nVidia Tegra 3 Super processors for Latest Smartphones

Superchip for superphones.  One among leading Chipmaker nVidia, rushing to stake out more territory in tablets and smartphones, said its new Tegra 3 processor delivers up to three times the graphics performance of its predecessor and uses 61 percent less power. Previously code-named "Project Kal-El" after Superman's boyhood name the new quad-core chip is in production and is nVidia's latest bet to expand into the fast-growing mobile market as tablets like Apple's iPad eat into sales of personal computers. Santa Clara, California-based nVidia, which started out making graphics chips for PCs and still makes most of its revenue that way, expects devices using the new processors to be on sale by the end of the year, Chief Executive Jen-Hsun Huang told analysts on a conference call in September. Early in 2011, nVidia's Tegra 2 mobile chip, which is based on architecture licensed from Britain's ARM Holdings, was included in several new gadgets from Samsung Electronics, Asustek Computer and LG Electronics, raising nVidia's profile with investors as well as its stock price. The first tablet to use the Tegra 3 chip will be Asustek's Eee Pad Transformer Prime, nVidia said in a statement. ARM's power-sipping chip architecture is widely favored for mobile devices that depend on batteries and is also used by Qualcomm and Texas Instruments. Intel so far has failed to find a foot hold in the mobile market and is hurrying to adapt its chip architecture, originally designed to make powerful PCs, to work efficiently in smartphones and tablets.

{Source}

Nokia unveils Asha 200 & Asha 201 targeting Indian Market

Nokia unveils two messaging phones Asha 200 & Asha 201 aiming the Indian Market. Nokia India MD D Shivakumar says the company's profile is looking up in India. Although data is unavailable, sale of Nokia handsets have roughly quadrupled in the third quarter, he says. With the Asha phones, Nokia is hoping to capture the next generation of a billion young users, who would like to use their mobiles to connect with the Net. Blanca Juti, vice-president, Nokia Mobile Phones Marketing, says the phones are meant to catch the fancy of the 25-year-old, who wants to stay connected on the move.  Though both phones are feature devices rather than smartphones they can still down load Java applications in addition to the ones built into the handsets. Pre-installed software includes a web browser, a music player, and networking support. "Bulk penetration in the Indian market will happen in the next three or four years, and the Asha phones are the right vehicles of change," says Shivakumar. The London event's focus though was on the launch of the smart Windows Phone Lumia 800 and Lumia 710.  The company is making a rather late entry into a field dominated by smarties like Google, Apple and Samsung. Nokia's share of the global smart phone market has fallen by nearly half, to 15.5% in September from 27.5% in December.

{source}

Smartphones with Heart Monitor may help Cardiac surgeons

A small heart monitor that harnesses the power of smartphones may assist physicians in treatment decisions by immediately identifying and then alerting them about cardiac anomalies in heart patients. Detecting the onset of cardiac anomalies at an early stage is critical in preventing major cardiac events. Developed jointly by the Embedded Systems and Telecommunications Circuits labs at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), the device offers round-the-clock remote monitoring of patients and may help doctors respond to heart problems more quickly. The monitor consists of four noninvasive electrode sensors attached to the skin, which are then linked to a radio module and computer chip that clips onto a patient’s belt. The system collects reliable and precise data, as well as provides an automatic analysis and immediate transmission of data via to the individual’s smartphone. Images and data are then sent by email or text to a physician, who can intervene if necessary.

{source}