The HP TouchPad unveiled yesterday scores many a firsts. Like its the first tablet from the computer giant that is built for a mass consumption. Then it is the first tablet to run WebOS, the operating system that HP inherited as a result of their acquisition of Palm. Next, the TouchPad is also the first tablet to have been built with the next generation dual core processor from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon APQ8060 CPU at its core. The TouchPad impressed with its looks, but to have a better idea of what the new tablet is all about, one will have to have a better understanding of the tablet’s heart, its CPU. So lets get a bit deeper in the new Qualcomm offering right away.
To begin with, the Snapdragon APQ8060 CPU is the third generation of processor from Qualcomm and one that integrates the APQ8060 with Adreno 220 GPU that boasts of two times as much graphics processing capabilities as its predecessors. The CPU includes two asynchronous processor cores which combined with the Adreno 220 GPU offers unmatched graphics processing capabilities to ensure seamless multimedia effect on the TouchPad.
Jon Oakes, Director of TouchPad Product Marketing at HP has this to say of the new Qualcomm processor: “With the APQ 8060 and Adreno 220 GPU, the HP TouchPad delivers a high-performing and fluid multitasking user interface, as well as offers game and multimedia application developers a high-performance environment for their applications.”
The awesome capabilities of the new CPU can be guessed from the fact that it allows for camera operation of up to 16 megapixel resolution while also supporting the “capture and display HD 1080P stereoscopic video or 8 Megapixel stereoscopic still images to an autostereoscopic panel or a 3D TV.” What this means is users will be able to capture not only high resolution video or still images but will also be able to watch these via their naked eyes without having to wear special glasses.
However, the HP TouchPad only seems to using a part of the new processor’s potential in that the tablet does not come with built in 3D capabilities. Maybe, HP has a more advanced and more feature packed TouchPad or a new tablet up its sleeve where we will see the new third generation Snapdragon spitting fire in all its glory. No problem if that is not to be as there are scores of other products now at various stages of development around the world. As the Vice President of product management at Qualcomm, Mr. Raj Talluri puts in: “Our work with industry leaders has allowed us to showcase the full spectrum of Snapdragon’s graphics and multimedia capabilities in both the tablet and smartphone space across major software platforms.” “With more than 75 Snapdragon devices already announced, 150 Snapdragon devices in development and over 100 high end mobile games optimized for our GPU, Qualcomm continues to be a leader in delivering high performance devices to market.”
What’ certain is there is a lot action waiting to get unfolded with the new APQ8060. So keep watching.
Click here for the full Press Release.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
