BARCELONA, SpainMobile technologies specialist Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) announced that its Snapdragon processor will be joining Microsoft’s Windows on ARM developer seeding program. The company is working with Microsoft to provide test PCs to select developers to test and optimize apps for forthcoming Snapdragon-powered Windows on ARM PCs and tablets.
The invitation-only program will combine a prerelease version of Windows on ARM with next-generation, high-performance Snapdragon S4 test PCs. Qualcomm noted that the test PCs are not representative of commercial form factors or the final Windows on ARM experience, but instead are designed to give developers early access to building and testing Windows Metro-style apps on Qualcomm’s latest technology.
The Windows on ARM developer seeding program is designed to help ensure that Windows Metro-style apps available in the Windows Store work well on all Windows 8-based PCs, including those with Qualcomm’s ARM-compliant Snapdragon processors. Qualcomm’s participation in the Windows on ARM developer seeding program provides select developers with the latest-generation Snapdragon S4 test PCs running a prerelease version of Windows on ARM.
The test PCs contain Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 processor with second-generation high-performance, power-efficient CPU; hardware-accelerated Adreno graphics; full multimedia; GPS; sensors; and peripherals that are designed to help enable development and tests of next-generation Windows Metro-style apps for the coming wave of Windows on ARM PCs.
“Microsoft’s development tools and the Qualcomm Snapdragon test PCs will enable developers to build and test Metro-style apps for Windows on ARM PCs,” said Stefan Kinnestrand, director of business planning for the Windows division of Microsoft. “Based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor, these systems will equip developers to create Metro-style apps and offer a rich set of hardware peripherals that plug in and help enable seamless user experiences on the Windows on ARM platform.”
Qualcomm, with Microsoft, is among those heading the shift to anytime, anywhere connectivity. The Snapdragon mobile processor will offer a combination of processing performance, rich multimedia, GPS, high-performance graphics, wireless connectivity and power efficiency with Windows on ARM. “Qualcomm is committed to the Windows on ARM ecosystem and knows that enabling developers is a crucial factor for its success,” said Luis Pineda, senior vice president of product management for computing and consumer products at Qualcomm. “We are now providing Snapdragon S4 test PCs with built-in 4G LTE, activated in some regions, to software application developers.”