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.
Category: Laptops
Windows 8 on ARM comes with Desktop (of course..)
There has been false rumors going around the web for the past 2-3 months, spread by Mary-Jo Foley of ZDnet and Paul Thurrot of winsupersite.com, that somehow Windows 8 on ARM wouldn’t be getting Desktop mode and full Desktop apps. Those rumors are wrong. In the following video, Microsoft demonstrates (again) how Windows 8 on ARM is going to come with a full Desktop mode with full Desktop apps such as Internet Explorer and Office.
The question of course is how does Microsoft plan to support more Desktop apps on ARM. For example, can we install a full Chrome browser on Windows 8 on ARM, how about apps like Photoshop and Ulead video studio? I expect Microsoft to have support for some recompiled desktop ARM apps in Windows store and support for PC over IP remote desktop for some x86 apps that can work smoothly over remote desktop which I expect Windows Azure to host as a cloud service.
To simplify compatibility, Microsoft is promoting the new Metro style HTML5 based apps system. Sure enough, Metro style apps all work on ARM and x86. But I am also sure that Microsoft carefully plans to also allow recompiled desktop apps on Windows 8 on ARM, they will for sure provide recompilation tools, specifications for use on PCoIP protocols, even partly use some parts of emulation and an ARM based Virtualization hypervisor.
Related articles
- Microsoft provides details on Windows 8 on ARM (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- ARM-powered Windows 8 devices will likely support desktop apps (bgr.com)
- Windows 8 will debut on ARM tablets at launch (news.cnet.com)
- Windows 8 on ARM: The Desktop Plot Thickens (pcworld.com)
- Windows 8 on ARM should keep traditional desktop (electronista.com)
- Door Open to Windows 8 Desktop Apps on ARM (gizmodo.co.uk)
- Updated: Windows 8 tablets: what you need to know (techradar.com)
- Windows 8 on ARM: The desktop is still there – ZDNet (blog) (zdnet.com)
- Windows 8 Consumer Preview Event Set for Feb. 29 (mashable.com)
- Desktop apps may run on Win8 for ARM after all… maybe (engadget.com)
- Windows 8 Consumer Preview to debut at Mobile World Congress (intomobile.com)
- Windows 8 ARM version may still include a desktop mode (slashgear.com)
- Windows 8 ARM edition will include Office 15 and desktop mode (theverge.com)
Chrome for Android now released
This confirms my expectation for Ice Cream Sandwich, that Chrome OS and Google TV are being merged with Android. I’ve been talking about it since my October 5th ICS predictions and way before in May 2011, January 2011 and February 2010.
A full Chrome Browser in Android can be the key to see the huge market for ARM Powered Laptops explode.
Look forward to having a full ChromeOS-like Laptop experience on your ARM Powered Android Tablet as soon as you plug a Keyboard dock to it. Look forward to having a full Chromebox-like experience when you connect the HDMI output of your Smartphone to a PC monitor or HDTV and use a Bluetooth or USB Host Keyboard and mouse.
The main question is now to test the performance of the full Chrome browser on Android, I’d like to see its performance on the Galaxy Nexus that has the high memory bandwidth OMAP4460 1.2Ghz and 1.5Ghz processor. I’d like to see its performance on OMAP4470 1.8Ghz, and Tegra3 1.3Ghz. I think the Chrome browser performance on those Android devices can now be faster than on a Netbook.
Teradici PCoIP, optimized remote desktop on TI’s OMAP4460
Posted by – February 1, 2012
Teradici is doing software optimization using the PCoIP (PC-over-IP) protocol to run a full x86 desktop remotely over the Internet onto an OMAP4460 device. Here in this demo remotely using an x86 desktop that is over 2000 miles away (and considering that Internet connections at trade shows can be unreliable).
UbiDuo by sComm, communication device for deaf and hard of hearing
Posted by – January 25, 2012
This ARM Powered device is for deaf and hard of hearing people to communicate with hearing people to interact with each other face-to-face.
Status of Ubuntu for ARM Laptops and Servers
Posted by – January 24, 2012
David Mandala, Manager of the ARM Team at Canonical talks about the status of Ubuntu Linux on ARM Laptops and Servers, and about their plans for Ubuntu on ARM until 2014 and beyond. Who wouldn’t want to buy an awesome $199 ARM Powered Ultrabook, 13.3″ screen, ARM Cortex-A9 1.5Ghz TI OMAP4460 or 1.8Ghz TI OMAP4470, thinner, lighter than Intel Ultrabooks, 2x longer battery life on a smaller thinner battery (10x with the sunlight readable Pixel Qi), 1GB or 2GB RAM for full speed Chrome and Firefox web browser speeds?
Talking about the status of Ubuntu on TI OMAP3 (beagleboard), OMAP4 (pandaboard), Marvell, Freescale, Calxeda, plans for Quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 optimizations by Ubuntu 12.10, ARM Cortex-A15, ARM Cortex-A7, ARMv8 64bit, the imminent inclusion of full hard-float optimization in Ubuntu 12.4 on ARM:
With Ubuntu 12.04 on ARM there is also hard-float support (ARMhf), as previously talked about on Phoronix, and this will mean a huge performance boost for many workloads. Mandala said the performance boost they are seeing is between 5% and 30% improvement for floating-point operations. Also benefiting greatly for end-users is improved font-rendering, web-page scrolling, and other operations from this ARM hardfp support. Other code is also benefiting due to better use of the stack calling convention.
Source: phoronix.com
Related articles
- Genesi’s Hard Float optimizations speeds up Linux performance up to 300% on ARM Laptops (armdevices.net)
- ARM Powered Server Calxeda EnergyCore launch video (armdevices.net)
- Ubuntu at ARM TechCon 2011 (armdevices.net)
- Linaro ARM Linux optimizations status at the Freescale Technology Forum (armdevices.net)
- A further update on Linaro status at Computex 2011 (armdevices.net)
- Canonical explains the status of Ubuntu on ARM Powered Laptops (armdevices.net)
Lenovo IdeaTab S2110, Android ICS Qualcomm Krait MSM8960 Tablet with Keyboard Dock
Lenovo showed a prototype of their next generation Android tablet running Ice Cream Sandwich on the 1.5Ghz Dual-core Qualcomm MSM8960 Krait processor and supporting a keyboard dock that looks similar to the Asus Transformer Prime.
Freescale i.MX6 Lite Series launched at CES 2012
Posted by – January 19, 2012
Freescale launches 2 new i.MX6 ARM Cortex-A9 processors at CES 2012, while demonstrating the performance of their quad-core, they are also launching the new i.MX 6SoloLite processor, which is designed specifically for next-generation eReaders and is the follow-on to the company’s i.MX508 processor and the dual-core i.MX 6DualLite, targeting a broad array of smart devices and products including tablets, IPTVs, IP phones, medical patient monitoring systems and home energy management solutions.
Related articles
- Freescale’s Cortex-A9 SoCs include E Ink controllers (linuxfordevices.com)
- Freescale introduces new low-power chips for eReaders, tablets, TVs (liliputing.com)
Pixel Qi at CES 2012
The 1280×800 10.1″ Pixel Qi screen is ready, here it is demonstrated under a bright spotlight simulating the sun as well as in some prototypes of upcoming Android tablets. Founder, CEO and inventor Mary Lou Jepsen talks about the latest news from Pixel Qi, where they are going, what they are up to.
Status of the Raspberry Pi at CES 2012
Posted by – January 17, 2012
Raspberry Pi expects to have volume devices on the market by the end of the month. That means $25 and $35 (with ethernet) Broadcom ARM11 ARM Powered Desktops are thus just about to be broadly available.
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E130
Posted by – January 15, 2012
Here’s the next generation entry level ultraportable Lenovo ThinkPad laptop to be sold in the USA at $449 using the second generation Intel Core i processors and AMD’s quad core processor.
Asus Transformer Prime powered by the Nvidia Tegra3
Here’s the worlds most powerful ARM Powered Laptop.
Always Innovating OMAP4 HDMI Dongle
Posted by – January 12, 2012
Category: Laptops, Set-top-boxes, HDMI Sticks, Exclusive videos, Texas Instruments, CES, Android, Chrome OS, Google TV, Ubuntu, Windows
Always Innovating fits the Texas Instruments OMAP4 motherboard with all the needed features for a Desktop, Set-top-box and 3D home console into a USB stick sized device that connects to the HDMI port of your HDTV and gets power from USB. It has Bluetooth for Bluetooth keyboards and game controllers. Its USB can do USB host.
Related articles
- HDMI dongle IPTV device supports Android 4.0 (linuxfordevices.com)
- Always Innovating HDMI Dongle gives your TV Android (ubergizmo.com)
- Always Innovating HDMI Dongle puts Android on your TV (slashgear.com)
- Always Innovating HDMI dongle brings Android to your ‘dumb TV’ (video) (engadget.com)
FXI Technologies Cotton Candy, Samsung Exynos 4210 dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 with a Mali-400
Posted by – January 11, 2012
Here’s a super compact USB Stick sized ARM desktop computer, can be used as Set-top-box also, here demonstrating some advanced 3D gaming on a HDTV. Your next USB stick (HDMI stick) can actually be a computer, set-top-box, home console, all-in-one.
Intel Ultrabook performance explained
Posted by – January 9, 2012
Intel is pushing the Ultrabook concept, thinner, lighter, lower power x86 laptops, yet the performance might stay as high as their maximum. I interview an Intel representative about the performance and power consumption of the Ultrabook platform.
Lenovo Hybrid X1 combines ARM and x86 in a $1599 ThinkPad Laptop
The battery life is doubled when instantly switched into the ARM mode that provides basic functionalities in a customized version of Android. With the extended battery it lasts 20 hours in ARM Powered laptop mode.
Acer S5 Ultrabook, thinnest 13.3″ laptop using Intel for $1000 or more
Posted by – January 9, 2012
Here’s Acer’s latest thin Intel Laptop. The price might start below $1000 when they start selling in the first half of the year, to be confirmed.
Related articles
- Acer announces ‘world’s thinnest’ 13.3-inch Aspire S5 Ultrabook at CES 2012 (update: pictures) (engadget.com)
- Acer Aspire S5 ultrabook: 15mm thick plus Thunderbolt (slashgear.com)
- Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra: Doubling down on Ultrabooks (ces.cnet.com)
Variscite’s OMAP4460 SoM now supporting Ubuntu Oneiric
Posted by – December 17, 2011
Variscite just released Ubunto 11.10 Oneiric support for the VAR-SOM-OM44 System on Module. The SoM is based on TI’s OMAP4460, 1.5GHz Dual-core Cortex-A9.
FXI Cotton Candy, Exynos 4210 computer in a USB stick
Posted by – November 19, 2011
Norwegian FXI Technologies is showing their new Exynos 4210 ARM Cortex-A9 based computer in a 21 gram USB stick form factor. It has HDMI output, it powers from USB, has a built-in MicroSD card slot, WiFi and Bluetooth. It’s to be released next year.
Video by: booredatwork.com
Related articles
- FXI Introduces Cotton Candy – Dual-core Android Device Inside a USB Stick (phandroid.com)
- FXI Technologies develops Cotton Candy on a (USB) stick (digitaltrends.com)
- FXI Cotton Candy is an ARM PC in a USB stick (geek.com)
- Dual-Core Android PC Now Comes On a USB Stick (hardware.slashdot.org)
- USB Stick Contains Dual-Core Computer, Turns Any Screen Into an Android Station (laptopmag.com)
- Tiny USB Stick Brings Android to PCs, TVs (wired.com)
- This computer-on-a-USB-stick turns any device into an Android terminal (venturebeat.com)
- FXI’s Cotton Candy could turn every screen you own into a cloud client (engadget.com)
List of my ARM Powered devices used for video-blogging:
Posted by – November 14, 2011
Category: Tablets, Laptops, Smartphones, Wearables, Smart Glass, Reviews, MediaTek, Texas Instruments, Marvell, ARM TechCon, Archos, Pixel Qi, OLPC, Kopin, Android, Ubuntu, Windows
Andy Frame is interviewing me on ARM’s official YouTube Channel about my ARM Powered devices used for video-blogging and live video streaming from consumer electronics trade-shows.
List of devices featured in this video:
– Headmounted Display: Kopin Golden-i, OMAP3530 based, provides SVGA screen at eye-level for real-time monitoring of an IRC chat for asking better questions
– Headmounted Logitech c910 Webcam connected to the ARM Powered One Laptop Per Child XO-1.75, Marvell Armada 618 based, live-streaming the webcam video feed to http://ustream.tv (an optimal Headmounted computer, maybe Motorola’s next version, can include the webcam and Android based software to live-stream the video to any live video streaming service built-in)
– Archos 101 G9, OMAP4430/OMAP4460 1Ghz to 1.5Ghz tablet, similar specs as in the Galaxy Nexus but in a 10.1″ tablet form factor. Starts $269 unlocked no contract for 8″. This is probably my favorite high-end tablet at the moment. I’ll post my full video-review of the Archos 101 G9 in the next few days.
– Archos 70 Internet Tablet, OMAP3630 1Ghz single core, released about 13 months ago. I use this tablet every day as 7″ tablets fit in any jacket pocket. Thus I mostly use this for checking emails, web browsing, watching video, playing games, using apps when I am outside. I am looking forward to upgrade this to a dual-core 7″ tablet.
– My $87 FG8 Android Smartphone, it’s my main smartphone for the past 7 months since I found it in Shenzhen China. It supports Dual-SIM cards (so I can use my home and foreign SIM numbers at the same time, or use voice SIM and data SIM at the same time), has a decent 3.5″ capacitive touch screen, uses the wildly popular in China Mediatek MTK6516 ARM9 processor. I’m looking forward upgrading this to a Galaxy Nexus (because I am eager to try Ice Cream Sandwich) or to a newer faster 3G-capable sub-$100 Android phone.
– ZTE MF61 T-Mobile USA 4G HSPA+ Hotspot, $50 for 3GB/month pre-paid, $141 for the device, no contract.
