World's Smallest Dual-Core ARM Cortex-A9 Module?

DeviceGuru writes "Variscite has unveiled what it claims is the world's tiniest Cortex-A9 system-on-module, measuring 52 x 17mm. The Linux- and Android-compatible DART-4460 board is based on a 1.5GHz dual-core TI OMAP4460 SoC, is available with up to 1GB of DDR2 RAM and 8GB eMMC flash, and can run at 400MHz on just 44mA. The module provides interfaces for display (HDMI, RGB, DSI), wireless (Bluetooth, WiFi), audio, camera, USB, and more, and it consumes as little as 5mA in suspend and 44mA while running from a 3.7V battery at 400 MHz, according to Variscite. And in case you were wondering, the iconic Gumstix form-factor is 12 percent larger, at 58 x 17mm."

Comments

Why can't Microsoft do this?

[erroneus]

I started into computers before "computer" meant "wintel." In fact, my first real exposure was 6809 assembly language programming under OS-9 where I had to deal with 64K limits. All of my programs needed to be extremely efficient as did the drivers for the devices I used. It was an environment of extremely limited resources and wasting them meant there was less you could do.

Linux has been moving in the direction of bloat and yet still maintains some essence of the need to be efficient and tight -- it shows in its ability to be small when needed.

Every attempt we have seen Microsoft make in trying to adapt to smaller computing devices seem to have failed for a variety of reasons.

Here's the thing though. I don't "hate" Microsoft. I just wished they'd get their heads out of their asses. Their stuff is growing obsolete. And instead of saying "okay... we have a market that may or may not be relevant in 5 - 10 years... let's keep that going while 'starting over' in new directions by devoting our considerable resources into some heavy R&D." They need not to "adapt" their old stuff and instead need to build something new in the spirit of "lessons learned from decades of experience."

At the moment, though, it seems like they haven't learned a damned thing.