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OLPC sees bandwagon, hops on with XO tablet based on Marvell Moby design
Eh, those kiddos don't need no physical keyboards and power cranks, right? Right! In a presumed effort to both keep with the times and take advantage of what's being served to them on a silver platter, the philanthropic souls over at One Laptop Per Child have teamed with Marvell in order to develop the next OLPC -- which, predictably, will be a tablet. The forthcoming range of XO tablets will be based on Marvell's newly loosed 'Moby' reference design (which we recently toyed with), and given that purported $99 price tag, you can see why the tie-up makes sense. The slate will require but one watt of power to operate (compared to ~five watts on the existing XO laptop), and it'll include a multilingual soft keyboard with touch feedback in order to serve various regions of the globe. As for specs, we're told that the device will boast an ARMADA 610 application processor, "gigahertz processor speed," 1080p encode / decode capabilities, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, FM radio support, a GPS module and the ability to play back 3D graphics and Adobe Flash videos (zing!). There's also an integrated camera for live video conferencing, not to mention Moby's ability to support Android, Windows Mobile and / or Ubuntu. All we're told about battery life is that it's designed "expressly" to last a good, long while, and scarily enough, there's no confirmation anywhere that these will actually cost less than a Benjamin whenever they ship. Fingers crossed, though.
Marvell shows off 10-inch Android tablet at Netbook Summit
Unfortunately, we don't know much about this new Marvell powered tablet, but we couldn't resist sharing our impressions of the very svelte 10-inch device. We only got a few minutes to play around with the slate at the Netbook Summit, but we can tell you that it has a brushed metal back and there's an opening on the front for a camera. As for the internals, it's based on Marvell's Moby reference design, which uses its Snapdragon-class Armada 610 processor, and will run Android 2.1 Eclair. The rest will be up to whatever Marvell customer is bringing this bad boy to market -- the Marvell executive that let us catch a glance at the device wouldn't turn it on as he feared we may see the mystery customer's logo. We told you we didn't know much, but from what we saw today it sure looks promising. Now, if only we felt Android was ready Google would give us a tablet-ready version of Android... %Gallery-93686%
iWonder Android tablet fixes major bug: the logo is right-side-up
Remember that ultra-low-cost Android-powered tablet that Marvell was showing off back at MWC this year? It seemed neat enough considering the aggressive goal of getting it into Chinese customers' hands for somewhere around $100, but there was a single unforgivable problem: the iWonder logo was upside-down. Fatal flaw, right? Well, not to worry, because Marvell's back with the iWonder here at CTIA, and this time the logo's facing precisely the same direction as the display (in landscape mode, anyhow). We've also learned that the tablet is being produced in a wide variety of colors -- we saw white at MWC, black here -- so if you've ever dreamed of owning a cherry red Google-powered tablet that's as big as your frickin' skull, Marvell knows a guy who knows a guy who can probably hook you up.
Marvell pitches $99 Moby Tablet as textbook alternative
When chipmaker Marvell told us its technology would power $99 smartphones, we took the company at its word. We weren't expecting a sub-$100, 10-inch tablet PC, however -- and we definitely weren't expecting Marvell itself to build it. Marketed at students looking to lighten their textbook load, the Marvell Moby will be an "always-on, high performance multimedia tablet" capable of full Flash support and 1080p HD playback -- thanks to those nifty Armada 600 series processors -- and supporting WiFi, Bluetooth, FM radio, GPS and both Android and Windows Mobile platforms for maximum flexibility. No release date has yet been announced; like the OLPC, Marvell will introduce the Moby in pilot programs at participating at-risk schools. While it's far too early to say if the Moby will be the universal educational e-reader Marvell hopes (that depends on software), it's certainly an intriguing device for the price, and we'll admit we're a touch jealous of those kids who'll first get to try one.
Crucial's 6Gbps RealSSD C300 goes on sale, costs as much as a decent laptop
You've gone for the 64GB of quad-channel DDR7 RAM, you've got your Core i26 processor, and you're running a triple pack of those Radeon Ultra HD 9000 cards in CrossFire. But something's missing from your speed demon machine -- could a $799 SSD be the answer? Crucial would have you believe that, yes, splashing all your rent money on a 256GB storage drive is a totally worthwhile investment, and early reviews of the RealSSD C300 revealed it to be "holy mother of god" fast. So no qualms about its speed, but if your benchmark lust knows some budgetary bounds, you may want to consider the slightly more reasonable 128GB variant, which comes in at $499. Both are available right this minute direct from Crucial, so either go buy one or stop this torture and go distract yourself with something cheaper. [Thanks, Rick]
iWonder why the logo is upside down
Among Marvell's many demos at MWC this year was a curious white tablet out of well-traveled ODM Foxconn -- the so-called iWonder -- that will see duty in China later this year. It's got a pretty awful 10.1-inch display (resistive with nary a trace of meaningful brightness or contrast), but when you consider that they're targeting an exceptionally thrifty price point in the low $100s, it's actually a pretty reasonable package. It's got Android 1.6, WiFi with a dedicated hardware on-off switch, an accelerometer (though it was totally flaky on the version we used), and a handful of touch-sensitive buttons around the bezel, including last- and next-page buttons for using the iWonder as an e-reader. Marvell touts that the tablet is using its reference design as a starting point -- now the next trick is helping Foxconn find a decent LCD supplier. Follow the break for some video of the iWonder showing off its Donut prowess -- if you can avoid the distraction of the curiously inverted logo, that is. %Gallery-85926%
Chumby prototype with Marvell innards spotted at MWC 2010
Even though they don't make retail devices, the booths of component makers like Qualcomm, Broadcom, TI, and Marvell at trade shows are often great venues for actually seeing retail devices -- these guys have to help showgoers make the connection between a boring chunk of silicon and an end product if they're hoping to score orders, after all. Indeed, Marvell's tent at MWC this year is a veritable cornucopia of Good Things, and we couldn't help but notice that they're showing what appears to be one of Chumby's not-for-sale reference designs sporting an 800 x 600 display with an 800MHz Marvell Armada core (hence the appearance here in the booth). For the record, we're told this is a successor to last year's reference platform known as "Silvermoon" that had been running on a 1GHz PXA168 and that there's a chance it'll be available in retail form later this year. The UI's attractive, but not really as multi-functional as Sony's Dash -- you can think of this as more of a giant Chumby One, really, with some extra screen elements designed to take advantage of the significantly higher resolution. There's no guarantee this'll ever be produced -- or if so, when -- so for the time being, our video UI tour after the break is about as close as you're going to get.
Marvell's Pantheon platform to bring $99 smartphones, Armada 618 to dominate HD clips
In a presumed effort to get its news out before the whirlwind that is Mobile World Congress officially begins, Marvell has just shot out two vital pieces of information that may very well impact the price and performance of your next smartphone. First off, we've got the new Pantheon platform, which is designed to "provide breakthrough levels of integration that lower the bill of materials for mobile devices while offering consumers excellent performance, connectivity, and a compelling user experience." In other words, this is said to be the core ingredient in a future wave of "$99 smartphones" that can handle 3D gaming, HD media and some random thing called "calling." Next up is the latest member of the Armada family, the 618. Packed with a 1GHz clock speed and the ability to chew through 1080p content, 3D graphics and pretty much anything else you can throw at it, there's a halfway decent chance we'll see this under the hood of a few upcoming tablets, e-readers and bodacious smartphones. Hopefully we'll learn more at MWC next week, and we'll be sure to share it as soon as we get it.
Skiff and Marvell announce Skiff Reader Develop Kit in a bid to rule the e-world
We've been hearing a lot about Marvell lately driven, in part, by the rapid growth in e-reader devices. Now it's teamed up with Hearst's ambitious venture, Skiff, to create the Skiff Reader Development Kit (RDK) designed to allow manufacturers to quickly create inexpensive reading devices using Marvell's Armada System-on-a-chip with integrated electronic paper display controller. Naturally, the RDK includes built-in software support for the Skiff eReading service and digital storefront. Interesting, very interesting. It's becoming clear that Skiff's approach to toppling Amazon's early e-reader / service juggernaut is to flood the market with devices hooked into a compelling value proposition for publishers and content owners and then ultimately (sometime later this year), consumers. Hold tight kids, this could be Apple (Amazon) vs. Microsoft (Skiff/Hearst) all over again.
Marvell debuts quad core Armada ARM processor for kicking your mobile apps in the face
Marvell's already been showing some pretty great devices (like Spring Design's Alex, pictured) based on its Armada 500 (smartbook / nettop) and 600 (mobile) processors, but apparently that was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The real meat is in Marvell's newly announced quadcore versions of those very same GHz+ chips, which should put mobile devices into a different league power-wise -- at least until Marvell's competition hops on board. There's no telling how much these will cost or when they'll show up, but Marvell says they're aimed at the "mass consumer market" and "high volume gaming applications." Gaming, huh? Perhaps Tegra 2 has a little bit of competition in the prospective DS 2 chip race.
Marvell shows off an ODM smartbook thinner than strict decency permits (hands-on with video!)
Marvell has a new smartbook design on display here with its Armada 510 processor under the hood, and it's one of the skinniest we've seen yet. What's more surprising, however, is that the device is actually built pretty well, and we even enjoyed the classic-style keyboard spread across its 12.1-inch expanse. The unit was built by an unnamed ODM who is currently shopping it around to manufacturers (or perhaps someone's bitten already, who knows), and we're getting a ballpark $200 pricepoint and a promise of about 4 hours of battery life with regular use. Apparently the big trend with these low-power ARM processor-based laptops is to trim down on battery size and therefore cost, and so we'll have to see where the market settles on preferred batter life: 4 hours might be too few, but at $200 it's surely tempting. The machine runs full Ubuntu plenty well, including 720p movies, and we were even digging the screen brightness and color -- basically, if Marvell's partners can get this on the market in short order, it might have a significant leg up on the rest of the smartbook competition, at least in terms of sheer quality and sex appeal. Update: We grabbed a quick video -- check it out after the break! %Gallery-81580%
Spring Design Alex hands-on (Update: video!)
Spring Design was poised to take the official wraps off of its dual-screen, Android-based ereader this Thursday, but we were able to catch an up close and personal glance at the device today here at CES Unveiled. Highlighted over at the Marvell booth (understandable given the choice of processor), the reader was intensely thin and remarkably snappy. We had some gripes with the speed of the Nook, but every action we took on the Alex was relatively lag free. We even downloaded a book and watched it open up immediately, and the touchscreen response was also satisfactory. Spring Design also opted to expose the microSD card slot on the rear; you simple mash your card into the slot and listen for the click, and mash it once more to eject it. You better hope nothing pushes it by mistake, but hey, at least you're not stuck removing some rear cover just to swap cards. We've gotta say -- we're digging this thing based on our brief time with it, and we'd invite you to have a peek at the gallery below till our demo video is prepped. Update: Video is after the break! %Gallery-81573%
Marvell Plug Computer 3.0 packs in WiFi, Bluetooth and 2GHz Armada chip for miniaturized Linux bliss
Remember the SheevaPlug? Well, your "Linux computer the size of a wall wart" fantasies just got much more impressive. The new Marvell Plug Computer sports a 2GHz Armada 300 processor (none of that new Armada 610 hotness, sadly), WiFi, Bluetooth and a hard drive of sorts (Sheeva only offered 512MB of flash storage). The unit runs a few standard Linux 2.6 distros, and while it's marketed as a development platform for building embedded devices, the orginal SheevaPlug's $99 pricetag has us hoping for similarly good hobbyist-friendly things here.
Marvell goes Snapdragon hunting, announces Armada 610 mobile processor
Qualcomm's Snapdragon is king of the mobile hill right now, but you just knew that wouldn't last long, right? Marvell is now after its throne, announcing the Armada 610. It's a "gigahertz class" mobile CPU that can not only do 1080p decoding but can handle encoding too, even able to pump pixels to four high-res (2,000 x 2,000) displays at once -- you know, just in case you have a pocket full of pico projectors. Open GL ES 2.0 is on tap, so 3D gaming should be a cinch, and while there's no specific specs given, the chip is said to need "extremely low power." It certainly sounds like a good combo to us, and that the chip is now shipping in limited samples to OEMs is even better news.
Prototype SATA 6Gbps SSD gets benchmarked: yessir, it's hasty
We've already seen Seagate tout the speed advantages of its SATA 6Gbps hard drive, but it's the 6Gbps SSD that we're really curious about. PC Perspective managed to snag itself a Marvell prototype drive, and even though they could only test the read capabilities of it, the results are nothing short of titillating. Reviewers pitted the Marvell drive against Intel's well-respected X25-M G2, and their (admittedly limited) testing led them to discover a 33 percent increase in burst performance over one of the quickest SSDs on the market today. In case you're still not impressed, you should know that they also saw a 27 percent uptick in sustained read performance (compared to the X25-M G2) and a 175 percent increase over the aforementioned SATA 6Gbps Seagate HDD. Obviously it's still too early to tell whether the 6Gbps SSD really is the best thing since the vacuum tube, but if these ultra-early results are any indication of what's to come, we suggest you start packing those pennies away right now to finance your next storage upgrade.
Motorola MT710 bringing its Droid-ish good looks to China this month
China Mobile is about to spoil its half billion subscribers with yet another Android smartphone in the 3.something-inch category. The Droid's keyboard-deprived younger sibling, the MT710 is about to hit Chinese stores this month, with TD-SCDMA 3G capabilities and OPhone OS 1.5 giving it a distinctly local flavor. WiFi connectivity will also be available, thanks to Moto playing nice with China's new security protocol, and the CPU has also changed to a 624MHz Marvel PXA310 chip, which is growing a bit long in the tooth now. Still, with that dashing red stripe on its side and a presumably thinner chassis, the MT710 just might be somebody's idea of a Droid perfected. You'll find the full specs of the new handset at the Moto Developers links below.
Marvell's Armada chip bringing 'HD-quality video, 3D graphics support' to Entourage Edge
We already knew that a potent Marvell chip was under the hood of Spring Design's Alex, but at long last the mystery surrounding the powerhouse within Entourage's Edge is no more. The Armada PXA168 processor will be responsible for steering the world's first "Dualbook" through the stormy seas that'll be created once crazed consumers get ahold of this thing, and while we've no idea if the software will actually support this laundry list of capabilities, the chip should have no issue with "full-featured web browsing, multi-format video and image processing." More specifically, we're informed that "HD-quality video and 3D graphics" will be supported, which could obviously lead to some pretty interesting applications (you know, like actual web surfing on an e-reader). Hop on past the break for a brief look at an early generation model as well as a functioning version of what should hopefully hit shelves in early 2010.
ArcherMind shows off 'world's first' Android-based in-car nav system
One could argue that the Motorola Droid is in fact the first-ever Android-based in-car navigation solution, but we're surmising that ArcherMind would disagree. Over at the Embedded Technology 2009 trade show in Yokohama, the outfit has demonstrated an Android-laden navigation system that could actually be inserted as a factory option; curiously enough, it looks an awful lot like the AutoLinQ initiative that hit our radar back in June. The outfit is reportedly shopping the system -- which includes a 7-inch, 800 x 480 display -- to a variety of Chinese automakers, and given that it can browse the web via WiFi or 3G, connect with music players and phones over Bluetooth and even play back audio files stored on the HDD or SD slot, we can't imagine it being a tough sell.
Marvell teams with E Ink for turnkey ereader processor
And so it begins. If you had any doubts whatsoever that the ereader battle was in full effect, let this introduction take all of that worry away. Marvell and E Ink have tag-teamed in order to announce a "highly integrated" ereader processor that'll be made available in "turnkey platforms" aimed at the booming ebook reader market. The ARMADA package includes a 166E application processor, WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G modem, and more broadly, the two have agreed to cross license epaper "timing controllers and system platforms," which may or may not be the cutest, sweetest thing we've ever heard. The goods are expected to be ready for readers in 2010, which means that buying a Kindle or Nook today is guaranteed to cause you all sorts of pain when the next best thing ships within twelve months.
Eston's 7-inch Android MID believes it's an N97, can play full HD
We'll go out on a limb here and suggest that Nokia probably doesn't care about Shenzhen Eston's N97-branded device, but what really matters is whether you should care about it. Positioned slap bang in the middle between smartphones and netbooks, this Android-driven MID offers 7 inches of viewing real estate and 4 hours of battery, as well as integrated WiFi, 3G, Flash player, web browser, and ebook reader, plus the purported ability to play back full HD content. Don't ask us how anyone can squeeze that kind of processing power out of a Marvell PXA303 chip, but if you want to know more, the read link is your ever-loyal best friend. [Via Cloned in China]
