FRAMINGHAM – With new CEO Rory Read at the helm for about six months, Advanced Micro Devices has turned its attention to the lucrative and burgeoning tablet market.

The question is whether it’s too late for AMD, which hasn’t been at the top of its game recently, to successfully enter a new market, analysts said.

“I don’t think [AMD is too late],” said Charles King, an analyst at Pund-IT. “The company’s focus on a combination of quality graphics performance, energy efficiency and competitive cost should be right down the alley of many tablet makers.

“Plus, he added, “rumors of Apple’s world domination aside, the tablet market is anything but mature. I expect we’ll see any number of challengers rising up and even winning in some markets.”

Lisa Su, general manager of AMD’s Global Business Units, told analysts and reporters last week that the company is going after the tablet market “in a big way.”

AMD is betting that a new 40-nanometer chip, code-named Hondo, will power Windows 8-based tablets once it starts shipping later this year.

AMD and Intel both have been slow to make headway in the mobile market, whether tablets or smartphones. And that’s been a problem for both chip giants.

As PC sales decline with the growing popularity of smartphones and tablets, tech industry watchers have been waiting for both companies to make a strong move to provide chips for mobile devices.

Intel last month inked deals with Motorola and Lenovo to provide next-generation Atom chips for those companies smartphones.

And then last week, AMD made its move to grab a piece of the tablet pie.

While Apple’s iPad holds a huge chunk of the market, industry analysts say there’s still plenty of room for rival devices and chips to power them.

“Tablets are still an emerging market and could be consumed by tablet-notebook hybrids like the Lenovo and Asus offerings once Windows 8 ships,” said Rob Enderle, an analyst with the Enderle Group. “[AMD] will need a compelling advantage if they are going to be a major player.”

Olds added that it’s smart for AMD to build a tablet chip from the ground up, instead of reconfiguring an existing chip.

“This is an area where AMD’s purchase of ATI and the resulting Fusion, which combines CPU and GPU in a single package, might really pay off,” Olds said. “One of the biggest performance inhibitors, and power drains too, is graphic processing. AMD, with its Fusion architecture, has one-upped Intel on the integrated graphics front and this could give them a solid advantage when it comes to tablets.”

Read told attendees at the financial analyst conference in Santa Clara that the company doesn’t plan an immediate move into the smartphone market.

“I think it’s understandable, especially for a company in a rebuilding phase,” said King.

“Despite its size and growth potential, the smartphone market has been a brutal space for vendors offering alternatives to established CPUs. The tablet market, on the other hand, is still relatively wide open. Competing in smartphone CPUs is somewhat akin to running head first into a brick wall, while tablets are more like a picket fence,” King added.

Some analysts wondered whether the company should have made a bigger splash at its meeting with analysts last week, considering it was seen as Read’s coming out event.

Industry observers had been eagerly waiting to see if Read and his team would surprise them with a re-energized product roadmap.

“AMD’s new management team presented with confidence and energy,” said Patrick Moorhead, an analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy. “They did a good job communicating their priorities for the next few years.

“But I believe that many in AMD’s ecosystem wanted to see more dramatic announcements, like … plans to take large chunks of server market share. AMD will need to start taking market share to create some real excitement around the company,” he added.

February 7, 2012

Genius has launched a new Bluetooth Headset, HS-980BT. This headband headset gives more flexibility for music and phone calls. The bluetooth function lets you connect the headset to other bluetooth enabled devices such as a smartphone or tablet. Users can control the music volume and select tracks or even answer phone calls with this headset without accessing their devices. Just plug in the USB cable to recharge its battery. The swivel ear cups and adjustable headband design is not only very comfortable but also convenient for travel.

SAN FRANCISCO – Deep integration with Windows 8 and SkyDrive, NFC support, and variable screen sizes for mobile devices are among the wealth of new features coming to the next version of Windows Phone, including according to two online reports. Speculation about what the next version of Microsoft’s mobile OS, dubbed Windows Phone 8 and codenamed Apollo by the company, has been rampant for months.

A purportedly leaked Microsoft video obtained by PocketNow, reveals more details about what Microsoft has in store for its next mobile revamp. PocketNow posted only a screenshot from the leaked video, so it’s impossible to verify the blog’s claim; however, much of PocketNow’s report was later confirmed by Windows blogger Paul Thurrott who has sources inside the company.

It’s not clear when the new version of Windows Phone is coming, but Thurrott claims the new OS will launch near the time of Windows 8′s expected October release. When WP8 does launch, Microsoft reportedly expects the Windows Phone Marketplace to have 100,000 apps available. At the end of 2011, the Marketplace offered about 50,000 apps.

Here’s a look at some highlights of what Microsoft is reportedly planning to bring to the next version of Windows Phone.

Kernel Cousins

Similar to how Apple’s iOS is based on Mac OS X, Windows Phone 8 is expected to use parts of the Windows 8 codebase including the kernel, networking capabilities, security models, and multimedia support. Windows Phone 7 is currently based on the Windows CE kernel. The kernel is the software layer that allows applications to communicate with device hardware.

Windows Phone 8 will also be getting multicore processors support, meaning dual- and perhaps quad-core devices will be possible. This has been expected for some time. Nokia in November started making plans for future dual-core Windows Phone devices, and Microsoft execs have also promised that dual-core Windows Phones are coming.

PocketNow says the new mobile OS will also be able to handle up to four different screen resolutions allowing for more variety of device sizes among Windows Phone devices.

Microsoft may also support removable microSD storage in the next version of Windows Phone. Currently, Windows Phone 7 devices must reformat SD cards into a proprietary format. The cards cannot be removed and essentially become an integrated part of the device’s storage.

NFC to Pay on the Fly

As previously reported, Windows Phone 8 is expected to have Near-Field Communication support allowing for contactless payments similar to Google’s recently announced Google Wallet. Microsoft’s NFC support may also allow for quick data sharing between PCs, tablets and smartphones.

Integration

Microsoft’s Windows 8 demonstrations have already shown how the company plans to bring together many of its services under the new desktop OS such as increased SkyDrive integration. This will apparently continue with WP8, which is also getting SkyDrive integration and cloud sync making your content available across all your devices.

Also planned is a new Skype client that PocketNow claims will be integrated into WP8, allowing Skype calls to operate similarly to standard phone calls. Thurrott, however, expects only a tweaked Skype client that is not integrated into the WP8 OS. Microsoft acquired Skype in May 2011.

Enterprise users will reportedly benefit from Exchange ActiveSync support, 128-bit BitLocker full-disk encryption, and a secure boot process.

If the reports are accurate, Windows Phone 8 sounds like it will be a welcome upgrade for Windows Phone fans. But it also sounds like Microsoft is mostly playing catchup to features and services already available on the iPhone and Google’s Android OS.

The Dell PowerEdge R710 rack server is designed to be the building block of today’s virtualized enterprise. Engineered in response to input from IT professionals, it is the next-generation 2U rack server created to address any virtualized business application efficiently. The R710 features the high-performing Intel Xeon processor 5500 series, a large memory capacity and I/O (input/output) bandwidth, and streamlined deployment with hypervisors from VMware, Citrix and Microsoft, which help build a foundation for virtualization.

Virtualized I/O-intensive applications require a large pool of resources that scale effectively. IT managers must balance performance while trying to maintain current power envelopes. The Dell end-to-end solutions help customers build an efficient enterprise.

Reduce operating costs and energy usage with Dell Active Power Controller and with Intel Intelligent Power Technology, which proactively put your server into lower power states when demand decreases. Control cost without sacrificing performance — with industry-standard, efficient enterprise solutions from Dell.

Dell PowerEdge R710 is distributed by MSI-ECS. For product information and availability, contact Kat Cac at kcac@msi-ecs.com.ph or +63-2688-3906.

The HP Folio is expected to be available from January onwards with a starting price of Php 55,990.

SEATTLE – As promised, Microsoft on Wednesday shipped version 1.0 of the Kinect for Windows SDK and runtime and said partners have started selling the Kinect hardware.

The Kinect motion and voice sensor was initially designed for use with Microsoft’s Xbox gaming console. But it soon became clear that developers wanted the chance to build new kinds of applications using the sensor. Microsoft has been letting people build Kinect apps for PCs, but only for non-commercial use. This release of the SDK (software development kit) means that developers can launch commercial products using the sensor.

The SDK and runtime include a few improvements over the most recent beta version, Craig Eisler, general manager of Kinect for Windows, wrote in a blog post. They enable support for up to four Kinect sensors plugged into the same computer, include improved skeletal tracking of users and have a “near mode” for tracking movement as close as 40 centimeters in front of the device.

They also have the latest Microsoft speech recognition technology and an installer that developers can use in their application set-up programs.

Eisler wrote that the company expects to release updates to the SDK and runtime two to three times a year.

He didn’t name who is selling the Kinect hardware but said the suggested price is US$249. Amazon.com is selling it for that price. Microsoft plans to soon offer a special academic price of $149 for qualified educational uses.

At CES in January, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that the company planned to release the Kinect SDK and hardware on Feb. 1.

Late last year Microsoft kicked off a program designed to give Kinect developers a leg up. The company is selecting 10 people or startups who will spend three months in Seattle working out of the Kinect offices. They’ll receive technical training and support and have access to investors and Microsoft executives. They also get $20,000.

Microsoft has highlighted a wide array of applications that might be possible or are already in development for the Kinect. In one video, Microsoft shows people using the Kinect to play instruments without the instrument, a doctor in an operating room flipping through X-ray images without having to touch them, and a teacher controlling a display of the night sky by waving his arms.

CommunicAsia and BroadcastAsia, the most established infocomm technology (ICT) and media communications event of its kind in Asia, is poised to return with a large showing. Both shows have seen more than 85 per cent of their exhibition space taken up by exhibitors, with five months to go before the event – held from 19 to 22 June 2012 at the prestigious Marina Bay Sands and award-winning Suntec Singapore respectively.   As the premier global business networking platform and launch pad for companies to introduce cutting-edge technologies and solutions, CommunicAsia2012 and BroadcastAsia2012 will highlight pertinent industry developments and address emerging trends as well as provide enhanced networking opportunities for industry professionals from around the world. EnterpriseIT, held in conjunction with CommunicAsia, will showcase innovative applications and end-to-end solutions across the entire value chain and transform the way companies operate and communicate internally and beyond. And once again, the event will present Asia’s largest contingent of satellite companies witnessed at any single event.   “CommunicAsia and BroadcastAsia today are the only truly international shows in Asia where business professionals across a range of industries come together in one city for one week. Strong support and endorsement from over 20 leading trade associations including Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), Asia-Pacific Satellite Communications Council (APSCC), Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT), Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF) and others, helps to strengthen our mix of industry-leading exhibitors and visitors from across the globe,” says Mr. Victor Wong, Project Director of Communications Events, Singapore Exhibition Services (SES). “We are proud to provide an efficacious launch pad for our exhibitors to showcase the latest and best that technology has to offer. This exclusive platform continues to play a pivotal part in driving the conversation for development within the industry.”   Following the success of last year’s event, which attracted a total of over 53,000 professional attendees from more than 100 countries, attendees to this year’s shows can look forward to a myriad of the newest technologies, products and solutions from 2,000 multinational and small and medium companies.   Visitors can avail of opportunities to listen to industry luminaries, network with business leaders and government officials and forge business partnerships.   CommunicAsia2012 will feature breakthrough developments in NextGen Networks and satellite technology, as well as a sneak peek into the latest market-ready devices and mobile apps and solutions and dynamic industry deals set to alter ICT in Asia and beyond. Leading returning exhibitors include Falcon Interactive, FiberHome, Globecast, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Irdeto, Netop Technology, PCCW Global, Prysmian, Rosenberger, ST Electronics, Tektronix and Tata Communications; new participants include Anritsu, Aver Information, Hitachi Critical Facilities Protection and Novelsat.
This year’s show will provide more exhibition space and hospitality suite options for exhibitors. There will be more than 20 international group pavilions, including representation from Australia, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, UK, USA and more. Five Techzones, focusing on ‘Fibre’ for NextGen Services, Cloud Services and Security, M2M, mCommerce and Telepresence – will feature cutting-edge products, technologies and solutions, presenting the most relevant and current solutions for businesses and enterprises across the value chain.   Setting the stage for global industry leaders to share their knowledge, the CommunicAsia2012 Summit will offer distinctly titled forums and workshops that address the most compelling issues and challenges for the ICT industry with the spotlight on mobile-driven trends this year. Extended sessions dedicated to mobile-focused topics encompassing m-Commerce, Mobile VAS, and Mobile Security issues will be added to the conference, alongside the latest tracks on Mobile Payments, Mobile Health, Customer Experience Management (CEM), and OTT Business Models.   In conjunction with CommunicAsia2012, EnterpriseIT2012 is expected to take up 40 per cent of exhibition space at Marina Bay Sands, with exhibitors comprising international software and IT systems providers, and companies offering enterprise solutions. These include key companies such as Consistel, CrimsonLogic, Emerson Network Power, Extreme Networks, Mindwave Solutions, NComputing, Planet Technology Corporation, Providence Solutions, SecureAge Technology, Starvision, Stellent Solutions and Terra Systems. In addition, the CommunicAsia2012 Summit sessions will also feature tracks dedicated to enhancing enterprises’ capabilities, especially towards mobile technologies and applications such as M2M, mCommerce, Cloud Computing and more. These topics will cater to companies in the healthcare, retail, hospitality and other sectors.   BroadcastAsia2012: Integrating Technologies, Experiencing Content Asia’s leading digital media, entertainment and film industry event, BroadcastAsia continues to move beyond broadcasting to highlight the convergence of technologies and solutions relevant to the fast-changing media landscape.   BroadcastAsia2012 will showcase a global array of the latest technologies, applications, equipment and solutions in Film, Audio and TV with a spotlight on Multi Streaming Technologies, Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV), Playout Services, Pro-Audio Technology, Over The Top (OTT) Technology, Cloud Broadcasting and Digital Radio. Returning exhibitors at the show include ATG, Blackmagic, Evertz, EVS, Gospell, Grass Valley, Harmonic, Harris, Miranda, Salzbrenner Stagetec, Sennheiser, Snell, Tektronix, VSN and more. The exhibition welcomes some new exhibitors –Envivio, Hitachi Kokusai Linear, Ideal Systems, Nippon Electronics, NTT Electrics, Pliat and Toshiba among others – and locally-based companies Alphatron, AV Lite; Broadcast Professional, Cathay Photo, H Warta, Lemo, and more. Visitors can look forward to nine international group pavilions and a larger Cinematography/Film/Production Zone on the show floors.
International Conference and Creative Content Production Conferences return this year with a behind-the-scenes look at the latest technologies and techniques panning out in the market. With the growing momentum behind Smart TVs, Cloud Broadcasting, Multi-platform and OTT delivery and the challenges of managing an effective PayTV model as well as digital asset management, the BroadcastAsia2012 International Conference will offer more sessions to address the latest needs and technologies in the broadcasting industry.   In its 3^rd instalment, the Creative Content Production Conference will return with two days of conference sessions and an add-on day of workshops this year. The conference will comprise a mix of topical issues, case studies and hands-on sessions to address the evolving challenges faced by production professionals from new media and visual effects to editing and IP rights.   For more information, visit www.sesallworld.com.