Orange San Diego review

Best In Class award

The Orange San Diego marks a significant milestone in the mobile industry. It's not the biggest, fastest, smallest, slimmest or cheapest phone, but Intel is inside.

It's not even the first handset to sport an Intel chip, that accolade goes to the Lenovo K800, but the San Diego is the first Intel phone to land in Europe.

It's now available for £169.99 on PAYG and for free on some pretty low 24 month contracts , which puts the San Diego below the likes of the Nokia Lumia 710. However, in terms of specs it challenges the more pricey Sony Xperia P and Nokia Lumia 800.

Intel is responsible for manufacturing the San Diego (through the little-known firm ODM Gigabyte), as Orange doesn't have the capabilities of producing its own handsets, although this isn't the first time the network has slapped its name on a phone.

The San Diego looks to be the replacement for the Orange San Francisco 2, which in turn replaced the excellent San Francisco.

There's no fancy dual- or quad-core action here though, since Intel has stuck its single-core 1.6GHz Atom Z2460 Medfield processor inside the San Diego, along with a 4.03-inch (600 x 1024) display and 16GB of internal memory.

Pop the San Diego out of its box and you'll get a bit of déjà vu, with the handset sporting a resemblance to the Samsung Galaxy S2, and the plastic, metallic coloured strip running around the edge conjuring up memories of the iPhone 4S.

Although not an original design, the San Diego is a decent looking handset, and the rubberised back provides a secure grip in the hand.

The San Diego is a slender device, at 9.99mm in depth, and sits comfortably in the palm. Evenly weighted, without being heavy, it tops the scales at a respectable 117g.

Even though the case is plastic, the San Diego feels sturdy and well built, although we could prise the plastic trim away from the edge of the screen with a fingernail, which may see a build up of dust and dirt over time.

Three physical buttons adorn the Orange San Diego, with a power/lock key located at the top of the handset, next to a 3.5mm headphone jack and volume rocker and dedicated camera shutter buttons on the right-hand side.

The volume rocker is easy to hit, but we found the lock key on top harder to navigate, especially when held in our left hand.

There's a micro HDMI port on the left-hand side and a micro USB port flanked by speakers on the base.

Orange and Intel have gone down the micro SIM route with the San Diego, with a pop-out tray for the chip located just above the shutter button – you even get a fancy iPhone-esque tool for opening the tray. Yippee.

Battery aficionados will be disappointed to learn that the back cover cannot be taken off the San Diego and thus the battery is locked away, however Intel claims battery life has been improved thanks to its new processor and integration methods. More on that later.

The San Diego also fails to offer expandable storage, meaning you're stuck with the 16GB of internal, which will be plenty for most, but frustrating for those who need more or like to pop in a memory card full of content to consume immediately.

However, this is far more generous than the storage in the One V and Lumia 710, which offer 4GB and 8GB respectively.

Other goodies squeezed in to the Orange San Diego include an 8MP rear facing camera with single LED flash and 1080p video recording, front-facing 1.3MP snapper, NFC technology and HD voice, which enhances voices calls, making them clearer.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/orange-san-diego-1082925/review

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Acer considering Intel-powered smartphone

Intel looking to get inside more phones

Acer may be planning an Intel-powered smartphone as it aims to join the growing number of other manufacturers that have already dabbled with firm.

The Taipei Times and China Post quoted Acer's vice president Peter Shieh saying the company was planning on producing a smartphone with Intel inside before the end of the year.

Shieh did not provide any further details on Acer's plan with Intel, but a company official told the China Post: "Intel is a more familiar partner to us because we have been working together in the PC sector for a long time."

Growing

It's no great surprise that a firm with its roots in computing would talk to one of its key suppliers about potentially using its technology in other devices, so even if an Acer-Intel phone doesn't appear this year, the chance of one arriving in 2013 is pretty high.

Acer would be the sixth manufacturer to stick one of Intel's Atom processors inside a smartphone, with the likes of the Orange San Diego, Motorola Razr i and Lenovo K800 already leading the way.

We've contacted Acer in a bid to find out more information and we'll update this article once we hear back.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/acer-considering-intel-powered-smartphone-1105295

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A BlackBerry partnership could help Intel battle ARM

Motorola's Razr i is a good start for Intel's attack on the mobile chip market, but it'll need a few more big-name partners if it wants to succeed.

Recently, Motorola announced its first smartphone powered by Intel’s Medfield processor, the Razr i, and it’s an important device for both companies. For Intel, it represents the very first Atom-powered phone to come from a “big-name” manufacturer, and for Motorola it marks a return to Europe, a market it has neglected in recent years. Motorola signed a “multi-year, multi-device” partnership with Intel in early January and so far it has the best end of the deal, as the Razr i is not only good-looking, but it’s capable too.

Intel however, doesn’t seem to be making in-roads into the ARM-controlled mobile chipset market, and thanks to the Razr i’s limited initial release — it’s out in the UK, Germany, France, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico next month — the only Intel phone that people might actually want to buy may not be available where they live.

What Intel needs is a new best friend — someone who is also trying to break into a market with which it has lost touch. Right now, that company is Research in Motion, which is doing a decent job of talking up BlackBerry 10, but neatly avoiding the subject of the accompanying hardware. Both it and Intel have challenging times ahead and a partnership could be mutually beneficial.

A huge mountain to climb

One could argue that it’s still early days for Intel, but is it? Intel shouldn’t have missed the smartphone boat. We’re talking about the best known PC chip manufacturer on the planet, with decades of experience here. Medfield wasn’t announced yesterday either. Intel has been chatting about its Lenovo and Motorola partnership as far back as CES in January and MWC in February.

If Intel wants its processors to challenge the dominant ARM mobile chips, then it needs to get its act together, because the mountain it needs to climb is huge. ARM controls 95-percent of the mobile market and more than 270 companies are licensed to use its architecture. Its performance reflects this, and its 2011 revenue climbed 24-percent over 2010 to $785 million, exceeding expectations.

To make matters worse for Intel, ARM is slowly but surely pushing its way into the PC market too, thanks in no small part to Microsoft’s decision to support ARM architecture with Windows 8 RT. ARM’s CEO has stated he wants to own between 10 and 20-percent of the notebook market by 2015.

Unsurprisingly, ARM has played down Intel’s move into its primary business, saying it expects the company to take only about 5 to 10-percent of the smartphone market share “within a few years.” Intel has remained tight-lipped concerning its own expectations, but as forecasters are predicting a downturn in its PC business over the coming years, mobile is only going to become more important.

Intel dominates the PC processor market in the same way ARM does with mobile, with estimates putting Intel’s share at around 80 percent; however, analysts are predicting tough times ahead, with an Endpoint Technologies researcher quoted as saying “the outlook looks grim right now through the new year.” Smartphone and tablets though, are experiencing considerable growth.

So, it’s clear that one device from one manufacturer, plus a few others scattered around the globe, probably won’t bring the success Intel desires. Motorola is a great partner to have, especially because of its new owner, but Intel needs to split the Atom between a few other big companies too.

Samsung and LG were linked with Intel last year, but nothing has come of it, and HTC has remained quiet as well. Research in Motion has always used a variety of processor manufacturers, so why not Intel? After all, it needs all the help it can get right now.

Could Intel save RIM, and vice versa?

Research in Motion is nervously treading water ahead of BlackBerry 10’s eventual release. If it’s not in talks with Intel, or at the very least considering a switch, then it should be.

A long time ago, RIM used Intel 386 chips in its early BlackBerry 950 and 957 handsets, then in 2005 trumpeted another deal with Intel, where it would use its XScale architecture (which is ARM-based anyway) and “Herman” chips in future BlackBerry devices. BlackBerry 10 phones are expected to use ARM architecture and chips from Texas Instruments or Qualcomm, but imagine for a moment the impact of the news that RIM had switched to Intel.

The relationship is there, it just needs to be reinvigorated. The mobile industry thrives on partnerships, from Sony and Ericsson to Microsoft and Nokia. Right now, a new friend would go a long way to helping Research in Motion overcome public perception, and Intel to add another big name to its list.

It makes good sense for Intel too, as RIM is placed third — and rising — in terms of market share in India — an important emerging market — behind Nokia and Samsung. It also made it very clear during BlackBerry 10 Jam that emerging markets were high on its list of priorities, and as Intel has already partnered with Lava to produce the Xolo Android phone in India, we’re assuming it is for Intel too. The combination of both Atom-powered BlackBerrys and Android phones could see them on their way to a significant slice of the market.

RIM on the other hand, needs a differentiator, something to make its BlackBerry 10 phones standout in amongst iPhone 5s, Jelly Beans and Windows Phone 8. Packing in a 2GHz Atom chip could do exactly that. Plus, with Texas Instruments taking a step back from the mobile market, a gap has opened up at RIM into which Intel could neatly slip.

Yes it would be a risk for both parties, and would require plenty of adjustment on RIM’s side, but that could be exactly what’s needed to push forward in today’s fiercely competitive mobile market.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/blackberry-could-help-intel-fight-arm/

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Google brings Chrome browser to Intel smartphones

Chrome has made friends with Intel

You can now enjoy Chrome for Android on your Intel-powered smartphone, as the browser now supports x86 devices.

In the UK, the Motorola Razr i will be the first phone to take advantage of the new app, as its Ice Cream Sandwich software is compatible with Google's own-brand browser.

However anyone with an Orange San Diego won't be able to reap the rewards of the updated browser, as it only runs Android Gingerbread, and the Chrome app demands ICS or higher.

Limited appeal

Although this is a positive step forward from Google, the reality is that there are just a handful of smartphones with Intel inside in the world, but we expect more handsets to arrive next year.

Intel phones still suffer from app compatibility issues, as a number of applications in Google Play have been specifically coded to run on handsets with ARM chips.

This means only about 70 percent of apps in Google Play work with Intel phones, however we're told Intel is working closing with developers on porting over the remaining 30 percent.

The Intel-compatible version of Chrome is now available to download in the Play store for free.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/google-brings-chrome-browser-to-intel-smartphones-1100124

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Intel smartphone processors currently don't support 4G

Intel is working hard to keep up

Intel has confirmed that its current Medfield processor found in the likes of the Orange San Diego and Motorola Razr i (Droid Razr M in the US) does not offer support for LTE.

However Intel is working on a solution, and Sumeet Syal, Intel's director of product marketing told Tech Crunch that it was planning on "shipping some LTE products later this year and ramping into 2013".

As 4G becomes more and more popular around the world, Intel needs to get a move on with its LTE-enabled handsets, otherwise it risks being left behind by the already well-established Nvidia, ARM and Texas Instruments.

Dual-core to rival quad-core

Alongside 4G-enabled processors, Intel is also reportedly working on a dual-core version of the Medfield chip – which could rival the quad-core chips found in the likes of the international versions of the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S3.

Syal said: "Our next gen product will be a dual-core but again that product will also have hyper threading so essentially… you will also have dual-core with four threads.

"So again just like we demoed that a single core hyper-threaded can outperform dual-core/quad-core I think we'll do it again when we introduce the dual-core product with four threads."

Currently there's no information regarding the 4G or dual-core handsets Intel has up its sleeve, but we'll keep our eyes and ears open for any more information.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/intel-smartphone-processors-currently-dont-support-4g-1099255

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Intel confirms leaked details on ultra low-watt Haswell chips

Intel could have its sights set on the mobile/tablet marketplace

Sources are reporting that information about Intel's upcoming Ivy Bridge successor, the energy-efficient (codename) Haswell microarchitecture, has leaked ahead of Tuesday's Intel Developer's Forum (IDF).

Haswell chips will reportedly clock in at only 10 watts, cutting the power usage of the most efficient Ivy Bridge processors nearly in half.

TechRadar reached out to Intel for more information, and a representative from the Santa Clara, Calif. company confirmed that "the new line will be about 10 watts."

Intel sets the record straight

Intel has promised more information on the Haswell chips at this week's IDF conference.

"Last year when we set out to reinvigorate the industry around Ultrabooks, we said we'd cut the mainstream mobile processor design power in half to enable this new category of laptops," Intel's rep told TechRadar.

"We've been really pleased with these initial systems, which are getting great reviews."

But Haswell will be the first chip "built from the ground up with the Ultrabook in mind," Intel said, "and tomorrow, we're saying that it's going better than expected."

The Intel spokesperson said the new chips will be "targeted to operate at about 10 watts initially, while continuing to preserve many of the other benefits of Intel Core processor including leading performance, low idle power, single-chip packaging, and new graphics & security capabilities."

Haswell's energy-efficient, but Intel's power-hungry

It's long been reported that Intel's Haswell architecture will focus on cutting power usage.

In August 2011, TechRadar reported that Intel would be investing heavily in Ultrabooks, saying that the eventual Haswell processor could consume half the power of current chips.

Now sources are speculating that the energy-efficient Haswell processors, made all the more impressive by integrated GPUs that could put many discrete graphics processors to shame, could indicate Intel's growing desire to enter the mobile and tablet arenas.

New markets in which to compete could prove a major boon for Intel, whose lowered Q3 2012 estimates and gradually falling stocks have recently had analysts worried.

Now all eyes and ears turn to IDF on Tuesday to learn what Intel's going to be up to for the next few years.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/computing-components/processors/intel-confirms-leaked-details-on-ultra-low-watt-haswell-chips-1096093

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New Intel chips coming as sales outlook takes a hit

Can the chipmaker turn things around with new processors?

Intel is one of the top chipmakers in the world, but according to analysts' predictions and the Santa Clara, Calif. company's own financial outlook, things are not looking up in the PC business.

Reuters reports that at least eight analysts have shared bad tidings for Intel, with poor economies in major markets (Europe, the US and China) and increasing demand for mobile devices (versus desktops/laptops) to blame.

A report from Gartner in July claimed that PC sales had fallen flat for the seventh quarter in a row during the second half of 2012.

And another analyst, Citigroup's Glen Yeung, told CNBC on Friday that "the worst third quarter in the history of PCs" is right around the corner.

"I would point out that this is the first time ever that Microsoft has changed operating systems, and it's not just PCs," Yeung said. "This time, there's a tablet involved, there's a smartphone involved."

Intel's negative outlook

Intel's lowered its own third-quarter revenue estimate, citing "weaker than expected demand in a challenging macroeconomic environment."

Intel rolled back its estimates by a full eight percent, a figure Reuters claims is "much more severe than expected."

And Intel's shares have fallen 11 percent since the end of April.

Blame poor economies all you want, but the fact is that Intel has fallen behind in the processor arms race, losing ground to chipmakers like Qualcomm in the mobile arena.

With forecasts so low, what can Intel do to bolster its fortunes?

Lean on Microsoft

Intel is looking forward to Microsoft's impending Windows 8 launch with hope in its heart and dollar signs where its eyes should be.

Intel's Ivy Bridge chip successor "Haswell" is expected to be introduced for the 2013 holiday season, and as TechRadar has pointed out in the past, Haswell chips are estimated to consume half the power of current processors.

That makes them a huge draw for energy-conscious customers and those craving better battery life.

Meanwhile, Intel's current Ivy Bridge architecture will power Windows 8 PCs in the fall.

Any number of those factors could combine to sell some PCs in the next year or so. In fact, Intel's counting on it.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/computing-components/processors/new-intel-chips-coming-as-sales-outlook-takes-a-hit-1095633

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