At the Computex Taipei 2011 trade-show Advanced Micro Devices formally unveiled its first solution for personal computers in tablet form-factor code-named Desna and also revealed its forthcoming accelerated processing unit (APU) for slates due in 2012. The firm also showcased the first tablets based on the Desna APU from MicroStar International.

"Our third line up APU products is our reflection of the tablet market. The first one - Desna - will be available effectively this year. The next one code-named Hondo is a brand-new, something we have not previously disclosed. It will be tailored for tablets in terms of power consumption and performance," said Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager of products group at AMD.

AMD's code-named Desna APU will belong to AMD's Z-series lineup that is targeted specifically at tablets and similar devices. The first chip in the lineup is Z-01, which is a version of Ontario APU with reduced power consumption, clock-speeds and some other weeks. The AMD Z-01 is made using 40nm process technology, has two Bobcat cores at 1GHz clock-speed, has Radeon HD 6250 (80 stream processors) graphics core with 276MHz frequency as well as 5.9W.

AMD did not disclose any details about the forthcoming Hondo chip. Previously AMD promised to release code-named Wichita chip (which was supposed to be a version of code-named Krishna APU for netbooks and thin notebooks) for tablets in 2012. It is unclear whether Hondo will be a version of Krishna or a completely new design.

At the trade-show AMD and its partner MicroStar International also showcased the first slate-type personal computer based on the Z-01. While the slate PC is among the first x86-based tablets of the market, it may not actually become truly popular among the users of media tablets like Apple iPad, Motorola Xoom or Samsung Galaxy Tab. Still, many of those, who need Windows-based tablets, may find the device useful.

The MSI WindPad 110W is equipped with 10.1" screen with 1280x800 resolution, up to 64GB of flash memory, 2GB of DDR3 memory, sports USB, mini-HDMI, SD card reader, G-Sensor gravity detector, ALS light sensor, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth controllers. as well as other necessary things. The tablet weighs 850 grams, which is a lot for such form-factor, and has only six hours of battery life, which is similar compared to majority of higher-end notebooks and netbooks. The tablet uses Microsoft Windows 7 operating system.

Tags: AMD, Krishna, Wichita, Desna, Hondo, Brazos, Ontario