Monday at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Broadcom is unveiling the silicon component of that low-cost equation. The chipmaker announced three new Android 4.0-optimized integrated chipsets, combining one or multiple ARM (a armh) Cortex A9 processors with 3G radios. At the low-end is a package with a single 1 GHz processor and 7.5 Mbps HSPA modem, which Broadcom said is priced at feature phone levels. Robert Rango, Broadcom EVP and GM of its mobile and wireless group, said the pricing on mobile computing power are scaling so low, that anybody with a feature phone budget can soon afford a smartphone.

At the higher end are two 1.3 GHz dual-core chips with HSPA+ radios  — the key difference is one supports 1080p video while the other runs on 720p. The higher-resolution multimedia package is priced for devices in the $200 to $300 unsubsidized range, while the lower-resolution chip can scale all the way down to the $100 phone, Rango said.

The bottom line, Rango said, is that a handset vendor could replicate the specs and performance of the European Nexus in a phone priced $300 or less. In the U.S. where operators heavily subsidize devices, it’s easy to see the cost to the consumer dropping below $100. What’s even more compelling is the idea that carriers could soon start giving dual-core smartphones away for free with their standard two-year contracts.

All three chips are sampling today and will begin shipping in volumes to vendors in the second half of the year. That means we might see that $300 Nexus knock-off before the end of the year. Of course, by that point the industry will have scaled its next performance peak launching the first quad-core smartphones. Still, it’s amazing to see how quickly the top-line technologies of today are dropping down to the mass market.

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The tested phone appears to be LG’s X3, which is rumored to be running Nvidia’s Tegra 3 chip on a 4.7-inch high-definition touchscreen with Android 4.0.3. Those specifications are certainly viable, given that the next crop of flagship handsets will likely run the Ice Cream Sandwich-build of Android on either dual- or quad-core chips.

Even if these specifications are accurate, don’t fall into the trap of relying solely on benchmarks for a phone purchase. My own use of the Asus Transformer Prime — an Android 4.0 tablet that also runs on Nvidia’s Tegra 3 chip — does show a powerful device that benchmarks well, but not one that’s twice as fast as its peers on dual-core chips.

Why? Because very few mobile apps are optimized to take advantage of four processing cores. When optimized, I would expect to see a big performance gain, but that’s a future that may be a long time in coming. Many current Android apps aren’t even optimized for the large screen of a tablet, let alone the specific processor inside of a device.

For apps that are optimized, there are positive noticeable differences. Games optimized for the dozen graphics cores in the Tegra 3, for example, look stellar and provide a console gaming-like experience. You can see for yourself here.

When browsing or using a range of mobile apps, however, there’s little to no difference just yet. Quad-core mobile computing is a very positive step forward, for sure. At the moment, however, we’re waiting for software to catch up to the hardware advances. And that’s completely up to the developers, who, up to this point — at least for Android apps — haven’t been too quick to optimize their code.

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If the new Transformer arrives with the Google’s current software, it will surely see an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich, known as Android 4.0. That software refresh will do far more for the Android tablet market than more powerful hardware, thanks to new software features and user interface tweaks. I’m not suggesting that Nvidia’s silicon isn’t needed nor impressive. Early video demonstrations of the Kal-El chip — which also has a dozen graphics cores — show incredible game fluidity and superb lighting effects. As a hardware addict, I welcome the advanced chips that Nvidia and others are bringing to new devices. But hardware isn’t the problem.

If faster chips alone meant “winning” the tablet war, Android would have had the edge. When the first Android 3.0 tablet — Motorola’s Xoom — arrived in February, it had a dual-core chip. Apple’s iPad didn’t gain two cores until the April release of the iPad 2, but the Xoom didn’t even dent the tablet market compared the iPad: Motorola has shipped (not sold) 690,000 units in the first two fiscal quarters of availability, while Apple sold 11.12 million iPads in the last quarter alone. Motorola’s next investor call is later this month, so we’ll see if Xoom shipments have increased or not.

Why the huge difference in sales? For one, the Xoom’s hardware wasn’t quite complete as it took more than six months to bring the promised LTE mobile broadband radio to the tablet. But more importantly, the interface was fairly muddled and few software applications were created to take advantage of the form factor. Many existing Android smartphone apps ran on it, but added no extra benefit to go with the larger screen. The Xoom is just an example; no other Android 3.0 tablets have rivaled the iPad’s sales either. Even collectively, Android tablets are outsold by the iPad at least five-fold, if not more.

While hardware is still an important enabler of mobile devices, gone are the days when the “most powerful rigs” are the best. Software, services and user experience are equally valuable, if not more so. Until Android 4.0 arrives on tablets, all the computer cores in the world aren’t likely to radically change the mix of tablet sales by platform.

When Ice Cream Sandwich does arrive, that’s when Android will better compete with iOS in the tablet market, because all of the pieces of the successful tablet puzzle will be put together. Capable hardware in the form of chips from Nvidia and others combined with forward-thinking apps that take advantage of the hardware will start to make a difference. Add in Ice Cream Sandwich’s much improved, consistent Android user interface and then we’ll see if Android tablets are ready to take on the iPad.

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You can read the full white paper (PDF) here, but these highlights jumped out at me from my reading:

• The multi-core 1.5 to 2.5 GHz chips will be manufactured using a 28 nanometer process, which packs more circuits into a smaller chip, reduces heat and power requirements.
• The integrated modem will support numerous network types: LTE, HSPA, GSM, CMDA, EV-DO and more. This means handset makers will have the flexibility to use the S4 in devices for different network providers. Qualcomm took a similar approach with the MDM 6600 chip that powers the Apple iPhone 4; it supports CDMA and GSM networks, even though Applecreated specific iPhone 4 models for both AT&T and Verizon.
• The new Krait CPU uses dual-channel memory and boasts a 1.6 times performance boost over Qualcomm’s Scorpion CPU while enjoying a 25 to 40 percent power saving improvement. I expect that mobile devices built on this chip will still have to be charged daily in general, as we’ll just use the faster devices for more activities.
• The Adreno 225 GPU will be supported, offering a 50 percent boost to graphics processing power. It also supports Direct X 9.3 for Microsoft Windows 8
• The modem supports simultaneous CDMA voice with LTE data and is designed to work in common frequencies between 700 MHz through 2600 MHz.

Essentially the S4 and competing chips like it should provide a noticeable performance boost to mobile devices over the next 12 to 24 months while maintaining, or possibly improving, battery life. This power should correspond to higher resolution displays for advanced gaming and imaging applications.

I think back to the performance jump in my Nexus One; among the first smartphones with a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor. When it launched it felt like two steps ahead of the last generation of smartphones. Now, my venerable but trusty handset is getting lapped by handsets with speedy dual-core chips from Qualcomm, Texas Instruments and Nvidia.

And when the S4 arrives in high-end devices, the same performance jump will happen again. I, for one, can’t wait to see the applications that take advantage of the power brought by the new silicon.

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My favorite feature so far is the Super AMOLED Plus display. Even though it’s only 800×480 resolution, a number of folks I showed it to thought the display resolution rivaled the iPhone 4, due to the vivid, bright colors. Yes, the 4.3-inch display is big, but the thin nature of the smartphone makes it “feel” smaller and I have no problems putting the handset in a front pocket.

A dual-core 1.2 GHz processor powers Android 2.3.4 quite nicely; as you can see in the video, switching between tasks is fast. Image quality for still pictures is excellent and I’ll test some high-definition video soon. The front camera sensor is 2 megapixels, which worked great on a Google Talk video chat I had with my son.

The phone supports AT&T’s HSPA+ network up to 21 Mbps. A few sample speedtests have topped out around 4 Mbps down and 1.4 Mbps back up, but I live in a rural area with average network coverage so I’ll try some tests in other areas.

Note: In the video, I inadvertently refer to the internal storage at 16 MB; it’s actually 16 GB.

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This high-end handset was shown off by Motorola back in January at the Consumer Electronics Show, where Sanjay Jha, Motorola’s CEO, said it would launch in the second quarter of 2011. That didn’t happen, but Android enthusiasts on Verizon’s network may forgive the carrier based on the hardware features and functions in the Bionic:

• 1 GHz dual-core processor and 1 GB of RAM
• 4.3-inch qHD (960×540) touchscreen with antireflective coating
• 32 GB of storage: 16 GB internal, 16 GB microSD card (included)
• Google Android Gingerbread 2.3.4
• 8 megapixel auto-focus rear camera supporting 1080p video recording
• Front-facing camera for video chat over 4G, 3G or Wi-Fi networks

Similar to the Motorola Atrix that debuted earlier this year on AT&T’s network, Verizon will offer a lapdoc solution for the Bionic. The $300 accessory is an 11.6-inch notebook shell that is powered by the smartphone when docked. A $99 dock option charges the phone and pipes video to a connected HDTV.

Stay tuned for a first-look video and full review of the Droid Bionic; we have a review unit in-house and will follow up with more details and impressions of Verizon’s newest LTE smartphone.

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Android owners can hit Google’s Android Market to see if their handset is now supported, but here’s the current list as of today:

• Casio G’zOne Commando C771 with Android 2.2
• HTC Droid Incredible, Droid Incredible 2, EVO, EVO 3D, G2, Thunderbolt
• Lenovo IdeaPad Tablet
• LG Revolution
• Motorola Atrix, Droid, Droid X, Droid X2, Droid 2, Droid 3, Droid Charge
• Samsung Epic 4G, Galaxy S, Galaxy S 4G, Fascinate, Nexus S, Nexus S 4G

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The data on consumer tolerances for mobile website performance comes today from a Compuware survey of 4,014 mobile web users around the world. The report, dubbed “What Users Want From Mobile,” paints an unexpectedly dreary picture for the mobile web, even as more people are switching from feature phones to capable smartphones. The survey illustrates that the longer the load time of a mobile site, the higher the rate of abandonment: Seventy-four percent of mobile phone users won’t wait more than 5 seconds for a page load. A few other noteworthy data points from the free report, which also mentions mobile apps in passing:

• Almost half of those surveyed, 46 percent, said websites load more slowly on their phone than on the desktop.
• Nearly 60 percent of web users say they expect a website to load on their mobile phone in 3 seconds or less.
• An even 50 percent are only willing to wait 5 seconds or less for an application to load before exiting.
• More than 80 percent of mobile web users would access websites more often from their phone if the experience was as fast and reliable.
• Nearly half of mobile web users are unlikely to return to a website that they had trouble accessing from their phone, and 57 percent are unlikely to recommend the site.

Of note is that survey participants must own a mobile phone and have used it at least once in the past year. That means owners of web-enabled feature phones could be skewing the results downward.

Fortunately, some help is on the way: This year is shaping up to be the coming-out party for dual-core chips and 4G networks. Most new high-end handsets arriving today are powered by processors with two computing cores clocked at 1 GHz or better, which provides a noticeable performance boost over last year’s smartphones: Web pages can render much faster with these chips. And although T-Mobile and Sprint led the 4G charge prior to this year — depending on your definition of 4G, that is — networks are now seeing upgrades that can provide download speeds of 12 Mbps or more on a mobile device.

It’s going to take time before most consumers have smartphones with multiple cores and 4G radios, however. And that means businesses trying to establish themselves on the mobile web need to manage what they control, which is the actual code for their mobile website. While you’d expect it to be fairly obvious that web developers should optimize their code for use on handsets, the data from Compuware’s survey puts a relatively detailed level of measurement as to why it really matters. Maturing smartphone hardware and mobile broadband networks will surely help, but businesses shouldn’t rely on them to solve all of their mobile web problems.

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Among the highlighted features and specifications:

• 1 GHz dual-core processor
• 4-inch display, 960×540 (qHD) resolution
• Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system
• 8 megapixel rear camera with 8x zoom, LED flash, autofocus, 1080p (30 fps) video capture
• Front-facing camera for video chat
• 16 GB of internal storage, microSD expansion slot supporting 32 GB additional storage
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• GSM/HSPA support in up to 200 countries

With the improved display, dual-core processor, and GSM support for those that need it, the Droid 3 looks to be a worthy upgrade over the Droid 2. Adding a dedicated number row on the keyboard is a nice touch as well. I do wonder if Motorola is at risk for the old RAZR effect, however. Motorola focused on numerous minor variations of that popular smartphone and designed little else that inspired during the time of the RAZR. On paper, the new Droid 3 looks to be the pinnacle of design and hardware for the Droid line, so where will Motorola take it now?

That question will be answered in the long run, but a more timely question awaits: How will new customers react to and deal with the new tiered data plans from Verizon with the purchase of a Droid 3? Based on the limited noise generated when AT&T dropped unlimited plans for new customers last year, I suspect that few will balk, but it’s worth watching. And to Verizon’s credit, the company made a second announcement on Thursday: It will shoot free text messages to smartphone customers when their data usage hits thresholds of 50, 75, 90, 100, and 110 percent of their monthly plan limits.

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Most discussions of enterprise mobility focus exclusively on the benefits of giving mobile workers access to corporate data, networks and applications. In theory, that means making workers more productive while saving on capital equipment costs. In practice, enterprise mobility often forces a choice between corporate security, or worker productivity and personal freedom.

Mobile workers around the world increasingly prefer to use their own smartphones, tablets, and other wireless devices for both professional and personal communications and computing. This consumerization of enterprise IT, a natural consequence of smartphone and mobile applications growth, puts new pressures on companies to accommodate and secure employee-owned mobile devices.

Historically, IT security concerns have resulted in employee mobile devices running the RIM (BlackBerry) operating system or Microsoft Windows variants as the primary “supported” mobile devices in corporate environments. However, the overwhelming popularity of new devices including the iPhone, iPad and a wide range of Android smartphones has resulted in employees increasingly sneaking their own personal devices into the workplace.

A number of technical and process-based approaches are commercially available to address requirements for enterprise mobility security. Currently, enterprise IT looks to Mobile Device Management (MDM) and endpoint security technologies such as encryption and anti-virus software, to bolster enterprise mobility. These technologies are necessary and powerful, but leave critical requirements unmet. In particular, MDM and endpoint security rely on the integrity of the underlying smartphone operating system (OS) and software stack, which are still vulnerable to exploits. Even the security software that protects the device may be susceptible, threatening both the integrity of the mobile device and any information that passes through it.

Many of these company-imposed restrictions also make mobile devices too cumbersome for personal use, limiting productivity and increasing corporate vulnerability as users ditch the proper procedures. Implementing enterprise security policy usually entails restrictions on freedom to fully use the capabilities of the device (e.g., blacklisting online destinations, curtailing application download and use). The unfortunate result is that employees continue to carry a second, personal device, leaving many benefits of enterprise mobility unrealized.

Enter mobile virtualization

In data centers, virtualization separates the hardware from the software running on it, allowing for consolidation of separate, disparate physical systems into multiple virtual machines on one server. Mobile virtualization effects a similar consolidation by merging multiple dedicated embedded processors onto a single CPU.

Mobile virtualization provides a secure, isolated and robust run-time environment for programs (including operating systems), which is indistinguishable from actual “bare metal” hardware. This environment is called a virtual machine (VM). The virtual machines can become a container for guest software, imitating computer hardware and isolating guests from one another. Providing the virtual machine environment and managing VM resources is a software layer called a hypervisor.

Enterprise desktop virtualization programs are typically application-level (Type II) hypervisors: They let users run additional OSes and applications, such as Windows on MacOS, or Linux on Windows. But, to be effective and truly secure, mobile virtualization should employ Type I hypervisors, “bare metal” technology comparable to blade and server virtualization in the enterprise data center.

Not all Type I hypervisors are created equal. Some mobile virtualization platforms offer superior performance and finer granularity than others. A smaller trusted compute base and stricter hardware-enforced separation among virtual machines assures a more secure mobile virtualization solution. The fine-grained “capabilities” available with some hypervisors make it easier for integrators and architects to configure and control communication among virtual machines, without compromising performance or security.

Such fine-grained control allows mobile system designers to expose select characteristics of a shared devices (e.g., a sound chip or wireless interface) giving one trusted guest OS full read/write permissions to it, but more restricted access to a second untrusted guest, either directly or through a virtual device driver. Access controls like these are fast and hardware-enforced using processor-based memory management, and impose little or no power consumption or response-time overhead.

Mobile virtualization software itself (a microvisor), also imposes minimal cost in the software bill of materials of a smartphone or other mobile device, and, in fact, can substantially reduce those costs in three ways. First, consolidating multiple CPUs onto a single chipset saves on silicon. Second, systems with fewer hardware components cost less to test and are inherently more reliable, improving manufacturing yields and margins. Third, fewer components draw less power, allowing use of smaller, cheaper batteries or letting users squeeze more life and talk time.

These savings are more than just “cost shavings.” – Tear-downs from OK Labs and industry analysts show that mobile hardware consolidation can yield savings of upwards of $65 on total device expenses of $150-$250. Such steep cost reduction improves margins, makes smart devices more accessible, and even opens new segments for affordable “mass market” smartphones.

Dump the dual-phone lifestyle

Effective enterprise mobility rests on three pillars: security, privacy, and freedom to fully use the capabilities of the device. Of the various options for implementing enterprise mobility securely while preserving end-user privacy and freedom, only mobile virtualization consistently balances all three pillars. Other solutions attempt to implement the form of dual persona functionality, but miss the substance of underlying security, and of preserving privacy and freedom.

Mobile virtualization lets enterprise IT secure access to enterprise assets and services, while ensuring user privacy and preserving intact smartphone user experience. All on a single off-the-shelf smartphone or tablet! And, mobile virtualization lets users adopt the mobile device of their choice, while allowing corporate IT departments to manage sensitive data on those devices with enterprise-level security and compliance.

Steve Subar is founder and CEO of Open Kernel Labs.

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