VIA's WonderMedia decorates Computex with ARM 9-powered, Android 1.6 tablets

Don't let all of the Computex Wintel madness throw you off -- there are a plenty of ARM-based, Android tablets around these parts, too. We stopped by VIA's booth to check out some of its tablets, which we're told are bound to ring up in the $100 to $200 range. Virtually all of the devices on display had 7-inch resistive touch displays, and were running Android 1.6 on the company''s WonderMedia WM8505 ARM 9 based processor. It probably goes without saying that we found most of the plastic slates to be quite chintzy, but the slick Android skin and homescreen dock definitely caught our eye. Also, on display were two smartbook-like devices, which were based on a similar WM8605 chip, but running Android 2.1. That's all the specification details we have for now, but enjoy some of the pics we stole below as well as a short video after the break.

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Nokia will kick off MeeGo effort with ARM-based silicon, not x86

We've heard a similar message from Nokia dating all the way back to MeeGo's introduction at MWC back in February, so it comes as little surprise that Espoo is apparently trumpeting the virtues of ARM for its first MeeGo-powered device that's still targeted for the tail end of 2010. What might make this particularly interesting is the fact that MeeGo 1.0 is clearly further along for Atom devices than it is for the Cortex A8-based N900, not to mention that Nokia has already warmed up to Intel thanks to its Booklet 3G -- but regardless of the silicon, getting the platform solid enough for any sort of retail device by the end of 2010 still seems like a tricky proposition when you figure that the ARM build doesn't even have a proper user interface yet. Ultimately, it might come down to a question of size; Intel still hasn't proven that it can scale Atom down far enough to tackle the smartphone market head-on, so if Nokia wants to go small with its first MeeGo hardware, that alone could be impetus enough to go ARM.

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Fourth generation iPhone teardown reveals A4 microprocessor

See the marking on that chip with the Apple logo. No, not the "N90" codename indicating that it's from Apple's next generation GSM iPhone, the other text. If we're not mistaken then we're seeing "339S0084" on that chip from today's fourth-generation iPhone teardown. Guess what? According to Chipworks, that's the Apple A4 microprocessor fabricated by Samsung and the presumed work of Apple's acquired PA Semi and Intrinsity engineers. The "APL0398" text is also the same as that found on the iPad's speedy and power sipping A4 system-on-chip. The other markings differ however. What that means isn't entirely clear yet but we're digging.

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ARM blames Flash, netbooks and tablets for smartbook delay, oh my

It's not easy to launch a new product category, especially if devices don't have a magically-delicious hook, but that's not why ARM thinks it's taken so long to deliver the smartbook. In an interview with ZDNet UK, VP Ian Drew said Adobe's blame was undeniable -- Flash didn't deliver ARM optimization in time for subnetbooks to be viable. Compounding the issue, the tablet craze has manufacturers all atwitter, he said, diverting smartbook resources to the iPad party instead. As far as netbooks are concerned, Drew cited poor adoption of Linux; he reminded us ARM smartbooks can't do x86. Asked if Atom (which can) might be the real reason for delay, he said absolutely, positively no way. The executive said manufacturers apparently hadn't brought up that idea even once. Guess we'll have to take his word on that one.

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Freescale's 7-inch tablet runs Android, Chromium OS or Linux, costs $200 (video)

Remember the $200 smartbook reference design that we saw at CES this year? Well, it's back, it's holding on to that same price and 7-inch enclosure, but this time it's also showing off an expanded OS compatibility. Adapting the open source Chromium OS and another Linux variant to the ARM architecture of the prototype device was apparently not much of a hurdle for Freescale, who has an Android option in the works as well and claims to be just optimizing and enhancing the user experience at this point. Presumably one of the enhancements will be the installation of a capacitive touchscreen as the present demonstration requires either a mouse and keyboard or a resistive torture test to operate, but we'll accept the company's explanation that this is just a proof of concept and not the final product. Slide past the break to see some HTML5 video running on this bargain bin tablet, and hope that your friendly neighborhood OEM picks these designs up for some retail action.



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ODROID tablet sports Hummingbird application processor, shows off naked dev edition on video

Time to add another candidate for the tablet portion of your gadget budget. The ODROID tablet -- being developed by Hardkernel, the folks behind the ODROID portable console -- has at its heart a 1GHz Samsung S5PC110 application processor. Also known as Hummingbird, this chip can drive 1080p video at 30fps according to Samsung, and its ability to deliver a flawlessly smooth user experience was demonstrated in our Galaxy S hands-on. It is an extremely promising core to build around, and the 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen with 1,366 x 768 resolution and Android 2.1 inclusions are nothing to sniff at either. For now, all we have is the demo video after the break -- starring your favorite tech blog -- but we'll surely keep an eye out for developments with this device. Particularly if the bezel matches the thin metal frame we're seeing right now.


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EAFT Magic Tile and Compal tablets shown in India, Tegra 2 and Android in tow

We heard earlier this month that half a hundred ARM-based tablets would be launching this year, and it's pretty safe to say that these will be two of 'em. Shown off recently in Mumbai, India's own EAFT spurred interest with its Magic Tile, a presumably Billy Mays-endorsed Tegra 2-based tablet that runs on Android. We're told that it's equipped with a 7-inch touch panel (1,024 x 600 resolution), a front-mounted 1.3 megapixel webcam for video chats, 1080p video encoding / decoding abilities, optional 3G, a battery good for 8 hours of usage, inbuilt accelerometer, Bluetooth, HDMI output and a USB socket to round things out. All told, it's a pretty well-specced machine, though we're certainly hoping that the design gets a little TLC before it's launched in Q3 for an undisclosed rate. In related news, a Compal tablet was also on display, boasting a similar 7-inch layout, a Tegra 2 chip within, 512MB of DDR2 RAM, a 3 megapixel camera and a complete lack of WiFi (gasp!). Head on past the break for a hands-on vid.

Update: We thought this thing looked familiar. If you had the same feeling, it's probably because the Magic Tile is actually that ICD Ultra tablet we played with a little while back. Still, "Magic Tile" has a catchy ring to it.


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Over 50 ARM-based tablets launching this year

While the verdict is still out with regard to consumer appetites for a 3rd portable computing device, PC makers are betting the farm on consumer interest in tablets that fill the gap between small-screened smartphones and bulky (by comparison) netbooks/laptops. We've already seen an uptick in tablet devices on display at the big CES and CeBIT trade shows, now tablet and MID device vendors look ready to blow out Computex when it kicks off on June 1st in Taipei. According to Roy Chen, ARM's ODM manager for worldwide mobile computing, more than 50 ARM-based tablet PCs will launch in 2010 starting in Q2 with "a lot more" landing in the third quarter -- a date that just happens to line up with the most optimistic Chrome OS launch schedule. ARM's seeing so much interest that it had to rent additional floor space to show off the devices. Chen said that many of the tablets are slated for China although all of the world's top 10 carriers have signed up as well. ARM was showing off two Android based tablets at the press event, including the 7-inch Compal device (pictured above) we gave a whirl at CES. Let's just hope that tablet makers have plans for some compelling content and service hook-ups with a focus on the user experience -- 50 near-identical slabs of touchscreen computing won't generate much enthusiasm around here.

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Inbrics M1 gets Android 2.1 and CPU bump to 1GHz, insists on being called an MID

It looks like a smartphone, it has a smartphone's form factor, operating system, and an extra-slim slideout QWERTY keyboard, yet Inbrics still insists on calling the M1 a Mobile Internet Device instead. When the company's not busy sinking its own battleships, it appears to be doing actually beneficial stuff, such as cramming a new 1GHz Samsung CPU inside its device. The original 800MHz unit was the thing that worried us most during our otherwise praise-filled hands-on experience with the M1 at CES, so it's a good sign to see it getting a bit of extra brawn ahead of launch. The software has also moved with the times, with Android 2.1 being the current OS on tap, which should look rather nice on that 3.7-inch OLED display. The M1 will have WiFi, but no cellular connectivity is planned just yet. It's all dependent on having a Western vendor pick up the hardware and infuse it with its own requirements. Although at CES we were told to expect the M1 in March, the current timetable is for a July launch in Korea and US availability by the end of the year, provided Inbrics finds a partner for the device. Netbook News have also finally squeezed a price out of the company and have been told to expect it in the "low $200" range. Sounds kinda promising, don't you think?



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Compaq Airlife 100 puts Android OS, Snapdragon CPU, and an SSD behind 10.1-inch touchscreen

HP's mobile computing unit appears to have decided that the term smartbook refers to putting a smartphone's components inside a netbook's body -- which kind of makes sense -- so they've built their Airlife 100 atop an Android OS platform, underpinned by a Snapdragon CPU (unconfirmed, but highly likely), a 16GB SSD, 3G and WiFi connectivity, and a 10.1-inch touchscreen display. We really can find no cause for complaint -- in fact this is the most excitement a Compaq-branded product has caused us... ever. HP touts a rock solid 12-hour battery life for the Airlife, which stretches out to a mighty 10 days of standby, in case you're one of those folks who hate to switch their electronics off. Announced in partnership with Telefonica, this smartbook will be offered as a subsidized part of mobile broadband service plans in Europe and Latin America. It may well find itself renamed under the HP Mini branding when it rolls around to the US, but for now head on over to Engadget Spanish for the full PR.

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Freescale's 7-inch tablet runs Android, Chromium OS or Linux, costs $200 (video)

Remember the $200 smartbook reference design that we saw at CES this year? Well, it's back, it's holding on to that same price and 7-inch enclosure, but this time it's also showing off an expanded OS compatibility. Adapting the open source Chromium OS and another Linux variant to the ARM architecture of the prototype device was apparently not much of a hurdle for Freescale, who has an Android option in the works as well and claims to be just optimizing and enhancing the user experience at this point. Presumably one of the enhancements will be the installation of a capacitive touchscreen as the present demonstration requires either a mouse and keyboard or a resistive torture test to operate, but we'll accept the company's explanation that this is just a proof of concept and not the final product. Slide past the break to see some HTML5 video running on this bargain bin tablet, and hope that your friendly neighborhood OEM picks these designs up for some retail action.


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Hivision's Android-based PWS700CA netbook gets video review, may sport sub-$100 price tag

Oh, Hivision -- always up for making us chuckle. Just weeks after we spotted the outfit's $149 netbook with a lackluster Cortex A9 processor, along comes this: the PWS700CA. Reportedly, the company is still scouting distributors in order to get this thing out to the masses, but if all goes well, it could be sold to end users for right around a Benjamin. What makes this one marginally interesting, though, is the fact that Android is on board; yeah, it's not like Google's mobile OS is really cut out for netbook use, but it sure beats the browsing experience found in Windows CE. The device you're peering at above will eventually ship with a 600MHz ARM926 processor, 128MB of RAM, a 7-inch display (800 x 480 resolution), 720p video playback support, WiFi, Ethernet and the usual complement of ports. Hop on past the break for a look at how it fared in testing, and feel free to ping Hivision directly if you're feeling



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Qualcomm's 7x30 offers stellar 3D and multimedia performance, coming this year (video)

Feeling the post-MWC blues? Not enough smartphone hardware talk to get you through your Monday trudge? Fear not, we've grabbed a pair of Qualcomm demo videos from this year's event in Barcelona that show off its MSM7x30 smartphone platform (first announced in November of last year). It has now made its way into some demo devices and its early performance points to a very happy future for all of us mobile media vultures. Equipped with the same CPU as resides inside Qualcomm's Snapdragon, this system-on-chip comes with an HDMI output and the ability to play back 720p video on both its host device and your nearest HDTV. There's also some very welcome 3D gaming on show as well as YouTube playback using Flash 10.1 (smooth and silky), but our attention was captured by a nifty picture browser provided by Scalado. It allows you to view up to 1,000 images at the same time, zoom into each individual one, or sort them by name, color and other attributes. Being able to handle all that, with only minor perceptible lag, shows we're looking at what's shaping up to be a pretty beastly chip. Check it out after the break, and expect it to show up in a lust-worthy smartphone near you by the end of 2010.





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