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To: engineer who wrote (92707)	6/23/2010 2:25:06 PM
From: FUBHO	of 117506

RE:one would have thought that they would drop the x86 compatability after more than 30 years of processor progress x86 compatibility might be the biggest cash cow in the history of technology for both of the major parties(MSFT/INTC). Intel tried to kill it themselves with EPIC/Itanium and now they only have one customer left for that with HP. Outside of mobile devices, x86/x64 will continue to dominate. ARM is trying to move up and Intel is trying to move down... The head on collision should be interesting and beneficial to end users. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Europe funds ARM-based server research Peter Clarke (06/23/2010 6:19 AM EDT) URL: eetimes.com

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To: FUBHO who wrote (92709)	6/23/2010 3:02:15 PM
From: kech	of 117506

Nice video clip on CNBC with Sanjay Jha, Eric Schmidt (Google), EVP of Verizon and CEO of Adobe on the day of the unveiling of the Droid X. (By the way does this have snapdragon?) A lot of talk about how great Flash 10 works on this device (with Android 2.2). All agreeing that the combo really delivers. NEW YORK--Google CEO Eric Schmidt made a guest appearance at a press conference here Wednesday where Google, Motorola, and Verizon Wireless unveiled the new version of the popular Android Droid smartphone. Schmidt took the stage first and touted the importance of the smartphone category. "This is not a toy or app engine," he said. "It is a powerful kind of operating system. What is happening now is that people are thinking mobile first instead of desktop first." (Credit: Motorola) He cited the importance of a robust wireless network, as well as hardware with fast processors and big screens. But Schmidt said Wednesday's event is notable not just for the announcement of the new Droid, but for the emergence of the entire category of device. Indeed, the new Droid X epitomizes this. The newest version of the Google Android phone made by Motorola offers an HDMI output, a 4.3-inch display, and 720p video capture. The device also comes with faster processors that will offer faster Web browsing. And it has an 8-megapixel high-definition camera. John Stratton, executive vice president of Verizon Wireless, said the device is made for video. And there will be new apps designed to take advantage of these features, including a deal with Blockbuster to provide movies for purchase or rent. The Droid X will cost $199.99 after a $100 rebate and will go on sale starting July 15. Unlike AT&T, which has switched to tiered pricing for its iPhone, Verizon said it will keep its unlimited mobile data plan for smartphones, which costs $30 a month. The new Droid X also offers Wi-Fi hot spot capability, which allows users to connect up to five additional Wi-Fi devices to the Verizon 3G network. This feature will cost $20 extra a month for 2GB of data for the month. If users exceed the 2GB, they will pay 5 cents per megabyte. Verizon is altering its upgrade policy to sweeten the deal for current customers looking to upgrade to the Droid. It will allow any Verizon Wireless customer whose contract expires in 2010 to upgrade to the Droid when it comes out on July 15.

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To: Art Bechhoefer who wrote (92713)	6/23/2010 4:42:06 PM
From: FUBHO	of 117506

Apple's A4 is 7.3mm^2 in size. That would yield just about 1230 die candidates per wafer for a 300mm wafer. If we assume TSMC charges $4500 for a fully processed 45nm wafer at 65% yield, that would be a die cost of $6 per die. Then you have to package at say $1-2/die. The cost per chip would be around $7-8 per chip and they are currently charging about $25. I am going to add more cost for the extra core on the latest chip, but that is minimal. The current process is 65nm for Snapdragon, so the die of the chip would be larger, but the processed wafer cost would be cheaper. Lots of variables, but it definitely costs less than $10 a chip to make. There was a tremendous amount of rounding and assuming Please do your own math and see what you get. ================================================== Analytical die count estimation For any given wafer diameter [d, mm] and target IC size [S, mm2], there is an exact number of integral die pieces that can be sliced out of the wafer. The gross Die Per Wafer [DPW] can be estimated by the following expression: Note, that the gross die count does not take into account the die defect loss, various alignment markings and test sites on the wafer. en.wikipedia.org ifixit.com eetimes.com tsmc.com

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To: ggamer who wrote (92710)	6/23/2010 5:36:10 PM
From: planetsurf	13 Recommendations of 117506

Can someone in a very high level and not too technical term explain the following: I'll take a crack at it from a quasi-developers POV. (Not making a case for QCOM ROI with Brew.) 1) What are the major differences/similarities between Android and Brew Android is a real (Linux) OS on a phone. Apps can be built to run in this environment fairly easily (same for IPhone). Like a laptop computer, the OS decides what connection (wifi vs cell) to use, the app just runs on top, utilizing the connection or not. BREW is an environment that allows for apps to run on a "less smart/powerful" phone. An individual might have a few options to customize their "desktop" (wallpaper) but only what is allowed by the phone/carrier. Mostly there are just individual apps that get placed in a folder within the "tools" of your phone. Android is much more powerful and much more flexible BUT requires a much more powerful (expensive) phone and screen. Brew is also very carrier centric. I believe most carriers choose what apps are available (certainly Verizon does). I believe Android is carrier agnostic -- you can get the same apps (mostly) on at&t or Verizon. The old vertical vs horizontal model argument. 2) Can they co-exist Of course. Android to me is plenty cool and powerful but the phones more $$. Brew is the low-end option. IPhone/best Androids at the high end (Win Mob 7?) --- BBerry/low-end Androids at the higher mid end -- good Brew phone/Palm/Kin type at low mid end -- basic flip/slide phone with Brew at low end. 3) The explosive growth of android - is good or bad for Brew Except for Android and IPhone sucking all the air out of the room for developers (and that's pretty big), I'd say it's a wash. Simple pre-paid phones are still going strong (surprisingly) in the first-world markets, carriers can use BREW apps (or a package of apps) to differentiate cheap phones and get some bonus air time used. Do they? Visit a Verizon store and see how much help you get from a salesman when asking about those phones -- "not bloody likely!" Yet, not every family even here in the US can or wants to supply and pay for 4 high-end phones with the data packages they require. All my friends teenage kids (mine are under 8) have nice but pretty basic phones (think the LG Chocolate). They need to text and make calls. A few bells and whistles are nice -- Brew should be more than capable of providing them. They graduate to smartphones in college. Plus, I can't imagine that India, China, S America, etc are going to be awash with IPhones or Incredibles anytime soon. Just WAY too expensive for the average person there. 4) Is Brew doomed long term Aren't we ALL doomed in the end? lol ... but I see a case being made for a Javascript/Brew type apps on billions of phones for years. Apple will NEVER make a $50 phone. Android might be used on one at some point, but why? If you don't have the screen real estate, proc power or data pipes, why do it? At the point that ALL phones will have 3x5" screens, fast pipes and decent proc speed (at say $35 wholesale), then maybe Brew is doomed. Until then, as long as carriers have a need at the low-end and QCOM does their baby-sitting (and doesn't suddenly cancel developer events -- fool me once...) then there should be a place for Brew for years and years imho.

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