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.
Category: Tradeshows
LG Optimus 3D
Posted by – February 14, 2011
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 – February 14, 2011
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.
Samsung Galaxy Ace
Posted by – February 14, 2011
The form factor on this Android phone is about the same as an iPhone. It has a 3.5″ HVGA capacitive touch screen and a Qualcomm MSM7227 ARM11 processor. But this one is designed to be sold around $200 unlocked or on pre-paid plans. This Android Smartphone is cheap.
Live from the Samsung MWC event!
Posted by – February 14, 2011
Well this is not exactly live, but you get the point. Samsung organized a gigantic event in something that looks like a stadium, huge show, funky music, awesome devices.
Samsung Galaxy Mini
Posted by – February 14, 2011
The cheapest new Samsung Galaxy phone. It uses the Qualcomm MSM7227 ARM11 processor.
Interactive Pico Projectors presented by Texas Instruments
Posted by – February 14, 2011
This area I think could be the most interesting future development with the Pico projectors, it could turn your Smartphone into a 20″ Tablet, by projecting an interactive wall onto any table combined with some kind of gesture recognition (that it detects precisely where you touch the table). No prototypes are shown yet, I think Texas Instruments and their partners should make it a priority to demonstrate that this can be made to work to make this into a leading differentiating hardware feature of future smart phones.
Netflix on OMAP4
Posted by – February 14, 2011
Texas Instruments implements some security features in the new OMAP4 processor which allows for access to DRM sites like Netflix on Android.
Opera Mini on the iPad
Posted by – February 14, 2011
Opera is adapting their web browser for tablets, here is their demonstration of Opera Mini running on the iPad. Will Apple allow this in the Apple App Store? To be seen.
Samsung Galaxy S2, Tab2 details, infos, release dates
I’ll post my videos once I get the bandwidth tomorrow. Here are some infos I grabbed from the awesome Samsung event, I don’t know if those are common knowledge or if those pieces of infos are interesting:
– Samsung Galaxy 10.1 is Nvidia Tegra2 based, to be released next month, design is pretty awesome (except a bit heavy, no HDMI, no kick-stand), Honeycomb is freaking awesome, the first real tablet OS ever made. (iPad OS is not a real tablet OS). Wow Google made awesome work.
– Samsung Galaxy S2 has a MHL (Multimedia High-definition Link) connector, which basically allows the Micro-USB to do much more than just be a Micro-USB connector, it can for example output 1080p with a Micro-USB to HDMI cable, it can do USB host stuff such as USB keyboards, which basically means, if Samsung wants, they can make it do most of the things the Motorola Atrix 4G does. My understanding is Samsung’s Exynos is better than Nvidia Tegra2, has better/faster memory bandwidth, better graphics in ARM Mali-400 (did they say it does 320 Million triangles/polygons per second?). The units on display were hot, but that’s probably just cause of the hot lights and many people fondling them while launching videos and 3D stuff. It may also be I guess because the Exynos are pre-production and being over-clocked for good performance in these pre-production prototypes, but they told me that was not the case. The Linux kernel in S2 Gingerbread supports Dual-core, but I think Samsung and Google have plenty of software optimizations still to do to fully utilize the dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 power. This might be what happens once 2.4 comes out with all the 3.0 tablet features and hardware acceleration but adapted for smartphones.
– I think Samsung should turn the S2 into an Atrix 4G-like all-in-one chameleon of a device, basically just provide the right types of accessories for it, hopefully they’d price those more reasonably than Motorola. Also, Samsung says the MHL standard is going to be a standard for the industry, first introduced with S2, so perhaps any third party accessory makers could make alternative and compatible Laptop Docks, TV Docks, Desktop Docks, Keyboard Attachments and more interesting stuff.
– Samsung Galaxy Family, they are releasing a whole range of cheap Android phones. The Samsung Galaxy Mini is the cheapest of the bunch. Prices are confidential, up to carriers or/and distributors to decide, but I expect the Mini to be available below $150, perhaps towards $100, for unlocked or/and prepaid plans. Those are extremely great capacitive smartphones, 3.something inch screens (some weird Samsung LCD sizes), but most are QVGA, and the middle range Samsung Galaxy Ace goes to 3.5″ HVGA.
You can probably find much more real infos on other blogs, but here are some of the things I heard. Overall, the S2 is totally awesome, just beautiful slim nice phone, Tab2 is probably the best Tegra2 tablet I’ve seen. To be seen and retested what Acer and LG does with that.
Look for tons of my videos starting tomorrow. I’m at Mobile World Congress, no sim card in sight, only roaming. I’ll get a Yoigo SIM card tomorrow.
Samsung Galaxy S2, Tab2, new images
Posted by – February 13, 2011
Look for my videos on these as early as later today. My wild guess is Samsung may need their new Super AMOLED factory that may not be ready before June, before they mass release the new Galaxy S2 with the new Samsung Orion processor that starts mass manufacturing next month. Samsung has a press conference on these at 6PM Barcelona time, check back for a lot more.
Source: samsunghub.com
Related articles
- Samsung Galaxy S2 and Tab2 may use Samsung Orion ARM Cortex-A9 (armdevices.net)
- Confirmed: Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Tab 2 Shown Off Tomorrow (phandroid.com)
- Samsung Galaxy S II and Galaxy Tab 10.1″ officially pictured (slashgear.com)
Look for the best Mobile World Congress coverage here on ARMdevices.net these next few days
Posted by – February 12, 2011
Category: MWC
Image via Wikipedia
Look forward to the best coverage from Mobile World Congress right here on http://ARMdevices.net, subscribe to my RSS feed, add my RSS feed to your Google Reader, subscribe to my YouTube channel, follow my Twitter, I will be posting more than 60 videos of the best new ARM Powered devices during this whole upcoming week, it is going to be awesome! It is likely going to be the best trade show I have ever covered since I started to video-blog from all consumer electronics shows since CeBIT 2004. Here’s a refresh of my list of expectations for this upcoming awesome Mobile World Congress:
– Samsung’s ARM Cortex-A9 Orion processor with ARM Mali-400 graphics in Samsung Galaxy S2, Samsung Galaxy Tab2.
– Freescale to show first i.MX6 ARM Cortex-A9 reference board or even announce actual devices using it?
– Texas Instruments OMAP4 in actual products, more than just RIM Blackberry Playbook. I expect several phones and tablets will feature the 1Ghz OMAP4430 to be released by end of Q1 and they will probably show and announce devices with 1.5Ghz OMAP4440 for later availability.
– Google shows Honeycomb. Not just videos as they did at CES, but they actually allow everyone to play around with the UI. They should announce Google Music, an expansion of Google Voice for worldwide free VOIP usage. Honeycomb should bring open Google Marketplace for all tablets, for all devices, even laptops. I am hoping Google even announces Honeycomb and Google Marketplace support for all the ARM Cortex-A8 tablets, Rockchip, Telechips, MSM7227 as well. Honeycomb may be synchronized with the launch of Google TV on ARM as well, or at the least, Honeycomb Google Marketplace should work for Google TV screens. First showing of Chrome OS for ARM Powered laptops would be appropriate as well, full hardware acceleration demonstration for HD web browsing on all the ARM Cortex-A9 processors would be appropriate.
– Texas Instruments nHD Pico Projector could be demonstrated in several upcoming smartphones. Adding a built-in projector will be one of the coolest features of a modern smartphone.
– ST Ericsson U8500 ARM Cortex-A9 will probably be ready for products.
– Nvidia to launch Tegra 2 1.2Ghz 3D edition with full 1080p all codecs high profile playback, faster multi-tab HD web browsing processing and they’ll announce and show some Tegra3 stuff as well.
– Qualcomm MSM8660, 8060, 8260 to be launched in range of new smartphones and tablets. This is Qualcomm’s big Dual-core Snapdragon processor design push. It may be huge and Qualcomm may dominate Dual-core smartphones as well.
– Marvell 628 Tri-core demonstrated in devices. May be the appropriate timing for them to show demos? Marvell in any case is powering the best example of ARM Powered laptop in OLPC XO-1.75 that should be shipping mid-year, and they certainly have some ambitious Marvell Armada XP ARM Powered server projects going on.
– Rockchip’s partners launch more RK2918 devices. Suitable for low-cost ARM Cortex-A8 tablet designs.
– New Telechips TCC8803 ARM Cortex-A8 designs for other low-cost tablet designs.
– It would be nice to test some Windows 7/8 ARM demonstrations. Microsoft can do a good job porting all the apps and fixing up all the necessary drivers. Let’s see what they have! It would be a nice surprise, but I don’t expect Microsoft to precipitate things too fast.
– Motorola releases Atrix 4G and Xoom by the show start. First Tegra2 phone that does it all and first Honeycomb tablet, so it will be fun.
– HTC releases their next generation Android phones and a tablet. It’s their replacement for Nexus One/HTC Desire/Droid Incredible. My wild guess is it could be based Qualcomm MSM8660 dual-core and include a HTC Tablet as well.
– RIM Blackberry demonstrates support for Android apps on the Playbook tablet. This way, they skip the need to start a whole new app marketplace from scratch.
– HP launches WebOS devices. Let’s see what it can do. I think HP will probably have to use Android though eventually. Hey, competition is always nice, but sometimes when a good open-source platform is free, everyone can just as well contribute to that same ecosystem and if anyone thinks they can make things better, they can fork it or demand the improvements implemented at the level of the Open Handset Alliance. HP did a beautiful ARM Powered laptop before in Compaq Airlife, I’d like to see them upgrade that with Qualcomm MSM8660 Dual-core platform and Honeycomb software.
– I’ll be looking for any demonstrations of platforms such as the Broadcom BCM2157 to enable cheaper Android phones. Sub-$100, how soon, how good.
What do you expect from Mobile World Congress? What would you like me to film in priority? Which questions should I ask to what companies? You can send me tips (with product names, booth numbers or private hotel meeting rooms) on what I should film at MWC to my email: charbax@gmail.com Do you agree or disagree with any of my expectations? You are welcome to post here in the comments.
When you see me post a very interesting original video post from Mobile World Congress, that it looks like I have the best video on something or an exclusive view on something that you think is really cool, I would appreciate if you would help me suggest the link to other blogs (blogs usually have “Send us tips” links), as all bloggers are welcome to use any of my videos embedded in their posts if they also quote the post for that video on ARMdevices.net as the source. Thanks for watching, subscribing, commenting, rating and helping!
The City of Geneva welcomes Lift Conference and installs Fiber Internet
Posted by – February 12, 2011
Category: Exclusive videos, Lift
The Lift Conference has been going on in Geneva every year since 2006, with web industry people meeting up for 3 days of talks, workshops and networking. The City of Geneva is happy to host this conference, here they also talk about their efforts in installing fiber internet and free wi-fi hotspots all over the city of Geneva to make the city more competitive.
You can watch the many hours of Lift11 presentations with slideshows at https://liftconference.com/videos
Post Tenebras Lab hacker space at Lift11 Geneva
Posted by – February 12, 2011
Post Tenebras Lab use microcontrollers, screens, sensors, motors, leds, special materials and open source software to hack stuff together.
Broadcom announces ARM Cortex-A9 to be shown at MWC
Here’s the press release:
The new BCM28150 HSPA+ baseband integrates a Broadcom® Merlyn™ applications processor with the latest VideoCore® IV mobile multimedia/graphics technology. This new baseband offers customers one of the highest performance, smallest footprint size and lowest power smartphone solutions available for Android™ and other open operating systems.
Broadcom’s new Merlyn applications processor technology is integrated into the BCM28150. Merlyn processors combine ARM Cortex A9 class processors with Broadcom’s high performance low latency bus architecture and world class multimedia to create a scalable processing engine for all future Broadcom basebands targeted at smartphone applications.
The accompanying reference platform includes the 40 nanometer (40nm) BCM28150 HSPA+ system-on-a-chip (SoC) smartphone processer, the BCM2091 radio frequency IC, the BCM59056 advanced power management unit (PMU) with charger and audio support, and a full complement of Broadcom’s world-class connectivity technologies. Broadcom will be demonstrating its newBCM28150 smartphone processor reference design at next week’s 2011 Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona, Spain, fromFebruary 14th through February 17th.
Highlights/Key Facts:
- The BCM28150 HSPA+ baseband processor integrates the Broadcom Merlyn applications processor technology, providing an optimal combination of high performance and low power applications and multimedia processing power for smartphones. Key features of the BCM28150 SoC include:
- Dual ARM Cortex™ A9 cores at 1.1 GHz frequencies that incorporate the ARM Neon™ 128-bit SIMD (single instruction, multiple data) engine, which is vitally important for delivering flexible, powerful acceleration and low power operation for consumer multimedia applications such as Adobe® Flash®.
- An integrated HSPA+ release 8 category 14 modem that supports 21 Megabits per second (Mbps) of downstream connectivity, as well as Class 33 EDGE support for greater flexibility and worldwide roaming.
- Broadcom’s industry-leading VideoCore IV with vector processing unit (VPU) offering a ‘third processing core’ for offloading MHz from the Cortex A9 cores, reducing power consumption while improving the Android user interface experience.VideoCore‘s high performance graphics engine supports powerful shaders and over 1Gpx/s fill rates and can render 3D mobile games natively at up to 1080p resolution at high frame rates which, in combination with a HDMI output, allows a console-quality gaming experience on large screen HDTVs.
- Advanced imaging with support for 20Mpx sensors and multiple camera inputs for stereoscopic (3D) capture and gesture recognition with advanced ISP feature support (red eye, face tracking, smile detection, etc.).
- A small 12×12 PoP memory package.
- The BCM21850 baseband reference platform has been tailored to deliver the most advanced smartphone features along with built-in HSPA+ connectivity, enabled entirely with Broadcom silicon to ensure the highest level of integration and seamless functionality across its various components.
- Installed with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and support for popular audio and video codecs, including VP8 and Vorbis audio for support of HTML5.
- Other platform features include:
- 4.3-inch WVGA TFT LCD with capacitive touch screen
- 1080p30 camcorder using Broadcom’s integrated ISP
- Simultaneous LCD and 1080p60 HDMI output with 3D graphics
- High quality 3D gaming and graphics at 1Gpx/s
- Blu-ray-quality 1080p60 video playback at very low power levels
- 12 megapixel camera imaging (up to 20Mpx)
- Release 8 Category 14 (21 Mbps) HSPA+ modem support
- The reference platform also incorporates Broadcom’s industry-leading wireless connectivity technology:
- Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, and other connectivity options are pre-integrated into the platform, enabling OEMs to efficiently add best-in-class wireless technologies and expanded functionality for next generation smartphones.
- BCM4329 for best-in-class integrated Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and FM technologies
- BCM47511 GPS transceiver with integrated support for GLONASS, providing a high-performance solution with access to the widest possible constellation of satellites for improved location performance
Broadcom’s InConcert® co-existence technology is also featured within the Merlyn platform, applying interference mitigation techniques to make Broadcom’s leading wireless technologies work better together and with less interference.
Related articles
- Broadcom Rolls Out Range of Components (pocketnow.com)
- Broadcom announces yet another Android-friendly dual-core processor (engadget.com)
- Broadcom Enters the Dual Core Mobile Chip Wars (gigaom.com)
- Broadcom intros dual-core 1.1GHz ARM chip with 1080p video (electronista.com)
Instrument using accelerometers and gyro by nodesignlabs ircam at Lift11 Geneva
Posted by – February 9, 2011
This team from the Research Institute for Acoustic Coordination and Music at Centre Pompidou is working on real-time musical instruments demonstrating the use of accelerometers and gyros to trigger sound and new ways to create music. This could be used by a DJ or musician in live show or concert. It could potentially be triggered directly with the accelerometer, gyro and other sensors inside of a smartphone. Find more information at nodesign.net and http://www.ircam.fr
Alcatel One Touch and Archos partner up for low cost Android Tablet and Smartphone combined data plans
Posted by – February 8, 2011
Alcatel One Touch is one of the makers of cheap Android Smartphones such as the Alcatel OT-980 which is sold for only £99 on pre-paid plans in the UK. Alcatel One Touch is a brand of TCL Corporation, a $16.7 Billion valued Chinese consumer electronics company.
Alcatel One Touch’s partnership with Archos would enable an easy sharing of data from a low cost Android Smartphone using a ‘’One Touch Connect’’ button to share the 3G data automatically with the Archos tablet over a mobile WiFi hotspot. This may be a one-click process, and the carrier may be able to limit access of that WiFi hotspot only to the Archos tablet through Mac address filtering and not as a totally open or encrypted WiFi hotspot for use with other devices.
The idea is that one affordable subscription plan include the voice and data through the low cost Android smartphone as well as the low cost yet high-end Android tablet. This way, consumers don’t need to subscribe to more than one package. I think it can be expected that Alcatel One Touch will present a new range of cheap Android Smartphones at Mobile World Congress next week with this One Touch Connect mobile hotspot functionality built-in.
Here is expectation/guess/suggestion for a pricing model which I think would make this kind of offer a sure hit:
Pre-paid only, no contract: $299 for the basic 3.5″ capacitive Alcatel-OT Smartphone and the latest Archos 7″ capacitive tablet, both are on pre-paid and no contracts are needed, pricing for pre-paid should be below $30 per month for something like 300 minutes or unlimited use of voice and 3GB to 5GB of data per month to be used on the Tablet and the Smartphone. The 3GB monthly data hotspot may be open for other devices as well if the carrier wants to allow it. For example $10 to $20 extra per month it could open up the mobile hotspot to any other device and increase monthly limit to something like 10GB per month.
Phone alone on pre-paid no contract should be $149. Tablet alone no contract needed would be $249.
6-month contract, then pre-pay: $249 for the Smartphone+Tablet package, $30/month for unlimited voice/data to use on both devices or more. $50 early termination fee, lowered $5 each month.
12-month contract, then pre-pay: $199 for the Smartphone+Tablet package, $30/month for unlimited voice/data to use on both devices or more. $100 early termination fee, lowered $5 each month.
18-month contract, then pre-pay: $149 for the Smartphone+Tablet package, $30/month for unlimited voice/data to use on both devices or more, $150 early termination fee, lowered $5 each month.
24-month contract, then pre-pay: $99 for the Smartphone+Tablet package, $30/month for unlimited voice/data to use on both devices or more. $200 early termination fee, lowered $5 each month.
What do you think of the idea to use a cheap Smartphone mostly for voice and basic apps and tether it with a larger screen Tablet, use all on one same low cost voice+data plan, and even have this work for pre-paid plans?
Mobino, a new mobile payments system demonstrated at Lift11 Geneva
Posted by – February 8, 2011
Mobino is a new way to pay for things through the mobile phone, through any cheap voice-only mobile phone as well, using voice prompts when dialing the payment system, and using a pin code to authorize the payment.
Steven Schuler of Ball State University at Lift11 Geneva
Posted by – February 8, 2011
Steven Schuler is the Sr. Assoc. Dir. Emerging Technologies at the Ball State University, Indiana. He tells us about the methods used with the students of that university to create Android and iOS applications and doing other projects in the real world. It’s the philosophy of learning by doing, the students are actually hired by real companies to have some real world IT experience before they graduate.
Latest news from CERN LHC at Lift11 Geneva
Posted by – February 8, 2011
Tara Shears of CERN (The European Organization for Nuclear Research) gives us an update on the Large Hadron Collider, one of the biggest science experiments in history. They are ramping up the power of the accelerator in 2011 and 2012 to find the Higgs Boson, they are creating and capturing antimatter and she explains how the 3000 particle physicists at CERN can collaborate on research.
You can watch Tara Shears keynote presentation at Lift11 here:
You can watch my 4 CERN LHC Atlas videos as well, those are still relevant even though I filmed those in 2007:
CERN LHC ATLAS Tour
CERN LHC ATLAS GRID
Interviews with Engineers at the CERN LHC Atlas
CERN LHC ATLAS Control Room
