Nvidia

Qualcomm chip in HTC One S is speed demon, says analyst

Qualcomm is proving that a phone doesn't have to be quad-core to be fast.

"Scoring 25 percent higher than its older siblings...in [central processing unit] performance benchmarks, shows Qualcomm has delivered on its promise for higher performance CPU," Jim Mielke, vice president of engineering at ABI Research, said in a note today, referring to the HTC One S.

That phone comes with the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) operating system.

The HTC smartphone taps the first Qualcomm 28-nanometer (nm) chip -- the "Snapdragon" MSM8260A. That's a big step up in chip … Read more

Intel's Ivy Bridge arrives: Here's what you need to know

You've likely heard the name Ivy Bridge tossed around over the past six months or more, and might even know that it represents the next generation of Intel CPUs and chipsets. But what do these new parts mean if you're currently shopping for a laptop or desktop PC?

This basic FAQ should answer some of your most immediate shopping questions (with more background on Ivy Bridge and its new 22nm transistors here). For a more in-depth look at Ivy Bridge performance results on laptops and desktops, check out our system reviews, benchmark scores, and analysis at the related links below.

Should I look for an Ivy Bridge sticker at the store? Post-launch, you'll likely rarely hear that name again. It's an internal code name (like Sandy Bridge before it), that we use as a quick shorthand. In reality, this is Intel's third-generation Core series processor family, which will use the same Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 names as the previous two generations.

If the names are the same, how can I tell which PCs have the newest parts? On the mobile side, it's easier. The 2012 Ivy Bridge (or third-generation) CPUs have a part number that begins with the number 3. For example, one of our test systems has an Intel i7-3720QM CPU. Our Sandy Bridge test system from last year had an Intel Core i7-2820QM. The new mobile CPUs are: i7-3920XM, i7-3820QM, i7-3720QM, i7-3612QM, and 3610QM. The desktop CPUs are: i7-3770K, i7-3770, i7-3770T, i7-3770S, i5-3570K, i5-3550, i5-3450, i5-3550S, and i5-3450S. … Read more

ST-Ericsson refocuses business, announces layoffs

ST-Ericsson, a chip maker that got caught up with the wrong crowd, has announced sweeping changes in an effort to stay relevant in the mobile market.

The company, a joint venture between STMicroelectronics and Ericsson, today announced a new strategic direction that will see the firm focus its efforts on a "complete system solution" for smartphones and tablets. The company will focus on delivering application processors, modems, connectivity solutions, and a host of other components to vendors looking to compete in the mobile space. In addition, ST-Ericsson said that it could license the technology it develops to third-parties.… Read more

Go ahead, bring your Windows 8 gadgets to work, says Microsoft

Windows 8 running on small devices using chips from Qualcomm, Nvidia, and others is not just a consumer play, as Microsoft made clear in a post this week.

In a blog posted Thursday, "Managing 'BYO' PCs in the enterprise (including WOA)", Mircrosoft's Jeffrey Sutherland, a program manager lead in the company's Management Systems group, addresses the "drive towards consumerization of IT" and how consumer technology is "bleeding into business organizations." In short, employees are bringing their personal laptops, tablets, and smartphones to work rather than using the devices assigned to them by … Read more

Nvidia to debut GTX 690 GPU soon?

Graphics processor giant Nvidia has posted on Facebook a shadowy image of its "eye" logo on a graphics card processor (or other related chip) with the decree: "It's coming."

A stream of rumors began to flow after the cryptic Facebook posting by Nvidia, but PC enthusiast blog SweClockers wrote that several independent, reputable sources say the upcoming Nvidia announcement coincides with the anticipated launch of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 690, a dual-core graphics card that employs two very powerful GK104 graphics processing units.

The Swedish blog mentions that the GTX 690 release falls between April 30 and May 5, a period directly after the launch of Intel's Ivy Bridge chips that emphasize graphics and multimedia processing.

(Via Kotaku)… Read more

Nvidia: Smartphone graphics to best Xbox 360 by 2014

For now, mobile devices still can't match game consoles in graphics quality. Nvidia thinks that could change, and soon.

The company last night sent over a slide to enthusiast site Anandtech charting the graphics performance progress across the console, PC, and mobile markets. And although PCs will continue to stand above the fray, Nvidia believes that by 2014, mobile system-on-a-chip (SoC) GPUs will offer better graphics performance than does the Xbox 360. In 2013, the mobile chips could match Microsoft's console.

Nvidia's findings -- which, while listed on the slide as "console," only examined the … Read more

Toshiba unveils new AMD/Ivy Bridge Satellite C, L, S, P, and Qosmio laptops

Should you wait to buy a new laptop? If you're looking for a Toshiba Satellite or Qosmio, you'd better prepare to wait until June.

Toshiba unveiled its line of Ivy Bridge-ready laptops for 2012 today. The new Satellite and Qosmio laptops are all non-ultrabooks, and notably absent is any announcement on new Porteges.… Read more

7 myths about quad-core phones (Smartphones Unlocked)

Editors' note: This article originally posted on April 8, 2012, and was updated on December 19, 2012.

Open up your wallet today and there are no fewer than five smartphones you can buy running on quad-core processors. Seven months ago, there was one, the HTC One X, and only if you bought the international version, which lacked the 4G LTE speeds coveted by U.S. phone-buyers.

After CES next month, expect the number of announced quad-core devices to double as the core war continues to heat up.

By summer, you may turn up your nose at perfectly fast devices running … Read more

Nvidia Tegra 4 chip leak whets appetite for non-iOS tablets

A roadmap of Nvidia's next chip, the Tegra 4, could also be a blueprint for the internals of future Android and Windows tablets.

If VR-ZONE's (in this case, VR-ZONE's Chinese-language site) sources speak the truth, then we've got plenty of tablets packing quad-core A15 chips to look forward to.

What's an A15 you ask? That's the next chip design -- officially the Cortex A15 -- from tablet and smartphone chip design powerhouse ARM.

Think of it this way: Four A15s are faster than the four Nvidia Tegra 3 Cortex-A9s now found in the Asus … Read more

Best gaming desktops big and small

Gaming desktops have become impressively diverse over the past few months. The best part is that even the lower-end systems are remarkably capable. It's now possible to spend less than $1,000 on a ready-made gaming desktop from a specialized vendor that will play pretty much any current title you can throw at it.

Whether that accessibility has come from better-designed hardware components, or game graphics stagnating because of the longer life cycle for consoles, it's a great time to be in the market for a new gaming desktop. Below you'll find four of the best systems in the category.… Read more