At its investor conference earlier today, Qualcomm unveiled various new Snapdragon processors to affix its recently-announced MSM8960 S4 chip . But we got an exclusive first have a look at the 8960 in Ny city this evening, within the kind of a mobile development platform (MDP) tablet demo during The Engadget Show . The tablet the corporate had handy isn’t much to observe — it isn’t the slimmest we have seen, and it feels a little clunkier than models destined for consumers — but its specs, together with an on-die LTE modem (the primary of its kind — we were seeing download speeds of around 45 Mbps), dual 1080p cameras (and another two for 3D), seven microphones, a spattering of sensors and a handful of connectors make this the last word platform for Android developers. Not convinced? Join us past the break for a hands-on walkthrough with Raj Talluri, Qualcomm’s VP of Product Management, and stay turned for his segment from The Engadget Show.
The Snapdragon S4 MDP tablet is likely one of the first we have seen from Qualcomm that’s sleek enough to operate as a first tablet, maybe even for power-hungry consumers. It won’t be cheap, though pricing has yet to be announced, but for developers that want a comprehensive platform for testing their Android apps, there is not any question that this can be an outstanding option.
The tablet packs a ten.1-inch 1366 x 768 (16:9) 10-finger capacitive multitouch display, with a 13 megapixel rear-facing camera with flash and front-facing 2 megapixel camera (both in a position to 1080p30 video capture), together with another pair of rear-facing side-by-side cams, specifically designed for shooting 3D. At the audio front, you can find seven microphones and surround sound stereo speakers, which we hear sound great for everything from video chat to movie viewing. It’s currently running Gingerbread, but expect Ice Cream Sandwich in early 2012, with support for Windows 8 to return after that.
So far as sensors go, there are dual 3D accelerometers, a 3-axis gyro, compass, ambient light and proximity, a temperature and pressure sensor and a fingerprint reader. Dual independently-controlled linear vibrator motors provide haptic feedback. Memory includes 2GB of 400MHz LPDDR2, 32GB eMMC, and 1MB of SPI NOR flash. There’s also a removable 5200 mAh lithium ion battery, which should provide many hours of power when paired with the efficient S4.
In relation to controls, here’s removed from a single-button affair — there is a combo volume / zoom rocker, an influence button, screen rotation lock, home button and recessed reset button. External connectors include a docking station port, micro USB with 0 MHL 0 , a three.5mm audio jack with ANC contacts, a DC-in charger port and a microSD slot. There’s also a whole-size SIM slot and touch panel programming connector under the battery door, in conjunction with a Sensor Fusion expansion connector. The docking station adds a couple of full-size USB connections, HDMI, Ethernet, JTAG, QEPM, UART and another DC-in.
Able to start coding? Devs might want to wait until the 1st 1/2 2012 before getting their hands on Qualcomm’s latest S4 MDP tablet, but when today’s demo is any indication, it will be definitely worth the wait.
MetroPCS Q4 results are in: increased revenue, slowing growth
Google ‘close’ to choosing new Motorola Mobility CEO, say the same old gang of sources
