Nov 02

ST-Ericsson’s NovaThor to power Nokia’s Windows Phone devices, loosens Qualcomm’s grip

Posted in: arm, business, deal, dual-core, mobilepostcross, nokia, processor, qualcomm, Today's Chili, windows phone, WindowsPhone
Earlier this year, as you may recall, we learned that at least some of Nokia’s Windows Phone devices would be powered by a dual-core chip from ST-Ericsson. At the time, this report came as something of a surprise, considering the fact that Qualcomm had long enjoyed hegemony over the Windows Phone market. Today, however, it becomes official, as Nokia has now selected ST-Ericsson’s NovaThor platform as its Windows Phone supplier. There is no sign, however, that this deal will be exclusive, so it’s likely that the manufacturer will continue to use Qualcomm silicon in addition to ST-Ericsson’s ARM-based line of U9500, U8500, and U5500 dual-core CPUs. We also have yet to hear any confirmation on the specific devices that these chips will power, or when they’ll go into production, though we’ll be sure to let you know as soon as we get word. Skip past the break for a really short press release.

Continue reading ST-Ericsson’s NovaThor to power Nokia’s Windows Phone devices, loosens Qualcomm’s grip

ST-Ericsson’s NovaThor to power Nokia’s Windows Phone devices, loosens Qualcomm’s grip originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 05:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , , ,
Oct 31

Ubuntu coming to tablets, phones, cars and smart TVs by 2014

Posted in: arm, hdpostcross, Linux, mobilepostcross, Smartphones, tablet, tablets, Today's Chili, ubuntu
Ubuntu Tablet

We’ve already seen Ubuntu running on tablets and smartphones, but not in any official capacity. Rumors had it that Canonical would be making a serious push into the tablet space in early 2011, but that effort never materialized, or at least was never acknowledged. Still, Unity has some finger-friendly streaks and Oneiric added ARM support — so it’s not much of a stretch to see the popular Linux distro on your mobile devices. Well, at the Ubuntu Developer Summit, Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth made that move official by issuing a challenge to the Ubuntu community to start pushing beyond the traditional PC form factor. Few details were given, but Shuttleworth did say that he believes the time is right for the OS to start making moves into the tablet, phone, in-dash infotainment and smart TV spaces. There were no products to announce, but Shuttleworth was confident the OS would be ready and in shipping consumer electronics by the time version 14.04 arrived in April of 2014. Though, we’re sure some prototypes will start showing up sooner rather than later.

Ubuntu coming to tablets, phones, cars and smart TVs by 2014 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
Oct 28

ARMv8 detailed: 64-bit architecture, AppliedMicro first in line

Posted in: arm, enterprise, processor, Today's Chili

Thought Windows on ARM was snazzy? Have a gander at this. The outfit’s forthcoming ARMv8 architecture, the first ARM architecture to include a 64-bit instruction set, has just been detailed, with a goal to expand the reach of ARM processor-based solutions “into consumer and enterprise applications where extended virtual addressing and 64-bit data processing are required.” The ARMv8 architecture consists of two main execution states — AArch64 and AArch32 — and we’re apt to see the real benefits hit high-end servers first. The ARMv8 architecture specifications are available now to partners under license, with the company planning to disclose processors based on ARMv8 during 2012, with consumer and enterprise prototype systems expected in 2014. Head on past the break for ARM’s take, or meander to the source links for AppliedMicro’s gloating.

Continue reading ARMv8 detailed: 64-bit architecture, AppliedMicro first in line

ARMv8 detailed: 64-bit architecture, AppliedMicro first in line originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAppliedMicro (1), (2), (3)  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , ,
Oct 27

HP to announce ARM-based servers next month, throw Intel a curveball

Posted in: arm, hewlett-packard, HewlettPackard, HP, intel, processors, Today's Chili

Sources close to Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal say that HP is primed to help ARM wrestle its way into the server game next month, citing unannounced plans that may challenge Intel’s corner on the market. HP is said to be working with Calxeda, an outfit with dreams of outclassing today’s servers by selling OEMs an ARM-based system on a chip that can be used to build high performance racks with low energy footprints. ARM, HP and Calxeda all declined to comment, although a spokesperson for Calxeda mentioned that it has a product release event scheduled for November 1st. Intel doesn’t seem too concerned, and told the Wall Street Journal that ARM architecture still had a few hurdles to jump before it was ready for the server game. “We believe the best-performing platform will win.” Spoken like a true sportsman, Intel. Game on.

HP to announce ARM-based servers next month, throw Intel a curveball originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink linuxfordevices  |  sourceBloomberg, Wall Street Journal  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
Oct 25

Freescale joins ARM A5 and M4 cores at the hip for performance and power savings

Posted in: arm, dual-core, DualCore, processor, processors, Today's Chili

Freescale CPUYou may have noticed a trend recently — pairing slightly less powerful cores that sip power, with more robust ones that can chug through demanding applications. NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 will be packing an underclocked fifth core, while ARM’s big.LITTLE initiative matches a highly efficient 28nm A7 with the beefy A15. Now Freescale is planning to use the same trick, but you won’t find its asymmetrical CPUs in your next tablet or smartphone. Its platform, which marries a Cortex M4 to a Cortex A5, isn’t meant to compete with the latest Snapdragon. These chips will find homes in factories and in-dash infotainment systems which have increasingly sophisticated UIs, but don’t need to push thousands of polygons. Software development tools will land before this quarter is out and the first batch of silicon will be announced in Q1 of 2012. Looks like the era of “dual-core” meaning two identical cores has officially come to an end.

Continue reading Freescale joins ARM A5 and M4 cores at the hip for performance and power savings

Freescale joins ARM A5 and M4 cores at the hip for performance and power savings originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , ,
Oct 25

ARM doubles Q3 profit, sees surge in revenue, is understandably pleased

Posted in: arm, business, earnings, financial, financials, market, processor, Today's Chili
The news just keeps getting better and better for ARM Holdings. Today, the chip designer reported third quarter net profits of £31.5 million ($50.4 million), more than double the £14.8 million it reported during Q3 2010. Revenue, meanwhile, rose to $192.3 million — a 22 percent increase over the previous year, and a slightly higher figure than previously expected. In a statement, chief executive Warren East attributed these results to a “continued high level of design activity, with many new customers licensing ARM technology for the first time, driven by end-market requirements for smarter, low-power chips.” Indeed, a total of one billion ARM mobile chips were shipped this quarter (up ten percent from last year), and the company expects to rake in about $763 million in total revenue, by the end of 2011. Find figures and facts galore, at the source link below.

ARM doubles Q3 profit, sees surge in revenue, is understandably pleased originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 04:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Wall Street Journal, Stock Market Wire  |  sourceARM Holdings  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , ,
Oct 24

ViewSonic rolls out $200 ViewPad 7e Android tablet

Posted in: 7-inch, Android, arm, gingerbread, slate, tablet, Today's Chili, viewsonic
We’ve already seen it available for pre-order at Amazon and spent a bit of time with it ourselves last month, but ViewSonic’s only just now officially getting its ViewPad 7e Android tablet out the door. It’ll be available by the end of the month if it hasn’t hit retailers already and, as expected, it will set you back an even $200. That unfortunately only buys you Android 2.3 (with an SPB shell on top) and not Honeycomb, but the specs are otherwise somewhat decent for the price, including a 1GHz ARM A8 processor, dual cameras, a “RiteTouch” 7-inch capacitive display, 4GB of storage with a microSD card slot for expansion, and HDMI output. As is often the case with low-end tablets, however, one key omission is official support for the Android Market, but you do at least get access to Amazon’s Appstore, as well as plenty of pre-loaded apps including Twitter, Kindle, and TuneIn Radio.

Continue reading ViewSonic rolls out $200 ViewPad 7e Android tablet

ViewSonic rolls out $200 ViewPad 7e Android tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Oct 2011 21:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceViewSonic  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , , ,
Oct 20

NVIDIA’s Jen-Hsun Huang: Windows on ARM should hit tablets first, battling Intel is a bad idea, would love his chips in iPad

Posted in: Apple, arm, breaking news, BreakingNews, intel, ipad, NVIDIA, processor, roadmap, tegra, tegra 2, Tegra2, Today's Chili, Windows, windows 7, windows 8, Windows7, Windows8

NVIDIA’s founder and president Jen-Hsun Huang has never been one to dodge a question, and that made for an excellent closing interview here at AsiaD. Outside of (re)confirming what lies ahead for Tegra, he also spoke quite openly about his feeling towards Windows on ARM in response to a question from Joanna Stern. Here’s the bulk of his reply:

“It’s important for [Microsoft] not to position these as PCs. From a finesse perspective — I can’t speak on their behalf — but I would come out with tablets first with Windows on ARM. It helps to establish that this isn’t a PC. Will yesterday’s Office run on tomorrow’s Windows on ARM PC? Will a new version of Office run on tomorrow’s Windows on ARM tablets? Both questions are about legacy, and both are about Office. The actual implementation of it is radically different. I see no reason to make Office 95 to run on Windows on ARM. I think it would be wonderful, absolutely wonderful — I’d say, as someone who uses Windows — it would be almost a requirement to me that [the ARM] device runs Windows interoperably. If Office runs on Windows on ARM — it’s the killer app. Everything else is on the web.”

He elaborated to say that he would hope Office for Windows on ARM would support the same files that today’s Office does, much the same way that Office for Mac eventually synced up with its Windows-based sibling. For more from Huang’s interview, hop on past the break!

Continue reading NVIDIA’s Jen-Hsun Huang: Windows on ARM should hit tablets first, battling Intel is a bad idea, would love his chips in iPad

NVIDIA’s Jen-Hsun Huang: Windows on ARM should hit tablets first, battling Intel is a bad idea, would love his chips in iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 01:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , , ,
Oct 20

ARM unveils Cortex-A7 processor, ‘big.LITTLE’ computing

Posted in: arm, mobilepostcross, NVIDIA, processor, Today's Chili

Fancy a glimpse of the future? That little psychedelic beauty on the right is ARM’s brand new Cortex-A7 processor. Its spec sheet might not seem so colorful at first glance, because it doesn’t really do things any faster than existing high-end smartphone processors. However, this UK-based chip designer isn’t known for bumping its gums, so it pays to look a little deeper. For a start, the Cortex-A7 is built using a 28nm process that makes it five times smaller and more efficient than the current-gen Cortex-A8. It’s also cheap enough to power sub-$100 handsets, so we could be pulling GSII-like tricks on budget phones within a couple of years.

Is that it? Nope, there’s more: perhaps the most important feature of the A7 is that it can be combined with much higher-power cores like the Cortex-A15 side-by-side on the same chip. This allows a super-phone or tablet to switch between two totally different processing units depending on how much power is needed at the time. ARM calls this “Big.LITTLE” computing,” and a similar concept is already in use on NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 (aka Kal-El) SoC, which we’ll see imminently in the next Asus Transformer. However, the Tegra 3 uses five identical Cortex-A9 cores, whereas a device that mix-and-matches the A15 and A7 could potentially deliver higher highs and lower lows, giving you speed when you need it and amazing battery life when you don’t. How cute is that? Full PR after the break.

Continue reading ARM unveils Cortex-A7 processor, ‘big.LITTLE’ computing

ARM unveils Cortex-A7 processor, ‘big.LITTLE’ computing originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Oct 2011 07:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , ,
Oct 19

NEC’s Tele Scouter head-mounted display makes it really hard to not look evil

Posted in: arm, availability, Japan, price, shipping, Today's Chili

Case in point: the guy on the right. Sure, he’s probably a mild-mannered, law-abiding citizen, but with NEC‘s Tele Scouter strapped to his spectacles, he looks just a wee bit sinister, doesn’t he? The system he’s wearing consists of a paperback-sized computer powered by an ARM 500MHz CPU and an AirScouter display mounted atop a pair of glasses. The display, manufactured by Brother, projects images upon the naked eye, but NEC insists that it won’t completely block a user’s field of vision. To the viewer, in fact, these projections appear as if they were displayed on a 16-inch, 800 x 600 screen standing one meter away. According to NEC, the idea is to allow employees to view manuals or other important documents while working with their hands, though that kind of multi-task wizardry certainly won’t come for cheap. The Tele Scouter will begin shipping on December 26th, with the device priced at ¥400,000 (about $5,200) and the software sitting at ¥1.9 million (around $25,000).

NEC’s Tele Scouter head-mounted display makes it really hard to not look evil originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PC World, Akihabara News  |  sourceNEC (Translated)  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , ,