The new integrated circuit has an I2C interface and supports USB OTG. Texas Instruments promises that its new integrated circuit not only delivers faster charging, but delivers cooler charging to a wide range of products including power banks and packs, 4G LTE routers, Wi-Fi speakers, portable medical devices, smartphones, tablets, and more. TI says that its new integrated circuit will reduce charge time by 50% for smartphones and tablets compared to other charging solutions.

The new integrated circuit has a 4.5-amp output and a 20-volt input. The integrated circuit has a unique battery pack with impedance compensation that enables significantly reduced charging time. The solution also achieves 92% efficiency at 2 A and up to 90% efficiency at four amps output current.

The new integrated circuit also has a programmable thermal regulation temperature allowing designers to improve their system-level design. The circuit also promises the industry’s lowest on-resistance of 12 milliohms to extend the battery runtime. The circuit is also designed to prevent overcharging and it’s very small with TI saying it is the smallest and most integrated battery charging solution available with its feature set measuring 4 mm x 4 mm. There’s no indication of when products using this new integrated circuit will come to market.

[via TI]

DLP Pico product classes include mobile phones, tablets, digital video players, mobile accessories, and near-eye displays. Reduced power consumption is hugely important for mobile devices. The IntelliBright algorithms allow the technology to intelligently analyze image content in real-time and create broader, higher contrast images without raising the net power consumption for the device. Better image quality is promised in bright light conditions including longer battery life.

The technology will allow manufacturers to tailor the product performance in specific needs of their customers and devices. IntelliBright uses two different patent pending algorithms to achieve its low-power and high image quality goals. One of the algorithms is called Content-Adaptive Illumination Control and the other is Local Area Brightness Boost. Both of these algorithms operate autonomously and can be tuned independently by the manufacturer.

The Content-Adaptive Illumination Control algorithm automatically adjusts red, green, and blue illumination strength on a frame-by-frame basis and can be configured to maintain a constant image brightness resulting in less power consumption. It can also be configured to maintain constant illumination power, boosting image brightness. The Local Area Brightness Boost also operates on a frame-by-frame basis and identifies dark areas in bright areas within a frame in the and adds in a programmable amount of gain to the dark areas for more viewable image. The technology also supports an optional integrated ambient light sensor allowing the picture to be tuned even more for ideal viewability and power savings.

[via DLP.com]

This collaboration will have Audi’s High infotainment systems bringing on the multimedia applications unit (MMX) with flare, here making their integrated radio and card control unit (RCC) a reality with TI under the hood. The Audi part of this equation was debuted with the 2012 Audi A3, a vehicle with a set of feature-rich interfaces and vivid digital radio and audio action from top to bottom.

Texas Instruments contribution is the Jacinto 5 (C6000), a processing amalgamation with a fabulous integrated ARM Cortex A8 core for managing middleware, drivers, and application stacks. This unit also works with a digital signal processor (DSP) for powering audio, radio, and automotive low-level tasks. This chip is not only powerful, but cost-effective, this allowing you to afford a vehicle that brings next-level processing in the computing department without breaking your bank.

This unit is also designed specifically to be future-proof with a modular approach, this bringing the flexibility to integrate future consumer-demanded features to the MMX unit at will. Matthew Watson, product line manager, audio and infotainment at Texas Instruments had the following to say about the setup:

“TI and Audi’s collaboration has produced a truly paramount automotive infotainment system. Our scalable Jacinto 5 processing architecture enables Audi to equip consumers with leading-edge capabilities, without an on-going R&D investment for stable automotive features. The rich multimedia, high integration and extended lifecycle of the MIB High System will keep drivers and passengers entertained, informed and connected for the long run.” – Watson

This is all fabulous news not only for Audi and their futuristic automotive lineup, but Texas Instruments as well – have a peek at the timeline below to see some other recent Texas Instruments news to track their path to Audi for the foreseeable future!

We learned today that Call of Duty: Black Ops II sold 1 million copies at GameStop alone on launch day – news that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone – and Rockstar delivered the second trailer for Grand Theft Auto V after weeks of new screenshots and news for the highly anticipated game. RIM CEO Thorsten Heins is confident that BlackBerry 10 will be a big hit when it arrives early next year, while the HTC Windows Phone 8X and Nokia Lumia 820 landed at T-Mobile today.

Steve Wozniak expressed his fear that Microsoft is doing more to innovate than Apple is, while we learned that text messaging is showing a decline for the first time ever. The HTC DLX – better known by the name of HTC DROID DNA here in the United States – will be launching in China on December 6, while AT&T launched its 4G LTE network in a number of new markets today. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been added to the Queen’s royal collection, and sadly, the final issue of Nintendo Power has been finished, which means that the magazine’s offices have gone dark.

We heard the very sad news that Texas Instruments plans to lay off 1,700 workers in an attempt to save some cash, while Google added one-click app installs to Google Plus feeds today. One father went to the trouble of changing the text in The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker to show his daughter that it isn’t always boys who get to be the hero, some EA Origin members are having issues with hijacked accounts, and the Facebook Pages feed is ready for some time in the spotlight.

Finally tonight, we have a couple of different reviews coming your way, both from Chris Burns. First up we’ve got a review of Roger Dean’s Dragons Dream for iOS, followed by a review of the HTC Windows Phone 8X from T-Mobile. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, enjoy the rest of your night everyone!

In a statement today, the company reiterated plans to “focus its OMAP processors and wireless connectivity solutions on a broader set of embedded applications with long life cycles, instead of its historical focus on the mobile market where large customers are increasingly developing their own custom chips.” This is all in an attempt to save money moving forward, and Texas Instruments expects this move to result in annualized savings for $450 million by the end of 2013.

Texas Instruments elected to go this route because making these changes will be less expensive than other options, but the company will still be paying a hefty sum to implement this shift in focus. TI expects the changes to cost a total of $325 million, most of which will be covered in the current quarter’s financials. Even though Texas Instruments will have to plop down a lot of cash to make the shift it needs to, it sounds like the company will still come out on top.

It’s just a shame to hear that nearly 2,000 employees will have to lose their jobs in order for Texas Instruments to save some money. Hopefully the company’s plan works out, because if it doesn’t, even more people may be out of a job in the future. Stay tuned.

We heard that there could be as many as 24 different iPad Mini models when Apple finally gets around to revealing the device, and we got to see the insides of the new iPod Nano thanks a teardown from iFixit. Excited for the Padfone 2? If you are, you’ll be pleased to know that its tablet dock can stand up to some abuse. We found out that Intel’s Q3 profits were negatively influenced by slowing demand for PCs, and heard that the average screen size is on the rise for all types of devices except for “mobile PCs.”

A mysterious Texas Instruments-made chip was found lurking inside Apple’s Lightning cable today, and Verizon is catching some heat for monitoring user activity. PlayMG revealed a dedicated Android gaming device called the MG, and AVADirect put a number of Windows 8 PCs up for pre-order today. We heard that T-Mobile might be getting the iPhone 5 early next year, and were told that LTE customers in the US pay 10 times more than LTE customers in Sweden. If you’re a hardcore gamer, you might be pleased to find out that the rechargeable battery in the Wii U Pro controller could potentially last up to 80 hours on a single charge, and you also might want to check out this snazzy Black Ops II launch trailer.

Bethesda might be working on a new piece of Skyrim DLC called Dragonborn, and controversial company Foxconn admitted to hiring underage workers today. The Xbox 360 was given a new dashboard update, Beats Audio unveiled a new portable speaker that has been aptly named “The Pill,” and Boxee announced a new service called Boxee TV. Finally tonight, we have a review of the LG Optimus G and the Motorola DROID RAZR HD, both by Chris Burns, and Vincent Nguyen talks with Microsoft to get the inside scoop on what makes the Surface such a game-changer. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, enjoy the rest of your night!

That’s because B&N’s NOOK Color and newer NOOK Tablet HD/HD+ tablets all use Texas Instruments’ OMAP processors, potentially leaving them sourcing chips from a company owned by their direct rival. Should the deal go through, B&N would likely turn to a alternative source for its silicon, though the cost of switching architecture could prove problematic.

According to the sources, the potential acquisition is valued in the billions of dollars. TI would be left to bring its attention to bear on embedded chips, which it has singled out as – though less instantly lucrative than mobile chipsets – more stable in the long-term than the highly competitive phone/tablet processor market.

For Amazon, it would be an opportunity to follow Apple and Samsung in developing chips tweaked specifically for its own purposes. Apple has used that freedom to create the A4, A5, and A6 that have appeared in recent iOS devices (and which have long been tipped to show up, in more advanced form, in future MacBook notebooks), carefully tailoring hardware to software so as to maximize performance and battery life.

In the case of Kindle, about which Amazon has already confirmed that it makes no profit on hardware sales, custom chips could mean cheaper tablets and ereaders, thus helping lower the cost of entry to new customers for ebooks, movies, music, and apps. TI has declined to comment specifically on the rumors, though reiterated its previous position of looking to transition its market of choice.

[via Bright Side of News]

In our hands-on demo here you’ll find that we’ve got an Apple Digital AV Adapter working with the HDMI input on the device – this adapter is sold separately, and you should note that you’ll need it to work with the iPhone and the iPad. This is a similar situation to most other smart devices as it’s rare that you’ll find one that outputs directly to full-sized HDMI. Of course there’s always the Motorola lineup of Android smartphones, for the most part – ease in conversions via built-in HDMI right out of the box! You get a 3 foot HDMI cable, a micro-HDMI adapter, and a mini-HDMI adapter included in the package.

The Brookstone HDMI Pocket Projector contains a 3800mAh battery that’s both rechargeable and is able to act as an output battery for your mobile devices through the projector’s full-sized USB port. This means that if you’ve got a smartphone that you’re using to output to HDMI and you’re in need of some extra power for the phone itself, you’ve only to plug into the projector with your standard USB cord to the phone. Of course that means a much quicker drain on the battery that’s already working quite hard if you’re projecting at the same time, but there’s always the chance of emergency – and you won’t find this feature on one whole heck of a lot of similar devices either, I can tell you that.

You’ve got dual built-in speakers that are quite generous, made for a small space and loud enough for a crowd of just a few people. You’ve got an audio out port though for extra speaker action if the standard inbuilt speakers are not enough for you. The focus of your picture is done with a simple adjuster up near the front lens, the projection shining bright and up to 1080p resolution in a 60-inch image on your wall.

And it is indeed quite bright and sharp – amongst the best we’ve seen. The mega-bright LED lamp projects at what Brookstone notes is 85 lumens “for up to 2 hours on a single charge.” We’ve also found this claim to be quite accurate – with a full charge, we’ve been able to watch full-length movies unplugged without a problem.

The whole device measures in at 3.9 w x 3.8 d x 0.89 inch h, and weighs in at half a pound – it’s small enough to fit in your pocket and light enough to forget about. The cords will be the only hassle you’ll have to consider when thinking on your next anywhere-use projector experience. And even those aren’t going to be a big deal if you’ve got a simple converter for HDMI – minimalize!

This device will cost you $299.99 USD straight from Brookstone right this minute, and they’ve got their free shipping online deal going now for all devices over $99 – or you can grab it from your local Brookstone store too, right in hand. With enhanced DLP technology from Texas Instruments bringing the brightness and sharpness to this beast up front, you’ll have the whole big-time light-blasting world at your fingertips right out of the box.

There’s been a delay with the Blackmagic Cinema Camera because of a sensor glitch. The Hubble Space Telescope has taken a new deepest photo ever of the universe. You’ll be working with the first beta of Cloudee Texas Instruments has decided to sideline their processor business until further notice for mobile devices – say goodbye to OMAP, strangely enough.

Have a peek at the new Sky+ 2TB HD box with on-demand TV and iPad second screen app – it’s strange and hot! EA Sports FIFA Soccer 13 launches in the USA and everyone remembers that outside the United States people actually really have a heavy love for the sport! There was a flaw in the Samsung Galaxy S III working with remote wiping but it’s been patched at this time – no worries! Google has brought their mapping abilities to a new low – or high, however you look at it – with no less than underwater Street View!

We’ve got a BMW X1 Crossover Review for you to take a look at – Chris Davies is inside! We’ve taken a hands-on look at the Barnes & Noble NOOK HD and HD+ right here at the reveal. RIM has release a collection of BlackBerry 10 development tools for your perusal – coming up quick!

Nonetheless, that sounds like something of a stop-gap measure as TI exits the mobile chip industry. “We believe that opportunity is less attractive as we go forward” TI senior VP for embedded processing Greg Delagi said of phone and tablet chipsets; the company will no longer invest to the same extent in its customers roadmaps for upcoming models.

Exactly what sort of timescale TI has in mind for that scaled-back involvement is unclear, and the market has already reacted pessimistically. Delagi conceded that the embedded systems market would take more time to develop than the hotly-contested wireless market, but insisted that the transition would “generate a more stable, profitable long-term business” for TI as a result.

TI’s embedded chips are finding their way into increasingly complex in-car systems, driving internet-connected navigation and entertainment, as well as other industries where the gigahertz-chasing of mobile isn’t such an issue. The rapid evolution of wireless chipsets, as well as companies like Apple and Samsung opting to make their own ARM-based processors rather than externally source them, means competition has grown significantly in recent months.

Nonetheless, it’s an unusual decision to have made, and one TI’s partners are likely looking at with no small degree of suspicion. Barnes & Noble’s new NOOK HD and HD+ tablets, for instance, are based on Texas Instrument’s OMAP4xxx series of chipsets, and RIM has used TI chips for its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Many of TI’s more recent high-profile launches have shifted away from such applications, however, including a push into the so-called “internet of things.”

This Kindle Fire HD 7 machine works with Elpida B8164B3PF-1D-F 8 Gb (1 GB) DDR2 RAM for your high-power needs and does indeed bring Bluetooth 4.0 and an PF radio as well- tune in! It’s discovered in this teardown that the display is made by LG and that the LCD and front glass panel are fused together. This means that replacing one means replacing the other – not an easy thing to deal with even if you’re a regular repairer.

The good news for repairers out there is that the back panel is relatively easy to remove, the battery isn’t held with adhesive, and the simplicity of the entire machine means you’ll be able to take it apart with ease. Most of the screws inside the machine are the same and only a bit of copper tape over the processor was difficult for the iFixit team to work with. The headphone jack is separate from the rest of the motherboard, this allowing easy replacement, and the screws only range between Philips #00 screws and a single T5 Torx screw.

Have a peek at our hands-on and featured posts from the past week in the timeline below, and stay tuned for our full review of the Kindle Fire HD 7 soon. Don’t scrimp on the questions, also – let us know what else you want to know!

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!

One of the most fabulous elements in this software solution is the lack of a need for the end-user to calibrate anything. It just works right out of the box. Stig Torud of Remote Control Strategic Marketing and Wireless Connectivity Solutions for Texas Instruments spoke on the product this week, noting how pleased TI is to have the Hillcrest crew bringing their tech together with the next generation of Smart TVs: “Hillcrest’s MotionEngine Lite software combined with TI’s ZigBee RF4CE and Bluetooth low energy solutions bring low-latency and high-performance cursor control to Smart TV, set-top box, and PC motion remote controls.”

The software being used here, Freespace MotionEngine Lite, works with both accelerometers and gyroscopes to bring on Smart TV navigation as well as web browsing and point-and-click gaming galore. Orientation (or roll) compensation is in place here, as is precise cursor control and no-effort real-time sensor calibration. MotionEngine Lite is able to function with Hillcrest’s host-based Gesture Recognition Engine for cursor gestures as well. This means that the controller is able to make more than 50 pre-defined gestures right out of the box and that it comes with an SDK for developers to be able to create more gestures in the future.

The device you’re seeing above and integrated into the MotionEngine Lite logo are the Hillcrest Scoop Pointer. This device is used to demonstrate the software and give a visual to the software before it’s implemented on a variety of hardware setups. Texas Instruments’ ZigBee RF4CE and Bluetooth low energy solutions will have the software pre-integrated while a collection of Hillcrest’s remote control OEM partners (including their preferred partners SMK and UEI) will have the next-generation solution in place soon as well.

Causing headaches – metaphorically – so far has been sufficiently stabilizing the frequency of the terahertz waves, with TI and the Dallas team building on research funded earlier in 2012 by Semiconductor Research Corp. into CMOS detectors. TI uses a phase-locked loop to stabilize at around the 390GHz point, “the highest frequency ever demonstrated for a phase-locked loop” according to TI design engineer Brian Ginsburg.

Future iterations will see that number climb, however, with targets of 600GHz or higher for TI’s 45nm processes. Boosting the output power is also on the agenda, with the current prototype mustering 2.2 microWatts.

As well as the health benefits from reducing potentially cancer-causing X-ray exposure, terahertz alternatives could also be more flexible in how they are implemented. Optical components such as lenses could be used to reflect and direct the waves, potentially making for more compact equipment.

[via Slashdot]

Featured: We’ve got a whole slew of featured articles for you today. We’ll start off with this – TI’s world’s smallest IR temp sensor hands-on. And moving on to Android stuff – OMAP 5 Android development platform hands-on. And if you’re looking for an insightful column, here’s one for ya – Micosoft brand Windows 8 tablet must be developer-only. And finally, yes, more TI stuff – Windows RT Texas Instruments development platform tablet hands-on.

Apple, Dropbox, & Kinectimals: So let’s wrap up this crazy week with some interesting fare. For starters, you’ll love this one – Apple 1 motherboard reaches $300K at auction. Yeah, that’s right – $300,000. And moving on to something that’s maybe a bit more relevant to your daily lives – Dropbox confirms public folder phase-out. And finally, we always like to end the week on a fun note – Kinectimals for Android released.

On the laptop you’ll see how the sensor is placed on the motherboard looking down at the case, seeking information that’ll allow the manufacturer to seek out solutions to “burning leg syndrome.” The sensor itself does not make contact with the pieces of machinery whose temperature it measures, unlike most temperature sensors, yet is able to give more accurate results than other solutions anyway.

Below you’ll see a chart that shows the printed circuit board (PCB) temperature of a system (not the laptop seen above, just an example), as well as the actual temperature of the case of the device that’s being tested by TI’s solution. TI’s infrared temperature sensor’s results are shown on the red line – here you’ll see that TI’s solution follows the correct temperature (the actual case temperature) most accurately.

This chart comes from a release on Wireless Design & Development from Texas Instruments written by the same man you see in the video above, Daniel Mar, who offers the following thought on the matter:

“Can’t touch this? For designers and consumers alike, the question of whether the newest geekiest gadget is too hot to touch may be a sensory concern of the past. Thanks to IR temperature measurements, our next generation gadgets can achieve the trifecta: safer, faster, and thinner.” – Mar

Have a peek at the timeline below to stay up-to-date on all things Texas Instruments as they keep the mobile and not-so-mobile world up to date and future-rolling!

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 our hands-on experience here in brief are several elements including multitasking while streaming, end-to-end streaming, protected content, and full display mirroring for fabulous HDTV gaming. The demo unit being used here is a OMAP4470 developer tablet working with WiLink 7.0. Texas Instruments demoed this solution this week at their developer event in the USA and plans on pushing it to OMAP5 with WiLink 8.0 by the end of the year.

You can either mirror your display or work in a way which allows you to push video to your HDTV and continue to use your tablet (or whatever device this environment ends up being pushed to) as you normally would. This is but one of several demonstrations we’ve seen this week courtesy of Texas Instruments – have a peek at the timeline below to see what else the processor makers had to offer!

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.

This device works with a wide variety of Samsung applications made perfect for the Galaxy Tab 2 and Galaxy Player lineup including AllShare, Samsung Media Hub, and Peel smart remote. These applications allow you to control your media on a variety of players and alternate screens as well as share between devices with great ease. You’ll find apps like ChatON popping up on the Galaxy S III as well, it made for Samsung devices to communicate between one another in a powerful way not unlike what BlackBerry did with their BB Messenger.

Here you’ve got a device with a 10.1-inch display, front-facing speakers, and essentially the same setup as you had with the previous Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, the difference being in the selling points – the apps, the way the tablet is marketed, and the processor inside. Instead of the NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor, you’ve got an OMAP4 dual-core processor from Texas Instruments. This means you no longer have access to the Tegra Zone as the original Galaxy Tab 10.1 had, but as this device does present a lower price point than the original Galaxy Tab 10.1 when it was first released, perhaps you wont mind.

Have a peek here at a couple of photo examples and compare to the to our review of the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, as they’re essentially working with the same gear. A 3.2 megapixel camera isn’t necessarily what you’re going to want when you’re going for award-winning photos, but it’ll be good enough for Facebook and Twitter if that’s your thing.

Next have a peek at a couple of benchmarks, and remember that this device is made primarily for watching and transmitting media, not necessarily working to process the video and make hard-hitting games look their best. This device can be compared to the orignal Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 review for power, but remember again that you’ve no longer got the NVIDIA processor which would be giving you access to the Tegra Zone for games. Here instead you’ve got the lower cost tablet and the IR-blaster to change channels on your television.

The last component you’re going to want to look at here is the battery life of this device. It’s tested essentially as well as the rest of the Galaxy Tab line for battery life, that being extremely well considering this device does not work with mobile data. Instead you’ve got wifi-only and the whole machine will stay up with battery for several days if you don’t use it too heavily. Play several full-length videos and you’re looking at more like 8 hours max.

Wrap-up

This tablet is made for those ladies and gentlemen who want the $100 discount off the lowest price on the newest iPad. Though this tablet is not made specifically to compete with the iPad, and it really wont, you’ll find it to be amongst the best values in the Android world for those of you not looking for the best processor on earth. If you just want to watch movies and browse the web, this may well be your best bet on the market today.

While most phones from Motorola such as the RAZR or DROID 4 have all used TI OMAP processors, some in the past relied on NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 to power Android. The newly leaked benchmark available today shows not only a shift to Qualcomm, but possibly a 720p HD smartphone headed to AT&T with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich made by Motorola — possibly a new Motorola Atrix or a RAZR HD for AT&T.

The results show a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm being used, most likely the extremely powerful and efficient dual-core processor found in HTC’s new One S that we reviewed here. Being listed as the MB886 and code-named the Qinara – similar to the Motorola Dinara — this could in fact be a real phone. The listing states Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich and a resolution of 720p once you factor in the on-screen navigation buttons of Android 4.0 ICS. The TI OMAP 4 is starting to show its age but we’ve yet to see what they’ll offer in the OMAP 5. We’ve also heard Motorola could be using Intel’s Medfield this year too. Until then it looks like Motorola could be switching to Qualcomm for some, or all of their upcoming smartphones and tablets.

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!

No specific products have been mentioned, but the companies note that that they share a vision of creating “intelligent and practical robots capable of enhancing people’s lives”. iRobot has the history of working in the field or robotics, while TI’s OMAP chip will be leveraged thanks to its multi-core processing capabilities, as well as low power requirements.

iRobot are best known for the Roomba, the circular cleaning robot that will buzz, click, and whirr its way across your floor in the hope of leaving it sparklingly clean. The Roomba isn’t the only area the company where they apply robotics, though, supplying more than 4,500 government and industrial robots designed to undertake dangerous tasks, such as bomb disposals.

It’s unclear exactly which version of OMAP iRobot will be utilizing, although Texas Instruments have been keen to show off their OMAP 5 platform lately. It brings a new dual-core Cortex A15 processor, as well as two additional Cortex M4 cores, reportedly outstripping quad-core A9 chips in terms of performance. OMAP 5 is also able to handle four video feeds at a time, as well as having improved photo processing capabilities – the video features could be beneficial to robot applications that need realtime feeds, for example.

What we’re going to do here is separate everything by brand. First there’s a big set of smartphone and tablet manufacturers, then we’ve got Google, then the big processor manufacturers, Microsoft, and the rest. I should also let you know that we’re not quite done yet here, with a selection of other oddities still up our sleeves set for release over the next few days as well. Continue checking our [MWC 2012 portal] for the full pack!

One of the first events we attended was an LG booth preview, this meeting / miniature keynote had us also able to check out the full line of devices announced the week before MWC 2012 by LG. We were able to check out the full LG Optimus L-Style family including the L7, L5, and L3 in all their mid-range glory. Next we had a peek at the all-powerful LG Optimus 4X, a Tegra 3 toting next generation smartphone following up on the original world’s first dual-core smartphone, the LG Optimus 2X. Another follow-up nest-generation device we got to handle was the LG Optimus 3D Max, and the LG response to the Galaxy Note, the LG Optimus Vu, a massive smartphone / tablet hybrid with a 4×3 height x width ratio.

Sony decided to doll out a couple more Xperia devices, each of them slightly unsurprising to a fine degree. We first got official word that the Xperia P existed, then got a hands-on experience with the device. We also finally got to handle the fabled Sony Xperia U in all its square goodness.

If there was one smartphone manufacturer that brought their A-game and threw it all out on the floor, drew a line in the sand, and said “let’s do this thing”, it was HTC. They both introduced and described their brand new hero line of devices, HTC One. This line of devices features high-quality sound from Beats Audio, fabulous high resolution and sharp displays, HTC ImageSense for fabulous photos inside of Sense 4.0, and a high quality overall experience in each device. The devices dropped like this: first there’s the HTC One V – the lowest spec’d device with a classic shape.

Then there’s the HTC One S international version and the T-Mobile HTC One S as well – note here right away that the HTC One naming scheme will stick around no matter which carrier these devices are on, HTC holding strong to their hero line guarantees. Plus there’s the HTC One X as well as its AT&T relative by the same name. HTC One X is the hero of heroes and comes with either an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor or a Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor depending on if you get the international or AT&T version, respectively. We got hands-on looks at the HTC One V, the HTC One S, and the HTC One X as well.

Nokia was another fantastic force this year at MWC 2012, not least of all because of their awesome set of booths which both showed off their devices and provided press and brand friends an excellent place to work and relax during the week’s madness. The devices Nokia dropped were pretty neat too, starting with the Nokia Lumia 900 DC HSPA Global Edition which we also got hands-on time with. There was also the physical keyboard toting Asha 202, 203, and 302 which we also got hands-on time with right after the release event. There was but one mid-range touchscreen device from the group in the Lumia 610 (hands-on), then the giant game-changing device that rattled the whole event was the Nokia 808 Pure View complete with an undeniable 41 megapixel camera on its back – have a look at our hands on with 41 megapixels as well, and head to our Nokia MWC 2012 round-up for a different guide to the awesome madness.

Three companies that brought one device each that triggered our “must touch” sensors were ViewSonic, Toshiba, and Panasonic. For the first manufacturer it was for the ViewSonic ViewPhone 4S, complete with an ultra high-resolution display and the ability to use two SIM cards. Then there was Toshiba with their unnamed NVIDIA Tegra 3 toting tablet complete with 7.7-inches of HD display and an ultra-thin profile. Then for Panasonic we got two hands-on looks t the ELUGA device, first in a classic hands-on experience, then with the dunking of the device in the water for good fun had by all.

The folks at ZTE surprised us with several new devices including both Windows Phone and Android in a wide array of configurations. Perhaps the most impressive of these was an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor toting smartphone by the name of ZTE Era. We got hands-on with the ZTE Era as well as the Windows Phone Tango smartphone ZTE Orbit.

Samsung had a highly odd set of devices on hand for us to get hands-on experiences with including the Samsung Galaxy Beam with its cool projector top and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 with its Galaxy Note abilities, S-pen (the tablet having no slot despite the silo on the original Galaxy Note,) and Galaxy Tab 10.1 stylings. For those of you looking for one solid device with no such super odd abilities on top, check out our hands-on with the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S Blaze, complete with everything you need for speedy daily living.

Two more groups that surprised us with some super excellent devices running high-powered processors were Huawei and Fujitsu. With Huawei we got hands-on with both the MediaPad 10fhd and the Ascend D Quad, a device which you’ll also see a massive amalgamation of this weekend in a post about the model they made specifically for and of this device. It’s a horse ascending into the air, all made out of the Ascend D Quad smartphone! Then there was the Fujitsu unnamed NVIDIA Tegra 3 smartphone which despite it having no finalized features just yet, seemed pretty impressive at the time.

ASUS revealed several new tablets in their now-named Transformer Pad series including the brand new 300 series as well as the high powered ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity 700 LTE. Then of course we got another glimpse of the ASUS Padfone, this time with a release date and a stylus headset!

We covered the Google keynote for the Mobile World Congress main series of keynotes, of course, it having Eric Schmidt speaking on the development of the world for countries and communities that have no access to the internet at all. He also spoke on privacy and how Google Chrome as well as Android have it and continue to allow you the control to keep yourself as private as you like. He also spoke of legal matters and there were quite a few above-average quotable moments also, especially in the Q and A section of the keynote. Schmidt mentioned Google Bucks and 3D-capable personal robots as well. Check out our round-up of the Google keynote for all of this information arranged once more.

For processor power we go to see great offerings from each of the big powerhouses, first up Texas Instruments with their OMAP 5 2x dual-core SoC as well as information on how they’ll be teaming up with Harman and iRobot for future OMAP 5 toting devices. Qualcomm took some awesome shots at the competition with the Snapdragon S4 and Gobi 5th gen while we took a look at the Qualcomm Snapdragon MDP for S4 and spoke with the team, this resulting in the note that Intel is still uncompetitive in the mobile marketplace.

Intel certainly does appear to be taking a good run at the market recently, on the other hand, here at Mobile World Congress with the Orange Santa Clara Medfield phone in all its glory. Then there’s NVIDIA, which if you simply take a peek at our hands-on with Shadowgun Deadzone multiplayer, you’ll only see a tiny fraction of what we’ll be publishing soon – and don’t forget about the massive amount of Tegra 3-toting smartphone released this past week alone.

Microsoft took each of these chipmakers and put them all in one room together with the Windows 8 Publishers Preview, having a tablet each from each manufacturer to show off Windows 8 for the consumers of the future. We also saw the preview on a wide variety of computers and saw how it all works together as you would expect it to. The app interface was incredibly fast and fluid, the shoe system worked extremely well on tablets as well as any PC with the ability to run a USB stick. You can also download the Windows 8 Consumer Preview right this second if you’d like to.

Of the oddities we’ve posted thus far, I recommend you check out the following: Skype for Windows Phone and MTV’s under the thumb Social TV for starters, then FXI Cotton Candy the world’s smallest PC to keep your sweet tooth hungry. You of course then must also view our look at the Neonode 3D touch for tablets and phones hands-on experience we’ve got along with the one vehicle we checked out: RIM’s own BlackBerry vehicle, the QNX Porsche 911 complete with BlackBerry phone and PlayBook tablet integration.

Again there is a selection of content still coming from our Mobile World Congress 2012 crew at the time of this posting, and you can catch all the action through our [MWC 2012 portal] for access to it all!

For Harman, this collaboration will mean bringing 1080p graphics and interactive Web streaming to some of the world’s most advanced vehicles. Here the OMAP 5′s architecture works right alongside Texas Instruments’ “Jacinto” automotive infotainment processors, this creating a scalable platform with capabilities more than ready to handle a whole load of Harman products. Expect some undeniably awesome rides in the next few years, courtesy of these two titans in tangent with one another.

The iRobot collaboration, on the other hand, is so very new that TI didn’t even have a slide for it in their big presentation this week at Mobile World Congress. TI did note, however, that it’s because of many of the same reasons Harman is on board that iRobot decided to join in with TI for their robotic products in the near future. For more information on the OMAP 5 and the technology that’s integrated in it, check out our giant OMAP 5 Detailed In-depth post and get the whole story!

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.

TI’s OMAP 5 will be making a showing at next week’s Mobile World Congress, but this new benchmark battle video should help whet our palettes for what processing advancements lay ahead. The video shows two tablets downloading videos, playing MP3s, and running through 20 pages of EEMBC’s BrowsingBench test.

One tablet uses an 800MHz TI OMAP 5 SoC, which is built on a 28nm process and consists of two ARM Cortex-A15s and two Cortex M4s along with a SGX544 MP2 graphics. The other tablet, similar to a Transformer Prime, features an unnamed 1.3Ghz quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 setup, much like Nvidia’s Tegra 3.

And the results show that the TI OMAP 5 is more than twice as fast. And with the capability of ramping up the OMAP 5 from 800MHz to 2GHz, the speed could be even faster. However, TI doesn’t expect its chips to ship in products until late 2012 or early 2013.

[via AnandTech]

There’s going to be some tablets at the show this year, and indeed last year’s show had one giant basket of them as well, but the real heroes look to be the smartphones with power greater than the greatest machines of 2011. The first big entry into the show is one we’ve actually seen before: ASUS Padfone – with its tablet half and its smartphone half, will it be enough to impress the masses? Or will it need an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core SoC under the hood to keep us clapping? We’ve certainly got a big share of NVIDIA-laden products coming down the pipe, that’s for sure.

Fujitsu is coming correct with at least one 13.1 megapixel camera toting Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone with Tegra 3 aboard. ZTE Mimosa X is a smartphone which may be the last of the Tegra 2 toters. HTC has had one major super smartphone leak with their own quad-core smartphone, Tegra 3 on board of course. LG will be bringing the LG X3 quad-core NVIDIA smartphone to the show. And of course, NVIDIA has already confirmed Tegra 3 smartphones for the first quarter of 2012.

The folks at NEC have revealed three Android smartphone-like devices already. We’ll be seeing the dual-core LG Optimus 3D Cube for ultimate glasses-free 3D action. Nokia will be bringing what very well could be another Symbian device with a massive high definition camera on it – 12 megapixels strong here too! Panasonic will be coming with two devices, one of them an oversized monster of a handset while the other is a device known as ELUGA and has waterproofing plus dust protection galore.

LG will be bringing the Optimus L Series with nothing but Prada style. Sony wouldn’t be caught without at least a few more devices as it recently broke ties with Ericsson, coming out with an Oversized S and Xperia U. The Optimus LTE Tag will continue LG’s push for NFC. ZTE will continue their super collection with the PF200 and N910 complete with Ice Cream Sandwich as well.

Then there’s the LG Optimus Vu, a gigantic addition to the note-like device which isn’t a smartphone but isn’t quite a tablet. The LG Miracle may be the first to tote NFC in a real way for Windows Phone and carry the newest version of Windows Phone with Tango. HTC will of course come with more than one device, showing off the HTC One V complete with beats – it’s got the Hero or Bust situation going on now with its smartphones too, so you know they’re going to be coming in hot! Also watch out for the HTC One X and One S.

We’ve got the Intel Medfield Chip coming to more than one smartphone, and Acer will be bringing their lovely CloudMobile Android 4.0 smartphone on the blocks. You wont see a press conference from Samsung as they play it low-key. Finally, if you’ve never heard of the Lumigon group, you’re not alone!

Stick around the [MWC 2012 portal] to stay up to date with all things Barcelona and watch all the action through the event there as well!

This device continues the trend of adding more and more letters to the name of a device in order to make it seem more awesome, this time actually improving the specifications along with the name though as well. What we’ve got here is a massive 4.3-inch IPS display for brightness and beastly sharpness, a dual-core 1.2GHz processor from what we must assume is Texas Instruments OMAP line once again, and a very similar shape to the last Optimus 3D model all around.

This time around though the device is much thinner than before, it measuring in at a tiny 126.8 x 67.4 x 9.6 mm, this including an NFC chip as well. This device is coming with Android 2.3 Gingerbread with no word on a timeframe for Ice Cream Sandwich and does include a custom user interface like the first 3D model from LG with lovely 3D glasses-free excellence across the display.

This device also works with the awesome LG Tag system which allows you to make groupings of settings then attach those settings to an NFC-activated label. You can then switch the way your phone looks and acts by simply placing it near the card with the NFC tag in it whenever you wish. In addition, the LG Optimus 3D Cube has full 3D video editing software as well as a 3D mapping application right out of the box.

We fully expect to see this device live and in action next week at Mobile World Congress 2012 – see you there!

The OMAP44xx choice, Notion Ink says, has benefits on performance, multimedia playback and even the range of non-traditional tablet tasks users might through at the new slate. The PowerVR SGX5xx GPU paired with the chipset will, along with Notion Ink’s own software architecture, mean Adam II can turn its hand to being “a logic analyzer, medical imaging device, signal acquisition and processing, 3D modeling and multi-media [device].”

TI’s Wi-Link 7.0 - which pulls WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and FM transmit/receive into a single chipset – and Phoenix Audio Power Amplifiers will also be included.

As for the software, Adam II will rely on Notion Ink’s own “Modular Based Software Architecture” which will apparently allow for apps to take advantage of hardware features in a drag-&-drop environment. That, the company reckons, should mean non-programmers will able to create their own custom apps and games:

“Adam II will release the world’s first Modular Based Software Architecture which will further expand the scope of application development and use nearly every single hardware feature in a “user customizable” application. Drag and drop features will enable easy application modification and Open Source Module will further expand the use cases and tablet deployment. Node operations like in Blender, and “Application Authoring Tools” are primarily aimed at non-programmers for composing applications, games and use-case flows in a drag-and-drop fashion, utilizing visual editors and behavior-based logic system” Notion Ink

The tablet market has been a baptism by fire for Notion Ink, with the company’s ambitious first-generation plans giving them lessons – often painful – in how to handle excessive customer demand, aftersales care, hardware returns and more. Still, with none of the Android tablet manufacturers yet conclusively challenging Apple’s iPad, we’d like to think there was still space for an imaginative alternative to the all-conquering iOS slate.

No word on when we might see the Notion Ink Adam II launch; the company has said it plans to be a little more circumspect with its public promises so as not to overhype the new model.

[via Android Community]

TI’s targets include TVs, fridges, HVAC systems, printers, energy meters and more, each of which could be persuaded to share their data in a way that might better allow users to monitor and control how technology plays a role in their lives. Although low-power WiFi chipsets are already available, the CC3000 is appealing because TI has done most of the hardware already: no display for setup is required, it can be integrated “within hours” to existing hardware, has minimal microprocessor demands and needs no specific OS.

As Texas Instruments’ video below suggests, everything from bikes to dishwashers and industrial equipment could end up talking to you via your smartphone or tablet, or indeed to each other, using standard WiFi with the promise of whole-house range. It’s a gleeful idea for home automation enthusiasts; now we just have to see which vendors pick up TI’s chip.

A TI SimpleLink Wi-Fi CC3000 FRAM evaluation module kit is available from today, priced at $199, for those keen to integrate the chipset into their hardware.

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.

See that little square dot? That’s TI’s next generation temperature sensor, sitting next to the old model and the CES award it won the company. 

But what really stands out in the TMP006 chip, is its ability to measure temperature outside the device. This is a first for mobile devices, and is will undoubtedly be included in future smartphones and tablets. The sensor was extremely sensitive; even when holding your hand close to it a change in temperature was noticed and calculated. It even picked up a temperature change when aiming it towards a window 8 feet away.

The sensors are extremely small at 1.6mm x 1.6mm, so they won’t bulk up any device that adopts the technology. The IR signal can easily pass through practically any plastic, so there are very few obstacles manufacturers will have to cross. A single TMP006 chip is now available for $1.50 each, in 1,000 unit quantities; the perfect price for kickstarting the chip into mass production.

Piezo drivers allow for both a greater frequency (i. e. a more powerful buzz) and a greater range of vibration control, giving developers and OEMs more options when it comes to haptic interaction. In addition to standard whole-device vibration, the new piezo motor combines with extension points below a device’s screen to selectively restrict the feedback to the screen only. In effect, this makes the user “feel” like the vibration effect happens only on the point touched. Truly selective haptic feedback with multiple point tracking is still a few years away.

Texas Instruments’ DRV8662 haptic feedback driver delivers a more powerful “buzz” with a lower power drain than its contemporaries, though not as low as some of the admittedly weaker actuating feedback units. The first consumer device to use this piezo driver is Pantech’s new Element tablet, which recently launched on AT&T.

The games and applications running on TI’s development tablets were displayed, and included very impressive gaming performance.Framerates and definition were noticeably smoother, even on the relatively simple animation demonstration. On the TI 4460 (the same processor in the Galaxy Nexus and various other high-end smartphones and tablets) got about 24 frames per second, while the new 44670 got a solid 42. Mobile hardware with the new chipset should start appearing sometime in late Q2 2012.

Various software demonstrations from TI’s software partners demonstrated the flexibility of its APIs. A gesture-based cookbook reader (so you don’t have to touch the tablet with dirty hands) was particularly effective, and the same technology was used for a controlling a monster tuck game without touching hardware. A WiFi Direct demonstration beamed 1080p video to a TV module while still having full access to Android’s tablet interface on the host machine, allowing for true single-device multitasking (AKA couch surfing). We’ll look forward to seeing what TI OMAP 5 has to offer in the next generation, which promises to be an even more dramatic improvement.

The C6000 Jacinto processor includes dedicated 3D graphics accelerators along with video co-processors supporting full 1080p HD video playback and streaming, graphics, and user interfaces. The processor integrates a digital signal processor (DSP) that enables OEMs to add real-time audio, radio, speech, and other applications.

The OMAP processors feature a smart multicore architecture, allowing for high performance and low power consumption. They can display information and multimedia in real time as well as handle several applications running at the same time.

The WiLink 7.0 and BlueLink 7.0 solutions combine WiFi and Bluetooth technologies for true mulitasking, allowing multiple devices to connect at the same time without interference. And to manage this entire solution, TI offers a QNX-based software ecosystem with the new QNX CAR 2 application platform.

[via TI]

Together, TI says, it’s enough for “fast and fluid multitasking in Windows 8 while maintaining ultra-low power consumption”, something particularly important when you want to take on Android and iOS based tablets that can last all day on a charge.

The OMAP4470 also includes M-Shield mobile security, a separate hardware-managed encryption system. That can be relied on to create a trusted execution environment (TEE) without taking up cycles in the primary OMAP4470 cores.

It’s not just tablets TI has in its sights, however. The company is also pushing its ARM-based OMAP4470 as an alternative to AMD and Intel x86 processors in notebooks and desktops. We’ll know more when we can check out the Windows 8 demo board first-hand.