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Amazon is apparently in “advanced negotiations” with Texas Instruments, in an attempt to buy its smartphone and tablet oriented OMAP chip division. More »

Amazon is in “advanced negotiations” to buy Texas Instruments’ mobile chip business, according to Israeli newspaper Calcalist, with the price expected to be in the billions of dollars range. If the deal goes ahead Amazon would take a step close to rivals Apple and Samsung by gaining the ability to design and manufacture its own mobile chips.

At the time of writing, Amazon and Texas Instruments had not responded to a request for comment. We’ll update this story with any response.

TI chips are used in various devices including Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet. Calcalist also notes that TI is a supplier to Amazon’s rival Barnes & Noble’s Nook e-reader. The paper previously reported TI was considering exiting the mobile chips business because of increased focus on integrated technology solutions, and also Intel’s entrance into the market. TI has lost out to rival chipmakers such as Qualcomm when it comes to gaining significant mobile market share (Qualcomm took 48 percent market share in the first half of this year, according to Strategy Analytics).

Calcalist speculates that the rumoured Apple iPad mini could be the catalyst for Amazon to acquire TI. Amazon’s strategy to compete with the iPad has been to launch cheaper, lower-end tablets sold at cost price – but if Apple launches a cheaper iPad, that will erode the appeal of Amazon’s Kindle devices.

However Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi told Reuters she doubted whether Amazon wants to “become that intimately involved with hardware”.

A TI spokeswoman told Calcalist the company does not comment on rumour and speculation.

Update: A TI spokesperson provided the following complete statement

As part of a long-standing company policy, we don’t comment on market rumors and speculation.

As communicated in a recent investor event, the Smartphone market has become a less attractive long-term opportunity for TI’s OMAP and Connectivity products, and we are re-profiling our investment accordingly.

While the opportunity in Smartphone is less attractive, we are fully committed to  OMAP and Connectivity products – and we see a great opportunity for both OMAP & Connectivity in a broader set of embedded applications and we are accelerating our push into these new markets with product roadmaps optimized for automotive, industrial and other consumer applications. 

Examples of these embedded applications where OMAP & Connectivity are a perfect fit are:

o   OMAP: automotive (rich visual displays for infotainment systems and rear-seat displays), industrial (fluid, responsive touchscreens for human-machine interfaces and home automation), enterprise communications (high-definition video experiences for video IP phones and video conferencing) and robotics (cutting-edge vision analytics technology for intelligent home and industrial robots).

o   Connectivity: in-building (connected smart meters, intelligent appliances that automatically place a service call, electronic shelf labels at retail where pricing can be updated instantly across all stores), portable (smart bandages that sense body temperature, blood glucose meter, health and fitness monitor), automotive (tire pressure sensors, wireless rear view cameras, wireless seat adjustment systems to eliminate cost and weight)

 

It’s time to get giant with the Brookstone HDMI Pocket Projector, the newest fun and entertaining light pusher on SlashGear’s own review bench! This device connects to whatever device you’ve got on hand that can push images via HDMI, with a set of controls that so simple to understand, you’ll not need to peek at the instructions even once. What we’ve got a demo of here is the device working with an iPad – but the limits of your HDMI-connected greatness are up to you!

In our hands-on demo here you’ll find that we’ve got an Apple Digital AV Adapter working with the HDMI input on the device – this adapter is sold separately, and you should note that you’ll need it to work with the iPhone and the iPad. This is a similar situation to most other smart devices as it’s rare that you’ll find one that outputs directly to full-sized HDMI. Of course there’s always the Motorola lineup of Android smartphones, for the most part – ease in conversions via built-in HDMI right out of the box! You get a 3 foot HDMI cable, a micro-HDMI adapter, and a mini-HDMI adapter included in the package.

The Brookstone HDMI Pocket Projector contains a 3800mAh battery that’s both rechargeable and is able to act as an output battery for your mobile devices through the projector’s full-sized USB port. This means that if you’ve got a smartphone that you’re using to output to HDMI and you’re in need of some extra power for the phone itself, you’ve only to plug into the projector with your standard USB cord to the phone. Of course that means a much quicker drain on the battery that’s already working quite hard if you’re projecting at the same time, but there’s always the chance of emergency – and you won’t find this feature on one whole heck of a lot of similar devices either, I can tell you that.

You’ve got dual built-in speakers that are quite generous, made for a small space and loud enough for a crowd of just a few people. You’ve got an audio out port though for extra speaker action if the standard inbuilt speakers are not enough for you. The focus of your picture is done with a simple adjuster up near the front lens, the projection shining bright and up to 1080p resolution in a 60-inch image on your wall.

And it is indeed quite bright and sharp – amongst the best we’ve seen. The mega-bright LED lamp projects at what Brookstone notes is 85 lumens “for up to 2 hours on a single charge.” We’ve also found this claim to be quite accurate – with a full charge, we’ve been able to watch full-length movies unplugged without a problem.

The whole device measures in at 3.9 w x 3.8 d x 0.89 inch h, and weighs in at half a pound – it’s small enough to fit in your pocket and light enough to forget about. The cords will be the only hassle you’ll have to consider when thinking on your next anywhere-use projector experience. And even those aren’t going to be a big deal if you’ve got a simple converter for HDMI – minimalize!

This device will cost you $299.99 USD straight from Brookstone right this minute, and they’ve got their free shipping online deal going now for all devices over $99 – or you can grab it from your local Brookstone store too, right in hand. With enhanced DLP technology from Texas Instruments bringing the brightness and sharpness to this beast up front, you’ll have the whole big-time light-blasting world at your fingertips right out of the box.

Brookstone HDMI Pocket Projector Review is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This morning we’re bubbling around in the middle of the week with a mix of Windows Phone 8, iPhone 5 incoming wave madness, and the looming BlackBerry 10 release. Of course there’s a lot of non-mobile stuff coming up as well, and we’ve gone and done a whole car review, but there’s always a bunch of phones to love up on! There’s also some chip news, apps for the devices you just bought, and no less than sixteen billion new devices in all realms as well – did I mention that I’ve been gone for a week? That’s Chris Burns, gone for a whole week – I’ll be writing an article about how it’s felt to be out of the loop, so to speak.

There’s been a delay with the Blackmagic Cinema Camera because of a sensor glitch. The Hubble Space Telescope has taken a new deepest photo ever of the universe. You’ll be working with the first beta of Cloudee Texas Instruments has decided to sideline their processor business until further notice for mobile devices – say goodbye to OMAP, strangely enough.

Have a peek at the new Sky+ 2TB HD box with on-demand TV and iPad second screen app – it’s strange and hot! EA Sports FIFA Soccer 13 launches in the USA and everyone remembers that outside the United States people actually really have a heavy love for the sport! There was a flaw in the Samsung Galaxy S III working with remote wiping but it’s been patched at this time – no worries! Google has brought their mapping abilities to a new low – or high, however you look at it – with no less than underwater Street View!

We’ve got a BMW X1 Crossover Review for you to take a look at – Chris Davies is inside! We’ve taken a hands-on look at the Barnes & Noble NOOK HD and HD+ right here at the reveal. RIM has release a collection of BlackBerry 10 development tools for your perusal – coming up quick!

SlashGear Morning Wrap-up: September 26, 2012 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Texas Instruments has announced it will scale back its mobile processor business, no longer targeting smartphones and tablets, but instead eyeing the embedded systems market. The surprise news follows further contractions in TI’s business, most recently seeing long-standing customer Motorola pick up Intel’s Medfield for the RAZR i, though TI says it will continue to support its existing clients, Reuters reports.

Nonetheless, that sounds like something of a stop-gap measure as TI exits the mobile chip industry. “We believe that opportunity is less attractive as we go forward” TI senior VP for embedded processing Greg Delagi said of phone and tablet chipsets; the company will no longer invest to the same extent in its customers roadmaps for upcoming models.

Exactly what sort of timescale TI has in mind for that scaled-back involvement is unclear, and the market has already reacted pessimistically. Delagi conceded that the embedded systems market would take more time to develop than the hotly-contested wireless market, but insisted that the transition would “generate a more stable, profitable long-term business” for TI as a result.

TI’s embedded chips are finding their way into increasingly complex in-car systems, driving internet-connected navigation and entertainment, as well as other industries where the gigahertz-chasing of mobile isn’t such an issue. The rapid evolution of wireless chipsets, as well as companies like Apple and Samsung opting to make their own ARM-based processors rather than externally source them, means competition has grown significantly in recent months.

Nonetheless, it’s an unusual decision to have made, and one TI’s partners are likely looking at with no small degree of suspicion. Barnes & Noble’s new NOOK HD and HD+ tablets, for instance, are based on Texas Instrument’s OMAP4xxx series of chipsets, and RIM has used TI chips for its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Many of TI’s more recent high-profile launches have shifted away from such applications, however, including a push into the so-called “internet of things.”

Texas Instruments sidelines phone and tablet chip business is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.