Otaku Gadgets

Intel has been announcing new things all this week. They have been so very hyper (thanks to the Intel Developer Forum or IDF) that it looks like they might actually be threatened by ARM’s declaration to compete directly with Intel’s main market. With everyone looking to get a piece of the netbook pie and device manufacturers stepping up the pace, Intel seems to be speeding things up as well. Get to the other side for Intel’s new computer cable standard, new developer program, new processors, new OS (yes, event that) and new version of the Linux-based OS Moblin. Yes, Intel wants to be its own industry.

Connect Through Me Always

Intel, like us, hates seeing so many cables around. With so many different standards, connectors and cables around, it is always a positive jumble of cables wherever there is a computer. Intel is looking to change that by developing one standard cable that will be used for everything. Yes, a Lord Of The Rings reference is quite apt here but someone else has already used that.

This new cable is called Light Peak and Intel has demonstrated it at this year’s IDF, where curious developers and other industry players looked on as Dadi Perlmutter displayed the cable feeding a huge HD display and a superfast SSD at the same time. The thing to note here is that both require huge amounts of data to be fed and the SSD was actually being fed at full speed.

This is possible because it is an optical fiber cable and can transfer 10 gigabits both ways for up to 100 feet. Now that’s impressive. What’s more impressive is the fact that the demo computer, a huger custom rig, was actually running Apple’s OS X. You know what that means – it’s actually a hackintosh! Credit goes to Engadget for spotting the not.

Intel is trying to get companies to embrace this standard and hence replace standards like HDMI, DisplayPort, FireWire, USB, etc.

Make Atom The Center Of The Known Universe

Intel kicked off a developer program earlier this week called the Intel Atom Developer program. It is an effort to get developers and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to embrace the Atom netbooks and develop applications that are optimized to run on Atom powered devices. That means the applications should be able to run smoothly on limited resources and a small screen. Great.

The official statement was that netbooks are extremely popular devices but they have much more potential than is being used. So Intel would like to fuel the growth of applications that take advantage of the portability and the popularity of the devices by helping developers to make applications specifically for this set up.

The SDK (Software Development Kit) enables developers and ISVs to develop applications for multiple operating systems and also multiple run-time environments. Run-time environments like the Java Run-time Environment and Microsoft Silverlight are already in place to give developers the tools necessary for developing for multiple platforms. By providing uniformity across platforms, they take way the need for porting and changing the same application to suit different platforms.

The program will also enable developers to source developer tools and application modules from other developers in order to cut costs and reduce overheads. This is targeted at newer applicants to the program to help them get started faster.

Looks like Intel is hoping to ensure the sustainability its netbook market share by encouraging the growth of third-party applications that are tied to the Atom.

Portables Get Insane Amount of Power

Intel has finally released the mobile versions of its powerful Core i7 quad-core processors. Both Core i7 Extreme and Core i7 processors have been released in mobile versions.

Always ahead of the pack to adapt the fastest performance components available, Alienware (which also means Dell now) has already brought out the first laptop ever to have the Mobile Core i7 processors. The Alienware M15x is a speed beast that will eat any other gaming laptop for breakfast. As it stands now, this is probably the fastest mobile gaming rig in the market.

Atomic Power For Cable and Blu-Ray Boxes

Intel is not happy with having a dominant share in only the netbook market. No. They have gone ahead and released an Atom based media chip that will power things like cable boxes and Blu-Ray players. When I say power, I mean it will help these boxes overpower all other competing devices that do not have this chip.

This chip will enable these devices to simultaneously decode multiple 1080p streams, render 3D graphics and more. I bet you can’t wait to see your cable box suddenly sporting amazing 3D GUI and your Blu-Ray device handling two movies at once.

The media chip is called the Atom CE4100 and it is replacing the CE3100, which carried a Pentium M core at heart. The new chip replaces the core with an Atom core and hence the additional Atom branding.

Moblin Headed For Mobile Phones (Finally)?

Asus Eee Keyboard will run a version of Moblin

Moblin (Mobile Linux) is a Linux-core OS that was started by Intel in order to make a smoother experience possible on netbooks. At this year’s IDF, they have been showing off a speedy new version of Moblin. This is the first time Intel has shown how the OS actually looks. According to Intel, it will be ready by the time Moorestone (the platform that will succeed Atom) ships next year. It seems like that will be just in time for Moblin to compete with Google’s Chrome OS. Somehow I feel Chrome might win out with its simplicity.

Intel has also hinted at the possibility that Moblin will be used on a smartphone device that the company is trying to develop at the moment. They showed off an implementation of the OS that would work great with touchscreens. Even though Intel is yet to make a smartphone chip, they have expressed their desire to get into the market (and take on ARM on their own turf). They are apparently working with LG to build a smartphone like Internet enabled device.

Moblin will have social network integration and might rival Android. Or is it too late to play catch up? 2010 will tell.