Moto's Bionic is Dead?

[pc747]

O

Yes! I recognized the name but didn't put 2 and 2 together : ) awesome to see you bro!

Yeah from what I've heard and read it appears (not sure if there is any truth to it) that the Tegra 2 is causing the problem with LTE. If we see the Bionic reappear with a different processor it's a pretty safe bet that was the problem. But again thats only speculating. Hopefully we'll get a definitive answer as to what the ACTUAL problem(s) is.

Another member brought up a good point. All the Xoom's out there with the T2. It's a bigger package so they can fit more equipment in there but still the question remains. This could be a BIG problem.

If that is the case then that would effect other devices using tegra 2. Hmm the bionic is the only tegra 2 using lte that we know of for sure huh.

 

[Stagger0]

O

If that is the case then that would effect other devices using tegra 2. Hmm the bionic is the only tegra 2 using lte that we know of for sure huh.

The Xoom will be using tegra 2 and LTE. But Saying that, i just realized, that it didn't release with LTE.

It's calling my nerd sense... Something... isn't right about LTE integration.

 

[Preach2k]

O

If that is the case then that would effect other devices using tegra 2. Hmm the bionic is the only tegra 2 using lte that we know of for sure huh.

They are suppose to make The GS2 with Tegra 2. I read that some would have Tegra 2 chip in them and others will have Exynos. But in light of what is going on with LTE Maybe they will just go with Exynos that is if it comes to Verizon.

 

[Castor Troy]

They are suppose to make The GS2 with Tegra 2. I read that some would have Tegra 2 chip in them and others will have Exynos. But in light of what is going on with LTE Maybe they will just go with Exynos that is if it comes to Verizon.

Yeah seems the most logical in this scenario.

Sent from my Droid

 

[Droid800]

Just curious why you mentioned Qualcomm. They don't currently have a dual core with LTE radio even in the works as far as anyone has heard. While I agree with you to an extent (I posted earlier that maybe that's the reason for the other 3 OEMs releasing a single core LTE phone), we really don't know it for a fact as there is no hardware with dual core & LTE currently other than the Tegra 2 Bionic.

Since the Tbolt was supposedly going to release last November as a 3G model & they pulled it add LTE capability they may not have: 1. wanted to rework BOTH the radio & the CPU, or 2. had the Qualcomm dual core ready for implementation in a device.

So far the only Qualcomm dual core coming down the pike with 4G capability is the Evo 3D, unless you figure in HSPA. But technically that's more of an evolved 3G whereas LTE and WiMax is more like 3.5G. It's possible that WiMax will not have the problems that LTE is having with dual core. Or maybe it does and they have more time to work on it (if they follow a June release like last year). Also their 4G network is mature & that may give them a leg up in setting up their dual core phones.

Since at this point we are missing a lot of necessary data to make a conclusion (is it all dual cores or not, is it only LTE or WiMax as well, etc.), speculation is kind of pointless. It's like trying to solve a+b=c when you don't know what the values are of a,b, or c.

The only thing that makes me think it's not all dual cores is if they're truly planning to replace the Bionic with the Targa that should mean that the OMAP processor doesn't have the issue. Either that or they haven't gotten to the stage with the OMAP where they discovered the issue with the Tegra2. Then again we don't know if there IS an issue. I swear this is like what Lewis Black said about trying to understand economics. "I tried to for a few minutes and then I had an aneurysm."

Actually, Qualcomm DOES have a dual-core, multi-mode LTE chipset that's coming down the pike. The MSM8960 is in development, but it won't be out for a while since its actually a generation AFTER the new dual-cores. What they'll likely do is augment the 8660s dual core with an LTE modem like they're doing with all of the new LTE handsets.


The problem they're having IS NOT that dual core chipsets don't play nice with LTE. The problem is that Tegra 2 does not play nice with Qualcomm's LTE modem chipset.

 

[Hand_O_Death]

The problem they're having IS NOT that dual core chipsets don't play nice with LTE. The problem is that Tegra 2 does not play nice with Qualcomm's LTE modem chipset.

And not knowing much about this sort of thing, is it the type of problem that can be fixed with some recoding or is it an incompatible hardware issue that won't be fixed?

 

[cody_21]

I would think its some sort of incompatiblility type thing.

 

[thebizz]

Just curious why you mentioned Qualcomm. They don't currently have a dual core with LTE radio even in the works as far as anyone has heard. While I agree with you to an extent (I posted earlier that maybe that's the reason for the other 3 OEMs releasing a single core LTE phone), we really don't know it for a fact as there is no hardware with dual core & LTE currently other than the Tegra 2 Bionic.

Since the Tbolt was supposedly going to release last November as a 3G model & they pulled it add LTE capability they may not have: 1. wanted to rework BOTH the radio & the CPU, or 2. had the Qualcomm dual core ready for implementation in a device.

So far the only Qualcomm dual core coming down the pike with 4G capability is the Evo 3D, unless you figure in HSPA. But technically that's more of an evolved 3G whereas LTE and WiMax is more like 3.5G. It's possible that WiMax will not have the problems that LTE is having with dual core. Or maybe it does and they have more time to work on it (if they follow a June release like last year). Also their 4G network is mature & that may give them a leg up in setting up their dual core phones.

Since at this point we are missing a lot of necessary data to make a conclusion (is it all dual cores or not, is it only LTE or WiMax as well, etc.), speculation is kind of pointless. It's like trying to solve a+b=c when you don't know what the values are of a,b, or c.

The only thing that makes me think it's not all dual cores is if they're truly planning to replace the Bionic with the Targa that should mean that the OMAP processor doesn't have the issue. Either that or they haven't gotten to the stage with the OMAP where they discovered the issue with the Tegra2. Then again we don't know if there IS an issue. I swear this is like what Lewis Black said about trying to understand economics. "I tried to for a few minutes and then I had an aneurysm."

Sorry didn't mean to make it sound like I was saying their using a quallcomm cpu. I was trying to say their using quallcomm boards for the radios cdma+lte. And from what I've read their seems to be compatiblility issues between the two

 

[Droid800]

And not knowing much about this sort of thing, is it the type of problem that can be fixed with some recoding or is it an incompatible hardware issue that won't be fixed?

It's probably a bit of both. I doubt Tegra 2 was ever designed to handle the 'hacked together' nature of Verizon's first LTE handsets, with their CDMA/EVDO modem and then the separate LTE modem. The rumors all center around handoff issues between the two different modems, and that Tegra 2 just simply can't handle it. It very well may be a limitation of Tegra 2 that no programming can overcome. Or, it could be a software issue that could be resolved on that end.

 

[thebizz]

I've heard hand off overheating issues poor battery life

 

[Johnly]

I remember some forum saying a long time ago, there was a terminal flaw that could not be overcome. Seems it was primarily related to the handset reaching abnormal temps.

 

[Cruiserdude]

Why does the description for this section describe the Bionic as a "now-defunct device"? I agree with y'all, that until we have confirmation we won't know. And in fact, signs seem to be indicating that they're still trying to work out the kinks and bring it to market. Even if it is cancelled, its quite likely just the Etna device is done, and the Targa will be brought to market with the Bionic name. That way they'd never have to say it was cancelled, just delayed due to a "hardware revision". Not sure we'd be able to tell the difference between a delay or cancellation on the Etna from an announcement, considering all reports refer only to the Bionic name.

Still, its incorrect to say the Bionic is defunct, even if the Etna itself is cancelled.

 

[Cruiserdude]

I remember some forum saying a long time ago, there was a terminal flaw that could not be overcome. Seems it was primarily related to the handset reaching abnormal temps.

If this is true and they knew the flaw was terminal awhile back, is there any chance that the Etna has already been cancelled for some time, and Moto has already been working busily to accelerate the Targa to market to fill its role, hence the recent silence as far as any official announcements and apparent delay from its initial target launch date?

If so, we may see the Targa launch as the Bionic within a month or two, maybe with the Etna shell, but still better than the late-summer or fall launch we could expect if they just decided to use the Targa for the Bionic.

 

[vzwuser76]

Yeah, sorry bizz, didn't even think that the radio chip they're using was a Qualcomm until droid800 mentioned that.

And droid800, what I meant by coming down the pike was actual devices with the Qualcomm dual core. With the way chips are advancing these days, you know by the time they are ready to start putting them in devices, the next gen chips are probably about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way through their r&d process.

 

[Johnly]

If this is true and they knew the flaw was terminal awhile back, is there any chance that the Etna has already been cancelled for some time, and Moto has already been working busily to accelerate the Targa to market to fill its role, hence the recent silence as far as any official announcements and apparent delay from its initial target launch date?

If so, we may see the Targa launch as the Bionic within a month or two, maybe with the Etna shell, but still better than the late-summer or fall launch we could expect if they just decided to use the Targa for the Bionic.

your guess is as good as mine. Seems like moto would have made a statement by now, and since they haven't, I think these info leaks are gaining right. Ultimately, I just don't know. I do like the bionic name and the shell of the device. How much is being changed is a good question.

 

[vzwuser76]

If this is true and they knew the flaw was terminal awhile back, is there any chance that the Etna has already been cancelled for some time, and Moto has already been working busily to accelerate the Targa to market to fill its role, hence the recent silence as far as any official announcements and apparent delay from its initial target launch date?

If so, we may see the Targa launch as the Bionic within a month or two, maybe with the Etna shell, but still better than the late-summer or fall launch we could expect if they just decided to use the Targa for the Bionic.

I'd doubt that they'd be able to put the Targa guts in the Bionic shell. The Targa's form factor is similar to the DX. I'd bet that the Targa's circuit board probably needs as much real estate as it can get. The Bioinc is somewhat rounded compared to the Targa, plus if the cameras are not in the exact same postition, they'd have to rework the case or the circuit board to make it work. I've been involved to a small extent with circuit board manufacturing. It'd be a lot easier to rework the case, if that's even an option which I doubt it is.

 

[Droid800]

Yeah, sorry bizz, didn't even think that the radio chip they're using was a Qualcomm until droid800 mentioned that.

And droid800, what I meant by coming down the pike was actual devices with the Qualcomm dual core. With the way chips are advancing these days, you know by the time they are ready to start putting them in devices, the next gen chips are probably about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way through their r&d process.

Well, if you're talking a true multi-mode chipset instead of the current 'add-on' configuration, then yes, its probably a year off. But if you're talking about the 8660 that debuted in the Evo 3D, that could be out with the next LTE wave. (probably out in time for Christmas) The 8960 (first Qualcomm chip with a multi-mode baseband chip that accommodates LTE) is sampling this quarter, and devices with it should be out around this time next year.

 

[Droid800]

If this is true and they knew the flaw was terminal awhile back, is there any chance that the Etna has already been cancelled for some time, and Moto has already been working busily to accelerate the Targa to market to fill its role, hence the recent silence as far as any official announcements and apparent delay from its initial target launch date?

If so, we may see the Targa launch as the Bionic within a month or two, maybe with the Etna shell, but still better than the late-summer or fall launch we could expect if they just decided to use the Targa for the Bionic.

Not a chance. If its been canceled for a while, they would have said so.

That, and BMX has made it very clear that it was being tested as recently as last week.

 

[YourMobileGuru]

Verizon "scrapped" the BB Storm 2.5 refresh, why not this too?

Or maybe they didn't want ANOTHER "flagship" phone released with missing features and not working correctly.

Because the S 2.5 was a simple hardware refresh (same exact phone with more memory and a better camera) while this is a totally new state of the art phone with hundreds of thousands dollars and hours in R&D. HUGE difference. That's not so say that real phones are not canceled/scrapped but they always end up resurfacing in some form because no one wants to throw away all that $$$. I'm with Phil on this: the phone will be taken back to the drawing board and some hardware redesigned and we will see it come out sometime this summer.

 

[my3chis]

Guys this may possibly be another case of the missing phone goes to Alltel like the HTC Merge did?

Maybe in the past but Alltel is now Verizon in most places, AT&T in the rest.