Android ICS optimized for x86 AMD Fusion

With AMD ending its war on Intel, the company has made it clear that they will start focusing their efforts on the mobile and tablet markets. As an indication to that, AMD has been working on the x86 version of the latest Android operating system Ice Cream Sandwich which launched around two weeks ago for developers to tinker with. They have been providing the developers with Brazos (APU) based devices and helping them out with the engineering process.

Since ICS x86 is still in its early development stages, a lot of the hardware functions don't work, like camera support, Ethernet connectivity or sound. However, so far, the team has been able to get graphics hardware acceleration and Wi-Fi functioning properly.

This goes to show AMD's commitment to their new business strategy, there's still no word on a release date for ICS x86 or when we'll start seeing retail units shipping from hardware manufacturers like HP, Dell, Asus and others that currently sell ARM based Android tablets.

source Android-x86

Apple iOS 5 is now available

The wait is finally over, Apple have released the final version of its next mobile operating system for their iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad line of devices. With what Apple claims to have over 200 updates over the previous version, the largest features, and perhaps most exciting are the new Notification Center that adds an Android esque notification system. iMessage, which can be seen as a direct competitor to RIMs Blackberry Messenger service, deep Twitter integration, over-the-air delta updates and my personal favorite; what Apple calls a PC Free experience which completely eliminates the need of a computer to set your iDevices up.

Unfortunately, the new and impressive voice recognition service Siri remains unique to the iPhone 4S only, which is a shame since its inclusion on other devices does not seem to be related to hardware limitations, just Apple trying to make the 4S stand out. Nonetheless, you can now connect your iDevice to iTunes and get your firmware download started.

Breaking: Google and Motorola announce acquisition plans worth $12.5B

Well, this certainly wasn't expected. Google has announced its agreement to acquire Motorola (Motorola Mobility specifically) for $12.5B. Google has an advantage now that they can optimize their software to work seamlessly with their own hardware. Apples doing it, Microsoft is kinda doing it with Nokia and now Google.

According to Google, the deal should close as soon as the end of 2011 or early 2012. Follow the source link for the official press release.

source: Google

iPad 2 Review

Apple’s iPad tablet is the most popular, not to mention most successful tablet in the world. With the iPad 2, Apple took a shot at improving the tablet and squeezing some more profit out of something that’s already at the top of the charts. See how well they did and how much effort they put into it by heading over after the break for the full review!

Dell Peju Windows 7 tablet leaked

Dell Peju Insider landed themselves an entire package of well, Dell Peju leaks. The upcoming tablet from Dell, possibly called the Latitude ST as the video above suggests, will feature all the features you'll expect to find from a high-end tablet released in 2011, the main difference? This one is x86 based. Other features include a Gorilla Glass front panel, a rubberized soft touch back, front and rear facing cameras, so its seems to be a solidly built tablet. Its docking station will offer USB, HDMI, Ethernet and audio ports so theres no lack of connectivity.

Watch the video above or read more on the tablet over at Dell Peju Insider.

iPad HD comes in Q3 2011 with Retina Display?

(credit: Gizmodo)

According to ThisIsMyNext, Apple is preparing a new addition to the iPad family alongside the launch of a new iPhone in September this year. The iPad HD will not be the iPad 3 (supposedly still scheduled for the usual iPad first quarter refresh in 2012), this one is rather an upgrade to the iPad 2, so it wont be a complete redesign, the screen resolution however will be doubled, hence the "HD" in the name, to 2048x1536 making it a Retina Display in Apples terms. The processor will no doubt be upgraded in order to support the new resolution, so expect an A6 (or A5S?) processor, possibly still dual-core but with a faster clock speed.

via ThisIsMyNext

Web-based jailbreak for iPad 2 released!

Its finally here, you can now release your iPad 2 from Apples clutches with Comex's highly anticipated web-based jailbreak. This PDF based jailbreak will work on any iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad running on iOS 4.3.3, its as simple as navigating to a website (source link) on iOS Safari and tapping a button.

Go ahead, set your iPad 2 free!

source JailbreakMe.com

AMD Fusion chips for the tablet market on the horizon

Donanimhaber has released slides showing AMD's roadmap for tablet chips. As you can see the chips available now are pushing a 4W power consumption. In terms of power, a typical desktop CPU today is pushing something like 125-140 watts, leading one to think that 4W would be more that adequate for todays mobile devices. On the contrary 4W is still too much in terms of both heat output, and battery life.

I would expect to see these 4W chips pushing more into the laptop market, with the 2W Hondo versions on the way out I fully expect to see those enter the tablet market instead of the 4W Desna. The Samara chips due in 2013 will probably have an ever lower TDP and as such, be even more widely used is mobile devices.

source DonanimHaber

A review of the HP TouchPad

It has been exactly 140 days since Hewlett-Packard first unveiled the TouchPad, and I think of it as the first device to emerge from a post-acquisition Palm team that has really been tested over the past few years. To be fair, it will actually be the third webOS device to launch since HP took over Palm, but the the Pre 2 was a leftover from before the deal went through and the Veer never should have been been released. But yes, the Palm team has been through a lot: from botched acquisition talks, to the brink of collapse, to resurrection through Elevation Partners’ investments, to a brilliant new web-based mobile operating system, to the announcement of the phone that would save the business from the brink of collapse, to BGR exclusively reviewing the phone that would save the business from the brink of collapse before any other site on the planet, to the launch of the phone that would save the business from the brink of collapse, to the failure of the phone that would save its business from the brink of collapse, and finally, to HP. Can a company that once lead the industry come back to regain mind share, market share and profit share following a roller coaster ride like that? Hit the break to find out if the TouchPad pushes the company’s mobile business in the right direction or if it is another dud from a company that could be dominating the market.

Continue reading the rest of the review at BGR

Dolby sues RIM and tries to halt BlackBerry and PlayBook sales

Dolby announced on Wednesday that it has filed patent infringement lawsuits against Waterloo, Canada-based Research In Motion in the U.S. and in Germany. The suit seeks the recovery of financial damages resulting from RIM’s infringing products, and it also looks to halt sales of multiple BlackBerry devices. The patents in question cover “highly efficient digital audio compression technologies” that minimize storage space occupied by high quality audio files. Dolby claims that RIM uses these technologies in its BlackBerry smartphones and its PlayBook tablet, but it does not pay Dolby licensing fees as all other major manufacturers do. “Litigation was regrettably our last resort after RIM declined to pay for the use of Dolby’s technology,” Dolby EVP and general counsel Andy Sherman said in a statement. “We have a duty to protect our intellectual property.”

Continue reading via BGR

Google likes Microsofts Metro/Tiles a little too much?

A few days ago we reported on the KLM-Metro connection (yes, evidently we had it backwards, KLM has had that style for "years", forgive us, we don't fly Dutch). Regardless, it seems Google is liking this whole Tile/Metro approach to design as well (see the Windows 8 UI demo).

Last month, Google held their famous IO conference, where all-things-Google happens, including Android news. They have the "sessions" page up, where you can go watch all the keynotes and talks that went on during the meeting, which is similar to Microsoft's MIX.


Continue reading via WPCentral

2012 Asus Eee Pad Transformer will run Windows 8

ASUS has apparently confirmed that it intends to offer an updated, Windows 8 version of the Eee Pad Transformer. Set to go on sale in 2012 – alongside a new Android version, Notebook Italia reports – the Transformer sequel will use the same detachable-keyboard design as the existing model, with a secondary battery hidden inside the dock section. Meanwhile, new supplies of the first Transformer are expected to come through the pipeline very soon.

However, it will also be thinner, lighter and generally smaller than the model it replaces, little surprise given the direction tech generally goes in. Specifications are unconfirmed, so it’s not known whether ASUS will be using an x86 processor from Intel or AMD’s ranges for the Windows 8 tablet, or using Windows on ARM and picking something like a next-gen Tegra chip such as Kal-El.

Continue reading via SlashGear

Turn your iPad 3G into a phone, enable calling and texting via cellular network

Just last month, we reported on PhoneItiPad, an iPad tweak that lets 3G-capable iPads take full advantage of a connection to a cell network, allowing users to make and receive phone calls, as well as send and receive SMS. A few weeks later, the tweak is finally available to the general public, for $19.99.


Will this lead people to carry around iPads in their briefcases instead of iPhones in their pockets? Probably not, but it’s a proof of concept of how capable an 3G-capable iPad 2 is to interact with the outside world.


Continue reading the full guide at RedmondPie

HP TouchPad, available July 1st, starting at $499

HP on Thursday announced that its HP TouchPad tablet will become available on July 1st. The TouchPad, which was first unveiled at a media event this past February, is the first webOS-powered tablet offering from HP. It features a 9.7-inch XGA display, a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and NFC capability that facilitates unique interactions between the slate and HP phones. Two versions of the TouchPad will be available initially: a 16GB version for $499.99 and a 32GB version for $599.99. HP also said a 3G model for AT&T will be available later this summer, though pricing has not been announced. Pre-orders for the Wi-Fi only models begin June 19th.

via BGR

Dell working on a 7" tablet with a slide-out split keyboard

Whoa. Every so often, a giant in Round Rock pokes it head up above water long enough to put forth a truly mesmerizing design, and while it's no Adamo, this is most definitely the freshest take we've seen on tablets in a very, very long time. The gallery below showcases a prototype that's lounging around within Dell's top secret labs, a 7-inch slate that's adorned with a slide-out keyboard. Said keyboard, however, is hardly typical -- it's rocking a split-key design that's not at all dissimilar to the virtual layouts recently showcased within iOS 5 and Windows 8. So far as we can tell, the entire alphabet's present and accounted for, and there's a rear camera that'll be more than happy to make your child's next birthday party a bit more awkward. Outside of that, we've no other details to pore over, but it's safe to say that we'll be doing our darnedest to change that. 

via Engadget

iOS 5 jailbroken within hours of release

Yes you read that right, MuscleNerd of the iPhone Dev Team has posted some pictures on his twitter account, confirming the jailbreak works fine on iOS 5, but of course it is limited to tethered boot only, which means you will have to connect it to your computer on every reboot.

Apple released iOS 5 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch yesterday at the WWDC conference in San Francisco. This new version of iOS brings over 200 new features, 10 among which are touted as key features, and includes: new revamped notifications system called ‘Notification Center’, Newsstand, Twitter integration, Safari Reader, Reading List, tabbed browsing for iPad, Reminders, Camera updates, Mail updates, built-in dictionary, PC-free (no cables required), OTA software updates, updates to Game Center, iMessage, AirPlay mirroring for iPad. Full list of features can be found here. 

via Redmond Pie

Motorola Xoom tablet overclocked to 1.7GHz

Just when we thought the Motorola Xoom had hit its stride at a blazing 1.504 billion operations per second, the trusty Tiamat kernel has strapped on an veritable afterburner capable of 1.7GHz. What happens when your shaking hands flip that switch and give that Tegra 2 all the jet fuel it can take? Well, anecdotal cases from the XDA-developers forums suggest it'll probably just reboot anticlimactically. If you're lucky enough to have the magic silicon, however, you'll be treated to a benchmark-blitzing rig, reportedly capable of 70 MFLOPS in Linpack, 1480ms runs in SunSpider, and Quadrant scores approaching a smooth 5,000. 

via Engadget
Get the overclock files via XDA Developers

Panasonic develops 60GHz wireless technology for mobile devices

Japaneses Electronics Maker Panasonic has developed a 60GHz multi-gigabit wireless circuit technology for mobile devices that could allow wireless speeds up to 20 times faster than current technology.

The wireless electronics will use the 60GHz band instead of the traditional 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands used for mobile wireless connections. This band is wider than the others, therefore allowing a significant speed increase, and is capable of sending a 30 minute compressed high-definition video within just 10 seconds.

The 60GHz band traditionally has been used only for TVs and other stationary devices, mainly because wider frequency bands have significantly higher power consumption.

This brings up the question of how efficient Pansonic's new wireless technology might be, because if an increase in speed comes at an increase in power cost it will be difficult to sell this to mobile users, who already suffer from high power consumption on smartphones and tablets.

Read the rest via theinquirer

Texas Instruments 1.8GHz dual-core OMAP mobile processor in the works

Texas Instruments on Thursday unveiled its latest mobile processor, the 1.8GHz dual-core OMAP4470, from the annual Computex trade show in Taipei, Taiwan. The new CPU is destined for smartphones and tablets, and it features a power-sipping design that offers a variety of performance enhancements compared to older processors. According to TI, the OMAP4470 will deliver an 80% improvement in Web browsing performance, a 250% improvement in graphics performance, up to 200% more layered imaging and video composition, and support for up to three HD displays and up to QXGA 2048 x 1536-pixel resolution. “Superior mobile computing relies on a user experience that dwarfs all others. Fast and crisp Web browsing, HD and liquid UIs, support for the latest applications—these are the elements consumers judge and buy their devices on,” said TI’s VP of the OMAP platform, Remi El-Ouazzane, in a statement. ”The OMAP4470 processor delivers the maximum experience possible with an unmatched, power-efficient architecture.” OMAP4470 samples will begin shipping to partners in the second half of 2011, with devices utilizing the chip expected to begin shipping in the first half of 2012. Hit the break for the full press release.

via BGR

A first look at Windows 8 for tablets

We're live from Microsoft Windows president Steven Sinofsky's keynote at D9, and there's something rather exciting on stage -- a pair of experimental Windows 8 dev boards running an OS that looks very much like Windows Phone 7's Metro UI. All Things D actually sat down with the man earlier today and got a sneak peek at what to expect starting with the live tiled screen you see above -- and yes, like Windows Phone 7, this OS is designed for touch.

There'll be two kinds of applications for Windows 8, one that runs in a traditional desktop, and the other pseudo-mobile apps based on HTML5 and Javascript, but both environments -- rather, the entire OS -- have been designed from the ground up for touchscreen use. Keyboard and mouse will still be options for both sets of programs, but there are multiple virtual sets of keys for different form factors, including a split keyboard for vertical slate use. Multitasking is simply a matter of swiping running apps into the center of the screen, and you can pull windows partway to "snap" them in place alongside other windows -- even mixing and matching traditional desktop programs with web apps simultaneously (like Twitter alongside your spreadsheet). There's a new version of Internet Explorer 10 (which runs Silverlight) and an app store built into the touchscreen interface, along with integrated services like Office 365. Microsoft says the new OS will run on laptops, tablets and desktops when it appears -- whenever that might be.

Continue reading via Engadget