Start your journey with a look at how the original Kindle Fire has been updated with a select number of features right alongside a price drop to $159 – that’s madness! The new set of Kindle Fire devices come in both 7 and 8.9-inch display sizes, the latter also having a 4G LTE iteration coming with a new data plan that will run you just $50 USD a year – that’s 250MB of 4G LTE data a month for a total of $50 USD a year! Don’t get too pumped up though, there’s a catch: you still gotta pay overage costs.

There’s also a catch for those of you that aren’t fans of advertisements in your devices – the device you payed for and supposedly own. Amazon’s entire Kindle Fire lineup now also has Special Offers showing up on their lock-screens – with no option (other than hacking, of course) to get rid of them. Per Amazon’s press release:

“Special Offers

The new Kindle Fire family comes with special offers that appear on the lock screen. Examples of special money-saving offers that customers will enjoy include a $5 credit in the Amazon MP3 Store and a $5 credit for select titles in the Amazon Instant Video Store. Customers will also receive special offers and screensavers from brands like AT&T, Discover and Intel, such as a special offer of a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card when a customer uses their Discover card to purchase a digital product on Amazon.”

You’ll be glad to know, however, that we’ve got no reason to believe that this line of tablets is immune to hacking – as it was with the original Kindle Fire. Also, it does appear (according to several sources, but not yet confirmed by Amazon directly) that the Kindle Fire HD lineup is coming with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich behind their own customized user interface. That’s good news for you future-looking developers out there with diamond software modification in your eyes.

Kindle Fire HD 7 hands on:

The Kindle Fire HD lineup comes with a collection of software innovations like X-Ray and Whispersync. Have a peek at the timeline here to see our hands-on with the Kindle Fire HD duo as well as notes on the software features at hand:

Prices for the Kindle Fire HD lineup are as follows (followed by the refreshed Kindle Fire and the Paperwhite as well):
Kindle Fire (Refresh): US $159 / UK £ 129
Kindle Fire HD 7: US $199 for 16GB and $249 for 32GB / UK £159 for 16GB and £199 for 32GB
Kindle Fire HD 8.9: US $299 for 16GB and $369 for 32GB / UK N/A thus far
Kindle Fire HD 8.9 4G LTE: US $499 for 32GB and $599 for 64GB
Kindle Paperwhite: $119
Kindle Paperwhite 3G: $179
Kindle (Refresh): $69

Most if not all of these devices are now up for pre-order on Amazon with ship dates either in mid-September, early October, or November – it’s a spread!

Have a peek at the information we’ve got on the Paperwhite – including its 3G iteration with free – yes free – 3G. The smallest and lightest Kindle has also been updated with a few new software updates like improved fonts and 15% faster page turns as well. We’ve got hands-on with the three biggest beasts here, and of course more details than you can shake a stick at from throughout the day today. Stick around our Amazon tag portal for more information as it pops up between here and release time!

UPDATE: The full event video is now up via Amazon – enjoy!

This device has a back that’s slightly rubbery with a single ribbon of shine on the bottom half, there showing the device’s brand. The device is relatively light and certainly thin, and though its chassis don’t tell much about how it’s forward-thinking here in 2012, the software features and display construction certainly do. One of the more important elements sits right up front and center with the display being closer to the glass panel than Amazon’s previous efforts, this resulting in a much clearer, crisper, and less glare-prone solution.

The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is indeed going to be coming with essentially the same software build as the Kindle Fire HD 7, with a user interface that’s been upgraded from the original Kindle Fire as well. Here we’re seeing nearly buttery-smooth action and next-level response time thus far – we’ll need more time with the finalized device to know for sure.

With a relatively standard non-intrusive and certainly quiet-seeming bit of hardware to surround it, Amazon appears to have once again created what may be a winner for the 2012 holiday season for hardware. How it’ll work to ramp up sales in all sectors when they’ve now got not two, but three tablets with quite similar specifications and three very different prices though, we’re not sure. Check out the timeline below for additional information on the releases that’ve occurred this week with Amazon and plan on getting a Kindle this winter – this 8.9 tablet wont be out until November.

The Kindle Fire HD lineup has a OMAP 4470 processor from Texas Instruments, Bluetooth connectivity on the inside as well, and an HD webcam on the front. The smaller edition of both the 7 and 8.9-inch devices have 16GB of internal storage while the larger edition of the 8.9 tablet has 32GB of internal storage as well as 4G LTE connectivity. The 7-inch version of the tablet you see here will be shipping on September 14th and for $199 while the original Kindle Fire (refreshed) will be popping up for just $159 – the 4G LTE version comes in November.

The Kindle Fire 7 has a body that’s had its predecessor’s square-edges taken out, so to speak, with a bit more flare on the back to boot. You’ve got a stripe of shine across the back while the majority of the device’s backing is made of a slightly grippier bit of rubbery plastic. The software we’re seeing here is an upgraded user interface compared to the original Kindle Fire, but for the most part you’re working through the same set of media in a very similar way. That said, a lovely collection of software updates that you can find in our Amazon tag portal today – as well as in the timeline of today’s events below.

Note also that the 7-inch version of the device appears to be closer to final form than the 8.9-inch version of the device, the latter being held to the side by none other than Amazon’s own Peter Larsen a this week’s event. Don’t worry though, the biggest difference between the 7 and the 8.9 is the display size – stay tuned to SlashGear for more on the development of these tablets as it occurs!

What this device is doing is showing off a mirrored display via HDMI cable at 1080p with 60fps (while video is playing). Moore also shows us several benchmarks being run on Texas Instruments development platforms around the demo room, these including GLBenchmark 2.5 and a browser benchmark that runs through several webpages at high speed. Finally you’ll see The Avengers clips being played at 1080p and 60fps on an HDTV from another developer device.

All of this continues our excitement for the future of Texas Instruments in the smartphones and tablets of the very near future. Expect OMAP 5 devices to be on the market by the end of the year – until then, have a peek at the timeline below to see OMAP 5 stories ranging all the way back to Mobile World Congress 2012 where we got our first detailed look at the processor architecture.

What you’ll be seeing in the video below is Product Manager of the OMAP Processor Business Unit Bill Crean who will be taking you on a tour of the tablet. This presentation took place this week at the latest Texas Instruments developer event and makes us quite confident in their ability to forge forward in the mobile space – especially in Microsoft’s Windows RT software environment.

This is but one of the many devices that Texas Instruments had on hand (you’ll see more on SlashGear soon enough) and is also but one of several Windows RT tablets that manufacturers have created for testing purposes here in the summer that the software will actually be released. Texas Instruments will not release this tablet as a consumer product, of course, but here lies a great opportunity for you to see how great the software can run on a processor made for power.

The graphics processor in this unit is the SGX-544 which supports Direct-X 9 feature level 3, so expect the visuals to be just lovely. Note also how Crean mentions that this processor will be appearing in a Toshiba device or two very soon! Check the timeline below to see all the Texas Instruments news leading up to this event as well!

ALSO be sure to keep up with all the Microsoft’s new tablet possibilities in the column Microsoft Brand Windows 8 tablet must be developer only.

Hardware

This device takes what the original Galaxy Tab had (the oldest Galaxy Tab, the one that’s closest to this one in size and shape) and tosses it out the window. You’ll not find a device that’s closer to that one in shape than this, but the hardware inside and out are completely revamped. This device runs a dual-core TI OMAP processor clocked at 1GHz and runs a 1024 x 600 TFT LCD display with a 3-megapixel camera on the back.

You’ve got an IR blaster on the side of this device to connect to your Samsung Smart TV, and a microSD card slot to expand your memory by 32GB. The device runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich which means you’re up on the newest version of Google’s mobile operating system and it all runs rather slick. Have a peek at Quadrant Standard benchmark here to get an idea of what you’re working with on this 7-inch dual-core Android device:

This device is wi-fi only at the moment and we’ve got no word quite yet on whether or not there will be a mobile data connected version in the near future. Wi-fi connectivity thus far has been great, no complaints whatsoever on our home network.

Software

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is running surprisingly smoothly with TouchWiz in this case, this compared to the original version of TouchWiz UX for tablets that came on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 which has since come to be a slightly more impressive amalgamation. Have a peek at this hands-on video to get a better idea of what you’ll be working with as far as software:

This version of Ice Cream Sandwich is one modified by Samsung. That means that you’re going to get a few extra bells and whistles which Samsung says will increase your abilities on the tablet and make it a wholly better experience in the end. As it stands: they’re right. We’ve not yet seen a purely “vanilla” look at Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, having come only relatively close with the first ICS-certified device in the Transformer Prime with ASUS modifications.

Samsung’s widgets are arranged in the newest versions of TouchWiz in a way that makes them magazine-like. They’re set up to make your screens utilized to their maximum ability.

TouchWiz exclusive apps sitting on top are able to be accessed with that lovely little arrow at the bottom of the display – they’re working quite smooth this time around!

This device runs truly smoothly and we’ve had no troubles running high-powered apps and games even though Samsung has made it clear that this tablet isn’t truly made for that sort of business. Connecting to your Samsung Smart TV is where this device will shine for Samsung-loving gadget addicts, the same being true for those that love Smart Remote action with the Peel app and Netflix on the go. Have a peek at some of the other Galaxy Tabs we’ve checked out thus far in the timeline below:

Camera

The camera setup here clearly isn’t made for the everyday photo and video enthusiast, instead held back to cut costs for the entire tablet as it stays within the realm of camera-toting tablets (an elite bunch, as I’m sure you’re aware.) Have a peek at some examples here and let us know what you think. The photos are taken with the 3 megapixel capabilities of the back-facing camera, while the video can be viewed at up to full quality 720p.

Look like good enough quality media for your everyday life?

Battery Life

Like every Samsung tablet we’ve used in the past year, this one has been optimized to keep up with your daily activities the whole day through. Packing enough power to keep a smartphone active a whole day works doubly well when you’re on a tablet that’s wi-fi-only, and since you’ve only got two cores running at 1GHz each, you’ll be golden for a couple days of medium use at least. Good luck!

Wrap-Up

This device is one of Samsung’s undeniably vast number of tablets they’ve got on the market right this second. Compared to the Galaxy Tab 7.7, it’s not nearly as impressive, but also not nearly as costly. This tablet is made to be inexpensive enough for anyone to afford while it keeps many of the features and elements that make a Samsung tablet experience one to look forward to. And best of all, the price on this beast is one to look forward to: $249.99 with no contracts for data to speak of! All that on the 22nd of April – that’s coming up quick, get your wallets out!

This, like all of our reviews, is not the end of our review process – it’s only the beginning! If there’s anything else you’d like to know about the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, please don’t hesitate to ask in the comments section below. We’ll either answer straight up or, if the question is big enough for a feature, we’ll write a whole extra post! Seeya there!

The ARCHOS 80 G9 is a device that we’ve looked at before, have a peek at our [full review of the ARCHOS 80 G9] and see how it faired back several months ago. The differences between that model and this one are great – not only do you get a different and much more powerful processor with a 1.5GHz dual-core rather than its original 1.2Ghz dual-core, you get Full HD 1090p video recording and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as well!

The 80 model has an 8-inch display while the 101 has a 10.1-inch display, both of them having the ability to run Android 4.0 and both still run a Texas Instruments OMAP 4 smart multi-core processor, this time upgraded to 1.5GHz. You’ve got multiple options for both tablets including Flash storage or 250GB hard-drive storage, and the action will be yours for a price that’s rather fetching! See both models in the ARCHOS online store today!

The Mobile Ecosystem

Beginning by listing the massive list of impressive devices that are currently running on their dual-core OMAP 4 processor, including the Galaxy S II, Motorola Bionic, Galaxy Nexus, LG 3D, and more, 4430 and 4460 running strong in a massive display that’s all but dominated the last quarter of 2011. Though TI has thus far been concentrating on their “usual suspects” manufacturers for their chips, it is Digital Hubs that will make the big moves in the future, the OMAP 5 built with that understanding in mind.

These Digital Hubs are already here with a complete software framework, in the cloud, and groups like Google and Microsoft are the biggest factors influencing the decisions made by manufacturers. Because of this, it’s important, says TI, that the OMAP Platform tends to the needs of the makers of the software and the content for the devices as well as the manufacturers starting with the OMAP 5.

Smart Multicore

Smart Multicore brings up the facts 2 cortex A15 ARM CPU units inside the OMAP 5 as well as two cortex M4 ARM CPU units as well. This is a dual-dual-core devices, four cores that allow for the A15 cores to work on their own, but to offload processes to the M4 units while they, the A15s, continue on with new tasks. Quad A9, Texas Instruments says, is outdone by 2x when put up against the dual-A15 unit. Two graphics engines sit inside this OMAP 5 chip, one for composition on its own. Security engine, camera engine, clock management, and more are included in Smart Management which addresses the tasks correctly, not simply the most brute-force way.

Photo Processing

This new unit is able to handle four video cameras at once – one of the only times you’d use such a functionality is with a vehicle – several cameras in each place you need them, all run from one chip. Picture quality is first addressed with the sensor, number two is the optics, and number three is what you do in the ISP to tune your process to a specific sensor to in the end attain the best image. A set of barometers need to be tuned for each sensor in a camera setup in order for image correction, color calibration, and more. All of this has been given special care in the OMAP 5.

Why the A15 dual-core plus M4 dual-core

What Texas Instruments is showing today is the outperformance of a quad-A9 multicore architecture with just two A15 cores, that’s a dual-core from the newest generation outperforming a quad-core from the previous generation. Smart Multicore architecture is what’s allowing the dual-core to overtake the quad-core here, and by at least 35% performance improvement. Demos by Texas Instruments here have shown the improvement reaching an unbelievable 2x improvement as well. As TI notes, the ARM Cortex A15 has the best performance on single-threaded applications, currently second to nobody. The M4 then is good for multimedia, music, and the like while you run any and all of your dominant applications with one major single thread on the A15 dual-core.

Thermal Budget

One of the points Texas Instruments want to emphasize here and an element which they feel too many groups ignore is the issue of a Thermal Budget. When you hold a smartphone, you have a certain amount of allowed heat that you’re going to be OK with – this is true of everyone who has used a smartphone for any kind of extended period of time. A user’s comfort zone is what we’re talking about here. TI makes the example of working with a quad A15 processor, saying that working with such a titan would simply get too hot too quickly for anyone to work with it reasonably.

Graphics Processing

With the OMAP 5′s dual PowerVR 554MP2 3D graphics processor architecture, TI notes that they are outperforming all of the solutions that are in the industry right now by 4X. Especially important to the power of this architecture is the 2D display composition engine. For a composition of 8 layers in full resolution, this display composition engine only consumes 10% of the power that alternative solutions do. Alternative solutions are to either do this composition on the CPU or to do this composition on the GPU. Both of these methods use about 10x more power than the composition engine does on the OMAP 5 – that’s no small difference to scoff at.

Wrap-Up

This is an architecture that is not in isolation. The OMAP 5 is trying to address a realistic problem: a chip that needs to fit into a mobile device but will also be able to fit into a variety of other equipment. We have to be clever, says TI, otherwise the resulting device reaches a thermal envelope very quickly. On a PC the heat can go out the back, on a laptop the heat can go out the bottom and out the back, but when you hold a device in your hand, the heat has to dissipate.

Within the Thermal Budget, who can reach the best performance? This is the question for the mobile age in processors, so says Texas Instruments.

This tablet is not the thinnest in the world, nor is it the sleekest in any way, but it is light. And it does not feel fragile in the least bit, that’s for sure. It runs Android 3.2 Honeycomb out of the box, and is powered by a Texas Instruments OMAP4430 1GHz dual-core processor. The display is 1280 x 800 pixels strong and it does seem to be, in general, a pretty OK tablet.

What you’re going to see in the hands-on video here is that this tablet runs a stock version of Honeycomb and has a collection of apps so strange it’ll make your head spin. Of course this version is the NTT Docomo iteration, that meaning it’s got carrier-added apps we (and I mean I) have never heard of before. When this device is released in the USA, expect it to have LTE speeds on AT&T. That’s not confirmed, but if I was a betting man, I’d bet on that.

The Galaxy Nexus will be available by the end of 2011 running Verizon’s speedy 4G LTE network and will be working at what Verizon says is 5 to 12 megabits per second with upload speeds at 2 to 5 megabits per second in LTE coverage areas across the USA. This device will feature a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display at 1280 x 720 pixel resolution and will have a 1.2GHz dual-core processor from Texas Instruments, the OMAP 4, with 1GB of RAM to back it up. There’s a 5-megapixel camera on the back capable of 1080p full HD video capture, a 1.3-megapixel camera on the front for video chat, and NFC inside for all your Near Field Communications needs.

You’ll also be able to enjoy such Ice Cream Sandwich features as Android Beam which uses NFC to share web pages, apps, and other media with just a tap of your phone to another NFC Ice Cream Sandwich phone, and all your favorite Google apps will be inside – including a whole newly designed Google+ app. Take a look at our hands-on with the Galaxy Nexus and our hands-on with Ice Cream Sandwich both in these links and in the videos below, and get prepared for some awesome Verizon action in the near future!

Ice Cream Sandwich hands-on demo

Galaxy Nexus Hands-on:

The RAZR is two things at once: the thinnest 4G LTE smartphone on the market at 7.1mm at its thinnest point, and it’s got several factors at play that make it tough enough to withstand AT LEAST your everyday rough and tumble usage. The RAZR has Corning Gorilla Glass on the front, KEVLAR along the back the device, diamond-cut aluminum accents for the rest, and a splash-guard coating across the entirety of the device, even the electrical boards inside, so that if you get dashed by an angry critic or you pull the RAZR out during some sprinkling rain, you’ll be just fine. Of course you shouldn’t dunk the device in your bathtub, as this device isn’t completely protected against foolishness, but for ordinary occurrences like the device jumping out of your hands onto some concrete pavement, you’ll be perfectly fine. Even the inside is what Motorola calls a “precision machined stainless steel core.” Good LUCK busting this one.

This invulnerability comes into sharp focus when you consider how thin this device is. Where the Galaxy S II and the Galaxy Nexus are thinner across their widest points, this device does have the thinnest thin profile on a smartphone today – it’s just the part at the top where the camera is that makes this device fat. And here’s the thing about that: the swoop on up to the top of this device makes for a really excellent contrasting look compared to the rest of the Motorola line of smartphones. If you look at the device from the front, it looks rather similar to the ELECTRIFY and the upcoming XOOM that we’re not supposed to have seen yet, but from the side and back you’ll find a smartphone that’s entirely unique and absolutely refreshing.

The battery isn’t removable, but since its a gigantic 1780mAh, who the heck cares, and there is a slot for both SIM card and microSD card along the side, 8 megapixel camera on the back, 1.3 megapixel camera on the front, and both 1GB of RAM and 16 GB of RAM on the inside, with a 16 GB microSD card pre-installed. The cameras work really well from what I’ve seen thus far, definitely not repeating what we’ve seen with the BIONIC — have a look at a tiny video I filmed with the RAZR here:

Looks good, don’t it? Any frame of that video would be good enough to chop out and use as a dandy photo. So what’s there to say that’s bad about this device? The user interface isn’t my favorite. If I had to choose a UI that wasn’t vanilla Android, Motorola’s vision wouldn’t be on top of the list. Two: this device is locked per Verizon’s request, it seems, with the software actually having the ability to be unlocked and indeed the Motorola RAZR version of this device (international name) being unlockable, it is only here in the states that we won’t be able to do any real hacking. And yes, there is an e-fuse installed on this device.

So why would I choose this device over any other comparable device out there today? Because its strong enough to survive anything I throw at it, because I can replace the user interface with ADW Launcher EX if I really want to, and because both the camera and the connection (4G LTE) are top-notch. Also there’s a perfectly legit dual-core processor sitting inside at 1.2GHz that’s nothing to scoff at. When you put all these piece together and wrap them up in one of the most appealing chassis designs on the market today, you have a winner in my book. I use smartphones to take photos for projects on SlashGear such as my ongoing exploration of Target, for my pet project Insane Overload which incidentally has a lot of photos from my trip to NYC where I first saw the RAZR, and for email and games, both of which can be handled VERY readily by this device.

Oh, and it’s the first device to play Netflix at full HD right out of the box – and it’s got HDMI output to 1080p – and it has Motorola’s Webtop interface optimized with Firefox, which I WILL use. AND it has one of the greatest code-named in the world: Spyder. So until the Galaxy Nexus comes out, you can bet that this device will be in my pocket — that is, if it comes out before the Galaxy Nexus, of course.

BONUS here’s some accessories as well – what more could you want?

Hardware

This is one of the first devices you’ll find on the market using the Texas Instruments OMAP4 dual-core processor (running here at 1GHz) and the first tablet you’ll see running the processor (other than developer units, of course). This is Texas Instruments first dual-core processor on the market and one we first saw up and running all the way back at MWC 2011 in Barcelona. We first got out hands on these devices (prototype versions, at least), back in June of 2011 where we saw both versions again. Have a look first here at the video from that session:

Next have a look at our most recent re-introduction to these devices courtesy of ARCHOS themselves just this past week:

If you haven’t just watched the videos above, you should know that the ARCHOS 80 G9 tablet has a kickstand. It’s got a microSD slot, an HDMI port, headphone jack, power/lock button, and microUSB port, and that’s all on the same side – the left-hand side if you’re holding the device in landscape mode which, if you’ve not noticed by now, is the way ARCHOS intends you to hold it (or set it on the tablet, as the kickstand would suggest). Unfortunately the kickstand itself is not as strong as we’d like, especially given the fact that this one will be holding up a whole tablet. It’s constructed of plastic and won’t survive very long if a child (or a clumsy adult) gets ahold of it. While it is in tact, on the other hand, it works very nicely to give this unit a unique ability to hold itself at exactly the angle I use tablets at every day.

The ports (ports galore!) make this device one of the most versatile tablets right out of the box, right after the Toshiba THRIVE which prides itself on being able to plug in anything. Having basically every kind of port that I’d ever need certainly ads to the out-of-box experience that many of the higher-priced tablets simply do not. They’ve got converters and 3rd party cords that need to be purchased to make it all happen. ARCHOS scores big points for this.

Along those same lines is the construction of the tablet. We’ve not yet seen a tear-down of either of the G9 tablets so we’re not aware of the innards, but outside it appears that this is the nicest set of tablets ARCHOS has yet presented. They’re a real big-time effort, this tablet able to be placed amongst the rest of the Honeycomb tablets we’ve reviewed here on SlashGear, not low quality like some of the similarly priced units we’ve come across.

The 80 G9 is nice to handle, has a unique shape to it, and has a relatively decent display on it. Where previous ARCHOS tablets suffered from some not so perfect viewing angles, here we get at least 90 degrees of good color and alignment, where you’re not QUITE able to see perfectly when you’ve got the device nearly flat, it’s alright, because why on earth would you be looking at it like that anyway? The tablet is light, it’s thin enough to run with the big dogs, and again, it feels very nice to handle.

Before we go on, let’s catch some unboxing and hands-on action courtesy of yours truly, opening the box and handling the device like a pro:

Note that there’s a bit of an issue with the music in this video – turns out the song file happened to be corrupt – there doesn’t appear to be anything wrong with the speakers, the playback, the music app, any of that. Just the file that you’ll never ever come in contact with for the final release. No worries!

Software and Performance

Devices that also run the same processor as you’re seeing working here in the G9 series are the LG THRILL 4G glasses-free 3D smartphone and the Motorola DROID BIONIC, a 4G LTE device and the first to have both a dual-core and LTE connectivity. What this should tell you is that this processor, the Texas Instruments OMAP4, is no small cookie. This device should feel unique running it, especially since ARCHOS now has the only two Android tablets on the market with a dual-core processor not made by NVIDIA. Is that a good thing? It’s certainly a unique thing.

In the above photo, the apps Antutu Benchmark (the bunny in the upper right) and CF-Bench are the only two apps that do not come with the tablet right out of the box. You’ll see all the different apps you get with the tablet in the hands-on videos above.

Inside the tablet you’ll find a unique range of apps (that, again, you can see listed in the hands-on and unboxing video above. Best of all is the fact that ARCHOS didn’t do TOO much to change Honeycomb at all. This appears to be a trend amongst tablet producers since Android 3.0 Honeycomb was released, not changing it very much at all (with a few big exceptions) leaving a Vanilla experience for Android users across the states. Will all this change with Ice Cream Sandwich? We shall see. For now, the bees continue to buzz.

We can run any number of high-flying apps requiring the full processor power of a dual-core chip, and most of them run just about as well as they can on either of the other two devices running the same OMAP4 right this moment. This is a tier-one device and you can tell by the quickness in the running of every app. The smallest amount of disappointment comes from the space right around the rim of the display where the border begins – it’s here that touch responsiveness appears to wane just the smallest amount, and this is certainly not because of the software, but because the hardware leads our fingers past the border. Strange? Yes. Will I get used to it after a few weeks of work and play? Certainly I will.

For benchmarks, you’ll have to note that we’ve got the 1GHz version of the 80 G9 tablet here, where we still understand a 1.5GHz version to come out as well. Have a glance at what this 1GHz version of the OMAP4 can do:

Camera

There’s but one camera on this device, and it’s forward facing. Here we’ve got a brief video and a photo or two to show you the quality. More than likely you’ll be using this device’s camera for video chat and that’s it.

Battery

As you can see here, there’s been some major optimization done with OMAP4′s processor conserving energy while the device is in sleep mode. It looks as if this device could survive essentially forever if we’d simply let it stay at home in bed. In use, we get less than a day’s work out of the device before we need to charge, but that’s with movie watching, HDMI outputting, high-demanding games, and the like. Normal users should expect right around a full day’s use.

Wrap-Up

This is the first Texas Instruments dual-core 1GHz OMAP4 processor-toting Android tablet on the market, and it’s pretty decent. The kickstand, being as large and obviously important as it seems, is a bit of a disappointment as it’s made of plastic and isn’t very sturdy. Even if it should fail, though, you’ve still got four rubber nubbins on the back of the device to sit flat for some excellent tablet-top action. This tablet is uniquely sized, has the ability to plug in many devices and cards, and is reasonably priced at $299 at the ARCHOS online store right now with a 1.5GHz version on the way for an increased price. At this price, I think we’ve got a winner. At least for those students looking to purchase a tablet computer without dropping their whole week’s wages on one.

As far as the software goes, it’s your basic Honeycomb experience with a few awesome app bonuses right out of the box. I hesitate going too far into out-of-box app experiences since unless it’s a unique app to that device, you can download them yourself no matter what device you buy. Here we’ve got a few from column B, and a few from column A, this second column being ARCHOS and apps that we can only get here. These apps are certainly decent and definitely a selling point (or it should be) for retailers and ARCHOS online.

Is this the tablet for you? It’s a strange time to be purchasing a tablet since we know that before the end of the year, we’ll be seeing quad-core processors on the market. That said, we’ve seen single-core devices out-perform dual-core devices in the past, it all depends on what software you’re running. ARCHOS, you did a pretty decent job here making a tablet that’s going to be accessible by the masses. People will buy it and love it if you include replaceable kickstands. The rest of the tablet is good to go!

What’s inside of this and the 101 G9 tablet, you might ask? Why, it’s not the NVIDIA Tegra 2, as you might expect, no, it’s the Texas Instruments OMAP4 dual-core processor running at 1GHz, and it’s pumped up! Take a look at our first brief benchmark as run with CF-Bench below and you’ll see that the only more powerful device in the system is the Galaxy S II, a device we’ve also got storming our door today via AT&T. This tablet has no carrier thus far here in the USA, instead working with Wi-fi only at the moment with an empty shell filling the USB slot on the back of the device.

We’ve got a video here filmed by Vince earlier today showing the director of marketing for ARCHOS with the G9 80 giving you a full rundown of what it means to work with one on a daily basis.

The benchmark, CF-Bench, that we’ve run here shows not only some Java-based marks and your total score in relation to some regular opponents, but the kind of processor this device has as well, product numbers and all. Have a look in the gallery below (images popping up larger so you can see the detail) to witness the glory:

Our first impressions of this tablet are that it’s thin, it seems to be relatively well constructed, and it’s really ready to hit the mid-range tablet market. It’s got a pretty darn powerful processor sitting inside its guts, and the multitude of ports along the left side of the unit are going to be a great selling point. Have a look at the videos above and below and let us know if you’ve got any questions we can answer or tests we can run for the full review, coming up soon!

BONUS here we’ve got yours truly unboxing and running through some apps and the general layout all the way back here in sunny Minnesota:

Note before we go on that the processor inside the Nexus S is a Samsung Hummingbird while the XOOM features the NVIDIA Tegra 2. Inside most recently a report coming from a manufacturer in India, we can surmise that the next processor group Google will be teaming with will be Texas Instruments for their OMAP4 SoC. That same report places the release date for Ice Cream Sandwich to be late October. We’re aware of some chassis specs on this device due to a tipster leak as well as that Samsung will likely host the device known as Nexus Prime because of a pre-fab support page hosted at Samsung – this came in addition to a hidden code at Samsung using the same name: Nexus Prime.

The tipster just mentioned said that the device would have a 4.65-inch display with HD resolution, that the display glass would be curved like the Nexus S, and that the device at whole would be as thin as 8.8mm with a metal chassis. This tipster also mentioned that this device would be called the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. At this point we can also assume that this device will feature NFC capabilities the same as the Nexus S since Google Wallet launches this week in the USA.

There’s more word from late August that says Verizon has no Galaxy S II because they wanted a DROID PRIME exclusive instead. Based on information from an unnamed Droid Guy source, the PRIME, without the DROID bit on it quite yet, is completely separate from the Nexus, this telling us that the NEXUS PRIME is a name meant to misdirect our attention. This source was said to be testing the HTC Vigor as well as the Prime, saying that the Vigor was a better phone, especially since neither of them were running vanilla-flavored Android.

Another bit of possible misdirection was the legal paperwork sent out to some sites in late August noting the name Nexus Prime again, saying they had code for the device before they should have. Mid-August had us once again thinking the Samsung Nexus Prime would be packing Ice Cream Sandwich and coming out in October, while Andy Rubin assured us right after the Motorola deal with Google that the Nexus on Motorola was not a lock-in.

As far as Ice Cream Sandwich goes, we’ve seen what’s very possibly an early look at the face of the new mobile OS as it sat on a Nexus S, and as mentioned above, Texas Instruments is all but a lock in for a big collaboration with Google for Ice Cream Sandwich, regardless of what smartphone manufacturer steps up to provide the chassis.

What do you think? Is there a solid device or three in there? Something Ice Cream Sandwich this way comes?

Also remember to hit up our earlier guide for this device, the Nexus 4G as it was known then, from a few weeks ago.

In a news release showing up this weekend, Shravan notes the following: “Official (“update button”) Ice Cream Sandwich update in November after Google’s launch in late Oct”. This follows the information we just this past week from Eric Schmidt himself as he noted either October or November as the launch window. Next, Shravan notes that he’s pretty sure OMAP will be the chipset of choice for the next-generation Android system. Shravan says “if you go by the industry signals, OMAP is the preferred platform for the next wave of devices.”

If you follow SlashGear, you also know that OMAP with Ice Cream Sandwich is a likely situation. While the last processor manufacturer for a hero device made in accordance with Google’s strict specifications for their version platform launch was NVIDIA and their Tegra 2 SoC for Honeycomb, we’re also banking on the idea that Texas Instruments and their OMAP4 chip will gain an audience with the Google gods.

That said, Shravan is also probably following along, as everyone else in the Android world is following along, with the leaks and spilled possibilities of the Nexus Prime coming quite soon if Samsung has anything to say about it, a hidden code and a legal team all that lies between us and, again, an October release of the Ice Cream Sandwich hero device.

[via Android Community]

The Archos 80 G9 features is the 8-inch version with a 4:3 ratio and 1024 x 768 resolution. The Archos 101 G9 is the 10-inch version with a 16:10 ratio and 1280 x 800 resolution. Inside, the G9 series is powered by Texas Instrument’s 1.5GHz dual-core OMAP 4 processor that Archos touts as 50% faster than NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 processors. There’s also HDMI output and support for 1080p playback.

But perhaps most impressive is the use of Seagate’s HDD with a 250GB capacity that’s the largest used on any tablet currently in the market. Archos says its 8 times more storage at the same cost of a standard 32GB tablet and with all that space you can store over 50 hours of full 1080p HD content.

Both tablets are 3G-ready, meaning that there’s only one version instead of both a Wi-Fi-only and a 3G/Wi-Fi version. The one version supports Wi-Fi and can also support 3G with the addition of a USB dongle. The Archos G9 3G Stick is designed to fit into the back of all G9 tablets to get 3G connectivity. It costs $49 for the 3G Stick.

The Archos 80 G9 is priced at only $279 while the Archos 101 G9 is priced at $349. Competing tablets with similar specs are generally priced starting at $499. This is quite an amazing deal and its scheduled to arrive by the end of September.

The OMAP4470 follows in the footsteps of the existing OMAP4430, the 1GHz dual-core found in the BlackBerry PlayBook, and the dual-core 1.5GHz OMAP4460 currently with developers and expected to show up in commercial products in the second half of 2011. It brings with it the POWERVR SGX544 GFX graphics core running at 384MHz with support for DirectX 9, OpenGL ES 2.0, OpenVG 1.1 and OpenCL 1.1, good for driving a display of up to QXGA 2048 x 1536 resolution or three simultaneous HD screens.

With chips like NVIDIA’s quad-core Kal-El in the pipeline, we asked Granger why TI has stuck with its dual-core strategy. Turns out, the OMAP4470 is a quad-core in a way: the two A9 cores are paired with two ARM Cortex M3 cores, used with TI’s Hardware Composition engine and dual-channel LPDDR2 memory with 7.5Gbps of bandwidth. That unique engine can offset processing – for things like multi-layer UIs – between the M3 cores and the POWERVR GPU and away from the A9 cores: Granger says that means the OMAP4470 isn’t just fast but power frugal, too, as well as offering performance where users particularly want it, in the browser and for graphically-complex games.

That power management, TI claims, means a smartphone or tablet with average batteries using the OMAP4470 is good for up to 10hrs of 1080p HD playback on a single charge, or up to 4hrs of 1080p HD recording. “OMAP4470 delivers the compute horsepower and system bandwidth to drive the best user experience” Granger says, for the “quintessential user experience” of a fluid UI and “class leading” performance.

Pin-for-pin, the new OMAP 4 chip is compatible with its predecessors, which means that manufacturers using the older versions face little work to swap over to the OMAP4470. However, it’s not just QNX and Android hardware which TI has in mind: as a member of the Windows on ARM Initiative, the chipset has been purposefully designed with Microsoft’s upcoming version of Windows 8 for ARM processors in mind. DirectX is one example of that, but generally TI is keen to take on Intel’s x86 chips when it comes to performance and battery life.

“We believe OMAP4470 is a great fit for an ultrathin laptop” Granger explained, highlighting that ARM processors generally add up to stronger battery life than x86 chips and that the latest models are now more than capable of competing on performance, too. Unfortunately he had no comment as to the rumors that TI would be the lead chip partner on Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

The TI OMAP4470 will begin sampling in the second half 0f 2011, with devices using the chipset expected to go on sale in the first half of 2012. As for what comes after that, well, TI’s OMAP 5 platform – led by the OMAP5430 and OMAP5432 – with two 28nm ARM Cortex-A15 MPCores running at up to 2GHz is expected to hit retail in the second half of 2012.

Press Release:

TI’s OMAP4470 apps processor: It’s all about the user experience

Latest OMAPTM 4 platform processor sets new standard for mobile computing, bringing up to QXGA display resolution, HD UIs and 2x Web browsing performance

COMPUTEX, June 2, 2011—Building on the OMAPTM 4 platform family’s technological achievements , Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN) introduced today the power-efficient OMAP4470 applications processor, designed to deliver the perfect balance between processing power, graphics, display subsystem functionality and multilayered user interface (UI) composition. The multicore OMAP4470 processor surpasses current market solutions with clock speeds up to 1.8 GHz, an 80 percent increase in Web browsing performance, increased memory bandwidth, a 2.5x boost in graphics functionality—via the POWERVR SGX544 core from Imagination Technologies—and a unique hardware composition engine. Mobile computing and gaming applications running on operating systems such as Android, Linux and the next version of Microsoft Windows will benefit from the OMAP4470 processor’s enhanced capabilities. Customers designing ultrathin laptops, tablets or smartphones around previously released OMAP 4 processors gain the added benefit of pin-to-pin hardware and software compatibility for maximum re-use and faster time-to-market.

―Superior mobile computing relies on a user experience that dwarfs all others. Fast and crisp Web browsing, HD and liquid UIs, support for the latest applications—these are the elements consumers judge and buy their devices on. The OMAP4470 processor delivers the maximum experience possible with an unmatched, power-efficient architecture,‖ said Remi El-Ouazzane, vice president, OMAP platform business unit, TI.

Making HD UIs a reality

Courtesy of its advanced graphics architecture, OMAP4470 enables customers to leverage tomorrow’s leading-edge display technology by supporting resolution up to QXGA (2048×1536). The new applications processor drives still more unparalleled HD UIs with simultaneous support for up to three HD screens and up to 2x more layered imaging and video composition than competitive solutions—a capability required by the sophisticated UIs of next generation operating systems. This feature is enabled by the combination of a hardware composition engine with a dedicated 2D graphics core, a highly sophisticated display subsystem, and dual-channel LPDDR2 memory enabling up to 7.5 Gbps of throughput to composite the graphics and/or video data output. This frees the GPU to perform graphics-intensive tasks such as gaming or widget creation while the compositing process is assigned to more power-efficient hardware subsystems.

Powerful enough for desktop applications yet highly power-efficient for mobile applications, Imagination Technologies’ POWERVR SGX544 GPU complements the OMAP 4 platform’s promise of high performance, low power. The OMAP4470 processor is the first OMAP offering to leverage the POWERVR SGX544. Combining the SGX544’s features with the sophisticated OMAP architecture enables TI customers to deliver a new set of applications to end-users, including DirectX-driven games and videos.

―Graphics processing is now at the very heart of the mobile computing experience, providing the gateway to an enriched experience of user interface, gaming, location services, web and media,‖ said Hossein Yassaie, CEO, Imagination Technologies.

―Combining the OMAP 4 platform’s low-power, high- performance architecture with the extensive acceleration capabilities and API support of Imagination’s POWERVR SGX544 will enable experiences that will really make people sit up and take notice.

Availability
The 45nm OMAP4470 processor is expected to sample in the second half of 2011, with devices expected to hit the market in first half 2012. These products are intended for high-volume mobile OEMs and ODMs, and are not available through distributors.

The rumor points to the TI OMAP 4 chip as being the chip that Google favors for Ice Cream Sandwich. The reason according to the source of the rumor is that NVIDIA is lacking in engineering depth and innovation. There is also a strong indication that NVIDIA delays are part of the reason for a change. The source reportedly said that TI would deliver when it promised.

The source said, “Nvidia seems to have run out of steam, lacks engineers and has come up against a bit of an innovation wall.” Another rumor claims that Google may be looking at Qualcomm to provide chips for tablets running Android Jello, said to be the version of Android coming after Ice Cream Sandwich. The source says Google is simply going for the processors that seem to be the best at any given time.

[via Android Community]

The Pathpartner system uses OMAP4′s crunching abilities to compress 720p HD into something a 3G mobile network could happily handle, and the TI Blaze developer unit running the app was hooked up to an HDTV to prove the quality was top-notch. Pathpartner is in talks with Skype now, regarding getting officially certified, and hopefully that means we should see it on Android devices sooner rather than later.

Ittiam, meanwhile, were doing interesting things with four video streams, taking advantage of OMAP4′s video abilities to process four simultaneous connections. Only one “host” device need be OMAP4 based – other participants can “dial in” from other platforms – and the company sees it being useful for enterprise clients wanting to cut down on travel time to meetings, since the compression should allow it to be used over 3G connections.

Talking to TI earlier today, the company was at pains to highlight that it had been talking about – and, more importantly, working on building in support for at the chipset level – Full HD 3D support in its chips since the first days of the OMAP4, whereas rivals have come to those capabilities more recently. That means on Tegra 2 the ARM processor has to do the crunching, whereas in the OMAP4 it’s shunted to dedicated DSP.

TI’s OMAP5, meanwhile, will add in chipset-level support for four simultaneous camera streams, which will mean devices using it will be able to record 3D using twin cameras on both sides. That opens the door to 3D streaming video calls.

Video demo after the cut

The pad of paper is completely normal; the only specialist hardware is a stylus with an ultrasonic emitter at the tip. Three microphones feed directly into the OMAP4 chipset, which has DSP to do the necessary positioning crunching. In the current demo – which EPOS only took a month to put together – the OMAP4 Blaze developer device tracks pen movement in a pad-sized area to the side of the device, but eventually it will be able to monitor the full 360-degrees around.

It works surprisingly well, even in this prototype stage. EPOS’s existing product uses a clip-on sensor array that fits to the top of a pad, but with the new system you could simply put your phone down on a table, pull out the special stylus and start writing, with the text being saved digitally on the device. You could then run handwriting recognition, or squirt it into something like Evernote which can search handwritten notes.

The best thing about the system is, the hardware requirements are core to the abilities of the OMAP4 chipset; all the device needs is a triple microphone array, to triangulate the position of the pen. No word on release dates at this stage.

Video demo after the cut

By rotating and clenching a fist in front of the camera, the gallery could be zoomed and panned around in 3D space. TI envisage it being used in HD-capable smartphones, plugged into an HDTV and then gestures for navigating through content, allowing you to control your media without, say, getting up from the couch or reaching for the remote.

However, in future a single device – with a high powered OMAP5 chipset – could run a Minority Report style gesture system, well exceeding the power of an Atom CPU in a smartphone-scale form-factor. OMAP5 devices are expected to reach the market by the holiday 2012 season.

Video demo after the cut

Other ports include DVI-D (which will work simultaneously with the HDMI), USB Host and USB OTG Host, together with ethernet.  There’s also an OpenGL ES v2.0 graphics engine, SD card slot, serial port, audio in/out and a camera connector.

The whole thing measures in at 4.5 x 4.0 inches and there’s plenty of support at the official site.  The PandaBoard is available to buy now, priced at $174, and ships worldwide.

Press Release:

Meet PandaBoard: Low-cost, open OMAP™ 4 processor-based mobile software development platform

Dual-core ARM® Cortex™-A9 performance, rich multimedia capabilities and community-driven support make $174 PandaBoard a one-of-a-kind tool for open source mobile software development

DALLAS, October 27, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Mobile software developers now have an accessible, well-equipped open source development tool based on the high performance OMAP™ 4 platform in the form of PandaBoard. This new, low-cost board provides unprecedented access to the OMAP 4 applications processor platform from Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI), which is power- and performance-optimized for Smartphones and other mobile devices. A growing online community of Linux experts supports PandaBoard developers designing on various mobile open source software distributions such as Android, Angstrom, Chrome, MeeGo and Ubuntu.

What should mobile software developers do?
Get involved! Join the community at http://pandaboard.org/content/community/home
Order a board! Boards are available now through Digi-Key Corp. at http://www.digikey.com
Review and submit projects! http://pandaboard.org/content/projects
Features & benefits of PandaBoard:
The OMAP 4 platform-based PandaBoard includes an OMAP4430 processor with two ARM® Cortex™-A9 processors (running at 1 GHz each) delivering symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) performance, as well as rich multimedia and 3D graphics support. The board also includes WLAN and Bluetooth® connectivity technologies. PandaBoard offers the ideal platform to support projects leveraging all its capabilities within the tight mobile power budget. More “wild” out-of-the-box technical features of PandaBoard include:

Feature
Spec

OMAP4430

Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore (cores run at 1 GHz each)
Ample MIPS for rich applications
Multimedia

Full 1080p30 multi-standard HD record and playback
OpenGL® ES v2.0 graphics engine
Memory

1GB LPDDR2 (DRAM)
Wireless connectivity

WiLink™ 6.0 (802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth® v2.1 +EDR)
Display

HDMI v1.3 connector for HD display
DVI-D connector for simultaneous dual display
Expansion

USB host
USB OTG host
Support

Open-source hardware design
Open-source community engagement

Pricing, availability, and more:
Cost: USD $174
Regions shipped to: Worldwide
Availability date: Today
Where to buy: http://www.digikey.com
Video introduction: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/pandaboard/39158/
Community access: http://pandaboard.org/content/community/home
Mailing list: pandaboard@googlegroups.com
IRC chat: http://pandaboard.org/irc
Project review and submission: http://pandaboard.org/content/projects
Other portals showcasing PandaBoard: http://omapworld.org and http://designsomething.org

The gestures are viewed by the camera of the device and then convert the gestures into actions on the screen. Rather than swiping a finger across the screen the user would just swipe a finger in the air above the screen and the gesture would be recognized. The control system uses a single low-resolution camera like the ones used in devices for video conferencing already.

The system is able to recognize single or multiple finger gestures with point, click, drag, scroll, zoom, and rotate. Using the TI and XTR solution the users of a smartphone coupled control the device while walking, driving, or control a smartphone connected to their TV from across the room. When we can expect this sort of device to hit the market is unknown.

We just caught wind of the Blaze tablet, which features Texas Instruments’ OMAP4. Designed specifically around the Blaze development platform, which in of itself is designed to maximize software compatibility. In the tablet, you can make room for a cellular modem, WLAN, Bluetooth, GPS, and even FM connectivity. They’re all reconfigurable, using the same sockets as the Blaze development platform.

The Blaze tablet will also support new features and applications, thanks to the multiple external camera modules, as well as the external DLP pico-projector, which can be given multiple attachments, as well as an extended field of view. Inside, you’ll find the OMAP4430 1GHz processor, which should leave you wanting nothing more for quite some time.

As for the tablet itself, you’ll get your hands on a 10.4-inch XVGA (1024 x 768) LCD touchscreen display, as well as two USB ports. You can also power the tablet thanks to USB power, if that’s what you’re into. As for memory, it has 1GB lpDDR2, and 32GB eMMC tucked away inside. And, for the record, this isn’t a tablet for the mainstream out there — it’s designed for developers, so if the shoe fits, this may be the next tablet you pick up. You can sign up for email newsletter at the site, right here, but hopefully we won’t have to wait until the end of August to get our hands on one. In the mean time, check out our video of the hands-on we did have with Blaze.

Blaze Tablet features

Core Logic
OMAP4430 1GHz application and multimedia processor IC
TWL6030 Phoenix power management IC
TWL6040 Phoenix audio IC
CDC3S04 clock driver IC
Memory
1 GB lpDDR2
32 GB eMMC v4.41
Display
10.4” XGA (1024 x 768) LCD
One (1) standard v1.1a DisplayPort connector
External pico DLP Projector Support
HDMI
User Interface
Projected Capacitance Touch (PCT) sensor
Multi-touch capable touch screen controller
Three (3) tri-color status LEDs used as backlight for “OS” buttons
Two (2) unbalanced mass vibration motors
Buttons and Switches
One (1) recessed, externally operable reset button
One (1) power on/off button
Three (3) front screen “OS” buttons
One (1) “lock” switch
One (1) battery mode switch
Serial Interfaces
One (1) HS USB OTG
Two (2) HS USB host ports
Removable Media
One (1) full size 8-bit SD/MMC external connector
One (1) full size SD/MMC internal connector
One (1) SIM card for modem support
Audio
One (1) 3.5 mm stereo headset jack for audio output and MIC input
Two (2) 1W RMS speakers
Four (4) digital microphones
Expansion
One (1) COM connector for connectivity modules
One (1) full miniPCIe connector for modem modules
Connectivity
WLAN (802.11a/b/g/n) via WL1283 COM7 module
BT via WL1283 COM7 module
GPS via WL1283 COM7 module
FM TX/RX via WL1283 COM7 module
Modem (Wide Area Network) Support
LTE modem support via standard miniPCIe module
3G modem support via standard miniPCIe module
To clarify, only one modem can be used at any given moment
Sensors
3-axis accelerometer
3-axis gyro
Temperature sensor
Ambient light sensor
Proximity sensor
Pressure (barometric) sensor
Digital compass
External Camera modules (optional)
5MP AF camera modules mounted externally on tablet frame
The camera module(s) will be connected to the Blaze via standard HDMI cables
Each OMAP4430 CSI-2 camera interface will have a dedicated HDMI-style connector
Mechanical
The mechanical envelope, is 10.48″ (266.094 mm) x 8.28″ (210.294 mm) x 1.14″ (29 mm)
The frame of Blaze Tablet is aluminum
The frame of the Blaze Tablet will be grooved to allow for external camera module and pico DLP projector attachment
The attachment system will provide flexibility to the pointing angles of the external camera modules and pico DLP projector
Power
Support for USB power
One (1) standard 5V input for wall power
4100 mAHr single-cell LiON Battery
Debug
One (1) 802.3 (wired) Ethernet port (RJ-45 connector)
One (1) MIPI Test and Debug connector
One (1) USB connector which has serial (UART) data
Optional debug LEDs

[via SVTronics; thanks Chris!]

The OMAP Blaze mobile development platform (MDP) was created solely for developers wanting to learn how to take advantage of the OMAP4 platform. And in doing so, Texas Instruments managed to create a monster gadget. Featuring not only one, but two 3.7-inch WVGA displays, dual front cameras, a 12MP camera on the back, and an integrated 15-lumen DLP pico-projector. You’ve also got HDMI connectivity, ethernet, and USB 2.0 for good measure. GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth are also featured.

You’ve got an expansive full, physical QWERTY keyboard to go along with the package too. As for the models available, you can choose from the Blaze sEVM4430 with Pico Projector ($1,999.00), Blaze sEVM4430 without Pico ($1,799.00), Blaze sEVM4430 1GHz without Pico Interim ($1,799.00), and the Blaze sEVM4430 without Pico Interim ($1,799.00). So, while the model numbers are the same, there’s some major differences in features for each device. Luckily though, the prices don’t vary all that much. All of the above models are available for purchase right now from SVTronics’ website, so if you’re interested for developing for the advanced chipset, go ahead and take the plunge. And if you do, let us know how it goes, won’t you?

[via SVTronics; thanks Chris!]

Tablets are an obvious choice – and I’ve made no bones about my love of the platform – with NVIDIA’s second-gen Tegra already picked for Notion Ink’s slate and various other companies showing off prototypes or shipping tablets built on their offerings. Their frugality also makes them equally at home in smartphones, and of course chipsets like Snapdragon have already found their place in smartbooks such as HP Compaq’s Airlife 100.

Drilling down, though, what’s possible now that we couldn’t necessarily do before? Dual-display devices are shipping in a limited way already – Barnes & Noble’s nook is on shelves, and Entourage’s eDGe should arrive with preorder customers imminently – but the breadth of their flexibility is pared down. Most if not all of the new chipsets discussed at MWC can support high-resolution output to at least two panels simultaneously; something like TI’s OMAP4 can drive dual on-device screens while pumping out 1080p HD via an HDMI in fact.

Texas Instruments OMAP4 demo:

So, how about two displays – let’s make them low-power, using a 10-inch Pixel Qi panel or a 5.6-inch mirasol one – in a clamshell, book-style form factor, similar to what MSI and others have mocked up in recent months. Those touchscreen netbook concepts have generally run Intel’s Atom platform, but with the latest ARM chipsets they could have better multimedia prowess, longer battery life and the same sort of internet flexibility as the x86 chip. They can also be smaller; I’m picturing something similar to a paperback novel, maybe with a hinge that opens wide enough to stand the device up in landscape orientation for hands-free video watching. Given the chipsets can crunch more megapixels than mobile-sized CMOS sensors have to offer, we’ll throw a high-resolution camera with 1080p HD recording in there too; something like the OMAP4 can simultaneously encode Full HD and a lower-resolution, 3G-friendly stream for livecasting.

Since ubiquitous connectivity – kicking off from WiFi and Bluetooth, and of course migrating up through 3G and 4G technologies like WiMAX and LTE – is a given, there’d be no question about making voice-calls (either traditionally or VoIP, and perhaps using a Bluetooth headset or speakerphone) or supporting push-email and real-time social networking updates from Facebook, Twitter and others. Where the true game changer would occur is in removing the battery worry; imagine not having to ration out your usage during the day, safe in the knowledge that you have hour after hour ahead of you. I’d take some sort of inductive charging cradle, perhaps with an HDMI output, for opportune top-ups, but every chipset firm is promising more HD video playback (from a standard smartphone battery) than you could feasibly watch during a single day.

An always-on device should play nicely with the other gadgets you have around you, and that means streamlining ad-hoc pairing and cleverly managing what information gets presented at what time. We’ve seen some companies – such as Motorola with MOTOBLUR – try to do the latter already, but smartphones lack the processing grunt to bring true intelligence to the issue. In my opinion a successful mobile device doesn’t just replicate the desktop experience, mainly because it’s intended to span different contexts; instead, it translates information to suit the user’s situation. Next-gen chipsets are powerful enough to take sensor input from the real world – look, say, at TI’s gesture recognition research, which uses a basic webcam to track hand-movements – and understand the context a user is in, filtering information accordingly. If I’m driving (something that could be worked out from GPS speed, tracking my hands on the wheel, or various other sensor inputs) then the device would know to prioritise only calls and messages from the core group of contacts its seen me communicate regularly with, perhaps making an exception for those people geographically nearby just in case I’m planning on visiting them.

Texas Instruments gesture recognition:

How about gaming? The iPhone 3GS has gained quite a reputation for itself as a decent mobile gaming platform, thanks in no small part to its PowerVR SGX graphics chipset, but our imaginary dual-display device could blow it out the water. Like the Nintendo DSi – only with bigger screens than even the new DSi XL – you could have dual displays for more complex gaming setups; or, since the next-gen chipsets are happy driving different content and running various high-performance apps simultaneously, play games on one screen while monitoring email, browser and other more typical smartphone tasks on the other. Alternatively, how does plugging in an HDTV via HDMI sound, putting your gaming on a big screen? We’re talking graphics capabilities potential on a par with an Xbox 360 or PS3.

We’re approaching a tipping-point where power management, connectivity, software and – most importantly – user imagination and expectations are promising to coalesce and kick the next generation of mobile devices up another level of functionality. Of course, not everybody wants the same degree of convergence I’ve described, but the key factor is that it’s possible and with less compromise than is necessary right now. You don’t have to be an avid gamer to recognise the potential of a chipset that can crunch polygons without breaking its stride, just like you don’t have to be a heavy-duty social network addict to appreciate a device that’s intelligent enough to tailor its alerts to what’s going on around it. The sort of smarts in that sort of device will be enough to make today’s so-called smartphones look dumb indeed.

Marvell ARMADA 618 demo:

Texas Instruments had to create a special build of Android to support the Blaze’s dual displays, and they’ve been careful not to break app compatibility in the process.  Apps directly downloaded from the Android Market will simply run in the top touchscreen, with the bottom used more as a launcher.  However TI are working with developers to show them how to better take advantage of the multiple displays on offer, whether that merely be choosing which screen the software shows up on, to offsetting controls and other features across multiple panels.  Theoretically – on a non-QWERTY device – you could have an on-screen keyboard on one touchscreen and the app UI on the other.  Best news is, TI are feeding back their code to Google for potential inclusion in future Android releases.

We asked TI what differentiated OMAP4 from rival platforms, such as NVIDIA’s Tegra, and understandably they seemed confident their offering goes the extra mile.  In their own words, not all ARM cores are created equal, and something that might seem identical on paper might perform considerably differently in a real device.  TI reckon OMAP4 has better power management and performance than Tegra, as well as enhancements in graphics processing.  They’re also pushing their interlinked communications modules – such as the WiLink 7.0 – and highlighting their Neon companion cores which reduce main processor load by allowing devices to offset graphics crunching, such as Android’s open-source Skia graphics engine.

There’s also, of course, the ability to encode not only 1080p HD video, but 3D video.  OMAP4 is capable of simultaneously recording 720p HD quality footage from stereoscopic video cameras, and in fact TI say they’re “uniquely positioned” to offer dual-channel 3D.  While the Blaze’s main camera is on the back, up front there are two other cameras which can be used together to encode 3D streams; meanwhile, the OMAP4 is also capable of driving 3D displays when they become more widespread.  On a full charge of a regular 1,000 to 1,200 mAh smartphone battery, you could play in excess of 10hrs 1080p HD video.

As for availability of the Blaze unit itself, it’s currently sampling to some TI partners and will see broader availability midway through 2010.  Pricing is not yet confirmed, though to put it into context the company’s previous OMAP development device ran to around $1,000; Blaze will likely be a little more than that, thanks to the dual touchscreens and pico-projector.  The OMAP4 chipset, meanwhile, is also sampling right now, and should turn up in smartphones within the next year.

TI say they’re also in talks with PMP, PND, ebook, tablet and other consumer electronics vendors, though of course they’re mentioning no names.  Expect a variety of form-factors, however, potentially including dual-display clamshells and smartbooks.

Texas Instruments Blaze OMAP4 demo: