Samsung unveiled the successor of their highly popular Hummingbird processor  Orion. The new platform is based on 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9 CPU, packs a vastly better GPU and allows 1080p video encoding/decoding. Plus there is support for up to three displays.

The mobile scene just got on the next evolutionary step. Samsung Orion is the powerful successor of the popular Hummingbird CPU. It packs a new 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9 architecture, a 5 times more powerful graphic accelerator and HDMI 1.3a interface supporting two on-device and one external displays).The new chip should allow way better gaming experience, 1080p video playing and recording at 30fps as well as, of course, the multiple display support.

Samsung Orion will become available to manufacturers partners in Q4 this year, while the mass-production cycle will start in the1H of 2011.

Official Press Release

Samsung Introduces High Performance, Low Power Dual CORTEXTM - A9 Application Processor for Mobile Devices

TAIPEI, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in advanced semiconductor solutions, today introduced its new 1GHz ARM® CORTEXTM A9-based dual-core application processor, codenamed Orion, for advanced mobile applications. Device OEM developers now have a powerful dual processor chip platform designed specifically to meet the needs of high-performance, low-power mobile applications including tablets, netbooks and smartphones. Samsung's new processor will be demonstrated at the seventh annual Samsung Mobile Solutions Forum held here in Taiwan at the Westin Taipei Hotel.

"Consumers are demanding the full web experience without compromise while on the go," said Dojun Rhee, vice president of Marketing, System LSI Division, Samsung Electronics. "Given this trend, mobile device designers need an application processor platform that delivers superb multimedia performance, fast CPU processing speed, and abundant memory bandwidth. Samsung's newest dual core application processor chip is designed specifically to fulfill such stringent performance requirements while maintaining long battery life."

Designed using Samsung's 45 nanometer low-power process technology, Orion features a pair of 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 cores, each comes with a 32KB data cache and a 32KB instruction cache. Samsung also included a 1MB L2 cache to optimize CPU processing performance and provide fast context switching in a multi-tasking environment. In addition, the memory interface and bus architecture of Orion supports data intensive multimedia applications including full HD video playback and high speed 3D action games.

Samsung's new application processor incorporates a rich portfolio of advanced multimedia features implemented by hardware accelerators, such as video encoder/decoder that supports 30fps video playback and recording at 1080P full HD resolution. Using an enhanced graphics processing unit (GPU), the new processors are capable of delivering 5 times the 3D graphics performance over the previous processor generation from Samsung.

For design flexibility and system BOM cost reduction, Orion integrates a set of interfaces commonly used in mobile devices to configure various peripheral functionalities. For example, with this processor, customers have the choice to use different types of storage including NAND flash, moviNANDTM, SSD or HDD providing both SATA, and eMMC interfaces. Customers can also choose their appropriate memory options including low power LPDDR2 or DDR3, which is commonly used for high performance. In addition, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver baseband processor is embedded in the processor to seamlessly support location based services (LBS), which is critical in many emerging mobile applications.

Orion features an onboard native triple display controller architecture that compliments multi-tasking operations in a multiple display environment. A mobile device using the Orion processor can simultaneously support two on-device display screens, while driving a third external display such as a TV or a monitor, via an on-chip HDMI 1.3a interface.

Orion is designed to support package-on-package (POP) with memory stacking to reduce the footprint. A derivative of Orion, which is housed in a standalone package with a 0.8mm ball pitch, is also available.

Samsung's new dual-core application processor, Orion, will be available to select customers in the fourth quarter of 2010 and is scheduled for mass production in the first half of 2011.

Nokia plans for its in-house Nokia World expo should include its first mainstream Eseries touchscreen phone, leaks revealed on Monday. The E7, a touchscreen QWERTY model, is said by Reuters to be at the September 14 show. The tips did not provide more details, but it may be a Symbian^3 slider somewhat reminiscent of the MeeGo-usingN9.

The London event should also be used to confirm that the N8 is finally shipping, seven months after it was first unveiled. Other new smartphones are expected to come along, although which ones weren't mentioned.

Much is riding on the successes of the E7 and N8, as Nokia is hoping to modernize its rapidly aging smartphone line. Its share is collapsing both in smartphones and the wider cellphone arena as Apple's iPhone and Google Android platform have been taking away customers. Even today, most Nokia smartphones do not use touch and are running a modified version of Symbian S60 only somewhat adjusted for finger input. The company has also had a history of being unable to ship phones near their unveiling dates and often delivers them half a year later, once their features have already been introduced by someone else.

MeeGo and Symbian^3 will give Nokia multi-touch more than three years after Apple first introduced it to a phone. Both should also provide much more recent web browser technology and will smooth out many of the overly complex interface elements that have held back S60.

[source:engadget]

GSMarena has made this Test and its result (Below) as to iPhone4 loudspeaker performance, there nothing new about  iPhone4, Still struggling to make the Below Average mark and that makes it the worst part of all iphones and they said "its the worst iPhones we have tested."

The other letdown concerning the iPhone 4 telephony is its proximity sensor. In theory this sensor should lock the display when you hold it next to your face during a call so you won't press any buttons with your cheek by accident.

Nokia is the world largest cell phone manufacturer, but when it comes to smartphones, it losing ground to iPhone and Android-based devices. Thus, the expectations for its next high-end, Symbian^3-based device, the Nokia N8, are through the roof.

Nokia N8 is coming soon  September 30th, if you trust Nokia’s Senior Comms Manager Tapani Kaskinen and one of its biggest claims to fame is a 12-megapixel camera capable of recording Full HD video.

The camera is a big selling point for the N8, and Nokia plans to draw attention to it in a big way: by hiring Pamela Anderson and Ed Westwick (of Gossip Girl fame) to star in a short movie shot entirely with the Nokia N8’s camera.

It gets better: two lucky fans will have a chance to play the main roles in the movie, dubbed The Commuter. Although the details about the script are scarce, one fan will partake in a bedroom scene with Pamela, while another will be in an elevator with Ed Westwick.

The short feature will be directed by the McHenry Brothers, who have just finished filming their first full-length animated movie, Jackboots on Whitehall, starring Ewan McGregor and Rosamund Pike.

[source: Mashable]

We would point out that this was a themed ad served up before the showing of Lawrence of Arabia at London Secret Cinema event. Microsoft UK Youtube channel shoed an Advertisement of the windows phone 7 says: "the Revolution is coming..." Watch Video Below!