Intel's PDAs: Nice new processors, but where's the software?
Source: Silicon.com
Anyone hoping to buy PDAs with the new generation of Intel processors is likely to be disappointed as there's no software out there capable of using their whizzy new features.Intel announced the first of its new line of processors for handheld computers in February. Based on Xscale, Intel's ARM-based architecture, the PXA250 promised both higher speeds and greater power than the current generation of StrongARM-based processors.
Fujitsu-Siemens was due to ship what would have been the first Xscale-based PDA, the Pocket Loox, in May, but the launch has been put back to June or July, fuelling speculation that technical problems with the new processors were to blame.
The problem may in fact be more to do with the software. The specifications for the PXA250 certainly look tempting. A PXA250 running at 200MHz requires around half the power of the current top chip, the SA1110, running at 206MHz.
The PXA250 can be cranked up to 400MHz, where it consumes the same amount of power as the SA1110 but delivering twice the speed, according to Intel's own benchmarks.
