Comments on: TI Announces New, Faster OMAP Processors

Texas Instruments today unveiled five new OMAP processors, that increase the performance of advanced applications that include graphics, multimedia, and Java. OMAP processors are compatible with the Palm OS among other platforms, the Palm Tungsten T uses a TI OMAP processor. The new processors will enable, smaller, more secure and more economical devices with longer battery life and faster multimedia applications.

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Thanks Ryan

Massman82 @ 2/3/2003 4:38:09 PM #

What would be the speed of these new processors?

Roman Pedan
Palm V/Vx
Will get a Palm OS 5 handheld

RE: Thanks Ryan

Admin @ 2/3/2003 4:46:53 PM #

The press release didn't really go into the clock speeds... However I'm sure they are burried in some TI tech documents somewhere... I'll see what I can find out.

RE: Thanks Ryan

Massman82 @ 2/3/2003 5:24:41 PM #

Great, your the best Ryan! :) :)

Roman Pedan
Palm V/Vx
Will get a Palm OS 5 handheld

RE: Thanks Ryan

hotpaw4 @ 2/3/2003 9:33:52 PM #

One of the TI docs mentioned an ARM926 at 204 MHz, plus new Java acceleration, plus the DSP. Per MHz, the TI ARM9 seems faster for many things than the Intel XScale.

Note that the OMAP 1611 has a dedicated WLAN (801.11g) IO port; and the OMAP 1612 has 32 MB of stacked DDR SDRAM included in the package.

Just a little spelling error

Be3G @ 2/3/2003 4:48:00 PM #

So, the new chips "aloow" for accelerated multimedia performance, do they? ;-)

Thomas

Check out the Palm Tungsten|T review at www.comp-talk.co.uk

RE: Just a little spelling error

Admin @ 2/3/2003 5:01:29 PM #

thanks

RE: Just a little spelling error

stupidnewpolicy @ 2/3/2003 5:11:19 PM #

There's another typo - you should run a spell check.

"The new chips boost accelarated multimedia performance"

"Accelerated" is correct, unless that's some new swizzled term.

Pathetic when the majority of the first comments are not about the story, but the typing.

Ho Hum.

Ick

RE: Just a little spelling error

masitti @ 2/3/2003 5:17:30 PM #

Oh my god, one letter is wrong. Woop dee doo, let's go ape on everyone.

RE: Just a little spelling error

xolstis @ 2/3/2003 5:20:42 PM #

Come on give em a break = ). Dun think its an easy job actually finding out and posting all this....

xolstis

RE: Just a little spelling error

xolstis @ 2/3/2003 5:21:38 PM #

Are there any OS5 devices using the Dragonball MXL yet?

xolstis

Dragonball MXL

bcombee @ 2/3/2003 5:32:30 PM #

The Garmin iQue 3600 is the first Palm OS device using the Motorola Dragonball MXL processor. I don't know of any other announcements of licensees using the MX1 or MXL yet.

--
Ben Combee, CodeWarrior for Palm OS technical lead
Programming help at www.palmoswerks.com

I'll take Palm for $500

gulmatan @ 2/3/2003 6:50:10 PM #

My question is this: can a Tungsten T be upgraded with the new OMAP?

Matt A.

No upgrade possible?

pauleyc @ 2/4/2003 4:25:04 AM #

Not likely, IMHO. The release states the new processors to be software-compatible, the packaging, pin-outs etc. are probably different. Even if they were HW compatible, you still would need to unsolder the original chip and solder the new one - not an easy and trivial task since they are BGA chips.

But this is interesting news. Probably means that we will see Palms using the new processors somewhere around 1-2Q 2004 .

-------
pauleyc

Dear Palm: Dump TI, Choose INTEL

Gekko @ 2/3/2003 9:21:22 PM #

http://www.intel.com/design/pca/devicelist.htm

RE: Dear Palm: Dump TI, Choose INTEL

bcombee @ 2/4/2003 1:04:58 AM #

Why should they dump TI? The OMAP chips consume less power than the Intel XScale solutions, and the integrated DSP allows the system designers a lot more flexibility than the XScale extensions to the ARM5 architecture. What advantage would XScale give Palm OS devices? In some (but not all) tests, the 144MHz OMAP 1510 in the TT has performed better than the NX70V's 200Mhz XScale due to better memory cache performance. Yes, a lot of companies have chosen Intel's chip. However, that doesn't mean its the only valid solution.

I think Palm SG will choose the chips that provide the best combination of power usage, capabilities, and price, and I'm glad the Palm OS platform can be scaled across the board from the Dragonball MXL, to the OMAP chips, to Intel's XScale chips, allowing a whole garden of devices all optimized for their market segments.

--
Ben Combee, CodeWarrior for Palm OS technical lead
Programming help at www.palmoswerks.com

RE: Dear Palm: Dump TI, Choose INTEL

xolstis @ 2/4/2003 3:55:28 AM #

Good on ya Ben dats the way to go!

-the harbinger-

OMAP??

ozz @ 2/4/2003 12:58:53 AM #

Excuse my stupidity, but what does "OMAP" stand for?

RE: OMAP??

asiayeah @ 2/4/2003 2:12:23 AM #

That's Open Multimedia Applications Protocol.

Tony Cheung

--
With great power comes great responsiblity.

RE: OMAP??

ozz @ 2/4/2003 6:29:11 PM #

Thanks, I would have never guessed!! :-)

TCPA?

Ben S @ 2/4/2003 8:07:20 AM #

"Security algorithms are processed up to 90x faster while power consumption is reduced, thanks to the OMAP platform's hardware accelerators."

...this sounds curiously like hardware for TCPA (encryption accelerators). I wonder... it would be an interesting development. AFAIK there are no mobile processors (meant for phones or handhelds) that support TCPA yet.

OMAP for MP3s?

Stratman25 @ 2/4/2003 10:10:31 AM #

What good is a better OMAP processor if I still can't play MP3s on my current Tungsten T? Anybody know when RealPlayer Mobile will be issued?

RE: OMAP for MP3s?

asiayeah @ 2/4/2003 10:45:34 AM #

I am also looking forward to it.

Here's what Palm has posted on its website last month,

http://www.palm.com/support/tungstent/real.html

Cheers,
Tony Cheung

--
With great power comes great responsiblity.

RE: OMAP for MP3s?

helf @ 2/4/2003 10:58:14 AM #

jeez.. Do you not look at software sites? you CAN play mp3's on your tungsten. well.. ogg/vorbig ,mp2 and wav's ... I've tried the realplayer beta.. it sucks..I hope the final release is much better or a 3rd party comes otu with a real mp3 player. I hate realplayer..

aeroplayer supports ogg/vorbis and mp2 - http://palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?prodID=46149

this one does the same thing basically - http://palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?prodID=45900

How 'bout a new BeOS gui to go with the new proc's?

drw @ 2/4/2003 8:48:26 PM #

We have the processing power, we have higher resolution than PPC, so hopefully now someone is thinking about a successor to the current gui. Of course some would like to stay with the current gui so hopefully that would be an option along with a new dressed up look.

Too bad Palm is wedded to GSM/GPRS. Any hope of Palm adding CDMA to its repertoire?

---
David

RE: How 'bout a new BeOS gui to go with the new proc's?

helf @ 2/14/2003 12:26:12 PM #

what are you talking about? theres already cdma enabled palm phones.

This probably is in the T2

WileyCoyote @ 6/12/2003 7:23:08 AM #

I think this new series of OMAP processor is what Palm is using for the new T2. If so way to go Palm! It makes the T2 even more competitive. The specs on these new improved OMAP chips sound fast and efficient.
Leaked info on the new T2 says speed is 200+ mhz with lower power consumption and the new transflective screen. Definately no VG as shown in http://www.pumb.org/viewtopic.php?t=27584