Developages - Development and Technology Blog

Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops

Just as you were getting your head wrapped around Atom-branded Diamondville-class processors based on a Silverthorne architecture, along comes the next generation. Expected to arrive in Q3 of 2009, the new 45-nm Pineview processors will come in hyperthreaded single- and dual-core versions like the current generation Atom 2xx- and 3xx-series. However, the procs will be based on a new Lincroft micro-architecture boasting an integrated graphics core and memory manager that connects to memory via DMI, not a FSB. Unfortunately, the all important TDP power-draw off your tiny netbook’s battery in currently undefined. Hit the read link for the full roadmap and processor timeline if that’s the kind of thing that twirls your propellor.

[Via RegHardware]

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Handhelds

We’ve already seen some nice and polished images of Wibrain’s Atom-based i1 MID / UMPC, but the company’s now finally let the device out on the trade show circuit, and the folks at Pocket-lint thankfully managed to grab a few shots of it at IFA. As we had heard, the device packs either a 1.1GHz or 1.3GHz Atom processor, along with 1GB of RAM, a 30GB or 60GB hard drive or 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB SSD (no 64GB option, it seems) and, perhaps most notably, tri-band UMTS / HSDPA and quad-band GPRS / EDGE connectivity. There’s still no word on a price or release date, unfortunately, but Wibrain sure is taking a rather, um, interesting approach to marketing the device, with one of its leaflets (pictured after the break) boldly proclaiming, “Sorry, Blackberry. We provide you a real free mobile life - full browsing internet plus the complete functionality of Outlook, of course all MS Office documentation anytime, anywhere”. Oh, snap.

Continue reading Wibrain shows off Atom-based i1, takes shot at Blackberry

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Original post by Donald Melanson

Filed under: Desktops

CTL, the same cats who brought us the 2go PC laptop, are apparently working up an equally cheap and not-exactly-flashy nettop PC. The 2go PC Nettop will reportedly range in price from $149 to $299 depending on specifications, and the baseline model will feature Intel’s D𑤉GCLF motherboard, Intel’s Atom 230 processor, 1GB of Kingston DDR2 RAM, a GMA 950 graphics accelerator, support for one HDD and one optical drive, six USB 2.0 ports and an Ethernet jack. The Essential Plus Edition ($199) adds in Ubuntu and an 80GB 7,200RPM hard drive (while slashing RAM to 512MB); the $299 Essential Performance Edition comes with Windows XP Home, a 160GB hard drive and 1GB of memory. There’s no word just yet on when the 4.5-pound boxes will be released, but we’d expect ‘em to surface pretty quietly.

[Thanks, Nate]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Desktops

These look to be aimed directly at enterprises and other no-frills applications, but we’re still intrigued these new all-in-one touchscreen PCs from NEC. With Atom under the hood, 512MB or 1GB of RAM and a 80GB hard drive, you can pick between the 12-inch 12PNC-W2/B2 (white or black) or the 15PNC-W2/B2 (same), you won’t be able to walk away with one of these tablet-style, but it sounds like the power draw will be akin to a laptop. The PNCs run XP Embedded or Vista Business for Embedded. No word on price.

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Original post by Paul Miller

Filed under: Desktops

Shuttle has always been small, but now it’s hopping on the completely overcrowded green bandwagon with its latest mini PC. The ≻, which sports an admittedly sleek shell, will suck down as little as 23-watts while idle and 36-watts while in use. Additionally, the unit will include one of Intel’s Atom chips, and as predicted, fan noise shouldn′t be an issue. The entire case measures just 10- x 7- x 2.75-inches, and while a price hasn′t been outed for the September-bound nettop, we’d expect to hear more as IFA gets going on the 29th.

[Thanks, Adam]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Desktops

Finally someone has created the perfect lovechild of a laptop and desktop PC. Enter the LLUON A1, a buttery combo that looks as if someone suction-cupped a LCD display to the top of an Eee PC. The system is designed for recreational activities (though likely not hardcore gaming), featuring an Atom 𓆾 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, an 18.4-inch (1680 x 954) display, a handful of ports, and the ubiquitous DVD multi-drive. Right now this is a Korean-only product, and frankly we don’t have a lot of hope that it’s headed anywhere close to our shores in the future, but if you know a good importer — or you’ve got Asian vacation plans — you can probably snap this up pretty soon.

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

It’s been mostly hugs and cupcakes for Intel’s Atom processors lately — they′re apparently selling like hotcakes, and they’re the stars of the Intel Developer Conference this week. But although Intel was confidently predicting that supply would meet demand by next month, it sounds like Atoms might still be hard to come by — PC World quotes an unnamed ASUS exec as saying there’s a “serious shortage” of the chips, leading the PC manufacturer to turn to Celeron chips to meet demand. Intel reps are sticking to the party line and saying that the supply issue will be resolved by the end of the third quarter, but we’ll see how it goes — something tells us ASUS isn′t helping itself out too much by cranking out an endless string of Atom-based Eee PCs, either.

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Handhelds

For those who’ve had a really tough time warming to WiBrain’s design schemes, maybe this one will finally be the device you’re able to fall for. This much shorter (albeit chubbier) device is said to be the elusive M1 MID, which was spotted chillin′ out maxin′ relaxin′ all cool at IDF 2008. Initial specifications include a 4.8-inch 1,024 x 600 resolution display, an Atom processor, 512MB to 1GB of RAM, an 8GB / 16GB SSD, WiFi / Bluetooth, HSDPA, mobile TV and “Linux or Windows XP” as OS options. So, WiBrain haters — would you give this a shot at winning you over?

[Via Pocketables, thanks techiefan77]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Household

We first saw OpenPeak’s OpenFrame home phone at CES, where it was sporting various FreeScale and ARM chips under the hood, but it looks like things have changed in development — the company has been showing off production-ready units built on Atom chips at IDF. OpenPeak says that the ease of building for IA32 sped up development completely, and that only a fraction of the CPU is being used, giving the product room to grow — probably a good thing, seeing as it supports open application development, rich services, and syncs with your PC and cell phone contacts and calendars. Of course, that still doesn′t change the fact that it’s a landline phone, and we’re just not certain consumers are really clamoring for a $200 to $300 landline phone — even it does rock a distinctly familiar touch interface. Anyone going to take the plunge when this thing hits in the first quarter of next year?

Read - Wired article
Read - Video shown at IDF

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Handhelds

Before you get too riled up here, let us point out that this Atom-based OQO is simply a prototype. According to the company’s Dennis Moore, the device we’re seeing here “is not a product launch or announcement,” but simply a demonstration of just how amazing and utterly life-changing the OQO + Atom combo is. Really guys, if there’s so much love in the house, why not get this thing on the production line?

[Via jkkmobile]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Handhelds

Compal’s been a vocal supporter of Intel’s MID followup to the tragic UMPC platform ever since It was announced in April of last year. Hell, the Taiwanese ODM even dedicated a team to crank out all the devices expected in the first half of 2008 but never came thanks in part, to Intel’s Atom slippage. Now Compal looks ready to toss a MID to consumers (either direct or through a third-party manufacturer, it’s not clear) with the unveiling of this handheld at Intel’s IDF in San Francisco. The QWERTY slider packs GPS, a Linux-based OS with media player, browser, eMail and IM clients, and Option′s GlobeTrotter Connect and GTM501 HSPA data kit offering tri-band HSUPA/HSDPA and quad-band GPRS/EDGE connectivity the world-over. No pricing or availability has been announced but we hope to hear more later today.

[Thanks, Stuart L.]

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Handhelds

Well, there it is, the Lenovo IdeaPad ͚ launched official at the Beijing games just as we expected. With the launch come the final specs for this Asia-only MID we’ve seen incubating now for months: 4.8-inch touchscreen; the latest, sub-3 watt processor from Intel (uh hem, that’d be a Silverthorn-class Atom); 3.5-grams and 21 x 173 x 84-mm up to 2GB memory and 6GB flash storage; dual-cameras; support for China Multimedia Mobile Broadcasting (CMMB) digital television via that protruding USB dongle; and 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, EDGE data and China-specific TD-SCDMA 3G, presumably. Expect to see it trotted out tomorrow as Intel’s San Francisco IDF gets underway — with any luck, it′ll be sporting WiMAX for a North American / European release.

[Via Pocketables]

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

AMD’s going through some rough times, no doubt about it, but for fanboys of the CPU maker (wait, do CPU fanboys still exist?) here’s your feel-good story of the year. The always-thorough Tom’s Hardware has pit Intel’s 1.6GHz Atom 230 processor against AMD’s Athlon 64 2000+, and the results just might surprise you. The 1GHz Athlon (with a core voltage of 0.90 volts and a power draw of just 8 watts) managed to best the aforementioned Atom in both energy consumption and processing power tests. The gurus at Tom’s credited the more modern 790G platform and the highly efficient K8 architecture as big players in the Athlon’s strong showing, finally deeming said chip “more economical, faster and quieter” than the Atom. We know you’re in disbelief — good thing there are 14 pages of proof waiting in the read link.

[Thanks, Carl]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

We recently learned that Intel would be (officially) calling Nehalem Core i7 and Centrino Atom, um, Atom. Now, however, we’ve got a few more related details for you to digest thanks to a stack of leaked presentation slides. The Tick Tock Development Model explains that both Westmere and Sandy Bridge (codenames, of course) will be fabricated with 32-nanometer technology in 2009 - 2010. Moving even further into the unknown, geeks can expect Ivy Bridge and Haswell (both doing the whole 22-nanometer thing) to surface between 2011 and 2012. The Sandy Bridge architecture will reportedly “double the number of cores per die to eight,” while a new instruction set coined Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) will likely get most of the attention. For those of you who haven’t conked out yet (you know who you are), hit the links below to get a better idea of what your future rigs will likely house.

[Via Electronista]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Desktops

It’s one thing to see a device unboxed in pictures, but we all know a video tells a million (give or take a few) words. HotHardware’s Dave Altavilla has posted up a sub-5 minute clip detailing the ins and outs of ASUS′ Eee Box B202, and even from an enthusiast of all things cutting-edge, he was pretty impressed by the Atom-powered machine. The most interesting bit is probably the video playback test; we won’t spoil how it handled (or mishandled) 1080p playback for you — jump on past the break and have a look for yourself.

Continue reading ASUS Eee Box B202 detailed and tested on video

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Original post by Darren Murph