There are a lot of Intel-related rumors and unqualified information that fly about and one of my jobs is to mash all that up and try and work out what’s happening so that I can ‘skate to where the puck is going to be’ as Steve Jobs would say. It allows me to do a lot of predicting. Device battery life, OS strategy, performance estimations and more.

A version of Moorestown that supports Windows will be announced in 2010 and it will allow UMPCs running desktop operating systems to shrink another 20% while gaining another 20% battery life but products using this may not appear in 2010. They could also be focused at the embedded market which puts a question-mark over price and small production runs for UMPCs. [Predictions for 2010]

There are three lose ends relating to Intel’s ultra-low-power platforms and it’s time to tie these up and make a prediction before I head to Computex (Where all will be revealed anyway. Why do I bother?)

1 Mooly Eden announces a ‘tablet’ platform.

2 Oaktrail will replace Menlow

3 Rumors of ‘Moorestown-W’ that will allow standard builds of Windows and Linux distributions to run on the latest Intel ultra low-power platform.

I have two trains of thought right now. Either Intel will announce a new netbook platform or a new Menlow-like Win7-optimised platform for ultra mobiles.

New netbook platform.

Intel have to improve the video capabilities of their netbook platform. There’s no video playback acceleration at all and with flash 10.1 enabling smooth YouTube video on devices that do have video decoding, the netbooks are going to start to look dated. Battery life needs to be improved too. Smartbooks will, again, make netbooks look old and dated. Always-on battery life is also a consideration. If Intel want to unify the architecture from smartphone through embedded, TV and netbook platforms they’ll also need to drop the GMA3100 GPU and put something like an enhanced GMA500 in. GMA600 lives in the Moorestown platform, how about GMA700 with 800Mhz clock and VP8 decoding on board for 2011?

But is it too early for a new netbook platform? I think so. Cedar Trail is likely to be a more realistic thought. Late 2011.

New Win7 ‘handhelds’ platform.

Menlow has been with us in products since mid-2008. It got a refresh last year but during its lifetime we’ve gone from mainstream XP to mainstream Windows 7 and it’s time for an update in order to keep up. As with Lincroft (the CPU on the Moorestown platform) and Tunnel Creek (the CPU on the Queensbay platform) optimisations in size and performance can be made by bringing the GPU and memory controller on-board with the CPU and into a 45nm process. Interestingly, Queensbay/Tunnel Creek does this and has been already been labeled as the follow-on to the embedded (extended lifecycle) Menlow products so if we think about the similarities between that and Moorestown, it’s difficult to imagine the platform being anything other than a variation on this. What was rumored as the Oaktrail platform should look very similar to Queensbay and should be just enough for a smooth Windows 7 multi-touch performance in a handheld form-factor. In effect, another ultra mobile PC platform.

Here’s what I estimate the platform will look like: Highlights, highlighted.

• Integrated Atom CPU (optimised to give 20% more per-clock performance than Menlow) with GMA600 graphics, Display controler, Memory controller
• Connected to controller (USB, I/O ports) via Intels DMI bus in a similar fashion to Moorestown.
• GMA600 will be clocked at 400Mhz (double the performance of Menlow)
• GMA600 will include h.264 video ENCODE (720p) and up to 1080p decode. Flash 10.1 will be supported under Win-7
• Hardware encryption/decryption for SSL.
• 5mp camera interface.
• Turbo Boost features will allow the system to run at higher-clock for short periods.
• SATA 300 Interface (meaning much faster SSD speeds)
• 4GB DDR2 RAM at 667 or 800Mhz
• HDMI output
• Hyperthreading
• Intel VT support
• TDP 5W (platform) Unchanged from Menlow.
• Average power drain down by 30-50% (effective TDP lowered)
• CPU speed with turbo boost to 1.9Ghz.
• No power-gating support as on ‘smartphone’ Moorestown
• Standard BIOS support
• Windows 7, Linux and MeeGo support.
• Availability 2H 2010. Products early 2011

If Intel and Microsoft have been working well together, we might even see some special Windows-7 always-on state but that’s possibly too much to hope for. I don’t expect Intel to say anything about netbooks but to me, this look like a platform that could evolve to 32nm and dual-core easily and thus would become the next netbook platform for 2011/2012. Current target markets for the product would be unchanged from Menlow. I.e. MID and UMPCs but the marketing will change and you’ll see a lot of ‘tablet’ talk. I don’t see it as a huge segment but it was something that Intel was doing anyway so it makes sense to ride on some of the hype around at the moment.

Summary:

The ‘tablet silicon’ is likely to be Oaktrail/Moorestown-W, another UMPC-style platform. It could enable 10 inch, 15mm tablets weighing 600gm running Windows 7 and giving 6hr battery life. Not only would it enable tablets of 600gm but it would enable very thin and light netbooks, slider and clamshell handheld devices running Windows 7 to a point where it could be a better Windows 7 experience than on a netbook (assuming 1.9GHz max clock, double GPU power) and therefore, could evolve in to the next netbook platform at higher clock rates in a 32nm process. Note that the Intel AppUp store would run on this platform. Its sister product, Moorestown will continue to be aimed at even smaller devices with ‘always-on’ capability. I.e. ‘smart’ devices. These would only be able to run Android or Meego however. All products are likely to have CPU’s in the Z6xx series and are likely to be marketed as a family that fits inside Intel’s idea of a ‘continuum.’

Note: This is all educated guesswork. All will be revealed next week at Computex. I’m attending under the ‘Intel Insiders’ program and should get some great access to products, information and people.

Acer has taken what seems like an age to get stock of the 1825 PT and PTZ out to distributors but finally I have managed to get hold of one. I will be reviewing it over the next two weeks to give you an insight of the devices capabilities but in the meantime here is the unboxing video.

Specifications;

• Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
• Intel® Coreâ„¢2 Duo processor SU7300 (1.3 GHz, 800 MHz FSB)
• 11.6″ HD Acer LED LCD (1366×768), 2 point multi touch
• 4 GB Memory
• 320 GB HDD
• Multi-in-1 card reader
• 802.11a/b/g
• Bluetooth
• Webcam, 6-cell Li-ion battery
• Weight 1.7KG

How does it look to you? Netbook upgrade?

[I’m interested in seeing how Guy’s testing goes. With 3G and a fast SSD, this could be a nice upgrade from my Touchnote which, with the extra battery that gives me 8 hours, weighs over 1.5KG! – Chippy]

As the rumours surrounding the HP Windows 7 tablet continue to swirl and with no official response on the matter, no one is quite sure if the project is dead or not.  For those who like the form factor and who aren’t interested in owning an Apple iPad, the Jumper JK01-TT may be of interest.

It’s a 10.1 inch tablet running Windows 7 and sports a 1024 x 600 multitouch display. The JK01-TT is powered by a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450, 2GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive. It comes loaded with WiFi, 3G, USB, 4 in 1 card reader, 2MP webcam, accelerometer with autorotation and a 3000mAh battery.

I would estimate a possible 2 – 3 hours run time if you’re lucky but given its 1.2kg weight and slim dimensions (11.4 inch x 5.9 inch x 0.8 inch) it does make for a small, full-featured tablet.

As an added bonus the Jumper JK01-TT ships with a docking station, wireless mouse / keyboard and is available at Ownta costing €556.92

[image courtesy of Ownta via Liliputing]

Yesterday’s Intel Moorestown announcement caused me some surprise. It also caused some confusion so here’s a round-up of the state-of-play as I see it relating to Atom and operating systems.

A huge number of journalists clearly didn’t read the fact-sheet highlighting that Android is now formally part of the Moorestown equation. That was the surprise for me. Many didn’t even pick up on the lack of ‘Microsoft’ in the press releases and many just see ‘Atom’ as a single product when it’s not. It’s a CPU architecture component in a range of low-power computing platforms.

Intel haven’t really been clear about the strategy here (and don’t help much with their statement to Engadget) but it you had attended some of the Intel Ultra-Mobility Group events over the last few years you will have picked up on what’s going on.

Atom is a simple X86 CPU core that can run X86 code. That part is simple.

Moorestown is a platform; the first version of which will include the Atom core (yup, the same core architecture as on a netbook) but will include some very new elements such as new idle states and very very fine-grained power control. [start here for more tech detail.] It also uses a different bootstrapping and system interface (called the Simple Firmware Interface. Tech details PDF here) so no matter how you try, it’s not going to work with the DOS/BIOS/ACPI-based architecture required by mainstream Windows and Linux builds. That’s why the ‘handheld’ version of Moblin/MeeGo was built. It contains 1) the support for the new bootstrap mechanism 2) the links to enable power control. It also contains the sensor and messaging (between apps) support that Windows can’t provide. Finally, it’s compact in terms of memory and disk footprint. Oh, and it’s license-free!

Intel have also been working to bring Android up to speed for this platform. This doesn’t mean that Android will work on netbooks now but it does mean that a customer has a choice of highly branded and trusted mobile platforms and OS stacks to choose from now across the ARM and Intel portfolios. Intel is approaching business-case-parity with ARM here.

Did Intel just push Microsoft out of the door? No.

Intel is working in Moorestown-W. Moorestown-W (not officially announced but picked up in conversations and interviews) uses a more-traditional PC-like architecture that allows XP and Win7 to run. Some of the power-saving elements will be redundant (or removed) but there will be thermal, memory and size gains to be had that make Moorestown quite attractive for slim and netbook solutions.

Finally, Intel is also working on the next-generation of their netbook platform and naturally, this will support Windows.

In fact, if you look across Intel’s low-power platform product range, you can see the architecture aligning. If the next-generation netbook platform drops the GMA3100 GPU and slots-in the licensed core from Imagination Technologies (as on other Intel Atom platforms Why? It removes IP and patent issues for the customer) then will have something that be a simple variant of Moorestown-W or the Queensbay platform.

It’s confusing, yes, but you have to think of Atom as a small component in a range of low-power platforms that will support everything from tight mobile operating systems to a full flexible WIndows-7 desktop. Intel are just giving their customers the widest choice possible.

Sidenote: I’m investigating the possibility that the WebOS UI could, technically, run on top of an Intel architecture. If HP want to stick with Intel for WebOS solutions, it should be possible.

Sidenote 2: This is a 5-10 year play by Intel. What you see with Moorestown is just start of it. The next-gen 32nm Medfield platform is already announced and you can be sure that the work on the ‘tock’ after that has already started.

A ‘source’ has told Techcrunch that the HP Slate project has been stopped based on issues to do with the operating system.

It doesn’t surprise us although naturally, we’ll be sad if this is true. Pricing, weight and features were good although we never expected it to be a ‘performer’ because of experience we’ve had with similar builds.

If this is true, it speaks strongly of the mismatches we have in the market right now. The fact is, dropping Windows 7 on an Intel Menlow platform is a relatively easy thing to do. The OS is rich with support for hardware and includes good touch and class-leading productivity features and 3rd-party software but it is NOT a socially-focused OS and the combination of weighty OS with lightweight platform, doesn’t result in the best user experience. The social element is completely missing from Windows 7 too.

The end result is that the HP Slate is/would have been a mismatch of 2009 hardware and 2009 software in a 2010 marketplace that is moving towards an always-on, dynamic, touch-friendly, social and sensor-aware requirement. Yes, we would have enjoyed the device as a ultra mobile PC but we know that the ultra mobile PC market won’t bring big sales. For a device like the Slate, you’re probably only looking at 100K global sales maximum.

[Our initial HP Slate Analysis]

HP have other projects on the go now. Not only do they have Palm and WebOS to think about but they’re already experimenting with touch, mobility with a dynamic sensor-aware product in the AirLife 100 which is definitely launching. If that works out for them, it makes sense to release a second AirLife without the keyboard, watch, learn and ramp-up the project internally to hit the market in 2011 with exactly the right ingredients.

We hope the news about the slate is wrong but we understand the reasons if it’s true.

Source: Techcrunch.

Many follow-up articles on Techmeme.

Yes, I’m calling this a UMPC. Why? Because it is! It has closer ties to everything that we’ve done over the past four years on UMPCPortal than any social and entertainment ARM-based ‘pad.’ It’s built with ultra mobile PC components (Z530 as used in nearly all Windows-based Ultra-Mobile PC’s ) and it runs Windows 7. I won’t be subscribing to the iPad comparisons just because it’s got an 8.9 inch screen; that would be too simple and would miss the point. As for it being a ‘netbook without a keyboard’ well, it’s closer but still somewhat misleading.

Update: HP Slate information, comparison, specs and links now in the database

The HP Slate looks like it could be one of the best mobile tablet PCs we’ve seen for a long time (could it top my personal favorite, the X70?) and I’ll be working to get some review-time with it as soon as possible but I know already that it won’t impress anyone looking for a slick consumer-centric device. It’s questionable that a 1.6Ghz Menlow will provide enough power to drive Windows 7 satisfactorily too but having done lots of testing with my Viliv S10 multitouch convertible, based on exactly the same hardware and software, I can tell you it works quite well, as long as the SSD is fast. Again, not slick, just productive.

Here’s the latest hands-on article but unfortunately, they take the iPad route. They also assume that it has a broadcom chipset like everyone else; forgetting that the Poulsbo chipset that pairs with the Z530 already has an integrated HD video decoder.

They do manage to uncover a docking station though and that’s a very useful addition, especially if it’s included in standard retail package. [He says, using a U820+docking station to write this article.]

More photos at the source: Conecti.ca

Via netbooknews.de

If you’ve been wondering about how much faster a build of XP on the Viliv S10 might be, or how much difference an SSD upgrade might be, wonder no more because I’ve just tested it out…and then dropped back to the default setup. It didn’t bring enough advantages to make it worthwhile. Video of the SSD swap process is included below.

I took a Runcore Pro IV SSD (RCP-IV-ZA1864-C) and installed it into the S10 (a very easy upgrade) with a build of XP from the similar Fujitsu U820. After installing the new device drivers, everything was up and running very quickly and smoothly.  Because the S10 uses a PATA interface, however, I wasn’t seeing the same speeds as I do on my Gigabyte Touchnote with its SATA interface and the 2.5 inch Runcore Pro IV. There’s a noticeable improvement in speed if, like me, all you need to do is access Firefox and a few other programs but it’s barely enough to justify the cost and hassle. Yes, if you want the ultimate speed out of the S10, upgrade the SSD and drop in XP on it but it will take you a few hours to build XP, the cost is a minimum $100 and you lose multitouch and other Windows 7 features. I missed the OSK immediately!

As far as upgrading the existing Windows 7 build to a faster SSD, there’s even less to be said for it. Again, if you want the ultimate speed and can afford the cost (minimum 32GB I’d say) then go for it because it’s an easy upgrade but for most people, the standard SSD and Windows 7 is going to be fine. Even the 1GB RAM limit isn’t really an issue if you’re not thrashing the device.

That brings me to another thing I wanted to mention the 60GB HDD / Windows XP entry-level version of the Viliv S10. My recommendation is that you don’t take that version. The SSD and Windows 7 upgrade is definitely worth having and as we move to a point where XP drivers are lagging (e.g. GMA500 drivers) it’s an investment for the future.

It’s interesting. This is the first device I’ve ever kept as a Windows 7 device. Somehow it ‘fits’ with the S10. I don’t use the multitouch screen but maybe there’s a psychological issue with having a multitouch screen that you can’t use that makes me want to keep Windows 7 on it.

JKK of JKKMobile is also looking into a high-end upgrade for the Viliv S10. I have a feeling that the advantages won’t be huge in his tests either but he has access to the Pro V Runcore drives which are faster, maybe he can squeeze just enough more out of it to make it worthwhile. Keep an eye on JKKMobile for that soon because he’s promised a video too.

Update: Video of how I swapped the SSD’s is included. It took under 5 minutes.

Netbook Navigator has been working hard on getting that Nav 9 [Specifications] to market and we’ve just heard that a review sample is going to be with us very soon. Apparently they’ve taken a few weeks to optimise a touchscreen that wasn’t up to par and in that time they’ve also updated the package and pricing.

The Atom N450-based 1GB/16GB tablet is now available as a base version for $599 including a large capacity battery, carrying case, 8GB SD card and car charger. That price doesn’t include an operating system but there’s a good chance that Moblin, Jolicloud and Ubuntu are going to work out of the box (don’t expect multitouch) and as we go forward, MeeGo is going to be an option not to mention any old XP licenses you have lying around.

We still have reservations about the size, weight and form-factor for any of these netbook-based tablets that are appearing and seriously, the ASUS T101MT including Windows 7 with 2GB, touch/multitouch screen on the latest Pinetrail platform for a similar price (admittedly, with a weight premium) sounds like a much better product overall but if a Windows-based slate is the way you want to go, this isn’t a bad deal.