LONDON, UK: Qualcomm has delayed working on a votive dual-core Snapdragon processor for smart books from 2009 to the second-half of 2010.

The device called Snapdragon QSD8672 dual-core, is centered with two Scorpion cores which is based on the ARM Cortex-A8. Under an architectural license, Qualcomm modified the dual core system.

In the year 2008, the company declared its plans for the QSD8672 and thus stated that by the second-half of 2009, the chip would be manufactured on a 45-nm process, with a capability of 1.5-GHz clock frequency.

Unfortunately, they could not realize their plans which in turn delayed the MSM8260 and MSM8660.

It was also delayed from Q4 of 2009 and were the first dual-core Snapdragons to emerge from Qualcomm. The MSM devices, executed on 45-nm, can operate at a clock frequency of up to 1.2-GHz.

According to Mark Frankel, vice president of product management at the Computer and Consumer Product Group of Qualcomm's QCT division, MSM prefix indicates that the chips are meant for the smartphone market whereas the QSD prefix indicates that the chips are intended for smart books.

But this does not mean that QSD chip will never appear in a mobile phone or vice versa. Throughout the course of design, the QSD8672 Qualcomm had changed its primacies. Mark said that the computer market for ARM was in a budding state, as the chips were planned and developed.

There is a need to prioritize and reschedule it internally to make it more compatible with the software and as a result, MSM dual-cores are sampling prior to the QSD. QSD8672 would be unveiled later this year. Mark added that there is a date for the release and the customers know what it is.