- February 12, 2011 3:11 pm
Athlon. Phenom. Sempron. All of these are previous naming schemes for AMD processors. But these names and future, unique names could be a thing of the past if a reported document by Xbit Labs turns out to be correct. Replacing the traditional AMD names we’ve come to know will be more basic titles based off the companies Vision trademark — Vision FX, Vision A Series, and Vision E Series.
- Vision FX: Zembezi processors in 2, 4, or 8 core configurations. “AMD Vision Black” and “AMD Vision Ultimate”
- Vision E Series: “Llano” APUs in 2 and 4 core configurations + AMD 6000 series graphics core. “AMD Vision Ultimate” and “AMD Vision Premium”
- Vision E Series: 1-2 cores + AMD 6000 series graphics core. Low end. “AMD Vision”
Brand naming isn’t nearly as important as some may claim it to be. With that said, the restructuring is certainly surprising though not entirely unexpected. What do you think of the reported new naming structure for AMD platforms and processors? It seems easy enough on paper. After countless years of complete nonsense from Intel’s naming structure, we’re ready to welcome AMD’s new offerings with open arms.
We’ve highlighted the Emblaze First Else smartphone several times over the last year here at GS. The hardware wasn’t anything to write home about but the software was truly some amazing stuff. The First Else featured a UI like none other before it, while managing to pull off easy navigation to boot! Nailing both aspects so well (especially for a first timer) is pretty rare.
Countless delays have however put doubt in may consumers’ minds. Today, that doubt has manifested into reality as Emblaze has officially gone on the record announcing their immediate desertion of their software + hardware research/development and instead focusing on licensing out the ELSE Intuition platform to 3rd parties.
Due to critical delays in deliveries and the current status of the project, the board has now decided to cease any further investment towards manufacturing of the First ELSE mobile device and to concentrate efforts only on licensing the ELSE Intuition platform and technology in order to realize its potential upside.
No, it’s not quite the same as Emblaze’s “own device”. But connoisseurs of that lovely UI don’t really have much else to go with. Ya never know, several 3rd parties picking up the ELSE Intuition platform and having their way with it may turn out to be just what the doctor ordered. Hopefully manufacturers like ELSE Intuition as much as we geeky consumers do.
Anyone preparing for lost sleep tonight?
The GPS industry has already had a handful in recent months with Google’s completely free and generally completely awesome mobile navigation/turn-by-turn mobile app that debuted on the Android platform. But the Goog’s has plenty more to dish out as they are planning on releasing Google Navigation for iPhone “and plenty of other mobile platforms“, they announced today at a London Tech conference.
Being a BlackBerry user is both rewarding and painful. One one hand, you have one of the best platforms for messaging — whatever type it is — and rock solid stability. However, on the other hand you have a platform that let’s face it, in the consumer age is falling behind faster and faster with each passing day. Just look at the BlackBerry browser — it’s a joke. RIM might as well not even include it for consumer oriented BlackBerries because it’s so slow, renders for crap, and is all around terrible. The BlackBerry platform as a whole needs some dramatic revelation.
And that is precisely why Skyfire for BlackBerry is no more. *Gasps!* Yes, that browser that was shown off a couple months back was quite a looker even in it’s beta stage. It easily beat the pants off the stock BB browser and was promising enough from early previews to even unseat Opera Mini and Bolt. But again, that may not ever be.
According to the Skyfire team, because of the unrefined and frankly, outdated BlackBerry platform when compared to more modern mobile OS’s such as Android, Windows Phone 7, and the iPhone, the BlackBerry is lacking. The biggest culprit as highlighted by the Skyfire team is the inconsistence, scattered nature of BlackBerry API’s and the downright laughable Java machine that is present.
With all of this new found time on their hands, what will the Skyfire team do to pass the team? Work on their Android port of course! Good news for Android users, not so much for Berry users. Looks like the only saving grace BlackBerry aficionados have now is waiting for RIM to rollout that webkit-based browser they’ve been so feverishly busy on.
Any of the aforementioned geeks and/or camps care to weigh in?
IntoMobile > Skyfire
- February 25, 2010 4:41 am
Well, that was a short lived “fix”. The new explicit App Store category that was displayed yesterday has been effectively killed, for now. To many who were part of the 5,000 victims of the boobie ban of 2010, such a category seemed like a warm welcome. It seems that at this point however, Apple is fresh out of “warm loving feelings” for the “others” in the App world. To fall back on, there is that comment Gizmodo garnered from Apple in response to a distraught iPhone developer that stated: “if we do add an Explicit category, it won’t be anytime soon”. So that’ how it is, huh?
Naughty iPhone devs: are you ready to get off this raging roller coaster of emotion?
Macnn
- February 8, 2010 11:42 am
Say what? To pretty much everyone in world who has seen an iPhone, the iPhone is the pinnacle of mobile computing/smartphones. Till this day, no one has quite copied the ease of use and cohesiveness of the hardware, software, and features. Though the platform isn’t without it’s problems. Most notably, the walled garden that Apple has erected around the iPhone has caused controversy since day 1. The iPhone walled garden has been called many things. A “mobile platform strategist, consultant, and trainer” by the name of Peter-Paul Koch has surprised me however by whipping up a new comparison…
To Koch, the iPhone is the IE 6 of the modern age. How can anyone compare easily the worst browser still in existence to one of the best smartphones in existence? Koch’s rationalization is pretty lengthy and expletive filled (my how we love a colorful blogger) though goes on to highlight how the entire world bending over backwards to cater to the iPhone is a bad, bad thing. Even worse, as the world moves more and more towards an “iPhone compatible/iPhone app” version of their products and services, those developers and companies are alienating those who do not use an iPhone. And contrary to popular belief, that number is quite large — much larger than the number of actual iPhones users.
One question keeps popping up in my mind: What happens in 5, 10, or more years when Apple and the iPhone platform are no more or drastically different? What happens to all of those iPhone-formatted web pages, special iPhone apps, and other iPhone specific aspects of the internet? It goes to waste. Developers spend countless amounts of time and money developing strictly for the iPhone. Consumers likewise spend copious amounts of money on the same platform.
That is precisely what Koch is hinting at. Just as IE6 gained it’s popularity back in the day, that is, “it was where the money was at”, the iPhone too treads down this path. Developing and catering to a single platform instead of universal standards is a dangerous thing to those not on board with whatever platform is popular at the moment.
The sad part is, the iPhone and all of it’s specially designed apps and services won’t be here forever. Then what?
Guardian UK
[Image Source 1] [Image Source 2]
