A detailed article over at ComputerWorld suggests that both LG and Samsung may unveil new Android smartphones next week at CES, what’s unique about these is that they may utilize one of Intel’s latest Atom chips, rather than an ARM-based microprocessor. CW says that ARM currently makes up for 95% of the processors in smartphones, so this is a very bold move. One analyst claims that Intel and Google have spent time together to optimize Android for Atom chips, there are also rumors that Intel-owned McAfee could perhaps be somehow integrated into the operating system to further-enhance security.

We recently suggested that Intel could perhaps be showing off an Android smartphone at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, which further solidifies rumors of Atom chips being brought to smartphones in 2012 – it will be interesting to see how such chips compare to top-end offerings from Qualcomm and Nvidia. Maybe Intel could undercut its rivals to tempt smartphone manufacturers to move away from established mobile processor suppliers, either that or perhaps Intel feel confident that Atom chips will outperform chips such as the Tegra 3.

It makes sense for Intel to dabble in different markets as these days a lot of people use their smartphones and tablets for tasks which we once had to use desktop computers and laptops for, it looks certain that Windows 8 will run on ARM-based hardware when it arrives, therefore AMD may not be Intel’s biggest rivals in years to come – what do you think?

We can’t wait to see how Intel’s new Atom chips compare to Qualcomm and Nvidia offerings at CES 2012, however we do remain a little skeptical at present. Hopefully we will come across some useful benchmarks next week, when we do we will keep you posted.

The new processor will be using the 28nm manufacturing process, and according to SlashGear has the combination of the Adreno 225 GPU, and Qualcomm’s Krait CPU. The new manufacturing process means the same amount of work can be achieved, but in a much smaller piece of equipment. Currently the smallest manufacturing process is 45nm.

Qualcomm’s new chip will be almost halve the size while still being able to boost power. Another great feature of the S4 is the lower power consumption, which can help with the battery issues that some smartphones currently suffer from. Handset manufacturers will not have to increase the size of battery’s found in their devices to overcome power hungry processors.

Clock speeds will range from 1.5GHz through to 2.5GHz, which will be the fastest speed for any mobile CPU. Hackers have managed to increase clock speeds with current processors, but this has sometimes led to them being unstable. Compared to Qualcomm’s Scorpion range the Krait CPU will offer a sixty percent improvement.

The Adreno GPU will get a fifty percent increase in performance compared to the current 220 range, and also offer DirectX 9.3 for Windows 8. This new processor will be ideal for some high powered games being developed for our mobile devices.

Meanwhile the S4 MSM8960 according to Qualcomm will offer multi-mode world capabilities, and support frequencies between 700MHz to 2600MHz. There will also be support for LTE, HSPA+, EV-DO Rev. B, 1x Advanced, TD-SCDMA, GSM, GPRS, and EDGE. You also get support for FM radio, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, and NFC capability. It will be really interesting to see next year’s devices using Qualcomm’s latest offering and how they perform.

Take today’s news of the ultrasonic pen and the zero-lag shutter which were both spotted at Computex in the Qualcomm booth. From the names these technologies are being referred to as it’s obvious what each of them are capable of.

The zero shutter lag designed by Scalado for phones allows users to take a photo with one click of a button whilst instantaneously capturing two frames prior, a frame during and two frames after the click. This means the process of taking photos is sped up as the camera continues to take images which are used to create a composite shot.

The ultrasonic pen is a very different piece of technology though equally as impressive. It allows users to capture the writing they produce with the pen on a nearby phone using an ultrasonic transducer which is attached to the pen and a phone with three microphones. The signal is triangulated on the collaborated handset which must be within 30cm.

Check out the article at Engadget for more details about the gadgets where you will also find a video. Are you impressed by these pieces of technology?

As Chris Davies over on the slashgear.com website recently reported, the TAKE Janus KM-S200 is the world’s first smartphone to pack a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. The handset is powered by Qualcomm’s MSM8260 processor and comes with 1GB of RAM and a 4.3-inch qHD display with a 960 x 540 resolution.

It also boasts an integrated DMB-TV digital tuner and an 8-megapixel main camera that’s capable of shooting full HD 1080p video. The TAKE Janus KM-S200 comes with 16GB of internal storage, although there is a microSD card slot just in case you want to expand the memory.

Other features include a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, GPS and HSPA for international roaming, SRS WOW HD audio and both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. It also boasts a split-screen display layout, which enables users to perhaps watch TV on one half, and view their Twitter feed on the other.

The handset, which runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS, is available in black, white and a two-tone black & white and is priced up at the equivalent of $740. Are you looking to buy a new Android smartphone?

Another company that is well established is ARM, a company that has opposing intentions to Intel as they already have a foothold in the smartphone market thanks to their chip licensing with various other companies such as Qualcomm. Instead, according to an article at VentureBeat the company is hoping to have more success in the mobile PC market.

This market includes computers such as tablets, notebooks and laptops. The company already is taking an early lead in the tablet market but would like to broaden that success with devices that are powered by Windows. Windows 8 is rumored to be designed to be compatible with ARM processors, these rumors also point to MacBooks switching to ARM instead of Intel.

ARM has just 10% of the mobile PC market share at the moment according to Tudor Brown, the company’s President, if things continue to grow as they intend, it expects to have more like a 50% share by 2015. Check out the full article for more details about the company’s in intentions by clicking the link above.

Do you use devices that take advantage of the ARM processors? What do you think of them?

Over the last three years Apple has announced a new iPhone version in June, back in June 2008 they revealed the iPhone 3G, in June 2009 they announced the 3GS and last June they unveiled the iPhone 4, therefore I wouldn’t be surprised if the iPhone 5 shows up this June, but could this be too late?

As previously mentioned the HTC Pyramid will feature a dual-core chip, this will apparently be the Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon processor, this has 2 x 1.2GHz cores and will give devices 1080p encoding and decoding capabilities, also according to SmartphoneBenchmarks.com Qualcomm has also taken measures to make this energy efficient, there is integrated low power GPS and a dedicated low power audio engine, which should help the HTC Pyramid to get the most from its battery.

Rumors suggest that the Pyramid may have a 4.3-inch display and offer HSPA+ connectivity, also HTC has made a name for themselves in terms of build quality and their Sense UI is popular with consumers, if you bring all of this information together HTC could potentially deliver well-built a super-fast handset with great battery life, a 4.3 inch display and 1080p HD capabilities and fast connectivity thanks to HSPA+, also lets not forget that HTC’s UI combined with the latest version of Android will make the device extremely intuitive, I will be surprised if the iPhone 5 will be able to outdo this, what do you think?

Obviously a lot of this article is based on unconfirmed rumors and quite a few presumptions, however the HTC Pyramid certainly does have the potential to be a real competitor to Apple’s next smartphone release.

What are you more excited about dual-core Android smartphones or the iPhone 5?

The current baseband chip in the iPhone and iPad are from Infineon, which as we know is now owned by Intel. AppleInsider points out that Qualcomm also produces the ARM Snapdragon processor, which is considered one of the fastest on the market. There could be a conflict of interest there, as Apple currently uses the A4 processor, which as we know is manufactured by Samsung – all a bit confusing ah?

Either way you look at it, Qualcomm are in a great position, to have the best selling smartphone and tablet device on board – maybe they might push ahead for a processor deal as well? Although I would not hold my breath, as there have already been rumors that Apple is to stick with the Samsung version, but a dual-core version instead.

Phones Reviews seems to be getting excited about the upcoming release of the second-generation iPad and the fifth-generation iPhone, as they have now written an article about the countdown for both devices. They have informed us that more than 10 million iPhone 5 units have already been placed for the first production run, but were not able to offer any figures for the new iPad.

However, they do say that production is to begin in February and that the tablet device will be ready for release in April – around the same time as the Motorola Xoom and the BlackBerry PlayBook from RIM. Whatever happens, Qualcomm are now in a great position – one that will strengthen was these new Apple iOS devices hit the market.

This is pretty evident in their recent acquisitions of Infineon Technology’s wireless division and security software giant McAfee, also they have apparently played a big part in the development of Nokia’s MeeGo operating system.

Many suspect that Intel will soon be taking on mobile chip manufacturers such as ARM, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments in the smartphone processor market, however previously Intel have struggled to develop low power consumption processors.

Recently Intel has been working on Atom chips for netbooks and tablets, therefore they have probably a better idea as to how to get great performance from a more economical chip.

In recent years the smartphone market has grown rapidly, therefore it is no surprise to see Intel looking into this avenue of business, however will it be too little too late for them?

As I always say the more competition in a particular market always results in end users getting a better overall product, therefore I am looking forward to Intel attempting to outdo other mobile chip manufacturers.

Do you think Intel can take on the likes of ARM, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments in the smartphone market?

Source: ComputerWorld

According to this report from Apple Insider, Qualcomm are the company which is thought to be designing the CDMA chip for Verizon’s iPhone and it looks like they were seeking an iPhone developer expert for help on this.

A job listing posted last month, has since been removed and included the following details: “The iPhone has no secret for you? “Well, that’s what you think… join us and develop the most challenging product of your life!”

Could this be the strongest hint that a Verizon iPhone is finally coming to market, or are we reading too much into Qualcomm’s listing? I’m not sure about you, but ‘most challenging product of your life’ seems pretty interesting to me.

Give us your thoughts on this – full story over at AI.

They are looking to launch a new chip by Christmas this year, this dual-core chip will feature CPU cores running at up to 1.5GHz, interestingly each core can be individually clocked, which should be great for power consumption.

This chip (known as the QSD8672) will apparently be used in smartphones, tablets and low-end laptops, and could well set the benchmark for other chip manufacturers to follow, especially as it is capable of 1080p HD video playback.

Obviously it is great to see chip Qualcomm pushing the boundaries, however I am concerned that improved clock speeds do tend to seriously lower battery life, even if each core can be individually clocked.

Would you prefer a 1GHz chip which could last three days from a single charge, or a 2GHz chip which would last up to 24 hours from a single charge?

Source: ComputerWorld