Archive for June 10th, 2009
Next gen Atom coming after October
Posted by The Right Guy in Hardware, Intel on June 10th, 2009
Atom N450
According to a Digitimes report, Intel is planning to launch a new Atom CPU no earlier than October.
Dubbed Atom N450, the new processor will replace the N270 used in most netbooks today. Unlike the N270, the N450 has some built-in northbridge functions, and the entire platform will consist of only two chips, unlike the current platform which has three. The new 45nm CPU will be coupled with the Tiger Point chipset, designated NM10.
Obviously the new two-chip design will be less power hungry, and due to its compact size it will allow manufacturers to come up with thinner, lighter netbooks, and possible even some new form factors. However, we still don’t know the clocks and don’t have any performance details.
Digitimes claims Intel will issue a last order notice for the N270 in Q1 2010, and it will cease production sometime in 1H 2010. It is still a unclear what will happen to Silverthorne and Poulsbo, or should we say Z-series Atoms and the US15W chipset.
More here.
Firefox 3.5 previews
Posted by The Right Guy in Internet on June 10th, 2009
Better and faster
The Mozilla Foundation’s Firefox 3.5 preview version is now available for download and we have had a few hours playing with it.
Firstly it is a bit faster than earlier versions, although all the browsers on the market these days, such as Opera, Chrome and Safari are faster than the earlier generation. But the new browser has a few things which are more interesting including the use of open-source video standards, geo-location capabilities, and a few nice graphics tricks.
With 3.5 it is possible to run a video player based on the open-source video formats Ogg Vorbis and Theora. What is cool is that by using HTML5 links and other interactive elements can easily be placed inside videos. What is interesting is that it can do things that Flash can’t, and if it is supported by websites it could send Adobe packing.
Ogg Theora is supported by Daily Motion so it is not too far from being a possibility. Have a look at the demo video here