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Info CenterIn this section you can find the most interesting news from Computer World: Biostar Launches Intel 4-series-based MotherboardsBiostar Microtech International has announced the launch of a number of Intel 4-series-based motherboards, including its TPower I45. Biostar launched a number of motherboards based on Intel’s 4-series chipsets for different user groups at different price points, including the TPower I45, TP45 HP, TP43 HP, TP45D2-A7, TP43D2-A7 and P43-A7 paired with either the ICH10R or ICH10 southbridge chipset.Nvidia Unveils Tegra: A Computer On A ChipTaipei (Taiwan) - In very simple terms, all chip manufacturers have the same business goal: To sell more chips every year. If your core market limits your growth, you will have to look for new markets. Intel has recently done this with its Atom processor, which targets low-cost computing devices and handheld computers. Nvidia’s Tegra hits the same market segments and expands the company’s reach into a new market that currently has a demand of more than 1 billion processors per year. It could be a game-changing move for Nvidia - not just in terms of growth opportunity, but also in its rivalry with Intel. It is known that Nvidia organizes its product families under very few umbrella trends and new brands typically indicate the launch of a major new product. The company started out with its GeForce line of graphics cards (which also include nForce chipsets) and eventually extended its strategy with its professional Quadro products. In late 2006, the company launched the Tesla high-performance computing line and now we have a fourth major brand, Tegra. And at least from what we have seen so far, this could be a big one for Nvidia.What is Tegra?To clear out some confusion, let us first stress that Tegra is not a CPU. Neither is a GPU or a combination of both with one part dominating the other. Instead, Tegra is a "system-on-a-chip" (SoC) or "computer-on-a-chip" (CoC). Tegra consists of an ARM11 CPU core, a GoForce (renamed into GeForce ULV) GPU, an image processor (digital camera support), a HD video processor (PureVideo for handhelds), memory (NAND Flash, Mobile DDR), a northbridge (memory controller, display output, HDMI+HDCP, security engine) and a southbridge (USB OTG, UART, external memory card SPI SDIO, etc). In short, Tegra includes the whole shebang: CPU, graphics and what you traditionally find on a motherboard are squeezed onto a single silicon die. What is particularly impressive about this device is the fact that this chip measures just 144 mm2, which is smaller than a dime and about one quarter the size of the upcoming GeForce graphics chip, which measures 576 mm2, according to our sources.Tegra lineupTegra arrives in three versions with different markets in mind. Nvidia ditched the suffix "CSX" at the last moment, and decided to name its mobile computing parts "600" and "650". Strangely enough, Nvidia decided to keep the name "APX" for its cellphone chip, which is called "APX 2500". So, the complete product family at launch includes the Tegra APX 2500, Tegra 600 and Tegra 650. And yes, the lowest performing part has highest number. Go figure. The (Tegra) APX 2500 was introduced in February 2008 in Barcelona at the Mobile World Congress. The chip is clocked at 600 MHz, and targets applications with FWVGA display resolutions (854 x 480 pixels). This version is a sub-1 watt part and is rated at a power consumption of 0.6-1 watts. Considering the fact that this chip is capable of running HD video decoding and encoding (720p only), the power consumption rating is impressive. Not surprisingly, the APX 2500 targets cellphones and PDAs with low power envelopes. If you consider the chip’s capabilities, its size and power rating, there is no doubt in our mind that this is a potentially game changing piece of silicon that is a kick in the you-know-what of sleeping cellphone giants such as Texas Instruments (TI), Freescale, STMicro, Philips and others. The Tegra 600 is clocked at 700 MHz and targets devices with SXGA resolution (1280 x 1024). Besides the clock speed, Nvidia expanded the storage capabilities with IDE support for Compact Flash and solid state disks (SSDs). This model aims to attract customers in the GPS segment and automotive applications such as dashboard systems or central entertainment systems. The power consumption is in the 1 Watt range, which is still a very low level. Nvidia demonstrated this chip (Tegra 600 + HDMI, USB, stereo jacks) consuming 1 watt while running 720p video decode through HDMI. Both the Tegra APX 2500 and 600 integrate low-power DDR memory clocked at 166 MHz. The Tegra 650 is a beast, the "GTX" of the handheld and sub-notebook world. Nvidia has clocked this part at 800 MHz, while keeping the power consumption in a 2.5 - 4 watt envelope. This investment delivers 1080p video decode at 30 fps (24 and 29.99). The Tegra 650 uses embedded LP-DDR memory clocked at 200 MHz. Tegra on the desktop, notebook One of interesting applications for Tegra might be add-on video and the connection of processors to GeForce, Quadro and Tesla boards. Why would Nvidia spend transistors inside a GPU when it can use Tegra instead of NVIO chips and support all video functions while decreasing the thermal design power of a board? For GPU computing, future Tegra parts (Tegra 2 is scheduled for 2009, Tegra 3 for 2010) will inevitably include SATA support, which would allow users to put a SSD array directly onto a Tesla GPGPU card and eliminate the need for a motherboard and Intel/AMD CPUs. Indeed, applications of this "jack of all trades" chip with a ridiculously small TDP can deeply impact the already existing desktop, notebook and HPC markets.1 TB, Blu-ray Compatible Optical Disc AnnouncedCall/Recall has announced it is developing a 1TB optical drive and disk, backwards compatible with Blu-ray, in partnership with with the Nichia Corporation of Japan. Call/Recall began synthesizing 1TB materials for Nichia’s blue-violet laser diodes in December 2007, with first initial testing successfully completed in March 2008.All-In-One PCs Going Mainstream: Will Apple Or Microsoft Get Multi Touch First?Analyst Opinion - It is clear that Microsoft and Apple take direction from each other. Both firms were known as the original "Pirates of Silicon Valley" after all. At the Wall Street Journal’s "D: All Things Digital Conference" Microsoft showcased what will be the cornerstone of Windows 7 - a Multi-Touch PC interface. This suggests not only a change in how we will interact with Windows but with Mac OS as well, since Apple is unlikely to give up their perceived leadership in user interface design. I have been using an HP SmartTouch PC for some time. Given Apple’s aggressive stance with the iPhone and iPod Touch, I am somewhat surprised that they have not come out with a touch-screen Mac product yet. The reason may be that getting a large screen to do multi-touch hasn’t been that easy until recently and there is nothing currently selling in the PC space that is affordable with this capability. I saw this video some time ago, which imagines a multi-touch Mac (and every time I see it I want one). Recently a new video popped up showcasing what appears to be an Apple spin on the Microsoft Surface concept but targeted at your desktop. HP has been working on such a concept for awhile as well and what we have seen so far clearly looks like a lot of fun. Of course, the bigger the screen, the more interesting all of this gets and it adds the angle that working on a big screen as a team could be both fun and productive . I’ve linked to a number of interesting videos above primarily because you really can’t get a sense for multi-touch on a big screen until you have seen it in action. Multi-touch=All-in-one computer? It used to be the case that folks really didn’t want to buy an All-in-one PC (interestingly, more and more companies, including Intel, are referring to consumer desktop PCs as all-in-one PCs anyway), because it made no sense to them to use a monitor that might last for seven years and cost a fortune to a PC that would probably last for three or four years and might actually cost less. Since then, monitors have come down in price, currently you can buy a nice 22" monitor for under $300 and a 24" - which compares to my first 19" which cost a whopping $3000. So getting the two things in a single package does not represent the kind of pain it once did. In addition, in order to do multi-touch, you are going to have to replace the monitor anyway and getting one that was designed to go with the PC you bought, and I know this from experience, will save you a lot of aggravation in terms of setup and screen accuracy. In addition, it is hard to imagine many folks will need a screen much larger than 22" or 24", which I expect will be common in all-in-one products when Windows 7 comes to market. This suggests that, sometime around 2010, the hot desktop PC may actually be an All-in-one computer with a multi-touch screen. Laptops, which already come with a build in screen, will be much easier to convert but I’ll bet multi-touch will available only in the more expensive ones. But, I wonder, in that time frame will we shift back to having a desktop PC and then start using a smart phone instead of a laptop? I’ve just recently become aware of the new Celio Redfly cell phone accessory and will be starting a lengthy test to see if I can live with a cell phone instead of a laptop. I’ll write about that later. (The Redfly is basically is laptop sized screen and keyboard for cell phones.) Wouldn’t it be funny if it turned out Apple was right all along and the market finally moved to Macintosh like products? Now the question is who will get this puppy to market first - Microsoft or Apple? I figure that whoever makes the fourth quarter 2009 with a touchscreen desktop will. Stay tuned. Rob Enderle is one of the last Inquiry Analysts. Inquiry Analysts are paid to stay up to date on current events and identify trends and either explain the trends or make suggestions, tactical and strategic, on how to best take advantage of them. Currently he provides his services to most of the major technology and media companies. |
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