Freescale to launch cheap netbook CPU

Freescale on Monday is expected to announce a new processor for netbooks that may challenge chip maker Intel on price in the low-cost computing space.

The company's i.MX515 processor will run on netbooks, low-cost laptops that are designed to perform basic computing functions like accessing the Internet and running productivity applications.

Intel dominates the netbook space with its Atom processors, which are found in netbooks priced around US$299. Freescale hopes to drive costs down even further by putting its processors in $199 netbooks. Netbooks have gained in popularity since Intel started shipping Atom last year, and Freescale wants a piece of the pie as shipments continue to grow.

Freescale will demonstrate an i.MX515-powered netbook with Wi-Fi wireless networking made by Pegatron, a spinoff of Asus, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas between Jan. 8-11. It wasn't immediately clear whether Pegatron would distribute netbooks with the Freescale processors.

In addition to lowering prices, Freescale hopes to improve battery life over Intel's Atom chips, said Glen Burchers, marketing director at Freescale's consumer division. Netbooks with Freescale processors will be able to run for around eight hours, according to the company. That level of performance would top the battery life of Atom-based netbooks.

The processor requires less power to run and doesn't need a heat sink or fan to cool as it is designed from a core used in communication devices like cell phones, Burchers said. The i.MX515 processor is based on the Cortex-A8 core from Arm, which can scale in performance up to 1GHz. It supports 3D graphics and can playback high-definition video.

Freescale hopes its processors will catch on with audiences like teenagers, who access the Internet intermittently for Web browsing and social networking.

"We believe the netbook is a device that is going to be primarily targeted at Internet access, that is a companion device to computers and to smartphones. It is not a replacement for either," Burchers said. Options to connect to the Internet, like Wi-Fi wireless networking, will be included in Freescale-based netbooks.

The chips will ship by the middle of this year, Burchers said. Some companies are considering using it in netbooks, though Burchers didn't provide any names. The netbooks could include screen sizes from 8.9 to 10 inches, and could reach buyers by the end of the year, he said.

The netbooks will support Linux, and Freescale is working with Canonical to develop a version of the OS for the Arm core. The devices won't support Windows, however.

But with users increasingly adopting Windows-based netbooks, will Freescale be missing out on a larger market for its processor? Netbooks with Intel-based chips enjoy the advantage of running programs people are familiar with, like Microsoft Office or Internet Explorer.

However, Linux can be effective in doing netbook-specific jobs like accessing social networks or running productivity applications, Burchers said. It's easy to get used to Firefox or OpenOffice.org, for example, which look the same in both Windows and Linux, he added.

Adobe and Intel stick Flash into TVs...

Adobe and Intel today announced plans to collaborate on the development to port and optimize Adobe Flash technology for the Intel Media Processor CE 3100. This effort is expected to provide consumers with richer and more seamless Web-based and video viewing experiences through advanced Intel-based cable set-top boxes, Blu-ray Disc players, digital TVs and retail connected AV devices.

The high-definition capabilities of the Adobe Flash Platform, together with the Intel Media Processor CE 3100, the first in a new family of purpose-built Intel System on Chips (SoCs) for CE devices, creates a powerful entertainment hub capable of delivering rich Web content and Adobe Flash based applications to an array of Internet-connected CE devices. Intel and Adobe are working together to optimize both the Adobe Flash Player and Adobe Flash Lite for the CE3100. Intel plans to ship the first CE3100 with support for an optimized implementation of Adobe Flash Lite before mid-2009.

The two companies are uniquely positioned to support consistent Internet content across PCs, laptops, netbooks, mobile Internet devices (MIDs) and now the TV, extending the shared business objectives of accelerating rich video and Internet content across the full breadth of consumer devices.

"The Intel Media Processor CE 3100 is a highly integrated solution that provides a powerful, yet flexible technology foundation that will bring to life the high-definition capabilities of Adobe Flash," said William O. Leszinske Jr., general manager of Intel's Digital Home Group. "Our effort with Adobe is poised to accelerate a rich, yet relevant Internet experience on the TV that will provide consumers with access to a growing number of Flash based applications that will ultimately be enjoyed across a number of screens seamlessly, from the laptop to a MID and now the TV."

Intel and Adobe have a long history of technical collaboration, including, most recently, being founding members of the Open Screen Project. Announced in May 2008, the Open Screen Project is designed to enable a consistent runtime environment across screens. The initiative has 20 major industry partners and is dedicated to enable Web content, standalone applications and full Web browsing across televisions, set-top boxes, mobile devices and other consumer electronics that take advantage of Adobe AIR and Adobe Flash capabilities.

"The Open Screen Project is striving to remove barriers for developers and designers as they look to publish content and applications across desktops and devices" said David Wadhwani, general manager and vice president, Platform Business Unit at Adobe. "The Intel Media Processor CE 3100 provides a powerful platform capable of delivering outstanding Flash experiences to millions of homes as a new generation of televisions and set-top boxes makes its way into the living room."

Adobe and Intel are also working together to bring an optimized implementation of Adobe AIR technology to Intel's digital home platform in the future.

Nvidia's 40nm GT212 to have 384 SPs, 96 TMUs

Half-step between GT200b and GT300 

According to a recent report from Hardware-Infos, the specifications of Nvidia's coming flagship 40nm GT212 architecture have been identified and revealed from unnamed sources near Nvidia, as usual. To start matters off, GT212 is the successor to 55nm GT200b which is currently rolling into production.  In comparison, the upcoming architecture is essentially following two similar footsteps of 65nm G92 last March - a die shrink to a smaller fabrication process and a decrease in memory interface width.

The memory interface of GT212 will decrease from 512-bit on GT200 to 256-bit, which is quite similar to what occurred with AMD's RV770.  To compensate, however, Nvidia will follow suit by incorporating Hynix 7Gbps GDDR5 into its GT212 as well as into the rest of its 40nm lineup.  In addition, the stream processor count of GT212 will increase from 240 in GT200 to 384, and the number of texture mapping units will increase from 80 to 96.

As Nvidia's second-generation unified shader architecture, GT200 features 10 texture/processor clusters. According to analysis, if GT212 follows this structure, it will feature 16 texture/processor clusters and is likely to adopt a third-generation unified shader architecture with 4 shader models and 8 texture mapping units, thus bringing the total shader count to 384 as stated.  In layman's terms, the total stream processor count of GT212 will increase by 60% and the texture mapping units will increase by 20%.

Because of the sharp increase in stream processors, the number of transistors will jump to nearly 1.8 billion, a great 400 million more than GT200.  The new die surface will be just under 300mm² which should significantly reduce manufacturing costs for Nvidia when the company needs it most.  All in all, the complexity of the new architecture will be less than a fifth more than GT200 due to lower PCB complexity needed as a result of the lowered memory interface.

The new architecture is confirmed to launch in Q2, most likely around April or May, although the latter statement has not been confirmed.

Macworld 2009: Apple's iWork and iLife as cloud services?

According to online reports, Apple will unveil cloud-based versions of iWork and iLife at Macworld Expo, which is scheduled to open its doors on January 5. Reports claim that all office productivity applications from the iWork bundle will receive a cloud makeover and one high-profile Mac blogger claims  that iMovie, iLife's application for editing home movies, will become a cloud service well. Of course, it is a rumor at this time, but cloud-based iWork and iLife applications would be significant updates that could expand the market reach of these Mac-only applications to virtually any platform, including Windows PCs.

Anyone who has been following the Mac software scene knows that iLife and iWork updates are long overdue since Apple last updated the two application bundles 18 months ago. The unusual silence gives certain weight to claims that Apple's software team put desktop updates on hold to focus on Web versions of the software. Computerworld blogger Seth Weintraub first floated the iWork cloud rumor, citing multiple "reliable sources." Weintraub recently addedanother rumor about a Web-based version of iMovie. Described as "Internet video in the Cloud for the YouTube generation," the service is expected to deliver the ability to "upload your movies to us and edit them there."

According to other online reports, the cloud-based iWork and iMovie are based on an open-source JavaScript framework used to create platform independent web applications: SproutCore powers MobileMe, but cloud versions of iWork and iMovie might showcase the kind of desktop-class experience, a rich user interface and advanced multimedia features that SproutCore can deliver. Although online spreadsheet, presentation and word processing web applications like Google Docs and ZoHo Office have been around for a while, the new iWork may push the envelope a bit further. 
It unclear at this point whether a cloud-based iWork will just be an online extension of the desktop iWork version or if desktop version will cease to exist in favor of the web-only version. If Apple's software team in fact has spent the past 18 months re-writing iWork and iMovie in SproutCore, there is a clear indication that the company has a much broader online strategy in place. 

Common sense suggests that a web-based iWork will be positioned expand the market reach of the application bundle outside Mac's 5% global share to include the remaining 95% of Windows- and Linux-based machines. There may be a free version with basic features and a paid version that brings premium features like secure, more spacious online storage, backups, advanced editing options, etc. So far, iLife and iWork have been unique selling points for Mac hardware and were even featured in Apple’s Mac vs. PC commercials. But it is generally believed that we are finally entering a stage where hardware will be less important and less profitable and income streams will shift to software and services. If Apple is moving into this direction, it would certainly make sense to expand the reach of its applications, offer some functionality free of charge and offer premium features for an annual fee. However, some market watchers believe that Apple is taking a risky move by sacrificing Mac exclusivity of iWork, and especially iLife. The company currently sells iWork for $79. 

The MobileMe suite of paid online services introduced last July marked Apple's ambitious foray into the world of Web 2.0. Unfortunately, Apple overestimated its capabilities as MobileMe has been hit with service outages from day one, followed by subsequent service blackouts and numerous bugs. In the months that followed, Apple repaired critical parts of the service, but failed to bring all advertised features by the end of 2008, as Steve Jobs had promised. Despite the blunder, we are told that Apple's ambitious cloud an online plans will exceed general expectations. There are even rumors about an Apple-branded search engine. 

Pictures: Sony Ericsson C510 ( Kate )

Here are some high quality pictures on the Sony Ericsson C510 aka Kate, the successor of the Sony Ericsson K770. The phone will be shipped in feb 2009.

Specifications:

• 3.2 MP AF camera and LED
• Face detection
• Smile shutter
• Auto rotation when viewing
• Cyber-shot™ UI 2.0
• 3.2 MP AF camera
• Active lens cover
• 2.2” QVGA display
• QVGA video
• Picture light
• 160 MB in-built memory
• Dedicated shutter key
• Illuminated imaging shortcut keys
• Face detection, Photo fix
• Direct blog short cut key
• Smile shutter
• Illumination by different theme/mode
• Print service Snapfish
• Blue illuminated imaging short cuts
• Download and upload to YouTube

IE market share drops under 70 percent

Firefox Share Tops 20% for November 

For the first time since we began tracking, the Firefox browser has exceeded 20% share for a full month.  Mozilla's CEO, John Lilly, gives credit to the Mozilla community and shared his thoughts with us on this accomplishment:

"Reaching 20 percent worldwide market share is a significant milestone for Firefox and Mozilla.  It's a huge achievement by the global Mozilla community, one that just a few years ago most would have considered impossible.  The open web is more vibrant than ever, and the thousands of Mozilla contributors around the world have played a major role in making it that way."

Firefox share jumped about eight tenths of a percent in November, which is much higher than average.  Why the big jump?  In addition to the steady gains Firefox has shown over the years, our analysis shows four other major reasons:

• First, the U.S. election.  Firefox usage share increased significantly in the days surrounding November 4th (especially in some non-U.S. countries, like Japan), then held roughly steady until:
• Second, the Thanksgiving holiday.  Firefox share jumped starting on Wednesday the 26th until the end of the month.
• Third, extra weekend days.  The average 30-day month has 8.57 weekend days.  November had 10.
• Fourth, higher unemployment. With an increase in unemployment, a higher than typical percentage of people are browsing from home than the office

All four reasons increase Firefox share since Firefox has a much larger residential share than corporate share (to be detailed in a future analysis).  So, all the above factors led to increased residential browsing and a higher Firefox share.

Even considering these factors, Firefox's share trend is pointing to above 20% share for December and beyond.