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Ville
02-11-2012, 12:31 AM
Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich or Android 4.0 is all around a superior mobile operating system, in my opinion. So, will Microsoft be able to make a comeback to mobile computing? See key excerpts below. The promise to have full Office capabilities on low-voltage Windows 8 chips is what Microsoft is now betting on, but will this be enough? The shipping is planned for this year.



A year ago, Microsoft announced the development of a Windows 8 version designed to run only on chips based on ARM's SoC architecture--the platform of choice for tablets and other mobile products due to its ability to combine long battery life with power and performance. Since then, there's been much speculation about what Windows 8 on ARM (WoA) will and will not do.

Windows chief Steven Sinofsky put much of that speculation to rest this week with a blog post that provided the most details yet on the company's plans for WoA tablets and PCs. Here are some of the highlights.

… 2. Chipmakers confirmed. Microsoft has selected three silicon vendors to build ARM system-on-a-chip (SoC) packages for Windows 8 tablets. They are Qualcomm, Nvidia, and Texas Instruments.

… 7. Office is key. Microsoft is pitching WoA tablets and ultralight PCs as Android and Apple alternatives that allow the full breadth of entertainment and media options, without sacrificing productivity. To that end, Office 15 is being built for WoA that offers touch, keyboard, and mouse input. "WoA will be a no-compromise product for people who want to have the full benefits of familiar Office productivity software and compatibility," said Sinofksy.

LINK (http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/microsoft_news/232600660).

Albion
04-06-2012, 09:07 PM
It's good to see ARM is competing well so far, I hope Intel and AMD don't ruin it for them.
ARM's an English CPU and chip designer, it allows other companies such as Qualcomm to use its designs in return for royalties.

Most phones (including smartphones) run on different types of ARM processors. My phone has ARM6, a shame because ARM7 is a lot better.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/ARM_powered_Badge.svg/220px-ARM_powered_Badge.svg.png