The ARM powered netbooks of Mobile World Congress

Chip maker ARM is all over the place at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The folks at Engadget stopped by the ARM booth and snapped some photos of a ton of ARM-based netbooks and mobile internet devices. That includes devices running the Freescale i.MX515 processor and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chip, both of which are ARM-based.

These computers are all running either Linux or Windows Mobile. Windows doesn’t run on chips with the ARM architecture.

Make sure to head over to Engadget if you want to see a video of the new Pegatron $199 laptop prototype and other machines with ARM CPUs.

Posted on Friday, February 20th, 2009, 5:10 pm by Brad Linder

http://streetcarstospaceships.typepad.com RustinHWright

What is the device on the middle shelf to the left? It looks like the new SONY but not quite. Also, I want to know what those two devices in the middle of the lowest shelf are. The one with no evident attached screen and the tablet-looking beastie with the cable coming out of the top and trailing down the bottom of the image. Whatever they are, they're definitely yet more proofs of the vibrant and fecund growing ecosystem of compact computing devices.

Interesting times, indeed. Interesting times.
http://streetcarstospaceships.typepad.com RustinHWright

Okay, having now RTFA (which I should have done before posting my previous comment, of course) it looks like both the tablet/MID and the wide format netbook are from Wistron, a company that has focused mostly on telecommunications and things like antennae and cable boxes rather than on notebooks and other consumer-purchased devices. This has got to give them a different perspective and the specs on the netbook look like they're focused on precisely the things one would expect them to pay attention to, compatibility with a whole passel of networking protocols.

Now if I could only figure out what the frack is going on with that couple of buttons and middle dealie (pointer?) at the bottom, I would be at peace.
Ohio Red

Confessing my ignorance, may I ask what an ARM-based computer can do and can't? I take for granted that it allows web browsing, email, and light (linux-based) word processing, as well–probably–listening to music available on the web and viewing short videos. I also take for granted that it isn't a computer that allows you to watch a movie or play a complicated game because of the limitations of the processor. Is this about right?
http://liliputing.com Brad Linder

Yes and no. ARM processors can handle complex instructions and in
theory have no problem running full blown desktop apps. But Windows
doesn't support ARM, which is the only reason you can't run Windows on
ARM-powered devices.

In general, ARM focuses on low power chips with decent performance,
which results in cellphones with decent battery life. So if you put
one of the new, faster ARM chips in a netbook and load up a Linux
distribution, you should have no problem running apps like
OpenOffice.org or Firefox. They may not be blazing fast, but they'll
work.

Some of the new ARM-based chips are also optimized for playing HD
video and connecting to 3G networks. So while you wouldn't *expect*
these lower power chips to be able to compete with the big guys on
those fronts, the built in support for decoding 720p or higher
resolution videos certainly helps.
Ohio Red

Thanks, Brad. Your answer makes the forthcoming ARM-netbooks attractive to me (that is, if the price is right). As somebody who began with CP/M and now uses a Mac, I have no special attraction to Windows. Have never much cared for Microsoft Word either. Moved to it from WordPerfect for only one reason, compatibility with other users.
http://liliputing.com Brad Linder

Just so you know, the few ARM-based netbooks I've tried out have
generally been slower and less responsive than Atom-powered machines.
But to be fair, I've only played with a handful of prototypes at trade
shows. It's possible that the finished units will be zippier.
turn.self.off

the keyboard is attached to the black box behind it, and is basically a eeebox like product.

the other one is a more traditional pda/smartphone running winmob, using the same basic hardware as the rest of the products on display…
http://www.pricelooker.co.uk/ price comparison

ARM is aggressively moving toward powering Laptop computers, with its new ARM-11 processor. I believe ARM Limited, will power ahead while Intel is sliding backward.
http://twitter.com/Pricelooker Pricelooker

I can’t wait till Nokia releases the new Nokia Mini. I hope it will be available in pay as you go tariff soon. I think it will be a big hit for Nokia if they can get their partners such as Vodafone, T-mobile and Orange to get them to offer the device on Pay as you go plans.
payasyougomobilephones

I can’t wait till Nokia releases the new Nokia Mini. I hope it will be available in pay as you go mobile phones tariff soon. I think it will be a big hit for Nokia if they can get their partners such as Vodafone, T-mobile and Orange to get them to offer the device on Pay as you go plans.

The ARM powered netbooks of Mobile World Congress

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