Posted: 29 Feb 2012 02:10 AM PST  Look out Samsung – there's a new, thin, and sexy tablet in town, looking to snatch your crown in the ever-crowded Android tablet market. We're talking about the forthcoming Toshiba Excite tablets. While the voluptuous Toshiba Thrive series, the company's first dip in the market, were anything but sexy, they did come with a generous set of features and connectivity ports that made them quite memorable and not entirely dispensable. Now, the Excite series proves the world that Toshiba means serious business. And, this time around, the sleek looks and svelte built were high on the Japanese’ priorities list.  The Toshiba Excite 7.7 features an eye-popping 1280x800 AMOLED display powered by Tegra 3 First, let's check out the contenders that are vying for that coveted “best tablet” spot. The Contenders  This is the Toshiba Excite X10 - the thinnest tablet in the world  A special mention goes to Asus Transformer Pad Infinity, with its exquisite 1920×1200 display and quad-core processor, all in an 8.3 mm thick casing. Another set of props goes to the Huawei MediaPad FHD, which is expected to be launched in Q2 2012. Coming in at 8.8 mm thickness, the MediaPad is one of the thinner tablet around, but just not thin enough to be declared the winner in the war of the thinnest tablets. Without further ado, here are the new tablets from Toshiba, which, we think, deserve your complete attention, and maybe even some attention from your wallet. Toshiba Excite X10 It's official – we have the thinnest 10-incher Android tablet on the market as of now (at least for the next couple of months). The Toshiba Excite X10 comes in at a svelte form factor that is just 7.7 mm (0.3-inch) thick, and weighs 535g (1.18 pounds). Toshiba has dubbed the X10 as the thinnest and lightest tablet of the moment, so we’ll take their word for it and go along with the flow.  The Toshiba X10 features a classy aluminum back plate and a magnesium alloy surface, and Toshiba didn’t skimp on other goodies either. These include a generous 1280×800 10.1-inch display protected by a slab of scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass, 1 GB RAM, and a dual-core 1.2GHz TI OMAP 4430 processor. For those of you who are interested in taking snapshots, the 2MP front facing and 5MP rear cameras should provide respectable results, especially since the device is equipped with an LED flash to help take better pictures in low-light conditions. Just because it’s super skinny and light, it does mean that the X10 is deprived of functional ports. Complementing its attractive exterior, the Toshiba Excite X10 has a complete set of micro SD, micro USB, and HDMI ports. Although the tablet will ship out of the gate with Honeycomb, Toshiba promises that an update to Ice Cream Sandwich is just around the corner after its release. Meanwhile, there's no word yet on the availability of 3G model. You can choose between the 16GB and 32GB flavors, all Wi-Fi-only models. The former is expected to cost $529, while the latter will set you back $599. Toshiba Excite 7.7 aka AT270 After it was first teased as a prototype model back at CES, the Toshiba 7.7 tablet made a surprise appearance at Nvidia’s booth at MWC. Given the lust-worthy specs, we sure hope this one is coming out really soon. Let's get it out of our system fast: the tablet comes with a gorgeous 7.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen, with 1280×800 display resolution. As if that's not enough to get your tech juices flowing, the tablet is powered by a Tegra 3 quad-core processor, making it the perfect device for your daily fix of 3D gaming on the go.  The casing of the Toshiba 7.7 is different from its big brother, hence, it loses some premium points along the way. Gone is the magnesium alloy casing, only to be replaced with textured plastic on the back and glossy glass at the front. Nevertheless, it does look and feel solid, attractive even. We don't have the exact measurements of the tablet yet, but it's safe to assume that it might be as thin as the Toshiba Excite X10. The fact that the tablet comes at a smaller form factor didn’t stop Toshiba from including all the essential ports, such as micro SD and micro USB slots, with the exception of an apparently missing HDMI port. The Japanese company is expected to release three models of the 7.7-inch tablet: 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. The Toshiba 7.7 tablet showcased at MWC runs what appears to be an unfinished build of Ice Cream Sandwich, which is at least a step up from the Honeycomb found on Toshiba X10 tablet. It is unfortunate to say that the company is yet to release more details about its price and availability. We have a hunch that it will come at a heftier price than some of its similarly sized competitors, due to its high-end Super AMOLED panel. All in All All told, the two tablets from Toshiba are set to make forgotten any bitter taste that the previous iterations have left in your mouth. Arriving fashionably late to the market, the Toshiba Thrive didn’t really leave much room to the imagination due to its 16mm thick frame. Now, the Toshiba Excite X10, crowned as the thinnest and lightest tablet (at least for a while), and the Toshiba 7.7, with its gorgeous AMOLED screen and quad-core processor, are sure to elevate the Toshiba brand to new tablet heights. What do you think about Toshiba’s latest effort? YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
This article, Toshiba’s New 10.1 and 7.7 Tablets: Thinner and Better Than Ever Before , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 29 Feb 2012 12:10 AM PST  Sony Ericsson’s Xperia lineup is definitely a huge hit among many consumers. Xperia phones have been praised for their style, performance, and their fantastic cameras. Having a phone like the Xperia Arc S, for instance, is always a cause for pleasure and entertainment, especially with its neat features. But, there is always the option of unleashing its full potential once you've got root privileges and ClockworkMod Recovery installed. One of the most daunting tasks that every Xperia phone owner has to go through would probably be rooting and installing recovery software. For every neophyte who just had receive his or her first taste of the Android OS, technical terms such as those mentioned above can be quite difficult to comprehend. With so many rooting and recovery guides literally flooding the Internet, first-time users of Android smartphones will eventually become curious and bold enough to take their shot at installing third-party modifications. Tragedies sometimes happen in the form of failed installations resulting in bricked devices and expensive paperweights. Installing a custom recovery on your phone can range from very easy to extremely hard, depending on your type of device. In the case of Sony Ericsson Xperia handsets, installing ClockworkMod Recovery couldn't get any more difficult. Thanks to an application called Xperia CWM Auto-Installer, installing ClockworkMod Recovery on your Xperia phone will be like a walk in the park. The application itself is specifically designed for the 2011 Xperia line portfolio. The Xperia lineup includes a handful of devices that range from entry-level smartphones (such as the Xperia Mini) to beasts like the (Xperia Arc S). So, if you've got yourself an Xperia device from last year then this application will definitely be worth a try. In order for the application to work you need to have a rooted phone. Bear in mind that Xperia CWM Auto-Installer is specifically designed only for Sony Ericsson Xperia phones, so anything other than that means a no-go. Another requirement for the application to work is an updated Android 2.3 Gingerbread version. Nothing to worry about, since most Xperia phones released in 2011 are already pre-bundled with Gingerbread software.  The application will present you with a neat checklist of information such as root access, phone model, CWM installed and other important options to choose from. With a simple selection of "Install CWM 5" and a reboot of your device, ClockworkMod Recovery will automatically install itself on your device. Bye bye, command prompt.  Other options include the Auto-Magic Nandroid feature. Checking that option will basically reboot your phone and create a carbon copy of the device itself, backing-up important files, apps and data without your having to tinker around manually in ClockworkMod Recovery. The application is reported to work on phones such as the Xperia Arc, Arc S, Active, Play, and Neo. Some users have reported success with using the app on other Xperia devices not covered on the list. The application is now currently in its 4th revision, so most bugs are probably addressed by now. You can download Xperia CWM Auto-Installer from the Android Market for free. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
This article, Android App for Auto Installing ClockworkMod Recovery on Sony Ericsson Xperia Handsets , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 28 Feb 2012 08:05 PM PST  Compared to other operating systems, Android is one of the very few mobile operating systems that welcome and embrace the idea of independent developers. Because of Android’s open nature, developers are able to modify, tweak, hack, and customize their devices the way they want. As a result a variety of customized ROMs are spreading like airborne viruses, searching for refuge in your Android device. Many of such custom ROMs even outrun device manufacturers and network carriers in releasing the most updated Android version out to the public. Needless to say, root access is generally required for any Android user to be able to load up a device with a custom ROM. Although dealing with technical stuff such as rooting seems an impossible feat to a beginner, one can actually easily root one’s device through one-click methods. In the case of the recently released Motorola Droid XYBoard 10.1 on Verizon, developer Dan Rosenberg, a.k.a djrbliss, has created a rooting file package that easily roots your Motorola Droid XYBoard 10.1. Such a hassle-free solution opens the tablet to customization and full control of your Android tablet. In this guide, you will learn the steps for rooting the Motorola Droid XYBoard 10.1 in one click. Requirements
Instructions
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This article, Root the Motorola Droid XYBoard 10.1 in One Click , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 28 Feb 2012 07:55 PM PST  With the advent of touchscreen technology, there is no more need for key pads in your phone and there’s now plenty of room for the display. With wider displays, you get to enjoy pictures and videos better compared to those old phone versions with screens half the size of the handset. However, for you to enjoy videos and photos better, the quality of the display is as important as the size. Ahead of all Android phones in this aspect is the Samsung Galaxy S2. Aside from its impressive specs, the one thing that makes the Galaxy S2 stand out from the rest of the Android phones in the market is its amazing Super AMOLED Plus display. Looking at the display of this phone, it’s mesmerizing as the colors are very vibrant compared to other displays on other phones. Luckily, for those who don’t have a Galaxy S2 you can get the same effect on your Samsung phone with the help of an amazing app. The SST or Soft Screen Tuner app developed by XDA Developer member wql is an app that works by allowing you to adjust things like the RGB values, sharpness, saturation, as well as the color temperature of each of the three preset modes such as Standard, Dynamic, and Movie on the Samsung Galaxy S2. With the help of this app, you can fine tune the display of your phone, tweaking it to your preference. In addition to that, even if you uninstall the app, the changes you make to the color scheme of your phone will actually be retained because it is not a service or a background process, so you get to save some memory, as well. Also, to make things easier, it provides test images so that you can preview the result of the changes you applied. Compatibility and InstallationSo far, Soft Screen Tuner app has already been tested and proven to work for the Samsung Galaxy S2 and Samsung Galaxy Note.However, there are still no tests that shows that this app also works for other devices. In this case, there is no other way to know this but to try this on your phone especially if its display uses AMOLED technology. Unfortunately for those who are not owners of Samsung phones, the developer has noted that Soft Screen Tuner will not work with non-Samsung phones. You will need your Samsung phone to be rooted so that you can use Soft Screen Tuner. Soft Screen Tuner is easy to install, you just have to download it to your phone and install it. No more need for some other requirements. The app can’t be downloaded from the Android Market, but you can manually download and install the Soft Screen Tuner APK package (current version as of this writing is 0.8 beta). If you like to watch videos and you want to adjust the colors of your phone to make them more comfortable to your eyes, then you probably need this app. Download it now and tweak it to your liking. Has this app made your viewing pleasure more pleasurable? Let us know in the comments. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
This article, Fine Tuning Your Android Phone’s Display with Soft Screen Tuner App , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 28 Feb 2012 04:03 PM PST  Usually, we tech bloggers strive to get our hands on the latest and greatest gadgets before they are officially announced by the manufacturers. In turn, most gadget-makers do their best to keep their latest products under wraps until they are formally inducted into society. For everyone involved, it's second nature. Except for Toshiba. Apparently, the Japanese don't care that Nvidia is using one of their upcoming tablets to show off their Tegra 3 System-on-a-Chip. The slate in question is codenamed AT270, and we first saw it back at CES, when it was in a rough prototype stage. Now, it's almost surely a finished product, and boy, it's pretty. So pretty that Nvidia decided to use the not yet announced slate to showcase its quad-core powerhouse. But hey Toshiba, if you're cool with it, we don't mind. Finally, a Pretty Toshiba TabletFrom the outside, the new AT270 impresses through two things. First, and most obvious, the screen – a beautiful Super AMOLED Plus displays that is as vibrant as they get. The 1280 x 800 display is similar to the one used by Samsung's Galaxy Tab 7.7, and there is a good chance that they are actually identical. Super AMOLED Plus is the improved version of Super AMOLED, which comes with more sub-pixels and replaces the hated (by some) PenTile technology with a regular RGB matrix. (How's that for a crash course into display technology?) The result: a thinner screen, improved brightness, and smaller energy consumption. The second thing that catches the eye at the Toshiba AT270 is its sleek and stylish appearance. Previous Toshiba Thrive slates have been criticized for their unassuming, even stodgy design. Moreover, the cheap materials used to make them didn't help correct that image. But now, Toshiba seems to have realized that we live in a world where looks are often more important than function, so the new AT270 comes without a full-size USB port like the Thrives had. This allowed them to shave a few millimeters off the new slate, which feels decidedly thin and light. And, instead of a rubberized back, Toshiba's new tab features a gold texturized plastic back plate, which feels like a huge improvement. Overall, in terms of industrial design, the AT270 is a major step forward for Toshiba. Beauty on the Outside, Beast on the InsideNow, Toshiba would have received ovations just for finally delivering an attractive tablet. But they decided to go for the gold, so the new AT270 features a Tegra 3 quad-core processor, clocked at 1.5GHz. Just imagine the copious amounts of eye-candy generated by pairing the latest-generation quad-core processor with a 7.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus display. Yummy! The icing on the cake? Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, of course. Although we don't have any precise specs besides the processor, it's safe to assume that the Toshiba AT270 will boast 1GB of RAM and at least 16GB of internal storage. All around, some great specifications for a tablet that feels so light. No details about the battery life yet (remember that it's only a show model, and not even an official Toshiba one). Presumably, both the Super AMOLED Plus display and the Tegra 3 4-Plus-1 architecture should contribute to a relatively good battery life. Why Isn't the AT270 the Star of the Show?Good question. With such impression specifications and the looks to match, the Toshiba AT270 clearly deserves the spotlight at MWC. No other tablet released so far comes with such tempting combination of specs – quad-core Tegra 3, Super AMOLED Plus, Ice Cream Sandwich.So, why did Toshiba choose to neglect the AT270? Is the model seen at the Nvidia booth a real product or just a reference model? Will we see the real dealanytime soon? We'll just have to wait and see. It isn't too late for Toshiba to make a big announcement. Fingers crossed! YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
This article, Toshiba's Amazing Unannounced 7.7-inch Tablet , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 28 Feb 2012 03:29 PM PST  What a great way to make our day! We all love cutting-edge Android devices, particularly those that possess amazing specs. And today, we got just that! Hitting the Mobile World Congress today is Fujitsu, the Japanese technology company that is currently the third largest IT services provider in the world. Fujitsu immediately caught our attention when it displayed a prototype smartphone running Android 4.0 ICS.  But soon enough we realized that Android 4.0 is just the icing on the cake. We later found out that Fujitsu’s prototype is actually powered by a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor. The smartphone is just one of of the many devices that NVIDIA boasted about and touted as the attractions of this week’s MWC. Even more impressive than the quad-core setup is the device’s 13.1MP camera. Or at least, that’s what the caption says. See, the folks over at Phandroid snapped some pictures with the phone and transferred the files via Bluetooth to a Galaxy Nexus.  To their surprise, they found that the pictures taken from the prototype had a measly 2048 x 1536 resolution, which would match a photo taken by a 3.1 megapixel camera. But again, the tested model was just a prototype device, so it’s pretty hard to enforce expectations. Thankfully, the situation was cleared out when Fujitsu explained that the 13.1 megapixel camera was not fully configured to work with Ice Cream Sandwich. Leaving that aside, Fujitsu’s 4.6-inch prototype has LTE capabilities and is completely waterproof and, most probably, dustproof as well. In fact, Fujitsu is waterproofing all of its devices, including the ones that we’ve seen at CES in Janaury.  The smartphone is fitted with NFC and features a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microUSB port. Wait, have we told you about the proximity sensor that works both as a fingerprint reader and an automatic lock or power on/off switch? The fingerprint sensor is similar to the one used on the Motorola Atrix, and probably incorporates some of Fujitsu’s massive know-how in the manufacturing of biometric identification equipment. According to Fujitsu, the device will be released in Europe, China, and North America, most likely in Q4. But before that, Fujitsu has to finish up the prototype and find it a name that’s worthy of its features. So, would you be interested in buying the device once it’s released?  YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
This article, Fujitsu Demos Quad-Core Android 4.0 Prototype Smartphone with LTE Support and a 13.1 Megapixel Camera , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 28 Feb 2012 12:10 PM PST  Accidentally deleting important files from your phone's SD card is really disappointing, particularly if the accidental deletion involves important files, application databases, and multimedia content. Luckily, an application called Undelete for Root Users (developed by Fahrbot Mobile) is here to save the day. Restoring deleted files will never be the same again, as the application manages to recover deleted files within your Android smartphone. There will be no more need for third-party applications that you need to install on your PC, as the Undelete application for Android fulfills its role in helping you recover your deleted files as quickly as possible. Here is a short list of notable features that the Undelete for Root Users app supports:
  When you first start the app, Undelete makes a full scan of your phone's device storage or SD card, then lists the files that can hopefully still be recovered. The application supports over 1,000 different file types, so whatever file type that you come across, there's no need to worry, as Undelete is smart enough to help you out in your recovery crusade.  Users will praise the application’s recovery system, as it sorts the deleted files into different categories such as music, images, videos and files regardless of their file type. Users just need to select a category and all the possible recoverable files are listed there. Media files can also be previewed before being recovered, saving you time from recovering unwanted files. However, not all files detected can be recovered. Files that are corrupted beyond repair are not recoverable. Currently, this version of Undelete only supports FAT-formatted SD cards which means that only external SD cards are supported. Undelete can also securely wipe and shred files in an instant. So, if you have some sensitive files that you have kept in your phone, then this feature is quite handy for wiping files that you don't want to keep or share to anyone else. Basically, the shredding feature wipes out all traces of the deleted file. Whatever recovery software you use, “shredded” files will never be recoverable by any means. The trial version is limited to recovering media files, but purchasing the Undelete Key Unlocker will let you unlock the full functionality of the application. Try it out for yourself and recover those deleted files. The application is quite useful in sticky situations, for quick recovery and restoration. You can download the Undelete for Root Users trial version from the Android Market or go elite by purchasing the Undelete Key Unlocker (also from the Android Market). YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKENo related posts.This article, Undelete App for Recovering Deleted Files on Android , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 28 Feb 2012 10:24 AM PST  We’ve had the privilege of being able to speak with Intel on several occasions, as well as with manufacturers that are planning on putting their fresh hot tech in upcoming generations of Android devices. Really though, to be honest, I just don’t know. In the tech world, everyone with half a brain knows that absolutely everything is going mobile. Even a cursory glance will show that PC’s are going the way of the dinosaurs. With sales of smartphones already exceeding sales of PCs in the past short while, Intel and others in the business of making powerful, yet power-hungry processors are looking for a way to get access to ARM’s piece of the pie.  Like a BossYeah, you. You are the boss. Why? You’re the consumer. You vote with your dollars. You comment with impunity. Your opinions matter. After all, without you, there is no computer, there is no smartphone. So, with everything in the future at stake, you bet Intel has been working hard on mobilizing its handsomely paid pack of genii to figure out how to squeeze more power out of ever smaller microprocessors, a la ARM style.But can they do it? Of course they can. But, will they be better than what ARM, NVIDIA, TI, and Qualcomm have to offer? This really is the prize winning question. The truth is they certainly have pockets deep enough to be able to do so. Perhaps, though, in this case, money won’t matter. Intel has been happily making oceans of money of a dying ecosystem for a long time. Even their latest processor designs are kept under wraps, and they have not dared to tempt the dragon by submitting real actual products with “Intel inside” to veteran tech bloggers like Anandtech or the like. Why? Because they are afraid. This is their chance to build favorable brand appreciation, and they definitely don’t want to mess it up.  So, what can they do? Well, for one, they could just buy a serious player in the mobile CPU world. Hell, they could even buy ARM if they wanted to, right? Wrong. Let’s look at the facts Intel’s market cap is 134.34 billion. ARM’s is 7.79 billion. Do the math. You’d think that Intel could eat ARM up like a few McDonald’s fries. But, like any fat diabetic on a strict diet, they won’t be allowed to. See, there’s this little thing called regulatory agencies that serve as consumer watch dogs, and ensure that companies play fair and in a non-monopolistic fashion. They do this to further foster competition and to ensure that the consumers’ best interests are kept at heart. Truth is, it’s a good thing, or else, we might have to walk around with car-batteries in backpacks just to keep our Intel-powered mobile devices juiced up for intermittent usage each day. Just kidding, that’ll never happen. So, what’s Intel got cookin’?Intel is aggressively courting ODM’s and OEM’s of all colors, stripes, and sizes, to expand it’s mobile intentions. I’m sure they”ll be pulling out all the stops here, including undercutting ARM et. al in price, with bonuses, cash-backs, and all sorts of other unfair and pseudo-legal practices, to strong ARM (too easy) struggling manufacturers into putting Intel inside. What Intel powered Android devices can we expect in 2012? The rolling joke amongst tech bloggers that have followed this for a long time is that Intel has been mentioning mobile for a long, long time. The reality of the situation is that they have some of the brightest engineers in the world working for them, and the management of the company is no slouch either. They know mobile is where everything is headed, and they’ve been working towards this end for a long time to come. The image above, as you will probably notice, is from 2010. Lots of Intel powered Android devices on the market? Yeah, um. Orange Codenamed the Orange Santa Clara, it’s a decently spec’ed Android handset that is running on Intel’s Medfield platform. Orange has collaborated with an unknown manufacturer to bring its own Intel powered Android smartphone to market. To me, it looks like an LG or an HTC, but I could be wrong. Either way, it’s packing all of the usual physical connectivity we’ve come to expect, like mini HDMI and a Micro-USB port. As the device is exclusively an “Orange” device, it will give you HSDPA connectivity, and “HD Voice”. It also features an 8-megapixel camera that is capable of 1080p video, and can even employ burst photo capture to grab 10 photos per second for moments that require such intense, rapid memory creation. In terms of physical stature, it is actually pretty svelte, at 123 x 63 x 9.99mm, and weighs in at 117 grams. Intel claims that the device will have up to 14 days of standby, but failed to mention what battery life should be like in every day usage. Motorola The truth is, very little is known about this particularly interesting device. From the render, leaked courtesy of PocketNow, we know that the device itself will be an Android 4.0 powered Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone. Intel has worked diligently to ensure that it handles media capture quite well. At CES, we had the chance to preview the capability of the hardware, which demonstrated a very close to ‘instant-on’ capability, and was also able to capture over 10 photos in under one second. Pretty impressive stuff to say the least. Aside from that, we do know that this device is likely to carry the same processor as what we found in Lenovo’s K800, namely a 1.6GHz single core Medfield processor. Either way, it would appear that Android is ready to play nice with Intel. Lenovo The one on the right is the Lenovo K800, Intel powered At CES, we had the chance to play with the Lenovo K800, a single-core chipped Android device, using the new Atom Z2460 chip by Intel, clocked at 1.6GHz. Other features of the phone include a 4.5-inch 720p display, 8MP camera with 1080p video recorder, and a front-facing camera. The phone currently runs on Android 2.3 but it may get updated to Ice Cream Sandwich before it launches in China this spring. To be honest, the device performed quite well. The only thing I didn’t like was how thick it was. Check out the photo below.
Cores Don’t Matter
Intel’s CEO and President went public yesterday, joking that Intel “may have just started another core war.” He was, of course, referring to the upcoming showdown between Intel, ARM, Qualcomm, TI, and Samsung. This is a smart man, and he certainly would not have made such bold assertions unless he was quite confident about what he was bringing to light.
Having read over thousands upon thousands of comments here at Android Authority and awesome Android sites, like AndroidandMe and others, it’s pretty clear to me that consumers are clamoring for quad core devices. But are more cores better? We’ve seen what sort of performance dual core setups like Qualcomm’s S4 are capable of, and perhaps the sage-like CEO of Intel is onto something.
Major manufacturers are sprinting at breakneck speed to bring devices with quad core SoC’s to market, because that’s what the highly coveted early adopter demographic is demanding, while Intel is opting for a 1.6Ghz single core SoC – for now.
The CEO went on to say that "[he] doesn’t think [the number of cores] matters. What matters is the chip itself.” He believes “the core comparison is really improper – what does matter is the performance and the efficiency of the processor."
No matter what – the combined sweat equity, sheer genius, and resource and development budgets of the world’s most sophisticated technology companies all competing with one another is going to result in absolutely unparalleled mobile computing experiences. Viva the mobile computing revolution!
And for those of you interested in finely tuned, shareholder loving, corporate PR speak, check out the press release below.
Will Intel be able to deliver the goods? Let us know what you think guys!
Intel Expands Smartphone Portfolio: New Customers, Products, Software and Services
Announces Smartphone Device Engagements with Orange*, Lava*, ZTE* and Visa*
Discloses Range of New Smartphone SoCs and Communications Products
MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS, Barcelona, Spain, Feb. 27, 2012 – Intel Corporation President and CEO Paul Otellini today detailed a number of announcements and plans aimed at expanding the company's smartphone product portfolio and customer ecosystem, including strategic new engagements with Orange*, Lava International Ltd.*, ZTE*, and Visa*.
"We are very pleased to add new, important customers and capabilities to our phone offerings today. We remain focused on delivering exciting new features and outstanding performance to smartphone customers around the world." said Otellini.
Otellini made the announcements during an Intel news conference at Mobile World Congress. He also highlighted the company's plans to expand its smartphone SoC and communications product roadmaps for the performance and value smartphone market segments.
New Smartphone Customer Engagements
Building on strategic engagements with Motorola Mobility Inc.* and Lenovo*, Intel detailed new device relationships with Orange, Lava International Ltd. and ZTE.
Yves Maitre, Orange senior vice president of Mobile Multimedia and Devices, joined Otellini to discuss a new Orange smartphone based on the Intel® Atom™ processor Z2460 reference design. Housed in a sleek body, the design enables rich entertainment experiences and Orange services, including Orange TV, Daily Motion, Deezer, Orange Wednesdays and Orange Gestures. The Orange smartphone will be available in the United Kingdom and France later this summer.
Intel also announced plans to enter the high-growth market for smartphones in India through an alliance with Lava International Ltd., one of the fastest-growing Indian mobile handset companies.Vishal Sehgal, Lava co-founder and board director, announced the launch of XOLO Smartphone by Lava. The XOLO X900 is based on Intel's smartphone reference design and will be the first Intel technology-based smartphone in the India market. The device will be available from top retail outlets early in the second quarter of 2012 and will support major Indian cellular networks.
Similar to its previously announced partnership with Motorola Mobility, Intel also announced a multi-year mobile device collaboration across smartphones and tablets with global handset maker ZTE. Mr. He Shiyou, executive vice president and head of the Terminal Division of ZTE, discussed how his company's alliance with Intel will enable ZTE to move faster and create unique and differentiated products for wireless operators. He also announced that ZTE's first Intel-powered mobile device is scheduled to debut in the second half of 2012.
Expanding Smartphone SoC and Communications Roadmaps
Building on its ecosystem engagements, Intel announced plans for three new smartphone SoC products that expand the company's portfolio from the performance-to-value market segments.
Extending the leading performance and energy efficiency of the Intel™ Atom® processor Z2460, formerly codenamed "Medfield," Intel announced that the platform will now support speeds up to 2GHz.
Intel also announced the Atom™ Z2580 processor that doubles the performance of the Atom processor Z2460, and features an advanced multimode LTE/3G/2G solution. Intel will sample the Z2580 in the second half of the year with customer products scheduled in the first half of 2013.
Addressing the growing handset opportunity in emerging markets where consumers look for more value at lower prices, Intel disclosed plans for the Intel® Atom™ processor Z2000.
The Z2000 is aimed squarely at the value smartphone market segment, which industry sources predict could reach up to 500 million units by 20151.The platform includes a 1.0 GHz Atom CPU offering great graphics and video performance, and the ability to access the Web and play Google Android* games. It also supports the Intel® XMM 6265 3G HSPA+ modem with Dual-SIM 2G/3G, offering flexibility on data/voice calling plans to save on costs. Intel will sample the Z2000 in mid-2012 with customer products scheduled by early 2013.
Building on these 32nm announcements, Otellini discussed how the Atom™ processor will outpace Moore's Law and announced that Intel will ship 22nm SoCs for carrier certification next year, and is already in development on 14nm SoC technology.
In 2011, Intel shipped in more than 400 million cellular platforms. Building on this market segment position, Intel announced the XMM 7160, an advanced multimode LTE/3G/2G platform with support for 100Mbps downlink and 50Mbps uplink, and support for HSPA+ 42Mbps. Intel will sample the product in the second quarter with customer designs scheduled to launch by the end of 2012.
Intel also announced that it is sampling the XMM 6360 platform, a new slim modem 3G HSPA+ solution supporting 42Mbps downlink and 11.5Mbps uplink for small form factors.
Building Better Experiences on Intel Architecture
Intel's strategy is to create and enable engaging, consistent, aware and secure user experiences across a range of mobile devices.
An emerging trend is the use of mobile devices to enable secure online and retail commerce. Otellini welcomed John Partridge, President, Visa Inc., who announced a strategic multi-year alliance to develop mobile commerce solutions tailored to consumers in developed and developing countries.
The effort includes collaboration across a range of Visa mobile services and Intel® Atom™-based smartphones and tablets to deliver compelling and secure user services. As a first step, Partridge announced that Intel's smartphone reference design is now certified for Visa payWave* mobile financial transactions. This means that customer products based on Intel's smartphone reference design will have time-to-market support of Visa mobile services.
Building on its collaboration with Google, Intel continues to work closely with ISVs to help ensure the majority of Android apps run on Intel Atom processor-based devices. Otellini discussed how Intel has all the right tools and expertise to support the robust mobile application developer ecosystem. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
This article, Would You Buy an Intel Powered Android Device? , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 28 Feb 2012 09:01 AM PST  All we hear from Apple users, and especially from the poor souls that chose an iPhone4S over a Galaxy Nexus or any of the other leading Android devices, is how cool Siri is. Siri that, Siri this, we get it, you love your virtual personal assistant. But Google has its own voice recognition technology – Google Voice Actions, which lets you send texts, fire up your GPS navigator, or go to a website simply by telling you phone to do it. Sure, it's not Siri. Google Voice Actions is not designed to be an intelligent assistant, nor does Google claim that the Voice Actions app is a match for Siri. But that doesn't mean that Google Voice Actions can't do a hell of a good job, and even leave the much-hyped Siri in the dust. Especially when it comes to simple actions (that GVA was designed to handle in the first place), Google's voice app and the entire Android UI are way faster than Siri. See for yourself, in these videos from Motorola, where three of Big M's Android devices are pitched against the iPhone 4S. First, it's the ATRIX 2. Next, the PHOTON 4G. And then, the Electrify. As you can see for yourself, no problems whatsoever in beating Siri at its own game. Google Voice Actions is notably faster at executing various commands than Siri, regardless of the device. In some cases, the Droids finish several seconds faster than the iPhone. You can almost feel poor Siri's embarrassment. And the iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi, so Apple fans can't claim that it's a matter of 3G vs. 4G. Now, we should all be reasonable and hand it to Apple when they hit the mark. Siri is much more than a voice recognition software. After all, Steve Jobs wouldn't have bought the makers of the first Siri app to get a simple voice command tool. But, guess what, Apple? Google is coming fast from behind. How fast? How about an AI that passes the Turing Test 93% of the time, over a one hour IM session? In other words, after chatting for one hour with Google's AI, you won't be able to tell whether you've talked to a computer or to a human, 93 times out of 100! And Google's amazing AI is coming to Android in the near future. The future intelligent assistant in your Droid is presumably codenamed Majel, after Majel Barret-Roddenberry, the actress who played the voice of the Enterprise computer in the Star Trek series. Nice touch, Google! To leave you with a smile, check out this hilarious Siri parody. If only more people could have a voice of reason tucked in their smartphone… the world would be a better place. And don’t forget to leave feedback – do you think that Google can outdo Siri? YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
This article, Watch Google Voice Actions Knock Siri’s Socks Off , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 28 Feb 2012 07:45 AM PST  Qualcomm, the world-leading wireless telecommunications research and development company and the world’s largest fabless chip supplier, has introduced a newly improved version of the Snapdragron S4 chip as well as three new Gobi modem chipsets at the Mobile World Congress today in Barcelona, Spain. The newly improved Snapdragron S4 SoC, dubbed as the “Snapdragron S4 Pro”, takes the ordinary dual-core Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 chip used in the HTC One X/S and the Asus Padfone to a whole new different level. So what’s so interesting about the S4 Pro?  First and foremost, this SoC has a blazing fast graphics processor, thanks to the totally revamped Adreno 320 GPU – a modified version of the Adreno 225. That means that the S4 Pro is capable of supporting high resolution displays while improving its performance four times more. It also introduces new APIs for 3D graphics, Open CL and more. Additionally, Qualcomm mentioned that Adreno 320 will also include dedicated hardware to accelerate Windows while supporting the top game engines like Epic and Unity.
The Snapdragon S4 Pro will be arriving sometime in the middle of this year. There are more than 340 devices in the mobile market today running Qualcomm’s Snapdragron processors. With 400 devices more currently in the development stages, it’s pretty interesting to see that number rise up this year. On the other hand, Qualcomm also announced the release of its next-generation Gobi modem chipsets that will be the first to support both LTE Advanced and HSPA+. The aforementioned 28-nanometer third-generation Gobi chips, namely, the MDM8225, MDM9225 and the MDM9625 are compatible with today’s gold standard data networks. Accordingly, the MDM8225 chip will support UMTS-only, the MDM9225 chipset can support both LTE and UMTS and lastly, the MDM 9625 chip supports LTE, UMTS and CDMA2000. As a way of measuring these chips, both the MDM9225 and the MDM9625 can reportedly reach speeds up to 150Mbps, thanks to its support for LTE Category 4. Moreover, it is important to note that the MDM9225 and the MDM9625 are for now, the only mobile broadband chipsets in the planet that are currently supporting carrier aggregation – a technology that combines and mixes multiple radio channels across bands, thereby increasing user data rates and enabling Category 4 capabilities while reducing latency at the same time. Now, original equipment manufacturers can create devices that can harness the power of LTE Advanced networks to their full extent.
Competition continues to intensify between Qualcomm and NVIDIA. The real question is – would you choose a dual core over a quad core, if the benchmarks and reviews backed it up? We did a comprehensive breakdown on Qualcomm’s S4 vs Tegra 3 in this piece. Check it out, you’ll be surprised. Qualcomm FTW? |
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Update - 94
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