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Texas Instruments CC2540 promises ultra-low energy Bluetooth

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 19th 2009 at 7:18AM

Texas Instruments is pretty chuffed with itself right about now, as it's prepping to demonstrate a swell-sounding new system-on-chip that takes Bluetooth connectivity to the extreme reaches of low energy consumption. About to be shown off in Munich tomorrow, the new CC2540 takes up a measly 6mm-squared of real estate, and is said to be able to operate for more than a year on a single button cell battery. With the reduced physical size and embedded Flash memory, this should be easier to install and update as necessary too. Considering the battery-draining ways of current Bluetooth tech, such claims sound preposterously awesome, but we'll keep our giddy enthusiasm in check until early next year when samples will begin rolling out. For now, you can check out the older video below 'splaining the prospective benefits in more detail.

Read - Texas Instruments press release
Read - Bluetooth low energy webpage
Read - Video explanation of Bluetooth low energy

Core Values: The silicon behind Android

by Anand Shimpi posted Oct 14th 2009 at 3:30PM

Core Values is our new monthly column from Anand Shimpi, Editor-in-chief of AnandTech. With over a decade of experience poring over the latest in chip developments, he's here to explain how things work and why our tech is the way it is.

Remember this chart? It's interesting for a number of reasons, but I want to highlight that all present day Android phones use virtually the same Qualcomm application processor, all based on a sluggish 528MHz ARM11 core. Blech.

I've got nothing against Qualcomm, but a big reason most Android phones feel slow is because they're running on slow hardware. The ARM11 core was first announced in 2003. It's old and creaky, and it's used so frequently because it's cheap. But the basic rules of chip design mean that things are about to change fast.

Continue reading Core Values: The silicon behind Android

TI joins HP, creates official business calculator port for iPhone

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 25th 2009 at 9:11AM

Calculators were the original handheld computers, but unlike the whole PDA fad, they've had amazing staying power through their 40-year history -- to this day, buttoned-up dudes crunching numbers at wooden desks have HP 12Cs next to them not for the kitschy retro street cred, but because they're functional, familiar, and do exactly what they're expected to do. Thing is, even purpose-suited perfection can only carry a product for so many years; eventually, raw technology and a new generation of users with different expectations are going to conspire to tear down the status quo. HP was the first giant to recognize that it might be a good idea to have virtual versions of its products available for a more modern medium, porting the 12C and 15C to the iPhone; now, TI -- HP's archrival in the calculator business for decades -- is doing the same by offering its BAII Plus as a $14.99 download from the App Store. That's exactly the same price as the 12C, so come on, you HP and TI diehards -- duke it out and tell us which brand makes the better adding machine once and for all, won't you?

USB 3.0 has a SuperSpeed coming-out party at IDF

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 23rd 2009 at 12:07PM

The world better be ready for SuperSpeed USB 3.0, cause it's coming, baby -- and by the looks of things at IDF, it's coming soon. Intel's "USB Community" pavilion is filled with SuperSpeed tech from a variety of companies, and while some of the demos are happening on crazy Frankenstein rigs, there's a bunch of stuff here that's basically ready to ship, including controller chips from NEC and Fujitsu, which are the heart of the whole shebang. Of course, while lightning-fast SSD transfers are nice, the showiest product on the floor is Point Grey's prototype HD camera here, which streams uncompressed 1080p video over USB 3.0 -- it's not a final product, but it's apparently quite close. Yes, we know the gallery below is basically cable porn, but here are the facts: USB 3.0 is 10x faster than 2.0 while using less power, and it's entirely backwards-compatible, since the five 3.0 pins in the connector have been cleverly engineered to sit above the four legacy 2.0 pins. If that doesn't get you dreaming of hard drives for the holidays, well, we don't know what will. Video after the break!

Gallery: USB 3.0 at IDF 2009

Continue reading USB 3.0 has a SuperSpeed coming-out party at IDF

Wireless power standard almost here, named Qi (of all things)

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Aug 18th 2009 at 11:23AM

We're not sure whether to chalk this up to the fact that every good brand name is already taken, or to some folks' delight in torturing us with obscure pronunciation -- but whatever the case may be, it looks like the Wireless Power Consortium have finally come up with a spec for Wireless Power, and for it they're using a name (and logo) probably dreamt up after repeat viewings of Big Trouble in Little China: Qi. Pronounced Ch'i (you know, as in "prana" or "life force"), the first universal wireless standard has achieved 0.95 for interoperability testing a mere seven months after setting their eyes on the goal, paving the way for an "accelerated" acceptance of 1.0, according to a company spokesperson. The Qi standard applies to devices 5 watts and below, and members of the consortium include Duracell, National Semiconductor, Olympus, Philips, Samsung, Sanyo, ST-Ericsson, and Shenzhen Sangfei Consumer Communications. At any rate, it's nice to hear about something happening ahead of schedule for once.

[Via SlashGear]

Always Innovating's Touch Book in production, finally pictured in non-render form

by Tim Stevens posted Jun 25th 2009 at 8:22AM

Always Innovating has stopped innovating for a moment and started production. Its transformer of a netbook/tablet called the Touch Book is now rolling off manufacturing lines on track for shipments starting next month. Anyone who has pre-ordered already will be happy to know that the prices we spied in April are still in effect, meaning $299 for the tablet itself, while the clip-on keyboard comes in at $99 extra. For that price you get an 8.9-inch 1024 x 600 touchscreen, a USB 802.11 b/g/n adapter, Bluetooth, a TI ~~OMAP3430~~ OMAP3530 processor, and 512MB of memory split evenly between RAM and NAND, plus a further 8GB of storage on an SD card. Not exactly a screamer, but performance running Linux (the only OS available) should be reasonably snappy, and we're curious to see what enterprising coders will do with its internal accelerometer. It does look a little like a knob-free Etch A Sketch...

Update: As Kaa pointed out in the comments, we were off by 100 on the CPU revision. It's an OMAP3530, not 3430.

[Thanks, Jeff]

Gallery: Always Innovating Touch Book

Video: ECS T800 netbook brings us to our knees with Android on 1GHz OMAP3

by Thomas Ricker posted Jun 2nd 2009 at 8:17AM

This is quite possibly a better Vaio P... you know, if it actually worked. This non-functional stunner of a prototype is sitting pretty at Computex, an event where OEMs (like Sony, HP, and Dell) shop from the latest ODM (like Foxconn and Compal) designs before tweaking for retail launch. Instead of taking chances with Vista overpowering an Intel Atom processor, however, the ECS T800 on display at Computex is destined to run Android on your choice of 800MHz OMAP3 3440 or 1GHz OMAP3 3450 TI processors. It measures in at 246 x 121 x 20-mm / 800-grams (1.76-pounds) and packs an 8.1-inch display, 512MB of memory, a 2.5-inch hard disk or SSD, and a pair of internal Mini-PCIe slots for WWAN cards. Regarding ports, we're looking at 2x USB 2.0, a 4-in-1 card reader, and an audio jack for your headset. Hey ODMs, we're interested (even if the case for Android on a netbook hasn't been clearly defined) especially if it can be offered for $99 or less through a subsidized carrier agreement. So who's going to bite first, huh? Maybe you Dell now that your Mini 9 netbook has been discontinued. Video after the break.

Continue reading Video: ECS T800 netbook brings us to our knees with Android on 1GHz OMAP3

ISB Corp assimilates Android into STB

by Ross Miller posted May 18th 2009 at 7:47PM

Netbooks and digital picture frames aren't the only new territory Google's Android can be found exploring. ISB Corp is tinkering with the platform as a way of powering a set-top box. A reference board powered by TI's OMAP 3530 processor was on display last week, strutting its video playback and web browsing capabilities at the 12th Embedded Systems Expo in Tokyo, and there the company said it was in the process of optimizing the software for a smooth HD video experience. It's also reportedly demonstrating support for wireless keyboards and Bluetooth. Frankly, we haven't been 100 percent sold on a lot of these Android implementations, but there's definitely potential here. Hopefully we can get some more glimpses of it in the not too distant future.

Archos event June 11th: 5-inch Android tablet with voice expected

by Thomas Ricker posted May 18th 2009 at 4:59AM

This one's a bit of a stretch but totally plausible. Archos just announced a press conference in Paris on June 11th -- that's a fact. However, the choice of Android-green in the invite above has caused widespread speculation that we'll be getting a first peep at Archos' heavily rumored Android-based device. Remember, TI was kind enough to give us the full specs on a 10-mm thin Archos Internet Media Tablet "with all the functionalities of a premium smartphone" back in February. At that time, TI listed specs like a 5-inch high-resolution screen, Adobe Flash support, TV recording, HD playback, 500GB of storage, 7 hours of video playback off battery, voice and HSUPA data radio all powered by a smokin' OMAP3440 processor from TI. If true then we can expect to see the device hinted at in the invite launch in Q3.

[Via SlashGear, thanks Chris]

Read -- Archos Press event
Read -- Archos Internet Media Tablet [February 9th, 2009]

Microsoft "Pink" specs leak out: Tegra, Snapdragon, OMAP 3, oh my?

by Nilay Patel posted May 12th 2009 at 3:39PM

Ready for some more delicious Zune / Windows Mobile rumors after today's June Zune letdown? Well buckle up -- the always-sharp Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet says she's got specs for Windows Mobile 7 Chassis 1, the heart of that rumored "Pink" smartphone, and they're pretty wild. According to the list, Chassis 1 phones will all have 3.5-inch or larger multitouch displays with ARM v6+ processors and OpenGL ES 2.0-compatible graphics hardware, 256MB or more of RAM and 1GB or more of storage, as well as at least a 3 megapixel camera, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, a compass, and accelerometer. Oh, and glory be -- a 3.5mm headphone jack is required. Here's the kicker, though: NVIDIA's Tegra platform is specifically listed as meeting the core CPU requirements, as well as TI's OMAP 3 platform and "Qualcomm 8k," which sounds to us like Snapdragon's QSD8xxx-series chips. If you've been following along, you know that all three of these (Tegra in particular) have been bandied about as potential Microsoft phone platforms, so it makes perfect sense to us that Microsoft's giving its hardware partners a choice of currently-available high-powered platforms for Chassis 1 -- especially since we've been hearing lots of whispers of hardware based on these chips in the works.

Here's the thing, though: we've also always been told that "Pink" is the codename for Zune software and services on Windows Mobile, so something tells us that Chassis 1 phones running Windows Mobile 7 will feature a strong dose of Zune flavoring -- a plan Steve Ballmer's repeatedly confirmed in the past year. So how do we think this all fits together? Well, we'll slightly revise our previous totally crazy, off-the-wall prediction: we think "Pink" is the codename for a new consumer-focused version of Windows Mobile that integrates Zune services, running not only on a touchscreen Zune HD, but on several third-party phones. Are we crazy? Yes, absolutely -- but you've got to admit the pieces are coming together.

ZigBee adding IP capabilities to its wireless devices, Texas Instruments likey

by Tim Stevens posted Apr 27th 2009 at 9:34AM

We've seen ZigBee wireless functionality showing up in everything from remote controls to robots, but apparently that was all just the beginning. The Alliance has announced plans to expand its low-power standards to support Internet Protocol, a move that member-company Texas Instruments is apparently quite pleased about -- perhaps seeing an opportunity to make up some of those declining sales in the mobile phone area. IP connectivity in all sorts of random devices should open the door for plenty of exciting and new-fangled connectivity options, all of which can only mean one thing: dung beetle MMO.

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

by Thomas Ricker posted Mar 23rd 2009 at 7:25AM

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!

Intel rated leading chip manufacturer again, AMD slips out of top ten

by Tim Stevens posted Mar 12th 2009 at 9:12AM

This economic crisis has been tough for nearly every business worldwide, perhaps best evidenced by the number of corporate spats we've seen develop lately as everyone gets more and more protective of their respective turfs. While Intel and NVIDIA have lately been engaged in an epic war of PowerPoint presentations, fewer disputes have been bigger or longer-running than the one between Intel and its more direct competition, AMD. That "us inside" company just earned some bragging rights, being named the biggest processor manufacturer in the world again by iSuppli, with a 13.1 percent global market share. AMD, which came in tenth last year, dropped down to the number twelve position in 2008 after its revenue declined 7.8 percent compared to 2007. News was also bad for Texas Instruments, which dropped a position largely thanks to the success of mobile processors from Toshiba and Qualcomm. Don't be so glum, TI, maybe successes from Russell Crowe's favorite flavor of pico projector will make up for the difference.

BenQ GP1 (P1) LED pocket projector eyes-on

by Darren Murph posted Mar 5th 2009 at 12:48AM

Remember that GP1 pico projector that was quietly announced alongside a slew of others at CES this year? Apparently it's sporting the P1 moniker in Europe, which is infinitely confusing given that BenQ used to have a PJ that looked mighty similar to this one, and yeah, it too was called the P1. At any rate, the GP1 you see here is BenQ's first ever LED beamer, and with it will come an 858 x 600 native resolution, 100 ANSI lumens, 2,000:1 contrast ratio, an integrated USB reader, TI's DLP technology and a lamp life of 20,000 hours. It should be out in Germany by April, but we're still expecting it here in the US next month for a lofty $599.

Gallery: BenQ GP1 (P1) LED pocket projector hands-on

MWC day three: return of the Jedi

by Nilay Patel posted Feb 18th 2009 at 9:03PM

Okay, an Android RAZR would have been amazing, but sadly Motorola didn't announce anything at all at MWC, so our dreams are on hold for the moment. In fact, day three was bereft of any major announcements, but there was some action: Telstra boss Sol Trujillo's prototype HTC handset running Windows Mobile 6.5 was pickpocketed, we played with a few real Android prototypes, and we even saw Windows Mobile hacked into compatibility with a capacitive touchscreen. What else did we learn?

Continue reading MWC day three: return of the Jedi