ST-Ericsson’s U8500 brings dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 to the Android world
Can’t get enough of hearing about implementations of ARM’s Cortex-A9 MPCore processors? Good. ST-Ericsson’s powerhouse U8500 system-on-chip has come a major step closer to appearing in mainstream devices with today’s newly announced support for the Android operating system. Having optimized the OS to take advantage of Symmetric Multi Processing — a method for extending battery life by sharing the load between the two processing cores and underclocking when necessary — the partner company is now ready to start dropping these 1.2GHz dual-core beasts inside the next generation of smartphones. The claim is that you’ll get all that additional power while sacrificing nothing, as devices based on the U8500 would maintain “the cost and power consumption characteristics of a traditional feature phone.” We’re promised built-in HDMI-out support, 1080p video recording, and 120 hours of audio playback or 12 hours of Full HD video off a 1,000mAh battery — pledges we’d very much like to see fulfilled.
ST-Ericsson’s U8500 brings dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 to the Android world originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Texas Instruments introduces ARM-based OMAP 4 SOC, Blaze development platform
Texas Instruments has just made its OMAP 4 system-on-chip official, and garnished the announcement with the first development platform for it, aggressively titled Blaze. We already caught a glimpse of it in prototype form earlier this month, and the thing is quite a whopper — you can see it on video after the break and we doubt you’ll accuse TI of placing form before function with this one. The company’s focus will be on promoting innovative new modes of interaction, with touchless gesturing (or “in the air” gesture recognition) figuring strongly in its vision of the future. Looking at the SOC diagram (available after the break), you’ll find that its grunt will be provided by the same ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore class of CPU that powers the iPad, though TI claims it will be the only mobile platform capable of outputting stereoscopic 720p video at 30fps per channel. Perhaps its uniqueness will come from the fact that nobody else cares for the overkill that is 3D-HD on a mobile phone, whether it requires glasses or not. It’ll still be fascinating to see if anybody picks up the chunky Blaze idea and tries to produce a viable mobile device out of it — we could be convinced we need multiple displays while on the move, we’re just not particularly hot on the 90s style bezel overflow.
Continue reading Texas Instruments introduces ARM-based OMAP 4 SOC, Blaze development platform
Texas Instruments introduces ARM-based OMAP 4 SOC, Blaze development platform originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Adobe got 7 million iPhone and iPod touch download requests for Flash in December
A touch of history might be appropriate here. Back in March 2008, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen proudly proclaimed that his team was about to start coding a Flash player for the iPhone, only for his company to promptly backtrack on those words a day later. Then, about this time last year, Apple and Adobe again announced that they were collectively working on putting the ubiquitous format on Cupertino’s mobile devices, but you won’t be surprised to hear that hasn’t born any fruit yet either. In fact, relations seem to have grown a lot frostier thanks to the iPad’s Flash-less introduction, and an escalating war of passive aggressive words culminated in Steve Jobs calling Adobe lazy. Lazy or otherwise, Adobe is keeping track of its download stats, and it’s taken the chance to boast that it received a cool 7 million download requests for Flash player from iPhone and iPod touch devices during December. We’re hardly shocked by this number, but it seems to illustrate well the fact that so long as the two heavyweights continue playing an increasingly complacent form of hardball with one another, the only winners will be their competition.
Adobe got 7 million iPhone and iPod touch download requests for Flash in December originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
ARM planning three new Cortex CPUs, Eagle headed for smartphones
As if the Cortex-A9 isn’t stirring up enough emotion all by itself, ARM revealed the roadmap for an even faster iteration of its Cortex-A series of chips during its earnings call a few days ago. Codenamed Eagle, the new processor is slated for a production run of 3 billion units annually, but alas this slide shares no more information on it beyond the intended market of smartphones, mobile computing, and digital TV products. (We’ve definitely heard that it’ll be a 28nm multi-core part destined to ship around 2012, however.) There’s also word of a pair of embedded chips, dubbed Heron and Merlin, which will find roles to perform in automotive and audio processing environments. Unsurprising that ARM isn’t standing still, but we could’ve done with a little less mystery and a few more specs.
[Thanks, Kamal]
ARM planning three new Cortex CPUs, Eagle headed for smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 06:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Verizon advertising says Droid is for men, Pre is for women (video)
If you ask us, the Palm Pre Plus pretty much sells itself. So if we were working out a promo campaign for it, we’d just display the competitive pricing front and center and get the hell out of the product’s way. But that just wouldn’t do for Verizon. After all the machismo it attached to the Droid, the wireless provider is back with a set of ads for the Pre Plus targeted at the modern lady. We’re not told why two slabs of plastic and silicon with comparable sliding keyboards and similar internals must be compartmentalized by gender, but we don’t really care. The new ads are crazy enough in themselves, so just go see ‘em after the break.
Continue reading Verizon advertising says Droid is for men, Pre is for women (video)
Verizon advertising says Droid is for men, Pre is for women (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Make an Adjustable Car Dock for $2
Car mounts for GPS gadgets and smartphones are usually pretty costly, and they often only fit one device. DIY website Instructables features a simple guide for building your own that will fit virtually any—and for only about $2 in materials.
Especially now that smartphones are beginning to replace our dedicated GPS devices, you might need a new dock for your car—in fact, you may find yourself needing a new one every few years. Save yourself the cost by building one that will fit multiple devices, using just a few household materials.
The mount relies on a small nook or niche in your car to fit the base into, which shouldn’t be hard for a lot of cars. All it requires is some PVC piping, sheet foam (preferably of the self-adhesive variety), and a little heavy-duty plastic-coated wire. Building it is a cinch—it shouldn’t take you more than 10 minutes to hack one together, and doesn’t require anything more than some scissors and pliers. And, you’ll never have to plop down $30 for a mount again, no matter how many smartphones you go through in a year. Hit the link for the full instructions.
Motorola ‘Sholes’ Android Phone May Show Up On Verizon [Rumor]
We know Verizon is cooking something up with Android, and if motofan.ru’s information is correct, the Motorola “Sholes” render pictured here might be one of their Android projects.
According to the site, the device will feature a 3.7-inch (480 x 854) touchscreen, CDMA, EVDO Rev A support, 512MB of storage 256MB of RAM and support for microSD / microSDHC up to 16 GB (Includes 8GB microSD). It will also include a 5 MP autofocus camera, Bluetooth, GPS, USB and WiFi. If it is the real deal, expect an October release for an undisclosed price. [motofan.ru via Engadget]
Is This Yet Another HTC Android Phone? [Rumor]
Since we’re just working with couple of photos here, it’s hard to say for sure, but the buttons match HTC’s design style as of late, and the shape is clearly reminiscent of the company’s older handsets. So, what is this?
French website PointGPhone, who first got the pics, says it’s the HTC Click, an entry-level Android phone not unlike what the Motorola Morrison is rumored to be. It doesn’t appear to have a keyboard, and it’s shed the trackball—a consistent feature in HTC’s Google-d phones up until now. HTC branding is absent, but something is obscured above the control area—most likely a sensitive carrier name. So who knows! UPDATE: Measured against the ruling standard notebook paper, the phone features a 2.8-inch screen. So hey, there’s one spec for you.
I said it before and it bears repeating: Android needs some budget handsets; or maybe more accurately, budget handsets need Android. It’s a free OS, and not nearly as scarily shitty “businesslike” as Windows Mobile 6.1—basically, it deserves to fill the low-end smartphone niche, and it’s running late in doing so. Should Android go downmarket, HTC wouldn’t be a bad chaperon. [PointGPhone]
Motorola Morrison Spied Again, This Time With Android [Motorola]
Until this fine morn, rumors that Motorola’s hazily-leaked Morrison handset would run Android were just that: Rumors. A second set of shots now gives us a clearer view of the kid-colored piece, including a clear confirmation of its alleged Google-ness.
Aside from Android and a new black faceplate (instead of the toylike white one we saw before), there’s really nothing surprising here, and we’re left with the same question: Where is Motorola aiming with this? Based on the bright colors, plastic body and apparently small size the going theory is that this’ll not only be Motorola’s first Android handset, but the T-Mobile’s first cheapo Android handset, for texting tweenz and the like—something that’s definitely overdue for the free OS, and which should be easily possible with current hardware.
Alternately, this is Motorola’s direct competitor for flagship handsets like the Hero, in which case it could quite easily get murdered, to death. [Phandroid]
Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 Poses Coyly For More Glamor Shots [Sony Ericsson]
Maybe hinting at an impending announcement, or possibly in a fit of Rachael-inspired jealousy, the Xperia X2 has exposed itself again, this time from all angles, giving us closer looks at its new body, curious keyboard and bulky profile.
The X2 is expected to get a hefty, if not groundshaking, guts upgrade from the X1, with a 3.5-inch WVGA screen, 512MB of RAM, a faster processor, an 8.1-megapixel camera and, for god’s sake, finally, Windows Mobile 6.5. Spec updates like this are always welcome, but I’m not so sure about the new styling: Sleek lines and a deceptively thin-looking angular design were strong points for the X1, so it’s disconcerting to see a blobbier, altogether fatter-looking X2. Of course, none of these things will matter if Sony Ericsson continues to blindly price this line into oblivion. No word on that front, unfortunately.
UPDATE: Oh, wow: Here are some shots of the alleged Android Xperia X3. If these are real, the X2 could well be obsolete, at least in consumers’ eyes, before it even comes out. Sad. Also: dumb. [XDA via BGR]
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