it may be some time before the hardware actually arrives under your TV, with Intel supposedly eyeing a progressive roll-out rather than attempting to sweep across the US in a simultaneous launch.

That’s an apparent workaround to traditional content owner reluctance to “unbundle” the packages of cable channels usually offered, something which has scuppered Apple plans, among others, to help cord cutters get solely the channels they’re most interested in. Packaging channels together is a good way for content owners to keep licensing fees buoyant, especially given many of those tempted to abandon paid cable service are reluctant to miss out on certain sports, media, or other shows.

Intel’s approach will supposedly be on a city-by-city basis, initially focusing on areas where content providers have less lucrative deals with cable companies, and hoping to demonstrate that a more flexible licensing approach might also make sense financially. Such a rollout will begin “soon” according to the tipster, though there’s nothing more specific.

As for functionality, in addition to free cable content and select pay-TV content depending on what Intel can pry out of licensees, there’ll be internet-streamed shows such as from Redbox and other services. Intel also aims to offer a DVR system which would allow recall of any show aired within the past month, across any channel the individual user has subscribed to: rather than having to pre-emptively record a show, it would simply be served up on-demand.

Chatter of an Intel set-top box and accompanying service began back in March, with reports that the chip company aimed to have the system up and running before 2012 was through. Subsequent leaks tipped a complex viewer-monitoring cable box that could give more precise demographic data as to who was watching which services, to show more accurate and relevant adverts, and generally make up for any losses incurred through channel unbundling by increasing overall advertising revenue. “They’ve told us the technology is going to be so much more interactive with ads that you can make more money” one anonymous TV industry executive said at the time.

Google TV had promised to do something along those lines, but Intel’s partnership with Google faltered after early hardware from Logitech and Sony met with mediocre response in the market. Earlier this year, Google announced it would support low-cost, low-power ARM processors with Google TV, though despite more affordable hardware as a result, the platform is yet to take significant market share from more traditional TV entertainment sources.

Intel cable and web TV system tipped for CES reveal is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Last weekend, we posted a few photos of Huawei‘s upcoming Ascend Mate phablet-style smartphone. The images definitely gave us some perspective on just how gigantic this thing really is, and today we’ve been treated with a couple more images that reveal the overall style and shape of the new device.

The new images show off the top and bottom of the Ascend Mate, revealing a centered microUSB port on the bottom, and a headphone jack and SIM card slot at the top. The images also point out the obvious curvature the the Ascend Mate has, and while the color scheme isn’t too exciting, the dark blue and grey seems to go well together in this case.

If you’re not up to snuff on Huawei’s latest, we’ll give you a quick refresher. The Ascend Mate is a 6.1-inch phablet-style handset with a 1080p display. The company doesn’t classify the device as a tablet, despite its huge 6.1-inch screen, which almost creeps into 7-inch tablet territory, but we’re assuming a lot of people will call it a tablet themselves.

As far as other specs are concerned, we’re expected to see a 1.8GHz HiSilicon K3V3 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, a whopping 13MP rear camera, and a gigantic 4,000mAh battery to power the whole package. We’re pretty sure that this will be the device to take on Samsung’s Galaxy Note II, but we’ll have to wait until CES in January to find out what it’s capable of.

[via Unwired View]

More Huawei Ascend Mate images appear is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.