Transmeta (Semiconductor) (TMTA)

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Thanks chipguy for reiterating the Internet links. I too have heard that the Crusoe is similar to the PIII-M but until now I did not officially realize that aside from the smaller size the Crusoe actually performs at half the clock rate of the PIII-M. I guess that perception is everything. Many in my company find that the portable TC1000 tablet PC keeps up just fine and many times equal to the prior purchased P4 workstations that are currently use in our office.

Maybe much of the misconception is based on published benchmarks that are strictly focused on the significance of first time software load time thus ignoring the actual execution time. This is a common misconception from many not familiar with the behavior of Transmeta processors. In fact that is why Transmeta Crusoe looks so weak using many of the standard benchmarks.

Don’t get me wrong because I fully appreciate your assertion that the Banias is shown to outperform because of a faster clock speed. My question is how long do you anticipate it will be until a Centrino chipset will fit into a tiny mobile computer e.g. the OQO or Antelope Computer Core? Is Intel steadfast on strictly focusing on balls to the wall performance or will they step back and commit to producing a CPU that can be encased in a tiny form factor that is completely void of a fan? I tend to ask this question because I personally think that the compact and fully functional form factor is due to soon materialize into a rather significant market. I have read that Sharp ultimately chose the Crusoe in their thin laptop because that was the only alternative; OQO stated a similar testimony. I may be wrong but at this point it seems to me that in the foreseeable future the Efficeon will only perpetuate this compact, thin, light, and fanless trend that may soon become the next technical pop culture phenomenon.

119.