AMD's powerful Ultra Mobile CPU

[flippin_waffles]

http://www.brightsideofnews.com/news...g-over-3g.aspx

Looks like this chip is a reality and used in iTG's new xpPhone (or 7 Phone). There's a couple video's showing the phone booting xp BSN reports it's supposed to be available 1H '10. I think i'd rather have this over a netbook anyday.

[haylui]

I wonder if WinXP kernel/scheduler could do ultra lower power mode or not

[Calmatory]

I wonder if WinXP kernel/scheduler could do ultra lower power mode or not

I believe that the kernel itself has absolutely no impact on power consumption/application speed in this regard. Program is heavy -> kernel can't do a squat about it.

CPU time taken by kernel itself is minimalistic at best, when compared to the CPU time taken by external apps. And yes, scheduler could possibly try to arrange the tasks in an efficient way, but again, the differences are slim at best.

[mattkosem]

Doesn't that phone have a Geode LX processor (as stated here)? If so, it's nothing new and far from powerful.

--Matt

[tajoh111]

Plus it weighs 3 to 4 times as heavy as a normal phone and is an inch thick. This phone is truly a brick.

[twilyth]

Doesn't that phone have a Geode LX processor (as stated here)? If so, it's nothing new and far from powerful.

--Matt

AMD should really clear that up. The Geode article is from April so it's possible that the CPU has changed. Also they never identify who the "AMD spokesman" is so that may or may not be an official announcement. ITG's secrecy may be more telling. I guess we'll see soon enough.

[twilyth]

Plus it weighs 3 to 4 times as heavy as a normal phone and is an inch thick. This phone is truly a brick.

One of the articles said 16mm. If so, then slightly more than 5/8ths.

[Unoid]

We need better specs. and details. I'm thinking of Google nexus One but this might be an alternative.

[nn_step]

I believe that the kernel itself has absolutely no impact on power consumption/application speed in this regard. Program is heavy -> kernel can't do a squat about it.

CPU time taken by kernel itself is minimalistic at best, when compared to the CPU time taken by external apps. And yes, scheduler could possibly try to arrange the tasks in an efficient way, but again, the differences are slim at best.

umm that isn't exactly accurate. The operating system makes a SIGNIFICANT impact on Power efficiency and indirectly changes the form of the programs. Such that if careful attention isn't payed to the operating system, 3/4 of power can be wasted.

But if you are arguing that the operating system can't speed up a crappy program, that too isn't correct; since said operating system may include a 7th generation code morphing subroutine which will optimize all programs. [So much that many benchmarks will actually lose over 90% of the code via waste space reductions]

[Calmatory]

umm that isn't exactly accurate. The operating system makes a SIGNIFICANT impact on Power efficiency and indirectly changes the form of the programs. Such that if careful attention isn't payed to the operating system, 3/4 of power can be wasted.

But if you are arguing that the operating system can't speed up a crappy program, that too isn't correct; since said operating system may include a 7th generation code morphing subroutine which will optimize all programs. [So much that many benchmarks will actually lose over 90% of the code via waste space reductions]

Isn't the case of Windows XP though.

[nn_step]

Isn't the case of Windows XP though.

yes it can be. [Third party add-in]
but again even XP is rather wasteful in comparison with some other similar featured operating systems.

[Calmatory]

yes it can be. [Third party add-in]
but again even XP is rather wasteful in comparison with some other similar featured operating systems.

Hmm, interesting. Please elaborate.

[zalbard]

I think i'd rather have this over a netbook anyday.

No way, this is horrible to type on comparing to a netbook... Just a huge phone.

Doesn't that phone have a Geode LX processor (as stated here)? If so, it's nothing new and far from powerful.

--Matt

Yeah, I believe so tbh, and it is far from being impressive IMO.

[Frank M]

Looks like this chip is a reality and used in iTG's new xpPhone (or 7 Phone).

Excuse me, what are you talking about?
Where and who said anything about a new/upcoming/yet unannounced
AMD ULV chip being used in a phone that has been vaporware for over
a year? It is most probably an ancient, low-power embedded Geode chip.
Come again when this thing becomes a real product, not just vaporware.

[ajaidev]

Well back then 2004 i think when the LX was launched it was a low end cpu now a days its performance is worthless, i mean people dont think Cortex A8's are fast enough this would be totally a drag.

In terms of power consumption the geode LX eats around 1W and A8 eats less than 0.59mW/MHz.


I would hope if the geode LX could get a die shrink to say the 65nm or the 45nm process 1ghz maybe in reach for that architecture.

[flippin_waffles]

Excuse me, what are you talking about?
Where and who said anything about a new/upcoming/yet unannounced
AMD ULV chip being used in a phone that has been vaporware for over
a year? It is most probably an ancient, low-power embedded Geode chip.
Come again when this thing becomes a real product, not just vaporware.

Well, the makers of the phone do for one. And vaporware in so much as not in anyones hands other than the makers, and that isn't exactly unusual. And then there is the video...wait, 2 videos...showing it in action. I can't say for certain it's a real product either, just like noone could claim Larabee was a real product around 2 years ago, yet everyone believed it was (that might be a bad example... ). But it's getting to the point of denial to say it isn't, IMO.

[Frank M]

But it's getting to the point of denial to say it isn't, IMO.

The phone exists in a pre-production alpha form (for a year or two now),
I don't really care for that, but in your thread title and first post, you are
talking about a chip. Yet there's no evidence for it, nor is it mentioned in
the referenced article. So as I asked: what are you talking about? What
chip? Who told you? Or did you just make that up? This is how rumours
start, you know...

[flippin_waffles]

The phone exists in a pre-production alpha form (for a year or two now),
I don't really care for that, but in your thread title and first post, you are
talking about a chip. Yet there's no evidence for it, nor is it mentioned in
the referenced article. So as I asked: what are you talking about? What
chip? Who told you? Or did you just make that up? This is how rumours
start, you know...

Actually there is mention of it if you read the specs, so no i'm not making things up.

[BrowncoatGR]

Actually there is mention of it if you read the specs, so no i'm not making things up.

AMD has no chips below 1GHz besides the Geode line and probably wont have until Bobcat. Geode isn't exactly a fast CPU but around 1GHz it should be ok for a high end phone. The power consumption is quite high though. It's a poor design decision really, just so they can have Windows XP on it. An ARM cpu could certainly deliver better performance at a fraction of the power consumption.

[flippin_waffles]

Yeah, it might flop but they do mention pretty good battery life. I'm assuming they found a user base that is interested in xp or 7 on a phone but who knows.

[AliG]

Yeah, it might flop but they do mention pretty good battery life. I'm assuming they found a user base that is interested in xp or 7 on a phone but who knows.

Ohh I'm sure there are plenty of people who would sacrifice battery life to run windows, I see it all the time. Funny thing is that most of them are non-techies who really have no clue of what an OS is, they've just seen the xp or vista symbol on their computer case and think it must be good.

If I had the money, I would probably get a google based phone.

[Unoid]

I'd rather ubuntu NBR but less apps than win

[nn_step]

Hmm, interesting. Please elaborate.

well lets see for more energy efficient operating systems with the same features. Take your pick of more than a hundred UNIX variants.
As for code optimization there are literally dozens of paths; ranging from direct source code editing to loophole optimizations with Alexia Massalin's Synthesis kernel being the most extreme example.

Yes you are correct in the assumption that the kernel is most efficient when it doesn't change how programs operate [An extremely computationally expensive task] but when people are willing to waste cycles to optimize a binary things such as transmeta's code morphing which do make considerable improvements in poor code's energy efficiency.

not nearly as much as a clever programmer and an optimizing compiler but a significant improvement.

Ideally having the source code makes the process of optimization several orders of magnitude more efficient.

[saaya]

Doesn't that phone have a Geode LX processor (as stated here)? If so, it's nothing new and far from powerful.

--Matt

exactly

This is a new phone

didnt it first show up around 1 year ago?
i remember it was pretty heavy and very slow...

[DFI pit bull]

For such a brick the screen is way too small.