This device has been tipped to be working with Intel processing power inside, that being one of the newer ATOM series SoCs according to benchmark results appearing this week. This device has been shown to be exceedingly similar to its predecessor in its display and processing abilities, while its form factor has left it a bit thinner and more sleek in appearance.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 works with a 7-inch display at 1024 x 600 pixel resolution up front, 1GB of RAM inside, and an unknown release date inside the USA. This tablet will be coming in at 111.1 x 188 x 9.9mm large and will be launched with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean if not higher.

This device will be appearing with 8GB and 16GB internal storage sizes and will likely be appearing on more than one mobile carrier here in the USA. Whether or not it’ll have its own microSD card slot for memory expansion may be dependent on region and/or carrier preference. Final pricing has not yet been revealed for USA-based sales, but it’s likely that Samsung will target somewhere well beneath it’s Galaxy Note 8.0 – so perhaps a bit closer to $250 USD.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 was released last year with a styling that was rather similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. Before that, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 lead the way with a double-down on second-wave styling, while again, the first wave was only appearing in a 7-inch form factor.

SOURCE: Tablets Mag

Intel’s Chief Product Officer, Dadi Perlmutter, says that the new Atom architecture offers up to three times more computing power than current chips, and gobbles up five times less power than traditional mobile chips. Intel is up against strong competition, though, as many chip makers are partnered up with ARM, a direct rival with Intel in the mobile business.

Intel’s Atom processors have never been widely adopted in smartphones, and while a handful of them are out there in the wild (including the Lenovo IdeaPhone K900), Qualcomm still reigns supreme as one of the largest smartphone chip makers around. Ever since introducing the Atom line of chips in 2008, Intel has failed to bring the mobile chips to products other than netbooks.

Silvermont will be the model for Intel’s 22-nanometer Bay Trail tablet chips that are expected to arrive later this year, which are claimed to be twice as fast as their current generation of tablet offerings. Silvermont will also be used in the company’s Merrifield chips and Avoton chips that will be released later this year for microservers. This news comes after Intel’s detail on its “Haswell” chips, as well as the appointment of a new CEO for the company.

[via Reuters]

WIth the Intel Atom CE5300 series you’ll be working with brands such as Asustor, Synology, and Thecus – just for starters. These systems will be working with the low power system-on-chip (SoC) of the CE5300 and will be rolling hard with “browse, click, and play” ease. So says Bev Crair, general manager, of Intel’s Storage Division, who adds that the power runs hand-in-hand with the simplicity here in the very near future:

“Streaming content across numerous mobile devices, not just from the cloud but locally, has become a common practice for today’s consumers. New storage solutions based on the Intel Atom CE5300 series elevate this to a whole new level by making it simple to ‘browse, click, and play’. The new SoC provides an excellent foundation for creating compelling entertainment experiences.” – Crair

You’ll be working with your storage system as either an iTunes-based server or as a media server blasting forth with full DLNA capabilities. With DLNA (Digital Network Living Alliance, that is), you’ll be transcoding 1080p video on the run with intelligent adaptation for any screen resolution you’ve got on hand. HD 1080p content will be knocked down to 480p when your smartphone is such a small size, while larger displays can easily bust out the full 1080 pixels of power.

With Asustor you’ll soon be working with 2 bays of up to 8 Terabytes or 4 bays up to 16 Terabytes. Once again with Thecus you’ll have the ability kick out 2 bays of up to 8 Terabytes – and the 4 bays up to 16 Terabytes holds true here as well. Finally with Synology you’ll only be pushing forth with 2 bays up to 8 Terabytes – but who needs more than that these days?

[via Intel]

The new platform is for smartphones and Android tablets and will be the company’s first multimode-multiband LTE solution shipping in the first half of 2013. Intel says that the new platform and smartphone reference design delivers industry-leading performance combined with low-power consumption and a long battery life. Intel says that the new platform is able to rival today’s most popular Android phones.

The platform uses a 32nm dual core Atom Processor in one of three varieties. Those three processors include the Z2580, Z2560, and Z2520 operating at speeds up to 2 GHz, 1.6 GHz, and 1.2 GHz respectively. The processors support Intel Hyper-Threading technology allowing for application threads to execute at one time. The platform also has integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator engine with the graphics core operating at up to 533 MHz.

That graphics core supports full 1080p hardware-accelerated video encoding and decoding and 30 frames per second. Intel also promises advanced imaging capabilities for the platform with support for two cameras, and support for primary camera sensor up to 16 megapixels of resolution. The imaging system also supports panorama capture, 15 frame per second burst mode for eight megapixel photos, real-time facial detection and recognition, and mobile HDR image capture. Another important feature of the platform is Intel Identity Protection Technology supporting two-factor authentication.

The platform supports displays with resolutions up to 1900 x 1200 enabling larger screen Android tablet designs. The platform supports Android 4.2, Intel Wireless Display Technology, HSPA+ at 42Mbps along with the Intel XMM 6360 Slim modem solution, and it supports UltraViolrt file format. Intel says that customers that will use the platform include Lenovo, Asus, and ZTE.

[via Intel]

Hardware

The Acer Iconia W510-1422 is not just a tablet first, notebook second sort of situation like many modern multi-mode machines are. Instead you’ve got full Windows 8 (as opposed to the tablet-centric Windows RT) along with a solid touchscreen display and a keyboard dock thats clearly made to be part of the full package rather than an after-thought. The keyboard here is clearly the bottom half of the unit rather than the piece you leave at home when you’re feeling no need to key.

Because you can bend the display back to a display position (with the keys of the keyboard then facing down towards the table) you’ve got a rather nice and nearly unique situation on your hands. While we’ve seen this position for tablet convertible machines several times over the past few months, you can rest assured that Acer does it right with a well-balanced and relatively rugged delivery of all pieces involved. And it feels natural to use this machine in each of its three major positions – that’s important when it comes to this modern touch-friendly Windows 8 environment we’re in here in the first part of 2013.

On this unit you’ve got a LED-backlit TFT LCD HD 10.1-inch display up front with 1366 x 768 pixel resolution covered by a smooth sheet of Gorilla Glass 2. Viewing angles are essentially perfect across the grid and the brightness you’ve got here is ready for everyday action (everywhere save direct sunlight). You’ll be rolling out with 5-finger touch as opposed to the 10 you’ll find on desktop PCs in 2013 for the most part, but unless you’ve got something rather unique on your hands that needs more than a couple fingers at a time, you’ll never notice.

Inside you’ve got wireless connectivity as well as Bluetooth 4.0+HS and all around the rim you’ve got high-quality connections and blasters of media. Two speakers sit on the sides of the tablet portion of this setup to the left and the right, this allowing sound to bounce off your palm and into your ears with ease. This machine has an integrated digital microphone that works well with the cameras in front and back and you’ve got a set of ports for USB connectivity as well.

On the tablet itself you’ve got a microUSB port and a microHDMI port for 1080p output as well as multi-display. With this port you’re able to use a massive display as a second screen – as you well should – and it works smooth as if it were a single-unit solution. The microUSB port allows you to connect to whatever other PC you’ve got handy and works with the microUSB-to-full size USB converter accessory that comes in the box as well – great for mice.

The keyboard portion of this setup also has a full-sized USB port for additional accessories, and the whole setup is powered by a port (with included power cord) that exists on the tablet itself and on the keyboard dock. When the tablet is connected to the keyboard, it does so with this port, leaving the keyboard dock to do all the powering of the whole unit.

Camera

The front-facing camera you’ve got here is more than ready for great video chat – better than some desktop machines these days with 1920 x 1080 resolution and 1080p video recording ready for action. The back-facing camera is also decent, though not exactly on-par with the camera you’re getting on most modern smartphones with the same specifications. have a peek at a few demo photos below to get an idea of what you’re working with here.

Note that most of the photos are taken with the back-facing camera indoors while the photo looking upward at the dog was taken with the front-facing camera. Again, this front-facing camera should be used primarily for video chat rather than photography, mind you.

Software and Performance

The full Windows 8 experience you’ll be working with here offers up a collection of Acer-added applications for cloud computing, security, connectivity with your other wireless devices on the web, and everything in-between. This machine features the “Acer Ring” with its ability to quick-launch apps and websites as well as take screenshots on-the-fly. Acer Ring is essentially a home screen replacement app that allow you to take control of your machine in tablet mode, this version of the app made specifically for this device. You’ll find each of the ports sitting in their right places and all of your media action controllable from one location – great stuff!

You’ll be able to run nearly every kind of app you’d be able to run on any other Windows 8 machine (within reason.) While the whole experience is fluid and surprisingly powerful for what the physical size of the unit implies, you wont be anywhere near the monstrous power of desktop machines like the Acer Predator. Don’t expect to play Hawken at full power here (not yet, at least).

Under the hood you’ve got an Intel Atom Dual-Core processor from the Clover Trail generation that proves its might by doing well with every app the device comes with and some of the more interesting nearly high-powered oddities you’ll find like Remote Desktop. With Remote Desktop you’ll be able to work with your computer from another over a wireless network – the Iconia W510-1422 keeps up rather nicely. The exact model we’ve got here is the Intel Atom Z2760 1.5GHz (dual core) complete with Intel Burst Technology up to 1.8GHz (1MB L2 cache).

Also under the hood you’ve got a 64GB Solid State Drive, 2GB of DDR3 SDRAM, and Intel Graphic Media Accelerator technology with 64MB of dedicated system memory. Battery time with the tablet alone has proven to be right between 7 and 8 hours when we’re using it and several days if it’s just sitting on the desk on its own, asleep. The tablet itself works with a 3450mAh battery while the base includes an additional battery that adds nearly as much battery time again. Together you’re looking at several days of standby time at LEAST with around 11 hours of up-time just so long as you’re browsing the web and playing videos (high-powered games give you a bit less).

Wrap-up

This machine is ready for the 2013 season of Windows 8 action, but it’s not going to replace your MacBook Air. It’s not meant to – if you’re a Windows user and want a mobile device ready for everyday action and a relatively large amount of battery time, that’s where you’ll find the greatness in the Iconia W5. The whole setup is solid, the presentation is ready to take on the top competition in the market today, and it’s easily one of our top choices for convertible tablets running full Windows 8 today – and not just because there aren’t many of them out there!

One Latitude 10 buyer, originally promised a mid-December ship date for the 10-inch tablet when he ordered in late November, was subsequently told that his tablet now wasn’t due until the new year. The current listing for the Latitude 10 on Dell’s site suggests a January 22nd ship date is the earliest the slate will be available; previously, December 12th had been the estimated ship time.

In fact, some Dell customer services agents are apparently telling customers that – contrary to what the site indicates – the Latitude 10 is still in pre-order stage. “Dell Latitude 10 is not officially launched” one Dell rep said. “As soon as it will be launched it will be sent to you.”

Meanwhile, HP has pushed back availability of its Envy x2 convertible, now listing a January 9th ship date; HP had previously indicated a November release for the twisting touchscreen notebook.

According to the tipsters, the hold up is down to Microsoft’s Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) testing process, or more specifically the apparent inability of Intel to get its Clover Trail drivers approved by that process. Windows PCs can’t legally be sold, according to the terms of Microsoft’s licensing of the OS, until all of the components are WHQL approved.

Exactly when Dell and the other OEMs can expect to have approval to sell their tablets is unclear; we’re waiting on an official comment from Dell.

While Intel already has 22nm fabs producing processors, crafting SoCs at the same sort of level introduces another stage of difficulty. An SoC fits not only the processor but other components – potentially including memory, radios, DACs, and other technologies – onto the same, compact die.

To help it achieve this, Intel plans to use the same sort of 3D Tri-Gate processes as it has implemented to good result in its Ivy Bridge processors. Using special stacked architecture, Tri-Gate adds conducting channels on three sides of a “vertical fin structure”; the end result is a cut down in heat, longer battery life for mobile devices, and better performance, thanks to the combination of high-k gate insulators and strained silicon.

In fact, the switch to Tri-gate could see 22nm Atom SoCs outperforming Intel’s current 32nm parts by anything from 20- to 65-percent, according to Intel senior fellow Mark Bohr, Bit-tech reports. That would mean a choice for OEMs and users between longer battery life with no dip in performance, more performance with the same battery longevity as existing devices, or a mixture of the two.

[Image via ExtremeTech]

Your money gets you 2GB of RAM and a choice of 32GB or 64GB of SSD storage, along with a microSD card slot. Other connectivity includes microUSB and micro HDMI, along with WiFi a/b/g/n; there’s also an integrated g-sensor, digital compass, and gyroscope.

Acer is offering the Iconia W510 with a detachable keyboard dock, which not only makes for easier text entry but adds a full-sized USB port. Together, the two are 0.84-inches thick and 2.63 pounds; ditch the dock, however, and it’s down to 0.35-inches thick.

However, if you ignore the keyboard section you also miss out on the add-on battery: alone, the W510 runs for up to nine hours, Acer claims, but that’s extended to 18hrs with the keyboard attached. On the front there’s a 2-megapixel camera – with 1080p video recording – together with an 8-megapixel camera on the back with autofocus and an LED flash.

The Acer Iconia W510 will be priced at $499.99 for the 32GB SSD model, though you don’t get the keyboard dock for that, or  $749.99 for the 64GB version with the dock. There’ll also be an enterprise-focused version, the Acer Iconia W510P, with a Trusted Platform Module and running Windows 8 Pro, priced at $799.99.

More on the Iconia W510 in our hands-on.

The devices are essentially network-attached storage devices (NAS) that are powered by the Intel Atom D2550 or D2500 processors, depending on which NAS device you get. These NAS boxes can be used for securing, backing up and sharing content through the cloud. Companies like Asustor, QNAP, and Thecus are planning to build NAS devices that come equipped with Intel Atom processors.

Intel is marketing these platforms as a way for small businesses and even consumers to manage the “ongoing, real-time growth of storage demands.” These Atom-based storage systems will have multimedia capabilities and will support McAfee AntiVirus and VirusScan. You’ll also be able to access the cloud data through a web browser, on a mobile device, or any other desktop or laptop computer.

Intel is focusing on protection and privacy with these new NAS devices, and is citing these factors as the two biggest concerns for consumers and businesses. They plan on including automated backup functionality, as well as the ability to share files with other users safely and privately.

That’s been fixed now, meaning RAZR i owners will have a choice of browsers when the smartphone hits shelves. It also means that existing Medfield-based phones – such as the Orange San Diego - can now use the app too, and since Intel is hoping to push the Atom chip as much as possible to Android phone and tablet manufacturers, it paves the way for more devices too.

The new Chrome for Android also includes various bugfixes and stability improvements, as well as some fixes to make third-party IMEs work better. It adds YouTube video controls to full-screen playback mode, and videos now continue playing after the phone has been locked and then unlocked.

There’s also location preference integrated at the system level. You can download Chrome for Android from Google Play, and find more on the RAZR i in our full hands-on.

The most obvious plan for the company, which is so far better known for its phones, might be a Windows RT tablet. That would slot more readily into ZTE’s line-up, alongside its rumored Windows Phone 8 device which was teased earlier this week. However, it would also fail to fit with Intel’s CPU strategy, which will be powering full Windows 8 machines.

As for Intel’s new Atom Clover Trail, that’s part of Intel’s increased focus on mobility computing as it struggles to catch up with ARM-based chipsets. The company unveiled a 2GHz smartphone with Motorola yesterday, the RAZR i, though previous Intel-based handsets have yet to make a significant impact on the market.

We’ll know more on September 27, when Intel gathers together press and manufacturers together in the warm, loving huddle of a new technology showcase. Microsoft itself is expected to officially launch Windows 8 on October 25.

Motorola’s three goals with its latest range are speed, power management, and a demonstrable commitment to Android. “A phone is only half a phone if it only last halfway through the day,” Jim Wicks, senior VP of design at Motorola Mobility, said today. So, the RAZR i gets a 2,000 mAh battery good for 20hrs of mixed use.

Intel’s Atom processor is built using 32nm processes, and the chip company says there are big advantages to its faster silicon. Intel has apparently spent “years” polishing Android on x86, and bringing it up to speed with HyperThreading, so that Java and HTML performance is suitably swift.

You get NFC, as you’d expect from a modern Android phone, and Motorola has customized the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich UI with “circle” interface. Where it can, Motorola will be leaving the bootloader unlocked, too, for those who want to modify their handset.

As for the 8-megapixel camera, that starts up in under a second, and is capable of a 10 photo burst in a second. In fact, Motorola and Intel claim, the RAZR i is faster than a regular DSLR. A 0.3-megapixel camera is up front.

The Motorola RAZR i will hit select markets – including the UK on Orange, T-Mobile, Phones 4U, Virgin Media, and Tesco, and several countries in Europe – from the beginning of October.

Hands-on with the RAZR i here!

[Update: We originally reported a 720p HD display, but the RAZR i actually has a qHD display]

That display can be outfitted with an optional stylus, which uses an active digitizer for more precision and slots neatly into a silo on the slate itself. Other options include a fingerprint reader, integrated 3G/4G – with both HSPA+ and LTE variants on offer, and Lenovo already having confirmed AT&T as one carrier – and a ThinkPad-style keyboard for heavy-duty text entry. Finally, there’ll be a desktop dock with HDMI output, a trio of USB ports and wired ethernet.

The ThinkPad Tablet 2 has twin cameras, 8-megapixels on the back and a 2-megapixel shooter up-front for video calls, and the whole thing weighs under 600g and is 9.8mm thick. Unsurprisingly, Lenovo is putting a little extra weight on its enterprise potential, hoping to leverage Windows 8′s pro-features to make a dent in the business market.

What we don’t yet know is exactly how much Lenovo will be charging. The ThinkPad Tablet 2 will be going up against not only Microsoft’s own Surface Pro – the more expensive version of the own-brand tablet, with both stylus control and Windows 8 rather than Windows RT – but the iPad which has already made strong gains in the enterprise marketplace.

Price differences between those two devices are expected to be broad, however; the new iPad starts from $499 while the Surface Pro is tipped to be around the price of an ultrabook, or presumably in excess of $699. Lenovo will tell us more closer to launch.

Specifications include cameras front and back, along with a mini HDMI connector for hooking the unnamed ThinkPad slate up to an external TV or monitor. There’s also USB and a microSD card slot, together with a SIM slot for the integrated cellular modem.

Lenovo ThinkPad Windows 8 Atom tablet hands-on:

Lenovo is playing coy over the rest of the specs, though we’re guessing WiFi and Bluetooth will be present and probably some TPM security hardware if the company is serious about its enterprise focus.

No word on pricing or availability at this stage – it’s still being described as a prototype, though it’s one of the sturdier examples of a Windows 8 tablet we’ve played with this week – but we’d be very surprised if Lenovo didn’t follow through with a full launch midway through the latter half of this year, when Windows 8 itself officially arrives. More images in the gallery below.

The screen has support for ten-point multi touch, has a two megapixel camera up top for video calls, and radios onboard include WiFi b/g/n with Bluetooth 4.0 support. Like the Transformer Prime, the screen can detach from the keyboard base, and popping it back in will give you a full keyboard to work with plus some extra battery life.

The Tablet 810, meanwhile, is a little bigger at 11.6-inches, but keeps the 1366×768 resolution and Super IPS+ display. ASUS say that model will run a “next-generation Intel Atom processor” (i.e. Medfield). Otherwise specs are similar to the Tablet 600, although storage gets bumped to 64GB, with 2GB of RAM, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0, and an eight megapixel main camera plus two megapixel front-facing camera. There’s also support for a Wacom digitizer stylus in case you’re feeling up to the challenge of doodling on an 11.6-inch screen.

Once again, no word on when we’ll be able to buy either of these beauties, or how much they’ll cost, but we would wager that they’ll make an appearance later in the year. Start saving those pennies in the meantime.

The Atom processor inside the San Diego seems to move things briskly along with games and the web browser, although flicking between the home screen was somewhat sluggish – we’re blaming Orange’s customized skin on this one, as we’ve seen similar behaviour in the past on other phones. We did manage to run some quick benchmarks, with Quadrant coming in at 3790, and SunSpider 0.9.1 achieving 1523ms: impressive, and we’re told the phone is running final software so the numbers are representative of the shipping product. The eight megapixel camera comes with a 10-shot burst mode, which seems to work as advertised, allowing the user to select the best shot from the selection, much like HTC and Samsung’s current camera offerings.

The hardware feels competent enough, and isn’t as cheap as some other phones in the price range. Sure, it might be a generic black slab, but the rubberized texture on the back cover gives it a nice grip in the hand. The size is about right too: 4.03-inches, not too big, and not too small. The screen has a resolution of 1024×600, and everything looked nice and sharp to us. We were taking photos and video next to a window on a bright sunny London day, and the screen could do to a bit brighter, but fared relatively well otherwise. Viewing angles were decent, but not great: don’t expect IPS quality for £200.

Orange and Intel seem to have struck a nice balance between the capabilities of the phone and the price. There certainly isn’t anything else in this price range that seems to match the performance, and in some benchmarks Intel’s offering is nipping at the heels of flagship offerings. The phone is due to be released on June 6th for £199.99 on Pay As You Go, and £15.50 on a 24-month Pay Monthly contract. We’re looking forward to getting our hands on a review unit, but in the meantime feast your eyes on the pictures and video below.

The above video mentions a 4.3-inch screen – we meant 4.03-inches. Sorry!

The phone will come with an eight megapixel camera, capable of 1080p video recording which also includes a Burst Mode. Up to ten pictures can be taken in a single second, and you’ll be able to pick the best one out to keep. 16GB of memory is onboard, and Orange is also including HD Voice for crystal clear calls. The screen measure 4.03-inches with a 1024×600 resolution, and Orange is placing an emphasis on how good the quality is for the section of the market it’s launching in.

Orange and Intel are being aggressive on price with the phone too: it will cost £199.99 on Pay As You Go, and around £15.50 on a 24-month contract. The phone is due to launch next week too, June 6th to be exact, so you’ll be able to pick it up soon enough. We’ll be bringing you a hands-on video with the phone shortly, so stay tuned.

It’s not entirely clear whether that stylus is the same sort of rubber-tipped pen we’ve seen offered for tablets like the iPad, or a proper active digitizer pen as on Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1. Windows 8 will support the latter, though it will require specific hardware be included in the tablet itself.

Other specs include Intel integrated Graphics, 2GB of DDR2 800MHz RAM and up to a 128GB SSD. Connectivity includes WiFi and Bluetooth, with mobile broadband options, and there are twin cameras, running at 8-megapixels at the back and 2-megapixels up front. An audio in/out port and fingerprint scanner are also present.

Dell will offer an optional docking station for the 10.8 x 7.0 x 0.4 inch, 1.57lb slate, as well as two battery options: either a 2-cell, 30WHr pack or a larger 4-cell, 60WHr version.

No word on pricing at this stage, nor exact release dates, though a November launch has been rumored. Dell has previously said it intends to have Windows 8 desktops and laptops on sale the same day the new OS is available.

Naturally we wouldn’t expect the CEO of ARM to be gushing about an x86 chip in future smartphones, but it’s a twist of the knife for Intel nevertheless. As for ARM chips making the jump to laptops, his predictions are a little more optimistic, saying that chips from various partners would account for between 10 and 20%, also by 2015.

We don’t doubt that ARM chips will feature more prominently in products other than smartphones and tablets in the future, but Intel could make a big play for the mobile market if they choose to. For years they demoed mobile chips in prototypes that never made it to the market, but now that they’re real and in shipping products it should hopefully spur some more competition. And competition isn’t a bad thing, right?

[via IntoMobile]

Pricing for the new Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone has not been confirmed for the UK yet, and nor has a specific release date. However, we’ve already seen a different version of roughly the same device go up for sale in India, the Lava XOLO X900, priced at the equivalent of $424.

Orange Santa Clara hands-on:

That leads us to suspect that the Santa Clara will be here sooner rather than later, and Orange taking pre-registrations from interested customers only adds to that.

Whether Atom has arrived in time to get a slice of the mobile market remains to be seen, however. Pre-release benchmarking suggests the Medfield chip is faster than Google’s Galaxy Nexus but still trails the Tegra 3 from NVIDIA, and our own play with the Santa Clara itself left us feeling somewhat underwhelmed.

[Thanks Steve!]

Full specs for the phone include a 4-inch LCD with a 1024×600 resolution, single-core 1.6Ghz Atom Z2460 with Hyper Threading, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and an eight megapixel camera capable of 1080p video recording. It’s not the thinnest phone at 10.99mm, and the battery can’t be removed either, but it’s running Android 2.3.6 and is otherwise comparable to most smartphones shipping today. The processor is really the wildcard in this equation, so the question is, how does it stack up against the competition?

Extremely well. The Intel processor surprisingly manages to hold its own against the quad-core Tegra 3 chip in multiple benchmarks, such as like Browsermark and Linpack. It even managed to beat the HTC One X’s SunSpider score, planting it firmly at pole position. However, the Atom processor is only a single-core, and can’t quite keep up with others in multi-threaded benchmarks and applications. Still, it looks to be a more than capable CPU, standing up against dual-core chips from Qualcomm and OMAP.

The GPU also manages to hold up quite well, although Tegra 3 and the Mali-400 chip found in the Galaxy S II often outperformed Intel’s offering. Typically it managed to sit around the Galaxy Nexus and DROID RAZR in terms of performance, but couldn’t really hold up to the likes of the HTX One X or iPhone 4S.

There was always a sticky issue with the Intel x86 chips in smartphones, and that was battery life. Many were skeptical that Intel would be able to get efficiency right, and while Anandtech’s tests don’t show stellar results, they do equate to about average battery performance, meaning you should be able to get through a full day as with ARM chips.

All in all, it looks like Intel has finally proven everyone wrong. They first showed off smartphone concepts powered by their chips in 2010, and many quickly dismissed the idea since they never came to market. The Lava Xolo X900 shows that while Intel hasn’t exactly exploded on to the smartphone scene, they’ve made a compelling alternative chip for OEMs. We expect more to follow as a result of Intel and Motorola’s partnership, although there’s no word on when we’ll be seeing more Medfield phones just yet. Make sure to check out Anandtech’s full review.

Intel is pushing its camera skills with the new handset, promising a burst mode capable of grabbing 10 pictures shot in under a second, together with 1080p video recording. There’s also 1080p HD video encoding and playback support, thanks to a 400MHz GPU, while battery life is tipped at up to 5hrs of 3G browsing, up to 45hrs of audio, or up to 8hrs of talktime.

There’s also microUSB and micro HDMI connectivity, a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera, stereo speakers, twin microphones with ambient noise cancelation, and 16GB of internal storage. RAM is 1GB, and there’s WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR.

Orange Medfield phone demo:

Although not an especially interesting device in its own right – especially compared to existing Android flagships like the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy Nexus – the XOLO X900 represents a huge step forward for Intel. The company has been talking about its smartphone plans for several years, but power-hungry and expensive chips have prevented it from bringing anything to market. Medfield is the first to reach the stage where a commercial launch is feasible.

“The boundaries of personal computing are expanding” Mike Bell, Intel corporate vice president and general manager of the Mobile and Communications Group said of the launch. ”As we enter the India market with our first smartphone from Lava, the device not only showcases the rich capabilities and user benefits of Intel computing, but also highlights the exciting possibilities of what’s still to come.”

The XOLO X900 will go on sale in Indian stores on Monday, April 23 priced at INR 22000 ($424), with broader availability later in May. No word on North American or European sales at this stage, though European carrier Orange is expected to begin selling a Medfield phone of its own in the near future.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

The processor supports a 3-D user interface and console level graphics for gaming. The processor also supports video chatting and Intel thinks the new processor will usher in new services for most service providers including gaming, home security, helpdesk capability, and home automation. The processor will also find its way into home gateways including things like modems, VoIP processors, routers, tuners, and application processors.

Some those products are expected to have internal storage to be used as a DVR a media streamer according to Intel. The processor is Intel’s fourth-generation SOC and is the first 32nm part for the market segment from Intel. It is a dual core processor with support for hyperthreading and virtualization with an advanced 3-D/2-D graphics engine, integrated power management, and it has a H.264 B-picture hardware encoder. Intel offers no indication of when the processor will be available in a retail product.

The isotope was placed on the silicon base inside an ultra-high vacuum chamber. Forbes reports that one of the amazing things about the breakthrough is that the physicists could position the individual phosphorus atom very precisely. The atom was confirmed to be exactly where it needed to be placed to be effective. The precision achieved through this technique is very important because the margin of error with most single atom devices is reportedly 10nm, which is large considering the minuscule scale when talking about atoms.

The team chose phosphorus-31 because it has two possible nuclear spins and has been theorized to be an ideal basis for solid-state quantum computing. Another important aspect of choosing phosphorus and silicon is that it would be conceivable that a processor based on this technique would be compatible with CMOS sensors in use today. A lot of work remains before a processor can be built using this technology. One big roadblock is that the technology used to build this transistor is very expensive. We are likely many years away from a working computer using single atom transistors.

[via Forbes]

So, you get a 93-percent full-sized keyboard and a multitouch trackpad, as well as a battery that’s apparently good for up to nine hours of runtime. Connectivity includes three USB 2.0 ports, VGA and audio in/out, along with an ethernet port, and there’s a microphone and stereo speakers along with the VGA-resolution webcam.

Wireless options include WiFi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0+HS, and there’s the choice to add HSPA+ mobile broadband with GPS too. Storage is courtesy of a 320GB 5,400rpm hard-drive, though HP is happy to sell you a USB DVD burner as well.

A spill-resistant keyboard and motion-detecting hard-drive round out the key specs, while software is either Windows 7 or FreeDOS. Pricing for the HP Mini 1104 is from $399.

“[Intel] have taken some designs that were never meant for mobile phones and they’ve literally wrenched those designs and put them into a power-performance space which is roughly good enough for mobile phones” Warren East, CEO, ARM

To East, it’s ARM’s ability to coax high-definition multimedia and game-crunching power out of minimal battery charge that will keep it ahead of its considerably larger rival. “People want to do more things with their phones, but battery size remains constant” he suggests.

Intel’s smartphone chip plans have been a long time coming, and with more than one aborted attempt along the way. While the company has made its fortune from increasingly high-power desktop and laptop processors, the same strategies have not fared so well in mobile applications. There, the delicate balance between sucking through a smartphone-scale battery in a matter of hours and delivering the sort of performance users demand requires a far more frugal chip that, until now, Intel has been able to make.

The company believes it has the answer in Medfield, however, with a new dual-hyperthreading system – among other things – that help restore some of that power/thirst equilibrium. Lenovo has already shown off one design, the Racer-A, aka the K800, using the Z2460 and supposedly lasting all day, according to the manufacturer.

Lenovo Racer-A demo:

Motorola’s deal is for a “multi-year, multi-device strategic relationship” that will see Atom chips arrive in smartphones from the company before the year is out. They’ll be Android-based, and the precursor to potential tablets using the Z2460 or other Medfield chips.

Lenovo Racer-A Intel smartphone reference design hands-on:

A similar arrangement has been made with Lenovo, and the first reference design certainly doesn’t stint on specs. The handset has a 4.5-inch 720p multitouch display, an 8-megapixel main camera and 5-megapixel front camera, along with HSPA+, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.

Of course the Motorola Mobility deal is particularly interesting, because Google is in the process of acquiring the smartphone and tablet manufacturer. Assuming that deal goes through, it will give Intel a direct line to Google and the Android project, hopefully accelerating work on Android-on-x86.

More on the Lenovo Intel smartphone in our full hands-on.

Other connectivity on the slate includes WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI and VGA, and Gigabyte has designed a matching USB keyboard and carry-case. An optical trackpad can be found in the bezel, along with a 1.3-megapixel webcam. The dock also has a number of extra ports.

As for the Gigabyte T1006M, it’s a return to the convertible netbook days with a 10.1-inch capacitive multitouch display running at 1366 x 768. Connectivity includes USB 3.0, just as with the slate, and there’s integrated 3.5G WWAN. Gigabyte is making some boasts about the lengthy battery life from the 6-cell battery, though there’s no actual numbers to be found.

No word on pricing or availability at this stage.

Acer’s Aspire One D270 netbook will be the successor to the D260 (pictured above) and will feature a 10.1-inch display running on a faster 1.6GHz Atom N2600 processor with 1GB of RAM and 320GB of hard drive storage. It will come with either a three-cell or six-cell battery, currently priced at 250 euros or $324 USD for the three-cell model and 269 euros or $348 USD for the six-cell variant. The netbook will likely come in an assortment of colors.

The D270′s N2600 processor is built on Intel’s Cedar Trail architecture with a dual 32nm core. It features Hyperthreading along with a 400MHz embedded graphics core. The next-gen Atom processor was originally slated to arrive in September, but GPU issues have delayed its arrival, pushing new Cedar Trail netbook past the holidays to launch in mid-January.

[via Notebook Italia]

The Asus netbooks tipped including the 1011CX and 1015CX will have a chassis similar to the 1011 and 1015 machines. The tech specs that have surfaced point to an Atom N2600 processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 320GB HDD. The display is a 10.1-inch unit and they run Windows 7 Starter. The price is on some websites at 300 euros. The X101CH uses the N2600 as well running at 1.6GHz with 1GB of RAM. The cost on this machine is thought to be under 250 euros.

Samsung’s Cedar Trail offerings include the N102S and NC110. The N102S will use the Atom N2100 with 1GB of RAM, a 10.1-inch screen, and Windows 7 Starter. This machine is expected to land for around 280 euros. The N102 has the N2600 at 1.6GHz, 320GB HDD, 1GB of RAM, and a 10.1-inch screen. It is expected to go for around 320 euros. It’s interesting to note that Samsung says it is phasing out 10.1-inch notebooks and heading to 11.6 to 12-inch machines.

The first Redstone units will be available, albeit in limited volumes, to HP’s business customers next year. HP will also be pushing for a set of Project Moonshot open standards, working with AMD, ARM, Calxeda, Canonical and Red Hat, the target will be so-called “hyperscale” computing environments which balance power and performance with reduced scale and complexity.

Redstone is a major coup for ARM, which bit off two sizable targets in the shape of Intel and AMD when it attempted to challenge the status quo in the enterprise server industry. Until recently, server manufacturers opted for a few high-power chips paired with gobfuls of RAM, a setup that can handle high load but is comparatively wasteful when load reduces.

Chip alternatives like ARM Calxeda take a different approach, using many low-power processors that can scale up to handle larger tasks but use far less power when load is low. HP will also use Intel’s Atom processors in later iterations of Redstone.

According to ITG, the xpPhone 2 will have a 1.6GHz processor, 2GB of RAM and up to 112GB of storage, and be capable of up to a whopping 18.5hrs of talktime on a single charge. No other specs have been confirmed – nor what exact processor ITG is using, though we’re guessing an Intel Atom chip – and unlike the original xpPhone there’s nothing showing a slide-out physical keyboard.

Smartphone sized PCs have struggled to find a place in the market to-date, not least because Intel’s processors have invariably had difficulty keeping up with more frugal ARM chips when it comes to power efficiency. Then there’s the problems implicit in dealing with a UI intended for sizable displays on something that will fit in your pocket.

Windows 8′s new interface – similar to that of Windows Phone – will definitely help on that front, though it’s unclear why ITG isn’t planning to use Microsoft’s Windows 8 on ARM build instead. Still, plenty of time for all that to change as ITG beavers away to turn the xpPhone 2 renders into reality.

[via UMPC Portal]

If the touchscreen sounds bigger than what OCOSMOS were hawking back at the OSC9′s debut at CES 2011 earlier this year, you’re not wrong. Then, the slate had a 9-inch panel running at 1024 x 768, but OCOSMOS has obviously followed fashion – and, we dare say, panel supplies – and increased both size and resolution.

Still present, however, is the Smart O-Bar Multi-controller, a compact remote that offers a 3.5-inch 320 x 480 LCD display, WiFi b/g/n, gyroscope and accelerometer, and can act as anything from a wireless keyboard/mouse for the OSC9, as a simple game controller, or as a VoIP phone handset. Alternatively, owners can stream multimedia content from the OSC9 to the Smart O-Bar.

Finally there’s an HDMI docking station, with ethernet and a pair of USB ports. The OSC9 measures in at 267 x 173 x 11.9mm and has a battery good for up to 6hrs runtime, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS. We have to say we’d be more excited to see Windows 8 on the slate, but there’s always upgrading next year. The OSC9 is priced at $649, while the HDMI dock is $69.99, the Smart O-Bar controller $139.99, and a keyboard dock $69.99.

Connectivity includes micro HDMI, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, three USB 2.0 ports, audio in/out, and a SIM slot for optional 3G. There’s a scroll wheel for quickly navigating long documents or webpages, a microphone, stereo speakers, an accelerometer, 1.3-megapixel webcam and a battery good, eviGroup reckons, for up to 5hrs of use. The whole thing is 14.6mm thick.

That may pale in comparison to what Honeycomb slates or the iPad 2 can deliver, but the upside is that with the SmartPaddle you’re getting a full Windows PC that can run all your regular Office and enterprise apps. Not so much of a draw for every home user, perhaps, but businesses – and those expecting their slate to do both work and play – could certainly be interested.

The eviGroup SmartPaddle will go on sale from €551 ($752). Its existing, bigger sibling, with a 12-inch touchscreen, will remain on sale as the SmartPaddle Pro. No word on what happens when Windows 8 arrives, but we’re guessing the SmartPaddle will play nicely with Microsoft’s tablet-tailored update too.

The N2600 runs at 1.8GHz to 1.6GHz and has a TDP of under 3.5W making it slurp very little power. The N2800 processor is a 2.13GHz to 1.86GHz part and has a TDP of 6.5W. Moving to the desktop parts the D2500 can operate at 2.13GHz to 1.86GHz and has a TDP of 10W max. The D2700 on the other hand is a 2.4GHz to 2.13GHz part with the same 10W max TDP.

The N2600 is reported to need only 1.1W of power to operate on average. There is no word on when we will see these new processors inside a netbook or desktop system at this time. I would bet with the processors on the Intel site there are already machines in the works with computer makers that will be coming soon.

[via Mobility Magazine]

One of the biggest issues with the Intel processors for the mobile realm is that they tend to consume much more power than the competing chips on the market making the battery life with Intel processors less than with other processors under the hood. The tip that Intel wants the custom version of Android Gingerbread comes from a video, which can be seen at the bottom of this post about half way through.

The custom Gingerbread OS would be optimized for battery life on the Atom E series embedded processors. I wonder if optimizing the OS will be enough to make devices using the Atom processor have battery life on par with competing chip platforms on the market. What do you think, would a custom version of Android for Atom chips be enough to make Intel more competitive in the mobile space or will it take more?

[via Android Community]

While initial indications suggested that ASUS would offer the X101 as a dual-booting machine able to load into either MeeGo or Windows 7, the company later decided to split the two platforms between two separate models. That’s left the X101 to be the low-cost option, with a sub-$200 RRP, while the X101H running Windows 7 is a hundred dollars or so extra. [Update: We mistakenly suggested the X101 would be sub-$100; it's actually expected to be sub-$200]

Connectivity includes WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0, along with two USB 2.0 ports, audio in/out, an SD/SDHC memory card reader and a power socket to charge the standard 3-cell battery. ASUS reckons that’s good for up to 4hrs runtime, which is on the low side for a modern netbook. There’s also a 0.3-megapixel webcam and stereo speakers, and the X101 will be available in white, red or brown.

Interestingly, ASUS preloads a copy of the British Council English Language Learning app, complete with interactive games, videos and audio files, intended to assist non-English speakers to get up to speed. Whether the X101′s target audience will really appreciate that – or whether, perhaps more likely, it’ll be the first thing to be deleted from that mere 8GB of flash storage – remains to be seen.

[Thanks to everybody who sent this in!]

According to Intel, the Z690 is 13-percent more powerful than its predecessor, the Z670 Oak Trail chip found inside the Fujitsu Lifebook TH40/D and other tablets. That’s sufficient for desktop-style PC gaming on a portable device, the silicon company insists, and it appears to be using the Switchblade to prove that.

Razer still insists on describing the Switchblade as a concept, despite having already signed up independent software vendors – including Chinese firms Tencent and ChangYou – to develop custom keyboard support for the button displays. “Our work with Intel allowed us to not only optimize the performance of the hardware on this concept device,” Razer now says, “but also lay the foundation for future products that will fully utilize the innovative technologies first developed on the Razer Switchblade concept.”

When, exactly, those future products will arrive is unclear, but with a processor now named we’d assume they’ll drop sooner rather than later. After all, Medfield is set to arrive reasonably imminently to replace Oak Trail.

Lenovo IdeaPad Tablet K1

The 1.6lb K1 – which we’ve seen before as the Chinese Lenovo LePad - has a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 display, 1GB of RAM and up to 64GB of storage. Connectivity includes WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth, optional WCDMA/EVDO and a Micro HDMI port, along with microSD, audio out and an integrated microphone and twin 0.5W speakers.

There are two cameras – 5-megapixels on the back, and 2-megapixels on the front – along with a battery which Lenovo reckons is good for up to 10hrs runtime. At 13.3mm thick it’s not the slimmest Android slate we’ve seen, but it does offer an external keyboard dock, the KD101, with independent charging and various hotkeys.

Lenovo is also using the K1 to launch the Lenovo App Shop, a curated Android Market experience which basically gives the guarantee that the company’s software engineers have approved each app for use on the slate. Pre-orders of the IdeaPad Tablet K1 will begin on July 20, priced from $399 with 16GB of storage, with deliveries beginning from August in the US and globally in Q3 2011.

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet

If the IdeaPad K1 is Lenovo’s consumer slate, the ThinkPad Tablet is most definitely the company’s business model. Built around the same Tegra 2 chipset, display, RAM, dual cameras and port options, along with offering optional 3G, the ThinkPad model weighs from 715g and is 14mm thick. However, it also includes support for an optional digitizer pen, which can be used to annotate documents, make handwritten notes and sketch pictures, all with pressure sensitivity.

In addition, there are enterprise-friendly features such as Cisco VPN and encrypted SD card support, along with the potential to make custom OS images. A full-sized USB port supports external drives. Lenovo will offer the ThinkPad Tablet Dock, with micro USB, HDMI, stereo out, microphone input and a USB 2.0 port, together with the ThinkPad Keyboard Folio, a case which opens out to reveal a QWERTY keyboard and the distinctive Lenovo trackpoint nub. Battery life is tipped at up to 8.7hrs for the WiFi-only model.

As with the K1, the ThinkPad Tablet will come preloaded with the Lenovo App Shop. It too will go up for pre-order from July 20, priced from $499 for the 16GB model and from $529 for the 16GB model with the digitizer pen; they’ll ship from August. The keyboard case will be $99 and available at the same time, while shortly after launch the 3G variants will go on sale.

Lenovo IdeaPad Tablet P1

Lenovo’s final tablet runs Windows 7, rather than Android, and uses an Intel processor rather than NVIDIA’s ARM-based chip. It has up to 2GB of RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of SSD storage, along with the same 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 display with support for an optional capacitive stylus. Connectivity includes WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth, along with optional 3G, while there’s a 2-megapixel front-facing webcam though no rear camera.

The P1 measures 14.5mm thick and weighs 810g, and there’s a USB 2.0 port, microSD card slot, docking port, microphone and headphone port. Sound is courtesy of a single 1.5W speaker, and battery life is up to 6hrs.

Lenovo is yet to confirm pricing for the IdeaPad P1, which will go on sale in Q3 2011.

There’s also WiFi b/g/n, 10/100 ethernet, a 0.3-megapixel webcam and digital microphone, along with 1GB of RAM and a 250GB hard-drive as standard. OS is Windows 7 Starter, unlike the dual-booting fun of last year’s models which offered both the Microsoft software and a copy of Android 2.1.

Still, there’s a molded ripple in the lid to make sure the “happy” levels are suitably topped up, and you could always use it as an ashtray or oversized nutmeg grater if in a pinch. The netbooks measure 1-inch thick and weigh a little over 2.5lbs, while the keyboard is 93-percent full-sized.

The new Acer Aspire One Happy 2 Series Netbooks are on sale in the US now, priced at $269.99.