Hasta La Gadget!

We’ll be straight with you, we’re typing away on a Core i3-equipped Edge 14 right now and we rarely feel the need for more power, but then it’s not like Lenovo can afford to keep one of its prettier models sated with just i3s and i5s now, is it? Of course not, so here we are, gazing at a fresh new Core i7-620M upgrade option on the ThinkPad Edge 14, which will set eager buyers back an extra $350 over the more budget-friendly i3-330M default. Opting to splash that hard earned cash will net you Turbo Boost up to 3.33GHz and a not too shabby 2.66GHz regular clock, plus 4MB of cache. The Edge 15, which has so far been just a slightly larger twin to the 14, hasn’t yet felt the warm embrace of upgrade mania, but we suspect it too will soon start offering options from Intel’s top tier.

[Thanks, Jeremy]

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 14 gets Core i7 option, extra vroom vroom originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 23:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Lenovo  | Email this | Comments

Pick any of the smartphones launched this year and chances are it has a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor in it. The Snapdragon chips, which can run at up to 1 GHz, have been at the core of devices such as Google’s Nexus One, HTC’s Incredible and the HTC Evo 4G.

Now Qualcomm is getting ready to introduce dual-CPU chipsets that boost the speed to 1.2 GHz and 1.5 GHz. The chipsets, called MSM826, MSM8660 and QSD8672, are likely to show up in stores by the end of the year. Handset manufacturers are currently designing products based on the processors, says Qualcomm.

The dual cores and higher processing speeds will allow for better multimedia performance. The chipsets also include a graphics processing unit with 3-D and 2-D acceleration engines for better rendering, 1080p video encoding and decoding capabilities, and integrated low-power GPS. They can support 24-bit 1280 x 800 resolution displays, says Qualcomm.

As smartphones get more ambitious in their desire to offer a video and web experience similar to that of PCs, there’s greater need for increased processing power. Last month, Adobe showed an early version of the Flash Player 10.1 for the Android operating system. Flash Player 10.1 on Nexus One can display video and animation unmatched by most other smartphones. But the technology also requires more processing power than current devices can offer. In Wired.com’s tests, the Nexus One’s 1 GHz Snapdragon processor seemed sluggish and struggled to render Flash sites quickly using Flash Player 10.1. Adobe has said it is hoping a newer generation of smartphones will change that experience.

Qualcomm is certainly trying to encourage it. At the Computex trade show in Taipei, Taiwan, Qualcomm is showing a range of new Snapdragon-powered devices — not all of them phones. Among them are Acer’s newly launched Liquid and neoTouch smartphones, Dell’s Streak 5-inch Android tablet, Huawei’s S7 tablet and Lenovo’s LePhone smartphone.

See Also:

• Intel Introduces Ultra-Low-Power Processor for Smartphones
• Netbooks Set to Get More Video and Audio Oomph
• Review: HTC Droid Incredible Smartphone

Photo: Qualcomm Snapdragon (doctorserone/Flickr)

You’re really coming full circle at this year’s Computex, aren’t ya, Intel? It was at the Taipei show two years ago that Chipzilla introduced the first Atom netbooks, and though it’s taken awhile, the company is finally announcing dual-core Atom processors for the category (not to mention slightly changing its party line on the power of the sub-laptops). While the details on the speeds and feeds of the new Pine Trail N series CPUs are being kept under wraps for now, we’ve been told that they’ll support DDR3 RAM and provide comparable performance to the dual-core desktop Atom processors, yet still maintain similar battery life to current netbooks. Intel still plans to keep these Atom chips in 10-inch systems, and told us that users will see the speed benefits in multitasking and browsing, rather than in HD playback and gaming.

But netbooks aren’t only about to get faster, they’re also going to go on a serious diet. Intel also unveiled its new “Canoe Lake” innovation platform for netbooks, which is what’s behind that 14mm thick machine pictured above. The platform can support single- and dual-core Atom processors, but provides significant cooling to allow for 50 percent thinner systems. However, “Canoe Lake” is merely a reference guideline for other manufacturers to use, so there’s no telling what the machines that use this could end up looking like. The dual-core Atom for netbooks goes into production next week and should be shipping in netbooks before the holiday season. And as for that super thin laptop you’re inevitably still peering at? Intel expects its partners to use the platform and have products out by the end of this year. We don’t know about you, but the pictures below may keep us salivating until then.

Continue reading Intel boosts netbooks with dual-core Atom, slims ’em down with ‘Canoe Lake’

Intel boosts netbooks with dual-core Atom, slims ’em down with ‘Canoe Lake’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Apple’s secrets have been getting out a bit more than usual over the past couple of months, and few were shocked when Intel’s newest slabs of silicon slithered beneath the unibody shells of the freshest MacBook Pros. The Core i7 rig in particular drew attention, as this was the first MBP to surface with components within capable of rivaling Wintel machines from half a year ago. One thing that struck us in our own review of the unit was the lack of change outside of the CPU; you’re still dealing with the same underwhelming arrangement of ports, and unless you opt for the 17-incher, you’re still wondering why Apple ganked your ExpressCard slot. Enough of our ranting — we’re here to hear what exactly you have to say about Apple’s newest MacBook Pro. Would you have added in USB 3.0 ports? Finally caved and threw in a Blu-ray option? Added a “Flash-capable” sticker in the palm rest? Go on, get creative in comments below.

How would you change Apple’s Core i7 MacBook Pro? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 May 2010 01:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

The Core i5-540M is still quite rare on the ground, but we’re hearing word that Intel is already prepping the assembly line for its successor. A new Core i5-580M has been dug up by the sleuths at Notebook Italia, who say it’ll run at a default 2.66GHz and ramp up to 3.33GHz via Turbo Boost when needed. Those numbers compare favorably to the 2.53GHz and 3.06GHz of the 540M, and if Intel and company get their timing right,the 580M should be stealing some of that Core i7 thunder just in time for the back to school shopping rush. Won’t hear any complaining from us if that turns out to be the case.

Intel Core i5-580M speeding toward a fall release at 2.66GHz? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 May 2010 04:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista  |  Notebook Italia  | Email this | Comments