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Qualcomm Announces 64-Bit Snapdragon 810 and 808 SoCs

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Do you think that Snapdragon 801-based flagship device you’re eying is high-end? Well, what Qualcomm has in store for early 2015 may make you want to wait for the next generation of mobile chipsets. Today, Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 810 and 808 processors. So what do these high-end, 64-bit SoCs bring to the table? Let’s take a look.


You may recall that late last year, Qualcomm announced the 64-bit Snapdragon 410. This quad-core chip, which is set to appear in low-end to mid-range devices sometime this year, features four 64-bit ARM Cortex A53 cores mated to an Adreno 306 GPU. Then two months ago, Qualcomm announced the higher-end Snapdragon 4-core 610 and 8-core 615 SoCs, which mate the Cortex A53 to the Adreno 405 GPU. Now, Qualcomm rounded out its first generation of 64-bit SoCs by announcing the high-end Snapdragon 810 and 808 SoCs.


CPU


Both the Snapdragon 810 and 808 run the 32/64-bit ARMv8A instruction set—just like what we saw previously on the Snapdragon 410, 610, and 615. The Snapdragon 810 features four ARM Cortex A57 CPU cores, along with four lower power A53 cores. The 808, on the other hand, features two high power A57 cores, along with four lower power A53 cores.


Both devices are built using a 20 nm die process (compared to 28nm for the 410, 610, and 615), and they are configured using ARM’s big.LITTLE architecture. Interestingly, the Snapdragon 810 and 808 mark the first time when ARM is using a reference ARM CPU design, rather than its own, proprietary microarchitecture, such as the Krait 400 in the Snapdragon 800.


GPU


On the GPU side, the Snapdragon 810 is set to use the Adreno 430, which promises to be 30% faster for games than the Adreno 420 that will be seen in flagship devices running the Snapdragon 805 later this year. It will also be more versatile, as it doubles the 420′s GPGPU compute performance. Furthermore, this increase in performance is accomplished while decreasing power cunsomption by 20%. The Snapdragon 808 features the Adreno 418, which is 20% faster than the current generation Adreno 330 that is seen in today’s Snapdragon 800 and 801 SoCs.


Memory Interface


The Snapdragon 810 will be the first Qualcomm device to feature an LPDDR4 memory interface. The 808, on the other hand, will feature an LPDDR3 memory interface just like the rest of Qualcomm’s first generation 64-bit lineup. Because of the different memory architecture, it’s highly likely that the two chips won’t be pin-compatible. Thus, it’s also reasonable to assume that the 810 isn’t simply a higher binned 808 with all four A57 cores enabled.


Modem and Image Processing


Regarding connectivity, both devices will support Category 6 LTE Advanced with 3×20 MHz carrier aggregation, enabling speeds of up to 300 Mbps. And in terms of image processing, the 810 will feature dual 14-bit ISPs (image signal processors) that enable support for up to 55MP image sensors. The 808 will feature dual 12-bit ISPs, though no information is given on maximum supported camera capabilities.


Summary


While it’s no secret that this year’s Snapdragon 801 doesn’t bring much to the table in comparison to last year’s Snapdragon 800, the Snapdragon 810 and 808 are legitimately interesting chips. They also serve as the company’s first high-end 64-bit parts. It’ll also be interesting to see if later generations go back to a proprietary microarchitecture, or if they stay on ARM reference designs.


What are your thoughts on the Snapdragon 810 and 808? Are you going to wait so to be able to get one of these chips in your next smartphone or tablet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.


[Source: Qualcomm Press Release]


Oh Hey, Android TV Was All Over CES Three Months Ago


Google TV has been dead in the water for a while now, but rumor has it that a flashy new successor, Android TV, is on the way. There are rumors, and also it was hiding in plain sight at CES three months ago .


Read more...
















OPPO Find 7a now up for pre-order with freebies in tow

OPPO has started opening the floodgates and is accepting preorders of its Find 7a smartphone. Now interested buyers can pick their desired model and color and get the freebies that OPPO has promoised during this period.



Late last month, OPPO announced that it would be starting pre-orders on April 7th and, given timezone conversions, that has happened today. The company has also been teasing free accessories that will be available with the pre-orders, and now we're getting the full picture. OPPO is generously throwing in an Easy-Cover, a cover case similar to LG's Quick Window and Samsung's S-View, though it seems that only a Navy Blue color is being offered. There is also an extra 2,800 mAh battery to complement the Find 7a's own 2,800 mAh. Now the mystery gift has also been revealed to be a 32 GB microSD card. Definitely not a bad deal, especially considering what you're getting in the device itself.


The OPPO Find 7a runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, though at a lower 2.3 GHz frequency. It has 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage, expandable to up to 128 GB. The screen is a large 5.5-inch LTPS display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. Like the higher end OPOO Find 7, this model features the Fast Charge technology that should make short work of charging times.


Two color options are currently available, white and midnight, and two versions, an international one and a US version. The two differ in the the LTE technology and bands used. The US version only has FDD-LTE on bands 1, 4, and 17, while the international version uses FDD-LTE on bands 1, 3, 7, and 20 and has support for TD-LTE on band 40. Both versions are being offered for $499, which is not exactly expensive for a smartphone with these specs as well as the free gifts that will come with it.


SOURCE: OPPO


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PhotoSync transfers pictures and videos over WiFi

Backup tools, even those limited to photos and videos, abound in Android, and each have their own unique features and selling points. One such app is PhotoSync which not only does away with the need for cables but even skips rather roundabout cloud-based techniques.



Transferring files via cables is almost always the fastest route, but it's also the most cumbersome. With the prevalence of cloud storage, many have turned to the cloud to provide wireless convenience for storing and backing up their media, at the expense of losing a bit of control and security. PhotoSync tries to combine both worlds by providing wireless transfer but retains security by keeping everything within your own local network.


PhotoSync can transfer photos and videos not only between a mobile device and PC or Mac but even between other mobile devices. Files are transferred in their full sizes with their metadata intact. Users can opt to simply backup their files or actually move them from one device to another. The app is also smart in keeping track of which files have already been transferred before so you are able to optimize time and bandwidth for new photos. And all of this happens over WiFi, whether using a local network or via an ad-hoc mobile hotspot. This ensures that your files do not leak out over the Internet, keeping them safe and secure.


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The PhotoSync app is available for free on Android for devices running Android 4.0.3 or higher as well as on other supported platforms. For communicating with computers, users also need the Windows app for PCs running at least Windows XP SP 2 or the Mac app for OS X 10.5 and later.


Download: PhotoSync (Google Play Store), (PC/Mac)


Stay Up to Date with the News Using Fast News

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With good reason, our current era is called the age of information. We have various different types of media at our disposal, all informing us of some groundbreaking events. And then the popularity of smartphones makes accessing this information even easier than ever. What could ever better than a small device connected to the Web that can be pulled out of our pockets in a few seconds and show us any piece of information we would ever want to see?


One of the most convenient methods of accessing news over the Internet is still RSS. Combined with a mobile device, RSS is still quite powerful. And since mobile technology isn’t our only interest, many of us also enjoy reading from sites like BBC and CNN to get apprised on the goings on in the world. XDA Senior Member Theworld2020 created an application to gather the news from more than 60 different news sites, all from various different categories. With this app, finding a weather forecast or the latest football scores are easy as pie. It’s a great way to stay up-to-date with all recent information from around the world.


You can grab the latest version by visiting the application thread.


Floodgates Open for Development on the Nokia X with Unofficial TWRP and CWM Ports

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It seems many folks simply do not know what to do with the Nokia X. Although it’s unbelievably inexpensive, one may find it hard to rationalize choosing this highly modified device over the also wallet-friendly and highly regarded Moto G, particularly for aftermarket development. This however, doesn’t change the fact that the Nokia X has already been rooted and loaded with Google Apps, testament to the determination of XDA members.


With this said, the Nokia X has recently received unofficial ports of TeamWin’s TWRP and Koush’s CWM courtesy of XDA Senior Member dhacker29. The TWRP recovery is the latest version, and is fully operational with no bugs except for a graphical glitch when you first enter the recovery. The CWM recovery, however, is still in its beta phase. It has various bugs yet to be ironed out, such as a minute-long loop that sometimes occurs upon boot. Both ports of TWRP and CWM are built from CyanogenMod 10 and Nokia X kernel sources, and their sources can be found at dhacker29’s github if you’re interested in tinkering with them.


With both TWRP and CWM recoveries running on the Nokia X, we hope to see more development for the device in future. Dhacker29 certainly has an idea already, stating that once CWM is fully working on the Nokia X, he may start working on getting CyanogenMod working on the device.


If you would like to find out more, visit the original thread for TWRP here, or CWM here.


Retrieve Your Lost or Stolen Device’s IMEI

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Having your phone stolen or lost is never a happy event. But if and when something like this does occur, it helps to have your IMEI handy so that you can help your local law enforcement in their retrieval process. However, your IMEI may not always be readily available, as you may need to locate some device documentation that’s difficult to access while on the go or if you’re away from home. Luckily, there’s a way to retrieve the IMEI code from your lost or stolen device with a simple SMS message.


This is where an application by XDA Senior Member hsay comes into play. This simple application can send your IMEI number via SMS when a specified code reaches the lost or stolen device. You can easily set a backup number and a code that will trigger the IMEI to be sent to your spare phone or friends/family. Then with the IMEI known, you will be better prepared to retrieve your device. The application should work on every phone running Android 2.1 and newer.


More information can be found by visiting the application thread. While we hope none of us will ever need this app, we should always be prepared for when bad things occur.