New mobile devices processor from Samsung

[Andy Sjostrom]

<a href="http://www.ybreo.com/main/getProductInfo_ie.cfm?Latest=yes&AdvSearch=no&Keyword=&Brand=&Ind_id=all&CompanyName=&ReleaseID=KOR.07.00567.19042002.11937&ca">http://www.ybreo.com/main/getProductInfo_ie.cfm?Latest=yes&AdvSearch=no&Keyword=&Brand=&Ind_id=all&CompanyName=&ReleaseID=KOR.07.00567.19042002.11937&ca</a><br /><br />Julio Meneses, fellow MVP, shared this interesting article regarding Samsung's new CPU for mobile devices. The CPU will run at 400-600 MHz and is based on the ARM10 instruction set. Samsung says the new processor will be cost competitive and require less power than other processors, 1 mW/MHz. In comparison with other processors this power consumption will lead to double battery life length. It appears that Samsung has done much integration work on this processor. I am not a CPU guru, but integrating a flash bootloader, SD/MMC controller, USB support, TFT-LCD controller and MPEG-4 support will most likely lead to a better cost situation for device manufacturers. Mass production is slated to begin this summer.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/samsung.gif" />

[Timothy Rapson]

From what I have read, the new AMD chip is offered for $30 each, but AMD always deals hard when it comes to the final price and sells their other CPUs for less than Intel, so I expect them to sell for much less.

Intel list prices of $14 for fast X-Scales, $12 for lower power X-Scales.

TI has a new ARM chip coming that promises all the features of this Samsung and promises to use 1/10th the power of current cell phone processors. No word on price but with a contract already in hand to provide CPUs for Palm, they have a built-in economy of scale. I expect TI to sell them for near the $8 Motorola currently gets for it's old Dragonball VXs.

Motorola has committed with a couple of European companies to invest $billions over the next few years to makes smaller dye size chips. This will allow smaller, faster, more power stingy chips for portable devices. Wow, it looks like we may have a LOT more competition in PDA CPUs than we have ever had for desktop ones. That can only mean good things for us consumers.


Picture this. Dual processors running at 600 MZ, 128 meg RAM, 4 inch VGA screen, 10 gig IBM hard disk. ZOOM.

[ChrisD]

Hmm, well I'd say that this is more focused on the cell phone market than the Pocket PCs. So far the Pocket PCs use the StrongARM or Xscale cpus only.

They don't even mention Pocket PCs in their press release. Maybe this will be used in the SmartPhone 2002.

[JonnoB]

Hmm, well I'd say that this is more focused on the cell phone market than the Pocket PCs. So far the Pocket PCs use the StrongARM or Xscale cpus only.


The did say an ARM core version was forthcoming... and did mention CE, not PocketPC. There is still huge opportunity for them to get embedded CPU business, but this may be just a stab in the dark.... perhaps a 'if you build it, they will come' wishful thinking.

[Daniel]

I think that these companies would all have to get Microsoft onboard to take advantage of their extra features. Obviously the ARM instruction set is supported on all these (not AMD?) but the controllers & stuff will need OS support.

It'd be great if we did get more competition though. :)

Daniel