Here’s my 21-minute highlights video of the Windows 8 on ARM “Consumer Preview” event keynote at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
After the presentation, I was able to ask a few questions to Steven Synofsky and Michael Anguilo, here are some of those replies that I got:
– Desktop apps on Windows Store and Windows Store for ARM: They’ll clarify it to my email later. Steve Synofsky says it’s clear in the blog post. Windows Store is for Metro apps but there is a “parallel thing” (paraphrasing) for Desktop apps, the whole Third Party Desktop Apps for Windows 8 are not to be previewed on the Consumer Preview release yet.
– Multi-booting other OS when secure boot is in use. Steve Synofsky says that is up to the OEM. Secure Boot is a feature Microsoft provides as an option. The whole point of Secure Boot is that people cannot just “boot stuff from their garage”. But he did not seem to dismiss that OEMs can dual-boot for example Android or Ubuntu on the same device.
He didn’t say if Microsoft plans to do backroom deals with manufacturers to force them only to load Windows 8 and nothing else on devices or not, I guess not, but you never know… Maybe they do not apply “rebates” for OEMs that make things a bit “too open”, does that make any sense?
– Windows 8 remains just TI, Qualcomm, Nvidia business for now on ARM, as with Windows Phone, Microsoft limits the number of ARM Partners that can fully hardware accelerate their software platform for now. I think a lot of the other ARM chip providers are in discussions with Microsoft to see when they can also support their software. My guess is Microsoft wants a very high performance for the first supported ARM SoCs, that is why it only is being demonstrated on TI OMAP4470, Nvidia Tegra3 and Qualcomm Krait MSM8960 for now.
If I do get in contact with someone from Microsoft over email to get clarifications for Windows on ARM, please let me know in the comments what type of questions remain to be answered.
Sy Choudhury, Director of Product Management of the Web Technologies at Qualcomm talks about the hardware and software optimizations that Qualcomm is working on to make full desktop sized web browsing and other Desktop style features as smooth on their upcoming Krait platform as on any Intel Atom or other x86 processor platform for ARM Laptops, ARM Desktops, ARM Convertibles and ARM Smartphones and Tablets with Desktop and Laptop Docks! Qualcomm is pushing for the full software optimizations for the full HTML5 support and they are pushing for new HTML5 specs to more rapidly improve the features of ARM Powered Productivity oriented use of devices.
Qualcomm shows their newest Quad-core APQ8064 28nm processor with their new Adreno 320 GPU, here they are showing their design for Asynchronous power. They have also announced the MSM8960 Pro with that same Adreno 320 GPU.
Rockchip and ARM have announced the new Rockchip RK30xx series at Mobile World Congress. Expect full mass production to happen around May 2012, with samples being shipped around right now. Check back on my blog in the coming weeks and months for many affordable tablets, smartphones and Set-top-boxes featuring this new up to 1.4Ghz Dual-core 40nm Rockchip processor. The SoC price is just $15 for this dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 system!
LG Optimus L7 may become a very very popular phone if priced right. This one has a 4.3″ WVGA screen, and runs on the new Qualcomm MSM7227A ARM Cortex-A5 processor at 1Ghz. The performance is above that of an ARM Cortex-A8 yet the power consumption and price is lower! My guess is LG may suggest a $199 retail price on this one with no contracts required!
Possibly a new $149 (this price is my guess) super affordable yet stylish phone with a 4″ HVGA screen and the low cost high performance Qualcomm MSM7225A processor.
Panasonic releases this beautiful new thin, stylish, awesome 4.3″ qHD OLED screen, Texas Instruments OMAP4430 1Ghz Dual-core, Android Ice Cream Sandwich phone. To be released worldwide in April, it’s waterproof and dust-proof, the price may even be competitive!
Check out this awesome looking new 5″ Panasonic phone running Ice Cream Sandwich on the next generation Qualcomm MSM8960 Krait processor, with NFC, it’s Waterproof.
The new Qualcomm MSM7227A ARM Cortex-A5 processor is reaching the cheap Shenzhen based Smartphones market. This ARM Cortex-A5 processor might benchmark even above some ARM Cortex-A8 processors yet is targetted for the cheap smartphones market!
Neonode does the IR touch screen technology used on the Sony PRS-650 and T-1, they also plan to bring this technology to LCD based tablets. Check here for some info on the next Neonode touch user interface technology.
Metaio claims to provide the best Augmented Reality performance in hardware optimized software for ARM Processors, here demonstrating what they can do using the ST-Ericsson U8500.
