Tag Archives: TexasInstruments

TI joins the Alliance for Wireless Power, tells the WPC it can still be friends

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Alliance for Wireless Power graphic

It's not quite a "Dear John" letter, but we're sure the Wireless Power Consortium is heartbroken all the same. One of its key members, TI, has just signed up for the Alliance for Wireless Power to build cable-free charging on what's effectively a competing standard. The chip designer doesn't view the move as abandoning a long-time partner, though -- it remains part of the WPC and plans to produce Qi-based wireless power chipsets alongside future A4WP components. Without any related chips to announce, there's a long wait left before we know how well TI can juggle the two charging formats without appearing to play favorites. We'd recommend that the WPC not grow too attached in the meantime.

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Unlike the cake, Portal on a TI calculator is not a lie (video)

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DNP Play Portal on a TI calculator, amaze your math class

People have been using scientific calculators as math class distractions for years, from gunning down Nazis in Wolfenstein to hunting demons in Doom. But our jaws dropped in amazement when we discovered that an enterprising fellow that goes by Builderboy from Omnimaga has ported over Portal to the humble number cruncher. Dubbed Portal Prelude, the monochrome game is built only for the TI-83 Plus and TI-84 Plus series of graphic calculators and was based on the Flash clone of the popular video game due to the two-dimensional nature of the platform. Sure, it's not as engaging as the genuine article, but seeing as it's the only portable version of the game we know of, we'll take it. Indeed, you can go ahead and download it right now if you have a compatible calculator. In the meantime, we're eagerly waiting to see how this could be rejiggered to take advantage of the color display of the TI-84+. You can take a peek at the demo video of Portal Prelude after the break.

Continue reading Unlike the cake, Portal on a TI calculator is not a lie (video)

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Via: Kotaku, Reddit

Source: Omnimaga

Unlike the cake, Portal on a TI calculator is not a lie (video)

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DNP Play Portal on a TI calculator, amaze your math class

People have been using scientific calculators as math class distractions for years, from gunning down Nazis in Wolfenstein to hunting demons in Doom. But our jaws dropped in amazement when we discovered that an enterprising fellow that goes by Builderboy from Omnimaga has ported over Portal to the humble number cruncher. Dubbed Portal Prelude, the monochrome game is built only for the TI-83 Plus and TI-84 Plus series of graphing calculators and was based on the Flash clone of the popular video game due to the two-dimensional nature of the platform. Sure, it's not as engaging as the genuine article, but seeing as it's the only portable version of the game we know of, we'll take it. Indeed, you can go ahead and download it right now if you have a compatible calculator. In the meantime, we're eagerly waiting to see how this could be rejiggered to take advantage of the color display of the TI-84+. You can take a peek at the demo video after the break.

Continue reading Unlike the cake, Portal on a TI calculator is not a lie (video)

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Via: Kotaku, Reddit

Source: Omnimaga

Texas Instruments to cut 1,700 jobs as part of its shift away from mobile

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Texas Instruments office

Texas Instruments signaled its intentions to back away from the volatile mobile market as the summer came to a close. Unfortunately, we're now learning that the shift comes at a price -- as part of a wider set of cost-cutting measures, TI is shedding roughly 1,700 jobs worldwide. The chip designer hasn't said how soon the layoffs take effect, but these and the overall budget trimming should lead to savings of about $450 million per year by the end of 2013. That's not going to be reassuring to those who'll soon find themselves looking for work, although it may be necessary for TI to survive when the market for off-the-shelf mobile processors is rapidly thinning out.

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Texas Instruments to cut 1,700 jobs as part of its shift away from mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Texas Instruments confirms color TI-84+ calculator is on track for a spring 2013 release

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Texas Instruments confirms color TI84 calculator is on track for a spring 2013 releaseYou've seen the recent rumors of a TI-84 calculator with a color screen, and now Tech Powered Math has gotten the official word from Texas Instruments that such a device is indeed coming, finally bringing the popular line of calculators out of the monochrome age. As those earlier reports have suggested, however, you'll have to wait until sometime in the spring of next year to get you hands on one, and pricing has yet to be confirmed -- the site says the MSRP "could" be in the neighborhood of $150, though. Apparently, one reason for the lack of specificity with a release date is that the apps from the older calculators aren't compatible with the new TI-84+ C, so Texas Instruments has been focusing on rewriting the most popular ones in time for the calculator's release, with an eye towards releasing more over the course of the summer. TI assured the site that the new model is "not replacing anything," though, and adds that it has no plans to discontinue the standard TI-84+ or the TI-84+ Silver Edition. Those interested can find plenty more details on the calculator and TI's plans at the source link below.

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Texas Instruments confirms color TI-84+ calculator is on track for a spring 2013 release originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Nov 2012 15:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TI-84 calculator with color screen surfaces, geeks giddy with anticipation

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TI84 calculator with color screen surfaces, geeks giddy with anticipationTexas Instrument's TI-84 makes quick work of graphs and equations like nobody's business, but it's done so for years while clinging to an outdated black and white screen. Now, however, it looks like that'll change for at least one flavor of the souped-up digital abacus. Cemetech forum user 0rac343 posted a photo of a TI-84+ C Silver Edition, claiming that it was one of 24 provided by TI for in-classroom testing and that it's slated to launch next spring. Tech Powered Math reports that a contact who's worked with Texas Instruments has confirmed that the calculator is the real McCoy. In fact, the firm's website has a page where visitors can sign up for updates about the number cruncher in question. With the help of the refreshed TI-84, we might finally be able to tell if Blinky, Inky, Pinky or Clyde is the ghost chasing us down in the hardware's Pac-Man clone.

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TI-84 calculator with color screen surfaces, geeks giddy with anticipation originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Nov 2012 08:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Ars Technica, Tech Powered Math  |  sourceCemetech, Texas Instruments  | Email this | Comments

TI details the wireless power chip in the Lumia 920, offers four times the charging area

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TI details the wireless power chip in the Lumia 920, offers four times the charging area

If you're one of the first on your block to have picked up a Nokia Lumia 920, you might wonder why it's so forgiving with where you set it down on the wireless charging pad. TI is more than willing to share. The 920, 820, Fatboy charging pillow and JBL PowerUp speaker all use a new TI bq500410A controller whose support for new transmitters gives it a charging area four times larger than we're used to. The 2.76 by 0.79 inches of coverage might not sound like much, but it's much wider than the previous 0.71 square inches while preserving a 70 percent efficiency and a safety cutoff if something gets in between. As a companion, there's a bq51050B chip launching at the same time that represents the first Qi receiver with its own built-in battery charger, which TI claims can charge more quickly and in less space than its rivals. Anyone embracing Nokia's vision of Windows Phone 8 can get their hands on devices using the wireless power chips today; we're only left hoping that TI's official news means other phone makers can tag along.

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TI details the wireless power chip in the Lumia 920, offers four times the charging area originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 15:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Solutions outs HC1 head-mounted computer, keeps workers’ hands free in sticky situations (update: video)

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Motorola Solutions HC1 headmounted computer

We're very familiar with Kopin's Golden-i, but it was surprising that an early collaboration with Motorola Solutions didn't immediately lead to Motorola selling the head-mounted computer on its own. That odd discrepancy is being patched up now that Motorola Solutions' HC1 is here. The design keeps its signature micro-display, head tracking and voice commands, but sees a slight repurposing from Kopin's focus on security: Motorola Solutions' attention is on giving construction workers, field technicians and soldiers an always-up computer that keeps their hands free when it would be too dangerous (or just unwieldy) to grab a handheld. We haven't been told if the HC1 has been upgraded to that promised TI OMAP 4 chip, although we do know that there's an optional camera to bring on the Aliens-style video feeds as well as pairing support that offers cellular data, GPS and voice calls when linked to the right phone or hotspot. Whether or not the HC1 keeps the Golden-i's $2,500 price is an unknown as well -- that said, the corporate emphasis is more likely to see bulk sales of the wearable PC than any kind of scrimping and saving.

Update: You'll find an official clip for the HC1 after the break. The clip also confirms that there's no OMAP 4 in this version.

Continue reading Motorola Solutions outs HC1 head-mounted computer, keeps workers' hands free in sticky situations (update: video)

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Motorola Solutions outs HC1 head-mounted computer, keeps workers' hands free in sticky situations (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon eyeing up TI’s smartphone chip business, according to Israeli newspaper

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Amazon might be eyeing up TI's smartphone chip business for itself

Remember when Texas Instruments revealed it was planning to dump its mobile processor business in favor of embedded systems? Israeli business sheet Calcalist is reporting that Amazon is in "advanced negotiations" to snap up that part of TI's OMAP division, which currently supplies processors for the Kindle Fire and the Nook HD. The paper suggests the company is emulating Apple's purchases of chip designers in order to lower the price of future hardware -- which it currently sells at cost.

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Amazon eyeing up TI's smartphone chip business, according to Israeli newspaper originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 04:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Texas Instruments wants to ditch smartphones, switch focus to embedded processors

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Texas Instruments wants to ditch smartphones, switch focus to embedded processors

Texas Instruments has made the startling announcement that it's going to wind down its wildly successful smartphone and tablet business in favor of embedded systems. VP Greg Delagi told investors that the switch would create a more "stable" and "long-term business" than the cutthroat battles it's faced in mobile. While, currently the world's third biggest semiconductor company, it's concerned about losing ground to players like Qualcomm, Samsung and Apple -- despite its latest OMAP CPUs powering tablets like the Nook HD and Kindle Fire. We're scratching our heads as to why a major player would drop such a strong position like this, but perhaps they know something that we don't.

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Texas Instruments wants to ditch smartphones, switch focus to embedded processors originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 10:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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