It’s a tough environment out there for an OS. But a few have risen to the top of the food chain — most obviously iOS and Android. And at the very bottom, like an orphaned and endangered baby buffalo, sits MeeGo. Nokia has already fled from the burning platform, but now its only remaining parent, Intel, has reportedly decided to temporarily discontinue development of MeeGo. But for a platform with barely any traction and a comparatively weak portfolio of devices, temporarily could very quickly turn into forever.
And so the slow death of MeeGo begins. → Read More
Intel is forming a brand new business unit today, called Intel Federal, to ‘better address new opportunities in working with the U.S. government.’ The new subsidiary will focus exclusively on selling and advising on computing services in the government.
Initially, Intel says Intel Federal will focus on the High Performance Computing segment, including work on exascale computing with the U.S. Department of Energy and other agencies. Over time, the subsidiary will work with all branches of the government.
→ Read More
As I write this, I’m sitting in my office. Around me, there are nine computers — seven of them run Windows. I have three slates, too — only one is an iPad. Welcome to the Post-PC world outside of San Francisco where Microsoft is still top dog and Apple is a niche, but admittedly, influential player.
We may be in the post-PC era, but the Windows PC is far from dead. Apple is growing rapidly but seemingly focused on high margin products and massive flying saucer headquarters rather than advancing society into the next age of computing. That’s Intel’s job. And they’re going to do with a MacBook clone. → Read More
Havok, a provider of interactive software solutions for the games, entertainment and simulation industries that was acquired by Intel back in 2007, this morning announced that it has purchased long-time partner Trinigy, a 3D game engine provider with offices in Germany; Austin, Texas (US) and Seoul (Korea).
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. → Read More
When Intel launched its Ultrabook initiative, we were excited: a full-on PC notebook the size of a MacBook Air? Promises of Adamos and Series 9s danced before our eyes, sexy but overpriced. Could this new spec be the one that makes our Air-toting friends jealous?
Unfortunately, few ultrabooks have surfaced, and those that have aren’t really competing pricewise. And just today we hear that Apple is hogging all the aluminum, so people are going to make their notebooks out of fiberglass. Fiberglass! Don’t fret: Intel is on the case, and everything will be all right. → Read More
Ultrabooks are supposed to be the PC’s answer to the MacBook Air. These notebooks are said to rock hardware platforms very similar to the Air’s but, you know, run Windows instead of OS X. The first crop from HP and Asus will likely hit during the fourth quarter of 2011 but won’t be Air-killers right away. They’re going to be too expensive. → Read More
Intel has announced the acquisition of fabless semiconductor company Fulcrum Microsystems. Financial terms of the deal, which is expected to close in the third quarter of 2011, are not being disclosed.
Fulcrum Microsystems designs Ethernet switch silicon for data center network providers. Fulcrum’s provide interconnect devices for storage, computing and networking backplane, and interconnect applications in the United States and internationally. The company’s products include FocalPoint, which includes Ethernet switch/router chips; ControlPoint Software Suite that comprises Ethernet bridging, switching, and routing software modules; and PivotPoint SPI-4.2 Interconnect Chip. → Read More
When the iPad first launched last year, the word “tablet” became mainstream, and just about every electronics manufacturer out there has thrown out its version of a slate, one of the most quickly-adopted forms of technology to date. After Intel’s recent announcement of a new thinner, lighter type of notebook, called the ultrabook, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a similar reaction out of manufacturers. Acer, in particular, has already made a commitment to the ultrabook market, according to a statement made by its president Wednesday. → Read More
Intel is using the yearly Computex Taipei exhibition in Taiwan as a platform to pitch a new category of laptops. Dubbed Ultrabooks, these devices are supposed to have three distinct features: they are thinner (less than 20mm/0.8 inches) and lighter than most existing laptops, and they should be priced below $1,000 in order to become mainstream. → Read More
A strange development on the Thunderbolt front. Intel’s new high-speed interface certainly made its big debut on Apple’s new MacBook Pros, but why would Apple be trademarking it if it’s Intel’s technology? → Read More
When Thunderbolt made its big debut back in February, we weren’t too surprised to find it take the shape of a DisplayPort connector. As Apple has been a big partner with Intel on the new interface and has always been a big promoter of DisplayPort, it made sense. But it was no guarantee that the rest of the industry would follow suit. And it seems Sony might be the first to change things up. → Read More
Intel has made an interesting advance in microprocessor technology after years of research, and it seems that 2011′s processors will be the first to feature 3D transistors and tri-gate technology. By optimizing the shape of the transistor at a nanometer level, Intel has made it possible to both reduce the size of individual transistors and improve their efficiency.
Now, it’s important to differentiate this 3D method from others under investigation, like IBM’s. This isn’t a multi-layer solution, merely a more complicated shape for the single layer of transistors we know and love. I say merely, but of course sculpting things at a near-atomic level is no joke. So what exactly is the advance here, and what will it enable? → Read More
The latest interface on the block, Thunderbolt, is barely on the market and there’s already talk of its replacement. It’s a good four years down the road, of course (companies like Intel have to think ahead), but there are already prototypes and Intel is already talking it up. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a cool code name yet, but they’ll fix that soon. → Read More
Intel now says it will support both its Thunderbolt interface, which first appeared on the recent MacBook Pro revision, and USB 3.0 sometime in 2012. Presumably if it supports USB 3.0 then it will support all previous versions of USB. → Read More
Despite the fact that all the major players in the tablet business are using non-Intel hardware, the semiconductor giant isn’t about to give up. They got a black eye from ARM in this first bout, but according to Digitimes, they’re ready for round 2. → Read More
A few slides showing some of Intel’s plans for 2011 have leaked, but it’s nothing crazy. Intel doesn’t really do anything crazy, just tick-tocks its yearly advances, and 2011 is no different. Sandy Bridge will get a tweaked successor in the E series, which will allow more CPU cores and more graphics bandwidth. Then the next gen “Ivy Bridge” hits in 2012. Should you wait? Nah. If you aren’t pressed for time, wait to see AMD’s new Bulldozer platform in the next couple months; if it doesn’t fit your fancy, it’ll at least help push prices down. [via Electronista] → Read More
Right now the only serious player in tablets is Apple, followed at a great distance by Google and then by Microsoft. Intel’s MeeGo, which I expected to fade away after a rather poor showing at Mobile World Congress, has been given a puzzling upgrade, which NetbookNews got on video at a recent Intel event in Beijing. I say puzzling because it doesn’t look bad at all. → Read More
Cloverview is going to be the name of Intel’s next-generation Atom processors for tablets according to a hint dropped during a speech today at the Intel Developer Forum. → Read More
I’m in the middle of building a new desktop computer, and for the last couple weeks have been frustrated by the recall of Intel’s new P67 (Sandy Bridge-supporting) motherboards, since those are exactly what value-conscious buyers like myself would be going for. Well, the wait is over — the replacements have arrived. It’s safe to build! → Read More
SSDs have been on my Amazon Wishlist for over a year now, but the prices have always been a little higher than my blogger’s salary allowed. The good news is that when new technology gets older, we enjoy very nice price cuts. This is no more obvious then here with the new third-generation SSD 320 Series from Intel. → Read More
