Intel Atom Processor Supports Android, Runs up to 1.5 GHz [Intel]

The race is on for faster, more capable processors in your smart phone. Intel's new Atom (Moorestown) processors are out and they're pushing the envelope forward. The new chips can run in speeds up to 1.5GHz for smartphones and up to 1.9GHz for tablets. Compatible with Android, these processors will offer support for WiMAX, 3G/HSPA and WiFi. It might be a few quarters before we see this actually arrive on phones, giving companies like Qualcomm time to prep their 1.5Ghz chips, too. Get ready for more phones full of win!

[AndroidGuys via Engadget]

Color e-reader uses butterfly-based technology to save power [Displays]

Oh, biomimetic desigin. Is there anything you can’t do? Well, at any rate, you’re doing this, which is cool enough for now. Qualcomm is putting out a new display technology they call “Mirasol,” which uses reflective bits of color to display an image, much like the way the iridescent scales on butterfly wings do. They claim it draws even less power than e-ink, which is really saying something.



The little prototype they use to demonstrate it is… just that: little. I wonder if that’s just a choice they made, or if the display technology is actually limited to smaller sizes due to some technical quirk. Who knows? It’s brand new at the moment and I’m sure we’ll be hearing more soon, so let’s not think too hard about it.
[CrunchGear]

Qualcomm's Dual-Core 1.5GHz Snapdragon: Smartphones Are About to Go Hyperspeed [Guts]

Qualcomm's current 1GHz Snapdragon is the muscle that makes the Nexus One so fantastically speedy, but Qualcomm isn't sitting on their laurels—they just announced two new chips that are going to power the next great mobile devices.
First up is the single-core Snapdragon 8X50A, a 45nm chip that's essentially the next version of the 1GHz chip in the Nexus One. It's clocked at 1.3GHz. But what we're really excited about is the dual-core 8X72, which uses two Scorpion cores to achieve 1.5GHz. Luis Pineda, Senior VP at Qualcomm, assures that the 8X72 is suitable for smartphones (not just smartbooks or netbooks) and can handle 1080p video. Both the 8X50A and 8X72 will be out this year, going head to head with the Tegra 2.
[Gizmodo via Hexus via Slashgear]

HTC’s Legend Likely to be Hero Successor [Hero]

If we were to base opinions solely off of first impressions, the recently leaked HTC Legend appears to be the likely followup to the ever-popular Hero. The chaps at ai.rs blog just tipped us off to a much clearer image of the Legend and based on what we can see, it’s gotten Hero written all over it. So what’s the difference? Well, you gotta read on for that!
Overall, the The Legend will be slightly thinner, a touch faster, and a little more modern is terms of OS and hardware. Both the metallic frame finish and optical sensor give it an updated look over the Hero. We’ve put together a really fast chart below to compare and contrast the two handsets. It’s widely expected that the Legend will make its official debut at 3GSM/Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next February.

	HTC Hero	HTC Legend
Dimensions	112 x 56.2 x 14.35 mm	112 x 56.3 x 11.5 mm
OS	Android 1.5	Android 2.0
Display	3.2-inch TFT-LCD	3.2-inch WVGA AMOLED
Memory	512MB | 288MB	512MB | 256MB
Camera	5.0mp with auto focus	5.0mp with auto focus,LED flash
Processor	Qualcomm 528 MHz	Qualcomm 600MHz
Battery	1350 mAh	1300 mAh

[Androidguys via ai.rs]

Qualcomm Ebook Display Ups the Ante with Full Color and Video [Ebooks]

Qualcomm has developed a 5.7-inch (1,024x768) display for ebook readers that not only renders color and video; it does so with enough power efficiency to challenge a black and white, still-frame Kindle.
The 'mirasol' technology mimics iridescent butterfly wings by deploying charged, color-inducing membranes over a layer of mirror. It's a technology that, if integrated into Kindles today as-is, would increase battery life by an estimated 20%.
Instead, Qualcomm uses that extra power efficiency to drive color and higher refresh rates for smooth video. They contend that a Kindle with their more media-capable display could run about a day with its current battery.
The catch? The lead photo is a non-functional prototype (housing a functional, frozen-image display). Qualcomm is offering the tech to third party partners, and they expect you to see mirasol tech on the market by late 2010.
[Gizmodo via SlashGear]

Are These the HTC Dragon/Zoom 2 Specs and Pics?

One handset that we admittedly haven’t done too much coverage on so far is the rumored HTC Dragon. Also known as the HTC Zoom 2, the phone is being reported that it will have a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, which could put it in the 768MHz-1GHz stratosphere.

Here’s a quick rundown of some specs that were tipped our way earlier today. (Thanks Barry!)

• Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 (1GHz)
• Android 2.0
• 512MB ROM
• 256MB RAM
• 480 x 800 resolution touch screen w/ multi-touch
• GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900, UMTS 900, 1900, 2100
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• 5.0 MP camera
• Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi, GPS
• FM Radio, Accelerometer

So what does a beast like this look like? According to DroidDog, these pictures may be the first to surface showing the hardware design. On the outside, its nothing too fancy – a little bit Hero, a little bit Desire.



While we’re on the subject of the Dragon, we should point you to a few screen grabs that DroidDog was able to get a hold of a few weeks back with the accompanying email.

So, what I’ve got here is a little build we’re referring to as the “Pet Dragon”. It’s highly experimental at the moment…HTC Dragon. (dubbed “Zoom 2″) —> the screen resolution is 800×480…This device is in fact operating on the “2.0″ firmware along with the HTC Sense user interface applied for style. So, it’s like an “Eclair Hero”.


But again, bare with me…it’s still very “bare bones” and needs a lot of work…but this device is going to be a GAME CHANGER! Perhaps more so than the HTC Leo!

[AndroidGuys]

I wonder what's the screen size of the beast.

Acer Liquid Finally Gives Android the Snapdragon It Deserves [Android]

The day Qualcomm's crushingly fast Snapdragon platform showed up in its first phone was the very day I started desperately wanting it to run Android. It had to happen. And now, courtesy of Acer, it will.
Finally materializing after months of agonizingly vague promises of Androidery, The Liquid A1 is a capacitive-screen WVGA touch phone, set to run Android 1.6 Donut—the first build of the OS to support nonstandard (read: G1) resolutions, among other things—as well as a custom social-networking-centric interface, a la HTC's Sense.
The software details are annoyingly sparing, as are the hardware specs, which for now include expected HSDPA connectivity, a 5-megapixel camera and GPS, but we really know pretty much all we need to at this point: the 1GHz processor and accompanying 3D chipset will make this the first truly fast Android phone, almost regardless of what software Acer shoulders it with to slow it down. In other words, your Android will do what you want it to, when your finger tells it to, and it will be glorious. Whenever and wherever this thing drops, that is.

The Future has arrived with Acer Liquid
Acer introduces its new smartphone 'Liquid' series: the world's first Qualcomm Snapdragon™ processor based and world's first Android™ 1.6 high definition smartphone, combining cutting-edge technologies, software innovation and an ultra-fluid user interface to create an all-new mobile experience. It is the ideal solution for users demanding the best from their devices, and in particular outstanding multimedia, web browsing, social media integration and video streaming. It also brings smartphone product design forward with its unique and modern style.
Finally something different
Acer Liquid is the first Wide-VGA smartphone in the market benefiting from the latest release of the Android™ 1.6 Operating System (aka Donut) and the first Android™ smartphone in the market equipped with the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon™ processor.
This platform brings to market unique benefits for the end users and paves the way for a new wave of innovations from the developer community:
* With its High Definition capacitive touch screen (Wide VGA), Acer Liquid offers today an unparalleled experience when watching pictures or videos. But it also holds a promise for the future: the promise of an abundance of new applications on Android™ Smart Handhelds - games, professional applications and web applets that will enrich the end user experience. Now developers can be assured that their investment will build upon a standard resolution for the years to come;
* Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon™ processor, Acer Liquid provides instant access to web pages, smooth streaming of videos or music , and instant response from popular mail, maps and search applications. The high-speed processing capability and high-speed internet access (HSPA) of Snapdragon™ brings to life the Android™ experience: no idle-time, almost instant uploads of web pages and downloads of rich multimedia contents. The developer community can now take full advantage of these capabilities to bring to market innovative applications that demand raw computing power and superior handling of 3D graphics.
Unique software enhancements
Acer Liquid also bolsters a set of unique features developed by Acer and its partners:
* Improved power management to help achieve longer battery autonomy for intense users;
* A new user interface with easy access to entertainment and web bookmarks;
* An optimized camera with geo-tagging, ISO, self-timer options and accelerated auto-focus performance;
* Exclusive Spinlets™ application providing free streaming of worldwide music and video, that can be shared with friends and family through web-posting or e-mail;
* Smart integration of Facebook™, Twitter™, Youtube™, Picasa™ and Flickr™ in the address book, with realtime notification of status or content updates.
A refreshing alternative to square shapes
With ellipse curves, a choice of red, white and black colors, and a slim body shape, Liquid will please style-seeking consumers. Designed for ergonomy, Liquid fits well in the hand, and displays a smooth finish. The fluidity of its curves gives the Acer Liquid its unique character and unconventional style.

[Gizmodo via Acer via Slashgear]

The Qualcomm FLO TV retail box leaks out, launch imminent?

The Qualcomm FLO TV is slowly taking shape. First we saw early concept art, which was followed by our exlucisive shots of the interface. But just last week we saw a leaked photo and learned that it was manufactured by HTC. Today though, the retail packaging has been spotted. So…really the only thing left is the actual product announcement, which can’t be that far off. Hopefully.
[CrunchGear]

HTC TouchFLO 3D Exposed on Video, Looks Damn Hot [Htc]

Set to debut on the HTC Leo/HD2/whatever, we've seen screenshots of HTC's updated TouchFLO 3D but now we've got some video. PocketNow managed to install it onto a Touch Pro2, and despite that handset's lesser specs it looks nicely smooth.

The Touch Pro2 only has a last-gen Qualcomm chipset and TouchFLO 3D is still running buttery smooth, so we can only imagine how well it'll run with the Leo's 1GHz Snapdragon. The early build of the WinMo skin is available on XDA-Devs, if you want to give it a try. [Gizmodo via PocketNow via MobileTechWorld via Engadget]

המכשיר הנייד הבא שלי מתקרב צעד נוסף למציאות

טוב, אני מודה שאני פריק של מוצרי גוגל. אני משתמש כמעט בכל השירותים שלהם (כולל הבלוג הזה). הטלפון הבא שלי יהיה מכשיר של גוגל המכונה כרגע G1.

ההיסטוריה על קצה המזלג של המכשיר של גוגל היא כדלקמן:
כבר חודשים ואפילו שנים רצות השמועות על מכשיר הטלפון של גוגל (נקרא בעבר גוגלפון או GPhone). השמועות לא פסקו לזרום ואז לפני כשנה שמענו על Android שהיא מערכת הפעלה למכשיר נייד אשר פותחה על ידי חברה שנקנתה על-ידי גוגל לפני כ-4 שנים. כולם אמרו שפה בעצם היה מקור השמועות ובעצם הם רק מפתחים מערכת הפעלה שתוכל להראות את הפרסומות שלהם ואולי, הספקולנטים טענו, נוכל לקבל שירות שיחות חינם בנייד באופן זה.

מצד שני היו השמועות ש-HTC עובדים עם גוגל על מכשיר אשר יוכל לעבוד עם ה-Android ולתת לנו את מכשיר החלומות. לפני כמה חודשים התחילו להצטבר יותר ויותר הוכחות - המכשיר קיבל את השם HTC Dream ובשבוע האחרון הוא גם קורם עור וגידים בעזרת שרטוטים אותם ניתן למצוא באתר ה-FCC האמריקאי שחייב לחשוף לפחות חלק מהמידע על המכשירים אותם הוא מאשר לשימוש בארה"ב.
החבר'ה מאתר AndroidGuys עמלים ללא לאות לפענח ולחבר כל פיסת מידע המגיעה לידיהם. אז הנה המפרט המלא עד כה. הוא בהחלט לא רע ומתאים לכל הציפיות. אז הנה המפרט המעודכן נכון ל-21:00 בארץ:

• מעבד של חברת Qualcomm דגם 7201 במהירות 528Mhz
• ערכת חיבור USB והעברת מידע למחשב
• 64 מ"ב זכרון RAM פנימי
• 128 מ"ב זכרון ROM פנימי
• כרטיס זכרון 1 ג"ב MicroSD
• מקלדת QWERTY 5 שורות מלאה
• טרקבול (Trackball)
• כפתור ייעודי למצלמה
• מצלמת 3.1 מגה-פיקסל ללא מבזק (2048x1536)
• נגן וידאו לקבצים מהסוגים הבאים: H.264, streaming, 3GPP, MPEG4, ו-Codec 3GP
• נגן YouTube ייעודי
• נגן מוזיקה בפורמטים הבאים: MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, MPEG4, WAV, MIDI, REAL AUDIO, OGG
• תמיכה בטפט רקע בפורמטים JPG, BMP, PNG ו-GIF
• רמקול פנימי מונו (מה?)
• רינגטונים מסוג: MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA
• תמיכת אינטרנט בפרוטקולים הבאים: HTTP, WAP Push, xHTML
• שן-כחולה (Bluetooth 1.0)
• שיחה מזוהה עם תמונה
• מסרונים טקטואליים (SMS) ומולטימדיה (MMS) - את אפל לא שמו ב-iPhone
• תמיכה בפרוטוקולי דוא"ל מהסוגים הבאים:POP, IMAP ו-SMTP וכן בשירותי הדוא"ל של AOL וכמובן GMail
• מהסוגים הבאים: AIM, MSN, Yahoo ו-GTalk
• 4 : 850, 900, 1800 ו-1900 מה"צ
• דור 3
• תמיכה ברשת אלחוטית WiFi מסוג 802.11b ו-802.11g
• תמיכה בגלישה סלולרית מהסוגים: UMTS (1,4), HSDPAו-SUPL
• סוללה בעוצמה של 1150 מיליאמפר שעה
• מסך בגודל 3.17 אינץ' ובהפרדה של 320x480 או HVGA
• מידות של 117x55x16 מ"מ
• משקלו כ-158.7 גרם (הרבה יחסית)
  
• מסתנכרן עם Google Calendar
• הורדת תוכן מאתר Android Marketplace
• Google Streetview עם מצפן פנימי

קחו בחשבון שהמידע אינו רשמי מגוגל או מ-HTC ונאסף מכמה גורמים. אני מקווה שאוכל לרכוש את המכשיר כשאהיה בארה"ב בסוף אוטובר ללא הסתבכות עם תוכנית לשנתיים של T-Mobile.