So, here’s the situation. The current fleet of netbooks would be rendered next to useless with Vista loaded on, but having Windows XP on there forces manufacturers to regurgitate specification lists. Rather than using the introduction of Windows 7 to fully pursue a world where netbooks can actually run around freely with 2GB (or even 3GB!) of RAM and chipsets powerful enough to open seven Excel sheets simultaneously, Intel is today sparking up its Atom Processor Developer Program. The reason? To “spur a new wave of applications for… netbooks, with support for handhelds and smartphones available in the future.” Call us calloused, but that sounds a lot like a company pushing for “lite” software that functions on sluggish hardware.
Granted, we know that’s not exactly the case here — after all, even we wouldn’t argue that some applications could benefit from being re-written to operate on a 10.1-inch display — but it still feels like Intel’s pushing software programmers to cater to underwhelming hardware rather than innovating its chips to work faster and more efficiently. There’s no doubt that this feeling is compounded by just how long we’ve been waiting for a new wave of Atom CPUs, but at long last, we digress. The program actually has quite a few positive merits, such as striving to “reduce overhead and streamline the creation of new applications” for smaller devices — something that would benefit every user regardless of processor. So far, both Acer and Dell have voiced their support for the program, giving us at least a modicum of reassurance that the Aspire One and Mini lines aren’t vanishing anytime soon. Hit the read link for the glorified details, if you’re into that type of thing.
[Via jkkmobile]
Filed under: Software
Intel Atom dev program launched, seeks to inspire netbook-centric applications originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Didn’t Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Elite just drop to $299, like, three weeks ago? Yes, yes it did. Evidently that cut just wasn’t deep enough for Microsoft (or else it had a change of heart following the release of Sony’s $299 PS3 Slim), as the Redmond mega-corp has today lit up a new mail-in rebate program to bring the cost down to $249. Consoles purchased between today (sorry, Monday shoppers!) and October 5th are eligible, and it’s anyone’s guess as to what’ll happen to the 360 lineup come October 6th. So, is Santa coming early for anyone this year, or what?
[Via Major Nelson, thanks Logan]
Read – Rebate page
Read – Microsoft release
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment
Microsoft kicks out $50 rebate for $299 Xbox 360 Elite originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Intel just announced that both BMW and Mercedes-Benz will be shipping Atom-based infotainment systems designed by Harman-Becker in 2012. BMW will make the system available in the 7-series, while MB will put it in S- and C-class vehicles. According to Paul Otellini, these are just the first Atom-based in-vehicle entertainment systems to be announced, and automakers are coming around to “consistent and persistent platforms,” so we’d expect this is the start of a very welcome trend. Sadly there was no demo, but we’ll be on the lookout here at IDF.
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video, Transportation
BMW and Mercedes to have Intel Atom-based infotainment systems in 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Verizon and AT&T, the States’ number one and number two wireless carriers by subscriber count respectively, share a common bond in that they both have deep ties to the Bell System of old and have ended up running huge wireline broadband and legacy telephone businesses. That means they’re liable to end up sharing a lot of common interests like candlelit dinners, walks on the beach, and a general agreement with the FCC’s Julius Genachowski on new net neutrality legislation — for wired broadband, anyhow. Both companies’ wireless divisions are expressing concern that the proposed rules would apply to ISPs regardless of medium, and the argument is that while landlines (and the accompanying bandwidth) are a theoretically limitless resource, wireless bandwidth is ultimately limited by available spectrum no matter how advanced the underlying technology may be — and if the carriers don’t have authority to clamp down on certain types of heavy use, everyone loses. Though every bone in our body is telling us to vehemently disagree with the argument, they’re right on the point that wireless capacity doesn’t flow from an everlasting font of spectrum, and it’s got to be managed. Thing is, “managed” doesn’t necessarily mean “restrict.” Here are the options we see at a quick glance:
- Lobby the FCC to aggressively search for and free up additional spectrum that can be safely re-purposed. The CTIA’s already pursuing this angle, so it’ll be interesting to see what becomes of it.
- Before raising hell, AT&T and Verizon should both consider completing their moves to LTE and coming within a stone’s throw of tapping out their current spectrum allocations. Both carriers own swaths of 700MHz bandwidth that they haven’t yet capitalized on, and AT&T is actively freeing up 1900MHz by moving a number of markets to 850 for 3G.
- As with everything else in a free economy, the market should decide wireless data pricing. It’s a limited resource and it’s in demand — as long as the appropriate regulatory bodies are keeping a close eye on anti-competitive practices (which it seems they’re looking to do a better job of), simply charge a fair market rate for usage rather than discriminating by application. We’ve got a long way to go from the virtually identical pricing structures and limited options that national carriers offer today.
See, guys? Lots of options here without waging a fight that goes against the popular (and largely correct) side of a hot-button topic.
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Wireless
AT&T, Verizon poised to fight FCC’s net neutrality stance on the wireless front originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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See that tiny little thing? That’s not just a CPU, it’s Intel’s next-gen Atom Pine Trail CPU / GPU hybrid, and it’s set to pop in all sorts of devices here at IDF. Intel was demoing it in a nettop running 480p video, but they assured us it was capable of 1080p playback — we’ll believe it when we see it, obviously. Also on display here at IDF: demo machines running 32nm Arrandale chips, with Intel’s Clear HD video playback system, and the next-gen Gulftown gaming chip, which has six cores and will slot right into your X58 mobo to provide more power than you possibly need sometime next year. Check it all in the gallery!
Update: So the first Intel rep we spoke to was a little confused — Pine Trail only supports 480p playback, although it can apparently do 720p if pushed. Native HD isn’t on Intel’s roadmap until the next generation of these chips, so If you want HD right now, Intel’s pointing manufacturers to the Broadcom Crystal HD video accelerator, which usually ends up costing about $30 extra at retail. So to recap: Intel’s integrating graphics into its CPU dies, but in order to play back HD content, you still need a separate video processor to handle the decoding. How very efficient.
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
Eyes-on with Intel’s Pine Trail CPU/GPU hybrid and new Gulftown gaming chip (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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