In software engineering, a compatibility layer is an interface that allows binaries for a legacy or foreign system to run on a host system. This translates system calls for the foreign system into native system calls for the host system. With some libraries for the foreign system, this will often be sufficient to run foreign binaries on the host system. A hardware compatibility layer consists of tools that allow hardware emulation.
The Quick Emulator (QEMU) is a free and open-source emulator that uses dynamic binary translation to emulate a computer's processor; that is, it translates the emulated binary codes to an equivalent binary format which is executed by the machine. It provides a variety of hardware and device models for the virtual machine, enabling it to run different guest operating systems. QEMU can be used with a Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) to emulate hardware at near-native speeds. Additionally, it supports user-level processes, allowing applications compiled for one processor architecture to run on another.
OmniBook is a brand for a line of laptop computers originally produced by Hewlett-Packard and currently marketed by its successor, HP Inc. HP first introduced the brand as a line of business-oriented laptops and notebooks produced between 1993 and 2002.
Adreno is a series of graphics processing unit (GPU) semiconductor intellectual property cores developed by Qualcomm and used in many of their SoCs.
Snapdragon is a suite of system-on-chip (SoC) semiconductor products for mobile devices designed and marketed by Qualcomm, who often refers to these SoCs as "mobile platforms". They typically integrate central processing units (CPU) based on the ARM architecture, a graphics processing unit (GPU), some digital signal processors (DSP), and may or may not include a cellular modem. Snapdragon semiconductors are designed for embedded systems, e.g., smartphones, netbooks, and vehicles. In addition to the processors, the lineup also includes modems, Wi-Fi chips and mobile charging products.
The Veer was a smartphone announced by HP on February 9, 2011. The device used HP webOS, was powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, and had a 2.6-inch screen. The device was notable for its credit card-sized dimensions. The device was seen as the successor in the Palm line-up to the Pixi and earlier Centro models.
Windows RT is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft and released alongside Windows 8 on October 26, 2012. It is a version of Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 built for the 32-bit ARM architecture (ARMv7), designed to take advantage of the architecture's power efficiency to allow for longer battery life, to use system-on-chip (SoC) designs to allow for thinner devices and to provide a "reliable" experience over time. Unlike Windows 8, Windows RT was only available as preloaded software on devices specifically designed for the operating system by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs); Microsoft launched its own hardware running it, the Surface tablet, which was followed by Surface 2, although only five models running Windows RT were released by third-party OEMs throughout its lifetime.
The Nokia Lumia 2520 is a Windows RT tablet computer originally developed by Nokia. It is Nokia's first and only Windows-based tablet, and the company's first tablet since its Nokia Internet Tablet line. Sharing its design and marketed with the Nokia Lumia series of Windows Phone products, the device incorporates a quad-core Snapdragon 800 chip with 4G LTE support, along with a 10.1-inch (26 cm) 1080p display and an optional "Power Keyboard" dock adding additional battery capacity, USB ports, and a physical hardware keyboard. Following a period of speculation and leaks, the Lumia 2520 was officially unveiled on 22 October 2013, and released in North America on 21 November 2013.
The Nokia X family was a range of budget smartphones that was produced and marketed by Microsoft Mobile, originally introduced in February 2014 by Nokia. The smartphones run on the Nokia X platform, a Linux-based operating system which was a fork of Android. Nokia X is also known generally as the Nokia Normandy. It is regarded as Nokia's first Android device during the company's Microsoft partnership and was in the process of selling its mobile phone business to Microsoft, which eventually happened two months later.
The HTC Desire 626 is a mid-range Android smartphone released by HTC in 2015. It comes in single SIM and dual SIM models.
Qualcomm Kryo is a series of custom or semi-custom ARM-based CPUs included in the Snapdragon line of SoCs.
The Surface Duo is a discontinued dual-touchscreen Android smartphone manufactured by Microsoft. Announced during a hardware-oriented event on October 2, 2019, and officially released on September 10, 2020, it is part of the Microsoft Surface series of touchscreen hardware devices, and the first device in the line that does not run Windows. It also marks Microsoft's first smartphone since the dissolution of Microsoft Mobile and the Windows Phone platform.
The Surface Pro X is a 2-in-1 detachable tablet computer developed by Microsoft. It was developed alongside and was announced on 2 October 2019 alongside the Surface Pro 7 and Surface Laptop 3. Updated hardware was announced alongside Surface Laptop Go and Surface accessories on October 1, 2020 and September 22, 2021. The device starts at $899.99 USD / £849.99.
Windows 11 is the latest major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system, released on October 5, 2021 as the successor to Windows 10 (2015). It is provided free for any Windows 10 devices that meet the new Windows 11 system requirements. A server version, Windows Server 2025, was released in 2024. Windows 11 is the first major version of Windows NT without a companion mobile version following the discontinuations of Windows Phone with Windows 10 Mobile.
Samsung Galaxy F52 5G is a mid-range Android smartphone manufactured by Samsung Electronics as part of the Galaxy F series. It is the first 5G-capable device in the Galaxy F series. It was announced in May 2021 in China and is the first phone in the Galaxy F series to be available in China.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is a 2-in-1 detachable tablet computer developed by Microsoft to supersede the Surface Pro 8 and Surface Pro X, merging both brands. The device was announced on October 12, 2022 introducing two new colors and alongside the Surface Laptop 5 and Surface Studio 2+. The tablet is powered by the new Windows 11 operating system, and features 12th generation Intel Core processors or the ARM-based Microsoft SQ3 processor on 5G models.
Windows Dev Kit 2023 is an ARM-based compact desktop computer for software developers, developed by Microsoft. It was announced during the Build conference on May 24, 2022, and was released on October 24, 2022.
The Surface Laptop is a laptop computer developed by Microsoft. It is the seventh generation of Surface Laptop, and was unveiled alongside the Surface Pro. It is the first Surface Laptop released for Windows on ARM. It is also the first Surface Laptop with a built-in NPU designed for generative AI, via Microsoft Copilot+
Lunar Lake is the codename for Core Ultra 200V Series mobile processors designed by Intel, released in September 2024. It is a successor to Meteor Lake which saw Intel move from monolithic silicon to a disaggregated MCM design.
