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AMD reveals Trinity specs, claims to beat Intel on price, multimedia, gaming

Sharif Sakr — Tue, 15 May 2012 00:01:00 EST

Itching for the details of AMD's latest Accelerated Processing Units (APUs)? Then get ready to scratch: Trinity has arrived and, as of today, it's ready to start powering the next generation of low-power ultra-portables, laptops and desktops that, erm, don't run Intel. The new architecture boasts up to double the performance-per-watt of last year's immensely popular Llano APUs, with improved "discrete-class" integrated graphics and without adding to the burden on battery life. How is that possible? By how much will Trinity-equipped devices beat Intel on price? And will it play Crysis: Warhead? Read on to find out.

Gallery: AMD reveals Trinity APU

Continue reading AMD reveals Trinity specs, claims to beat Intel on price, multimedia, gaming

AMD reveals Trinity specs, claims to beat Intel on price, multimedia, gaming originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Compal Trinity ODM reference design eyes-on

Dante Cesa — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:00:00 EST

Here at AMD's Financial Analyst day, the company had a little demo area which is where we spotted this little number -- an ODM reference unit from Compal, stuffed with the company's upcoming Trinity APU. We're told the unit above is one of several, which are proof-of-concepts used to convince and show OEMs powerful, yet thin machines the duo hopes they'll bring to market. Inside this particular prototype is one of the lower voltage variants of Trinity (read: either the 17W or 25W part), which enables that svelte 18mm profile. Seeing as it is a one-off (and one that'll never come to market in this form), our impressions are moot, yet we'd be remiss if we didn't point out we were a little dismayed by its chassis, which was flimsy enough to put the existing flex champion, Toshiba's Z830, on notice. Still, with an estimated starting price of half an Ultrabook (roughly in the $500 to $600 range), we'll leave it up to you to decide exactly how much you value torsional rigidity. Other then that, viewing angles seemed good from the brief demo reel we watched, and there's plenty of connectivity onboard, with two USB 3.0 ports, mini-DisplayPort and HDMI flanking the left, followed by audio jacks, another USB, Ethernet and power along the right. Looks like thin and lights are about to get a whole lot more interesting later in the year, which, frankly is great -- it's about time Chipzilla got some worthy competition.

Gallery: Compal Trinity ODM reference design eyes-on

Compal Trinity ODM reference design eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ultrabook or tablet? Compal shows off hybrid reference design (video)

Dana Wollman — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:02:00 EST

We knew CES would bring a slew of Ultrabooks, but who could have predicted 2012 would be the year of the franken-gadget? So far this week, we've seen Lenovo's IdeaPad Yoga, two hybrids from Gigabyte and a pair of 13- and 5.5-inch tablet prototypes from Toshiba. And that's saying nothing of Intel's Nikiski prototype and its promise of accelerometer-based gaming on Ultrabooks. With that as our backdrop, we have the Compal QAV20, a reference design sitting in Intel's booth, alongside all the plain, months-old laptops we've already reviewed. From afar, it looks like the Samsung Series 7 Slate, but up close you'll see it has a larger, 13.3-inch, 1366 x 768 display, along with a keyboard dock. On the inside, meanwhile, it packs a Core i5 ULV CPU -- the same guts you'll find inside other Ultrabooks.

In our brief hands-on, we were stunned by how light the fiber glass device feels -- certainly, it's much less dense than the similarly sized Yoga. The dock itself is home to various ports, including Ethernet, dual USB 2.0 sockets, HDMI and a headphone jack. And though it's no Transformer Prime dock, it's still light enough that you shouldn't have problem stuffing it in your bag. No word on what, if any, OEMs will re-badge this, but no matter -- we've gotten video and photos for you to peruse even if this thing never makes it to market. And no, we didn't film this in the Batcave; Intel just loves it some blue mood lighting.

Gallery: Compal QAV20 hybrid reference design hands-on

Continue reading Ultrabook or tablet? Compal shows off hybrid reference design (video)

Ultrabook or tablet? Compal shows off hybrid reference design (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft signs Compal deal, now takes money from half of all Android ODMs

Sharif Sakr — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 07:49:00 EST

Despite Steve Ballmer's apparent disdain for the Googly OS, he must love it really. He's now making money from ten separate Android and Chrome licensing deals, having just inked yet another agreement with Compal -- a large Taiwanese original design manufacturer (ODM) that builds tablets and smartphones for brands like Lenovo. From this point on, a "reasonable and fair" chunk of Compal's $28 billion annual income will be diverted to the coffers at Redmond. Overall, this means that Microsoft's tentacles have spread across 55 percent of the Android ODM industry and -- more importantly -- are poked firmly into two different mobile OS pies. As cut-throat as this approach might seem, however, it's surely better than freezing the market with cold and ceaseless waves of litigation. PR after the break.

[Thanks, Majed]

Continue reading Microsoft signs Compal deal, now takes money from half of all Android ODMs

Microsoft signs Compal deal, now takes money from half of all Android ODMs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Oct 2011 07:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer planning a sliding Android tab for the holidays, won't fit in your stocking

Terrence O'Brien — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 19:30:00 EST

Rumor has it that ASUS wont be the only company with a sliding Android tablet this holiday season -- DigiTimes claims to have it on good authority that Acer will be launching its own 10.1-inch slate with a peekaboo QWERTY stashed behind the screen. The ARM-powered device is reportedly being manufactured by Compal, but beyond that your guess is as good as ours. By the time it lands we should be getting our first taste of Ice Cream Sandwich, but it's a pretty safe bet if this unnamed device does ship later this year, it'll do so with Honeycomb on board.

Acer planning a sliding Android tab for the holidays, won't fit in your stocking originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Compal's 'Ultra Mobile' Ultrabook eyes-on

Richard Lai — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 07:05:00 EST

Intel's already teased Compal's "Ultra Mobile" Ultrabook from afar, but when this Ivy Bridge laptop popped up on the show floor after the Computex keynote, we decided to give it a closer look. While this prototype isn't quite in the same league as ASUS' gorgeous UX21, do bear in mind that we're still looking at a relatively slim package for a 14- to 15-inch Core i7 rig. Also visible around the machine are a couple of USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI-out port, a LAN socket, and an SD card reader. Until we hear more about this Ultra Mobile, enjoy our eyes-on photos below.

Gallery: Compal's 'Ultra Mobile' Ultrabook eyes-on

Compal's 'Ultra Mobile' Ultrabook eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 07:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honeycomb on Oak Trail gets benchmarked on prototype Compal tablet, numbers ensue

Tim Stevens — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 09:26:00 EST

We know that Intel is gunning for ARM with its Oak Trail platform, and indeed there were a few early tablets at Computex following that very path to Honeycomb. The question on everyone's minds, of course, is how well this dual-core 1.5GHz platform can compare to the Tegra 2 competition. If you believe the results from a suite of tests that tweakers.net ran on a prototype Compal unit, then the answer is "not very well." On benchmarks like CaffeineMark, Linpak, and Quadrant the platform was largely left in the dust by ARM competition with bigger biceps, but the Oak Trail machine did clean the floor with everyone else on the SunSpider browser benchmark. What does it all mean? Not a heck of a lot at this point, we're afraid. It's far too early to be drawing performance conclusions about a platform based on a prototype fresh out of the fabricator, and we have our doubts that these benchmark apps are optimized for the new platform -- so don't give up on 'ol x86 just yet.

Honeycomb on Oak Trail gets benchmarked on prototype Compal tablet, numbers ensue originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 09:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel shows off Oak Trail-based Android Honeycomb tablets, confirms Android Market support

Richard Lai — Tue, 31 May 2011 03:42:00 EST

At a time when ARM and Android are dominating the mobile computing world, Intel's only just starting to catch up with some green robot-friendly prototypes, like these Oak Trail-based 10-inch tablets at Computex 2011. Starting from the left we have the Intel Green Ridge, Foxconn F150, Quanta QXZI, an unnamed Compal device, Intel Marco Polo 2, and Intel Carrot. Sadly, Intel wouldn't give the names of the ODMs behind its own reference tablets, so your guess is just as good as ours.

With the exception of the Gingerbread-powered Foxconn slate, these were all running on Honeycomb 3.0.1 OS -- well, we say running, but just barely. As you'll see in our hands-on video after the break, most of the devices were struggling to keep up with the launcher animation, and needless to say, Intel wasn't keen on letting us test video playback on them. We also noticed that Android Market was missing on the prototypes, but Intel assured us that it'll be available on the final products, and that current Android apps are already supported by Oak Trail. In terms of build quality it left much to be desired, though this is forgivable at a trade show; it's the software that we're concerned with. From what we've seen here at Computex, Android on Oak Trail is far from ready, so it'll be interesting to see if Acer can actually pull off a July launch for its rumored Oak Trail Honeycomb tablet.

Update: OK, our in-depth hands-on video is finally working. Check it out after the break.

Gallery: Intel shows off Oak Trail-based Android Honeycomb tablets at Computex

Continue reading Intel shows off Oak Trail-based Android Honeycomb tablets, confirms Android Market support

Intel shows off Oak Trail-based Android Honeycomb tablets, confirms Android Market support originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 May 2011 03:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo's LePad going global with IdeaPad Tablet K1 moniker?

Richard Lai — Wed, 11 May 2011 23:11:00 EST

At last, here's a sign of Lenovo's Android tablet making its way out of the fertile land of China. While there's no direct mention in this FCC application, the speakers at the bottom suggest that this slate -- dubbed IdeaPad Tablet K1 and made by Compal -- is a variant of the China-only LePad as opposed to the shinier U1 Hybrid (which is more likely to be the Skylight slate, anyway). Also bear in mind that Lenovo's already confirmed a global June launch for the LePad, so the timing of this document is just right. Of course, the only question left is will we be seeing some Honeycomb love here instead of Froyo? And should we not bother with this hefty 10-incher and just wait for Lenovo's slimmer offering a few months later? We'll see what the price tag says.

Lenovo's LePad going global with IdeaPad Tablet K1 moniker? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 May 2011 23:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer said to be using LG Shuriken display in upcoming laptop -- less bezel, less thickness, more awesome

Vlad Savov — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 06:41:00 EST

The zany guys and gals at DigiTimes have a saucy new rumor to start our week off with a bang. A newfangled LG display, dubbed Shuriken, is apparently being recruited in Acer's fight against irrelevance. The Taiwanese company will reputedly use it in an upcoming 14.1-inch laptop, but here's the kicker: the physical size of the laptop will be no bigger than that of a 13.3-inch model. That's because the Shuriken's panel will require less bezel (8mm instead of 12mm) and less thickness, slimming itself down to just 4mm. LG already has the 12.5-inch Xnote P210, which would seem to be employing similar technology, so it's not a stretch to believe the company's war on bezels has stepped up to the 14-inch size class. Acer is expected to launch this new laptop as early as next month, though the cost of the Shuriken displays is cited as the reason they haven't been taken up more widely yet, meaning the price of the eventual product will be almost as intriguing as its looks.

Acer said to be using LG Shuriken display in upcoming laptop -- less bezel, less thickness, more awesome originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 06:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eLocity A7 tablet finally shipping, $399 still buys you Froyo and Tegra 2

Darren Murph — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 15:01:00 EST

Looking for a bargain bin tablet without the bargain bin stigma? We told you around three months ago to look Stream TV's way, but it seems that the same message could be applied today. For whatever reason, the 7-inch eLocity A7 tablet actually didn't ship in September, but according to a fresh piece of PR, that's being remedied today. The A7 -- complete with Android 2.2 and NVIDIA's Tegra 2 silicon -- has started shipping today to those who placed a pre-order, and it's also found a safe and secure spot on Amazon's website. 'Course, it's listed as "out of stock" for the time being, but as soon as the factory lines start cranking at a decent clip, the $399 slate should make an appearance at Walmart, NewEgg, BJs, Tiger Direct and Micro Center (among other places). Emphasis on should.

Continue reading eLocity A7 tablet finally shipping, $399 still buys you Froyo and Tegra 2

eLocity A7 tablet finally shipping, $399 still buys you Froyo and Tegra 2 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP contracts 5 or 6 new Palm devices for 2011?

Ross Miller — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 14:20:00 EST

Underwhelmed by the feeling of sameness with the Pre 2? Well, you may or may not be in luck; Chinese-based CENS.com is reporting that manufacturers Foxconn and Compal now have contracts to manufacturer up to six new Palm devices for 2011. That boils down to one for Compal, and either four or five for Foxconn. We'd venture a guess that PalmPad's at least one of those, seeing as it's due early next year, but what about the others? Whatever (stackable) cards HP / Palm have in hand aren't exactly being laid out, and while we can't confirm this report ourselves, rest assured, we're hoping really hard that there'll be more webOS options with non-pebble form factors.

HP contracts 5 or 6 new Palm devices for 2011? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel's Light Peak optical interconnect shrinks slightly, LaCie, WD, Compal and Avid begin prototyping

Sean Hollister — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 07:19:00 EST

Intel's Light Peak isn't setting any new speed records at IDF 2010 -- it's still rated at 10Gbps for now -- but the optical data transfer system is finally looking like it might appear in some actual products. As you can see immediately above, a Light Peak to HDMI converter has shrunk considerably since May, and a number of optically-infused sample products were on display at Intel's Light Peak booth. Compal's got a laptop with the optical interconnect built in, while Western Digital showed an external hard drive, from which the Compal could pull and edit multimedia in real-time using a Light Peak-enabled Avid rackmount. Meanwhile, LaCie showed off what appeared to be a 4big Quadra RAID array with two Light Peak ports catapulting high-definition video content at 770MB/s to a nearby Samsung TV, though we should warn you that the TV itself was a bit of a hack job, and not a collaboration with Samsung -- note the big, honking EVGA video card sticking out of the back. Though obviously a good bit of work went into these prototypes, Intel reps told us none would necessarily become a reality. Either way, don't expect to see Light Peak products until sometime next year.

Gallery: Intel's Light Peak prototype hardware

Intel's Light Peak optical interconnect shrinks slightly, LaCie, WD, Compal and Avid begin prototyping originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Sep 2010 07:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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StreamTV Elocity A7 tablet packs Tegra 2 and Android 2.2, coming to Amazon for $399 in September

Joanna Stern — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:25:00 EST

We can't say we'd ever heard of StreamTV, but all the company had to say was "Tegra 2 Android Froyo tablet" to get us to meet up with them in NYC earlier today. The Philadelphia start-up is planning to bring its Elocity A7 -- essentially a re-badged Compal's NAZ-10 -- to an Amazon order page near you, and from what we saw during the hour-long demo it may just be a contender for your stashed away $399. The 7-inch tablet has an extremely responsive 800 x 480 resolution, capacitive touchscreen -- yes, multitouch worked in the browser and photo gallery -- with a front-facing 1.3 megapixel cam on the left bezel. We actually got to make a quick Fring video call to one of the other tablets in the room, though it was rather lagging since we were running over it all 3G.

Surrounding the tablet is an SD card slot along with USB and HDMI ports, the latter of which did come very handy for hooking up the tablet to a 22-inch HDTV and watching an extremely smooth 1080p clip. (Thank you 1GHz Tegra II-720 CPU!) Speaking of, we also got to play a racing game, Asphalt 5, on the device, though the accelerometer steering was a bit flaky. Besides that, we've got to say the entire tablet experience was pretty smooth -- you can see for yourself after the break and in the upcoming episode of the Engadget Show -- but the unit we saw was running Android 2.1. The SteamTV's CEO says they'll only be shipping 2.2-running units come October and with a supplemental GetJar app store since it cannot preload Google's Marketplace because of restrictions. He also tells us they'll be including an HDMI cord and wireless keyboard in the box -- all for $399. It all sounds rather promising, but so do all these future Android tablets!

Gallery: StreamTV Elocity

Continue reading StreamTV Elocity A7 tablet packs Tegra 2 and Android 2.2, coming to Amazon for $399 in September

StreamTV Elocity A7 tablet packs Tegra 2 and Android 2.2, coming to Amazon for $399 in September originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pioneer Computers soon shipping 7-inch Tegra 2-powered DreamBook ePad N7 to dags down under

Tim Stevens — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:31:00 EST

Is the device above familiar to you? It should be if you've been following the release of Android Tegra 2 tablets, as it looks conspicuously like Aigo's N700, which is, itself, a rebadged Compal NAZ-10. It's now the recipient of another applique, this time getting inked with the name "Pioneer Computers" (an Aussie company unrelated to that other Pioneer) and now up for pre-order with a price of AUD $599 -- about $530 US. For that you get a seven-inch tablet with a 800 x 480 capacitive touchscreen, Tegra 2 internals, 512MB of RAM with 4GB of internal storage and microSD expansion, HDMI output, and 802.11b/g wireless. A 3G antenna will cost you another $99, though if you order right now they'll throw in the optional 1.3 megapixel webcam for free. That's a nice offer on a somewhat overpriced tablet, but it remains to be seen whether this sucker is eligible for Android 2.2 (it's currently rocking 2.1) and, indeed, whether it's a licensed install with the Market and whatnot. We'd guess the answer is "no," as earlier rebrands of these tablets went without, but we're always ready for surprises.

Pioneer Computers soon shipping 7-inch Tegra 2-powered DreamBook ePad N7 to dags down under originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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7-inch iPad tattle churns through Taiwanese rumor mills

Thomas Ricker — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 07:04:00 EST

The 7-inch iPad rumors are suddenly hot and heavy. In the last few weeks, we've seen a series of reports claiming that Apple was working on a smaller iPad (or bigger iPod touch?) set for release between the end of 2010 or early 2011. A DigiTimes piece, sourcing its own "analyst," claimed that the device would be making a jump to the Cortex A9 processor core, 512MB of RAM like the iPhone 4, and a 1,024 x 768 pixel IPS panel -- the same resolution as the 9.7-inch iPad giving the new model a better pixel density. Now we've got Taiwan's Economic Daily News saying that Chi Mei will join LG in supplying the new 7-inch IPS panels with AUO joining Sintek to provide the digitizer. EDN also claims that either Compal or Pegatron may join Foxconn in the assembly. Remember, even with hints of a new iPad model in Apple's own code this is all just rumor for now. Besides, we're still waiting for those Xbox 360 Blu-ray drives that the Economic Daily News assured us were coming in Q3 of 2008.

7-inch iPad tattle churns through Taiwanese rumor mills originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 07:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA shows 16 new Optimus laptops at Computex, teases GTX 460M GPU

Vlad Savov — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 08:05:00 EST

Just in case you were wondering where and when you might get a taste of the Optimus elixir, NVIDIA has handed us a detailed list of Computex debutants that will be taking the graphics switching technology with them to retail. A total of sixteen new Optimus machines are on show in Taipei, and although ASUS is still the biggest purveyor (with six SKUs, not counting previously announced products), Lenovo and Acer have also jumped on board, with the IdeaPad Y460 and a pair of Packard Bell EasyNotes, respectively. Notably, the FX700 above from MSI is marked as using an "unannounced" next-gen graphics chip, which we suspect might be the GTX 460M, a mobile GPU that NVIDIA is showing, but not talking about yet. Guess that'll be slotting in just below the recently unveiled GTX 480M. We've got pictorial evidence of the 460M's existence after the break, along with the full list of new Optimus-ized machines, which you can also scope out in the gallery below.

Gallery: NVIDIA Optimus at Computex 2010

Continue reading NVIDIA shows 16 new Optimus laptops at Computex, teases GTX 460M GPU

NVIDIA shows 16 new Optimus laptops at Computex, teases GTX 460M GPU originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 08:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aigo's surprisingly sexy 7-inch N700 tablet packs Android 2.1 and Tegra 2

Darren Murph — Mon, 03 May 2010 03:26:00 EST

Go 'head Aigo! Get down with your bad self. Quite frankly, we never anticipated Aigo / Patriot to come through with a me-too tablet that actually made us take a second glance, but darn if this one isn't quite the looker. And that's before you've even had a moment to digest the specifications sheet. According to new details surfacing in China, this 7-inch machine will hum along on a 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor and feature NVIDIA's Tegra 2 graphics chipset. There's also 512MB of DDR2 memory, an 800 x 480 pixel multitouch display, 4/16/32GB of inbuilt storage, a USB socket, microSD slot, HDMI output, inbuilt WiFi, optional 3G WWAN, audio in / out and a 3,120mAh battery. Android 2.1 will be the OS of choice, but crucial details surrounding price and availability are sorely missing. Call us crazy, but we'll actually be keeping an eye out for specifics on both.

Update: Well, what do you know? Seems as if this here device may in fact be a Compal NAZ-10 in disguise, and if this YouTube video is to be believed, it'll boast 16 hours of HD video playback on a single charge and a $300 price tag. Can you say "tempting?" Thanks, Alain!

Aigo's surprisingly sexy 7-inch N700 tablet packs Android 2.1 and Tegra 2 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 May 2010 03:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba's tablets said to offer Tegra 2 power, have we already seen the Android version?

Tim Stevens — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 08:57:00 EST

News continues to trickle out about Toshiba's upcoming tablets, which we learned just last week would come in both Windows and Android flavors and would be shipping before the year is through. Now it seems that both versions, despite offering different designs, will offer NVIDIA Tegra 2 internals. That both tablets will be manufactured by Compal makes us wonder if we weren't given a preview of the future Tosh model when playing with a 7-inch Android prototype at CES in January, pictured above. There's a video of that after the break to refresh your memory, a relic dating from the pre-G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra era. Simpler times, those.

Continue reading Toshiba's tablets said to offer Tegra 2 power, have we already seen the Android version?

Toshiba's tablets said to offer Tegra 2 power, have we already seen the Android version? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tegra 2 delay rumor makes the rounds, NVIDIA says 'everything's on track'

Paul Miller — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:02:00 EST

We bumped into NVIDIA at CTIA in Vegas last week, and even NVIDIA itself expressed some frustration at not having any finished Tegra 2-powered products to show us, but there was no talk of delays -- not that we really have many hard dates for any of the Tegra 2 devices to push up against. This morning, however, SlashGear ran a rumor from a "trusted source" saying that there were hardware and software "technical problems" with the platform, including a problem with Flash, which were delaying various tablets, including products from Notion Ink, Compal, and ICD. The source said that the Compal, which was due for a June release, has been bumped to September, while the ICD tablets won't hit until October. We asked NVIDIA for a statement, and they said that "The rumors aren't true. Everything's on track." With that sort of terse reply, we're not really sure which aspects of this rumor NVIDIA is rebutting, but we have to assume NVIDIA is at least saying that there aren't issues with Tegra 2 that are holding things back. As for when we'll see Tegra 2 tablets and smartbooks hit the market? That's anyone's guess.

Tegra 2 delay rumor makes the rounds, NVIDIA says 'everything's on track' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EAFT Magic Tile and Compal tablets shown in India, Tegra 2 and Android in tow

Darren Murph — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 17:41:00 EST

We heard earlier this month that half a hundred ARM-based tablets would be launching this year, and it's pretty safe to say that these will be two of 'em. Shown off recently in Mumbai, India's own EAFT spurred interest with its Magic Tile, a presumably Billy Mays-endorsed Tegra 2-based tablet that runs on Android. We're told that it's equipped with a 7-inch touch panel (1,024 x 600 resolution), a front-mounted 1.3 megapixel webcam for video chats, 1080p video encoding / decoding abilities, optional 3G, a battery good for 8 hours of usage, inbuilt accelerometer, Bluetooth, HDMI output and a USB socket to round things out. All told, it's a pretty well-specced machine, though we're certainly hoping that the design gets a little TLC before it's launched in Q3 for an undisclosed rate. In related news, a Compal tablet was also on display, boasting a similar 7-inch layout, a Tegra 2 chip within, 512MB of DDR2 RAM, a 3 megapixel camera and a complete lack of WiFi (gasp!). Head on past the break for a hands-on vid.

Update: We thought this thing looked familiar. If you had the same feeling, it's probably because the Magic Tile is actually that ICD Ultra tablet we played with a little while back. Still, "Magic Tile" has a catchy ring to it.

[Thanks, Sriram]

Continue reading EAFT Magic Tile and Compal tablets shown in India, Tegra 2 and Android in tow

EAFT Magic Tile and Compal tablets shown in India, Tegra 2 and Android in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Mar 2010 17:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Over 50 ARM-based tablets launching this year

Thomas Ricker — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:38:00 EST

While the verdict is still out with regard to consumer appetites for a 3rd portable computing device, PC makers are betting the farm on consumer interest in tablets that fill the gap between small-screened smartphones and bulky (by comparison) netbooks/laptops. We've already seen an uptick in tablet devices on display at the big CES and CeBIT trade shows, now tablet and MID device vendors look ready to blow out Computex when it kicks off on June 1st in Taipei. According to Roy Chen, ARM's ODM manager for worldwide mobile computing, more than 50 ARM-based tablet PCs will launch in 2010 starting in Q2 with "a lot more" landing in the third quarter -- a date that just happens to line up with the most optimistic Chrome OS launch schedule. ARM's seeing so much interest that it had to rent additional floor space to show off the devices. Chen said that many of the tablets are slated for China although all of the world's top 10 carriers have signed up as well. ARM was showing off two Android based tablets at the press event, including the 7-inch Compal device (pictured above) we gave a whirl at CES. Let's just hope that tablet makers have plans for some compelling content and service hook-ups with a focus on the user experience -- 50 near-identical slabs of touchscreen computing won't generate much enthusiasm around here.

Over 50 ARM-based tablets launching this year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell 'Lafite' enters the FCC, emerges as the Latitude E4310

Vlad Savov — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 07:01:00 EST

Good old Dell and its FCC submissions. After the E6410 and E6510 were revealed at the start of this month, the Round Rock vendor is back with the flamboyantly named Lafite laptop, which will make its retail presence known under the more familiar moniker of Latitude E4310. Once again, we're talking about computers firmly focused on business use, as evidenced by the integrated RFID chip. The Commission disclosure also informs us of UWB, WLAN and WWAN connectivity options, though it leaves us to guess at the rest of the specs. Space for Intel (Arrandale chips, most likely) and Microsoft labels is par for the course, and we were impressed by the thin chassis profile, schematics of which you can see after the break. Can't be long to go now before we see this 13-inch ultraportable make its debut, presumably alongside a similarly upgraded E4210.

Continue reading Dell 'Lafite' enters the FCC, emerges as the Latitude E4310

Dell 'Lafite' enters the FCC, emerges as the Latitude E4310 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Feb 2010 07:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell E6510 / Margaux strolls through the FCC (Update: E6410 too)

Vlad Savov — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:57:00 EST

Recall, if you will, Dell's aluminum-clad E6500: a mobile workhorse that some rank as highly, if not higher than Lenovo's venerable ThinkPad line (albeit with one slight hiccup in its service history). Well, the company has quite rightly decided that it's time to freshen things up with a new model, so let us all say a big howareya to the E6510. Code-named Margaux and bearing the product code PP30LA, this machine's journey through the FCC reveals Compal as its manufacturer, Intel and Windows as the major hardware and software providers (no surprises there), and a seemingly unaltered touchpad from the previous generation. The battery label seems to indicate a cool 6,700mAh of juice, while connectivity is taken care of with WiFi, WWAN and a UWB/Bluetooth combo card, with the latter two likely being optional extras. All in all, it's looking like a competent new outing from Dell, now let's just jack that Core i5 in there and start selling these babies.

Update: The E6410, aka Rothschild, aka PP27LA, has also slinked its way through the American certification committee, though it appears to bear a smaller maximum battery capacity of 4,600 mAh and no UWB option when compared to its larger-screened brother. Skip past the break for a visual of its internal arrangement.

Continue reading Dell E6510 / Margaux strolls through the FCC (Update: E6410 too)

Dell E6510 / Margaux strolls through the FCC (Update: E6410 too) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Compal Android tablet with next-gen Tegra demoed at CES (video)

Jacob Schulman — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:36:00 EST

Man, it's almost like every hour we come across another tablet-esque device here at CES 2010, and this time around it's a prototype concept device from Compal being shown off by NVIDIA. This 7-inch tablet / slate / MID / whatever was running Android 2.0 and packed Wifi -- sadly, there was no GPS or Bluetooth to be found. Up top there was a SIM card slot as well as a microSD card slot for extra storage, and an HDMI out port around the side. Unfortunately, the device is plagued from the start as its rocking a resistive touchscreen instead of a capacitive one. Despite the next-gen Tegra chip inside, our user experience was pretty abysmal, with touches barely registering and general usability pretty low. However, once we got some HD video up on the display, we got to see that Tegra doing what it was made to do... and it almost made up for that horrendous resistive display.

Gallery: Compal Android tablet with next-gen Tegra chipset hands-on

Continue reading Compal Android tablet with next-gen Tegra demoed at CES (video)

Compal Android tablet with next-gen Tegra demoed at CES (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia's Booklet 3G in high enough demand to warrant a successor?

Tim Stevens — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:40:00 EST

We're still not entirely convinced that there are enough netbook-needing Nokia fanbois out there to make the Booklet 3G a retail success, but word on the internets is that the folks in Espoo are seeing "strong market demand," which, if true, must be a little surprising even to them. Assuming orders are indeed high it's logical to expect a successor, and rumors are suggesting that Compal is expecting the nod to start building the next generation model -- not a particularly shocking notion since the company is already building the current Booklet. When will we see this neo Nokia netbook? Sometime next year... supposedly.

Filed under: Laptops

Nokia's Booklet 3G in high enough demand to warrant a successor? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Moblin 2.1 eyes-on

Nilay Patel — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:10:00 EST

Intel wouldn't let anyone touch it -- or even close the browser out to the home screen -- but we just got a quick glimpse of the new phone-oriented Moblin 2.1 running on an unnamed Compal MID and an Acer netbook. It's certainly pretty, and the widgets look nice, but we're not going to be happy until we can poke at it ourselves. One more pic after the break!

Continue reading Moblin 2.1 eyes-on

Filed under: Handhelds, Software

Moblin 2.1 eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia following Booklet 3G with ARM-based smartbook in mid-2010?

Ross Miller — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 01:31:00 EST

Those semiconductor semi-gossipers at DigiTimes want you to know that Nokia's not stopping with the Booklet 3G and in fact has an ARM-based smartbook set for mass consumption in the middle of 2010. According to its sources, Espoo's in the process of settling with ODMs now, and the speculation is that it'll go to either Compal or Foxconn (a.k.a. Hon Hai Precision Industry). If all of this sounds familiar, that's because it is: we've heard multiple reports this year that suggested a smartbook / MID with either a multicore ARM Cortex A9 Sparrow chip or Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor. We're not discounting it, especially considering that netbook bit panned out, but mid-2010 is quite a ways off -- no telling when we'll be hearing anything else on the matter.

Filed under: Laptops

Nokia following Booklet 3G with ARM-based smartbook in mid-2010? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 01:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP reportedly beginning production of new 10.1-inch, 11.6-inch netbooks / ultralights

Donald Melanson — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:26:00 EST

This is about as early and unofficial as it gets, but DigiTimes is reporting that HP has contracted Quanta to begin production of an apparently all new 11.6-inch netbook in August, and another new 10.1-inch before the end of the year, which SlashGear rightly speculates could well be CULV ultralights rather than standard "netbooks." That's further bolstered by the fact that HP has separately contracted Inventec to build a revision to its current 10.1-inch netbook at the end of September. It's not all netbooks and ultralights for HP, however, as Quanta has also landed a deal to produce some new 15.6- and 17.3-inch laptops, while Compal will be handling HP's new 13.3- and 14-inch enterprise notebooks.

[Via SlashGear]

Filed under: Laptops

HP reportedly beginning production of new 10.1-inch, 11.6-inch netbooks / ultralights originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer's dual-boot Android and XP netbook launching in August?

Thomas Ricker — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 05:39:00 EST

You remember Android right, Google's other OS that actually exists? Well, Acer's set to launch what could be the world's first Android-based netbook in August. At least that's what DigiTimes is reporting second-hand via Chinese-language Apple Daily. While two suspect sources won't turn a rumor into fact, Acer's already on record with plans for an Android netbook in Q3 in dual-boot XP configurations. So hearing that Quanta and Compal will have these out smack in the middle of the quarter isn't much of a stretch.

Filed under: Laptops

Acer's dual-boot Android and XP netbook launching in August? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 05:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Atom-based Nokia netbook reportedly on track for Q3 release

Darren Murph — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:28:00 EST

So much for Nokia and Intel keeping quiet on actual product announcements, huh? Just yesterday, the two mega-corps joined hands in what they called a technical collaboration, and while they wouldn't go into detail about what products would sprout from the partnership, it seems that Commercial Times has done the honors. Reportedly, Nokia has already ordered up a few machines from Compal and Quanta, two OEMs that are largely responsible for most every netbook on the market today. Not surprisingly, we're told that the Nokiabook will rely on one of Intel's Atom processors, and considering that the new wave of Atom chips aren't slated to land until 2010, you can pretty much put money on a N270 or N280 configuration. In related news, we're told that Compal will engineer a Qualcomm Snapdragon-based Nokia smartbook, though there's no word on what kind of OS (Symbian, perhaps?) will be included.

Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops

Atom-based Nokia netbook reportedly on track for Q3 release originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Compal tries harder with Intel-based KAX15 MID

Darren Murph — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:56:00 EST

We're not so sure that being the "world's smallest Windows-based MID" is really a benefit for those who appreciate keys that are large enough to mash and screens that are large enough to see, but whatever the case, Compal seems pretty proud of its accomplishments here. Shown off along with scores of other me-too MIDs at Computex, the KAX15 is based around Intel's existing Menlow platform and sports the polarizing tilt-and-slide mechanism for unmasking the QWERTY keyboard. As for specs, we're told that it packs an 800 x 480 display and an 800MHz processor, but further details have yet to flow. There's a hands-on vid just past the break if you're somehow intrigued with shoving Windows in your left cargo pocket.

Continue reading Compal tries harder with Intel-based KAX15 MID

Filed under: Handhelds

Compal tries harder with Intel-based KAX15 MID originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Compal shows off Android-running, Snapdragon-powered smartbook

Donald Melanson — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:23:00 EST

As if it wasn't clear already, smartbooks are one of the big trends (if not the biggest) to emerge out of this year's Computex, be they Snapdragon or Tegra-powered. Just as interesting as the devices themselves, however, is the fact that a number of manufacturers are looking at using Android as an OS for 'em, including big players like ASUS, and now Compal. While's ASUS' Snapdragon-based offering was impressive enough, Compal looks to have slightly outdone it by adding a customized interface at start-up, which is apparently just a taste of further "optimizations" to come. Details are otherwise a bit hard to come by, but you can head on past the break for a hands-on video courtesy of techvideoblog.com.

Continue reading Compal shows off Android-running, Snapdragon-powered smartbook

Filed under: Laptops

Compal shows off Android-running, Snapdragon-powered smartbook originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer to join the Moblin Linux bandwagon

Joseph L. Flatley — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:41:00 EST

Moblin -- the Intel lovin' Linux flavor we've heard so much about recently -- just got some major support from Acer, who plans on slapping it on laptops, desktop PCs, and its Aspire One nettops. According to PC World, a press conference held today saw a wide range of Moblin versions (including Suse, Xandros, Linpus, Red Flag, and Ubuntu Moblin) installed on netbooks from companies that included HP, Asustek, MSI, and Hasee Computer; MIDs by the likes of BenQ and Compal; and even an Eee Keyboard. Not too bad for an OS that wasn't even an OS when we first laid eyes on it, eh? We'll keep our eyes peeled for those machines from Acer. In the mean time, how about that Tony Hawk Ride? Man, that looks sweet.

Filed under: Desktops, Handhelds, Laptops

Acer to join the Moblin Linux bandwagon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA unveils 12 Tegra devices, 25 days of music or 10 hours of 1080p video on single charge (updated)

Thomas Ricker — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 04:22:00 EST

You've read about it, maybe even dreamed about it in your fantasies of a Microsoft Pink smartphone drizzled with Zune media. Now we've got Tegra taking center stage at Computex with a dozen "mobile internet devices" powered by the Tegra processor, the "world's smallest and lowest power computer-on-a-chip" according to NVIDIA. Of notable importance, the latest Tegra press release contradicts the Mobinnova Elan release by claiming 1080p video playback is supported by Tegra, not just 720p. Something we saw for ourselves (and had confirmed by NVIDIA) during our hands-on with the Elan.

Now, get this; NVIDIA is using the term MID unlike Intel uses MID even though the terminology is of Intel origin. Instead of referring to handheld devices for consumers, NVIDIA's MIDs are classed as Tegra-based netbooks and tablets. In other words, the 8.9-inch Elan is a MID. Ugh.

Semantics aside, the platform is smokin' hot with promise offering the following benefits:

25 days of music or 10-hours of 1080p video playback on a single charge
video games play at up to 46 frames per second
GPU accelerated Adobe Flash animations (huzzah for Hulu!)
always-on processors for instant access to the network
3G, WiFi, and WiMax solutions support

Great on paper, but still not available for purchase. Rest assured, we'll be hands-on with more Tegra devices on the quick.

Update: Tegra devices are expected to land before 2009 is through, priced around $200 or less with carrier subsidies.

Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops

NVIDIA unveils 12 Tegra devices, 25 days of music or 10 hours of 1080p video on single charge (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 04:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Compal, other manufacturers skeptical of MIDs

Thomas Ricker — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 06:29:00 EST

Remember the dedicated team that Compal had set aside back in 2007 to focus on all those Atom-based MIDs expected to flood the market? Pilfered, another victim blind-sided by the rise of the netbook. According to DigiTimes' moles inside the Chinese manufacturing juggernaut, Compal, Quanta, ASUS, and others are focusing resources on netbooks while remaining conservative on Intel's MID platform. Even with Intel's battery-sipping Moorestown platform around the corner, we remain skeptical about devices that are too large for the pocket and double the price of netbooks that bring twice the screen and full QWERTY keyboards -- for mass market consumption anyway.

Filed under: Handhelds

Compal, other manufacturers skeptical of MIDs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 06:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Compal producing August-bound ultraportable for Dell?

Darren Murph — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:24:00 EST

With the Studio XPS 13 and newfangled Adamo already in its pocket, what other ultraportable does Round Rock really need? That's a question that Compal seems eager and ready to answer, at least according to Chinese-language Commercial Times. The all-too-scant report mentions that the ultrathin laptop will be based on Intel's excruciatingly slow (but power-sipping) CULV (consumer ultra low voltage) processor and should start shipping this August. Our best (and only, really) guess as to what Dell's mystery machine could be? That already planned Mini 11, which we heard earlier this month would be ready between yesterday and Q3.

Filed under: Laptops

Compal producing August-bound ultraportable for Dell? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola cancels Alexander smartphone?

Darren Murph — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:23:00 EST

So much for the "last stand," huh? After getting pictured way back in August of last year, Motorola has quietly let CES, Mobile World Congress and (almost) CTIA slip by with nary a peep on why this thing has yet to ship. We'd initially heard that Q4 2008 was the window, and then Q1 2009; just last week, we heard that Moto could be shooting out ten new smartphones in the latter half of this year, but evidently this one won't be included. According to the always questionable DigiTimes, Motorola has inexplicably "canceled the planned launch of the Alexander handset and also reduced the number of markets in which it will sell its A3100 smartphone," though it gave no reason as to why. Is it sad that we're not at all saddened? Onward and upward, we say.

[Via WMPowerUser]

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola cancels Alexander smartphone? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola cancels Alexander smartphone?

Darren Murph — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:23:00 EST

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola

Motorola cancels Alexander smartphone? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Commercial Times: Palm "smartphones" delayed to end of year (updated with Palm's response)

Thomas Ricker — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 07:25:00 EST

Here's a murky report flushed from the bowels of rumor-dom that's sure to get investors into a tizzy as information and misinformation spreads. The Commercial Times, with its hit-or-miss record of rumor mongering is reporting that Compal Communications, "will be forced to postpone its shipments of smartphones to Palm from mid-year to the end of the year." It goes on to say that,

"Palm's two smartphones will be delayed as Compal is waiting for Qualcomm's new chipset solutions that will enable better performance."

Now, before you panic, keep a few things in mind. First, the article never specifically mentions the Pre which Palm has emphatically stated (just 3 days ago) is on track for launch in the first half of 2009. Also, DigiTimes which is re-reporting the rumor from the original Chinese-language source claimed last week that Chi Mei, not Compal, was doing the Pre assembly. Also note that Palm has stated that the Pre uses a TI OMAP processor making the Qualcomm quote a bit dubious. Our take? This rumor's bunk, at least as it applies to the Pre. We'll be getting a statement from Palm just as soon as they awake.

[Thanks, Herman M.]

Update: Palm just followed up with us on this, stating that there is "No change in our previously announced plan to have the Pre available in the first half of 2009." Phew!

Filed under: Handsets, Palm

Commercial Times: Palm "smartphones" delayed to end of year (updated with Palm's response) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 07:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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