Lilbits: Qualcomm’s current and next-gen laptop chips, Google Voice loses a key feature

Windows laptops with Qualcomm Snapdragon processors have been around for a few years… but they’ve offered generally underwhelming performance, especially now that Apple has shown that laptops with ARM-based processors can be much faster than equivalent models with x86 chips.

But Qualcomm isn’t done making laptop processors. Details about an upcoming chip are starting to leak, and it looks like Qualcomm plans to skip the usual big.LITTLE design which pairs a set of high-performance CPU cores with a set of lower-power, energy-efficient cores. Instead, rumor has it that the company will use something closer to big.BIGGER, with nothing but high-performance cores, and some clocked at higher speeds than others.

Meanwhile, the company’s current-gen Snapdragon 7c and 8c chips are headed to Chromebooks this year, and early reviews suggest that while they won’t perform as well as an Intel Core i3 chip, they should at least be faster than the MediaTek processors commonly found in existing Chromebooks.

Here’s a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.

• Research Report: Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Chromebook Performance Analysis [HotTech]
  Early test results suggest Chromebooks with Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c processors will offer performance comparable to a model with a Pentium Silver N5030 chip (Faster than MediaTek MT8183, but slower than Intel Core i3).
• Details about Qualcomm’s next-gen laptop processor leaked [WinFuture]
  Report: Qualcomm is testing a new Snapdragon SC8280 processor that has only “big” CPU cores (as opposed to big.LITTLE) to compete with Apple’s M1 and bring better laptop performance. Other details include Adreno 690 graphics, an NPU, and up to 32GB of RAM.
• Google is working to solve the Chromebook’s support problem [PC World]
  Google is working to extend Chromebook support lifespan by discouraging device makers and vendors from shipping older models with limited support lifespans. Eventually Chrome OS may also get perpetual browser updates even after OS updates end.
• Google Voice won’t forward text messages to outside numbers much longer [Android Police]
  Google Voice is losing support for SMS forwarding. Previously you could send a text to a Google Voice number and it’d be forwarded to that user’s phone number. Now it’ll just go to the Google Voice app. Google says it’s due to carriers blocking forwarding.
• GPD Win 3 retail pricing revealed [@softwincn]
  During a recent crowdfunding campaign, the GPD Win 3 handheld gaming PC with Intel Tiger Lake was up for pre-order for $799 and up. Now it’s $849 and up during Indiegogo InDemand. And it’ll be $949 and up when it starts shipping and hits retail in July.
• Harman Kardon Removes Cortana from Invoke [Thurrott]
  After announcing last year that it was pulling the plug on Cortana for the Harman Kardon wireless speaker, the change is coming via a software update rolling out on March 10th. Thus the only Cortana speaker becomes just a Bluetooth speaker.
• Dish buys Republic Wireless, continuing its carrier shopping spree [Android Police]
  Dish Network is buying Republic Wireless. Previously the company that’s best known for its satellite TV service, had purchased Ting and Boost Mobile.

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