BlackBerry PlayBook confirmed using class-leading OMAP 4430
updated 08:20 pm EST, Sat January 8, 2011
TI confirms PlayBook using OMAP 4430 chip inside
Texas Instruments on the show floor today identified the mystery dual-core 1GHz processor inside the BlackBerry PlayBook. RIM's tablet uses the OMAP 4430, the first generation of TI's new ARM Cortex-A9 processors. The chip is key to the tablet supporting 1080p video playback both by itself and while juggling many simultaneous tasks.
The addition could have theoretically given it 720p video in stereoscopic 3D, although the LCD on the seven-inch PlayBook doesn't have the 120Hz refresh rate to support the advanced effect. It comes mated to modern PowerVR graphics as well and will help mark the BlackBerry line's first real commitment to gaming.
RIM's choice, along with 1GB of RAM, could put it at the front of tablet performance when the PlayBook ships in or near March. The Motorola Xoom and tablets from LG, MSI and many others will also have dual-core Cortex-A9 processors in the form of the NVIDIA Tegra 2, but it remains to be seen how the two compare in objective tests.
Apple has only been rumored, not confirmed, to be using a dual-core Cortex-A9 processor in the next iPad. [via BGR]
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industry, gadgets, LG, BlackBerry, NVIDIA, MSI, RIM, Research in Motion, Texas Instruments, ARM, Tegra, Apple, OMAP, iPad, PlayBook
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