While BattleBots definately has more interesting battles, I'm getting kind of sick of all the commentary and drivel between matches. Is it *really* necessary to tell us the entire life stories of the robot drivers?
When Intel Corp.'s Frank Spindler disclosed that the chip giant is fast tracking the production of a new ultra-low-power chip for notebooks, there was an interested eavesdropper nearby.
Transmeta Corp. CEO David Ditzel was attending the Microprocessor Forum this week when Spindler, vice president and general manager of Intel's Mobile and Handheld Division, said that a new ultra-low-power Speedstep-based mobile Pentium III chip was in the works and should ship next year.
The chips, which consume less power than current mobile Pentium IIIs with Speedstep Technology, are being moved into production sooner than originally planned to counter Transmeta's low-power Crusoe processor, which began shipping in notebooks in Japan last month.
As for the eavesdropper, Ditzel said he was glad to hear Intel is addressing the low-power market segment, because it validates his company's approach to the market.
With their low power consumption, Transmeta's low-power Crusoe processor and LongRun power-management software and Intel's forthcoming low-power Pentium III are designed to extend battery life for mini-notebooks to up to 12 hours.
Intel officials concede that Transmeta did wonders for raising industry awareness of battery life.
But, unlike Transmeta, Intel expects that the mini-notebook will account for only a small part of its overall mobile chip business, whereas more fully featured notebooks with larger screens, integrated drives, and faster processors will account for some 60 percent of sales.
Shaving wattage According to Ditzel, the difference between Crusoe and the forthcoming Intel chips will be about a quarter of a watt. Crusoe chips on average consume about.5 to.75 watt; the forthcoming Intel chips will consume about half a watt on average. (Currently, Intel is shipping a 600MHz mobile Pentium III with Speedstep that consumes about one watt of power when running at 500MHz in its Battery Optimized Mode.)
Ditzel showed ZDNet News a Hitachi notebook with a 600MHz Crusoe TM5600 chip. The notebook, along with three similar models and a Crusoe-based Web Tablet, debuted in Japan on Sept. 27 and will be officially announced later this month in the United States.
Ditzel demonstrated how the Hitachi model scaled in 100Mhz increments from 300Mhz to 600MHz, but spent most of its time running at 300MHz unless it was loading an application or playing a movie. According to Ditzel, the notebook yields a battery life of between 10 to 12 hours.
Intel's first ultra-low-power Pentium III chip, due in the first half of next year, will be a 500MHz, which drops to 300MHz when on battery power. When running at 300MHz, the chip will consume about half a watt of power.
Active power consumption for the chip will be closer to 1.5 watts, Intel officials said. The chip's core voltage will drop to 1 volt, compared to the 1.1 volt of the current 600MHz low-power mobile Pentium III with Speedstep. A 600MHz version of the ultra-low-power mobile Pentium III is planned for the second half of the year.
Speedstep, which acts as a switch to drop clock speed and power consumption of a Pentium III running on battery power, is not dynamically variable like Crusoe, which can move through a number of clock-speed and power-consumption states based on demand from an application.
System-level approach Intel is also focusing on chip sets and other system components, including screens and batteries.
At the Microprocessor Forum the company demonstrated a version of its 440MX mobile chip set with active power management. The chip set's average power consumption was shown to be about half a watt, making the entire processor and chip set package average less than one watt. Intel is also investigating ways to get more life out of lithium-ion batteries and to reduce the power consumption of notebook screens. The company may make investments in companies working in those areas; however, it has not disclosed any such plans to date.
Transmeta's approach to system-level power management was to integrate the memory controller, a major part of a chip set, into its Crusoe 5XXX line of chips. This works to save both power and cost.
The first ultra-low-power mobile Pentium IIIs will be based on Intel's current 0.18-micron manufacturing process.
They "require nothing special in terms of manufacturing," one company official said.
You are correct. The difference is that the Speedstep PIII will have two speed settings. 500 Mhz @1.1v while on AC power and 300 Mhz at 1.0v while on battery power.
The Crusoe can dynamically change it's clock speed and power consumption i.e. if you are playing solitare, there is not much demand for power from the procesor so the clock speed will be reduced. If you are playing a DVD, the CPU demand will be high and thus, clockspeed will increase automatically to compensate.
The Crusoe can change power consumption and clock speed on the fly depending on the demand for CPU power. Intel's "new" PIII just slows itself down when it's not running on AC power. The Crusoe is still quite a bit ahead of the competition.
"Intel's first ultra-low-power Pentium III chip, due in the first half of next year, will be a 500MHz, which drops to 300MHz when on battery power. When running at 300MHz, the chip will consume about half a watt of power."
Intel calls it "Speedstep technology". I call it underclocking. This is nothing new. The *really* sad part about all this is that it's going to take another year for this *amazing new technology* to be available.
"...it's always more than somewhat stupid, and not at all funny. the only sad thing is people who have nothing better to do than grit & beowulf. note: that joke was kind of funny..."
So let me get this straight, the Beowulf reference is 'not at all funny', but it's also 'kind of funny'
Look, I'm not a rocket scientist or anything, but last time I checked, *air* wasn't attracted to magnets. There's this cool new invention called gravity. I believe Sir Isaac Newton invented it...and oh dear i've just been trolled!
"The article is fairly short on technical details, but it sounds like it uses key chords in place of a typical keyboard"
I have *a friend* who enjoys masturbating while looking at Natalie Portman pictures he finds on the Internet. Does this mean my *friend* doesn't have to worry about dried up semen ruining his keyboard? My *friend* is getting really damn tired of buying a new keyboard every six months.
It's nice to see that Nintendo is focusing on aiming their 10 year old hardware to the 80 yrs. and up grandmother market instead of wasting money on *new-fangled* technology.
Sadly, most moderators seem to mod down anything with the phrase "Beowulf Cluster". Even if it is used *somewhat* in context. I don't care too much about Karma anyway.
It would be interesting to see what stipulations would apply. Would you need to give up a certain percentage of your CPU time to the distributed computing?
If you use the computer too much, would you forfeit your *free* computer?
How would this affect the people who constantly refresh Slashdot trying to get a first post?
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While BattleBots definately has more interesting battles, I'm getting kind of sick of all the commentary and drivel between matches. Is it *really* necessary to tell us the entire life stories of the robot drivers?
Please explain this "sleep" concept everyone keeps writing about. What is this "sleep"?
Final as in 1.0, or final as in "we give up"?
When Intel Corp.'s Frank Spindler disclosed that the chip giant is fast tracking the production of a new ultra-low-power chip for notebooks, there was an interested eavesdropper nearby. Transmeta Corp. CEO David Ditzel was attending the Microprocessor Forum this week when Spindler, vice president and general manager of Intel's Mobile and Handheld Division, said that a new ultra-low-power Speedstep-based mobile Pentium III chip was in the works and should ship next year. The chips, which consume less power than current mobile Pentium IIIs with Speedstep Technology, are being moved into production sooner than originally planned to counter Transmeta's low-power Crusoe processor, which began shipping in notebooks in Japan last month. As for the eavesdropper, Ditzel said he was glad to hear Intel is addressing the low-power market segment, because it validates his company's approach to the market. With their low power consumption, Transmeta's low-power Crusoe processor and LongRun power-management software and Intel's forthcoming low-power Pentium III are designed to extend battery life for mini-notebooks to up to 12 hours. Intel officials concede that Transmeta did wonders for raising industry awareness of battery life. But, unlike Transmeta, Intel expects that the mini-notebook will account for only a small part of its overall mobile chip business, whereas more fully featured notebooks with larger screens, integrated drives, and faster processors will account for some 60 percent of sales. Shaving wattage According to Ditzel, the difference between Crusoe and the forthcoming Intel chips will be about a quarter of a watt. Crusoe chips on average consume about .5 to .75 watt; the forthcoming Intel chips will consume about half a watt on average. (Currently, Intel is shipping a 600MHz mobile Pentium III with Speedstep that consumes about one watt of power when running at 500MHz in its Battery Optimized Mode.)
Ditzel showed ZDNet News a Hitachi notebook with a 600MHz Crusoe TM5600 chip. The notebook, along with three similar models and a Crusoe-based Web Tablet, debuted in Japan on Sept. 27 and will be officially announced later this month in the United States.
Ditzel demonstrated how the Hitachi model scaled in 100Mhz increments from 300Mhz to 600MHz, but spent most of its time running at 300MHz unless it was loading an application or playing a movie. According to Ditzel, the notebook yields a battery life of between 10 to 12 hours.
Intel's first ultra-low-power Pentium III chip, due in the first half of next year, will be a 500MHz, which drops to 300MHz when on battery power. When running at 300MHz, the chip will consume about half a watt of power.
Active power consumption for the chip will be closer to 1.5 watts, Intel officials said. The chip's core voltage will drop to 1 volt, compared to the 1.1 volt of the current 600MHz low-power mobile Pentium III with Speedstep. A 600MHz version of the ultra-low-power mobile Pentium III is planned for the second half of the year.
Speedstep, which acts as a switch to drop clock speed and power consumption of a Pentium III running on battery power, is not dynamically variable like Crusoe, which can move through a number of clock-speed and power-consumption states based on demand from an application.
System-level approach Intel is also focusing on chip sets and other system components, including screens and batteries.
At the Microprocessor Forum the company demonstrated a version of its 440MX mobile chip set with active power management. The chip set's average power consumption was shown to be about half a watt, making the entire processor and chip set package average less than one watt. Intel is also investigating ways to get more life out of lithium-ion batteries and to reduce the power consumption of notebook screens. The company may make investments in companies working in those areas; however, it has not disclosed any such plans to date.
Transmeta's approach to system-level power management was to integrate the memory controller, a major part of a chip set, into its Crusoe 5XXX line of chips. This works to save both power and cost.
The first ultra-low-power mobile Pentium IIIs will be based on Intel's current 0.18-micron manufacturing process.
They "require nothing special in terms of manufacturing," one company official said.
The Crusoe can dynamically change it's clock speed and power consumption i.e. if you are playing solitare, there is not much demand for power from the procesor so the clock speed will be reduced. If you are playing a DVD, the CPU demand will be high and thus, clockspeed will increase automatically to compensate.
The Crusoe can change power consumption and clock speed on the fly depending on the demand for CPU power. Intel's "new" PIII just slows itself down when it's not running on AC power. The Crusoe is still quite a bit ahead of the competition.
Intel calls it "Speedstep technology". I call it underclocking. This is nothing new. The *really* sad part about all this is that it's going to take another year for this *amazing new technology* to be available.
Here's the right one.
I'd imagine it would be out of most people's price range...Unless of course you've sold a website to Andover lately.
Not to mention that it's next to impossible to navigate. In order to find anything past their main page you need a map and a compass.
Not necessary. Robbers wouldn't be able to get past it's firewall.
You forgot *hump your leg*
I can see the instruction manual: "Insert 3.5" floppy into the rear of the AIBO"
I think Alanis Morissette is Canadian. She would make an excellent candidate. Her shrill, tone-deaf voice could not be heard in the vacuum of space.
So let me get this straight, the Beowulf reference is 'not at all funny', but it's also 'kind of funny'
And you called ME a moron?
Do you have a resume? You could be a /. editor.
Mars is already pretty fscked up.
Look, I'm not a rocket scientist or anything, but last time I checked, *air* wasn't attracted to magnets. There's this cool new invention called gravity. I believe Sir Isaac Newton invented it...and oh dear i've just been trolled!
I suggest sending a probe full of French people over there.
I have *a friend* who enjoys masturbating while looking at Natalie Portman pictures he finds on the Internet. Does this mean my *friend* doesn't have to worry about dried up semen ruining his keyboard? My *friend* is getting really damn tired of buying a new keyboard every six months.
Keep up the good work!
Sadly, most moderators seem to mod down anything with the phrase "Beowulf Cluster". Even if it is used *somewhat* in context. I don't care too much about Karma anyway.
How bout a Sewing icon on top of the main page?
The RoboSuck has been providing force feedback for years.
If you use the computer too much, would you forfeit your *free* computer?
How would this affect the people who constantly refresh Slashdot trying to get a first post?