Nanotech - The Circuits Blog

First Intel-powered smartphone due this week

Intel CEO Paul Otellini couldn't have made it any clearer: The first smartphone to use an Intel processor is due "later this week."

"Expect to see another important milestone for our business later this week. The launch of the first Intel architecture-based smartphone," Otellini said during his opening remarks in today's first-quarter earnings conference call.

That phone will likely be from Lava, according to a source familiar with the India-based smartphone maker's plans.

Specifications include an Intel Z2460 Atom chip, a 4.03-inch screen (1024x600), 8MP camera, HSPA+, and 16GB flash memory (see chart).

Smartphones running on more

Windows 8 RT to bring eclectic mix of PCs

Microsoft affirmed today that Windows running on power-efficient chips from ARM will yield smaller, lighter devices. Not unlike Intel's goal for ultrabooks.

As of today, Windows on ARM is officially called Windows RT, or Windows Runtime -- which essentially refers to the Metro part of Windows 8.

Main points of today's Microsoft Windows RT announcement:

Pre-installed only: "This single edition will only be available pre-installed on PCs and tablets powered by ARM processors and will help enable new thin and lightweight form factors with impressive battery life."
Touch-optimized Office: "Windows RT will include touch-optimized desktop versions of the

Intel 60GB solid-state drive sinks to $89

Intel today announced the availability of a series of solid-state drives with a 60GB version selling for $89, the least expensive dollars-per-gigabyte drive to date from Intel.

The 330 Series use a SATA 6 gigabit-per-second (Gb/s), giving "consumers a more affordable entry into the accelerated storage performance of SSDs," Intel said in a statement. The SATA 6Gb/s interface doubles the bandwidth of its current SATA 3Gb/s Intel SSD 320 Series.

Intel Ivy Bridge chip imminent, quad-core first

Expect the first of Intel's Ivy Bridge chip announcements on April 23, when the chipmaker will unveil its high-performance models, sources tell CNET.

The first Ivy Bridge processors will be quad-core mobile and desktop, an industry source, who is familiar with the rollout, told CNET. More power-efficient ultrabook-specific dual-core chips will come later in the quarter.

Ivy Bridge is the first in a series of upcoming Intel mainstream chips that emphasize graphics and multimedia processing over more traditional compute tasks. more

Intel hints at what's in, out for thinnest ultrabooks

The list of no-nos for the thinnest ultrabooks is lengthy, according to an "engineering estimate" published by Intel recently.

The specs for the thinnest of the thin laptops (15mm, 0.6 inch) shake out this way: no to the VGA port, "slim" 2.5-inch drives (7mm) are out, 18650/16650 batteries won't cut it, soDIMM memory, negative. And no "standard thermal solutions." (See charts below.)

But that's pretty thin -- even thinner than the Dell XPS 13 ultrabook, which is 0.71 inch at its thickest point. (See CNET's review of the Dell XPS 13 here -- and read how it stacks up against the Apple MacBook Air.)

Intel is more forgiving for 18mm (0.7-inch) and 21mm (0.82-inch) ultrabooks. (The latter 21mm category, for all intents and purposes, is not really an ultrabook but just a thin laptop.)

Will this tantalizing tech make it into the new MacBook?

What's in the next spin of the MacBook Pro? 0ne answer is obvious, others are guesswork.

The obvious? Intel's newest Ivy Bridge chip. The guesswork? A thinner MBP made possible by ripping out the optical drive, a la the MacBook Air. And here's some more wishful thinking:

Retina display: A Pro (or maybe a new Air at some point?) with a 2,560x1,600 resolution display? That's the resolution that Intel's Kirk Skaugen mentioned this week at an Intel conference in Beijing in connection with the upcoming Ivy Bridge chip. And he specifically used the more

Intel's Windows 8 tablet: Checklist goes public

Intel is offering more specifics on the features of future Windows 8 tablet at a conference in Beijing. It's a laudable goal, but can Intel make it happen this year?

Underneath the glass will be beat an Atom Z2760 "Clover Trail" chip: dual-core capable with "burst mode" (for quick bursts of performance when needed) and Hyperthreading -- the latter allows a dual-core chip to behave in quad-core-like fashion in some cases.

Is this the future of Windows 8 ultrabooks?

Intel showed off the latest hybrid ultrabook concept at company confab this week. But it's been preaching this best-of-both-worlds religion for a while now.

Intel's new PC business chief, Kirk Skaugen, is making the case for hybrids this week in Beijing at an Intel conference. But CEO Paul Otellini has been proselytizing the hybrid experience since last fall and other Intel executives, like Erik Reid, have been chiming in at every opportunity too.

Here's the pitch: in "consumption" mode, it's a tablet (see photos) and in productivity mode it's a standard laptop. And throw in the fact that hybrids use the latest high-performance Intel Ivy Bridge processors and run the Windows 8 Metro interface.

First Intel Ivy Bridge launch expected on April 23

The first of a series of Ivy Bridge chip announcements is expected on April 23, CNET has learned.

Previously, CNET had been told the launch would happen between April 23 and April 29. Buy today an industry source familiar with Intel's plans said the initial rollout will happen on April 23.

Ivy Bridge is the first in a series of upcoming Intel mainstream chips that emphasize graphics and multimedia processing.

Intel's 'Centerton' is first Atom chip for servers

Intel announced its first Atom chip for microservers at a major company confab in Beijing today.

The new Atom, codenamed Centerton, is a system-on-a-chip, which makes it even more power efficient than less-integrated older Atom chips.

Centerton's power envelope -- what the industry sometimes calls TDP or thermal design power -- is six watts. While not as low as the power envelope for Intel's smartphone Atom, six watts is still a lot more power efficient than Intel's more mainstream chips. Those have power envelopes of 15 watts or higher. To date, Atom has been aimed at small more

Nanotech - The Circuits Blog

First Intel-powered smartphone due this week

Windows 8 RT to bring eclectic mix of PCs

Intel 60GB solid-state drive sinks to $89

Intel Ivy Bridge chip imminent, quad-core first

Intel hints at what's in, out for thinnest ultrabooks

Will this tantalizing tech make it into the new MacBook?

Intel's Windows 8 tablet: Checklist goes public

Is this the future of Windows 8 ultrabooks?

First Intel Ivy Bridge launch expected on April 23

Intel's 'Centerton' is first Atom chip for servers

Featured Posts

Most Popular

About Nanotech - The Circuits Blog

RSS

my Yahoo

Google

MSN

CNET Mobile Apps

Related stories