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AMD Targets Web Pad & PDA Processor Market

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the something-else-inside dept.

According to this press release and this article from The Register , AMD has leveraged the technology portfolio of recently acquired Alchemy Semiconductor to introduce an ultra-low-power processor designed for sub-PC applications. The chip is based on the Alchemy Au1 core and features, among other things, an integrated LCD controller and a pair of Secure Digital controllers.

4 of 143 comments (clear)

  1. Sub-PC applications? by Troed · · Score: 3, Interesting
    What's wrong with ARM? Wonderful little chips, used in all possible places. This new AMD-chip runs MIPS instructions, and while the new JVM techniques from Sun (Monty) might be ported to MIPS also ARM dominates totally in the wireless world (which will replace PDAs)


    Symbian OS runs exclusively on ARM processors, and with the backing of _everyone_ in the mobile industry, that's a momentum you can't ignore.


    Oh, right. Intel has the XScale (next-gen StrongArm) so AMD has to fight back :/ Here we go again, although this time, they're not binary compatible!

    --
    it's in my head
  2. Secure Digital? by Rayonic · · Score: 2, Interesting

    > "The AU1100 also adds two Secure Digital (SD) controllers for small storage devices"

    Wait, secure as in the "keep-bad-guys-from-getting-in" way, or the "keep-me-from-performing-basic -functionality-because-I'm-presumed-to-be-a-crimin al" way?

    It's a shame I have to ask that.

    --
    [PowerPoint] is a tool for capitalist presentation
  3. Targetting? by Matt2000 · · Score: 5, Interesting


    I'm always seeing companies targetting the embedded systems and webpad markets with new products, but where are the webpads?

    I would have thought in '98 with the amount of press and press releasing surrounding the webpad idea we'd be swimming in low cost options by now and I'd happily be reading slashdot on the couch, but I've been sorely disappointed.

    Does anybody have any idea when a mid cost wireless webpad will show up that actually makes this market worth targetting?

    --

  4. the product may well gell. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    What the industry and consumers wants is a 'home server' system with a 'pad' attached to it.

    You don't need much in the pad. Remember this:

    lcd screen.
    Li-ION battery
    802.11b wireless
    Touch screen

    And enough ram/rom/flash to boot an XTERM - or in windows terms, "terminal server" application.

    The truth of it all is this, I don't want the 'power' in my hand. I don't need it for 95% of what I do. A big fat server box - with all the mips it needs, and an Xterm session back to the server.

    Think about it - how did the Audry, NetApplience and all those other funky devices come about. People do *NOT* want a pay-service but they do want the device.

    So strip the device - and make/sell a cheap Xterm.

    Imagine - kids in class roooms. Every kid gets a tablet - they are all wireless and they all tie into the school computer system.

    Same app - when kid needs to sit infront of a real computer, they can boot linux - which runs as nothing more then an xterm to a big server box.

    When kid goes home - kid can run any 'xterm' package and connect via ssh into the school system. Read their books, and do what they want.

    It's a hell of a deal, and it is cheap.

    Big capital expendiature - but it is doable.