‘Faster over fuller’ is the expression Jenn uses to describe how consumers want their browsing experience and I tend to agree. Personally I want Firefox 3+add-ons for my browser as it’s long my most important piece of software but I’m not most consumers. A consumer MID doesn’t need to be 100% FIE for most people but it does need to be close.
The browser on the Archos 5 is, relative to existing consumer and smartphone-based browsers, a big step forward in the eyes of most people that have tested it so it’s nice to confirm it with some stats. Jenn has lined-up the Archos 5, the iPhone 3G and the Nokia N810 in a browser speed test and overall, you’re seeing page load times 1.5 times faster than an iPhone 3G and about 1.8 times faster than a Nokia N810. But is it fast enough? MIDs and low-end UMPCs are likely to beat these times and return more accurate results but does the difference really matter?
What we’re seeing here is proof of, not just a fast new Archos device, but how the ARM Cortex core could improve the Internet experience. In this case, the ARM core is sitting on the Ti OMAP platform but Ti aren’t the only people using it. Intel really do need to watch their backs in this territory now because they’re not fighting against relatively small companies like AMD and VIA here, they’re fighting against the huge ARM ecosystem and they certainly know a thing or two about mobile hardware and software.
navigateur web archos plus rapide que safari iphone
http://tinyurl.com/3t834m
The processor is not the issue. What needed is an OS that does both phone and Windows apps. This is why all MIDs do not include a phone yet; not they are too big but lack of such an OS. The Linux that runs on this ARM is no exception. It does not matter how fast the browser is; it is ridiculous to expect people to carry a smartphone AND a MID.
For smartphones and other ARM-based devices, the CPU is a major issue. You just can not hope to run complex applications like browsers on ARM11 or ARM9 so for me, this is a breakthrough.
As for the OS, it would indeed be nice to have an OS that ran desktop and phone apps. I’ve seen demos of virutal machines running on the EB MID that achieve this though so obviously people are thinking about it. WM7 should be a good step forward for mobile fans too. Android on X86 with Open Office and Skype is another one to think about too.
Why not carry a smartphone and MID though? If you want browsing and video on a mobile device, it’s never going to work well on a smartphone purely because of the size limitations. 3″ screens will never work comfortably for internet, navigation and video. I counter your argument that ‘it is ridiculous to expect people to carry a smartphone AND a MID’ by saying ‘its absolutely normal for manufacturers to expect people to buy separate devices for separate functions.’ Yes, some people are looking for device consolidation but that’s not the mass market who are quite happy to buy seperate Mp3 player, feature phone, smartphone, handheld gaming machine, navigation device, car audio etc etc. I know a lot of people here that would like to converge, but that’s not what happens in the real world of staggered purchases due to new technologies and market(ing) forces.
Steve
maybe they are crazy, but some are running debian in a chroot on the N8x0…
one person even did a presentation in berlin using that setup and the openoffice presentation software…
http://trac.tspre.org/projects/deblet
oh and when it comes to swiss army gadget vs toolbox of devices, i think it comes down to usage and economy.
for someone thats very into photography, anything but a DSLR will not do.
but for someone that just wants to snap a photo at some party or other gathering without having to pack a lot of gear, and can get a device that can also make calls and play music or video to kill some spare time, then they will go for that. even more so if it costs no more then the dedicated DSLR.
it depends on what people see as important.
and then there is the gadget geeks, like myself, that dont mind carrying around multiple devices, even if they do much the same.
but then im the kind of person that would love to work configuring networks all day ;)
Wow. That was a long reply. Sorry ;-)
S
This is only the first cortex and not even an umpc like
device,only an better pmp.
Chippy, can you put Archos 5 into product database?
Yeah. It’s been on the to-do list for a while. I’ll get it sorted out ASAP.
S
Chippy, do you know how the ARM Cortex compares to the Intel Atom in terms of performance?
My estimate is that with the Atom at 800mhz (no hyperthreading, 433 FSB) its not much more powerful than the Cortex A8. My feeling (from hands on and research) is that you might see 10-20% faster page load times with Atom. Join me a JKKMobile tonight and we’ll try and go through the same tests as Jenn.
S.
hehe,wo havea bbs to diccuss with umpc… but it’s a Chinese version.. it’s http://www.umpcfans.com
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