arm

The rivalry between processor makers Intel and ARM is heating up and that may mean cheaper prices on mobile devices like tablets and smartphones. Historically, both firms have been dominant in very different markets. Most laptop PCs use Intel ... processors that are very powerful but drain a battery in just a few hours. Meanwhile, cellphones and smartphones most commonly run processors based on ARM technology. These processors are less powerful, thereby restricting the range of functions available on the device. However, they also place less pressure on a device's battery. The line between these ... (view more)

Recently, an analyst for prominent research firm IDC indicated that Microsoft's decision to introduce two operating systems at the same time -- Windows 8 and Windows RT -- had "resulted in confusion on the consumer side." That led some insiders to ... suggest it was time for Microsoft to dump the feature-poor Windows RT and focus exclusively on pushing Windows 8. However, Microsoft has come out to say definitively that Windows RT is here to stay. ARM Development Keeps Microsoft Optimistic In a recent interview, Microsoft's corporate vice president of Windows Planning, Hardware, and PC Ecosystems ... (view more)

It's rumored that Windows 8 may be released in special editions suitable for devices like smartphones and iPad-like tablets. The buzz has caused concern at Intel, whose products are at the heart of most traditional Windows computers. The change ... involves the processor's instruction set architecture, which is at the very core of a computer. As a very loose analogy, the difference between rival instruction set architectures is as fundamental as the difference between organizing words alphabetically in a dictionary and organizing them by meaning in a thesaurus. Most Windows PCs use Intel x86 Most ... (view more)

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's highly-anticipated address at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2011 was focused on one major theme: catching up in the tablet market. But he also took time to discuss other big products entering the new year, ... Microsoft Kinect for the Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 7. There's been a lot of talk in recent months about how Windows is going to fit into a very Apple-dominated tablet universe. Since its release last spring, the iPad has completely monopolized this market, with most Windows-based contenders, such as the ExoPC , are suffering from poor design and ... (view more)

It seems that Intel will soon find themselves displaced by new, low power, high-function chips pioneered by cell phone chip makers. The new generation of chips are lower cost and use half the power of Intel's own "low power" equivalents. How did ... this happen? For almost 30 years, Intel has focused on improving speed, ignoring the power consumption issue. Improving performance was everything. But in the same time period, the cell phone emerged and evolved. Cell phone chips were created using completely different design constraints. Battery life and cost were the driving requirements. Using less ... (view more)

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have taught two monkeys how to feed themselves with a human-like robotic arm using only signals from their brains. The rate at which technology improves has continued to break down the ... walls of the impossible on a daily basis. Ideas that were once reserved only for futuristic television shows like The Jetsons and Futurama have slowly crept into the realm of possibility. Sitting in front of your computer screen in North America and sifting through the pages of Le Monde from Paris does not seem to impress us anymore. Typing out a ... (view more)

The hard drive is a highly sensitive and complicated device that most of us tend to take for granted. Just what it is and -- how it works -- is the subject of this second article on computer hardware [read part 1 here]. If you were to remove the ... sealed cover on the drive, what you would see is a number of platters attached to a fairly thick shaft that contains a type of motor known as a servo motor. The servo motor has the characteristic of being easily controlled and stable when considering the speed of rotation. The platters are spun by the motor at a rate of speed designated by the ... (view more)