Items tagged with Atom
When it comes to single-board PCs, the Raspberry Pi is by far the most popular device on the market, and has found uses in a number of different market sectors. However, there are also plenty of competitors out there that try to compete with the Raspberry Pi on price, or outdo it with regards to outright performance. The latest challenger to the throne comes from Radxa, which is launching its new Rock Pi X single-board PC. Unlike the newly released Raspberry Pi 4, the Rock Pi X doesn't make use of a quad-core ARM SoC; instead, it uses one of Intel's legacy Atom x5-Z8300 processors (Cherry Trail). This quad-core SoC originally launched over four years ago and has base/boost frequencies...
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Eyebrows were raised earlier this week when it was revealed that Microsoft would not be fully supporting PC systems equipped with Intel “Clover Trail” Atom processors. If these machines are running Windows 10, they can’t upgrade from the Anniversary Update to the Creators Update. Affected Intel Clover Trail processors include: Atom Z2760Atom Z2520Atom Z2560Atom Z2580 Adding salt to the wounds of these customers, Microsoft said that security updates for these systems would only extend into 2018. Most of these systems came preinstalled with Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, and had they stayed with Windows 8.1 instead of Windows 10 (which Microsoft enticed these users to do, for free), they would have...
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We dig burly, decked-out gaming PCs stuffed with powerful hardware as much as the next guy around here. Sleek, ultra small form factor systems like the MINIX Neo Z83-4 we’ll be showing you here today, however, also have a certain appeal. Powerful gaming PCs are awesome for their intended purpose, but try sticking one in a typical home theater setup and things can so sideways. Not only will it usually look out of place, but there are power, heat, and noise considerations to worry about. Conversely, a miniscule machine like the MINIX Neo Z83-4 is so quiet and requires such a small amount of power, that you’ll wonder why every self-respecting geek doesn’t have a tiny PC attached to their TV.The...
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Lenovo recently released one of the most interesting tablet hybrids in recent memory, just in time for the holidays. The Yoga Book has a digital keyboard that doubles as a sketch pad that even accommodates plain old paper, giving users several ways to draw images or jot notes. In fact, the tablet aspect of the machine is one of the most creative (and fun) concepts we’ve seen this year. The Yoga Book differs from traditional tablet first hybrid devices in several ways, but the most noticeable of these is the permanently attached keyboard, which is a departure from traditional 10-inch tablet form factors. Some tablet-first devices, like the 2016 version of the Dell XPS 12 and the Lenovo ThinkPad...
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With Intel finding itself inside most of the world's consumer PCs and enterprise servers, it's begun making a massive push on making sure its chips wind up in all other devices - those that most of us regular folk don't think about. We're talking "edge devices" and "fog computing" hardware. "Edge devices" are those that connect all of our devices, so they can include routers, switches, and so forth. "Fog computing", by contrast, acts as decentralized resource management. An example of fog computing can be seen in Windows 10, which has the ability to serve updates to other PCs in a household or business. It's "fog" because it hovers around the given area, rather than "cloud", which would require...
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A couple of weeks ago, we had to report on the unfortunate news that Intel would be laying off 11% of its workforce, which equates to roughly 12,000 workers. With this move, Intel assured investors that it would be refocusing its efforts going forward, in effect chopping off what doesn't have a significant return and looking to products that do. This refocusing has led Intel to drop a bomb on their Atom product line. In effect, chips destined for smartphones and tablets are no longer on the roadmap. Instead, resources that were dedicated to the currently-available Sofia chip and upcoming Broxton have been reallocated to "products that deliver higher returns and advance our strategy."...
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While it’s definitely fun to talk about enthusiast parts like Intel’s upcoming deca-core Extreme Edition processors, we have to keep in mind that many consumers don’t set their sights that high when it comes to performance and have more meager budgets to navigate. With that in mind, Intel has announced its new Apollo Lake platform, which is targeting the low-end of of the PC and tablet market. The Apollo Lake platform brings with it a number of enhancements compared to its Braswell and Cherry Trail predecessors including a new Atom microarchitecture: Goldmont. Like the Airmont architecture that came before it, Goldmont is built on a 14nm manufacturing process and supports up to four cores. However,...
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Intel really lit a fire under PC OEMs when it launched its Compute Stick earlier this year (you can read the Hot Hardware review right here). The tiny little mini PC fits in the palm of your hand and packs in a Bay Trail-based Atom Z3735F processor. We’ve seen the world’s largest PC OEM, Lenovo, come out with its own interpretation and now ASUS is bringing its own sleek offering to the table. The ASUS VivoStick does away with the hard edges and complete lack of style presented by the Intel Compute Stick and the Lenovo ideacenter Stick 300 by adopting a smooth shape and gentle curves. If the Intel Compute Stick is a slab-sided Mercedes G-Class, the VivoStick is more Porsche Cayenne. The VivoStick...
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The tablet world is shifting quickly. While arguments for and against the need for a "third device" have been raging since the early days of the iPad, we're seeing tablets emerge that are far more potent and capable than ever before. In fact, it's tough to lump products like Dell's Venue 10 7000 in with bargain-bin slates that are clearly built to be used primarily for mobile Internet browsing and other strictly consumption-based use. This device we're testing here is cut from a different cloth. In many ways, it's paving a new path for tablets, and at first blush, you may assume that such a well-engineered product has Windows underneath. Instead, there's Android 5.0.2 (Lollipop), alongside a...
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Back in early January, during our coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show, we gave you all a first glimpse of the Asus ZenFone 2. For those unfamiliar with the ZenFone 2, it is an Intel-powered smartphone, rocking Android Lollipop, that’s compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile, and other cellular networks that utilize GSM technology, like Straight Talk, MetroPCS, and Cricket Wireless among others.Asus Offers The ZenFone 2 In A Handful Of Different ColorsA couple of days ago, Asus held an event to officially launch the ZenFone 2 and announce availability in the U.S., and we left with one of the flagship versions of the phone in-hand. The ZenFone 2 pictured here is packing a quad-core Intel Atom...
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ASUS’ red hot ZenFone 2 is about to make its big U.S. debut, and we can hardly wait. More specifically, the ZenFone 2 will launch tomorrow in two variants, both of which will be come from the factory unlocked. The cheaper model will come standard with a 1.83GHz Intel Atom Z3560 processor, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage for $199. If you pony up $299, however, you’ll be greeted with a faster 2.33GHz Intel Atom Z3580 processor paired with 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage and a QuickCharger. Regardless of whether you decide to go for the entry-level model or the fully decked out variant, both come with a 5.5-inch 1080p IPS display that is covered in Gorilla Glass 3, a 13MP rear camera with an...
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We first got an official look at the Intel Compute Stick earlier this year, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. In one of those “But wait! There’s more!” kind of moments common at trade shows, one of the good folks at Intel that was previously showing off a few upcoming NUC systems pulled a tiny device from his shirt pocket and revealed the diminutive Compute Stick. If you’re unfamiliar with the Intel Compute Stick, it’s essentially a fully-functional, low-power, Atom-based system—with memory, storage, and an OS--crammed into a form factor not much bigger than a large flash drive. Though Intel has had their hand in similar devices like the MeeGoPad...
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When it comes to the mobile market, Intel is coming on strong as of late, and we’re not just talking about with notebooks. Intel’s Atom processors, while not as potent as their Celeron and Core counterparts, allowed mainstream tablets to run a full-featured version of Windows while still offering respectable performance and decent battery life. Intel is ready to unleash a new family of Atom processors, and it’s taking a cue from its highly successful Core series of processors. Similar to the Good, Better, Best strategy with the Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7, Intel is renaming its Atom family with x3, x5, and x7 designations. With its new Atom processors, Intel is looking to take on...
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Take everything you know and expect from an Android tablet, crumple it into a ball, and throw it away. Done? Good -- none of what you just purged from your brain will do you any good when looking at the Venue 8 7000 from Dell. It's not heavily modified and tied to an online shopping experience like Amazon's Fire tablets, nor does it take a barebones approach like the defunct Nexus 7 from Google. The Venue 8 7000 doesn't even flex an ARM processor. So now that you know what Dell's latest Android tablet doesn't have, let's spend a few moments talking about exactly what it is. For one, it's the world's thinnest tablet, measuring a mere 6 millimeters thick, or 0.24 inches and change if you're...
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For the past year, Intel has pursued what's known as a contra-revenue strategy in its mobile division, where product is deliberately sold at a loss to win market share and compete effectively. This has led to a huge rise in tablet shipments, but heavy losses inside Intel's mobile division. Today, the company announced that it would take steps to fold its mobile and conventional processors into a single operating division. While this helps shield the mobile segment from poor short-term results, it also reflects the reality that computing is something users now do across a wide range of devices and multiple operating systems. Currently, the two markets are divided mostly by processor type. Intel's...
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It has been over six years since Intel first unveiled its Atom CPUs and detailed its plans for new, ultra-mobile devices. The company's efforts to break into smartphone and tablet sales, while turning a profit, have largely come to naught. Nonetheless, company CEO Brian Krzanich remains optimistic. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Krzanich opined that the company's new manufacturing partners like Rockchip and Spreadtrum would convert entirely to Intel architectures within the next few years. Krzanich has argued that with Qualcomm and MediaTek dominating the market, it's going to be tougher and tougher for little guys like Rockchip and Spreadtrum to compete in the same spaces. There's truth to...
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ASUS’ biggest reveal at Computex is the intriguing Transformer Book V, a device ASUS calls a “five-mode, three-in-one converged laptop”. The Book V features Windows 8.1 and Android 4.4 KitKat laptop that is also a tablet that is also an Android smartphone. The 12.5-inch device runs an Intel Core processor and has 1TB of internal storage in laptop mode; in tablet mode, it has 128GB of storage. As a smartphone, the Book V is a 5-inch LTE device with a quad-core Intel Atom processor. Switching between modes is a simple process. ASUS also has a new pile of Android devices launching at Computex aimed at satisfying a “wide range” of needs including new MeMO Pads, Fonepads,...
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Lenovo is targeting its ThinkPad 8 at business users, which makes sense. Everyone values portability and power, but it’s the business user who’s most likely to say “I need my tablet to be capable of doing everything that my main PC can do.” With a full 32-bit version of Windows 8.1 and a 1920 x 1200 display, the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 very nearly can... Intel’s Bay Trail Atom CPU powers the Lenovo ThinkPad 8. The Intel Z3770 quad-core Atom chip in the ThinkPad 8 runs at up to 2.39GHz, thanks to Intel Turbo Boost. That’s a bit faster than the chip running Dell's Venue 8 Pro (a rival 8-inch, Windows 8.1 tablet) we recently reviewed, but it’s not the processor...
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“You can never have too little screen real estate” is a tagline for no one, but big players like Dell, Toshiba, and now Lenovo are rushing to squeeze Windows 8.1 onto 8-inch tablets all the same. Lenovo is targeting its ThinkPad 8 at business users, which makes sense. Everyone values portability and power, but it’s the business user who’s most likely to say “I need my tablet to be capable of doing everything that my main PC can do.” With a full 32-bit version of Windows 8.1 and a 1920 x 1200 display, the Lenovo ThinkPad 8 very nearly can. Lenovo ThinkPad 8 tablet. Before we dig into the specs, it’s worth noting that you can choose between Windows 8.1...
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For as dominant as chipmaker Intel has been in the PC market, it’s been unable to replicate that success in the mobile market, losing extensive ground to ARM-based devices. The company has an aggressive plan to change that, and it’s starting soon--in Shenzen, China. Intel reportedly announced that it’s spending $100 million from its venture capital arm to help Chinese hardware makers develop devices running Intel’s mobile chips. The company also has efforts brewing in China to develop an ecosystem around its mobile offerings, which include a new SoC codenamed SoFIA that sports Atom and has 3G capabilities. Further, Intel wants to partner to develop actual content such...
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In a world where for some reason there are schools think that outfitting students with delicate and expensive iPads is a good idea, Intel Education has designed a rugged tablet that may actually survive the toughest test there is: kids K-12. The Android-based Amplify Tablet was built specifically for “the K-12 environment” with Corning Gorilla Glass, ruggedized edges that can survive drops, some level of waterproofing, and a tethered stylus. (The key there being “tethered”.) The tablet runs on a dual-core Intel Atom chip (2GHz) and also features a 10.1-inch touch display and 5MP rear- and 1.3MP rear cameras. There are microHDMI and microUSB ports, as well as a 2x2 MIMO...
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Geeksphone has been teasing (or “prophesying”, if you buy into the messianic imagery the company is using) its “Revolution” smartphone that offers Firefox OS and Android dual-boot capabilities, and now we have a ship date and a price tag. The device lands in Spain on February 20th ahead of MWC 2014 and will cost 289 euros (or about $395 USD). There’s no word on if or when the Revolution will arrive in the U.S. The 4.7-inch smartphone features a dual-core Intel Atom Z2560 (up to 1.6GHz) processor with 1GB of RAM and 4GB of onboard storage. There are 8PM rear- and 1.3MP front-facing cameras, support for up to 32GB microSD, 3.5mm audio jack, micro USB, WiFi 802.11ab/g/n,...
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