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Fujitsu and SuVolta announced the successful demonstration of a CMOS technology that can cut SRAM (static random access memory) power consumption by more than half. The “PowerShrink” platform will be offered in 65nm products by Fujitsu in 2012, and is available for licensing by others, according to the companies.
[Updated: Dec. 8] — Ubuntu users who dislike the new Unity desktop have other alternatives besides sticking with “Maverick Meerkat” or jumping ship to Linux Mint or another distro. An illustrated DeviceGuru tutorial shows how to load the GNOME Fallback mode on Ubuntu 11.10 and configure it to offer more of a GNOME 2.x experience.
IEI Technology announced a microATX industrial motherboard with an Intel H61 Express chipset and support for Intel Core i7/i5/i3 (“Sandy Bridge”), Pentium, or Celeron processors. The IMB-H610 supports up to 16GB of DDR3 SDRAM, and offers PCI Express expansion, four SATA connections, dual gigabit Ethernet ports, 10 USB 2.0 ports, six serial ports, and VGA and DVD-D ports, among other I/O.
Stream TV Networks is shipping an upgraded version of its seven-inch eLocity Android tablet for $230. The eLocity A7+ is equipped with a “1.0-1.2GHz” Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, offers 4GB of internal storage, and improves the seven-inch capacitive screen to 1024 x 600 resolution — but aside from the much lower price is otherwise much the same, right down to its Android 2.2 operating system.
Verizon Wireless announced 4G LTE versions of Motorola Mobility's Xoom 2 tablets, running Android 3.2 — and eventually Android 4.0 — on dual-core 1.2GHz processors. The Droid Xyboard 10.1 and Droid Xyboard 8.2 respectively offer 10.1- and 8.2-inch IPS (in-plane switching) displays plus on-contract prices of $530 and $430, and both include 4G LTE networking as well as five- and 1.3-megapixel cameras.
IBM and Micron say they'll collaborate to create a 3D memory chip that uses vertical TSV (through-silicon via) conduits, for speeds 15 times faster than today's technology. Meanwhile, Micron and Intel announced the “world's first” 20nm, 128Gbit MLC (multi-level-cell) flash device as well as mass production of a 64Gbit version.
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is reportedly backing the Android-x86 open source project, which on Nov. 30 posted early Android 4.0 code for x86 processors, starting with AMD Brazos chips. Meanwhile, Intel — which signed a separate pact with Google to develop authorized Android-on-Atom ports, including an Android 4.0 release it now says is ready — is reportedly spurning the effort.
The mobile and low-voltage versions of Intel's upcoming “Ivy Bridge” processors have been leaked by the website VR-Zone. The eight Core i5-3xxx and i7-3xxx devices include two dual-core models with low, 17-Watt TDPs — the Core i5-3427U (2.8GHz) and the Core i7-3667U (3.2GHz) — that are ripe for adoption in next-generation Ultrabooks and embedded devices.
Logic PD announced a modular prototyping and demonstration platform for Android, showcasing the company's customization and integration services as well as components from third-party partners. Aimed primarily at long life-cycle customers, the “Catalyst” platform is built around a seven-inch multitouch “proof-of-concept” device loaded with wireless radios, running Android 2.3 on TI's DaVinci DM3730 Cortex-A8 processor.
Carrier IQ, whose diagnostic firmware has been criticized for supposedly monitoring keystrokes on Android devices, has been hit with at least eight lawsuits, most of which also target major device vendors and mobile carriers. Meanwhile, U.S. lawmakers and European regulators are looking into Carrier IQ, and a security researcher is claiming the snooping claims are overblown.
Names, specifications, and performance comparisons have leaked for some of Intel's 22nm “Ivy Bridge” processors, scheduled for introduction during the second quarter of 2012. The Core i5-3xxx and i7-3xxx CPUs have TDPs ranging from 35 to 77 Watts, up to 25 percent better performance in office applications, and up to 200 percent improvement in graphics benchmarks, according to XBit Labs.
Ainol Electronics has begun shipping what it claims is the world's first Android 4.0 (“Ice Cream Sandwich”) tablet. Now available in China for only $99, the Ainovo Novo7 comes with a MIPS-based, 1GHz Ingenic JZ4770 XBurst processor, seven-inch capacitive multitouch screen, dual cameras, an HDMI 1.3 port, a microSD slot — and a testimonial from Google's Andy Rubin.
Fujitsu-Toshiba announced an Android 2.3 smartphone for Japan's KDDI network that features IPX5/8 waterproofing, an ultra-thin 6.7mm (0.26 inch) profile, and a low, 3.7-ounce weight. Built around on a 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, the Fujitsu Arrows-ES IS12F offers a five-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, infrared, NFC, and even a TV tuner.
Xamarin announced the availability of an Android 4.0 version of its Mono software, letting .NET and C# developers use Microsoft Visual Studio build Android applications in a familiar environment. Mono for Android 4.0 is the first version to support Android tablets, and it adds an “incremental” build technology that significantly reduces debugging and development cycles, says the company.
Datasound Laboratories Ltd. (DSL) announced a 3.5-inch single board computer (SBC) with an 800MHz Vortex86DX processor, 256MB or 512MB of DDR2 RAM, and a PC/104 or PCI-104 expansion interface. The ICOP-6326 also includes three Ethernet ports, a Mini PCI expansion slot, a CompactFlash slot, and an available DOM (disk on module), according to the company.