Gizmodo: Chips

Moore's Law Revitalized by 12-Nanometer Chip-Fabbing Invention

Kit Eaton — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:40:00 EDT

A year ago we reported on Intel's nifty technique for 22nm chip fabrication, which may extend the life of Moore's Law. Now MIT is reporting a new technique for optical lithography which should make 12nm chip manufacture possible, making for smaller, denser future chip tech.

By combining laser interference technology with a new "scanning beam" wafer technique, the team at the Space Nanotecnology Lab has demonstrated manufacturing of semiconductor wafers with 25nm detail. And it's easily extendable to 12nm. In the scanning technique, Doppler shifts affect the laser's ability to create accurate patterns, so the clever MIT guys synchronize the wafer under construction by oscillating the laser elements with 100Hz sound waves. Looks like that venerable old law will hold true for a while yet. [EETimes]

Intel To Use Atom For Embeddable Systems, Moving Beyond PCs

John Mahoney — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:43:44 EDT

Intel has found another use for its tiny, low-power Atom chips—today they've announced intention to move into the system-on-a-chip industry, where they'll compete with ARM, MIPS, Freescale, and IBM among others to provide embeddable systems for things that aren't PCs. Namely cable boxes, manufacturing robots, security hardware, and anything else that needs an all-in-one brain. Initially they'll be using the Pentium M, but the transition to Atom should happen next year. Maybe this is what the "most of us wouldn't use Atom" talk was all about.[WSJ]

Danamics CPU Cooler Chills Chips With Liquid Metal: Won't Terminate Them

Kit Eaton — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:25:00 EDT

Advanced CPU cooling may be mainly the domain of extreme overclockers or case-modders, but this new Damamics CPU cooler may tempt you anyway just for the thought of the tech involved. The upcoming LM-10 is the world's first commercial CPU cooler based on liquid metal. Yup: liquid metal. Liquid metal has thermodynamic properties that apparently improve temperature uniformity on the cooling surface, and allow for decreased temperatures versus other cooling solutions. But most cleverly, since it's a metal you can pump it electromagnetically—the cooler has a no-moving-parts silent pump that draws just 1W of power. Plus it sounds way more Terminator-esque than CPU cooling by plain old water. Update: while the price is still TBD, the manufacturer says it'll be available late this year. [Danamics via Slashdot]

AMD Revealing Atom-Killer Plans in November

matt buchanan — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:40:00 EDT

Newly minted Emperor of AMD Land Dirk Meyer promised at his coronation last night that we'll more hear about AMD's low-cost, low-power chippie and their plans to take on Atom in November. He didn't mention the chip's name, which is rumored to be Bobcat. (They're a fan of big kitty names too.) But at least we know it's coming, like, for sures. [Reg Hardware]

First Intel Mobile Quad-Core Processor Coming Soon (Zoooom)

matt buchanan — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:30:00 EDT

In addition to bragging about how awesome and zippy (while only power-sippy) Centrino 2 is, Intel execs also slipped that they'd be launching a set by the end of the quarter with their first mobile quad-core processor. Thanks to its hardcore power management on the Centrino 2, you'll actually be able to run four cores with more than 15 minutes of battery life. Also, Centrino 2 with integrated graphics will be available in "the coming weeks" after suffering some explode-y problems, leading to its initial delay. [PC Mag]

Intel's Centrino 2 Gets Official Launch, Alongside Core 2 Extreme

Kit Eaton — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 03:57:00 EDT

We learned in May that there would be delays to Intel's Centrino 2 chipset for notebooks, but today it gets an official launch from Intel. That certainly tallies with the slew of notebooks hitting the news which have the chips inside. Alongside the Centrino 2, Intel gives us word on the Core 2 Extreme, which runs at 3.06 GHz and the Mobile Intel 45 Express Chipset and wireless Intel Wi-Fi Link 5000, and the WiMAX/Wi-Fi Link 5050 chipset that supports the Centrino 2 to support WiMax and Wi-Fi operations. Since Intel plans to release eight processors over the next 90 days, there'll be lots more news like this. Press release below.

Jul 15, 2008 00:01

New Intel-Based Laptops Advance All Facets of Notebook PCs

New Intel(R) Centrino(R) 2 Processor Technology Brings 'HD-to-Go'; Adds Security and Manageability Features, Boosts Speed, Battery Life and Wireless Range
SAN FRANCISCO —(Business Wire)— Jul. 15, 2008 Intel Corporation unveiled its Intel(R) Centrino(R) 2 Processor Technology products for laptops today, powered by five new Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processors. Close to 250 innovative consumer and business notebook PC designs are on the way, including those equipped with the right combination of powerful processors, graphics and battery life to enjoy viewing stunning high definition videos and myriad other computer and Internet activities.

Intel also introduced the world's highest-performing dual-core mobile processor, the Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Extreme processor running at a brisk 3.06 GHz, as measured by SPECint(1)_rate_base2006, an industry benchmark (http://www.spec.org)(2).

Rounding out a mobile-focused summer for the company, Intel said it also plans to unveil eight processors within 90 days that will include first-ever mobile quad-core products and second-generation products for ultra-thin and light notebooks. In total, Intel will bring 14 diverse new processors into the marketplace as laptop sales continue to outpace desktop PCs.

Formerly codenamed Montevina, Intel Centrino 2 processor technology and Intel(R) Centrino(R) 2 with vPro(TM) Technology improve upon every facet of a laptop's main features, including performance and battery life via new processors and chipsets, faster draft 802.11n wireless (with WiMAX arriving later this year), and new business-class manageability capabilities.

"When we first introduced Intel Centrino back in 2003, there were very few Wi-Fi hotspots, YouTube videos and social media didn't really exist, 'thin and light' only referred to weight goals and desktop PCs outsold notebooks by a very wide margin," said Mooly Eden, Intel corporate vice president and general manager of the company's Mobile Platforms Group. "Today, notebooks outsell desktops in the U.S., and we're paving the way to HD entertainment, rich online gaming, faster broadband wireless speeds and an easier and more secure way for businesses to manage, update and repair their notebook fleets."

Intel is introducing five dual core processors based on Intel's reinvented transistors (high-k metal gate formula) and advanced 45-nanometer manufacturing process. These processors come with a faster 1066MHz front side bus and up to 6MB of L2 cache, and three versions reduce laptop processor wattage about 30 percent, down to just 25 watts. Also featured is Deep Power Down Technology that turns off processing components such as core clocks and cache memory when the laptop is idle for greater energy savings.

Intel also unveiled its Mobile Intel(R) 45 Express Chipset and wireless Intel(R) Wi-Fi Link 5000 series that is shipping to customers now, with laptops arriving later in July and August. Delivering five times the speed and twice the range of older 802.11a/g technology, the Intel Wi-Fi Link 5000 series provides 802.11 draft-N support that delivers the fastest data rates possible today — up to 450 Mbps.

Switchable graphics, a new optional power-saving feature available on Intel Centrino 2-based notebooks, provides both integrated and discrete graphics on a single notebook, enabling users to easily switch between the two options. Switchable graphics delivers greater 3-D performance when needed while providing the option for greater power savings for the best of both worlds.

For consumers, Intel Centrino 2 processor technology delivers the horsepower and battery life to enjoy a typical full-length, Blu-ray(1) high-definition video on a single battery charge for the first time, plus the ability to play a variety of online games, download music or post videos faster than before.

For businesses, Intel Centrino 2 with vPro technology offers enhanced manageability and security options. This is increasingly important as companies replace desktops with notebooks and need to remotely diagnose, update and repair systems over a wireless network. Improved manageability with AMT 4.0 has also been added that provides wireless manageability during system sleep states, ongoing remote configuration capabilities, support for next-generation management standards (WS-MAN and DASH 1.0) and the ability for an employee to initiate communications to IT from outside a company's firewall.

OEMs and Channel system builders will deliver close to 250 systems to market. For more information including Intel product pricing, visit http://www.intel.com/go/processor_pricing. For a full media version of this release including photos, videos, related blogs and other information, visit http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20080715comp_sm.htm and the Intel Centrino 2 technology press kit at http://www.intel.com/pressroom/kits/centrino2.

WiMAX Momentum

Later this year in the United States, Intel will begin shipping its first-ever combined WiMAX/Wi-Fi module, part of the Intel(R) WiMAX/Wi-Fi Link 5050 Series that is an optional feature for future Intel Centrino 2-based laptops. WiMAX is a 4G, Internet protocol-based broadband wireless technology that complements Wi-Fi networks.

WiMAX also provides much wider Internet and phone voice coverage, and unlike Wi-Fi has the ability to unwire entire cities or communities, connecting users even when they're on the move. Intel is working with service providers around the world to deploy WiMAX networks, with initial U.S. network availability starting later this year from Sprint XOHM and Clearwire.

Apple Orders a Few Flash Chips...Like 50 Million of 'Em

Mark Wilson — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:00:00 EDT

According to DigiTimes, Apple just placed a very large order of NAND flash chips from Samsung, which has in turn forced Samsung to tell other customers to wait. 50 million 8GB chips were reportedly ordered by Cuptertino primarily for use in Apple's iPhone (that's on top of the 25 million that were ordered in June). So now you know, Apple is that jackass driving the minivan through the McDonald's drive-thru, ordering like a million happy meals and slapping their kids in the backseat while yelling, "That's it, now you're never getting your 32GB iPhone!" [DigiTimes]

AMD's Phenom X4 9950 Processor has Green 9350e, 9150e Siblings

Kit Eaton — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 05:47:00 EDT

Technically, the trio of new processors from AMD are pretty much the same: they have the same core, and similar feature sets. But while the 9950 Black Edition is a 140W, 2.6GHz overclockable monster (the most power-hungry Phenom AMD has made) the 9350 (2GHz) and 9150 (1.8GHz) are selectively binned and draw just 65W TDP. This makes them the most "power friendly" quadcore processors there are. The 9950 will cost $235 and at HotHardware.com they think it compares with Intel's Core 2 Quad Q6600. While the 9350 and 9150 will cost $195 and $175 respectively, meaning that "eco-friendliness" won't save you many dollars in the chip price, but will cost you a chunk of clock speed. [HotHardware and UberGizmo]

M-Series Is Industry First Quad-Display GPU, Says Matrox

Elaine Chow — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 18:30:00 EDT

Matrox keeps updating its multi-display thingamajigs, this time with the first Quad-Head GPU in the industry, according to the company. The M-Series M9140 LP PCIe x16 can drive up to four 1920 x 1200 screens with 512MB of RAM. Matrox says its for business time, so hedge fund managers and fans of the Conchords will be able to get their graphic information overdose for $599. [Matrox via The Inquirer via Crunch Gear]

Sony Playstation 3 Graphics Chips Going More Energy Efficient 65nm This Fall

Brian Lam — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:06:22 EDT

The Cell processor in ye old PS3 has been getting the 65nm treatment since the holiday, but the RSX graphics chips inside should get the same in the fall, resulting in slightly more reliable, more energy efficient chips. [Kotaku]

Intel Antitrust Investigation Officially Underway

Brian Lam — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 22:18:13 EDT

In my mind, AMD and VIA comments can be summed up as, "No shit." [NYTimes]

IBM Developing Water-cooled, '3D' Semiconductors

Adrian Covert — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:46:14 EDT

Straight out of IBM's Zurich R&D labs are these concepts for semiconductor chips that are stacked on top of eachother and allow enough space in between for water cooling. Developed jointly with the Fraunhofer Institute in Berlin, the '3D' stacking of these chips not only uses less space and allows for greater speed, but the water cooling technique could potentially take the generated heat and reuse it for other purposes. IBM says the water cooling structure is as thin as 50 microns and equal in complexity to the system of nerves and blood vessels in the human brain. Crazy stuff.[IBM via TG Daily via Engadget]

AMD's Puma Platform Officially Pounces, But Can It Pwn?

Wilson Rothman — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:15:43 EDT

Today AMD officialized its Puma notebook platform—AMD Turion X2 Ultra dual-core mobile processors with ATI Radeon HD 3000 graphics—"for superior 3D performance and HD image quality, with industry-leading wireless for greater throughput and range." As we've noted in the past, it's a consumer-grade laptop play, and performance-wise it's aimed a bit lower than the upcoming but delayed Centrino 2 from Intel. But it's here and backed by Acer, Asus, Clevo, Fujitsu, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, HP, MSI, NEC and Toshiba. Odds are it will be an option on your next PC buying mission. Want to know more? Take a gander at the long-winded press release below.

AMD Delivers the Ultimate HD Visual Performance on the Go with Next-Generation Notebook Platform

Balanced Notebook Platform Achieves Superior 3D Performance and HD-Image Quality with Increased Energy Efficiency
TAIPEI, Taiwan —(Business Wire)— Jun. 4, 2008 AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced the availability of its next-generation notebook platform, delivering the ultimate HD visual performance and increased energy efficiency on the go. The platform features new AMD Turion(TM) X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processors with ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3000 Series Graphics for superior 3D performance and HD image quality, with industry-leading wireless for greater throughput and range. AMD customers overwhelmingly embrace the new platform, as evidenced by more than double the number of design wins compared to the last major AMD Turion processor introduction. These new notebook designs come from leading OEMs including Acer, Asus, Clevo, Fujitsu, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, HP, MSI, NEC and Toshiba.

This next-generation AMD notebook platform also serves as the foundation for new AMD Business Class, AMD GAME! and AMD LIVE!(TM) notebook solutions.

"AMD is uniquely positioned to deliver balanced platform solutions that tightly couple computing and graphics capabilities for a visually rich user experience," said Dirk Meyer, president and COO, AMD. "Our next-generation AMD notebook platform contains a host of interrelated innovations that together deliver enhanced business productivity and the ultimate in HD visual performance on the go."

Capitalizing on a Historic Market Shift

Consumers are now using their notebooks for more than just productivity, but also entertainment, such as enjoying and manipulating photos, watching videos and listening to music. Likewise, businesses are adopting Microsoft(R) Windows Vista(R) as well as applications that are more graphically intensive. Therefore, a notebook with robust graphics and video capabilities is essential to unlock the best possible experience.

"With the advent of Microsoft Windows Vista, its new graphics and multimedia features, as well as the applications that will be tailored to this operating system, discrete graphics have become a much more important part of the purchase decision," said Bob O'Donnell, Program Vice President, IDC. "With the transition from desktops to laptops, consumers and business professionals are not only seeking the portability and connectivity provided by notebook PCs, they are also unwilling to compromise on the features and performance needed to drive the latest generation operating systems and applications. This next generation of notebooks must deliver the graphics and video capabilities to address this requirement."

Superior technologies working together

As a part of the new platform, AMD today also announced a new notebook processor and chipset, which together deliver the ultimate in HD visual performance on the go. The AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile processor includes top enhancements including AMD Independent Dynamic Core Technology, a new mobile-optimized memory controller, and power-optimized HyperTransport(TM) 3.0. The new mobile AMD 7-series chipset, AMD M780G and AMD SB700, features integrated ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics and delivers support for Microsoft DirectX(R) 10. The integrated graphics deliver up to three times the 3D graphics performance of comparable competitor graphics and offer ATI Avivo(TM) HD Technology for smooth video playback in hi-def format.

Complementing the video capabilities to deliver a rich visual experience, the platform also offers the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3000 series discrete graphics, including the previously announced ATI Mobility Radeon 3400 and 3600 Series, and the new ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) 3800 Series, also introduced today. The 3800 Series delivers the highest levels of graphics performance in the ATI Mobility Radeon HD family, with support for PCI Express(R) 2.0, the only graphics processor with DirectX 10.1, integrated digital output support for HDMI, DVI and Display Port, and multi-monitor functionality with native support for up to 4 monitors for mainstream notebooks. When using notebooks with both integrated and discrete graphics, users can also benefit from ATI CrossFireX(TM) Technology, a feature of ATI Hybrid Graphics Technology designed to boost graphics performance up to 70 percent by running the integrated and discrete graphics together.

"Windows Vista enhances the overall performance and productivity of the personal computer, offers rich visual experiences and makes the digital lifestyle easier, safer, more entertaining and better connected than ever before," said Steven Guggenheimer, corporate vice president of the OEM division at Microsoft. "The next-generation AMD notebook platform provides optimized technologies that will provide an even richer visual experience for customers running Windows Vista and other graphically demanding applications."

Cutting-edge wireless connectivity, enhanced power efficiency

The next-generation AMD notebook platform also incorporates the latest in wireless connectivity technologies like 802.11 draft n and 3G from leading Better by Design technology partners including Atheros, Broadcom, and Ralink. These technologies provide superior range, faster data transfer and allow users to stay connected on the go.

"AMD and Broadcom are technology partners in the Better by Design program and share a common goal of helping our mutual customers create innovative, high-performance notebooks that deliver exceptional user experiences," said Thomas Lagatta, senior vice president, Global Sales, Broadcom Corporation. "The combination of our industry-leading Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and network interface controller solutions and the next-generation AMD Turion X2 Ultra Mobile Processor platform provides notebook users with a variety of ways to stay connected to the people and information that matter to them."

The next-generation AMD notebook platform also incorporates innovative power management technologies, including AMD Enhanced PowerNow!(TM) Technology and ATI PowerXpress(TM) Technology to maximize the efficient use of power for extended battery life. AMD Enhanced PowerNow! Technology provides independent and dynamic control of core performance, and the ability to shut off areas of core logic when not in use to preserve power. ATI PowerXpress Technology, in turn, provides the high performance of discrete graphics when plugged into a power source and dynamically switches to integrated graphics when unplugged, saving up to 90 minutes of battery life.

"We offer a wide range of price and performance options on our HP Pavilion notebook computers, while at the same time featuring multiple system configurations for users to choose from in order to meet their needs," said Kevin Frost, vice president and general manager, consumer notebooks, PSG. "HP welcomes the introduction of the AMD Turion X2 Ultra processor-based platform as it will add even greater visual performance, multimedia and power-efficient choices for customers."

Security and manageability features for SMBs

Business users increasingly are recognizing the need to support today's graphics-rich applications and operating systems in a more mobile business world. Small- and medium-sized businesses also recognize the ability of notebook PCs to increase productivity, and require improved security to prevent data loss. With designs that enable industry-standard security and manageability such as Trusted Platform Module and Enhanced Virus Protection(TM)(a), small- and medium-sized businesses will find the next-generation AMD notebook platform helps meet their needs.

AMD Next-Generation Notebook Platform Availability

Systems based on the next-generation AMD notebook platform and the AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor and ATI Radeon HD graphics, are now available from OEM customers.

The AMD next-generation notebook platform press kit offers additional information and collateral material pertaining to this launch.

AMD at Computex

Click here to see more about AMD activities at Computex, including a live broadcast of the press conference, short videos from the show floor, a daily blog, photos and more.

About AMD

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is a leading global provider of innovative processing solutions in the computing, graphics and consumer electronics markets. AMD is dedicated to driving open innovation, choice and industry growth by delivering superior customer-centric solutions that empower consumers and businesses worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.

(a) As part of a comprehensive security program, AMD strongly recommends enabling Enhanced Virus Protection (EVP) and using up to date third party anti-virus software.

(C)2008. AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Turion, and combinations thereof, AMD Enhanced PowerNow!, AMD Live!, Enhanced Virus Protection, ATI Radeon, ATI CrossFireX, ATI PowerExpress, ATI Avivo, ATI Mobility Radeon, ATI Hybrid Graphics Technology are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Microsoft, Windows, DirectX and Vista are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and other jurisdictions. HyperTransport is a licensed mark of the HyperTransport Technology Consortium. PCI Express is a trademark of the PCI-Sig. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

AMD is pleased to have support from leading OEM customers and wireless partners for the next-generation AMD notebook platform.

"Dedicated to delivering cutting-edge notebook designs, Acer strives to offer solutions that afford exceptional experiences for all customers," said Campbell Kan, executive vice president of Notebooks WW Acer Corporation. "Consumers today want the latest in multimedia and HD entertainment, while our business users need stable, powerful systems that help them to get the job done at work or on the road. With the next-generation AMD notebook platform with AMD Turion X2 Ultra processors, Acer can offer customers the latest notebook innovations, and we plan to roll out a number of new systems across Acer Aspire and TravelMate product lines."

"ASUS is always committed to bringing customers the most advanced technologies, and we are excited to be among the first to offer systems based on the next-generation AMD notebook platform," said Henry Yeh, General Manager Notebook BU-R&D Div.2, ASUS. "The platform's improved notebook performance, dynamic power coordination and new levels of graphics processing will enable us to deliver products that provide increased business efficiency, as well as enhanced video and multimedia experiences."

"Exceptional wireless performance is a must for consumers and professionals who want anywhere, anytime access to the Web and advanced applications, and a great user experience," said Ben Naskar, vice president and General Manager of Wireless Networking Business Unit, Atheros. "Our single-chip XSPAN Wi-Fi solutions and the next-generation AMD notebook platform with AMD Turion X2 Ultra processors are optimized for 802.11n performance and power-efficiency. As a result, users will benefit from a most satisfying mobile computing experience with significantly extended battery life."

"As a leading notebook manufacturer for 25 years, Clevo strives to flexibly and efficiently meet our notebook customers' individual needs, while offering the latest technologies and superior value," said Donovan Yeh, vice president of Strategic Marketing Center, Clevo. "With the unparalleled flexibility of the next-generation AMD notebook platform featuring AMD Turion X2 Ultra Mobile Processors, Clevo can deliver the 'on the go' application performance, power-efficiency and rich visual experience our customers demand."

"Fujitsu looks forward to working with AMD and plans to incorporate the next-generation AMD notebook platform into the next-generation Fujitsu products," said Akira Nagahara, general manager, Personal Computing Division, Personal Systems Business Unit, Fujitsu Limited. "The products will provide the improved graphics capabilities, fast wireless connectivity and long battery life of the next-generation AMD notebook platform, and this collaboration will allow Fujitsu to continue to offer PCs that exceed the demands of today's consumers."

"At Fujitsu Siemens Corporation, we are increasing our focus on technological innovation giving our customers real useful benefits with the introduction of our AMILO 3000 series of products. One of the areas that needed a better solution was the increased demand for multimedia and gaming capability in notebooks without sacrificing battery life," said Bjorn Fehrm, head of Strategy and Innovation Consumer EMEA, Fujitsu Siemens Corporation. "Our technological cooperation with AMD has produced really new and exciting solutions to this problem."

"To meet the rigorous multimedia demands and expectations of today's on the go consumers, MSI continually strives to offer a wide variety of notebooks that best meet our customers' specific needs, whether they are casual gamers, video fanatics or music lovers," said Larry Wu, Global Sales VP, MSI. "MSI plans to expand the Gaming (GT730, GX730), Entertainment (EX310) and Professional (PX210, PR211) Series of notebooks with the AMD Turion X2 Ultra Platform, affording exceptional flexibility to design and deliver systems that keep pace with our customers' needs and desires."

"We believe the next-generation AMD notebook platform is the most suitable platform for the multimedia environment of the next-generation PCs, particularly with its high performance on HD content playback capability," Sakae Takatsuka, senior vice president, NEC Personal Products, Ltd. "By fully utilizing this technology, we are planning to create user-friendly products by offering many more PC usage options. With the close collaboration with AMD, NEC is dedicated to the continuous technological innovation and the growth and enrichment of the PC market which will expand the boundaries of the benefits and excitement for our customers."

"AMD and Ralink continue to deliver superior technologies to OEMs, enabling a better notebook PC experience for users around the world," said Kenny Chiu, Vice President of World Wide Business Development, Ralink. "Ralink, a member of the Better by Design program, delivers wireless LAN solutions that enable large data transfers and the consistent reliability required by today's HD entertainment applications. Next-generation AMD notebooks featuring our RT2800 and RT2700 chipsets on the next-generation AMD notebook platform deliver faster wireless data transfers and HD image quality to improve visual performance from on the go."

"As one of the world's largest laptop manufacturers, Toshiba is always looking to stay ahead of consumer mobile computing needs and desires while delivering stable, affordable and high-performance systems for business users," said Mr. Hidejiro Shimomitsu, president and CEO of Toshiba's Personal Computer & Network Company. "With the addition of AMD's next-generation platform to our Satellite line-up, we continue to deliver innovative, powerful and power-efficient mobility to end users."

Nvidia Tegra All-in-One Mobile Processors Aim to Nuke Intel's Atom, Promise 30 Hours HD Playback

matt buchanan — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 01:01:12 EDT

Nvidia's launch of its Tegra processors makes World War Mobile official, with multiple major players cramming serious juice into tiny, ultra efficient chips for a range of mobile devices. Nvidia is calling Tegra "the world’s first computer on a chip for mobile visual computers" which squeezes a CPU, GPU, system memory and more onto a dime-sized chip that Nvidia says is 10x more efficient than the competition, with up to 30 hours of HD video playback (WSJ says 26) on a single battery charge. It's for so-called mobile internet devices that fall between smartphones and subnotebooks (like Nokia's N810), so it's taking on the lowest end of Intel's Atom chips, though we'll have to see how it fares head-to-head.

NVIDIA TEGRA: THE HEART OF THE WORLD’S SMALLEST VISUAL COMPUTERS
SANTA CLARA, CA—JUNE 2, 2008—Today, NVIDIA brings visual computing to mobile internet devices (MID) with the launch of NVIDIA® Tegra™, a family of highly integrated computers on a chip. In addition to MIDs, the NVIDIA Tegra 650 and 600 processors will be used in a wide range of innovative platforms such as embedded PCs, web tablets and more. The NVIDIA Tegra 650 processor is the world’s first computer on a chip for mobile visual computers. NVIDIA Tegra features a GPU, media processor, system memory, peripherals and a CPU all in one ultra-low power chip, smaller than a US dime (10-cent piece).

The NVIDIA Tegra 650 processor is the second product in the Tegra line, the first being the NVIDIA Tegra APX 2500 processor, which is enabling the next generation of Windows Mobile smartphones. “With the growing market demand for mobile Internet access, NVIDIA launched the APX 2500 computer-on-a-chip targeted at smartphones and handsets earlier this year. Recognizing that mobile Internet access usages will occur not just on smartphones and handsets but on compute devices as well, NVIDIA announced today their Tegra product line. Representing the first products to be targeted at the MID and portable device space, it is anticipated to bring integrated capabilities similar to the APX 2500 with NVIDIA’s graphics expertise, an ARM core, HD video,and advanced power management,” said Ian Lao, senior analyst at In-Stat.

This new processor features an optimized combination of an ultra-low power GeForce® GPU and an 800 MHz embedded ARM CPU, Due to their highly integrated design, NVIDIA Tegra processors achieve up to 10 times the power efficiency of existing products in battery-operated computer systems running compelling visual computing applications.

“As more consumers begin to access the mobile Internet with devices like smartphones and MIDs, device manufacturers will be challenged to create the same high-quality user experience on mobile devices that consumers currently enjoy on their desktop PCs,” said Warren East, CEO, ARM. “Using advanced ARM technology and providing a ground-breaking mix of performance, power consumption and form factor, the NVIDIA Tegra mobile computer-on-a-chip addresses
this challenge more effectively than any other solution yet on the market, thereby taking a major step toward the oncoming mobile Internet revolution.”

NVIDIA Tegra 650 also features:
• All-day media processing, for 130 hours audio, 30 hours HD video playback
• HD image processing for advanced digital still camera and HD camcorder functions
• Optimized hardware support for Web 2.0 applications for a true desktop-class internet
experience
• Display support for 1080p HDMI, WSXGA+ LCD and CRT, and NTSC/PAL TV-Out
• Direct support for WiFi, disk drives, keyboard, mouse, and other peripherals
• A complete Board Support Package (BSP) to enable fast times to market for Windows
Mobile-based designs

"With NVIDIA’s Tegra processor line, we will continue to see impressive mobile innovations in Windows Mobile products," said Todd Warren, corporate vice president of Microsoft's mobile communication business. “Microsoft is dedicated to providing people best-in-class mobile experiences, so that people can carry a single device for work and play."

For more information on NVIDIA’s processors, please visit www.nvidia.com

[Nvidia]

Fruit-Powered Chip Promo Vid Shows Why Geeks Don't do PR

Kit Eaton — Wed, 21 May 2008 07:40:00 EDT

Being of a scientific persuasion myself, I couldn't help but chortle at this promotional video for the TI MSP430 Ultra Low Power microcontroller unit. Sure, the neat little device sucks really low current and is used in a wide range of gizmos like smoke detectors and the recent amazing Audeo voiceless translator. We talk a lot about alternative power sources here on Giz, and since these guys demo the chip's low energy needs by doing the old "fruit-powered" trick, I applaud them. But, dear Adrian and Kevin, you need to hire a better script-writer and actually drink the martinis you mention as power sources if you're going to get people revved-up about a specialized silicon chip! [YouTube— Thanks Lindsey]

I'm No Doctor, But The Health Benefits of Caffeinated Chips Seem Questionable

Mark Wilson — Fri, 16 May 2008 09:28:00 EDT

Pardon me while I pander to a stereotype and assume that you, dear reader, are interested in these caffeinated chips by Engobi. Coming in Xtreme flavors like "Cinnamon Surge" and "Lemon Lift," each bag of this snack has 70% more caffeine than the average energy drink. Using Red Bull as a metric, that puts Enobi chips at 136 milligrams of caffeine—or right on line with a cup of strong coffee. Seeing as most of us can down two or three cups for breakfast, that means all those Engobi-eating, Red Bull-drinking X-gamers have been posing for glamor shots at amateur night. Their cute haircuts, tats and piercings can call us when they switch to diesel. [Engobi via Gearlog]

Apple Buys Itself a Little Chip Company Known for Super Efficient Processors

Brian Lam — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:32:39 EDT

Apple's bought itself a chip company, P.A. Semi, that could make chips for future iPods and iPhones. The company was founded by Dan Dobberpuhl, lead designer of Alpha chips, who last year announced a 64-bit dual core processor that is said to be about 300% more efficient than the nearest competition, using only 5 to 13 watts at 2GHz.

Products using the chips won't arrive for a year, at least, but we can assume that Apple wouldn't spend $278 million without some plans to use 'em soon as it made sense, and I'm sure Intel and ARM aren't stoked. The negotiations, which finished recently, took place in The Steve's home. Owning its own chip design is an interesting move. While the iPhone's had a lot of off the shelf componentry, it makes sense that working on its own internal hardware could yield better devices. Or a PowerPC repeat..which is the architecture I believe that the above processor is built on.

More research on that chip shows how it achieves such power efficiency. From Ars: "For instance, the chip sports over 25,000 clock gates so that clock pulses to different regions of the processor can be shut off dynamically to save power...All of the PA6T's major on-die components have their own separate clock and voltage domains, so that the L1, L2, DRAM controller, I/O subsystem, and each of the two cores can all be placed in different low-power states independently of one another."

Of course, the chips in portable such as an iPhone and iPod (as Forbes speculates) wouldn't be running so fast as the chip above. While it's unlikely they'd use that dual core 64 chip in Macs, given the Intel switch was so recent, it's my guess that P.A. Semi has a unannounced mobile chip that Jobs lusts after. Stands to reason, although Owen at Valleywag believes that the lack of economic scale for Semi makes it more likely that the buy is for IP to be implemented by others, as a bargaining chip. Regardless of tactics, the unnamed chip would have to be very efficient to best other offerings.

Intel's mobile platform, Atom, by comparison, can do 0.8 watts of usage at 800MHz, and VIA has a 0.1 watt solution that runs at 500MHz. ARM, designer of the current iPhone chip, is boasting that they can do a 0.25 watt A9 chip with multicores at 1GHz.

Historically, P.A. Semi was trying to be the chip provider for Macs around the time they chose to go for Intel, and it is reported that Dobberpuhl was furious when they went x86, thinking the Intel talks were just a bargaining chip. Some think that P.A. Semi lost its chance to be a brand name like AMD or Intel, but clearly, being under the brand name of Apple isn't half bad. [Forbes, Ars, Reg, VW]

AMD X3 Tri-Core Processor Reviewed (Verdict: Get a Quad-Core Chip)

matt buchanan — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:31:00 EDT

Maximum PC has reviewed AMD's tri-core 2.4GHz Phenom X3 8750 CPU. It performs like you'd expect—in between quad and dual cores. Fine, but it's $195. You can pick up AMD's top quad core, the X4 9850 for only $235, or Intel's Q6600 (which mercilessly beat down the X4 9850 in benchmarks) for $224 now, or hell, $200 in a few weeks. So just get a quad core. Maximum PC also hints that a Core 2 Duo might keep pace with the tri-cores, but they're keeping that under wraps for now, bastards. [Maximum PC]

AMD's "Shanghai" Chips Revealed

Jason Chen — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:37:53 EDT

The rat race continues: Shanghai will be 45nm, have up to 12 cores, include the long awaited Hypertransport 3.0 for socket-to-socket and southbridge communication, and can emulate quad channel memory. For more: [DailyTech]

Your Digital Camera Is Obsolete: Japanese Image Sensor 100x More Sensitive Than Current Chips

matt buchanan — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT

Right now, your camera either has a CCD (most point and shoots) or a CMOS image sensor (lots of DSLRs) inside, which converts pretty pictures into an electrical signal. Japan's Research Center for Photovoltaics has developed a CIGS image sensor that's 100 times more light-sensitive than the silicon chip inside your cam. It's able to shoot in environments as dark as 0.001 lux, or about as dark as a "moonless clear night." Obviously, it'll be great for night vision gear, but it also picks up infrared, giving this some serious Sam Fisher applications. Check out the comparison shot between a CMOS and CIGS below, it's insane. Chen won't need that invisible coat, just a good zoom lens.

[Tech On]

IBM Mixes Water, Chips to Make Supercomputer And Cook Dinner Too

Kit Eaton — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:40:02 EDT

It might sound like a risky idea, but IBM's new Power 575 supercomputer uses a new system of chip-level water-cooling to keep its processors chilled. Nicknamed "Hydro Cluster", the machine actually uses 448 of the new 5GHz POWER6 processors. They must kick out a hefty heat load because IBM thinks there're eco-friendly uses for the spare hot water. Much like the Swiss town pool mentioned the other day, the suggestion is that it could be used for heating people's homes or even for cooking. Check out the video to see how IBM plans to take water even closer to the chip surface in the future.

The computer was built at the Max Planck Institute for plasma research in Germany, and basically uses an enhanced version of the water-cooling that PC modders love. Apparently it's what helps make this computer quite so "super" in such a small size.
In-chip cooling next, hey? That's pretty neat, and the leak-proofing is going to have to be amazing, but makes perfect sense with the 4,000 times efficiency water cooling offers over air cooling. [IBM press release via Gadget lab]

Embedded Phones Will Cure What Ails Ya, Says Father of Cellphones

Wilson Rothman — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:20:00 EDT

Martin Cooper, credited at Motorola with the invention of the first cellphone—2lbs with 20 min battery life—says the next 10 to 15 years will bring embedded phones that will:
• Call and answer using thought controls
• Stay powered by the movement of the body itself
• Diagnose and cure disease by remotely communicating body issues with hospital computers
There are, as you might expect, some obstacles...

Cooper, 79, who since leaving Motorola has run now runs a company called ArrayComm and was instrumental in developing the Jitterbug old people's phone, gripes that the embeds will only come when society and industry shape up:

• "People are really conservative," he says, explaining why subcutaneous electronics may not be tantalizing to your mom.

• Phone features need to get simplier. Today's shoddy interfaces explain how much more development is needed before thought controls are feasible.

• Companies, including Motorola, don't take enough risks any more. "People thought I was crazy thinking about a phone you can just put in your pocket." [Reuters]

Sun Working on Replacing Wires with Lasers to Drastically Increase Chip Speeds

Adam Frucci — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:49:06 EDT

If our computers are ever going to hit speeds that'll allow us to do things like simulate the big bang, create artificial intelligence or create giant, building-sized robots to fight for our amusement, we need to move beyond wires. After all, their physical makeup is going to hit a wall at some point, so rather than just continuing to work at making faster wires, we need to look at what's going to come after wires, and that something is lasers.

Sun Microsystems has just received a $44 million contract from the Pentagon to do just that. They're to work on a way of connecting silicon chips via lasers, which, if successful, will increase chips speeds by a factor of thousands.

Computer scientists have long sought a way to make faster and cheaper computers by making larger chips on a single wafer of silicon, a manufacturing process called "wafer scale integration." If the Sun researchers' idea can be proved technically feasible and manufactured commercially, it would be possible to create more-compact machines that are a thousand times faster than today's computers, the company said. Each chip would be able to communicate directly with every other chip in the array via a beam of laser light that could carry tens billions of bits of data a second.

The only problem is that Sun says that they are only expecting a 50% success rate, so this advancement could be a lot time coming. But hey, they're working on it, so those giant robot fights might be closer than we could have ever imagined. [NY Times]

Sour Milk Detector Saves Your Olfactory Receptors

Haroon Malik — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 16:45:00 EDT

Boffins have developed a smart chip that indicates whether milk has turned sour at the checkout, saving you the potentially unpleasant task of deciphering the health of the white stuff when you get home. The device will be sensitive to the thickness of the container's contents, and when it passes by the cashier's scanner it will begin to vibrate. If the contents is too thick, the vibration will be slower than expected and visa versa. Any detection of irregular speed vibrations will lead to an alarm being set off at the checkout, saving you cash and hassle.

The detectors are to cost about a penny a carton, and they will have a wider implementation than just milk should initial tests work out well. Kelis was ever so confident her milkshake would bring all the boys to the yard and now we know why—she obviously had a beta sour milk detector device. Kudos, Kelis. [Daily Mail]

Intel Planning 6-Core "Dunnington" Microprocessor

Haroon Malik — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 13:08:09 EST

According to the chaps at the Eclipse Developer's Journal (EDJ), Intel is planning a six-core microprocessor, which will go by the Dunnington moniker.

The six-core beast will be succeeded by the even meatier, Nehalem micro-architecture, which will support greater than eight cores. The work regarding the Dunnington project is still under wraps, but our friends at EDJ insist Intel has already put together a die, the size of a postage stamp, with three dual-core 45nm Penryn chips on it sharing a 16MB L3 cache. Allegedly, we'll see the Dunnington in either Q2 or Q3, this year—we'll be sure to keep you posted on any developments. [EDJ via The Inquirer]

Intel Tukwila Is World's First 2 Billion Transistor Chip, Can Fight Godzilla Blindfolded

Jesus Diaz — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 06:31:35 EST

Tukwila is Intel's new server-oriented Itanium-family processor, the first in the world to pack two billion transistors. Most of these are used for cache memory, needed to keep its four 2GHz 65-nanometer cores fed at all times with data, instructions and probably giant radioactive lizard meat. I don't know about what kind of power is hidden into thy fearful symmetry, Tukwila, but I have to admit you look so makey-outy for being a CPU. [BBC]

Ultrafast NAND Memory Reads 200MB per Second

Kit Eaton — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 03:03:42 EST

Micron and Intel have co-developed a new 8-gigabit SLC NAND chip, which has data-read speeds of 200 MB/second and write speeds of 100 MB/second: five times faster than previous SLC NANDs. The 50nm-process node devices are available as samples to OEMs now, with bulk manufacturing planned for late this year. This means that sometime soon we'll have access to memory cards and SSDs for our cameras and laptops that are way speedier than existing ones, though you might expect insanely high prices for that speed hike—especially since SLC is expensive in the first place. [BusinessWire]

Intel's MacBook Air Processor Going to PCs?

Mark Wilson — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:26:13 EST

It looks like that custom MacBook Air processor—you know, the Core 2 Duo processor that Intel shrunk to tiny levels without miniaturizing their 65nm manufacturing process—may soon be making its way into PCs. According to PC Advisor, two non-Apple manufacturers (including Intel itself?) will be implementing the new Intel chip in Windows-based systems that will be on the market shortly. Because, face it, more people buy PCs than Apples and Intel's gotta pay the bills. [PCAdvisor]

Moore's Law is a Farce, Says Intel Video

Benny Goldman — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:09:15 EST

Did you ever think that Gordon Moore's famous law was just a clever way to impress PC buyers every two years? Watch here as young Gordy Moore cuts right to the chase and invents the 45nm Penryn chip at his kitchen table by mixing a pinch of chips, a dash of metal gates, a dollop of hafnium, and the sweet, malty deliciousness of Core 45. If this footage is real, why was I forced to grow up with a 486 chip?

Intel Chips 1971 to 2007, Plus a Timeline of the Transistor's 60 Years

Wilson Rothman — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 19:00:00 EST

As promised, here are stats for 20 different Intel chips from the past 35 years, most of which I included briefly in the Moore's Law video I made earlier, along with bonus factual tidbits I came across while looking over some Intel stuff today. Here you can enjoy it at your own pace (and without the music that some of you found not to your liking), but sadly the pics are not in any particular order, thanks to the way we serve up Flickr galleries. Enjoy it, but remember, it's only Intel's side of the story. Perhaps AMD would be kind enough to shoot over a similar dossier of fun facts. After the chip gallery is a timeline of transistor-related happenings from 1947 up to today.

Intel Chips from 1971 to 2007:

Intel's History of the Transistor:

[Intel]

Inventor of Flash Memory Has Big Plans For Super-Fast 3D Processors

dango — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 23:34:51 EST

Had Fujio Masuoka not invented flash memory for Toshiba in the 80s, this would be a very different blog. Forget your massive SSDs, your infinite digicam memory cards, and yes, forget even your Virgin Mary beating-heart thumbdrives. Masuoka-san isn't finished with us yet, though, and the next-level tech he has his sights on next could keep us busy posting for many years to come.

Moore's law states that the amount of transistors able to be jam-packed into processors will double every two years or so. But if chip makers are going to keep this up, they're going to have to move beyond the quaint world of two dimensions and into the realm of 3D processors. Masuoka has made a deal with Singapore's Institute of Microelectronics to develop new 3D chip designs, which he will then license through the Singaporean government.

What 3D processors make possible, aside from simply jamming more transistors in to a smaller space, are huge speed gains due to a greater number of transistors being in closer proximity to one another. On a 2D chip, if a transistor on one end has to make a linkage with one on the other end, it naturally takes a bit longer than if the two were directly adjacent. A 3D model allows for much more efficient interconnection, as well as the potential for much faster on-chip RAM.

Stacking layers of silicon to form 3-dimensional circuits is not a new concept—Masuoka is certainly quite familiar with it already, as it's exactly what enables flash memory sizes to continue to grow so quickly. But as of now, 3D stacks have yet to become a production reality in the processor world, although big players like Intel and IBM have made several announcements and demonstrations this year indicating progress. Now a chip-engineering legend (backed by a national government) has joined the big dogs in the race—we'll see what happens. [Institute of Microelectronics (Singapore) via Digital World Tokyo]

IBM Unleashes Photonic Supercomputer... On a Chip

Wilson Rothman — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 10:17:46 EST

Modern supercomputers are still at least 100 times faster than the crappy laptop you bought a week ago, and electrons are to blame. Today, IBM introduced a way to speed up the action on regular silicon chips by replacing the wiring with pulses of light, a technology called—what else?—silicon photonics. This method works for longer stretches requiring communication between cores, but it doesn't have a major impact in very tight spaces, so copper can still be used. This all may sound familiar, as it's essentially a teeny tiny version of today's fiberoptic networks. Now that you're kicking yourself about that laptop purchase, here's the good news: photonics won't be marketable on chips for another decade. [InfoWorld]

Sony Pulls Out of 32nm Chip Development

Matt Buchanan — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 03:15:49 EST

Developing 32nm processors with IBM and Toshiba has proved too rich for Sony's blood—they're pulling out of the joint R&D, right on the heels of selling their chip-making business to Toshiba a couple of weeks ago. [Reuters]

Intel to Enter High-End GPU Market with Larrabee in 2008

Brian Lam — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 16:22:39 EDT

Intel's Larabee GPU will be out next year, and due to a highly parallelized architecture, it's not only going to be good for video and math processing, but discreet graphics processing, too. The chips should have manufacturing advantages over those from AMD and NVidia, too, with half of the new chips to be made in the 45nm range, ahead of the competition. Interesting. [Infoweek]

Today, Symantec and Intel announced Project ...

Brian Lam — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 13:49:41 EDT

Today, Symantec and Intel announced Project Hood, which would result into security systems built natively into processors. No other info was given. [Reuters]

Toshiba, Fujitsu, NEC are 32nm SuperTeam!

Mark Wilson — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 09:37:38 EDT

In order to keep up with the competition, Toshiba, Fujitsu and NEC have announced a partnership to develop 32nm chips. Starting in 2010, they hope to have a joint operating plant to develop high powered chips for televisions and various home electronics. Wow, these three companies sound like one hell of a superteam, until you check out the other superteam...

Samsung Electronics Co., IBM, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd., Infineon Technologies and Freescale Semiconductor signed a blood pact back in May to develop similar 32nm technology. This situation is the comic book equivalent of Batman and Robin high-fiving after putting out a fire, only to find out Superman, Flash and Green Lantern have destroyed the giant robot who started it in the first place. [reuters]

Heated Nacho Tray

Travis Hudson — Wed, 02 May 2007 18:40:27 EDT

May 2, only a few more days until the festivities begin. Cinco de Mayo is the reason for the festivities I'm speaking of. Even though I am only half Hispanic, Cinco de Mayo is the perfect excuse to eat nachos, sit outside and get drunk on Modelo, Tecate and Corona. This heated nacho tray is the perfect accessory for that Cinco de Mayo party. It will keep the dip nice and toasty. It is powered with the good 'ole fashion wall outlet, but this device is just begging for a USB mod. $19. –Travis Hudson

Nacho lovers will love the electric Chip and Dip tray [Shiny Shiny]

Rumor: Intel to Announce WiMax Chip Date

www.gizmodo.com — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 18:45:00 EDT

For those of us who aren't lucky enough to make it to the Intel Developer Forum in Beijing this week, the big news is that Intel will be announcing support for WiMax in its 2008 mobile chipset, called Montevina. If all goes well, Montevina will come out in the first half of the year, and replace the Santa Rosa chipset that launches soon. Eric Bangeman at Ars Technica did not mention when Ernest & Julio Gallo became the chief product namers for Intel. He did, however, say that the mobile WiMax support should manage 2-4Mbps average download speeds by the time Sprint has the network up and running. He also added that later versions would likely include gigabit WiMax, though the standard hasn't been ratified by the IEEE. There was no mention of battery life, but that must still be a pretty big concern.

WiMax has been slow to take off, but Bangeman seems optimistic. He notes that WiMax's competitor, HSDPA, was left out of the Santa Rosa platform, because Nokia and Intel agreed they couldn't get a good enough return on investment. I can see Intel saying that, but Nokia? Come on, guys—first EVDO got a head start, now this? Who feels like harrumphing about the best technology for a high-speed wide-area wireless network? –Wilson Rothman

WiMAX coming to Intel laptops in 2008 [Ars Technica]

Silicon Chip Mimics Brain Cells

Louis Ramirez — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 20:18:02 EDT

The neuroscientists at the University of Southern California have created the first-ever silicon chip that can talk to live brain cells. The chip (which is about a millimeter square in size) functions as if it were an actual body part.

The goal is to one day create a machine that could restore people's memories, particularly in people with brain damage or Alzheimer's. In other words, they wanna replicate our memories with these wafers, which is great, but the idea of walking around with chips in my head is still a little too sci-fi for my simple brain to comprehend. – Louis Ramirez

Replacement Silicon Brain Cells [Medgadget]

Frenchies Release Petit Computeur - C'est Très Cheap

www.gizmodo.com — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 07:21:20 EDT

French ISP Neuf Cegetel has come up with a computer that costs pas beaucoup. $53 ~~buys you the computer~~ gets you a month's worth of computer plus ADSL line rental, $39 gets you a mouse, keyboard and camera, and a 14-inch color monitor is $132.

UPDATE: That's about $13 a month more than a broadband subscription, so the computer will cost you $156 a year.

Admittedly, you don't get a lot for your 50 bucks-plus—a 512KB flash disk, Linux operating system, Firefox, Abiword and Gnumeric spreadsheet, but the computer—which looks like something Barbarella might have watched Desperate Spacechicks on, is compatible with all sorts of peripherals, including external hard drives, Internet phone headsets and digital cameras.

The $53 initial outlay is just $13 more than the cost of an average broadband subscription in the land of the Fromage-Mangeurs. Perhaps it is a ploy by Neuf Cegetel to get more people online, as just 61 percent of French homes have computers, compared with the European average of 64 percent. But that's still way behind the 75 percent over here. Another pic and video after the jump.

easy_neuf
Uploaded by easyneuf

– Ad Dugdale

France caters to market for most simple of computers [International Herald Tribune]