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ViewSonic VSD220 Smart Display with Android 4.0 comes to US in October, dips to $399
You might remember ViewSonic's slightly strange VCD22 Smart Display from our journey to Computex. If the sight of that 22-inch, Android-based all-in-one desktop set your heart aflutter, you'll be glad to know the finished version is coming to the US as the VSD220 by mid-to-late October. It's decidedly less portable what we saw in Taipei this June and strips out the battery we suspect most buyers wouldn't have used. For better or worse, though, most everything else is the same: while we didn't expect a change to the TI OMAP 4 processor, the VSD220 will be clinging to Android 4.0 instead of upgrading to Android 4.1 for its trip across the Pacific. The micro-HDMI video input, 1.2-megapixel front camera, microSD slot, three USB ports and Ethernet (yes, Ethernet) do help justify a space on the desk, especially for those who want a secondary display for another mobile device or PC. The VSD220 faces a stiff fight from traditional all-in-ones that don't always cost much more -- but we'll at least get a price drop to a more palatable $399 in return for our patience.
TI cuts the cables, backs Miracast as wireless video standard for OMAP platform
It wasn't but a few days ago that the Wi-Fi Alliance announced its certification program for the Miracast wireless display specification. Now, TI has thrown its weight behind the technology with the announcement that future versions of its OMAP processor and WiLink connectivity chip will adhere to Miracast standards. As you'll recall, the Miracast certification program has yet to go into effect -- that'll happen later this summer -- which means for the time being, it's still too early to refer to TI's solution as "Wi-Fi Certified Miracast." Nonetheless, the company's already showing its compatible wares this week at Computex, which currently includes the OMAP 4470 / WiLink 7.0 combo. Naturally, TI also intends to ensure Miracast support as part of its upcoming OMAP 5 / WiLink 8.0 platform. As if you needed yet another reason to be excited for that one. To learn more, you'll find the full PR after the break.
Always Innovating HDMI Android dongle gets an ICS update, we swing by for a taste (video)
Always Innovating appears to be living up to its name, making significant progress on that clever HDMI Android dongle that we first heard of way back at CES. Now the company's TI OMAP4-based television companion is rockin' some Ice Cream Sandwich madness, drawing curious Mobile World Congress attendees into the Texas Instruments booth for a look. We happened upon the device on the last day of the show, and we couldn't help but be impressed. The premise here is quite simple: your "dumb TV" (i.e. one that isn't Internet-enabled) gives up one HDMI and one USB port (for power), in return connecting you to the wonderful world of Android 4.0. Think web browsing, tweeting, gaming (yes, even Angry Birds), video streaming -- that same experience you'll get with any Android tablet can now be had on your aging flat-screen TV. Always Innovating isn't feeling inspired enough to take the lead on manufacturing, instead licensing the technology to third parties, but with some agreements signed and others on the way, this ICS solution on a stick may be hitting stores just in time to become this holiday season's ultimate stocking stuffer. Pricing is of course up to the manufacturers, but TI reps suggested that we might see these things pop up later this year in the $50-99 range, finally making Google on every TV a much more reasonable proposition. Care to take a gander at this stick-based wunderkind? Jump past the break for our hands-on.%Gallery-149208%
Hands-on with wireless, ultrasonic stylus and touchless gestures at MWC (video)
This isn't the first time you've heard of EPOS or XTR, but it's been quite some time since we've checked in with either of the outfits. So, imagine our surprise as we stumbled on new developments from each company as we perused the Texas Instruments booth at MWC. In the case of EPOS, we're shown a stylus that, in addition to offering traditional physical touch input, also allows users to interact with a device via ultrasound. The system is built upon TI's OMAP4 platform and requires that four microphones be placed at the corners of the screen. In this demonstration, we're shown how users can manipulate objects on a 3D plane via the Z-axis by pulling the pen away from the display. Next, we're shown a new application for the touchless gesturing system that XTR first debuted back in 2010. In this scenario, it's demonstrated how tablet owners could use the front-facing camera (at merely QVGA resolution) to flip through pages of a cookbook without worry of getting ingredients on the device. The concept software was developed by a French outfit known as Stonetrip, and also allows users to zoom and pan through the pages. You'll find demonstrations of each technology in a video after the break.
Notion Ink explains OMAP over Tegra decision for the Adam II
While which chip ends up in a particular device will significantly affect its performance and access to future upgrades, it's not often that we get to peek behind the curtain and find out why those decisions were made. A post on Notion Ink's new Adam II development blog adds some transparency to the process, discussing the switch from an NVIDIA Tegra chip in its first Adam slate to a TI OMAP solution in the just announced tablet. According to the blog, while theoretical performance marks are nice, the company decided its expertise and that of available programmers would let it squeeze the most out of a Texas Instruments chip, as opposed to its first effort that didn't "fully utilize" the power of Tegra. Hit the source link for more details and a breakdown of some of the tech packed into the OMAP4 CPU, and keep an eye on the blog for more details in the run up to the Adam II's release.
Notion Ink's Adam II promises TI OMAP CPUs, Ice Cream Sandwich, broken dreams
Notion Ink's teaming up with TI in order to get at its OMAP4xx silicon for the forthcoming Adam II tablet. It'll also be jamming in the company's Wi-Link 7.0 and Phoenix Audio gear onto the Ice Cream Sandwich-running slate. The chip was apparently chosen thanks to its modular setup, HD visuals and powerful low-energy multitasking. Novice owners will also get their hands on a modular software architecture which will let casual users develop specific applications using a drag-and-drop interface. It's pitching that functionality at home-brewers, students and professionals who can tailor the software to meet a specific need, casually mentioning that it could be used for signal processing, 3D modeling or medical imaging. Do we hear expectations being raised to unrealistic levels again? Given our experiences with the original, we suspect the answer is: "Yes."
Always Innovating HDMI dongle brings Android to your 'dumb TV' (video)
Google TV's looking for a second wind here at CES, but for those of you uninterested in buying a new TV (or a new set-top box, for that matter), here's a little diddy that just might tickle your fancy. Always Innovating is making a triumphant return to Las Vegas with what might be the raddest little gizmo of the show. The simply-titled HDMI Dongle is effectively an entire system on a chip dongle (and yeah, it looks a lot like Roku's Streaming Stick), boasting a Cortex-A9, between 256MB and 1GB of RAM, inbuilt WiFi / Bluetooth, an NFC module and even an accelerometer. The goal here is to convert your completely vanilla HDTV into an internet-connected device; just plug it into your HDMI port, grab the bundled RF remote and start enjoying Android on the big screen. It's capable of streaming content at 1080p, and accessing Hulu, Netflix or Amazon's video store shouldn't cause a fuss. We're told it'll start at $79, but an actual release date seems to be eluding us. Head on past the break for a couple of in-action videos.
Archos 80 G9 review
Archos debuts Arnova 9 G2 Android tablet, offers Gingerbread on a 9.7-inch IPS display Nokia to release Windows 8 tablets this June, top drawer Lumia in the works? Velocity Micro Cruz T410 Gingerbread tablet will run you a penny under $300 As far as tablets go, a couple of interesting things are going to happen between now and the holiday season. One, we're going to see a glut of smaller 7- and 8-inch tablets running Honeycomb (like this, this and this) hit the market. And if the Kindle Fire and Acer Iconia Tab A100 are any indication, they're going to be cheaper, making slates palatable to folks who previously couldn't bring themselves to spend $500 on a plaything. The Archos 80 G9, then, is the perfect specimen on both counts. Here you have an 8-inch tablet running Android 3.2 with a kickstand and full-sized USB port -- costing just $300 for the base model ($270, even, on sites like Amazon). So how does it stack up against other diminutive, aggressively priced tablets? Let's see. %Gallery-134564%
LG Thrill 4G officially arrives at AT&T for $100, fairy tales can come true
C'mon, admit it -- you didn't really think the LG Thrill 4G would ever be released, did you? After several weeks of unexplained delays, the AT&T-branded Optimus 3D is truly, honestly available on the carrier's website for sale at a respectable $100. The device, announced at CTIA 2011 in March, isn't hiding anything we didn't already know: it's got a 1GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4 CPU with 512MB of RAM, Froyo, a 4.3-inch 800 x 480 display, 1080p video capture and dual 5MP rear stereoscopic cameras to add the extra dimension. So if you've been waiting for this phone to get the green light, it's time to stop idling at the intersection.
Archos intros 80 G9 and 101 G9 Android 3.1 tablets: 1.5GHz CPU, 250GB HDD, 3G-ready (hands-on)
Angling for a new Android 3.1 tablet, are ya? If so, Archos has a new pair emerging from Paris today, the 80 G9 and 101 G9. Predictably, the biggest differentiator between the two is the screen size, with the former offering an 8-inch panel with a 1024 x 768 screen resolution and the latter stepping up to a 10.1-incher (1280 x 800). Both of 'em are proudly using Seagate's 7mm Momentus Thin in order to scale to 250GB, but of course, only time will tell how a power-hungry HDD will do in tablet form factor. Under the hood, you'll find a dual-core OMAP 4 processor (1.5GHz ARM Cortex A9), support for Flash, access to the Android Market and a full-size USB port -- one that's good for accepting the outfit's new G9 3G WWAN stick ($49). You'll also get an HDMI output, support for 1080p playback and a pay-as-you-go option with the aforesaid 3G dongle. The duo is scheduled to go on sale at the end of September (you know, just a month or two before Ice Cream Sandwich makes Honeycomb look like old hat), with the 80 G9 going for $279 and the 101 G9 for $349. Don't ever say Archos' accountants didn't look out for you. Update: We snagged a gallery's worth of hands-on shots from Archos' reveal today in Paris. We're running back for more as we type, so hang tight! Update 2: A reader over at Engadget Spanish noticed that the ES specifications link for the new G9 tablets mentions a 16GB + microSD arrangement for those who aren't feeling a 250GB HDD. Interesting! %Gallery-127007% %Gallery-127026%
Pathpartner demos 720p HD Skype videocalling using Android and OMAP 4 (video)
Putting Pathpartner and Ittiam right beside one another may not have been the best idea if these two were hot-headed, but shockingly, they were treating each other with a great deal of respect within Texas Instruments' MWC booth. All jesting aside, the former's 720p HD videocalling solution is aimed at an entirely different market than that of the latter. Rather than arranging for a four-way video conference, Pathpartner has concocted an Android app that enables 720p video calling over Skype -- you know, that VoIP application that you're already obsessed with. Currently, the company's working with Skype in hopes of getting it 'Skype-certified,' and like Ittiam, it's also chatting with a number of handset makers in hopes of getting it embedded on the phone's software stack from the get-go. Alexy Mathew Joseph, the company's senior technical lead, was on hand to showcase a demo running on a pair of OMAP 4-based development boxes, and the low-bitrate technology that he has helped create enabled smooth, high-def streaming of the call. We should mention that this particular demo was done over an Ethernet network, but he affirmed that it would operate on 3G and 4G networks as well. Also of note, the new software is capable on running on more than just TI equipment, though he wouldn't elaborate other than saying that NVIDIA's Tegra 2 was a platform he hasn't tested on just yet. Just think -- 720p Skype videocalls could be hitting your phone prior to the dawn of 2012, and the carrier's have to be weeping at the mere mention. Vid's past the break, per usual.
LG Optimus 3D's OMAP 4 benchmarked, pulls ahead of Exynos and Tegra 2
Which dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 system-on-a-chip rules the roost? It's probably too early to tell, but if you're looking for a preliminary verdict, AnandTech has benchmarked all three of them now. Texas Instruments' OMAP 4430, NVIDIA's Tegra 2 and Samsung's Exynos 4210 went head to head in a gauntlet of browser and graphical benchmarks, and it looks like the LG Optimus 3D's OMAP 4 came out on top, boasting minor but significant improvements practically across the board. Good news for the BlackBerry PlayBook, no? Oh, and if you're wondering why the iPhone 4 and Atrix 4G fall behind their older brethren in the image above, remember that they both have to render images at a higher screen resolution. More graphs at our source link below.
Ittiam shows off four-way 720p HD video conferencing using Android, OMAP 4 (video)
Being Mobile World Congress, quite a few software vendors found themselves tucked into corners of bigger booths, eager and willing to showcase their latest work. Ittiam is one of those companies, relying on Texas Instruments' OMAP 4 platform to power its new HD video conferencing system. The demo shown here at MWC involved a foursome of TI development boxes, but the underlying platform was most certainly Android 2.2. Anil Kumar, the manager of Ittiam's video communications division, noted that the system would work just fine on Gingerbread and Honeycomb, enabling up to four devices (smartphones, tablets, whatever) to link up and enjoy a multi-faced call over a standard 3G network. Of course, the demonstration that we were shown used an Ethernet network for maximum stability, but the low-bitrate technology would allow bearable results on 3G networks (and better-than-average results on a 4G network). We were told that the company is in talks with "numerous" phone makers, in hopes of getting their VCS software integrated onto Android devices by the year's end -- think Qik, but for video conferencing -- but he couldn't hand out any specifics. Head on past the jump if you'd like to see a demo (and hear an awful lot more). %Gallery-116761%
LG Optimus 3D has dual-core 1GHz OMAP 4 CPU, video codecs up the wazoo
LG's been mighty stingy with details about its 3D smartphone, but some very promising ones have just trickled out of Barcelona ahead of Mobile World Congress -- in keeping with the company's theme of doubling everything, the LG Optimus 3D will ship with a dual-core 1GHz TI OMAP 4 chip. Considering that we've seen that particular SOC drive three screens, we're guessing that a single 4.3-inch stereo display (yes, 4.3-inch is confirmed) will be old hat, and we've certainly seen the included PowerVR SGX540 graphics throw around some weight in many a Galaxy S. Raw specs aside, though, the Optimus 3D has a feature that we've been waiting on in Android for a while: LG says it will have "four times more video decoders than competing designs." Admittedly, that probably means it will still only recognize about eight video formats in total, but as long as we can play the vast majority of our anime music video library without re-encoding the lot, we'll promise to only grumble occasionally. Deal? PR after the break. %Gallery-116393%
TI's OMAP4440 processor brings two blazing Cortex-A9 cores to the table
Phones and tablets based on TI's first production OMAP4 processor -- the OMAP4430 -- won't even be on the market until early next year, but TI's already planning ahead with the announcement of an upgraded chip that promises a 50 percent boost in overall performance. The new OMAP4440 can send its two Cortex-A9-based cores as high as 1.5GHz, while the 4430 tops out at 1GHz; TI says that means we should expect a 1.25x improvement in graphics performance, a 30 percent decline in webpage load time, and 1080p playback performance that doubles the slowpoke (comparably speaking, anyway) 4430. The company expects to sample these little speed demons to manufacturers in the first quarter of next year with volume shipment coming in the second half, itching to do battle with Samsung's Orion; in the meantime, we suppose your 4430 will have to do. Follow the break for the press release.
TI and XTR team up on touchless gesturing system for mobile devices
We've seen a few examples of touchless, gesture-based interfaces for mobile devices, but it looks like Texas Instruments might be closer than most to making it a reality -- it's just announced a partnership with Extreme Reality (also known as XTR) on a new gesture engine and framework specifically designed for its OMAP 4 platform. The two companies actually showed off such a system back at MWC earlier this year (check out a demo of ti after the break), but they've only just now made the partnership official, and they're promising plenty more advancements to come -- including the ability to not only recognize simple gestures, but even things like whole body movements and two-handed gestures. Head on past the break for the complete press release.
TI picks up first license for ARM's Eagle CPU core, mass market devices still a couple of years off
The mythical next generation of ARM's Cortex-A series, the Eagle, has made a reappearance in the news this week, but much of the mystery remains. Texas Instruments has now revealed itself as the first licensee of the new core, while also waxing poetic about its deep involvement and collaboration with ARM on its design and particular specifications. No, nobody was kind enough to let us in on what those specs might yet be, but since -- technically speaking -- the Eagle CPU hasn't even been announced yet, that's probably fair enough. For its part, TI expects to be first to market with its OMAP systems-on-chip integrating the latest Cortex core, but that won't be happening for a good while yet, as most projections peg the Eagle's landing to be no sooner than 2012. Guess we'll just have to make do with some dual-core Snapdragons until then.
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.
TI's OMAP4 prototype drives three independent displays without breaking a sweat
It's been a long, long while since we've seen any life from the OMAP4 labs at Texas Instruments, but with the sudden resurgence of the tablet, now seems just about right for the company to start showcasing the platform's prowess once more. TI is expected to have a mind-bending showcase at Mobile World Congress later this month, but Slashgear was able to get a sneak peek at what's to come at the outfit's Dallas office. The device you're peering at above definitely piqued our interest, as it's some sort of twin-screened handheld that can actually support a third independent display courtesy of an integrated pico projector module. We're told that OMAP4 will bring along dual 1GHz ARM A9 cores, patently ridiculous battery life figures (145 hours of MP3 playback with a 1,000mAh battery) and support for 1080p output via HDMI. Naturally, TI has no intention of ever bringing this piece of hardware to market, but it'd certainly love if some other firm stepped in and did so. Here's hoping we're overrun by potential suitors in Barcelona -- given that the show kicks off on Valentine's Day, we'd say the timing would be just about perfect.
TI's OMAP 4 bringing 1080p support to smartphones and MIDs
Right around this time last year, Texas Instruments was busy showing off its OMAP 3 platform, which enabled 720p playback from a mobile phone. At this year's MWC, we've got a real live handset recording 720p, and TI upping the ante once more with a chip that handles 1080p. For those still with us after being blasted with resolutions, the predictably titled OMAP 4 aims to bring 1080p support, 20 megapixel imaging and "approximately a week of audio play time" to mobiles and MIDs that house it. Granted, TI also calls this stuff "future-proof," so don't believe it's totally incapable of uttering some pretty outlandish stuff. At the heart of the platform is a dual-core ARM Cortex A9 chip, a programmable multimedia engine based on TI's C64x DSP and a POWERVR SGX540 graphics engine. We're told that it'll play nice with Linux variants such as Android and LiMo, Symbian and Windows Mobile, though it'll have to be mighty impressive to outgun NVIDIA's Tegra. Battle on, we say.[Via Linux Devices]
