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AMD is planning a tablet-specific processor featuring fanless operation, “active standby,” and the ability to provide continuous Wi-Fi connectivity. Using between two and 4.5 Watts, “Hondo” will be accompanied by a downsized “Hudson M2T” I/O controller that drops PCI Express but adds SDIO, according to the Donanim Haber website.
Cypress Semiconductor announced what it says is the first USB 3.0 solution for smartphone and other handheld devices. The West Bridge Benicia (CYB0263) offers 5Gbps data transfers and faster battery charging, while both it and the USB 2.0-only West Bridge Bay (CYWB0163) include a “data transfer offload engine” and an ARM9 core for audio processing, the company says.
Microsoft has entered into a patent-licensing agreement with Wistron that for the first time covers Google's Chrome OS as well as Android. The agreement — announced a day after a Microsoft-led consortium beat out Google for Nortel's wireless patents — covers smartphones, tablets, and e-readers, suggesting Wistron may be working on a Chrome OS tablet.
Google's share of the U.S. smartphone market just keeps going up — while Microsoft's continues to decline, according to comScore. In May, Android had a 38.1 percent slice of the pie, while Windows Mobile and Windows Phone eked out just 5.8 percent, the research firm says.
IndigoVision announced a doubling of capacity to 2TB disks on its NVR-AS 3000 of Linux-based, surveillance-oriented network video recorders (NVRs). The NVR-AS 3000 systems are now available with up to 6TB of usable RAID 5 storage, as well as RAID 0/1 options, and can record full framerate video and audio from 64 cameras, and play back 20 streams simultaneously, says the company.
The Wi-Fi version of the 9.7-inch HP TouchPad tablet went on sale today for $499 (16GB) and $599 (32GB). Early reviews follow the same general pattern as those of the original Palm Pre two years ago: praise for the promise of WebOS, but disappointment over bugs, performance, lack of apps, and limited battery life.
Calls for papers were announced for CELF's Embedded Linux Conference Europe, co-located with LinuxCon Europe in Prague on October 26-28, as well as the Australian Linux.conf.au, planned for Jan 16-20, 2012 in Ballarat, Australia. Meanwhile, the Linux Foundation announced Kim Blanche's “Flying Penguins” as the winner of the 20th Anniversary of Linux T-shirt contest, earning her a trip to next month's LinuxCon Gala in Vancouver.
Vizio announced the VTAB1008, an eight-inch tablet that includes infrared “universal remote” capabilities and runs Android 2.3. The company added that it will employ Android and its own Vizio Internet Apps Plus (V.I.A. Plus) additions in forthcoming TVs, Blu-ray players, smartphones, “and more.”
Google announced an online tool allowing developers to convert Flash animations to HTML5. Thanks to “Swiffy,” those animations can then be run on Apple's iPad and other devices that do not support Adobe Flash.
Kontron announced its first AdvancedMC (AMC) processor module equipped with Freescale Semiconductor's QorIQ processors. The single-width, Linux-ready AM4120 module incorporates: a dual-core, 1.2GHz QorIQ P2020 processor with extended longevity support; up to 4GB soldered DDR3 SDRAM; four SERDES lines; three gigabit Ethernet channels; flexible boot options; and under 17-Watt power consumption, says the company.
As Hewlett-Packard prepares to ship the WebOS-based Touchpad tablet July 1, CEO Leo Apotheker dropped further hints his company will license the Linux-based mobile operating system to other vendors. The company is apparently negotiating over licensing WebOS to several manufacturers, including Samsung, according to a new report.
Adlink announced an entry-level COM Express module based on recent Intel Atom processors, including the 1.8GHz, dual-core Intel Atom D525. The Express-LPC offers up to 4GB DDR3 memory, as well as: PCIe, PCI, and LPC bus expansion; SATA and IDE storage; plus gigabit Ethernet and USB 2.0 I/O, says the company.
Directly following Android-related patent agreements with General Dynamics Itronix and Velocity Micro this week, Microsoft announced a similar agreement with Onkyo regarding Android tablets. In other Android-related legal news, Oracle announced it is demanding $2.6 billion in payments from Google in its Android patent lawsuit, but the total amount could swell to over $6 billion if Oracle wins triple damages.
IBM says it has produced 90-nanometer-size processors that can store multiple bits of data per cell over time without the data becoming corrupted. The multi-level phase-change memory (PCM) technology should lead to solid-state chips that can match NAND flash disks' 1TB capacities, but are about 100 times faster and feature a much longer lifespan, claims the company.
HTC's Evo View 4G is now available on Sprint's 4G WiMAX network, and it's a dandy device for taking notes, says this eWEEK review. The Android 2.3 “Gingerbread” tablet is only seven inches, but it's fueled by a 1.5GHz Snapdragon, offers zippy 4G, and features a versatile stylus interface that's nicely integrated throughout the tablet.