Items tagged with Texas Instruments
While it's obvious that innovation is on the fast-track when looking at consumer electronics as a whole, one has to wonder how long it'll take for the USB port to do more than it does. Perhaps that time has come. Texas Instruments has issued a new single-chip DockPort solution that enables DisplayPort, USB and power over a single cable. Talk about high efficiency. The HD3SS2521 delivers audio/video (A/V), USB data and power over a single cable between a notebook, ultrabook or tablet PC and a docking station or dongle. The HD3SS2521 enables system designers to create smaller, more affordable docking stations that connect and synchronize computers with LCD monitors, dongles, keyboard/mouse,...
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When it comes to rapid advances in technology, we don't have a whole lot to gripe about as a society. We've got computers in our pockets, broadband-class speeds without wires, and more pixels on our displays than we can even count. But on the battery side, there's a lot of room for improvement. Texas Instruments realizes it, and this week introduced two power management chipsets with TI's patented new MaxLife fast-charge technology, which allows consumers to charge single-cell Li-Ion batteries faster and experience longer battery life. The bq27530 and bq27531 fuel gauge circuits, coupled with TI's bq2416x and bq2419x chargers, optimize battery performance using the highest possible charge rates...
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At a time when consumers are trending towards mobile products like smartphones and tablets, Texas Instruments has decided it can flip a bigger profit by focusing its energies elsewhere. As such. TI is planning to slash 1,700 jobs as it scales back its mobile processor business and transitions to other areas, like cars and smartphones. The planned layoffs add up to almost 5 percent of TI's global workforce and are part of a broader cost-reduction effort. "We have a great opportunity to reshape our OMAP processor and wireless connectivity product lines to concentrate on embedded markets. Momentum is already building with new embedded applications and a broad set of customers, and we are accelerating...
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It's said that one's man trash is another man's treasure, and while it appears Texas Instruments wants to rid itself of its mobile division, mega e-tailer Amazon sees the situation as a potential goldmine. To wit, Amazon is reportedly close to striking a deal to buy TI's mobile chip business, which incidentally is where the processors for Amazon's Kindle Fire devices come from. Supposing Amazon pulls off what's expected be a deal worth billions of dollars, it would be a game-changing acquisition that would immediately situate the e-tailer as a direct competitor to Apple and Samsung, as all three would then be designing their own processors. The move makes sense for both sides. TI has already...
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Intel's Developer Forum (IDF) starts on Tuesday, and the chip manufacturer is expected to discuss its Ivy Bridge refresh, Haswell, talk about its upcoming 32nm tablet platform, Clover Trail, and possibly share a few details on its 22nm Atom SOC's. Performance per watt is going to be a major focus at IDF this year; Haswell is rumored to be capable of idling below 10W. Intel always uses IDF as a demonstration platform and roadmap update, but it's particularly important this year, when competing foundries have struggled with 28nm and Intel itself just cut its Q3 guidance. Several of Intel's rivals are gearing up their own demonstrations for this week. In AMD's case, that's normal -- Sunnyvale almost...
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Power savings? Yeah, we can get behind that. Texas Instruments has just announced a new breakthrough that it seems pretty darn proud of. It's a new suite of high-efficiency power management controllers that save standby power to help smartphone users consume less electricity with their 5-watt cube adapters, even when they are left plugged into the wall. According to TI, the new UCC28700 primary-side controllers "will enable smaller cubes, wireless power charging stations and other AC-powered equipment. TI also introduced the TPS2511, an intelligent USB charging port controller that complies with USB Battery Charging 1.2 specifications for charging adapters of popular smartphones or 5-V tablets."...
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That didn't take long. HP has publicly confirmed that it has cancelled plans to bring a Windows RT (aka Windows on ARM) tablet to market in time for the Windows 8 debut. The company has decided to focus on its x86 customer base instead. HP spokesperson Marlene Somsak has said that "The decision was influenced by input from our customers. The robust and established ecosystem of x86 applications provides the best customer experience at this time and in the immediate future." Sources we spoke to confirmed that Microsoft's Surface unveil last week was a huge factor in this decision. HP isn't willing to go head to head with Microsoft when it comes to launching new, unproven products. Abandoning x86...
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Texas Instruments has posted a new video at YouTube that claims to show a dual-core OMAP5-based Cortex-A15 at 800MHz beating the snot out of an unspecified "commercially available" 1.3GHz quad-core device. Given that the only quad-core Tegra 3 tablet available is Asus Transformer Prime, it's not exactly hard to put two and two together. The Transformer Prime is extremely well-regarded, but there've already been rumors that the chip doesn't pack enough horsepower; Asus' highest-end TF700T, with its 1900x1200 screen, reportedly relies on a Qualcomm solution due to Tegra 3's limited memory bandwidth. At first glance, the TI video seems to confirm that. Both devices use Ice Cream Sandwich and are...
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Texas Instruments, maker of the popular OMAP processor line and those pricey calculators high school math teachers insist their students bring to class, announced fourth quarter revenue of $3.42 billion, net income of $298 billion, and earnings per share of 25 cents, all of which exceeded the company's expectations. "Revenue in the fourth quarter was higher than expected across all our major product lines, reinforcing our belief that we're at the bottom of this downturn. I'm pleased to say that despite the downturn and the lower factory utilization that came with it, cash flow from operations was strong and well above levels as compared with similar points in prior downturns. Our strategic focus...
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Notion Ink is a name you don't hear too much of anymore, partly because its first generation Adam tablet has been overshadowed by the current crop of powerul Android slates. The other reason is because the company wasn't ready to announce its Adam II tablet... until now. Texas Instruments has partnered up with Notion Ink to provide the Adam II with an OMAP44xx processor along with other TI components, such as Wi-Link 7.0 and Phoenix Audio Power Amplifiers, Notion Ink says. The next generation tablet will also leverage power optimizations achieved using TI's integrated power management IC. PowerVR's SGX5xxx GPU will provide the Adam II with its pixel pushing power, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich...
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After years of work and a few false starts, Intel is finally ready to take the plunge into the smartphone market. At the CES keynote tonight, the CPU giant is officially launching Medfield, the 32nm smartphone SoC the company has built to take it into the next generation of smartphones (and a few tablets). The chip, now officially named the Atom Z2460, is ready for prime time. We visited Intel HQ in December and were briefed on the next-generation phone and what Intel expects it to do. After Moorestown's disappointing performance in the space, the CPU giant is keen to put its best foot forward, and our time with the company reflected that. Intel isn't trying to position Medfield as an ARM-crusher,...
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Microsoft's tablet strategy (or complete lack thereof) has drawn significant criticism, but the rumor mill suggests the manufacturer may take unprecedented steps to establish itself as a player in this space. DigiTimes, quoting unspecified industry sources, claims Microsoft may build and market its own tablet. MS is allegedly cooperating with Texas Instruments to design and market the device and plans to compete against its own industry partners. If true, it wouldn't be the first time Microsoft has tossed its hat into the hardware ring, but the company's track record in this area is anything but good. Its keyboard/mouse products have performed well, but the Zune ultimately failed to gain traction...
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It has taken USB 3.0 a serious amount of time to really gain steam in the industry, but late really is better than never in this case. More and more machines are shipping with USB 3.0 support, and rumors are flying that next-gen Intel chipsets will support the protocol natively. Texas Instruments has today announced that it is the first semiconductor company to receive certification from the USB Implementer's Forum (USB-IF) for its SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) four-port extensible host controller (xHCI). That may not sound like anything important to you, but if you're hoping for more USB 3.0-enabled machines to ship, it is. In addition to the four-port host controller, the TUSB7340, TI also achieved...
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They say everything's bigger in Texas, and maybe that includes acquisitions too. How else do you explain Texas Instruments (which is located in Texas) spending a staggering $6.5 billion acquiring National Semiconductor? That breaks down to $25 per share in what amounts to an all-cash transaction. Here's what TI had to say about the purchase. "This acquisition is about strength and growth," said Rich Templeton, TI's chairman, president and chief executive officer. "National has an excellent development team, and its products combined with our own can offer customers an analog portfolio of unmatched depth and breadth. In recent years, National's management team has done an outstanding job of improving...
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Texas Instruments added two new AM389x Sitara ARM microprocessors to its portfolio. Designed for use in single-board computers, gateways, routers, servers, industrial automation, human machine interfaces (HMIs) and point-of-service data terminals, the new AM3892 and the AM3894 offer PCIExpress Gen2, SATA 2.0, dual Gigabit Ethernet, and dual DDR2/DDR3 interfaces. According to Texas Instruments, the new microprocessors are the industry’s highest-performing, single-core ARM Cortex-A8 with performance at up to 1.5 GHz. Offering industry’s highest-performing single-core ARM® Cortex™-A8 and extreme system integration, Texas Instruments introduces its newest AM389x Sitara™...
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CPUs and GPUs get a lot of attention in the desktop and notebook worlds, but a lot fewer people give the same consideration to CPUs and GPUs in mobile devices. Texas Instruments makes this their business, though, and with tablets, navigation devices, media players and smartphones becoming so much more important these days, TI may have a much easier time getting the Average Public to pay attention. After all, who wants a sluggish smartphone or navigation system? No one. TI is this week introducing some new silicon, namely the DaVinci DM37x video processors. Both the DM3730 and DM3725 with their ARM Cortex-A8 and C64x+ DSP core, imaging and video accelerator (IVA), 3D graphics processor (DM3730...
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Intel may be the world's largest chipmaker, but when it comes to processors found in consumer electronics devices, the company has struggled to compete against ARM. In an effort to expand the use of its Atom microprocessors in consumer electronics devices, Intel has purchased Texas Instruments' cable modem chip division. Intel to Acquire Texas Instruments’ Cable Modem Unit SANTA CLARA, Calif.-- Intel Corporation today announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Texas Instruments’ cable modem product line. The purchase enhances Intel’s focus on the cable industry and related consumer electronics (CE) market segments, where the company’s expertise in building advanced...
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In the months between the iPad's announcement and the product's launch, a great deal of attention was lavished on the A4 CPU at the heart of the new device. Apple has been characteristically tight-lipped about the SoC's design and characteristics, but industry analysts have been determinedly chipping away at the question of what the A4 is—and what it isn't. New information that surfaced this week indicating that the CPU at the heart of the A4 is an Intrinsity-designed 'Hummingbird' Cortex A8. There've been rumors floating around that the Samsung S5PC110 and the Apple A4 are literally identical parts, but while the two chips share the same CPU core, the A4's I/O options are trimmed considerably...
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Thanks to a new App Store offering from Texas Instruments, you can now enjoy the functionalities of the company's best-selling financial calculator on your iPhone and iPod touch. The new BAII Plus App provides professionals and students with all of the original calculator's features, including the ability to solve accrued interest, amortization, cost-sell-margin, depreciation and time-value-of-money calculations. The app takes advantage of the iPhone and iPod touch's Multi-Touch user interface and also includes features such as the 2nd function key like the original calculator. Other advanced finance and science functions include: Solves Time-Value-of-Money calculationsGenerates amortization...
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Interesting interview of Texas Instruments' CEO Richard Templeton over at Business Week. He outlines the niche his company has carved out in the chipmaker world, and points to some of the big opportunities out there for chip innovators. While its supply contracts with mobile-phone manufacturers including Nokia and Motorola grab all the headlines, the bulk of Texas Instruments' business comes from chips that are nowhere near as attention-getting. Accounting for about 40% of the company's sales in 2006 are its so-called analog chips. Analog chips measure "real world" inputs—from the temperature in a room or the sound of a voice to the touch of a button—so they can be converted into a digital...
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