How would you like to have your smartphone last an entire day (read: ~10 hours)? We’re pretty sure everyone would raise their hands. Now, how would you like to have an all day battery and actually be able to use the smartphone the battery is inside of instead of keeping it as idle as possible? Again, we’re positive everyone would be accept. Well, if claims by Texas Instruments can be taken with more than a simple grain of salt, that day isn’t all that far off. How’s 2013 sound?
While we’re growing content with the dual-core mobile processors flooding the market and looking forward to the main course — quad-core processors — we’re certainly willing to leave some room left over for unique newcomers.
Case in point: TI’s new OMAP 4470 dual-core processor announced this week at Computex. The magic of TI’s new 4470 slab of silicon is the scorching 1.8 GHz clock speed. According to TI, the added speed is good for up to an 80% performance improvement in web browsing, 2.5x more powerful graphics performance, up to 2x more layered video and image layering, support for up to 3 simultaneous HD screens and 2048×1536 resolution, and a new hardware composition engine. Consumer products with the above chip should begin shipping in the first half of 2012.
In short: The TI OMAP 4470 is about as good as it’ll until we see quad-cores drop.
The question is quick and to the point: Would you buy an Intel-powered smartphone manufactured by ZTE? Current rumors say that is such a pairing would be Intel’s first foray into the world of smartphones using the company’s popular Atom netbook processor. According to the same rumor, the resulting love child would be a Chinese-only device, so if you live elsewhere, don’t get too excited — yet.
There’s always the possibility such a device could make it’s way stateside. Thus far however, only a select few ZTE devices have managed to make the trek across the pond. Though if a ZTE/Intel phone featured the needed parts to knock our socks off, the brand and processor wouldn’t really matter. What would matter is a device that can power through 1′s and 0′s faster while also sipping battery juice better than Samsung, ARM or TI’s current crop of silicon.
Today’s refreshed Snapdragon and Tegra 2 processors may be the latest to capture our attentions with their dual-core, 1+GHz design, but they’re mere mid-range fodder compared to Texas Instruments upcoming OMAP 5 platform. Based on a 28-nm design process, the OMAP 5430 and 5432 processors will be capable of running at up to 2GHZ while offering 3x the raw performance of the previous generation OMAP 4430. Furthermore, the 5430 and 5432 OMAP 5 chips will support Kinect-style gesture recognition and boast a solid 5x improvement in graphics performance all while driving up to four displays simultaneously. If you want to bump up to QSXGA (2560 x 2048) resolution, you’ll still be able to push three monitors at once.
Other note worthy features of the OMAP 5 platform include support for up to four simultaneous camera streams in parallel, recording, and 1080p S3D playback, real-time 2D –> S3D 1080p conversion, and when combined with a TI DSP pico-projector and camera allows the ability to “touch and drag” projected images. Finally, USB 3.0, SATA 2.0, SDXC, support for 8GB of memory, and facial recognition round out the loaded package.
In short: The OMAP 5 platform is awesome!
Look for devices using the TI OMAP 5 5430 or 5432 to start shipping in the second half of 2012. Video after the break…
One of the most popular tablets at CES was RIM’s PlayBook. The QNX-powered device is literally a make or break device for RIM, as it showcases the future of their smartphones. Fail here and it will be death sentence — albeit a slow one. But from what we saw at CES last week, RIM has a very good thing on their hands. The pre-release, non-final hardware and software was fluid and smooth, with only an occasional hiccup here or there. Certainly not bad for a beta product.
Thus far, many a geek have been begging RIM to share what processor is powering the PlayBook only to come up empty handed. Thankfully, TI’s product line manager, Brian Carlson, confirmed that it was in fact their 1GHz dual-core OMAP4430 processor inside the PlayBook. While not the fastest, it’s definitely up their on the list of 2011′s greatest mobile processors. And again, from what we saw in RIM’s booth, is more than capable of delivering an awesome experience. What about TI’s reasoning for not going with the increasingly common Nvidia Tegra 2? Security — TI’s 4430 supports MShield technology. Makes since.
There are times in life where I’m truly in awe, stuck in a transfixed position, mouth open, drool and all. Slashgear’s early coverage of some MWC goodness provided by TI is nothing to sneeze at. The main topic of their brief visit to TI’s headquarters down south was to check out their new OMAP4 mobile processor. Showing off the processor was a concept device that while insanely amazing, has absolutely zero chance of making it to market. Sad, I know. But the chip is legit (hey, it’s late, it rhymed, and to my sleep deprived mind, sounded catchy) so carry on.
**Quick sidenote — that concept device…
two 3.7-inch WVGA displays, dual front cameras, a 12-megapixel camera on the back and an integrated 15-lumen DLP pico-projector, wifi, bluetooth, 3G, wired ethernet, hdmi, gps, motion sensors galore, and…Android.
The next wave of smartphones, tablet computers, and maybe even tiny (read: worthless) netbooks will have some pretty hefty bragging rights as far as I’m concerned. The OMAP4 is the next evolution of the current-gen OMPA3 (same chip that powers DROID and Pre and….) and features a new dual-core design. Ultimately more powerful, this new dual-core design doesn’t come without battery loving design. How’s 145 hours of audio out of a single 1,000mAh battery powered by a 1GHz dual-core smartphone type device? Ya, that’s awesome!
Other honorable mentions include the ability to easily display “much greater” than WVGA, capture 1080p video at 30fps, and even supporting 3 separate displays. I’ll give both kidneys and my firstborn child for a chance at a well designed and functional 3-display smartphone that hauls ass and sips battery juice. Oh yeah, I’ll fight you for it.
How many cups of drool have you gone through so far…?
Math is far and wide my least favored subject. But we’ve gone over that before many, many times. So instead of complaining about my number crunching hatred, I’ll share with you one way to ignore it altogether, fooling your teachers and pleasing your soul.
The GameBoy Calculator is one of those inventions we all wished for as school children. School is rarely “fun” in the purest sense of the word. Making our days go quicker by filling them with some super cool retro gaming would certainly give the daily grind a much needed kick in the pants, wouldn’t you say? Skilled tinkerer Alentris did just that.
He took your standard TI-83 (TI really needs to upgrade these things) graphing calculator and crammed a fully functioning GameBoy inside. Cool is an understatement. You may notice some rough edges and what not, but lets be real, this is a calculator/GameBoy meant to pass some time — not some Apple inspired gadget of beauty.
The only problem that crops up is when Alentris does actually need to use a calculator. Such issues can be remedied with simple adjustments in the design however. When making the next iteration, remove the GameBoy and replace it with an iPod Touch. Games. Tools. Internet. Problem solved.
In what is almost certainly a break neck pace, TI has already revealed the second generation DLP Pico projector chipset. With the first gen chipset just starting to come to market in the Korean based Samsung Show (W7900), the revealing of the 2nd gen chipset is somewhat of a surprise. TI certainly isn’t wasting any time in the progress department. Added benefits of the newest generation include a 20% reduction in noise and size, a brighter image, contrast ratio exceeding 1000 : 1, full RGB color gamut, and 854 x 480 (DVD) resolution! I say just skip the first gen, give me the 2nd gen now. The specs definitely make it much more appealing!
Mobile devices are quickly becoming the wave of the web surfing future as more and more people are cutting the cord and venturing out into the big open world with the web in tow. Here in the U.S., mobile internet usage is lagging behind other more “technologically developed” countries such as Japan and South Korea for example whose mobile web environment is several years ahead of ours. Even though here in the U.S. we are just starting to get into “high def” on our mobiles, Texas Instruments is pushing full steam ahead to 3D technology. While the majority of cellphone users tote around miniscule 160 x 160 display phones, TI wants to bring us literally into another dimension. Rajat Agrawal over at Cell Passion has received word from TI that they will be showcasing “Zoom 2″ at MWC starting tomorrow. Zoom 2 will bring 3D technology to the mobile world enveloping and captivating it’s users with a 3rd dimension. In order to get the optimal 3D image, the user must hold the handset at “the an appropriate angle and be no further than 1 foot away”. One foot seems a little close to me, but I’m definitely not going to complain as 3D is wicked cool. The potential for this in the years to come is huge. Guess we’ll have to wait until MWC officially kicks off!
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How would you like to have your smartphone last an entire day (read: ~10 hours)? We’re pretty sure everyone would raise their hands. Now, how would you like to have an all day battery and actually be able to use the smartphone the battery is inside of instead of keeping it as idle as possible? Again, we’re positive everyone would be accept. Well, if claims by Texas Instruments can be taken with more than a simple grain of salt, that day isn’t all that far off. How’s 2013 sound?
