Category: Android

ST-Ericsson U4500 to power sub-$100 ARM Cortex-A9 smartphones!

Posted by Charbax – February 19, 2011
Category: Smartphones, Exclusive videos, ST-Ericsson, MWC, Android

The idea is to provide better than Nexus One like performance early 2012 in low cost Android smartphones that could be sold by then for as little as below $200 even at below the $100 price point. ST-Ericsson U4500 is a single core ARM Cortex-A9 processor, that could be clocked at around 600mhz to achieve a similar performance to the 1Ghz Nexus One that was released early 2010. The idea is to bring that level of performance to potentially hundreds of millions of more people. Also check out my video on the ST-Ericsson A9500 development board to be released around May this year.

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Nvidia shows project Kal-el Quad-core ARM Cortex-A9

Posted by Charbax – February 19, 2011
Category: Tablets, Laptops, Smartphones, Exclusive videos, Nvidia, MWC, Android

Nvidia Kal-el is now sampling, demonstrated here at Mobile World Congress 2011, to be in commercial products already in August this year. Nvidia goes on showing the first Quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 sample, getting those samples to their partners and planning for commercial launch by August this year already. This is impressive stuff, web browsing speed is doubled.

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ZTE Skate 4.3″ Android Smartphone

Posted by Charbax – February 19, 2011
Category: Smartphones, Exclusive videos, Qualcomm, ZTE, MWC, Android

Comes with a nice 4.3″ capacitive touch screen, and is designed to potentially reach a sub-$200 price point when sold unlocked and/or on a pre-paid plan.

Freescale talks i.MX6 ARM Cortex-A9 platform at Mobile World Congress 2011

Posted by Charbax – February 16, 2011
Category: Tablets, Laptops, Smartphones, Set-top-boxes, Exclusive videos, Freescale, MWC, Android, Chrome OS, Ubuntu, Windows

Freescale announced their ARM Cortex-A9 Dual-Core and Quad-Core processor platform. Here´s an interview with Freescale about their performance and features.

ST-Ericsson A9500 ARM Cortex-A9 Development Board

Posted by Charbax – February 16, 2011
Category: Tablets, Laptops, Smartphones, Set-top-boxes, Exclusive videos, ST-Ericsson, MWC, Android, Ubuntu

This is the SKY-S9500-ULP-CXX aka SNOWBALL, the ST-Ericsson ARM Cortex-A9 development board, they put in there all the memory and everything needed to hack together end user products. It will be sold for about $200 from around April or May, it runs Android, Ubuntu and Meego thus far. You can find more information at http://igloocommunity.org

Blackberry Playbook to get Android Dalvik engine support?

Posted by Charbax – February 16, 2011
Category: Tablets, Exclusive videos, Texas Instruments, MWC, Android

Here’s an interview with Blackberry about the Playbook, topics include the QNX software, the potentiallity for Android apps support through integrating the Dalvik engine, productivity apps on tablets, and a brief history of Blackberry and where it’s going.

Hoccer app at Mobile World Congress 2011

Posted by Charbax – February 16, 2011
Category: Tablets, Smartphones, Software, Exclusive videos, MWC, Android

App to send stuff from one device to another using swipes or movements.

LG Optimus Pad

Posted by Charbax – February 16, 2011
Category: Tablets, Exclusive videos, Nvidia, MWC, Android

The new tablet from LG, Honeycomb on Tegra2 powered, comes with LG´s built-in 3D camera, to allow consumers to make more 3D contents for their 3D HDTVs. It uses a 8.9″ capacitive touch screen, hdmi output, no usb host.

Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL)

Posted by Charbax – February 15, 2011
Category: Tablets, Smartphones, PMPs, Other, Exclusive videos, Samsung, MWC, Android

New standard first used in the Samsung Galaxy S2 to output HD and charge at the same time through the Micro-USB connector, it also allows for some data to be sent back from HDTVs such as using the TVs standard remote control to also remote control the device. The MHL 1.0 spec for now does not transmit Gigabit Ethernet or USB 3.0 Host functionality.

Sub-$200 4.3″ capacitive Android Smartphone

Posted by Charbax – February 15, 2011
Category: Smartphones, Exclusive videos, Marvell, MWC, Android

Yuhua Teltech released this Marvell powered Android Smartphone they call the Touchstone. It’s basically like one of those HTC HD, Droid X, except it costs less than $200 instead of the $500+ that the big brands such as HTC and Motorola are selling those form factors for. It runs on the Marvell PXA935 processor (also known as Tavor P65), same as in the Dual SIM clam-shell Dion MID from Shenzhen ACT that I filmed at CES and which Yuhua Teltech is also manufacturing as well. This device has been sold in China, India and some other emerging markets for 6 months already, Yuhua Teltech wants to bring this device to the European and US market, and they are announcing their next generation Gemstone design which will have a faster Marvell processor and dual-sim support.

Malata releases new Tegra2 Tablets

Posted by Charbax – February 15, 2011
Category: Tablets, Exclusive videos, Nvidia, MWC, Android

Their designs are used by ViewSonic, Interpad, HiSense and others. Now they use a better screen with 1280×800 resolution and wider viewing angles. They are also making a version with a new 9.7″ 4:3 aspect ratio.

Honeycomb will work on cheaper tablets!

Posted by Charbax – February 14, 2011
Category: Tablets, MWC, Archos, Android

I got this confirmed from a source at Google (to remain anonymous) that Honeycomb will likely work just fine on all the cheaper tablets, such as the ARM Cortex-A8 ones like Archos and even the super cheap ones with Rockchip ARM9 or Telechips ARM11 processors. We’re all set for disruptive Android Tablet future with no need to be member of a “high-end special club” to get Honeycomb and especially to be allowed the Google Marketplace and all Google Apps. Google are to update the compatibility guidelines for devices to be Google Marketplace compatible and they “simply” add more filters to prevent consumer confusion.

I’ll try to get this confirmed and explained on video by some Google representatives during the Mobile World Congress.

Honeycomb on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Posted by Charbax – February 14, 2011
Category: Tablets, Exclusive videos, Nvidia, MWC, Android

Honeycomb is simply awesome. It’s the first OS ever made really designed for tablets. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 runs on the Nvidia Tegra2 processor and has a really cool new design.

Honeycomb Designer Matias Duarte Interview

Posted by Charbax – February 14, 2011
Category: Tablets, Laptops, Exclusive videos, MWC, Android

Chief Honeycomb designer Matias Duarte explains how Google develops Honeycomb.

Google MWC 2011 Booth Tour

Posted by Charbax – February 14, 2011
Category: Tablets, Smartphones, Exclusive videos, MWC, Android

Smoothies (with taste of Honeycomb, Donut, Gingerbread..), Slides, Pictures taken, 50 Android app demos, 50 Android OEM demos, sofas, lava lamps, free water, free stickers, free candy, where are the Nexus S givaways?

Texas Instruments OMAP4 runs Android and Ubuntu at the same time

Posted by Charbax – February 14, 2011
Category: Tablets, Laptops, Smartphones, Set-top-boxes, Exclusive videos, Texas Instruments, MWC, Android, Ubuntu

Texas Instruments is showcasing that the OMAP4 ARM Cortex-A9 development platform can run full Android on the built-in LCD and Ubuntu on the HDMI output both at the same time, this is awesome. It shows how Texas Instruments OMAP4 can be used to power the upcoming all-in-one ultimate ARM Powered devices that combine Laptop and Media player functionality into the Smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 5.0

Posted by Charbax – February 14, 2011
Category: Tablets, PMPs, Exclusive videos, Samsung, MWC, Android

Samsung is doing a 5″ LCD Hummingbird 1Ghz based WiFi-only Android Tablet! Basically, it does look awesome. To be seen what kind of prices Samsung plans to sell this for, my guess is it won’t be cheap, $300-400 maybe. I like this, it’s not Exynos ARM Cortex-A9, but this pocketable 5″ tablet design is cool.

Mediatek MTK6573 powers $80 3G Android Smartphones

Posted by Charbax – February 14, 2011
Category: Smartphones, Exclusive videos, MediaTek, MWC, Android

Cheaper Android phones is key to making Android the absolute most popular smartphone platform of the future, bringing the mobile Internet and apps to potentially billions of people around the world. Mediatek is showing their new ARM11 based SoC platform for sub-$80 Android smartphones at Mobile World Congress, this is one of the areas that I find to be the most fascinating.

LG Optimus 3D

Posted by Charbax – February 14, 2011
Category: Smartphones, Displays, Exclusive videos, Texas Instruments, MWC, Android

The product manager on LG Optimus 3D presents what may be the most powerful smart phone ever shown thus far. It uses the Texas Instruments OMAP4 ARM Cortex-A9 Dual-core processor, that is fast enough to record 720p 3D video, it includes even the new LG 4.3″ glasses free 3D screen, where the 3D effect can be turned on or off.

Samsung Galaxy S2

Posted by Charbax – February 14, 2011
Category: Smartphones, Exclusive videos, Samsung, MWC, Android

Awesome. It uses Samsung’s new Exynos Orion ARM Cortex-A9 processor, Multimedia High-definition Link technology, the new 4.3 Samsung Super AMOLED Plus screen with better anti-reflection, better colors, better clarity and more, all of this in a thinner and lighter form factor. To be available around April or so. But Samsung is probably not going to make this cheaper.