core

In the face of disappointing sales of Windows smartphones, Microsoft plans to release dual-core and LTE phones.

Windows Phone President Andy Lees told AllThingsD in a story posted yesterday that dual-core phones are coming, though he wouldn't offer specifics. Lees also said the current collection of single-core Windows phones holds up well compared with dual-core Android phones.

"They're all single core, but I suspect that they will be faster in usage than any dual-core phone that you put against it, and that's the point," Lees said.

He also said LTE phones are coming but did … Read more

Missed the big Apple announcement Tuesday? Re-live it with the Buzz crew as we recap the live feeds of Apple's iPhone presentation. Spoiler alert: there's no iPhone 5.

With Apple now on the record about an October 4 iPhone event, analysts are reaffirming their prognostications about the phone's hardware--and adding an item or two to a growing list of specifications.

Chris Whitmore, Deutsche Bank Equity Research, said in a research note Monday that he expects an iPhone 5 with aluminum unibody construction, better camera, and a slightly larger screen size. No big surprise there.

Ashok Kumar, an analyst at Rodman & Renshaw, said on Tuesday he expects better graphics silicon--not unlike the big performance increase that Apple boasted about for the iPad 2.

Piper Jaffray's Gene … Read more

Intel has released a graphics driver update for its Sandy Bridge processors that boosts performance up to 37 percent for games on Windows 7 and Vista.

"This major graphics driver update for 2nd generation Intel Core processors with Intel HD graphics improves game performance by up to 37% on ULV platforms," Intel said in a statement.

ULV--or Ultra Low Voltage--processors are Intel's most power efficient and are typically used in thin and/or compact laptops such as Hewlett-Packard's updated Pavilion dm1 and Samsung Series 9.

ULV-based systems will see the biggest performance improvement, Intel said. "It is where some of the biggest gains are seen on the driver," Intel spokesman Dave Salvator said. But the driver update applies to all systems with Sandy Bridge processors sporting HD graphics. … Read more

The LG Optimus 2X was the first dual-core smartphone to hit the market late last year with its 1GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, and it soon came to the U.S. in the form of the T-Mobile G2X. Since its announcement, there have been a veritable array of dual-core smartphones, and interestingly, all of them have been Android so far. These dual-core processors promise plenty of power and speed, and they do live up to the claims. Navigation feels undeniably zippy, which makes multitasking a breeze. Here's our roundup of the most recent phones with dual-core processors.

The Samsung Galaxy S II is one of the better dual-core smartphones to catch our eye. The combination of the 1.2GHz dual-core processor and the Super AMOLED Plus display makes Android 2.3 Gingerbread with Samsung's TouchWiz drool-worthy. While the Galaxy S II we initially reviewed was the unlocked global version, Samsung has announced versions of this phone to arrive for Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Indeed, the Sprint version--the Samsung Epic 4G Touch--is available now.

Sprint also offers the Motorola Photon 4G, which has a 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor and compatibility with Sprint's 4G/WiMax network. It's not as slim and attractive as the Galaxy, however.… Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--As the Intel Developer Forum gets under way this week, one hardly unexpected theme of CEO Paul Otellini's keynote address was that Moore's Law continues. Ivy Bridge, Intel's upcoming 22-nanometer processor platform, is slated for 2012. This continuation of Moore's Law means that a given area of silicon will contain more transistors.

Until relatively recently, more transistors more or less mapped directly to faster processor performance. That's because the additional transistors were primarily used to boost processor frequency and increase fast local memory--changes that were largely invisible to software. However, beginning around the middle … Read more

A Samsung tablet expected to be shown at a Microsoft conference next week will be powered by an Intel chip, according to a source familiar with the device.

Windows chief Steven Sinofsky is expected shows off an early version of Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system running on a tablet from Samsung at the BUILD developers conference next week in Anaheim, Calif.

At least one version of the tablet being shown--and possibly distributed to some attendees--will be based on Intel silicon, said an industry source who is familiar with the device.

The fact that Intel is inside could be viewed … Read more

Somewhere in the world, a pig must be flying, because we've got the Motorola Droid Bionic in the studio. We also dig into the latest tablet news and Antuan promises to work on his pronunciation.

News

Motorola Droid Bionic officially hits Verizon Sept. 8 for $300 http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-20102230-251/motorola-droid-bionic-officially-hits-verizon-sept-8-for-$300/

Why Amazon’s will be the first successful Android tablet http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20101227-1/why-amazons-will-be-the-first-successful-android-tablet/#ixzz1XHUvTTRs

Quad-Core Android Tablets Expected in Time for Christmas … Read more

Gateway laptops are funny products. Of the two mainstream lines available, the "budget" NV series and the "higher-end" ID series, neither one currently has a single model that tops $699. So, in that sense, both are budget lines. The Gateway ID is the slicker, more polished-looking product and a significantly thinner laptop with a 14-inch display, more closely matching what most people consider to be easily portable.

The $699 Gateway ID47H02u has a good set of specs for its price. An Intel Core i5-2410M processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive are considered mainstream specs nowadays, but no corners are cut on the processor, which matches equivalent $1,000-range laptops such as the Toshiba Satellite E305 and the Toshiba Portege R835. A sleek--for Gateway--design, a comfortable keyboard and touch pad, and a long-lasting battery complete the package. It's definitely a more attractive and slimmer notebook overall than you see in the Gateway NV line, which we recently reviewed in the form of the Gateway NV55S05u.… Read more