Hasta La Gadget!

Qualcomm has unveiled two new quad-core processors, the MSM8226 and the MSM8626. These 28nm silicon chipsets offer support for 13-megapixel cameras and feature an Adreno 305 GPU, which can handle video playback and recording up to full HD 1080p. Both of these processors and their Qualcomm Reference Design versions will make their appearance in Q2 of 2013.

Both the MSM8626 and MSM8226 offer multi-SIM support, including Dual SIM/Dual Standby and Dual SIM/Dual Active. Also featured is a WTR2605 multi-mode radio transceiver, which is tuned to China’s TD-SCDMA, CDMA, and HSPA+ networks. The chipsets have a built-in GPS that supports Beidou and GLONASS.

The WTR2605 transceiver is 60-percent smaller than comparable past offerings, and uses 40-percent less energy. Also slated for release are the Qualcomm Reference Design QRD8226 and QRD8626 processors. With QRD, manufacturers will receive “comprehensive handset development resources,” as well as access to hardware/software that has been tested specifically for QRD devices.

Qualcomm’s Executive Vice President and Co-President of Mobile and Computing Products Cristiano Amon offered this statement. “The expansion of our Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 family extends our leadership in performance and low power for the high-volume smartphones. This expanded roadmap provides our customers with a differentiated feature set upon which to build compelling smartphones for budget-conscious consumers.”

Qualcomm unveils quad-core MSM8626 and MSM8226 processors is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

For many, the very definition of the custom desktop PC is the ability to upgrade the processor, choosing a $300 retrofit instead of a $1,500 whole-system replacement. We might have to kiss that symbolism goodbye if sources at Impress Watch, SemiAccurate and ZDNet are genuinely in the know. They claim that desktop processors built on Intel’s future, 14-nanometer Broadwell architecture will be switching from contacts based on a land grid array (LGA) to a ball grid array (BGA) that could dictate soldering the chips in laptop-style, rather than putting them in an upgrade-friendly socket. The exact reasons for the supposed switch aren’t available, but there’s speculation that it would be mutually beneficial for Intel and PC manufacturers: Intel would have more control over motherboard chipsets, while builders could save money on assembly and conveniently drive more outright PC sales. Intel hasn’t confirmed any of the strategy, so we’d still be very cautious before making any presumptions. If real, though, the switch would be glum news for chipset makers, motherboard makers and most of all hobbyists; even though socket changes have made CPU upgrades tricky in the past, having the option removed altogether could put a damper on the do-it-yourself community.

Filed under: Desktops, Intel

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Source: Impress Watch, SemiAccurate, ZDNet

Samsung’s processor design team has been on a roll with fast chips this year with the Exynos 4 Quad and Exynos 5 Dual. Based on its agenda for the International Solid-State Circuits Conference, that momentum isn’t about to stop. A company presentation at the event on February 19th will delve into a new heterogeneous, 8-core processor that relies on ARM’s concept of big.LITTLE computing: one half is a quad-core, 1.8GHz ARM Cortex-A15 that will do all the heavy lifting, while the other is a quad 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 that takes over in quieter moments. We don’t know much more about the chip beyond the expected 28-nanometer manufacturing process, but it’s easy to see a mobile chip that’s fast without having to consume much energy in its downtime. Most of the mystery surrounds where Samsung will launch the processor first, rather than what it can do: the big.LITTLE chip would be most valuable in a smartphone, but a potentially large size could relegate it to tablets early on.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Samsung

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Via: EETimes, GSMArena

Source: ISSCC (PDF)

It’s not uncommon at all for us to learn about the future processors that are coming from Intel via leaked roadmap images from press or analyst events. The latest roadmap image leaked outlines Intel’s next-generation Atom processors aimed at the tablet market. The new processor is the Intel Bay Trail-T.

The roadmap shows that the Bay Trail-T processor will be on the market by 2014. The slide also shows that the new processor will be combined with the 22-nm SoC code-named Valley View-T. Reports indicate that while we are over a year away from the official launch of this next-generation tablet platform, Intel is already in talks with OEM partners to develop using the platform.

Some of the fruits from these partner talks are expected to be announced at CES 2013. The new platform seems to be significantly improved from the current Intel Clover Trail platform. Bay Trail-T is manufactured using a 22-nm process that reduces power consumption and increase performance. The current Clover Trailplatform uses a 32-nm process and the segment leading ARM Cortex-A15 uses a 28-nm process.

Intel says that the new platform will have a 50 to 60% performance improvement compared to Clover Trial. Intel also says that it will use half the power while offering the same performance. The platform will have quad cores operating at 2.1 GHz and support DX 11 graphics. The platform will support tablet resolutions up to 2560 x 1600. Bay Trail also has the option of including 3-D cameras capable of shooting 1080p resolution at 60 FPS.

[via

Leaked Intel Atom roadmap unveils next gen tablet processor is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It would appear that the price hike spoken about earlier this week between Samsung and Apple has been denied by a Samsung official – albeit an anonymous one. This official spoke with the Hankyoreh newspaper in Korea, saying that prices were generally agreed upon between the two companies at the beginning of each year for hardware purchased by one and sold by the other, making a change such as the one mentioned all but impossible. This same source noted that such prices “aren’t changed easily” and that the 20 percent price jump Samsung was said to have demanded from Apple was likely entirely fabricated.

The report from earlier this week came from a rival newspaper by the name of Chosun and made it clear that their sources said that whatever agreement Apple and Samsung have at the moment is set to remain in place until 2014. At that time, a price increase will likely take place simply due to the changing economy. Until then though, it seems more likely that the entire situation was fabricated in part or in whole.

Have a peek at the timeline below to see recent events that have taken place with both Apple and Samsung involved. You’ll find that the two companies certainly have a mixed relationship on a grand scale, but that different parts of each company are great buddies – most of the mobile devices Apple has out on the market right now use Samsung hardware inside in one way or another. Remind yourself of that when you hear about the legal wars.

It’s business, not personal. Apple and Samsung will be working together and fighting against one another – if you call it such a thing – for the foreseeable future. At the moment it’s best to just sit back and take every report that’s not officially from one or the other with a grain of salt.

[via The Verge]

Apple processor price hike denied by Samsung is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.