HANOVER, GERMANY -- Intel's line of XScale processors appears set to get a big speed boost in the coming months.
Taiwanese hardware maker Asustek Computer is showing off two handheld devices based on an unreleased 520-MHz XScale processor at the Cebit exhibition here. The first of the two devices is expected to become available in June, suggesting that Intel may soon announce the availability of the faster XScale chip.
Currently, the fastest available XScale processor runs at a clock speed of 400 MHz. Intel officials were not available to comment on the 520-MHz chip.
Device Details
Asustek plans to release in June a new PDA based on the 520MHz XScale chip, which Asustek officials decline to identify by name or to discuss in detail. The Asus MyPal A730 PDA runs Microsoft's Pocket PC 2003 software and offers a 3.7-inch TFT LCD. The device will ship with 64MB of flash memory and either 128MB or 64MB of SDRAM, the company says.
Weighing in at 6.7 ounces, the A730 measures 2.9 inches by 4.5 inches by.7 inches and includes integrated support for 802.11b wireless networking and Bluetooth. It also has a 1.3-megapixel digital camera. The A730 will be released worldwide in June, company officials say. Pricing was not available.
Asus also is showing off a prototype of a new smart phone, the Asus MyPal 810. The A810 smart phone is also based on the 520-MHz XScale processor, says Lewis Yang, a product manager at Asustek.
The A810 runs Microsoft's Pocket PC software and sports a 2.8-inch LCD with QVGA (320 pixels by 240 pixels) resolution. It supports GPRS networks, card slots for MMC and SD cards, and a 1.3-megapixel digital camera and camcorder with a flash.
The A810 is expected to ship during the third quarter of this year. Pricing was not available.
The Cebit trade show ends on Wednesday.
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