Tag Archives: SystemOnAChip

Newport Media claims tiniest, lowest-power 802.11n WiFi chip yet, smartphones get a little less thirsty

Posted on by

Newport Media claims tiniest, lowestpower 80211n WiFi chip yet, smartphones get a little less thirsty

Cellular chipsets get all the love these days, but it's WiFi that's still the most ubiquitous -- and often the most consistent drain on the battery. Newport Media might have that last problem solved through its new NMC1000 chip. The part is billed as the lowest-power 802.11n wireless system-on-a-chip you'll find, and potentially a big help to smartphones and other devices that lean heavily on a wire-free existence. At just 2.5mm (0.1 inches) square, the equally record-setting size should also please device makers trying to squeeze wireless into an exceptionally tiny footprint. If you're as excited about the prospect of WiFi everywhere as Newport's Stock Photography Woman above appears to be, you can get more details below and expect full-scale production in the fall.

Continue reading Newport Media claims tiniest, lowest-power 802.11n WiFi chip yet, smartphones get a little less thirsty

Newport Media claims tiniest, lowest-power 802.11n WiFi chip yet, smartphones get a little less thirsty originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jun 2012 21:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceNewport Media  | Email this | Comments

Series revisits ARM’s humble beginnings, BBC Micro and all

Posted on by

Series revisits ARM's humble beginnings, BBC Micro and all

If you read our interview with ARM co-founder John Biggs, you know the company behind the processor in most smartphones had quite modest beginnings, what with an office in a barn and all. But Biggs is only part of the story, and Reghardware fleshes the rest out with a two-part series on the "unsung heroes of tech": Sophie Wilson, Steve Furber and Herman Hauser, the team behind Acorn Computers, the British PC company that spawned ARM in the mid-80s. We'll let you click through to the source links to take the journey yourself, but here are a few highlights: earning a computer contract with the BBC, happening upon ARM chips' low power consumption by accident and striking gold thanks to a partnership with Apple.

Series revisits ARM's humble beginnings, BBC Micro and all originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 May 2012 10:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceReghardware (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

ST-Ericsson to pass off application processor business to STM, cut 1,700 jobs

Posted on by

ST-Ericsson to pass off application processor business to STM, cut 1,700 jobsIt's not every day that ST-Ericsson crosses our radar twice, but in addition to reportedly signing a deal with HTC for developing low-end handset chips, the company just announced its plans for a turnaround. The message? A heavier focus on SoCs for smartphones and tablets, along with a push for even more partnerships to develop those products. While that all sounds rosy, ST-Ericsson is also ceding its application processor business -- employees, R&D and all -- to STMicroelectronics. All told, between the loss of its application processor business and other reshuffling, the company expects to shed around 1,700 jobs -- and save about $320 million annually. Those bittersweet details and more await you in the press release after the break.

Continue reading ST-Ericsson to pass off application processor business to STM, cut 1,700 jobs

ST-Ericsson to pass off application processor business to STM, cut 1,700 jobs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Reuters  |   | Email this | Comments

Intel plans to roll out Ivy Bridge based Xeon E3s, low-power Atom chips for micro servers

Posted on by
Intel plans to roll out Ivy Bridge based Xeon E3s, low-power Atom chips for micro servers
Ask any gardener, once you let ivy grow, it gets everywhere. Even though Intel just planted a fresh family of Sandy Bridge-based server CPUs, reports of a new line of Xeon E3 chips sporting the firm's next generation architecture are sprouting up. The new Ivy Bridge server chips use the firm's 3D Tri-Gate transistors to improve performance without using more power. For micro servers looking for an even smaller power footprint, Intel is introducing an Atom-based system on a chip, dubbed Centerton. These new 64-bit chips will feature two Atom processor cores and consume only six watts of electricity. Intel hasn't said yet just where these new processors are going to end up, but mentioned that it had a few customers on board.

Intel plans to roll out Ivy Bridge based Xeon E3s, low-power Atom chips for micro servers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Apr 2012 05:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceCNET, Wall Street Journal, PCWorld  | Email this | Comments