The Intel Atom Thread

[witeken]

I don't know if this is already posted in this topic, but Intel's got a pretty decent design win, after the earlier Nokia N1: https://jolla.com/tablet or https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jolla-tablet-world-s-first-crowdsourced-tablet

7.85", 1.8GHz Silvermont quadcore, 2GB RAM, 3MP IPS, 8.3mm, Sailfish OS 2, June, $190.

Jolla’s core value is freedom of choice for our community. That’s why we’ve picked Intel’s innovation platform, backed by open source, to power the Jolla Tablet.

 

[Nothingness]

What does choosing an Intel CPU have to do with freedom of choice?

I hope for them they didn't pick Moorefield or it won't be backed by open source

 

[NTMBK]

I don't know if this is already posted in this topic, but Intel's got a pretty decent design win, after the earlier Nokia N1: https://jolla.com/tablet or https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jolla-tablet-world-s-first-crowdsourced-tablet

7.85", 1.8GHz Silvermont quadcore, 2GB RAM, 3MP IPS, 8.3mm, Sailfish OS 2, June, $190.

Meh, not convinced by the need for yet another mobile OS, even if it has slightly broken Android compatibility (and no Play Store).

Hardware looks nice though, the rounded ends look quite cool and different. If you can flash it with Android or Windows 10 it might be quite good.

EDIT: Oh man, this "Sailfish" is just the latest incarnation of MeeGo? Which was a reincarnation of Moblin and Maemo? Wow, some projects just refuse to die. :\

 

[witeken]

Intel to power two new 4G Lenovo smartphones in early 2015

Intel is taking another step forward in its march toward mobile relevancy.

Lenovo plans to announce two new Intel-powered smartphones in the first two months of next year, according to a person familiar with the devices. Intel will provide both its 64-bit Atom processor and LTE-Advanced modem chips for the Lenovo phones, with one targeting China coming by early February and the other focused on emerging countries, coming in early January. The information comes just weeks before the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas early next month, when Intel, Lenovo and other major tech firms are expected to make a series of product announcements.

CES, LTE-A and Moorefield.

 

[Nothingness]

Intel to power two new 4G Lenovo smartphones in early 2015



CES, LTE-A and Moorefield.

Where do you see Moorefield mentioned?

 

[witeken]

Where do you see Moorefield mentioned?

Are there other options available? Maybe Merrifield wasn't dead on arrival... (but wasn't China the country where you need tons of cores?)

 

[Nothingness]

Are there other options available? Maybe Merrifield wasn't dead on arrival... (but wasn't China the country where you need tons of cores?)

Wasn't SoFIA availability supposed to be H1 2015? That could match the "early 2015" of the c|net article.

 

[witeken]

Wasn't SoFIA availability supposed to be H1 2015? That could match the "early 2015" of the c|net article.

The 4G version comes in H2.

 

[Nothingness]

The 4G version comes in H2.

Hah, then you're right, it's likely Moorefield

 

[jpiniero]

Looked at Amazon's laptop best sellers; and Bay Trail continues to dominate there. Presumably that's a good proxy for what consumers are buying. Corporate users are a different story as they are still buying Core but you wonder if that will change eventually.

My count of the top 20:
16 - Bay Trail
2 - AMD (one Richland? and one Jaguar/Puma)
2 - ARM (both Chromebooks)
0 - Core

 

[Sweepr]

HP Stream 7 Review: A $119 Windows Tablet (AnandTech)

As you can see, it's actually a bit better than you might expect from a $119 device. Many Android tablets at this price point either use TN displays, or sport resolutions of 1024x600 or even 800x480. The quad core Atom CPU should also be capable of running Windows smoothly given the tasks that users will typically perform on a tablet. The points of concern are the battery capacity, which is quite low for a 7" tablet, and the inclusion of only 1GB of memory; that's definitely pushing the limits of what Windows can run on.

[...] The HP Stream 7 is not a flawless device by any measure, but no device really is. What can be said is that the Stream 7 does its best to provide a good experience at a great price. There are always going to be compromises to achieve a lower price point, but I think HP has given users a lot of value for their dollar. Including an IPS panel was a choice I applaud, as on a tablet the poor viewing angles of a TN can be a massive problem. It's not the world's best IPS panel, but it's better than many competing devices and it's better than you might expect for a $119 device. Two years ago, the Nexus 7 had a similar panel and cost nearly twice as much.

The CPU performance on the Stream 7 is also very good, and the device was usually very smooth in use. The 1GB of RAM can definitely be problematic, with apps having to reload and taxing applications causing the device to chug, but it's something that can be excused for $119. Graphically intensive applications are going to be more problematic, and this certainly isn't going to compete with the likes of NVIDIA's SHIELD for gaming, but it's still possible to play quite a few less demanding games.

http://anandtech.com/show/8760/hp-stream-7-review

Vido introduces $100 W8C Freedom Light tablet including 8'' IPS screen, 2GB RAM and 32GB storage

It’s not hard to find Windows 8.1 tablets that sell for $100 or less these days. But that doesn’t mean there’s not still room for improvement.

Most of the sub-$100 Windows tablets available in the US (such as the WinBook TW800, Vulcan Challenger II, and Toshiba Encore Mini) feature just 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. But Chinese device maker Vido’s latest tablet sports 2GB of memory and 32GB of storage and still manages to maintain a list price of 599 yuan, or about $97.

The Vido W8C features an 8 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel IPS display, an Intel Atom Z3735F quad-core Bay Trail processor, a 4200mAh battery, a microSD card slot, WiFi, and Bluetooth. It also has HDMI output, 2MP front and rear cameras, and it comes with a 1-year subscription to Microsoft Office 365. The tablet measures 0.36 inches thick and weighs about 10 ounces.

http://liliputing.com/2014/12/vido-introduces-100-w8c-freedom-light-tablet.html
http://www.padnews.cn/?p=15694

That's a lot of bang for buck. I hope more and more devices in this price range pack 2GB RAM and an IPS screen instead of the typical 1GB RAM+TN screen combo.

Pipo X7 is a Windows-powered TV box

Chinese device maker Pipo has unveiled a new device that it’s calling an Intel TV box, but which could also be described as a tiny desktop computer.

The Pipo X7 features an Intel Atom Bay Trail processor and runs Windows 8.1 with Bing. Sure, you can plug it into a TV to stream content from YouTube, Hulu, or Netflix. But you can also run Office, Minecraft, Firefox, or any number of other Windows apps.

[...] Pipo hasn’t revealed pricing for the new X7 yet, but it will be available with an Intel Atom Z3735F or Z3736F quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, an unspecified amount of flash storage, an Ethernet jack, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, HDMI output, a microSD card slot, and 4 USB ports.

http://liliputing.com/2014/12/pipo-x7-windows-powered-tv-box.html
http://androidpc.es/blog/2014/12/11/pipo-x7-el-nuevo-tvbox-con-procesador-intel-y-windows-8-1

Dell Venue 10 Android tablet specs leaked?

Dell has a new Android tablet with a 10 inch display and a 2-in-1 design on the way, meaning you’ll be able to connect it to a keyboard station and use the tablet like a notebook.

The company unveiled the Dell Venue 10 in September, but didn’t provide any details about the price or specifications. Now, with the Consumer Electronics Show just a few weeks away, specs for a Dell Venue 10 5050 series tablet have popped up at online benchmarking site GFXBench.

According to GFXBench, the tablet has an Intel Atzom Z3735F quad-core Bay Trail processor, a 1920 x 1200 pixel display, 2GB of RAM, and at least 24GB of storage (although 32GB seems more likely — I suspect some space is reserved for the operating system). [...]

http://liliputing.com/2014/12/dell-venue-10-android-tablet-specs-leaked.html
http://notebookitalia.it/dell-venue-10-5000-5050-full-hd-android-tastiera-20882
https://gfxbench.com/device.jsp?ben...id&api=gl&D=Dell+Venue+10+5050&testgroup=info

Giada F110D Bay Trail Powered Fanless Mini PC

Adding to the ever-growing list of fanless mini PC systems available on the market, Chinese hardware manufacturer Giada has this week unveiled a new addition to their range in the form of the Giada F110D. The Giada F110D fanless mini PC measures just 7.5 x 5.9 x 1 inches in size and will be available in a variety of configurations including systems equipped with either a 4.5W Intel Celeron N2807 or a 10W J1900 Bay Trail processor. Both of which will be equipped with passive cooling technology allowing them to be silent in operation without the need for noisy whirling fans to keep their processors cool. With the selected processor supported by up to 4GB of RAM together with space for a 2.5 inch SATA hard drive or mSATA solid state drive. [...]

http://icpea.com/tech/giada-f110d-bay-trail-powered-fanless-mini-pc.html

 

[witeken]

How many tablets are there actually that make use of Bay Trail's full 2.4+GHz potential? The difference is a non negligible 30%.

 

[Sweepr]

Intel Shipping 14nm Cherry Trail

Also on the list of Intel announcements today is that Cherry Trail, the next generation Atom architecture, is shipping to customers. For end-users, this means a realistic time frame of Q2 when products will be on the shelves. Cherry Trail is the successor to Bay Trail on the smaller process node, while offering improved graphics and battery life, similar to the claims made by Broadwell-U earlier today.

Given that Intel’s press release today was short and mentioned connectivity with their XMM726x modem with Cat 6 LTE with aggregation, it sounds specifically that Cherry Trail for smartphones/tablets is the order of the day, rather than larger or desktop systems. Cherry Trail will also be a focus point for Intel’s RealSense technology, with Intel wanting to promote their ‘no wires, no password’ philosophy.

Rather than provide more detail about SKUs and price points, Intel is allowing their customers to announce the products that will be featuring the SoC, with a larger update of specifications to follow. We’ve heard talk of Cherry Trail products that might be announced at CES, and if we catch any we will let you know.

http://anandtech.com/show/8831/intel-shipping-14nm-cherry-trail

QNAP TS-853 Pro 8-bay Intel Bay Trail SMB NAS Review

QNAP has focused on Intel's Bay Trail platform for this generation of NAS units (compared to Synology's efforts with Intel Rangeley). While the choice made sense for the home users / prosumer-targeted TS-x51 series, we were a bit surprised to see the TS-x53 Pro series (targeting business users) also use the same Bay Trail platform. Having evaluated 8-bay solutions from Synology (the DS1815+) and Asustor (the AS7008T), we requested QNAP to send over their 8-bay solution, the TS-853 Pro-8G. Hardware-wise, the main difference between the three units lie in the host processor and the amount of RAM.

www.anandtech.com/show/8799/qnap-ts853-pro-8bay-intel-bay-trail-smb-nas-review

Linx 8 review - exploring the sub-£100 Windows tablet experience

HP Stream 7, Linx 7, Tesco Connect 7, Nextbook 8, Toshiba Encore Mini - there are doubtless many more. In fact, you can't fail to have noticed the new wave of cheap Windows 8.1 tablets hitting the market at unbelievable sub-£100/sub-$120 price-points, armed with frankly incredible - and mostly uniform - specs. We're talking quad-core Intel mobile processors, IPS screens, 32GB of storage, along with USB, micro SD and HDMI ports. The icing on the cake? They're running Windows 8.1 proper, meaning you get the standard Metro tablet experience along with full access to decades' worth of PC programs - with a full year's subscription to Microsoft Office 365 often thrown into the bargain too.

As it happens, to say we were impressed is an understatement. The truth is that the experience offered by our ultra-low budget device is exceptionally good to the point where even at its usual £80-£100 price-point, the Linx 8 is a highly compelling proposition. Initial impressions are certainly positive: removing the tablet from its packaging reveals a solid, well-built device that's light and easy to hold owing to a Nexus 7-style rubberised plastic rear. While screen resolution is limited to 1280x800, the lesser than stellar pixel count works fine on an eight-inch display, with a five-point multi-touch that feels slick and responsive. Overall, it may lack iPad-style premium materials, but it feels a step beyond the cheapest Android tablets, a state of affairs that only gets better once you're propelled into Microsoft's tablet UI.

In terms of raw power, the Intel Bay Trail processor found in the Linx 8 may not compare with the latest and greatest from Nvidia, Qualcomm and Apple, but in terms of CPU power at least, it's certainly capable. The quality of the overall user experience is enormously improved over Microsoft's own Tegra 3-powered Surface RT, falling more closely into line with the Tegra 4 Surface 2. Benchmark-wise, CPU and GPU capabilities seem to fall between the iPad 4 and the first iPad Air - more than enough power to get the job done in most scenarios. In our iPad Air 2 review we noted that the mobile processing arms race is moving at a far faster pace than the demands of the tasks placed on smartphones and tablets. The sub-£100 Windows tablets may not be state-of-the-art, but overall they remain competitive, both in terms of CPU power and graphics capabilities. On top of that, as an OS, Windows has a proven track record in scaling nicely across multiple cores so while the Bay Trail processor might have relatively weak per-core performance, at least you know that the OS will tap into the full power of the chip - something that can't be so readily said for Android devices.

Intel Bay Trail's ability to remain competitive in the mobile space is only bolstered by its performance in gaming. Hydro Thunder Hurricane runs at native resolution (unlike the 576p Surface RT showing) and hands in 30-60fps performance, Halo Spartan Assault offers a similar performance profile, while Rayman Jungle Run looks beautiful and runs almost perfectly at full frame-rate. Overall, memory limitations are not a problem at all in the Metro interface, mobile games run really well, the browsing experience is second to none - and at this point, our £49.99 investment in this device is looking like the bargain of the decade. Even at its standard £80-£100 price-point, the Linx 8 is still a massively compelling device, and that's before we've dipped into the piece de resistance - the fact that this is essentially a completely contained, battery-powered, all-in-one Windows PC capable of running a multitude of legacy apps.

www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2015-linx-8-review-the-sub-100-windows-tablet-experience

Cherry Trail shipping now, products in Q2, about time.

 

[mikk]

Late Q2, early Q3 for the fist products. This is late...

 

[witeken]

Late Q2, early Q3 for the fist products. This is late...

Maybe not too surprising since it will be mainly an update on the GPU and process side. Intel is now focusing on SoFIA, with 5 different SoFIA platforms being launched over the course of 1 year: 3G dualcore, 3G quad, 4G, 14nm and 14nm midrange. On the high-end side of things, Intel will have Broxton, which fuses (the probably canceled) Willow Trail with smartphonefield.

 

[mikk]

Broxton is a 2016 product. Also delayed after the mid-2015 promise.

 

[gmaster456]

HP Stream Mini

http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/5/7493495/hp-stream-mini-pavilion-mini-CES-2015

 

[ninaholic37]

Cherry Trail shipping now, products in Q2, about time.

Yes... after 134 pages, the Cherry Trail half of your title finally has some content. Maybe Braswell will be available by page 268 just in time for Windows 10 SP1... :awe:

 

[Sweepr]

Some bits about Cherry Trail from Intel's ''Fact Sheet'':

Intel also started shipping its next generation 14nm processor for tablets, codenamed “Cherry Trail”, to device manufacturers.
The new system on a chip (SoC) offers 64-bit computing, improved graphics with Intel® Generation 8-LP graphics, great performance and battery life for mainstream tablets. The
platform offers world-class modem capabilities with LTE-Advanced on Intel® XMM™ 726x platform, which supports Cat-6 speeds and carrier aggregation. Customers will introduce new products based on this platform starting in the first half of this year.

Intel’s 14nm, next-generation Intel Atom processor for tablets, “Cherry Trail”,
will offer new user experiences such as Intel RealSense technology, no wires, no passwords and Intel® Context Aware™ technology capabilities,
bringing new innovation and excitement to tablets.
Intel RealSense Snapshot provides depth-sensing photo capabilities, giving people the power to change focus, take measurements, and add dynamic effects and motion to pictures with a touch of a finger. With its no wires capabilities, Cherry Trail enables tablets to wirelessly display content to a big screen or projector. Cherry Trail will also enable users to login with their face, fingerprint or a trusted device they assigned.
Using an accelerometer, sound and light sensors,
and information from the cloud, Intel Context Aware technology can determine the context or environment someone is in and provide
information based on those surroundings.

http://download.intel.com/newsroom/kits/ces/2015/pdfs/5th_Gen_Intel_Core_Factsheet.pdf

Finally a proper built Moorefield phone.

ASUS announces the $199 Atom-based Zenfone 2 with up to 4GB RAM

But let's dial back. The Zenfone 2 is a Gorilla Glass 3-protected, 5.5-inch device with a flagship-standard resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels, good for 403 pixels per inch and 400 nits of brightness. We are told by Asus that the phablet has a screen-to-body ratio of 72%, which falls in the middle as far as 2014 devices are concerned, and offers the passable dimensions of 6 x 3.03 x 0.43 in (152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9 mm). The dual SIM (dual active) Zenfone 2 has a rear-placed volume rocker and a shell with a brushed metal texture, so it could be said that Asus borrowed a few ideas from LG. Asus isn't being unoriginal, though, and promises a number of special "Transfusion" and "Illusion" models with rather unique shells – the former line combines two colors, while the latter offers some funky-looking patterns.

Welcome the Asus Zenfone 2, a flagship phone with a 64-bit Intel Atom processor and up to 4GB of RAM
Moving on, the company is sticking with Intel once again, and has opted for an LTE-enabled, 64-bit Intel Atom Z3580 processor with four cores that can reach frequencies of up to 2.33GHz, and a PowerVR G6430 GPU with OpenGL 3.0 support. The camera at the back is a 13-megapixel unit with 5 element, f/2.0 aperture lens, complemented by a dual-color "Real Tone" LED flash.

World's first phone with 4GB RAM (LPDDR3 dual-channel). Killer specs for a competitive price.

www.phonearena.com/news/Welcome-the...l-Atom-processor-and-up-to-4GB-of-RAM_id64382
http://anandtech.com/show/8833/asus-ces-2015-press-conference-live-blog

Asus unveils Transformer Book Chi 2-in-1 Windows notebooks

Asus Transformer Book Chi T90

The smallest member of the Transformer Book family has an 8.9 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel display, measures 0.3 inches thick and weighs 14 ounces.

Add the keyboard dock and you have a notebook that is 0.65 inches thick and which weighs about 1.65 pounds The Transformer Book Chi T90 has an Intel Atom Z3775 Bay Trail processor, 32GB to 64GB of solid state storage, and a starting price of $299.

Like all of thew new Transformer Book Chi systems, it runs Windows 8.1 32-bit software.

Asus Transformer Book Chi T100

With a starting price of $399, the 10.1 inch model has a 1920 x 1080 pixel display and an Intel Atom Z3775 processor.

This model is even thinner than the T90, measuring 0.28 inches thick (0.52 inches in notebook mode), but it’s a bit heavier at about 1.3 pounds in tablet mode or 2.3 pound when used as a notebook. The Asus Transformer Book Chi T100 with 32GB of storage will sell for $399. A 64GB model will also be available.

http://liliputing.com/2015/01/asus-unveils-transformer-book-chi-2-1-windows-notebooks.html

 

[witeken]

The Zenphone 2 is a really great design win, with Android 5.0, like Intel promised (that they wouldn't lag behind on software side). Now they need to get design wins that aren't from traditional partners, like Asus, like Samsung.

 

[R0H1T]

Some bits about Cherry Trail from Intel's ''Fact Sheet'':

World's first phone with 4GB RAM (LPDDR4 dual-channel). Killer specs for a competitive price.

It's LPDDR3 & not LPDDR4, Moorefield doesn't support LPDDR4 AFAIK, besides the tegra X1 is probably gonna be the first mobile SoC to ship with LPDDR4.

 

[Sweepr]

It's LPDDR3 & not LPDDR4, Baytrail doesn't support LPDDR4 AFAIK, besides the tegra X1 is probably gonna be the first mobile SoC to ship with LPDDR4.

Indeed. Must be some high density LPDDR3 though. S810 devices will be launched this quarter with LPDDR4, LG Flex 2 was the first (2GB LPDDR4).

 

[R0H1T]

Indeed. Must be some high density LPDDR3 though. S810 devices will be launched this quarter with LPDDR4, LG Flex 2 was the first (2GB LPDDR4).

Yeah I guess that distinction goes to the Snapdragon now ^_^

 

[bullzz]

zenphone 2 looks really nice. same price as moto g but much better specs. although i would still prefer moto's skin. hopefully they release it in the U.S.

 

[Headfoot]

Seems like a bad idea to put out an Atom based phone only a quarter before you can release it with a much lower power 14nm version of the same thing...