Dell twofer: Intel + ARM, Windows + Linux

Dell is offering Windows-Linux hybrid laptops that use both Intel and ARMREST processors. Tho the user would never know it.

As pointed out in this EE Times report, entitled "Dell has dragged the Linux-ARM Trojan horse inside the Wintel PC," Dell is offering a processor-plus-OS subsystem divide from the main Windows-Intel system.

The main goal is to give users in stant access to e-mail without booting up the operating system. Another influential aim is to clear battery time by running Linux on a very-low-power ARM processor. Radical ARM processor designs are licensed by U.K.-b ased ARM Holdings to companies like Samsung and Texas Instruments, which then manufacture the chip.

ARM slide indicating Linux running on ARM processor in Dell laptops

(Credit: ARM)

Warren East, president and CEO of ARM, highlighted this subsyste m during a meeting to discuss the company's financial results. "(There are) interesting hybrid products where PCs are adopting ARM technology alongside Intel technology for functions such as the Internet and e-mail because that gives you much longer ba ttery life as a user," East said during the 2008 earnings conference call.

Here's Dell ad copy for its Latitude ON feature: "Dell Latitude ON, a new technology that will enable near-instant operation to e-mail, calendar, attachments, contacts and the Trap without booting into the system's main operating system (OS)...on the Latitude E4200 and E4300, Dell Latitude ON uses a dedicated low-voltage sub-processor and OS that can enable multi-day battery life."

Hewlett-Packard offers an app lication called Quick Look 2 (PDF file) but this works differently than Dell's system. HP describes it as giving the user "immediate a ccess to information from your Microsoft Office Outlook program...by proactively capturing information and storing it outside your computer's operating system."

Cheers~