smartphone

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on Samsung Exynos 5250 Dual-core Cortex A15 and GAIA SMDK Development Board

Samsung Exynos 5250 Dual-core Cortex A15 and GAIA SMDK Development Board

Samsung showcased its new Exynos 5250 Dual-core Cortex A15 processor at Mobile World Congress as well as the corresponding Samsung Exynos 5 GAIA SMDK Development board. Announced in November 2011, the new Samsung Exynos 5250 processor features 2 Cortex A15 clocked at 1.7 GHz or 2 GHz, with a Mali-T604 GPU and support for dual-channel 800 MHz LPDDR3 RAM that allows for a data bandwidth of up to 12.8 GB/s. The processor is manufactured using 32-nm HKMG (High-K Metal Gate) technology that reduces leakage by 30% proving lower power consumption. Samsung claims the new Exynos 5 processors are twice as fast and consume twice as less power than its previous Exynos 4 application processor based on Cortex A9. This seems to confirm TI OMAP 5 vs. Nvidia Tegra 3 benchmark results. The Exynos 5250 supports embedded DisplayPort  (eDP) interface up to WQXGA resolution (2560×1600), which is handy for Samsung since […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Embedded Systems Outlook and Trends for 2012

Embedded Systems Outlook and Trends for 2012

National Instruments has recently published a report entitled “Embedded Systems Outlook 2012 – Key Technologies and Methodologies Impacting the Embedded Systems Market” which lists technology and business trends for the development of embedded systems. Here are the key findings: Technologies & Architectures: Embedded Platforms Technology providers are developing components, modules, or even complete embedded platforms (software + hardware) with higher levels of integration and increased functionality to speed up time to market. System-on-Chip (SoC) and System-on-Module (SoM) benefit from this trend and some also embed a FPGA. Reconfigurable Computing Previously, designers chose between low-cost microcontroller or high performance CPU based on the expected performance needs of the embedded system. As cost decreases and performance increases, low cost devices such as control and monitoring systems now often come with more features thanks to the use of programmable logic. This type of flexibility can be achieved by adding an FPGA to the MCU […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on B2G (Boot to Gecko) Video Demo at MWC 2012

B2G (Boot to Gecko) Video Demo at MWC 2012

B2G (Boot to Gecko) is an open source HTML5-based operating system targeting mobile devices by the Mozilla Foundation. This OS runs on top of Linux and uses Firefox as the web browser. You can get further details on my previous post “Mozilla Boot to Gecko (B2G) OS Is Coming to Your Smartphone“. As previously announced, Mozilla showcased B2G on a Samsung Galaxy S2 at Mobile World Congress 2012. Every apps are written in HTML5 including the camera application that uses HTML5 Media Capture and Canvas for real-time effects. Engadget was there and shot the video demo below. If you have a Samsung Galaxy S2, you can build and try it on your device. This is experimental, so there is always the risk of bricking your phone. Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Qualcomm Releases Augmented Reality Vuforia SDK 1.5 for Android and iOS

Qualcomm Releases Augmented Reality Vuforia SDK 1.5 for Android and iOS

Announced in January, Vuforia is the new name of Qualcomm’s Augmented Reality platform. Qualcomm has just announced the commercial release of Vuforia SDK 1.5 for Android and iOS. Applications built using this SDK can now be distributed and promoted on the Android Market and Apple App Store. Developers can also build 3D AR application using Qualcomm’s extension for the Unity 3 cross-platform game engine. The Vuforia SDK 1.5 supports Android devices running on Android 2.2 and above, as well as the iPad 2, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPod touch (4th Generation) running iOS 4 and above. Vuforia SDK 1.5 brings the following features and improvements: Ability to swap datasets at runtime: You no longer have to upgrade your app to change the target dataset, and you can now build AR experiences that work on a large number of images. If your app needs to augment more than 60 images, […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on HiSilicon Unveils Quad-Core Cortex A9 K3V2 Processor (Hi3620)

HiSilicon Unveils Quad-Core Cortex A9 K3V2 Processor (Hi3620)

HiSilicon, a subsidiary of Huawei, has unveiled the K3V2 quad-core cortex A9 processor at mobile world congress 2012, Barcelona. The processor comes in two version 1.2 and 1.5 GHz and the company claims the chip delivers 30 to 50 percent more performance than existing quad-core processor including the NVidia Tegra3. This performance boost is apparently possible thanks to a 64-bit memory bus as well as a powerful 16-core GPU (by an unnamed US chip designer) that is at least twice as fast as the competition. The current versions of the chip are manufacturer using TSMC 40 nm low power process, but the company plans to move to 28-nm technology for further power efficiency later this year. They do not use a companion core like the NVidia Tegra 3 to save power, but instead HiSilicon designed an A.I.PS (Artificial Intelligence Power Scaling) Core in K3V2, which can manage cores CPU and […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on Canonical Brings Ubuntu Desktop to Multi-Core Android Smartphones

Canonical Brings Ubuntu Desktop to Multi-Core Android Smartphones

Canonical is pushing to move Ubuntu beyond Desktop PC, and we’ve already seen some mockups for Ubuntu Smartphones and the recent Ubuntu TV announcement. The Ubuntu smartphone is not there yet, but Canonical has another idea: running Ubuntu Desktop on your multi-core Android smartphone connected to a TV/Monitor via its HDMI or MHL interface, making Canonical, another company joining “your smartphone is your laptop” trend. Ubuntu for Android will provide a full desktop experience and include office software (which apparently is Google Docs…) , web browsers (Chromium and Firefox), an email clients (Thunderbird) and media applications on Android phones docked to a screen and keyboard. Canonical claims the transition between Android and Ubuntu is seamless thanks to tight integration with the Android service layer. Ubuntu and Android share the same kernel. When docked, the Ubuntu OS boots and runs concurrently with Android. This allows both mobile and desktop functionality to […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Moneto microSD Card Brings NFC to Android Smartphones and iPhones

Moneto microSD Card Brings NFC to Android Smartphones and iPhones

NFC (Near Field Communication) is a feature present in many new smartphones that allows wireless payment among other things. Until now, if you had an iPhone or an Android smartphone without an NFC chipset, you would not have been able to take advantage of NFC. But this is about to change thanks to Moneto, a prepaid mobile wallet that works with a microSD card embedding an NFC Chipset. The Moneto Android Kit (29.95 USD) comes with a 1GB microSD card, a Booster Sticker, aPrepaid Debit Card, the Moneto app and 10 USD pre-loaded onto the account. The Moneto iPhone Kit (79.95 USD) comes with a microSD card, an iCaisse case, a Prepaid debit card, the Moneto app and 10 USD pre-loaded onto the account. You’ve got to love the iPhone markup… although there must certainly be a justification for the price difference that I’m missing… There are some caveats to […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on Mozilla Boot to Gecko (B2G) OS Is Coming to Your Smartphone

Mozilla Boot to Gecko (B2G) OS Is Coming to Your Smartphone

Mozilla, non-profit organization, well known for its Firefox web browser and Thunderbird mail client has recently moved to the mobile space with Firefox for Android browser for smartphones and tablets. However they intend to go even further by releasing a mobile operating systems named Boot to Gecko (B2G) competing directly with Android, iOS and Windows Phone. Mozilla mobile operating system will use web standards (like Tizen does) and the goal is to displace proprietary, single-vendor stacks for application development (e.g. Android, iOS, WP7).  The OS itself will relies on the Linux kernel and some open source libraries and the B2G applications will be written using HTML5/Javascript/CSS3 standard. Basically, it will boot Linux and use the Gecko engine (like in Firefox) to render application in a way similar to what Google does with Chrome OS. The HTML5-based user interface of B2G is called Gaia and is a collection of web apps. […]