CES 2012: Motorola to build Android phone with Intel CPU

A Motorola smartphone with Intel inside is due to arrive in the second half of 2012, the two companies announced at the Consumer Electronics Show.

The phone will be the first product of a multi-year agreement that will extend to not only smartphones but tablets too, Intel said.

Although the firms didn't disclose much about what the device would look like, how much it would cost or what it wouldd be called, Intel did say that the first of its processors used by Motorola would be the new Atom Z2460.

No word yet on which carrier the handset will make its way to either, but in a meeting Tuesday night, Motorola Chairman and Chief Executive Sanjay Jha said the new phone would run Google's Android operating system.

Hopefully that means the first Motorola and Intel smartphone will be running Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Atom Z2640 is a 1.6-gigahertz processor with integrated graphics capabilities and low power consumption, Intel said in a statement.

The partnership is an important one for both companies, especially Intel. Motorola currently uses processors from both Qualcomm and Texas Instruments, two chip suppliers that have found a lot of success in the smartphone and tablet market. Intel's mobile chips, meanwhile, have had a tough time catching on with hardware makers as many have chosen processors from rivals.

Though Intel, the world's largest processor maker, has so far failed to match its dominant positon in the laptop and desktop market on the mobile side, a deal with Motorola might help boost its influence in smartphones and tablets -- particularly if Google's $12.5-billion purchase of Motorola Mobility is approved by federal regulators.

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-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles in Las Vegas

Nathan Olivarez-Giles on Google+

Twitter.com/nateog

Images: (Top) Intel's smartphone reference design and (bottom) its Atom Z2460 processor. Credit: Intel

Nvidia's Tegra ARM chips heading to supercomputers in Barcelona

Nvidia is entering the supercomputer market and launching a challenge to Intel's processor dominance.

The Santa Clara company announced Monday that it was providing a new line of its Tegra ARM processors for supercomputers at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, a government funded research center in Spain.

At this point, you might be wondering: what is an ARM processor?

ARM processors are CPUs (central processing units) that use what is known as Advanced RISC Machine architecture -- a processor design that is simpler than earlier generations of computer chips, enabling high processing power in lower-energy devices such as smartphones and tablet computers (which is where most ARM processors are currently found).

Nvidia said in a statement that its Tegra ARM should consume about 15 to 30 times less power than the center's current setup.

An English company known as ARM Holdings licenses the ARM processor architecture to a growing number of companies looking to develop their own low-power ARM chips. For example, the A5 chip found in the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 is an Apple-designed ARM processor.

Intel, the world's largest producer of processors, hasn't built an ARM chip of its own, but offerings from competitors such as Nvidia are seen as a challenge to the tech stalwart's business and its efforts to grow into more mobile devices.

Nvidia, known more for building graphics processors than CPUs, has found an opportunity in pushing its Tegra processors into smartphones and tablets, along with rivals such as Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony and Texas Instruments. And now the company is looking to produce the same growth with Tegra ARM processors for supercomputers.

The Barcelona center has dubbed its move to Nvidia's Tegra ARM processors, along with Nvidia's Cuda graphics processors, the Mont-Blanc Project.

"In most current systems, CPUs alone consume the lion's share of the energy, often 40% or more," said Alex Ramirez, leader of the Mont-Blanc Project, in a statement. "By comparison, the Mont-Blanc architecture will rely on energy-efficient computer accelerators and ARM processors used in embedded and mobile devices to achieve a four- to 10-times increase in energy efficiency by 2014."

[Updated Nov. 15, 8:21 p.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that Intel had developed an ARM processor of its own. The post has been corrected.]

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Image: A screen shot of the Nvidia Tegra processor Web page. Nvidia is taking its Tegra ARM processors from mobile phones and tablets to supercomputers. Credit: Nvidia

Apple MacBook Pro line updated with new processors, faster graphics

Apple Inc. very quietly updated its MacBook Pro line of laptop computers on Monday, keeping form factors and prices in place, but adding slightly speedier processors and graphics.

The entry-level MacBook Pro, which features a 13-inch display, is now sold with a 2.4-gigahertz dual-core Intel i5 processor in its base configuration, though a 2.8-gigahertz dual-core Intel i7 chip is an option as well. The starting price for the 13-inch MacBook Pro is $1,199.

The mid-level 15-inch MacBook Pro gets boosted to a base of a 2.2-gigahertz quad-core Intel i7 processor, a 500-gigabyte hard-drive, and the same Intel HD Graphics 3000 integrated graphics card as the 13-inch model,  plus a separate AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics card with its own 512 megabytes of dedicated memory. The starting price for the 15-inch range is $1,799.

The top-of-the-line 17-inch MacBook Pro is updated with a 2.4-gigahertz Intel Core i7 processor as the base option with AMD's new Radeon HD 6770M graphics card alongside the integrated graphics from its smaller siblings. The 17-inch MacBook Pro starts at $2,499.

Of course, each Apple Mac computer ships with Mac OS X Lion, the latest version of Apple's operating system.

What does all this mean? Nothing major, really. But the faster processors can handle computing tasks quicker, and better graphics means more stable and quicker video playback and editing for creative professionals using Macs with software such as Adobe Photoshop and Apple's own Final Cut Pro video-editing software.

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Image: A screenshot of Apple's MacBook Pro line as listed on Apple.com. Credit: Apple Inc.

Google, Intel team up on future Android phones, tablets

Naming a powerful ally in its quest to become the king of smartphones, Google Inc. said it was teaming up with Intel Corp. to develop software aimed at running on the chipmaker's next generation mobile microchips.

At Intel’s annual developer conference in San Francisco, the two companies said Tuesday that Google's Android software would be optimized for Intel's Atom processors. Atom chips are designed to require half as much power as earlier Intel models, so are better suited for portable, battery-powered devices.

Atom chips now run in laptops and tablets from Sony, Dell, Acer and Lenovo -- but have only been used in a handful of smartphones.

Intel's decision to team up with Google comes as the search giant's Android operating system has become the world's bestselling smartphone software, accounting for 43% of the phones sold worldwide last quarter. By giving its Android software away freely to any manufacturer that wants it, Google has found that dozens of phone makers have built Android devices, including popular models from Samsung, HTC and LG.

Last month Google agreed to buy Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. for $12.5 billion, the company's largest acquisition effort to date. Motorola is one of the primary makers of Android phones, and if cleared by regulators, the purchase would allow Google to design and build its own phones. That could include the use of Intel chips.

Meanwhile in Anaheim, longtime Intel partner (and Google rival) Microsoft touted its own mobile strategy. The Redmond, Wash., software giant said the next version of its Windows operating system -– Windows 8 -- would run on tablets and smartphones that used a different low-power microchip. ARM chips, based on designs from UK-based ARM Holdings, are built by a number of companies including Qualcomm Inc. and Texas Instruments Inc.

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Photo: Visitors look at a prototype of an Android tablet computer using Intel Atom chips during the 2011 Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco. Credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Apple updates iMac line with quicker processors, graphics and Thunderbolt I/O

 

Apple updated its iMac all-in-one computer line on Tuesday, adding faster quad-core processors, its FaceTime HD video chat, faster graphics cards and Intel's new Thunderbolt high-speed connector technology.

The starting price to an iMac is staying the same -- $1,199.

Apple says that with the new Intel processors, the refreshed iMacs are up to 70% faster than the previous generation lineup and perform up to three times faster in graphics ability, due to new, speedier AMD Radeon HD graphics processors.

The iMac update brings quad-core Intel processors across the lineup -- previously a dual-core chip was an option.

Thunderbolt, a connector technology developed by Intel with some help from Apple, is capable of transferring data at a rate of 10 gigabits per second -- much faster than USB 2.0 transfers of about 480 megabits per second.

Thunderbolt can also be used to connect computers to external monitors and transfer data at the same time, all with a single cable, as well as "daisy chain" by connecting to multiple devices at once, through one port.

As it did with the MacBook Pro when the laptop line gained the new faster connector ports, Thunderbolt will replace Apple's mini-display port on the back of the new iMacs.

Available screen sizes for the iMac are also staying the same, with the computer being offered in a 21.5-inch screen size (which gets one Thunderbolt port) or a larger 27-inch display (which will be equipped with two Thunderbolt ports).

Apple is also adding a high-definition video camera to its iMacs, sitting just above the screen, which can be used with the company's FaceTime video chat software, which runs on the iPad 2, iPhone 4, iPod Touch and camera-equipped and Intel-based Mac computers. 

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Image: Apple iMac computer. Credit: Apple

Intel is getting into the tablet market with its Atom Z670 processors

Intel is getting into the tablet business with a new line of its Atom processors called the Z670 series.

The microchip giant announced the new processors Monday and said the Atom Z670 chips would make their way into tablets and other portable devices by the end of next month.

So far, companies such as Asus, Fujitsu and Lenovo have signed on to build devices using the new processors. Intel said the Z760 line would offer "increased battery life, enhanced performance especially around video, and several other new features" and be ideal for use in "mobile clinical assistants, ruggedized industrial tablets and portable point-of-sale systems."

Among the first devices to run using a Z670 processor will be the Asus EeePad Slider, which has a 10.1-inch touch screen and a slide-out keyboard; a new tablet from Evolve that will run on Windows 7; and the upcoming Lenovo Ideapad Slate tablet.

The Samsung Series 7 tablet, announced at CES in Las Vegas in January (and which also features a slide-out keyboard) will also run on a 1.66-GHz Z670 processor and Windows 7.

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Image: The Asus EeePad Slider. Credit: Intel / Asus

Oracle pulls out of Intel's Itanium server processor

Oracle is stopping development of all of its software on Intel's Itanium software processor after concluding that "Itanium is nearing the end of its life."

Starting something of a furor online, the move, announced late Tuesday, directly contradicts recent pronouncements from Intel about its commitment to the Itanium processor family used in high-performance computing systems and found in a large number of customers' data centers.

"After multiple conversations with Intel senior management Oracle has decided to discontinue all software development on the Intel Itanium microprocessor," Oracle said in a statement. "Intel management made it clear that their strategic focus is on their x86 microprocessor and that Itanium was nearing the end of its life."

"Both Microsoft and Red Hat have already stopped developing software for Itanium," Oracle's statement continues. "HP CEO Leo Apotheker made no mention of Itanium in his long and detailed presentation on the future strategic direction of HP."

Red Hat first pulled out of Itanium in 2009 after saying that its Enterprise Linux 6 operating system, released last summer, would not be supported on Itanium processors. Microsoft announced last April that it too was stopping developing software supported on Itanium.

Oracle's decision affects not only Intel but also Hewlett-Packard, which runs its HP-UX Unix operating system on Itanium Integrity servers.

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Intel study shows bad mobile manners, such as texting while driving and restroom cellphone chats, on the rise

People using mobile technology probably have great productivity rates, but their manners are foul, according to a study from chip-making giant Intel Corp. 

Mobile manners are worse now than they were even a year ago, 75% of respondents said. More than 90% said they’d witnessed some sort of misuse of technology –- about five offenses daily.

Just 9% of U.S. adults don’t own at least a cellphone, laptop computer or tablet, leading to an epidemic of “public displays of technology,” according to the study of 2,000 people.

Users are wedded to their devices, with gadget sightings reported on honeymoons, in public restrooms and in movie theaters. Twenty percent admitted to checking mobile gadgets even before they get out of bed in the morning.

Though about two in 10 adults admit to bad mobile behavior themselves, most blamed the etiquette breach on the fact that everyone else was just as guilty, according to data compiled by market research company Ipsos for Intel.

That includes text-and-drive infractions, walk-and-blab incidents and plenty of public loudmouthing. And 24% of people have seen drivers working on laptops while behind the wheel.

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Apple MacBook Pro line gets faster processors, FaceTime HD, Intel Thunderbolt I/O [Updated]

Apple updated its MacBook Pro line of laptops on Thursday with dual or quad core processors, FaceTime HD video chat, faster graphics and the addition of Intel's new high-speed connector technology called Thunderbolt.

Thunderbolt, which had been shown off by Intel for more than a year under the name Light Peak, is supposed to transfer data at a rate of 10 gigabits per second. USB 2.0 transfers data at about 480 megabits per second.

Thunderbolt can also be used to connect computers to external monitors and transfer data at the same time, all with a single cable -- an optical cable.

Intel said a full-length high-definition movie can be transferred in less than 30 seconds and one-year's worth of continuous MP3 music can be downloaded in 10 minutes.

Thunderbolt is replacing Apple's mini-display port on the side of the new MacBook Pros -- though it will still work with those connectors.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro is getting new Intel Core i5 and Core i7 dual-core processors with speeds up of to 2.7 GHz.

Apple's 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro computers are using only Intel's quad-core Core i7 processors with up to 2.3 GHz in speed and faster AMD Radeon HD graphics processors with up to 1GB of video memory for more intensive uses such as video editing or playing video games.

And all three sizes of MacBook Pro are getting an updated front-facing camera above their screens, dubbed FaceTime HD cameras.

The move officially sweeps Apple's old laptop cameras, known as iSight, out of the company's MacBook Pro line. FaceTime HD adds widescreen video shooting for video chats and photos and is compatible with other Intel-based Macs, the iPhone 4 and the current-generation iPod touch.

[Updated at 9:48 a.m.: The refreshed MacBook Pro line is available for purchase in Apple stores and Apple's online store. The prices for the laptops remain the same, with the 13-inch MacBook Pro starting at $1,199, the 15-inch starting at $1,799 and the 17-inch model starting at $2,499.]

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Images: (Top) New Apple MacBook Pro computers. (Bottom) A view of Intel's Thunderbolt port on an Apple MacBook Pro. Credit: Apple

Will.i.am named Intel's director of creative innovation

Will.i.am is joining Intel as its director of creative innovation.

The world's largest computer chip manufacturer announced the music producer and frontman for the Black Eyed Peas will contribute to the company by way of music and input in developing smart phones, tablets and laptops.

In a message on Twitter, Will.i.am said, "Its official. I just became the director of creative innovation for Intel. Every beat I make is made with intel. And now were partners."

Intel announced Tuesday its teaming with Will.i.am, whose real name is William James Adams Jr., in a news event at the Anaheim Convention Center, where the company is holding an internal sales and marketing conference.

At the Anaheim event, Will.i.am showed off an Intel employee badge, the company said in a statement.

The move to bring Will.i.am on as more than simply a spokesman follows in the footsteps of Polaroid, which appointed Lady Gaga its creative director in 2009.

“It's imperative that Intel and our innovations are kept in front of the global youth culture that embraces new devices and new forms of communication and entertainment,” said Deborah Conrad, the Santa Clara-based firm's head of marketing in a statement.

Will.i.am has signed on for a multiyear contract with the company and will be hands-on with technology, Intel said. No other details on the collaboration were offered.

The Black Eyed Peas have won six Grammy Awards and sold more than 29 million records. Will.i.am is also known as a tech fan and the group featured the upcoming BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in its recent music video, "The Time (Dirty Bit)."

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Photos: Will.i.am flashes his Intel employee badge and waves at an Intel event in Anaheim on Tuesday announcing his appointment as director of creative innovation. Credit: Intel