“Ask not for a dual-core gadget, ask what dual-core can do for you” is the way we would rephrase Kennedy's famous saying. Should we feel left in the dust next time someone flaunts their extra CPU core in our face, or can we live a long happy life with a single-core gadget? We'll try to answer that question now that the first dual-core smartphones and tablets are lined up on the retail shelves, next to The Flash superhero comics.
We won't bother you with the technical details behind dual-core chipsets, we've written a separate article on that, if you want to know more. We'd rather point out that in this very moment you can get as much slick user interface and apps, high-definition video recording, and fast browsing from a WP7 handset, for example, with its two-year old single core 65nm processor, as from the first dual-core phones, whose chipsets are produced with the 45nm ARM Cortex-A9 design.
The typical user wouldn’t even notice that their brand new WP7 phone is sporting 2009 tech, since the platform is optimized for this exact CPU, and because of that, it runs faster and smoother than even some Android overlays powered by two Cortex-A9 cores. Not to mention how oily iOS and adjacent apps move on the iPhone 4, for instance, whose silicon is circa 2010.
To quote James Bruce, the lead mobile strategist of ARM: "Badly designed software will overcome quality hardware", and we couldn’t agree more. Only when the mobile operating systems and their applications are designed for multiple cores are we to see tangible benefits in the UI and app performance. So why are these guys waving their chipsets at us?
For now, the two visible advantages of having a dual-core CPU in your phone or tablet – Full HD 1080p video recording, and faster webpage rendering - are not on the top of everyone's list when choosing a phone, but they do hint at the possibilities that multicore chipsets are enabling.
My dual-core is better than your single-core, or is it?
Not all phones with dual-core chipsets are created equal, though - for example the Optimus 2X shoots Full HD with 24fps, and the ATRIX 4G is still waiting for the firmware to even unleash that feature. Being able to shoot detailed video in 1080p does seem like the next step in the cell phone imaging evolution, however, especially when looking at handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S II and HTC Sensation 4G, which are capable of recording smooth 30fps 1080p video. Not to mention the 3D stereoscopic capturing that dual-core makes possible on handsets like the LG Optimus 3D, or the HTC EVO 3D.
Dual-core phones keep rendering the page with one core, while the other is executing a script, speeding pageloading and overall performance times significantly. ARM-based chipsets are also capable of what Intel calls HUGI (Hurry Up and Get Idle), boosting the cores when something needs to be executed quickly, then efficiently throttling down speed to preserve power.
Moreover, we can rest the case with Adobe Flash and performance with the dual-core chipsets – if decently coded, one can browse most heavily Flash-ed pages without a hiccup, making Apple all the more stubborn not to include support for it in its mobile browser. We can turn it off in Android, but with any dual-core phone you never need to. All in all, the browsing experience itself is worth getting a dual-core phone.
And now we come to the Achilles heel of dual-core phones and tablets – software support. The multicore optimization of Android Honeycomb will come to phones with Android Ice Cream Sandwich later this year, and we are positive Apple will include optimizations in iOS 5 to take true advantage of the A5 chipset in the iPad 2 and most probably the next iPhone. Apps, however, that are written from the ground-up for dual-core mobile chipsets, are few and far between - you probably have enough fingers on you to count them all both for Android, and iOS. As you can guess, they are mostly games, where CPU/GPU power matters most.
As for battery life, contrary to urban myths, we aren’t observing degraded metrics. Android phones with suboptimal power management barely make the workday even with single-core chipsets. Phones with well thought-out power management perform better than average, dual-core might and all. The Samsung Galaxy S II allowed us 62 hours between recharges with normal usage, running the often chastised in that respect Android, and that’s without the recent firmware update.
Coming back to our imaginary friend waving their dual-core gadget in our face – do they have bragging rights? Yes, be it only for the gain in browser performance and the Full HD video capture. Is dual-core a staple necessity? Not until more quality software gets developed with multicore in mind from the onset.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Samsung Exhibit 4G and Samsung Gravity SMART from T-Mobile
Samsung Exhibit 4G T-Mobile, Samsung Gravity SMART T-Mobile, Samsung Exhibit 4G Android phones, Samsung Gravity SMART T-Mobile android phones. Just yesterday, we reported that sometime this month, T-Mobile could be starting two new Android models,the Samsung Exhibit 4G and also the Samsung Gravity Wise, for that price conscious smartphone buyer. Today. both T-Mobile and Samsung introduced the pair is going to be released on June 22nd across all the carrier's sales channels.
For any cost of $79.99 following a $50 mail-in-rebate along with a signed 2-year contract on the being approved plan, the Samsung Exhibit 4G offers many features that you'd see on an infinitely more costly phone. Having a 1GHz processor, single-core obviously, along with a 3.7 inch AMOLED display having a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, the Exhibit 4G is an ideal phone for that first-time smartphone owner. Even though many greater listed models are starting with Android 2.2 aboard, the Exhibit 4G may have Android 2.3.3 underneath the hood.
The only real place in which the manufacturer skimped a little is about the 3MP camera, however again, there's a VGA front-facing camera about the model. And also the phone comes with HSPA connectivity with theoretical peak download speeds as high as 21Mbps which describes the "4G" alongside its title. The unit will come in purple or black and includes T-Mobile T.V. and also the Samsung Media Hub that provides downloads of movies and tv shows.
If you're searching for a texting device or perhaps a phone with specs just a little lower lower the size, it can save you $10 by buying the Samsung Gravity Wise. Offered at T-Mobile stores in Berry Red-colored and Azure Blue for $69.99 following a $50 mail-in-rebate along with a signed 2-year pact on the being approved plan, you're going to get an Android phone packed with Froyo and outfitted having a 3.2 inch screen. Heavy texters may have a range of while using slideout landscape Texting keyboard, the stock Android keyboard that accompany Android 2.2, or even the pre-installed swipe to type application Swype. Group text can also be featured. If you do not mind possessing the telephone in Lunar Grey, you can buy the Gravity Wise just for $29.99 online after rebate with your John Hancock on the 2 year contract. Again, you have to accept a being approved voice and data plan.
Who states you need to spend a lot of money to obtain a loaded phone? The Samsung Exhibit 4G offers most of the same features that might be on mobile phone models costing two or three occasions its cost. And also the Samsung Gravity Wise features three various ways to type accurate texts and emails for any cost as little as $29.99.
For any cost of $79.99 following a $50 mail-in-rebate along with a signed 2-year contract on the being approved plan, the Samsung Exhibit 4G offers many features that you'd see on an infinitely more costly phone. Having a 1GHz processor, single-core obviously, along with a 3.7 inch AMOLED display having a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, the Exhibit 4G is an ideal phone for that first-time smartphone owner. Even though many greater listed models are starting with Android 2.2 aboard, the Exhibit 4G may have Android 2.3.3 underneath the hood.
The only real place in which the manufacturer skimped a little is about the 3MP camera, however again, there's a VGA front-facing camera about the model. And also the phone comes with HSPA connectivity with theoretical peak download speeds as high as 21Mbps which describes the "4G" alongside its title. The unit will come in purple or black and includes T-Mobile T.V. and also the Samsung Media Hub that provides downloads of movies and tv shows.
If you're searching for a texting device or perhaps a phone with specs just a little lower lower the size, it can save you $10 by buying the Samsung Gravity Wise. Offered at T-Mobile stores in Berry Red-colored and Azure Blue for $69.99 following a $50 mail-in-rebate along with a signed 2-year pact on the being approved plan, you're going to get an Android phone packed with Froyo and outfitted having a 3.2 inch screen. Heavy texters may have a range of while using slideout landscape Texting keyboard, the stock Android keyboard that accompany Android 2.2, or even the pre-installed swipe to type application Swype. Group text can also be featured. If you do not mind possessing the telephone in Lunar Grey, you can buy the Gravity Wise just for $29.99 online after rebate with your John Hancock on the 2 year contract. Again, you have to accept a being approved voice and data plan.
Who states you need to spend a lot of money to obtain a loaded phone? The Samsung Exhibit 4G offers most of the same features that might be on mobile phone models costing two or three occasions its cost. And also the Samsung Gravity Wise features three various ways to type accurate texts and emails for any cost as little as $29.99.
BlackBerry Torch 2 receives generous boost in specs, runs BlackBerry 7 OS
BlackBerry Torch 2, BlackBerry Torch 2 Updates, BlackBerry Torch 2 for AT&T. The original BlackBerry Torch was produced as an attempt by RIM to create a tool to promote that it thought could compete with the Apple iPhone and Android models. And while the design factor was something different for RIM, it combined an area which the Canadian based company does well (physical QWERTY keyboards) with another area the location where the company has fallen way behind other manufacturers (touchscreen phones). Even though the original Torch might have worked, the specs were just not up to snuff.
Checking out the BlackBerry Torch 2, it seems apparant that RIM paid attention to the complaints from owners of the original model. Mainly, the specs are already bumped up rather sharply in many cases. The 1.2GHz processor is a huge jump from your 624MHz aboard the original unit. One region where critics were built with a field day was with all the original Torch's 360 x 480 resolution on its display. That has been raised to 480 x 640, not qHD or Retina Display material, but enough to generate a sharp, vivid image for users. RAM is increased to 768MB while internal storage is doubled to 8GB with up to 32GB more available via a microSD card. While the camera is identical 5MP as seen on the first-gen model, video can now be captured at HD 720p. The browser still defaults to WAP sites, but will play HTML5 formatted videos. The BlackBerry Torch 2 contains the new 7 OS beneath the hood.
RIM has yet introducing the BlackBerry Torch 2 which suggests right now, it is just a figment of our imagination. Speculation centers around a September release for AT&T, and this seems to be a case the location where the sequel is a major improvement over the original.
