Dual-core Smartphone Runs Android and Ubuntu 148
nk497 writes "ARM is showing off a test handset at Mobile World Congress, which runs Android 2.3 and Ubuntu 10.04 at the same time on a Texas Instruments OMAP 4 chip. ARM envisages a time when the only computer you'll ever need is your smartphone and with Nvidia announcing it will be putting quad-core mobile processors into tablets by autumn and smartphones by Christmas, that prospect looks to be approaching faster than anyone expected." Video is attached if you're curious.
Re:Battery life must be bad (Score:5, Insightful)
Most of the Dual cores draw less power than the single cores at idle, which is where your phone's CPU spends most of it's time. There are only a very few applications that seem to peg even my 1.5 year old Motorola Droid, mostly games and whatnot. I would expect the average battery life to improve when moving to a new dual core compared to a single core simply because they can slow the clockrate and disable unused parts of the die. Of course, maybe the new single cores will perform even better battery life wise, I'm just saying compared to what is common now.
If I'm not playing games the display is typically the number one power user at something around 35%. Next is cell standbyat 18%. Only after that is OS related things which all added up together come to about 17%. CPU just isn't the biggest power draw on most smartphones, unless you're playing graphics intensive games. If you're doing something like browsing the web you'll see the transceiver and display numbers jump up faster than the browser's because there really isn't that much to think about when it comes to displaying a page.
ARM needs to get real (Score:2, Insightful)
This "Your phone will be everything!" idea that some people tout is just stupid. No, no it won't. Even presuming we arrive at a day where battery life is no longer a problem and you can have more CPU power than you need in a phone, it still won't be your only device. Why? Because phones are designed to be mobile, that is their primary requirement. They need to be small and light so they can travel with you. That is wonderful, but that isn't what you always want.
A good example would be a TV and watching media. Could I watch movies on my phone? Sure, it can play them and I can even get Netflix on it. Yet I have a big HDTV sitting in my living room. The reason, of course, is I don't want to hold a tiny device in front of my face to watch movies (never mind killing the battery) I'd rather lay on the couch and watch movies on a large screen. I don't have to choose bit TV or small phone, I get to have both.
Same deal with a computer. You aren't going to want to do all your web browsing, all your work, etc on a tiny phone screen. Much nicer to have a larger screen, a full size physical keyboard, a mouse. Again it isn't a choice you have to make. You don't have to choose phone or computer you can have both.
Now I realize that with advances a phone could potentially integrate with other devices. Add an HDMI port and it could output to my TV, or monitor. Still I can't see the appeal. Why would I want to have to fetch my phone and hook it to my TV, meaning I can't easily use it as a phone if needed, when instead I can just have a little Blu-ray/network media box hooked to it so I can play media when I want? Heck it even means that others can use it and not need my phone.
Same deal with a computer. Even if you get to the point where your phone is powerful enough, why wouldn't you have a desktop and/or laptop as well? Easier to just have all your data stored on an accessible network location rather than having to take your phone out and hook it up as a computer when you want to use it as such.
Also I think all this ignores the very real problem of battery and processing power. While it is easy to say "Oh things are more than powerful enough as it is," that is just lacking foresight. Yes, even fairly low end processors can handle the basics of current computing. However maybe we'd like something better. How about a computer that can understand your speech or writing? Where you can talk to it, in normal, natural, conversation and it can give you what you want? That would be a major improvement in user interface.
However such a thing will not come cheap processing wise. You can see the first glimpses of it with Watson, IBM's Jeopardy playing computer. It takes some massive strides towards dealing with natural language, but is still very limited and has problems. To accomplish that feat requires a whole room of Power7 servers. Not going to be fitting that kind of power in a phone any time soon.
There is a real over obsession with the whole smartphone thing from some people. They are cool, and they are certainly on track to become a part of everyone's computing experience. I think the day is not far away when most people will be able to quickly get information on their phones as needed. However that is real different from wanting to use the phone and nothing but the phone. There's a lot to be said for a desktop, a TV, and so on.
Re:What's interesting? My phone runs Debian alread (Score:2, Insightful)
Phone "external monitor and input" standard (Score:5, Insightful)
I really wish they would come up with a standard for external displays and input for mobile phones.
A standard would allow things like a phone slot in your car that would enable your phone's full UI to appear on your car's larger touch display, enabling music/phone/apps in the car in a way that exceeds "ipod integration" and the lame, out of date software experience most cars provide on in-dash electronics, as well as providing an ergonomic experience (steering-wheel mounted controls for music, volume, phone) more appropriate for behind the wheel.
I'm semi-surprised Apple hasn't already gone there, given the number of carmakers that provide interfaces compatible with Apple's iPod. Are there technical limitations that would preclude this for the iPhone? Even if it "only" included the standard display 2x zoomed (ala the iPad's execution of iPhone apps), it would be a lot nicer than even a phone on a Pro-clip type mount.
And this is just cars -- I can imagine TVs with these slots and "remote controls" that provide touch interfaces, etc.
Re:ARM needs to get real (Score:4, Insightful)
What is this silly "phone" thing you speak of? I just want a universal computing device that fits in my pocket and has an always-on Internet connection! Yes, I would be running a VoIP application on it amongst hundreds of other applications. But anything that is phone-centric? No interest in that at all! Finally I would like to be able to wirelessly have this device talk to my 46" screen, keyboards, mice etc. And yes, it must run a form of UNIX and I do want command-line access, too!