Intel Launches Moorestown, Supports Android

Intel plans to change the face smartphone and tablet computing.

Intel announced on Wednesday that its new Moorestown platform is now available, consisting of the 45nm "Lincroft" system-on-a-chip Intel Atom Processor Z6xx Series Family, the Intel Platform Controller Hub MP20 ("Langwell"), and the dedicated Mixed Signal IC (MSIC) codenamed "Briertown." Focused on the mobile sector, the new platform promises "PC-like" features for smartphones and tablets including true 3D graphics, 1080p video, multitasking, and more.

But while the platform focuses on high performance for portable devices, it also aims to keep the power consumption relatively low. "Collectively these new chips deliver significantly lower power including >50x reduction in idle power, >20x reduction in audio power, and 2-3x reductions across browsing and video scenarios," the company said. "These power savings translate into >10 days of standby, up to 2 days of audio playback and 4-5 hours of browsing and video battery life."

Intel said that Moorestown supports up to 1.5 GHz for high-end smartphones, and up to 1.9 GHz for tablets and other handheld devices. In addition to offering support for WiMAX, 3G/HSPA and Wi-Fi, the new platform is also compatible with Google's Android OS, Meego, and Moblin. "Intel is bringing together a breadth of applications and ecosystem support across these platforms to enable a software- and Internet-compatible user experience for developers and consumers," added Anand Chandrasekher, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the Ultra Mobility Group.

Intel's new Moorestown platform is available today, however devices based on the technology probably won't hit the market until Q3 or Q4. Then again, device manufacturers may have been waiting on Intel to make its Moorestown appearance before revealing their own Moorestown devices. If that's the case, keep an eye peeled over the next few days for various announcements.

Seagate Launches ''Universal'' External HDD Line

Three new external drives will offer a "universal" connection covering eSATA, USB 3.0 and more.

Wednesday Seagate said that it added a new line of external drives to its FreeAgent series. Called GoFlex, these new HDDs are "universal" in that they offer more than one connection option, providing consumers more choices when looking for a new external drive. This will also ultimately mean that Seagate will cash in with the numerous optional interface cables and adapters that will be sold along with the drives.

Seagate said that it will offer three GoFlex variations: two Ultra-portable Drives (Basic, Pro) and the Desk External Drive. All three drives come packed with USB 2.0 plug-and-play connectivity out of the box, however consumers can "upgrade" the connection by purchasing cables and adapters for USB 3.0, FireWire 800, and eSATA.

According to Seagate, the cheaper (vanilla) GoFlex Ultra-portable drive will come in four capacities: 320GB, 500GB, 750GB, and 1TB. The 7200 RPM Pro Ultra-portable drive however only comes in 500GB, and sports a cool "intelligent" dock and premium backup software. The drive arrives in both 1TB and 2TB flavors, and also comes pre-installed with backup software.

As for the special cables, they're not cheap. The FireWire 800 cable costs $39.99, whereas the USB 3.0 cable costs a lesser $29.99. Want to connect via eSATA? That will cost $19.99 as will the replacement USB 2.0 cable. Seagate also offers adapters and kits for the PC side to help enhance those transfer speeds as well.

Prices for the GoFlex HDDs range from $99.99 to $199.99, depending on the model and storage capacity. The company also announced two companion devices to the new external drives, the GoFlex TV HD media player for viewing stored multimedia on a TV, and the GoFlex Net device that adds media sharing to the TV HD media player, all of which should now be available for purchase.

Apple Could Face Antitrust Probe from DOJ, FTC

Apple may face an antitrust probe because of changes to its iPhone SDK policy, which now stipulates that developers cannot use outside software to develop iPhone or iPad applications and. As a result, devs can't develop apps that run on multiple platforms

The New York Post cites a person familiar with the matter who says the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission are locked in negotiations over who will launch an antitrust inquiry into Apple's new policy. The two regulatory bodies are said to be days away from making a decision.
Bloomberg reports that the discussions were prompted by a complaint from Adobe, a company that is affected by the new policy and one that has been caught up in a bitter war of words with Apple of the last few weeks.

When contacted for comment by Bloomberg and the NYP, Apple, the Justice Department, and the FTC declined to comment.

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External HDD Combines Storage, Speaker, USB

Designer Andrew Seunghyun Kim has created a unique HDD/Key/Mouse bundle for LaCie.

Yanko Design features an interesting creation--built for gadget manufacturer LaCie--by Andrew Seunghyen Kim called Monami (a play on the French words meaning "My Friend"). This special set consists of a LaCie external hard drive, a unique mouse, and a USB stick crammed into one package. If that's not enough, it also sports 4 USB ports (one of which is mounted on the top), and a 3-inch wide-range speaker to "enhance a laptop's audio."

Monami's HDD offers a storage capacity of 2TB. There's a strange, circular leather patch mounted just above the drive's white outer hull, and will stretch upwards into a wave-like form "representing the ideas held inside the HDD." The leather wave mound is also magnetic, allowing users to ugly-up the device by pouring on paper clips.

As for the additional 16GB USB memory stick, it offers a little more storage, and is mainly designed to be parked in the hub located on the top (next to the weird leather patch). Mounted underneath the HDD users will find the 3-inch speaker parked on the Monami's black base.

The LaCie mouse is just as unusual as the HDD itself, sporting a UFO-like appearance with its saucer shape and glass-like surface. Without obvious buttons, users can navigate/click, swipe, scroll, and pinch. Flip the device on its side and you have a remote control capable of managing volume and video clips (forward and backward) on a connected PC or laptop.

Currently there's no indication of when the LaCie Monami will be available for public consumption.