PC Tech World: smaller

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Friday, April 19, 2013

Microsoft reiterates that Windows 8 could see small(er) devices soon

What's an outgoing Microsoft executive to do on his last earnings call as CFO? Utter something that'd probably get the incoming CFO fired. Kidding aside, the outfit's own Peter Klein saw fit to reiterate something we'd heard back in March -- that Windows 8 is destined for smaller devices. To date, there isn't a Windows 8-based slate on the market south of 10-inches, but as Apple, ASUS, Google and Samsung have found, people tend to like tablets that can be held with a single hand. Of course, the "coming soon" angle definitely adds a time stamp (albeit a vague one) that we didn't have before, but we're still no closer to figuring out what kinds of devices we're to expect. A diminutive tablet? A smartwatch? A phone?

Earlier this week, Terry Myerson -- corporate vice president of Microsoft's Windows Phone division -- admitted that the wearables space was undoubtedly an exciting one, though he wouldn't go so far as to affirm that any of the code he oversaw was being tested on the arm. Of course, rumors have been running wild since Windows Phone's introduction that Microsoft would eventually push WP aside in favor of just using Windows on everything, so we suppose that's another (far out) possibility. Wild imaginations are advised to contribute their best guesses in comments below. (But seriously, keep it sane. Thanks.)

Source: TechCrunch

More Coverage: The Next Web

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

FCC filing reveals Apple TV model A1469 with slightly smaller dimensions (update: new antenna, CPU too?)

We don't generally find surprises from Apple in the daily stream of FCC documents and test reports, but a new filing published today seems to suggest that a new Apple TV model of some sort could be on the way. While the diagram pictured above doesn't suggest any major changes to the device's appearance, it does list some slightly smaller measurements: 93.78mm square compared to the 98mm of the current model. That's certainly not the biggest of differences, but the measurements in previous Apple FCC filings have been spot on. The model number, A1469, is also one that we haven't seen before, but the documents unfortunately don't offer much else in the way of details (only confirmation of the same WiFi capabilities as the current-gen Apple TV).

As MacRumors noted yesterday, a look at the download options for the latest Apple TV software update also revealed a new "AppleTV3,2" model, which it speculated could be an international version of the device -- although it of course remains to be seen if it and this model are one and the same. For now, you can get a closer look at the filing yourself at the source link.

Update: Anandtech has peeked through the filings and the source code, finding a new single antenna setup that follows the design of other iDevices, and reference to an updated A5X SoC at its heart.

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Tuesday, January 8, 2013

CES 2013: Sony Xperia ZL is a smaller version for 'select regions'

The Sony Xperia Z and Xperia ZL are extremely similar

One of the biggest bits of news out of CES on Monday was the official unveiling of the Sony Xperia Z, a device that's been rumored for quite some time.

But alongside it Sony revealed another device: the Xperia ZL.

If you'd like to understand the differences, you're going to have to look through a magnifying glass.

Both Sony flagship phones sport a 5-inch 1080p display, a 13 megapixel camera, a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor, and 2GB of memory. But there is one key difference.

The difference is in the size of the actual phone, despite the two devices having identical 5-inch 1080p displays.

The Xperia ZL is actually .08 inches thicker than the Xperia Z, but its overall footprint is ever-so-slightly smaller, at 5.19 by 2.75 inches to the Xperia Z's 5.47 by 2.8 inches.

What's the point of differentiating these two versions of the Xperia Z? No idea.

As Gizmodo points out, there are a few other differences; the Xperia ZL is curved, and it has a physical camera button, an infrared emitter for using it as a remote, and a larger battery.

It's unclear at this point exactly where the Xperia ZL will be released, since Sony's press release on Monday mentioned only "select regions." TechRadar has reached out to the company, but we've yet to receive a response.

Via Sony

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Samsung's new 10nm-process 64GB mobile flash memory chips are smaller, faster, better

Samsung Introduces Advanced Memory Storage Solution for Slim Smartphones and Tablets
SEOUL, Korea on Nov. 15. 2012

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced a next-generation 64GB embedded multimedia card (eMMC) using 10 nanometer (nm)-class* process technology. The new 64Gb NAND memory went into production late last month.

Myungho Kim, vice president of Memory marketing, Device Solutions, Samsung Electronics noted, "The new high-speed, small form factor eMMC reinforces Samsung's technology leadership in storage memory solutions. We look forward to expanding our line-up of embedded memory solutions in conjunction with the new chip's design, in pursuing a system-level adoption of application processors and other key components that form the foundation for the most advanced mobile platforms. This will allow us to better attend to time-to-market demands enabling the design of more convenient features for next-generation mobile applications."

Embedded memory is the key memory component in popular mobile applications such as smartphones and tablets. Advanced high-performance, high-density eMMCs allow users to access high-density and high-resolution content such as full HD video on their latest mobile devices and provide a better user experience for web browsing, gaming and running rich applications.

Samsung is applying 64Gb high-performance NAND memory using its10nm-class technology to the new 64GB eMMC Pro Class 2000 memory solution. The new embedded memory solution exceeds the performance levels of the conventional 64GB eMMC Pro Class 1500 based on an eMMC 4.5 interface.

The new high-speed eMMC will be submitted next year to the industry standards body JEDEC, (Joint Electron Engineering Council) for adoption as an industry standard.

Samsung's next-generation 64GB eMMC Pro Class 2000 comes just five months after the company introduced its first embedded memory supporting the eMMC4.5 interface and delivers a 30 percent advantage in performance over that solution.

The 10nm-class technology based NAND also is process compatible to Samsung's advanced 20nm-class* 64Gb MLC NAND, which was first available last May, improving manufacturing productivity by 30 percent.

The new memory solution has a random write speed of 2,000 IOPS (input/output per second) and a random read speed of 5,000 IOPS. In addition, sequential read and write speeds are 260 megabytes per second (MB/s) and 50MB/s respectively, which is up to 10 times faster than a class 10 external memory card that reads at 24MB/s and writes at 12MB/s, greatly enhancing the smoothness of multitasking on mobile gadgets.

Current mobile applications show a distinctive trend to slimmer designs and larger display screens, while using advanced multi-core processors and high density (2 Gigabyte) LPDDR2 memory for higher performance, with larger batteries for longer usage on a single charge. This new chip accommodates the increasing size limitations of mobile form factors at the component level.

The 64GB eMMC Pro Class 2000 measures 11.5mm by 13mm, which represents a 20 percent reduction in size over the conventional embedded memory form factor (12mm by 16mm).

For more information about Samsung memory, visit: www.samsungsemi.com or www.samsung.com/memory

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Samsung and the stylized Samsung design are trademarks and service marks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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By: Dilusha On 8:58 PM