News

LEAK ALERT: Google Chooses Texas Instruments’ OMAP4 As Processor Of Choice for Ice Cream Sandwich

89

If you’ve been keeping your eyes peeled for every bit of Nexus Prime news while you anxiously wait around for Google’s upcoming superphone, we may have a juicy bit of info for you. Today, a Texas Instruments PR rep let it slip via email that they will be in close partnership when it comes to Google’s next version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich. The image, seen above, was included in the email.

Until now, we haven’t seen TI make very much of a huge Android presence with their chips being found mostly in Motorola devices but it looks like all of that may soon change. When Google announced they would be working closely with Nvidia, electing the Tegra 2 the go-to processor for Honeycomb, we saw just about every tablet hit the market with that particular chipset (and quite a few phones as well).

As far as developing for future versions of Android, Google’s Andy Rubin has gone on the record saying,

“What we do is pick our partners, a semiconductor partner, an operator, and an OEM and then combine them all together. This is the device that engineers have on their desk when they come in the morning.”

Ice Cream Sandwich will be the melding of tablet and phone OS into one seamless experience. It will finally allow for developers to create one app that will work on both smartphones and tablets. We say this a lot around here, but honestly, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Android. All that’s left now is for Google to pick a manufacturer and a carrier for their new Nexus. Anyone excited or upset that Google is now in bed with Texas Instruments for your beloved Nexus Prime?

[Via Cnet and A&M]

Chris Chavez
I've been obsessed with consumer technology for about as long as I can remember, be it video games, photography, or mobile devices. If you can plug it in, I have to own it. Preparing for the day when Android finally becomes self-aware and I get to welcome our new robot overlords.

Tattoo Tycoon Now Available In the Android Market – Tramp Stamps Included

Previous article

Google Updates Android Platform Version Chart – Gingerbread Now On 24.3% Of Devices

Next article

You may also like

89 Comments

  1. Trading HTC Thunderbolt perfect condition for Nexus Prime.

  2. 4470! *crosses fingers*

    1. LOL! Could be… but I thought that wasn’t coming til 2012? Most likely the 4460 which ain’t no slouch either.

      1. A man can hope. I wish the Bionic had the 4460 in it than the 4430 of the Droid 3, but ya know.

    2. Im hoping for the 5430!

  3. PRAYER MODE ENGAGED

  4. pleeeeease choose HTC…

    1. They won’t, because HTC doesn’t want to use anything but Qualcomm chips, so blame HTC if anything.

    2. How About SAMSUNG + ORION CHIP anyone?

  5. That is awesome news… I cannot wait to see how powerfully the device stacks up against current gen heavyweights like the photon and evo 3d and mytouch 4g and thunderbolt.

    1. will be interesting! Although i dont really think the T-Bolt is a heavyweight.. with its dual (EDIT: SINGLE) core. It was really late to the party.

      1. thunderbolt is single core…

        1. Thats what i meant, Thanks!

  6. please verizon for me

    1. +1

      ^see what i did there? means two things on the internets now ;)

      1. +1

    2. Passed on Nexus 1, passed on Nexus S, history of using Bing on “Google” phones, and selling iPhone 4 now. Who knows, you might get the Nexus Droid : )

  7. Maybe now we will get a Verizon Motorola Nexus M! Running ICS, 1.5GB RAM and OMAP 4470. It could happen.

  8. Anything But Motorola

  9. It’s only logical in all honesty. They’ve done Qualcomm, Samsung, now it’s TI’s turn.

    1. intel’s next after

  10. I wonder if there’ll also be a nexus tablet to go with the Nprime, two sexy gizmos constantly being updated at the same time to show off how portable the OS is. Would they both run on the same chip?

    1. a great possibility with some merit. Your post also had me wondering about an Atrix-style setup (maybe with a “tablet” dock instead of a “laptop”, or even with either available for purchse) – the UI could change depending on whether the phone was docked or not.

  11. It would be awesome if they released both a new tablet and phone running ICS at launch. Any possibility of that?

    1. Like a… Tabfone? o_O

      1. BOTH a new tablet and new phone, meaning two devices

    2. then apple would sue.

  12. Why can’t Google step it up and be the leader like they were with the n1. Dual core? Seriously Google what a disappointment. Once again the device will be obsolete in a few months after release. Google your idea of planned obsolescence is seriously hurting you. If you want an iPhone killer go quad core!

    Also, if they choose Motorola that would be such a let down. Kind of like what happened with buzz and wave.

    Starting to think Google needs better executives. .

    1. LOL! Why on God’s green earth would you need a quad-core in smartphone? Dual-cores just came out without an OS to support it and you’re already onto QUAD?

      As far as I remember, even smartphones that will be using Nvidia’s Kal-El wont be technically be quad core. They’ll be dual-core Kal-El’s.

      Kinda like how Macbooks use dual-core Core i7’s.

      1. The majority of the i7’s are dual core if I remember right. You tube the Tegra 3 and you understand. Since you can use ics as a USB host you can play games on your TV from your phone. Quad core would make that seamless. Not to mention with the right governor quad core would use less energy then a dual clocked at 1.8

        1. I would think a dual-core with an even beefier GPU would be able to output to even 1080p and play graphically demanding games (which are few) just fine.

          I mean, I’m all for more power, but most people want “MOAR COREZ” just for the sake of cores. It’s silly..

    2. Why Motorola makes great hardware

      1. IMO they are the worst manufacturer out there

        1. Motorola makes the best hardware, its just that they gimp it up with their UI and locked bootloader which wouldn’t be a problem if they made a nexus phone. A Motorola Nexus phone would be great, the best hardware completely open.

        2. eh, i’d say that aside from screen and processor, samsung is the worst one.

          1. could not agree more the best is MOTO then htc and then samsung

        3. they are the best MOTOROLA FOR LIFE

    3. More cores doesnt mean better processor. Just look at the exynos, it’s probably just as good, if not better then kal-el. TI makes some kick ass chips

      Answer me this, does your laptop (which obviously has more processing power then any quad core mobile chip) have more then 2 cores?

      1. mine has four.

  13. Skipping on the Free Nexus S after just reading this news, i can’t waste my upgrade not one bit, TI chips consume less battery than any other chip manufacture in the market. So im gonna wait it out. thanks for the news.

  14. qanother reason to get the bionic

  15. I was REALLY hoping for the Nexus 3 to have either the Tegra 3 processor or at least the Qualcomm Snapdragon Krait(28nm) processor. I think I’m gonna have my good ol’ Nexus One a little while longer than I had planned.

    1. TI’s chip will be as good if not better then Kal-el. More cores doesnt mean better processor

  16. HTC and if google was smart they’d put it on all 4 big us carriers…eventually

    1. Not eventually, but the day it was released

    2. Google is smart.. but they don’t get to choose the carrier.. I’m sure all carriers are offered and make the choice… Now that 3 of them have had a Nexus.. maybe there is a chance it could make it to all four this time.

      1. verizon and motorolla nexus prime bring it on

  17. so how come you keep calling it nexus prime, chris? i haven’t seen it be called that anywhere in any article.

    1. A quick google search should answer that question.

  18. Despite the g2x fiasco, I would like to see what LG would do, given the option to make the next Nexus.

    1. Same here, LG hardware seem to be great. The software issue should be fix since Google would be doing all the testing. I also would like to see a new article on the G2X since GB because me being one of the few have had no problem with mine.

  19. I careless who Google decides to choose for a manufacturer! I will get the Nexus Prime regardless!

  20. Samsung will be the manufacturer.

  21. This was kind of obvious, as Google have been tracking/working on the omap variant of their kernel in AOSP for a while now.

  22. Im really thinking that this might come to verizon since they are using the OMAP processor…because didnt they swap out the Tegra processor in Droid Bionic for OMAP because the Tegras have problems with LTE

  23. All this brand speculation, people – but aren’t we missing the obvious? LG is the maker of the “Optimus” range… “Prime” seems a pretty logical fit!

    1. Optimus Prime!

      1. ..

      2. Wouldn’t Asus have a say on this? LOL!

  24. I got me an n1 a month after it came out and I thought it was the best phone out there I loved it and didn’t want to move on. I wasn’t impressed by the nexus s and got a G2X but recently switched to sprint for the EVO 3D :) please let them pick HTC for the Nexus 3/prime whatever el goog will call it. Either that or give me a quad core 2ghz phone with 2gb of RAM and 32 gb of internal storage and make it expandable (nexus s FAIL) camera with xenon flash and 1080p video 720p screen resolution and and HD front facing camera throw in an LTE module and we’re golden. Oh and don’t forget one thing make the phone the batterys bitch lol battery technology makes the battery the phones bitch.

    1. Those are some heavenly sounding specs. I’m sure it won’t be too long.

  25. That picture is AWESOME

    1. I thought so too =D

    2. Poor Ice Cream Sandwich Android chick looks like a rape victim. Dress half torn off, being held back by a Village People reject…..

      1. Well we are talking about Texas!! LOL

      2. And now she’s got herpes, or something, at least chickenpox.

  26. i will be more surprised if Verizon got it.

  27. Definitely going to be Motorola (the Nexus Prime) which is not surprising after all they were working quite closely with Google on the Xoom.

    1. moto will have the nexus prime sorry for the haters of motorolla

      1. Wrong. Moto can’t handle making a display like that. Only LG and Samsung can do that. And nobody wants an LG phone anymore so that leaves Samsung. Google and Samsung are like best friends right now, it’s going to be that way on the Nexus 3. 720p SAMOLED like B2L said would completely destroy any and all competition.

        1. Moto always come out with something better the display on samsung is to colorful

        2. The LCD PenTile displays on the Motorola Atrix and Photon 4G are made by Samsung.

          Motorola doesn’t make mobile displays, and if you recall Samsung’s statements from last year, they promised they’d be back selling their AMOLED-type displays to all comers by now.

          So, if you buy a high end Motorola, in any case, you’ve just bought a Samsung display.

    2. Just because it’s using a TI chip doesn’t mean it’s going to be Motorola. “What we do is pick our partners, a semiconductor partner, an operator, and an OEM and then combine them all together. This is the device that engineers have on their desk when they come in the morning.”

      With that being said, Google already worked with Motorola on the Xoom so it’s not likely they will make the next Nexus device. I’m betting they will stick with Samsung because of SAMOLED and because Google seems to have a good partnership with them, you can’t expect Motorola to make a device with a 720p display and it seems like HTC would fail miserably at that as well.

      I’m really hoping it will be made by Samsung. 720p SAMOLED would completely dominate the competition.

  28. Heres an option that isn’t thrown out widely Sharp I wouldn’t mind Sharp I hate the Omap processors though samsung or Qualcomm for me.

  29. Looking at OMAP5 specs and video presentations, it looks like more Ice Cream than OMAP4.

  30. Hmmm dunno how TI stacks up against the others, then again, I don’t have any idea how any stack up against eachother….but I’ll take these positive reactions as an indication that I should want the Nexus prime even more now…..so to quote a many online forum posters: “GIEF”

  31. Wouldn’t this cause more fragmentation? Since we already have apps developed specifically for Tegra 2 devices… Now, for ICS, the chip of choice will be the TI OMAP4! I thought ICS was about reducing fragmentation.

    1. So your solution for fixing fragmentation is eliminating chip competition? By that logic only Intel should make chips for Windows, and charge you as much as they like.

      Those apps were optimized for Tegra 2 first, and perhaps they had a few weeks exclusivity, just like Xperia Play has some exclusity on some games for a while, but those Tegra 2 games work on other chips, too, now.

    2. naa Google seems to rotate to make everyone happy. First they use HTC then Samsung then Motorola and nvidia and now TI.

  32. good so my droid 3 will be able to get ics. works for me.

  33. I wonder if it will be an actually affordable phone for me (like not £400-500)

  34. Probably end up passing… I guess we’ll see. All I know is 2 of the possibilities (Samsung and Moto) use horrible pentile matrix screens (say what you want… I’ll never like them… they look grainy and over-saturated). Make it an LG without pentile and MAYBE we’ll talk.

  35. is there anyway to block/ban this spam/

  36. does this mean that if i buy a phone with a TI chip “cough” LG Thrill “cough” that it will be REALLY well optimized when ICS comes out?

  37. im so excited!!!!

  38. Like button people for ASUS!

    LOLZ

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in News