New Device To Be Introduced By LG and Intel At CES 2012

LG’s mobile department hasn’t exactly had the best year but rather than give up — they’re trying new things… or rather, revisiting old ideas. According to the Korea Times, LG is getting ready to debut an all new smartphone at CES 2012 powered by none other than Intel’s new Medfield mobile processor. We heard rumors a few weeks back that Samsung would be partnering with Intel for an upcoming smartphone to be debuted at CES in January but maybe it was the other Korean manufacturer this whole time.
The only question that remains if whether or not the device will ever hit market given LG and Intel’s past. At CES 2011 they they actually showed off a smartphone that of course, went belly up due apparently due to “lack of marketability.” The Times went on to source an exec who claims LG will be banking big with this device and could launch as early as March. Once again, the same was said about the two company’s first attempt at a device earlier this year.
Still, LG has a lot to lose but even more to gain this time around and the same could be said with Intel who has made zero impact in the mobile market where SoC’s from Qualcomm have dominated. I think Android 4.0′s compatibility with Intel processors is the moment they both have been waiting for and high-end device could do well for them. Just as long they avoid the quality control issues that plagued the G2X and drop that pseudo TouchWiz UI.
[Via TechCrunch]

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Samsung to launch 3D Android phones next year, Galaxy S3 to feature quad-core processor

Samsung is planning to launch 3D Android smartphones next year. Company is actively working on the next generation of 3D technology to integrate in these smartphones, they won’t just provide 3D display, but will also help you play 3D games, record 3D movies and work with 3D TVs.
Apart from these new 3D devices, Samsung might also include the technology in Galaxy S III. According to ETnews, it is however not final till now whether Galaxy S3 will come with 3D or not, but in order to procure 3D components at a major level, Samsung would need six months and that would delay the S3 launch. Thus Galaxy S 3D (tentative name) might be company’s first 3D Android phone, which is expected to launch in Q2, 2012.
Korean publication further stated that Galaxy S III announcement is currently scheduled for Mobile World Congress with availability in April. S3 is expected to feature a quad core processor; but there is no word on other specifications, which we suspect would include Android 4.0 and at least 4.5 inch display.

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Intel gives us a better glimpse at its Android prototype

No, this amazingly sleek phone doesn’t exist – yet. It is a prototype that may never surface for the public’s use, but nevertheless it is sporting an Intel chip and Android OS. Finally, Intel intends to make a comeback in 2012 by incorporating their technology into both tablets and smartphones. Technology Review was able to test out both of the prototypes, and they state we should see them officially within the first half of 2012.

The chip’s are still contained within the “Atom” line but referenced as Medfield. But what does Medfield bring to the table? Apparently, they aren’t trying to beat their competitors with raw power – but with better battery life through lower power consumption. Oddly enough, it doesn’t seem to be dual-core.
From a first glance, or even a second – you would think you’re looking at an iPhone 4S. But Technology Review not only stated that it was lighter – but made of plastic and less metal or glass. I guarantee if a manufacturer released a device of those dimensions and styling, they wouldn’t make it out of the door without an Apple lawyer waiting to meet them. Of course, this design was purely made to attract manufacturers to using their SoC for their products – so they still have a chance to steer clear of a legal battle.
[via Technology Review]

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Intel says smartphone and tablet hardware will run Android 4.0 next year

In an attempt to win back its place in the mobile market, Intel is hyping up its upcoming hardware designs with some Android flair. According to PC World, Intel-based smartphones and tablets running Android will be ready for next year. A version of Ice Cream Sandwich for the upcoming Atom Medfield system-on-a-chip is already at the production stage.

Intel is no stranger to the mobile market, though ARM and Qualcomm have been dominating it as of late. The chip maker hopes that x86 versions of Android will help revive its presence in the mobile space, allowing it to expand to the low-power netbook, tablet and smartphone markets. According to Intel, the first smartphones using its designs will hit the market in the first half of 2012. Intel has been working with Google behind closed doors on Gingerbread and Honeycomb products, none of which have made it past the experimental stage thus far.
Manufacturers already have pretty wide array of system-on-a-chip choices, though it’s all dominated by ARM’s underlying architecture. If Intel can extend its sizable presence into the mobile world with x86 and ARM-based products, it’ll be in a good position to stay healthy when the first ARM-based Windows 8 machines begin to surface, reportedly in 2013. Being part of two of the fastest-growing segments of the technology industry wouldn’t hurt, either.

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Samsung, Intel and Sprint Announcing New Smartphone At CES 2012?

Some big announcements could be made at CES 2012 in January according to AndroidandMe who has it on good authority that Samsung Mobile will release the first Intel powered Android phone and it could be making its way to Sprint. Let’s try and piece everything together.
It’s been rumored that Samsung could be getting out of the PC business but has reportedly extended their partnership with Intel. Strange, what would a renewed partnership with Intel bring? You guessed it — smartphones.
We told you guys a few weeks back that Intel was waiting on Ice Cream Sandwich before arriving on the scene with an Android smartphone and today, PCWorld is reporting that Intel already has Android 4.0 up and running on a device powered by their Atom processor (also known as Medfield) and is currently working with manufacturers to get everything optimized on those devices.
Intel’s CEO, Paul Otellini, is scheduled to give a keynote at CES 2012 and has been touting to AllThingsD, their Atom processor’s superiority over ARM’s chips in graphics, javascript and browser performance. Not so much in the battery department (no surprise there) where they came in around 3rd and 4th.
Intel wont be the only ones dropping bombs at CES. Sprint too, is gearing up for a big announcement January 10th at CES and what else could it be but another one of their famous “industry first” keynotes announcing an Intel powered smartphone running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich? I know it sounds crazy — crazy like a FOX.
Exciting things in store for next year and you can rest assured knowing the entire Phandroid team will be on hand at CES 2012 bringing you guys all the latest in just a little more than 40 days. I’m ready, packed and moist.
[AndroidandMe | PCWorld | AllThingsD]

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Intel Officially Abandons MeeGo

Intel today indicated that it will no longer develop and advance its mobile Linux platform called MeeGo. MeeGo was a merged project between Intel and Nokia, which combined their Moblin and Maemo mobile Linux systems. The first (and apparently only) MeeGo device to reach the market is the Nokia N9, which went on sale this week. Nokia has since ditched all efforts to develop MeeGo and Symbian, and is focusing on Windows Phone 7 instead. Intel is backing a new mobile Linux platform with the support of Samsung, called Tizen. Intel said it hopes to transition its MeeGo developers to the new Tizen platform. Intel also recently announced that its mobile chips will support Google's Android platform.
more info at Intel »

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HTC To Be The First With Intel Powered Android?

Earlier in the week some big news came out of the Intel Developer’s Forum in San Francisco, CA.  When Andy Rubin delivered his address to attendees he said that new Android phones would incorporate Intel chip sets and furthermore Intel powered Android handsets would be optimized for Intel throughout the entire device.  The new Intel Android devices would be utilizing the Medfield chip.
An unsourced news piece on a website called Bright Side of News is suggesting that the rumors at IDF were  that HTC would be the developer for the new Intel device.  Although the device shown by Rubin and Intel at the conference was a reference build with no manufacturer associated with it, a few folks we talked to who attended IDF said that the form factor and design looked like it was made by HTC.  Rumor has it that the Intel powered HTC Android device will be ready by CES.
More after the break
Despite losing their chief of innovation, Horace Luke, back in July HTC seems to be full speed ahead on a path of new innovations happily surrounded by Android.  Last month HTC announced their $300 million dollar partnership with Beats By Dre that won’t only give better sound to HTC devices but lend some street credibility for the Taiwanese manufacturer.  HTC also brought back the “stylus” in the case of the HTC Flyer and HTC JetStream it’s a digital pen but they made it cool again to control a tablet with a pen like device. A move that sparked Samsung into building the stylus into their new Galaxy Note.
Now, with this latest rumor about Intel, HTC proves again that they aren’t afraid to test the waters.

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Google and Intel: Who Needs Whom More?

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG)  forged a deal to tune Google's Android operating system to run well on Intel's processors Sept 13.
Intel CEO Paul Otellini and Google's lead Android creator Andy Rubin stood onstage together at the Intel Developer Forum to unveil the pact. The two showed off a prototype smartphone using Intel's "Medfield" Atom mobile processor to power Google's  Android "Honeycomb" operating system, originally tailored for tablets.
Both companies positioned the deal as mutually beneficial; Google gets another major processor OEM building chips for its platform, while Intel has a nice on-ramp to providing chips for the broadest smartphone platform in the world.
Otellini said Intel's Medfield chips will appear first in Android phones in the first half of 2012 to challenge the popular mobile processors made by ARM Holdings.
Yet most analysts agree Intel, which was late to the mobile processor market after pumping out countless chips for power-chomping PCs and servers, has the most to gain from the relationship.
After all, Intel is now positioned to get its chips into the lush, verdant markets for Android  smartphones and tablet computers, which rely on low power chips that don't burn out as fast. IDC recently predicted smartphones and tablets will grow to eclipse wireline machines such as desktop PCs by 2015.
"Intel needs Google more than the other way around, but Google certainly wants the broadest distribution possible, which is why the company is investing – and has invested in the past – to ensure that Android runs on both ARM and Intel," Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart told eWEEK.
Industry analyst Roger Kay added that Intel needs Google as much as Microsoft needs ARM.
"Google has lots of distribution without Intel," Kay told eWEEK. "But Google gets silicon optimization for its OS.  Eventually, Atom may be a better platform than ARM.  Google has to hedge its bets."
Industry analyst Jack Gold sees the situation a bit differently. Despite Android's momentum, the relationship is crucial to both companies' strategies.
"Android itself has not always been that good a performer, and some of the software choices Google has made are troublesome," Gold explained. For example, the Honeycomb OS has been labeled buggy and blamed for lackluster Android tablet sales.

Meanwhile, Gold noted that for all of its prowess of a chipmaker, Intel has a unique ability to make software and particularly OSes that run extremely well.
"While they won't necessarily help Android on ARM, they can certainly make Android run great on the Intel architecture, and it's clear Google wants to be a leading OS provider, including on the x86 platforms (PCs)," Gold told eWEEK. "Any help Intel provides Google for use on x86 will also help Android running on ARM since the technology will be repurposed. So, my bottom line is both companies actually have a great deal of benefit from a tight relationship."
Regardless, Google is doing a lot of hedging around Android it probably never expected to have to do. The company ponied up $12.5 billion to buy Motorola Mobility (NYSE:MMI), a move the search engine provider positioned as a play to grab massive patent portfolio totaling 17,000-plus patents and counting (7,500 pending.)
However, some industry watchers believe, based on Motorola's proxy filing with the SEC, that the phone maker forced Google to purchase it to protect it from gross litigation in the Android ecosystem, where Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) have sued Motorola for patent infringement over its Android handsets.

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Upcoming Android versions will be tweaked to run on Intel hardware

At Intel’s Developer Forum, Google’s Andy Rubin just appeared on stage to confirm that Google and Intel will be continuing their partnership. Expanding it, even, as Rubin announced that all future versions of Android would include optimizations for Intel silicon – from the core of the OS up to multimedia. So to catch up: today we saw Microsoft tout Windows 8 running on ARM processors and we saw Google tout Android running on Intel processors. Yes, we got the order right there.
Intel took the opportunity to tease an Android tablet and phone both running on the Medfield chip. Both appeared to be prototypes (and no manufacturer was named), but Intel promised we’d see phones running on Intel chips in “early 2012.” Intel also showed off “Intel Pair & Share” software, which will allows users to get notifications and sync media on their computers.
After the break: a video of Rubin’s announcement and more photos from the event — including another shot of the tablet and one of the phone.
Update: More photos of the tablet prototype, built by Intel as a “reference design,” have been added to the gallery!
Update 2: One more picture added to the gallery to show the NFC logo on the back of Intel’s Android tablet prototype, which CarryPad just noticed.
Source: Intel

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Intel Atom E series processors could get Android Gingerbread in 2012

The world has gone Android crazy over the last few years with the operating system and the smartphones and tablets that run it being very popular with users around the world. Intel is far behind in the mobile game mostly thanks to the fact that its mobile chips are not as power efficient as others on the market and the expense. Intel is reportedly looking to bring a custom version of Android to the Atom E series of processors next year.

Carrypad reports that Intel is looking to get an open source version of Gingerbread that will be offered to third parties looking to use the E series chips inside a tablet or other device. The custom Gingerbread OS would allow companies to build tablets using the Atom processors that run on a version of Android specifically for the chips and optimized for battery life.
With the popularity of Android that would certainly be a good thing for Intel, if it can pull the custom version off. You can watch the video below to see Intel talk about the possibility of getting Android. Carrypad says that the chat about Android on Atom processors is about half way through the video. E series Atom processors are embedded offerings.

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How Intel’s New 22nm 3D Tri-Gate transistors will Blast Android into Outer Space

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Are you familiar with Moore’s Law? It’s a trend described by Gordon E. Moore, co-founder of Intel, noting that the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years. What’s that got to do with Android? It’s quite simple – bigger processing power in the same size package. Today Intel has announced its 22nm 3D Tri-Gate transistors, processing technology that they say will bring 50% power reduction at constant performance (that means better battery life) and 37% performance increase at low voltage – a better job for less!

So what is 22nm – what’s that mean? “nm” stands for nanometer, one nanometer is equal to one billionth of a meter. In the semiconductor industry, this unit is used to describe the wavelength of light. All you and I really need to know is that this is the newest, the best, where back in 1989 we were at 800nm, 2002 we were at 90nm, and now we’re all the way down to 22nm. Again, this follows the plan – Intel had their OG Gordon Moore send out a quote on the matter:

“For years we have seen limits to how small transistors can get. This change in the basic structure is a truly revolutionary approach, and one that should allow Moore’s Law, and the historic pace of innovation, to continue”

Next, what does “3D” stand for here? Hint – there’s no double camera tricky business going on here. It’s got to do with the structure of the transistor. The 3D Tri-Gate transistors form conducting channels on three sides of a vertical fin structure. This build results in less heat transmission, longer battery life in mobile devices, and because of a combo of the high-k gate insulators and strained silicon, improved performance.
Intel notes the following to confuse and excite you:

Tri-gate fully-depleted substrate transistors have a raised plateau-like gate structure with two vertical walls and a horizontal wall of gate electrode. This three-dimensional structure improves the drive current while the depleted substrate reduces the leakage current when the transistor is in the “off” state. Reducing leakage current not only helps control heat at the circuit level but also translates to increased battery life in mobile devices.

You can expect some other bits that you may or may not be super excited about from an Android standpoint: native PCIe 3.0 and USB 3.0 controllers at the processor level as well as an integrated DirectX graphics core with support for the second-generation of QuickSync. QuickSync is Intel’s media encoding/decoding acceleration technology, in case you do not know.

The first application of this technology will be in Intel’s Ivy Bridge processors, demonstrated today on some high-volume CPU’s, as noted by our sister site SlashGear. Have a peek at some videos while we’re at it and see where Intel is at with the project at the moment:
















Press Release:

Intel Reinvents Transistors Using New 3-D Structure
New Transistors for 22 Nanometer Chips Have an Unprecedented Combination of Power Savings and Performance Gains
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
Intel announces a major technical breakthrough and historic innovation in microprocessors: the world’s first 3-D transistors, called Tri-Gate, in a production technology.
The transition to 3-D Tri-Gate transistors sustains the pace of technology advancement, fueling Moore’s Law for years to come.
An unprecedented combination of performance improvement and power reduction to enable new innovations across a range of future 22nm-based devices from the smallest handhelds to powerful cloud-based servers.
Intel demonstrates a 22nm microprocessor – codenamed “Ivy Bridge” – that will be the first high-volume chip to use 3-D Tri-Gate transistors.
SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 4, 2011 – Intel Corporation today announced a significant breakthrough in the evolution of the transistor, the microscopic building block of modern electronics. For the first time since the invention of silicon transistors over 50 years ago, transistors using a three-dimensional structure will be put into high-volume manufacturing. Intel will introduce a revolutionary 3-D transistor design called Tri-Gate, first disclosed by Intel in 2002, into high-volume manufacturing at the 22-nanometer (nm) node in an Intel chip codenamed “Ivy Bridge.” A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter.
The three-dimensional Tri-Gate transistors represent a fundamental departure from the two-dimensional planar transistor structure that has powered not only all computers, mobile phones and consumer electronics to-date, but also the electronic controls within cars, spacecraft, household appliances, medical devices and virtually thousands of other everyday devices for decades.
“Intel’s scientists and engineers have once again reinvented the transistor, this time utilizing the third dimension,” said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini. “Amazing, world-shaping devices will be created from this capability as we advance Moore’s Law into new realms.”
Scientists have long recognized the benefits of a 3-D structure for sustaining the pace of Moore’s Law as device dimensions become so small that physical laws become barriers to advancement. The key to today’s breakthrough is Intel’s ability to deploy its novel 3-D Tri-Gate transistor design into high-volume manufacturing, ushering in the next era of Moore’s Law and opening the door to a new generation of innovations across a broad spectrum of devices.
Moore’s Law is a forecast for the pace of silicon technology development that states that roughly every 2 years transistor density will double, while increasing functionality and performance and decreasing costs. It has become the basic business model for the semiconductor industry for more than 40 years.
Unprecedented Power Savings and Performance Gains
Intel’s 3-D Tri-Gate transistors enable chips to operate at lower voltage with lower leakage, providing an unprecedented combination of improved performance and energy efficiency compared to previous state-of-the-art transistors. The capabilities give chip designers the flexibility to choose transistors targeted for low power or high performance, depending on the application.
The 22nm 3-D Tri-Gate transistors provide up to 37 percent performance increase at low voltage versus Intel’s 32nm planar transistors. This incredible gain means that they are ideal for use in small handheld devices, which operate using less energy to “switch” back and forth. Alternatively, the new transistors consume less than half the power when at the same performance as 2-D planar transistors on 32nm chips.
“The performance gains and power savings of Intel’s unique 3-D Tri-Gate transistors are like nothing we’ve seen before,” said Mark Bohr, Intel Senior Fellow. “This milestone is going further than simply keeping up with Moore’s Law. The low-voltage and low-power benefits far exceed what we typically see from one process generation to the next. It will give product designers the flexibility to make current devices smarter and wholly new ones possible. We believe this breakthrough will extend Intel’s lead even further over the rest of the semiconductor industry.”
Continuing the Pace of Innovation – Moore’s Law
Transistors continue to get smaller, cheaper and more energy efficient in accordance with Moore’s Law – named for Intel co-founder Gordon Moore. Because of this, Intel has been able to innovate and integrate, adding more features and computing cores to each chip, increasing performance, and decreasing manufacturing cost per transistor.
Sustaining the progress of Moore’s Law becomes even more complex with the 22nm generation. Anticipating this, Intel research scientists in 2002 invented what they called a Tri-Gate transistor, named for the three sides of the gate. Today’s announcement follows further years of development in Intel’s highly coordinated research-development-manufacturing pipeline, and marks the implementation of this work for high-volume manufacturing.
The 3-D Tri-Gate transistors are a reinvention of the transistor. The traditional “flat” two-dimensional planar gate is replaced with an incredibly thin three-dimensional silicon fin that rises up vertically from the silicon substrate. Control of current is accomplished by implementing a gate on each of the three sides of the fin – two on each side and one across the top — rather than just one on top, as is the case with the 2-D planar transistor. The additional control enables as much transistor current flowing as possible when the transistor is in the “on” state (for performance), and as close to zero as possible when it is in the “off” state (to minimize power), and enables the transistor to switch very quickly between the two states (again, for performance).
Just as skyscrapers let urban planners optimize available space by building upward, Intel’s 3-D Tri-Gate transistor structure provides a way to manage density. Since these fins are vertical in nature, transistors can be packed closer together, a critical component to the technological and economic benefits of Moore’s Law. For future generations, designers also have the ability to continue growing the height of the fins to get even more performance and energy-efficiency gains.
“For years we have seen limits to how small transistors can get,” said Moore. “This change in the basic structure is a truly revolutionary approach, and one that should allow Moore’s Law, and the historic pace of innovation, to continue.”
World’s First Demonstration of 22nm 3-D Tri-Gate Transistors
The 3-D Tri-Gate transistor will be implemented in the company’s upcoming manufacturing process, called the 22nm node, in reference to the size of individual transistor features. More than 6 million 22nm Tri-Gate transistors could fit in the period at the end of this sentence.
Today, Intel demonstrated the world’s first 22nm microprocessor, codenamed “Ivy Bridge,” working in a laptop, server and desktop computer. Ivy Bridge-based Intel® Core™ family processors will be the first high-volume chips to use 3-D Tri-Gate transistors. Ivy Bridge is slated for high-volume production readiness by the end of this year.
This silicon technology breakthrough will also aid in the delivery of more highly integrated Intel® Atom™ processor-based products that scale the performance, functionality and software compatibility of Intel® architecture while meeting the overall power, cost and size requirements for a range of market segment needs.

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