Sandbridge Technologies' SB3010 chips are flexible enough to handle a wide range of protocols, multimedia and application processing, which would enable handset makers to built multifunction handsets using a single chip, driving costs down.

ENGADGET: Sandbridge Technologies develops programmable cellphone chip

During basic testing of real-world use (web surfing, multimedia playback, word processing, etc.), it was as zippy as we could hope.

ENGADGET: Sony VAIO TT: unboxing, hands-on and impressions Hands-on

But Microsoft had identified others, including Sun Microsystems's Java technologies, Intel's Native Signal Processing, and multimedia playback software developed by Apple and RealNetworks.

ECONOMIST: Busted | The

Other shortcomings of HTML5 in comparison to native applications include the fact that it presently lacks the DRM (Digital Rights Management) needed for many multimedia services, does not support background processing, and is missing secure storage and notifications outside of applications.

FORBES: HTML5 Vs. Native Mobile Apps: Myths and Misconceptions

Consumer demand has shifted to more sophisticated mobile devices with greater processing power, slimmer designs, larger displays and advanced multimedia features.

ENGADGET: Audience eS515 Smart Sound Processor brings three-mic support and selective audio capture to phones

Spun out from Philips Electronics in 2007, Silicon Hive specializes in paralell processing designs that can be built into the system-on-chip products at the heart of multimedia-friendly consumer electronics devices.

FORBES: Intel Snaps Up Mobile Multimedia Specialist Silicon Hive

Featuring dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M graphics processing units (GPUs) with NVIDIA SLI technology, the eX-L 18 brings your games and multimedia to life with brilliant 3D graphics and movies in 1080p HD resolution.

ENGADGET: Maingear's eX-L 18 grabs for "world's most powerful gaming laptop" title