The Acer A1's Snapdragon Processor; Underclocked?

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The Acer A1 “Liquid” made headlines as the first confirmed Android smartphone to pack the badass Snapdragon 1 GHz processor under its hood. Unfortunately, it looks like people who buy the A1 won't actually get to make use of a whole GHz of power. According to MobileTechWorld (via Engadget) the Liquid's processor will be underclocked to just 768 MHz.

There are several reasons for Acer to gimp their own processor. Chief among them is battery life. The A1 boasts up to a week of standby battery life, putting it far ahead of most power-sucking Android handsets. It's also possible the Liquid team underclocked the processor as a way to avoid overheating issues.

Posted on Mon, 2 Nov 2009 11:32:47 CST | by Robert Evans

Tilera Unveils 100-core Processor

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When most of us think about processors, we think Intel and AMD. A third name is now offering up an interesting processor and the company is called Tilera. The firm has announced a new CPU that has way more cores than offerings from AMD or Intel can muster.

The new Tilera Tile-GX processors are aimed at the server market and boast 100-cores inside the single processor. The chips are targeted specifically at servers that execute web-related functions like indexing, search, and video search. Read more

Posted on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

AMD Launching Triple Core Athlon Processors

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One core isn't enough for many people these days, and dual core machines are starting to show their age as well. Quad cores are fantastic, but expensive and out of many people's price range. That's why AMD has just announced the coming of their first Athlon triple-core processors (via PC World).

AMD has four Athlon II X3 processors so far. These processors can handle speeds varying from 2.2 GHz to 2.9 GHz, while drawing around 95 watts of power. The X3s are designed primarily for desktops, as well as all-in-one PCs and net-tops. The X3 can handle 3D graphics, and represent a substantial advance over dual core machines.

Posted on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:48:55 CDT | by Robert Evans

New AMD Athlon II Processors Unveiled

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AMD announced several new AMD Athlon II processors today that are supposed to offer outstanding performance and low power consumption, while enabling sleek desktop PC designs and attractive price points.

In addition to the standard power processors, the full AMD Athlon II processor family now delivers high-performance, low-power dual-, triple- and quad-core processors to meet a range of computing needs. This variety and value enables OEMs and system builders to develop compelling PC solutions that address the market shift to power efficient, innovative PC designs optimized for Windows 7. Read more

Posted on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Nvidia Ion 2 Shipping On Time, Supports Multiple Processors

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If you're planning to pick up a netbook or CULV around the turn of the year, you might be in luck. Electronista has just confirmed that Nvidia's Ion 2 chipset is still expected to ship before the end of 2009. The Ion platform brings superior graphics processing to smaller machines like netbooks. Ion 2 is an extension of this, and one that should come with support for more platforms than its predecessor.

That's right, an Nvidia executive has confirmed that the Ion 2 will support more processors than just the venerable Atom. The Celeron, Core 2, and Pentium processors will all be able to work with Ion 2. That means we'll get to see this chipset make an appearance in a whole bunch of HD-capable CULV notebooks.

Posted on Fri, 9 Oct 2009 10:31:48 CDT | by Robert Evans

Swordfish Net 102: A Dual Processor Netbook

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Some products manage to surprise me with their very existence. Take the Swordfish Net 102, manufactured by Haleron, for instance. On the outside, it looks like a fairly normal netbook. It has a design obviously inspired by the Eee PC, 2 GB of RAM, Bluetooth 2.0, built-in 3G, a 1.3 MP webcam, a 10.2" display, and a 160 GB HD. Oh, and it also has two Atom 270 1.6 GHz processors.

No, it doesn't have a dual-core processor; it just has dual processors. (Via Engadget) That sounds pretty cool, and I'm certain the Net 102 is a fantastically fast netbook, but I can't imagine it working very well.

Posted on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:05:38 CDT | by Robert Evans

Toshiba T100 Series: 1080p+ULV Processor

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October 22nd is already set to be one of the best PC shopping days in recent memory. With the launch of Windows 7 will come a flurry of new notebooks, netbooks, nettops, and desktop computers. If you're planning to buy a new PC, that will be the day to do it, especially now that the first two models of the Toshiba T100 series of ULV notebooks are set to hit on the 22nd. (Thanks, Gizmodo!)

So far, two sizes have been revealed; the 11.6" T115 and the 13.3" T135. Aside from the screen size, both machines appear to be identical now; they can both manage 1080p out, both have ULV chips, and rock Win 7 Premium. The 115 is rated for 9 hours, and the 135 for 7.5. To see a review of the 135, you can check out Laptop Magazine.

Posted on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:24:28 CDT | by Robert Evans

Broadcom Licenses ARM Cortex-A9 Processor

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ARM and Broadcom have announced that Broadcom has launched a major exclusive licensing agreement for the ARM Coretex-A9 MPCore multicore processor. Broadcom will be using the processor for next generation mobile and wireless communication devices.

Broadcom also licensed the ARM NEON SIMD technology for the ARM Cortex-A series processors to accelerate advanced multimedia and compute intensive applications. The ARM A9 processor promises to deliver 2x the performance of the processors in today's smartphones with the ability to deliver 10,000 aggregate DMIPS. Read more

Posted on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Intel 32nm Clarkdale and Arrandale Processor Preview

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Hothardware had the chance to get some details about the future Intel 32nm Clarkdale and Arrandale CPUs at the IDF 2009.
Quote from the report: "Although Intel talked about their upcoming 32nm Westmere-based processors at IDF, and even showed off a few demos of the next-gen core at work right on stage, we still got in some private face-time with a few Intel reps and engineers in a closed door session to glean a few more details.
Read more

Posted on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

New Intel i7 Laptop Processor Their Fastest Everything

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Today at the IDF show, Intel announced the coming of a new processor built off of the Nehalem architecture and meant for high-end, high-speed laptops like the Qosmio X500. They claim this new i7 mobile processor is their fastest laptop processor ever, bringing four cores of processing power to a portable platform.

Several new features are available with the i7, including Intel's new Turbo Boost technology and Hyper-Threading Technology. Turbo Boost allows your computer to detect when it has excess power and push the processors harder in order to take advantage of the glut. Hyper-Threading technology is supposed to deliver "thread-level parallelism on each processor resulting in more efficient use of processor resources..."

Posted on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:00:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

HTC Touch HD2 Has Android+Faster Processor

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It looks like HTC is getting ready to revamp one of their touchscreen smartphones. The HTC Touch HD, a WinMo smartphone, is getting a small hardware boost and a switch over to the Android OS, according to Register Hardware. The switch from WinMo to Android is a pretty clear sign of the increasing favor HTC has shown Google's OS recently.

The main change between the HD and the HD2 will be processor based. Most HTC handsets run on a Qualcomm 528 MHz processor. The HD2, on the other hand, will sport a 628 MHz processor. That's not nearly as impressive as the Snapdragon, but it's a big boost for HTC's handset line.

Posted on Sat, 5 Sep 2009 14:12:12 CDT | by Robert Evans

Mobile Processors Target Next Gen Mobile Devices

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According to research firm InStat, the mobile market is set for high growth in the CPU industry. The research firm says that most mobile devices today still use MCUs and ASICs, but the increased functionality of the mobile devices like smartphone, MIDs, and other products are starting to need the power of a mobile processor.

The use of a mobile CPU creates products that have higher performance and cost less for the OEMs to produce says InStat. By 2013, the market for mobile processors in mobile devices is set to grow to 775 million units. Read more

Posted on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 05:57:31 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

New Six-Core AMD Opteron EE Processor Launched

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AMD today announced the immediate availability of the new Six-Core AMD Opteron EE processor at 40W ACP.
Delivering up to 31% higher performance-per-watt over standard Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors¹, the Six-Core AMD Opteron EE processor is tailored to meet the demands of customers who need strong performance, but must trim out every watt possible in a server system and reduce the datacenter’s power draw.
Read more

Posted on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 01:18:18 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Motorola Sholes Processor Leaks

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There's a lot of anticipation around the Sholes, Motorola's second Android smartphone of 2009. Unlike the Morrison, the Sholes is a high end smartphone. In fact, for a while we thought it was going to be the first Android smartphone to pack a Snapdragon processor. Unfortunately, if the fellows at Android and Me are correct, that's just not in the cards.

By checking out the Linkedln profile of a Moto employee responsible for firmware engineering, they've managed to dig up a couple of useful nuggets of information. The employee listed his experience working on an Android device that packs the TI OMAP 3430 processor. That can't be the Morrison, so it's likely he was talking about the Sholes. The 3430 is a very solid processor, with a 600 MHz CPU and PowerVR SGX 530 GPU.

Posted on Sat, 8 Aug 2009 12:55:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Samsung releases 45nm ARM11 S5P6440 Processor

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Samsung Electronics announced the latest in its popular, ARM11 series of application processors, the S5P6440.
Designed using Samsung’s advanced 45nm low power CMOS process technology, the S5P6440 offers a low power, high performance, and cost effective solution for consumer electronic (CE) products such as personal navigation devices (PND).

Samsung's S5P6440 is based on an ARM1176 CPU core which runs at either 533 MHz or 667MHz clock speed. The CPU core and all on-chip hardware accelerators and peripheral interfaces are connected through a 64-bit AXI bus running at 166MHz, allowing ample input/output bandwidth for handling the multiprocessing requirements in real-life applications. Read more

Posted on Wed, 1 Jul 2009 08:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

ARM Announces New Cortex Processors

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ARM has announced that it will be expanding its line of FAST Model Cortex processors. Two new processors will be added to its Cortex A9 MPCore multicore processor line along with new additions to the Coretex-M3 line.

The new processors are designed to allow for rapid development and optimization of software on single and multi-core processors based on virtual platforms. ARM says that Fast Model processors can hit speeds of up to 250MHz allowing real-time execution of software. Read more

Posted on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 07:04:55 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

VIA Announces New VX855 Media Processor

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VIA announced its latest media system processor called the VX855 that is described as a highly integrated all-in-one chipset that meets the needs of today's SFF and mobile PC systems. The processor offers full hardware acceleration of the most popular video standards including H.264, MPEG-2/4, DivX, and WMV9 allowing smooth playback at 1080p resolution.

The processor operates inside a 2.3W thermal design power envelope and is intended to let netbooks and other small systems play full HD video. VIA says that the processor supports all operating systems including Windows 7. Read more

Posted on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

ARM Unveils Its Smallest and Lowest Power Processor

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ARM has announced a new processor called the Cortex-M0 that is the smallest, lowest power and most energy efficient ARM processor to date. ARM says that the tiny processor delivers 32-bit performance at an 8-bit price. The processor consumes as little at 0.085 milliwatts and an area of under 12,000 gates when using the ARM 180ULL cell library.

ARM says that the new processor is extending the company roadmap into products like medical devices, e-metering, lighting, smart control, gaming accessories, compact power supplies, and ZigBee and Z-Wave systems. Read more

Posted on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 06:49:07 CST | by Shane McGlaun

RMI Unveils Advanced Mobile Media Processor

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The heart of many of our mobile media devices is a multimedia processor that can handle 3D graphics for gaming and for rendering video. RMI has been showing off its latest media processor called the Alchemy Au1300 targeted at devices needing high performance with low power consumption.

The processor can offer performance up to 800Mhz and decode 720p resolution video using H.264. The power needs for the processor are under 1/2 a watt at full chip power. That means you can get performance out of the processor without getting a short battery life at the same time. Read more

Posted on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 06:45:21 CST | by Shane McGlaun

New AMD Phenom II Triple- and Quad-Core Processors

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AMD announces new addition to the Dragon platform. AMD unleashes five new AMD Phenom II processors, including the industry’s only 45nm triple-core processors and three new AMD Phenom II quad-core processors.
These AMD Phenom II processors deliver choice and lay the foundation for memory transition; they fit in either AM2+ or AM3 sockets and support DDR2 or next generation DDR3 memory technology. Read more

Posted on Mon, 9 Feb 2009 02:23:48 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Samsung Media Processors Adds Multimedia to Digital Frames

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Digital photo frames are gaining popularity at a swift pace as prices drop and they go more mainstream. Many digital photo frames can't show multimedia content like video. Samsung has a new media processor that is designed specifically for the digital photo frame market.

The processor is called the S5L2010 and offers the performance to allow developers to build multimedia functionality into their offerings. The processor has built-in accelerators for computational-intensive tasks. Read more

Posted on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 08:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun