OMAP4430
Latest
Google Glass' vision of the future runs on a 2011 smartphone chip
Google Glass may represent the future of wearables, but its components are a vestige of the past -- 2011, to be exact. That's according to developer Jay Lee who dug up some interesting Glass tidbits using Android Debug Bridge. Taking to his Google+ page, Lee verified that Google's smart eyewear currently runs on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich - a fact CEO Larry Page has apparently fessed up to -- incorporates an OMAP 4430 processor running at an unspecified frequency and is paired with about 682MB RAM (out of a likely 1GB), though it's not clear if this is a dual-core setup. For non-mobile industry historians, this particular Texas Instruments OMAP chipset hasn't been used since the Droid Bionic and Atrix 2 in 2011, making it relatively ancient by industry standards. So, what other surprises lurk beneath the Glass? We'll leave those mysteries to our EIC Tim Stevens to suss out in his Glass diaries.
Lenovo IdeaTab S2109 makes a splash Stateside, offers a lightweight slice of Android 4.0 for $349
Lenovo has offered few hints (if unsubtle ones) that the IdeaTab S2109 was on the way, but it's now in the US in earnest. As we saw early on, some of the Android 4.0 tablet's specs read like those of an iPad 2, down to the 9.7-inch, 1024 x 768 IPS panel, 1.3-pound weight and ever so slightly thicker 8.9mm unibody shell. Lenovo is catering more to the movie-watching set, though: a four-speaker system and 1080p video over micro-HDMI make us see it as a couch-surfer's Netflix machine. We're a bit less enthused with the aging dual-core, 1GHz TI OMAP 4430 inside, but we won't complain about the $349 asking price. If the balance is appealing, both Lenovo and Office Depot will be ready to serve it up in early June.
Matsunichi's MarquisPad MP977 tablet tempts us with $249, dual-core Android 4.0
You might remember Le Pan's tablets from CES this year, of which only one was truly ready at the time. The company is now ready to hit the US in earnest, but you'll have to forget the company name along with the earlier designs: it's now Matsunichi, and it's planning to kick off its US-ready makeover through the MarquisPad MP977. The tablet shares the 9.7-inch, 1024 x 768 display of the Le Pan II, but it's now running a slightly speedier dual-core, 1.2GHz TI chip (likely the same OMAP 4430 as in the Droid Xyboard), ships with Android 4.0 out of the gate and comes in a sleeker -- not to mention browner -- shell. Storage is being cut in half over the Le Pan II to just 4GB between the internal memory and a bundled microSD card, though, and the battery is good for a very modest five hours. Nonetheless, the $249 sticker and a May release will put the MP977 in the running with the slower but more capacious Galaxy Tab 2 7.0. Matsunichi also teased us with a roadmap for a pair of future tablets in the process. The 10.1-inch MP1010 will keep the resolution, but it'll run on a quicker 1.5GHz TI processor and carry a total of 10GB of space when it appears sometime between June and August. If those 0.4 inches of extra glass are just too much to bear, an MP979 will bring all the extra storage and speed of the MP1010 to a 9.7-inch screen sometime between August and September.
LG Optimus 3D Max wages dual-core war in benchmark tests
A mere day has passed since we stumbled upon initial benchmarks for the Optimus 4X HD, and now, yet another LG smartphone has tossed its hat into the arena. In the Optimus 3D Max's arsenal is a dual-core 1.2GHz CPU, which is part of the TI OMAP 4430 SoC. Today, we pitted it against two dual-core contemporaries from HTC and Samsung -- namely, the One S and Galaxy S Blaze 4G. Sadly, the Optimus 3D Max failed to put up much of a resistance to either smartphone, and while its scores remain unofficial, its plainly obvious that this LG will look sorely dated upon its arrival. You can see how it all unfolded just after the break.[Thanks, Konstantinos]
Disney Mobile on DoCoMo brand launches with two new Android phones in Japan
It appears Disney's mobile efforts in Japan are going pretty well, and with the help of carrier NTT DoCoMo they're expanding under the joint "Disney Mobile on DoCoMo" brand name. The partnership is kicking off with two new Android-powered handsets launching over the next couple of months that pack in access to exclusive content from Disney like full-length animations, games, wallpapers and more. First up is the F-08D (left), a "luxury smartphone" that features silhouettes of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, a 4.3-inch HD (720x1280) LCD display, dual cameras and 1.2Ghz dual-core OMAP4430 CPU available in pink or white next month with preorders opening up February 17th. Next up is the P-05D (right), which has a slim 7.8mm thick frame, rear camera and 4.3-inch 540x960 res OLED screen all powered by a dual-core 1Ghz CPU that will launch at some point in March. Check out the press releases after the break for a few more details on each of these Japan-only cellphones, or hit the source link for even more specs -- no word yet on pricetags or which version of Android these will end up launching with.
Toshiba AT200 tablet coming to the US as the Excite X10, starting at $530 for 16GB
When Toshiba said its skinny AT200 tablet wouldn't be available until January, anyone with a casual interest in gadgets could have guessed that meant a splashy CES launch was in order. Sure enough, everyone's favorite trade show has rolled around, and the company is finally ready to talk pricing and availability, four months after it first announced the thing. As we've suspected for some time now, it'll go on sale in the US under the name "Excite" (Excite X10, to be exact), starting at $530 for the 16GB model, with a $600 32GB flavor also available. To recap, this is supposed to be the premium slate the Thrive wasn't, with a 1280 x 800 Gorilla Glass display, 178-degree viewing angles, TI OMAP 4430 chip, an anti-smudge coating and a 7.7mm-thick chassis, making it the thinnest 10-inch tablet on the market. It'll also ship with Android 3.2, though Toshiba says it's ICS-ready. And don't let that serious metal exterior fool you: for all its gravitas, the 1.2-pound tab is lighter than it looks. (We should know: we got hands-on ages ago.) So is a super slim design enough to make this Tegra 2 slate worth choosing over the Tegra 3-packing Transformer Prime which starts at $500 with 32GB of storage? To be honest, we suspect not, given that the Prime isn't much thicker and is also due for an upgrade to ICS. And besides, who knows what other Android tablets will surface at CES this week?
Motorola Atrix 2 review
Lapdock 100 brings a Webtop IQ boost to Moto phones on Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T Sony Music Unlimited arrives for Android tablets, bearing gifts of unlimited music Motorola Atrix 4G, HD multimedia dock, and laptop dock hands-on We've seen a lot of game-changing devices this year, haven't we? 2011 has already witnessed the first Honeycomb tablets, the influx of LTE and the introduction of a boatload of smartphones with dual-core processors. One of those groundbreaking devices was the Motorola Atrix 4G, which we called the best smartphone at CES 2011 because of its powerful Tegra 2 SoC and simply innovative Webtop operating system with an accompanying Lapdock. It was new, and it was powerful. Not even ten months after the Atrix's February 22nd launch, we're already seeing its successor, aptly named the Atrix 2. At the risk of sounding blunt, it's not a groundbreaking device -- aside from a few bumps in specs, larger display and a fresh redesign, it doesn't offer the same level of showmanship or innovation so eagerly demonstrated in the first iteration. But does the sequel compensate for the lack of sizzle? How much does this improve over the original? Does the newest version of the Lapdock satisfy? We'll answer these questions and so much more after the break. %Gallery-137617%
Motorola Droid Bionic specs revealed: TI OMAP 4430 dual-core CPU, Android 2.3.4 on board (update: wrong model number)
Can't wait to get those mitts on a Droid Bionic, but still wondering what lies beneath? Seems as though the Motorola mobile of mystery can't hold its secrets forever, since the specs of the Bionic are now up for perusal on Motorola's developer site. Here's the skinny: it's got a TI OMAP 4430 1GHz dual-core CPU bundled with 1GB RAM (twice the amount in the Droid 3), a 4.3-inch qHD display with 960 x 540 resolution, HDMI 1.4, 8 megapixel rear camera accompanied by a VGA front-facing shooter and 1080p HD video capture, webtop capabilities, and the obvious LTE radio. Unfortunately, the specs confirm the Bionic's lack of GSM / EDGE -- essentially turning it into a fancy PMP when traveling abroad -- and doesn't bother mentioning battery size (or life, for that matter), the most confounding question still lingering aside from the release date. C'mon, Motorola, can we at least get a hint? Update: A keen-eyed tipster alerted us to one minor snafu in the above image: it shows the Motorola XT865 -- the original Droid Bionic unveiled at CES 2011 last January -- instead of the XT875, which belongs to the new and redesigned model. We can't be sure if this is an typo on the site or if it really is the old version. Either way, we'll keep a close eye on the story and update if we hear anything else.
Motorola Droid 3 official in China under Milestone 3 moniker, packs 4-inch qHD display
The Droid 3 is upon us! Well, it is if you live in China and don't mind calling it the Milestone 3. A new XT883 model has just been made official by Motorola during China Telecom's CDMA Summit, touting the tagline "the third Milestone" and a new five-row slideout QWERTY keyboard. The salient specs include a 4-inch touchscreen with qHD (540 x 960) resolution, a dual-core Tegra 2 processor capable of driving 1080p video recording, an 8 megapixel rear camera with LED flash, up to 32GB of built-in storage, and of course, Android 2.3 as the shipping OS. A pretty compelling package, we think you'll agree. It's coming to China this summer, though Moto could still be crafty enough to squeeze the US launch in before actual units start shipping to Yao Ming's homeland. Because, well, who's ever heard of a Milestone coming before a Droid? %Gallery-126585% Update: Appears this handset is sporting an OMAP 4430 processor, not Tegra 2 as we had first assumed.
LG's Optimus 3D officially launched, debuting in Europe with dual lens and dual core CPU
The long wait is finally over! Joining the likes of HTC EVO 3D and Sharp SH-12C is LG's very own Optimus 3D aka Thrill 4G for AT&T, which we first got our hands on back in February and again in March. The specs for this Android 2.2 device (yeah, we know) have remained untouched since we last checked: here we have a 4.3-inch glasses-less 3D LCD with 800 x 480 resolution, a 1GHz dual core TI OMAP4430 processor, 512MB of speedy dual channel RAM, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, and a couple of 5 megapixel cameras on the back that can capture 3D 1080p video at 24fps, or 3D 720p at 30fps. Other tidbits include 14.4Mbps HSPA+ connection, an HDMI-out port, and a removable 1500mAh battery, all inside a 5.93 ounce package. Alas, no date's been mentioned for the phone's US launch, but the lucky Europeans will get to pick up this phone first, followed by the rest of the world "over the next several weeks." Stay tuned while we keep our eyes peeled open for further news.
BlackBerry PlayBook pried open, gyroscope and other goodies discovered
What's in a PlayBook? No, literally, what is in that thing? Well, most of the specs were known ahead of today's release, but there was a bit of confusion about whether RIM's 7-inch tablet did or didn't have a gyroscope, which has now been set straight (it does!) by the crew at iFixit. They did their usual study of what it'll take to repair your own PlayBook should the need ever arise, and gave it a repairability score of 7 out of 10. Replacing the front glass would be a bit of a pain to do, but then that's the case with most portable devices. The motherboard also got a thorough examination, with all the power management, wireless connectivity, and memory chips getting identified and recorded for posterity. If you want to check iFixit's work, feel free to visit UBM Tech Insights as well, who have their own component list and closeup photography of that dual-core TI OMAP4430 system-on-chip. Yes, closeup photography.
HTC Sensation versus the rest of the dual-core world: smartphone spec sheet smackdown
We got to feeling a bit curious about how exactly HTC's latest Android superphone, the Sensation 4G, stacks up against its fellow dual-core competition, so we did what every geek does in such situations, we compiled a chart. Included in this list are the finest and brightest Android handsets from each of the major manufacturers that have gone dual-core so far: the Galaxy S II, the Atrix 4G, the Optimus 2X / G2X, and HTC's own EVO 3D. As it turns out, there are quite a few commonalities among these phones (besides the benchmark-crushing performance). They all boast screens of either 4 or 4.3 inches in size, the minimum amount of RAM among them is 512MB, the smallest battery is 1500mAh, and yes, they all have front-facing video cameras. Basically, it's the future of smartphones, reduced to a stat sheet. As such, it must also come with the warning that specs aren't everything, and user experience will most often depend on the software available on each device and on the preferences of the human holding it. With that proviso fully digested, join us after the break for the data.
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.
RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook using a 1GHz OMAP 4430 processor
We already confirmed that RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook was deadly fast in use, but up until now, we've still been left to wonder what kind of silicon was powering it. According to a RIM representative that spoke to us just now on the CES show floor, a dual-core OMAP chip from Texas Instruments is doing the honors -- more specifically, it's the blisteringly fast 1GHz OMAP 4430. And now, you know.
