AMD Kabini X4 5110, The Entry-Level APU

Since we've taken a look at the high-end A10-6800K accelerated processing unit, AMD's top Richland APU, we may as well check out the entry-level chip too, now that we have the data.

Fudzilla has provided some information which, it claims, describes the capabilities of a certain Kabini X4 5110 processor. This is actually the strongest of the entry-level chips expected to arrive in 2013, and should be ready for mass production by March 2013. That's the same time frame as the ETA (estimated time of arrival) for the aforementioned high-end quad-core processor. Speaking of core number, the X4 5110 has four (the X4 was a clear enough indicator of that). Somehow, though, it still makes do with a TDP (thermal design power) of 25W. That's not really low enough for tablets, definitely not even close to the 4.5W of the Z-60, but it should be more than suitable for ultrathin laptops. We would use the term ultrabook, but Intel has trademarked it and, thus, AMD and its laptop-manufacturing partners can't.

Then again, AMD did tell us at IFA that it didn't feel the need for a counter-brand. Ultrathin works just fine, the company felt. At any rate, the X4 5110 has Jaguar cores, a DirectX 11.1 graphics processing unit, the FT3 BGA infrastructure, a DDR3-1866 memory controller and Turbo Core technology (dynamic overclocking based on application requirements). Full volume production and availability will ramp up in June, even if manufacturing begins in March.

As a side note, the 28nm-based Kabini APU series will include several other X-series chips and E-series models, with TDPs of as low as 18W. Unfortunately, no clock speeds have been released or exposed through leaks yet. Intel's Haswell Y series of chips will be the main competitors, with their much lower TDPs but significantly weaker graphics.

AMD logo
Image credits to AMD

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Intel “Redhookbay” Spotted in Benchmarks with Android 4.2.1, Dual-Core CPU

Chip maker Intel appears set to assault the smartphone market with a new processor, one that was leaked not too long ago as the dual-core Merrifield, a successor to the Medfield Atom processor that failed to impress too much.

The new mobile processor is expected to be officially introduced at the 2013 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, and should deliver far better performance levels than the current chip, rumor has it. While nothing has been officially confirmed on the matter for the time being, the processor has already made an appearance online, courtesy of benchmarking results for a certain Redhookbay device from Intel. Spotted in NenaMark, Redhookbay managed to score 58.30, and unveiled some of the possible specs of the aforementioned Intel processor. Thus, the dual-core CPU should operate at a frequency of between 1.6GHZ and 2.0GHz, while featuring a PowerVR SGX 544MP GPU attached to it. Furthermore, the Merrifield chip is said to provide users with 4G LTE connectivity right from the start, something that Medfield did not offer.

Redhookbay also made an appearance in AnTuTu, where it managed to score quite high at 31,612, with Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean loaded on it. For the time being, Redhookbay might be nothing more than a developer board, and not an actual phone, yet the benchmarking scores it has managed to obtain are still impressive. According to rumors, Intel might not plan the launch of its own smartphones powered by this processor, but it might partner with various handset vendors out there for the inclusion of its chip inside their devices. What remains to be seen is which markets Intel would target with the new processor. Some other reports, however, suggest that the company might have it packed inside entry-level smartphones for countries such as China, India and other emerging markets. Stay tuned to learn more on this.

Intel “Redhookbay” in AnTuTu benchmarks
Image credits to AnTuTu

Intel “Redhookbay” in NenaMark2 benchmarks
Image credits to Nenamark2

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AMD A10-6800K, Top 28nm Richland APU

Just like NVIDIA's GeForce 700 series graphics cards and Intel's Haswell CPU collection, AMD's Richland line of upcoming accelerated processing units is turning heads whenever it makes a sound.

This time around we are getting acquainted with the mightiest Richland APU, called A10-6800K and set for mass production in late March 2013. The manufacturing ETA (estimated time of arrival) doesn't mean it will ship that soon though. In fact, AMD doesn't expect to officially launch the processor before June. That's no problem though. It will give the existing series of accelerated processing units a decent market lifetime. But we digress. The Richland A10-6800K is based on the 28nm manufacturing process technology, the same one used for AMD's Radeon GPUs and NVIDIA's own chips. There are four x86 cores, plus a Radeon HD 8000 series graphics processing unit, all packed inside a package compatible with FM2 socket motherboards. Obviously, the Turbo Core technology is supported, allowing the clock frequency of one or all cores to go higher than normal when applications demand it.

Unfortunately, despite the rest of the details being more or less known, the actual performance numbers haven't been disclosed, so we have to wait for another leak to expose the clock speeds and such. That said, samples of the Richland chip might have already been completed, although they might only be released in January. March, as we said, will only be the start of mass production, while June is when people will actually be allowed to buy it. By then, Windows 8 should have reached its full stride, so the PC market may finally see that sales rebound everyone has been hoping for. In addition to AMD’s A10-6800K, there will be three more quad-core units and a couple of dual-core processors. Their specs are just as unknown as those of the flagship product.

AMD A-Series
Image credits to AMD

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Samsung Galaxy S IV is to Unify Samsung Galaxy S and Note Series

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics has been long rumored to plan the launch of a successor of its Galaxy S III smartphone next year, and some more info on the device has emerged.

Referred to as Galaxy S IV, the handset is now rumored to be launched with features that will allow it to fit both into Samsung’s Galaxy S series, and into the company’s Galaxy Note family of devices. Basically, the upcoming flagship smartphone is expected to unify the two lineups when launched in April next year. This is not the first time we hear that Samsung might put the phone on shelves in the second quarter of the next year, after having it finalized by March. However, it seems that we won’t be seeing the phone at CES 2013 in January, and that it remains to be seen whether Samsung will indeed unveil it at MWC in Barcelona in February, as previously rumored. Galaxy S IV will be unveiled with S Pen capabilities, as well as with the accompanying apps and functionality, just as the Note series devices were launched with. The move has been allegedly confirmed through an official comment from Samsung.

The upcoming device has also been rumored to sport a 5-inch 1080p AMOLED display, which makes sense given the above rumor. The phone is also said to sport a quad-core Exynos 5440 processor inside, supposedly manufactured using 28nm high-K metal gate technology. On the back, the phone will sport a 13-megapixel photo snapper with auto-focus, full HD video recording and high-end capabilities. Galaxy S IV is said to feature a 9.2mm body, yet nothing has been confirmed so far on its specs. Recent rumors suggested that Samsung might not launch the phone under the Galaxy S IV name, given that number four is considered bad luck in South Korea, and it remains to be seen whether the company will choose a hybrid name between the Galaxy S and the Galaxy Note series.

Samsung logo
Image credits to Samsung

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Sony Xperia Odin to Be Launched as Sony Xperia X L35h

Japanese mobile phone maker Sony Mobile is expected to make its long rumored Odin smartphone available for purchase in early 2013 as Xperia X (model number L35h), the latest reports on the matter suggest.

The handset will accompany another device from the manufacturer, codenamed Yuga and said to hit shelves as Xperia Z. However, while Xperia Z is expected only in China and Taiwan (rumored to arrive on shelves in mid-January), in addition to Japan, Xperia X should be released on the international market, rumor has it.

It will sport a 5-inch 1080p Full HD IPS display, a quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU, 2GB of RAM and a 13-megapixel camera on the back, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on top. What is uncertain at the moment is whether the two smartphones will be launched simultaneously or not. Stay tuned for more on this.

Sony to launch Odin as Xperia X
Image credits to ePrice

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Oppo Ulike 2 Features 5MP Front Camera Arrives in China for $370/€280

We reported about a month ago on the upcoming availability of the first smartphone to feature a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, the Oppo Ulike 2.

It looks like, after four weeks, the handset went on sale in China for only $370 (€280) outright. According to Engadget, the smartphone ships with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system out of the box. Aimed at women, Oppo Ulike 2 sports a 5-megapixel front-facing camera and is powered by a dual-core processor.

It also packs 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory, which cannot be further expanded as the device lacks microSD card slot. The Ulike 2 features a more than decent 4.5-inch qHD capacitive touchscreen display that supports 960 x 540 pixels resolution, along with various personalization features that makes it more tempting to women.

Oppo Ulike 2
Image credits to Engadget

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ZTE Nubia Z5 Now Official, Arrives in China for $554/€418

Chinese mobile phone maker ZTE has finally made its Nubia Z5 high-end smartphone official, with its 5-inch 1080p touchscreen (1920 x 1080 pixels resolution) that can deliver a 443ppi pixel density.

The new device was launched in China alone for the time being, with a price tag of 3,456 yuan (around $554 / €418). The phone can be seen on this page on ZTE's official Nubia website. In addition to the high-end display, the smartphone also features powerful hardware inside, including a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, which is complemented by 2GB of RAM. Furthermore, ZTE packed the new handset with 32GB of internal memory, as well as with Dolby sound technology, and free backup of data on a private cloud service. On the back, the new mobile phone features a 13-megapixel photo snapper, with LED flash, support for full HD video recording and with other high-end imaging capabilities (such as panoramic and continuous shooting). At the same time, the handset sports a 2-megapixel camera on the front, which should prove a great option when it comes to making video calls while on the go.

The smartphone also comes to the market with a 2,300 mAh battery inside, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Magnetometer and other sensors, while also packing a wide range of management and security features coming from ZTE themselves. ZTE Nubia Z5 measures 138mm x 68.8mm x 7.6mm (5.43 x 2.71 x 0.3 inches) and weighs 126 grams (4.44 ounces), making it one of the slimmest 5-inch devices in the world. Announced as ZTE’s flagship handset for the season, the Nubia Z5 arrives on the market with Google’s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean platform loaded on top. Unfortunately, ZTE did not unveil plans to make the phone available for purchase in other markets around the world in addition to China, and it might never bring it to shelves in the United States, although previous rumors suggested it might do so.

ZTE Nubia Z5
Images credits to ZTE

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Rumor: Samsung Plan New GT-I9500 Flagship Device

Following the release of a nice range of high-end devices this year, Samsung is rumored to plan the launch of new such smartphones in 2013, some of which might be based on the Tizen OS, in addition to running under Google’s Android platform.

One such smartphone is said to feature the model number GT-I9500, and to be accompanied by a GT-I9505 variant, which might sport 4G LTE connectivity. Samsung i9500 is the developer model that the handset vendor has made available with Tizen on board, and it seems that it might become commercially available soon.

According to SamMobile, there is also the possibility that Samsung will load Android on this new phone, and that it might release it as a successor for its Galaxy S III handset (which might not be launched as Galaxy S IV, it seems).

Samsung logo
Image credits to Samsung

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BlackBerry Remember, The BlackBerry 10 Task Manager

BlackBerry 10, the next major mobile operating system release from Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion, is expected to arrive on devices with a new task manager packed inside, called BlackBerry “Remember.”

It will provide users with the possibility to easily capture and organize their content, so that they would be able to choose what to do next in no time. The task manager will provide users with the possibility to set tasks and goals from anywhere on the device, and to easily track them to completion. Furthermore, it will also provide syncing of tasks with Microsoft Outlook calendar.

Previously, the app was also said to arrive on devices with deep integration with Evernote, yet the leaked screenshot above – available courtesy of CrackBerry’s forums (via berryreview) – does not mention it. Keep an eye on this space for more on the matter.

BlackBerry 10 Remember Task Manager
Image credits to CrackBerry via BerryReview

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BlackBerry 10 Confirmed to Sport BBM Video Capabilities

One of the new features that Research In Motion’s BlackBerry 10 operating system will arrive on devices with will be support for video chatting in BlackBerry Messenger, it seems.

The feature was rumored not too long ago, and has been recently confirmed in a leaked internal doc that emerged over at CrackBerry. Users will be able switch to a video call while chatting with their friends in the BBM list, for “improved collaboration and share a presentation or spreadsheet instantly to help get the message across more clearly,” said document unveiled.

Those who had the chance to take the BBM Voice feature in the new BBM 7 for a spin will enjoy a similar experience when BBM Video will be available, it seems. All the necessary info on this should become official on January 30, 2013, when BlackBerry 10 is launched, so stay tuned to learn more on it.

Blackberry 10
Image credits to RIM

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