Samsung’s first dual core handset, the Galaxy S II, is due to arrive soon, but there may be variants: Some will use Samsung’s CPU, while others will use Nvidia’s Tegra 2. Is this situation another example of potential fragmentation in the fast-growing smartphone market? Read more »
When it comes to mobile devices, the gigahertz race is just beginning. Here’s why phones and tablets will need 4 GHz or even 10 GHz processors. The answers range from gesture controls to virtualization, but the computer of the future is mobile, connected and fast. Read more »
Hewlett-Packard’s introduction of new webOS handsets and tablets has gadget geeks’ hearts a-flutter, but the happiest folks may be those at Qualcomm: Their new Snapdragon chip is powering HP’s tablet, and they won the chip business away from TI for new webOS phones. Here’s why. Read more »
Qualcomm introduced a new peer-to-peer communication technology today to allow devices to connect to one another to share broadband speeds. Dubbed, FlashLinq the technology is one of several attempt to change the way devices connect–creating a more distributed and more resilient network. Read more »
Could we see an apps store for smart meters take off in the future? SmartSynch, the company championing cellular smart meters, is trying it out with Qualcomm’s Brew MP operating platform. Read more »
Our phones have shifted from devices designed for phone calls to computers that connect us to the web, and in the years ahead they will also become the means people capture physical and analog data about the world around them and transfer it to the web. Read more »
They say, when it comes to technology, a lot can happen in a month. Indeed! Being offline for three weeks, I have come back to a different tech landscape which means Eric Schmidt is no longer running Google and even the Facebook movie is a smash-hit. Read more »
As the network rises in importance, Qualcomm wants to give every piece of it on the consumer side a sliver of intelligence (and maybe even an application processor in items such as set-top-boxes or residential gateways) and take a cut of the licensing revenue in return. Read more »
Qualcomm is reportedly in talk to buy Atheros, a rival wireless chipmaker in a deal valued at $3.5 billion, according to the New York Times. The deal enables Qualcomm to move beyond its cellular base and into wireless technologies gaining ground in the home and elsewhere. Read more »
Changes are shaping worldwide mobile video market as consumers make their selections for how they view video and TV on mobile devices, and as viable business models for delivery surface. This report, the second in a two-part series devoted to exploring mobile video, covers global use of mobile TV and video services delivered to a variety of devices via cellular and broadcast networks for the period 2011-2015. It forecasts three types of business models for delivering mobile video: free-to-air, cellular tv and unicast video. Companies mentioned in this report include Hulu, YouTube, MobiTV, KDDI, LG, Samsung and Qualcomm. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Qualcomm announced it would sell the spectrum it had been using for its FLO TV mobile video service to AT&T today. FLO TV has long been expected to fail, and here are the top five reasons it never really got off the ground. Read more »
FLO TV, Qualcomm’s mobile video network is expected to be shut down in March 2011. The San Diego-based chip maker is selling the 700 MHz spectrum that propped up the nationwide mobile video network to AT&T for $1.925 billion, a move that help AT&T’s 4G efforts. Read more »
Mobile video accounts for a very small fraction of the overall U.S. mobile data market, despite on-the-go video and mobile TV receiving as much hype as any other area in the space. This report — the first in a two-part series on mobile video — examines what we can learn from the failures of mobile video to find a sizable audience so far, which challenges will continue to hinder the market in the coming years and the opportunities that will increasingly exist. The iPhone, Android devices and other multimedia-friendly handsets offer more screen real estate and higher resolution than previously possible, while the move toward 4G will help carriers deliver higher quality video more consistently. Even so, the challenges in this market are many, and mobile devices will likely always be inferior to set-top boxes, desktop computers and laptops when it comes to delivering a quality viewing experience. And because video consumes so much bandwidth on mobile networks, uptake will surely be impacted as carriers move away from all-you-can-eat data plans. The industry must, then, find other ways to monetize video in mobile, and without clogging already taxed cellular networks. Most importantly, it must develop viable business models for implementing video in ways that make sense for the consumer, the content owner and the network operator. Companies mentioned in this report include AT&T, Sprint, Apple, Google, Research in Motion, Qualcomm and Samsung. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Two months after Qualcomm decided to shut down its FLO TV service comes some good news for subscribers: The company will pro-rated refunds for the portable television service, and also give money back on device purchases. Too bad my HD-DVD player didn’t get the same treatment. Read more »
The effort by broadcasters to bring an over the air televison (like a mobile phone version of a Sony WatchMan) continues with a group of 12 broadcasters today announcing plans to upgrade TV stations in 20 markets so they can deliver live video to portable devices. Read more »
Qualcomm announced plans for the 2011 next-generation Snapdragon processor, making this year’s chips look stale. The new Snapdragon promises five-times-greater performance, a fourfold boost in graphics and multi-mode support for both 3G and LTE networks, all with a 75 percent reduction in power use. Read more »
Two noted analysts are predicting good times for Qualcomm, and not just because the chipmaker provides the processing and connectivity for many of the top-rated Android handsets. Qualcomm is ready to add sales of 10 million more chips per quarter by powering the CDMA Apple iPhone. Read more »
Smart grid trade show GridWeek is wrapping up in Washington D.C., but the hard work of integrating all the hardware and software on display has just begun. Read more »
Fundamental changes in networking and computing are leading to new business models, new services and shifts in corporate and consumer behavior. It’s also leading to a lot of M&A activity as companies jockey for position before the ongoing technology shift settles into the new status quo. Read more »
Broadcom is getting into the 4G cellular radio game with its planned acquisition of chipmaker Beceem announced today. Broadcom, which makes a variety of radios used ion cell phones, computers and other electronics said it will pay $316 million for the Santa Clara, Calif.-based startup. Read more »
The Qualcomm Innovation Center today announced it has purchased iSkoot, a San Francisco-based startup that offers mobile application services primarily to feature phones. With the acquisition, Qualcomm can feed feature phones with data-friendly proxy services, RSS, email, VoIP functions, real-time notifications and social networking software. Read more »
While augmented reality proponents have tried to push the edge of the technology with limited success, they’re now making a concerted effort to empower developers to incorporate AR into their apps. It’s a bet that developers can help AR can finally find a home in consumer’s lives. Read more »
Qualcomm is looking to shut down FLO TV after failing to find a buyer for the mobile video service. While the mobile spectrum that the service runs on will surely be valuable, the shutdown may be a warning sign for other dedicated mobile video services. Read more »
Qualcomm, the San Diego-based chip maker is going to finally see its much vaunted Mirasol color displays come to market in early 2011. The displays were supposed to launch in 2010. Read more »
As the demand on wireless networks increase thanks to more data consumption and more smart phones how can operators manage it, and will LTE be enough are the questions facing wireless operators as well as those building products as mobile devices meet cloud based applications. Read more »
It’s not just the bandwidth on mobile networks that slows your mobile browsing down; sometimes it’s the processor that prevents your phone from providing the full and best mobile experience, Steve Mollenkopf, EVP and general manager of CDMA Technologies at Qualcomm, said at Mobilize today. Read more »
Line losses are now the single greatest threat to the mobile sector’s growth, and major carriers must overcome the ceiling under which they now find themselves and the growth of their business. The solution lies not in voice-centric mobile devices but with new non-phone data-consuming devices like tablets, e-readers and machine-to-machine technology like digital picture frames, personal navigation devices and more. Tier 1 carriers — Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile — face a number of challenges, including a lack of control over distribution, disruptions to traditional pricing models and the unique nature of M2M deployments. For them, success will rely on experimenting with business models and the ability to quickly adjust data plans to drive profitability and growth. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Nine months after Apple introduced the iPad, Qualcomm has finally admitted that the smartbook market it envisioned is essentially dead. Amid much criticism, I explained in January how Apple beat everyone to this market and that it simply wouldn’t matter what features iPad was missing. Read more »
An HTC smartphone with multiple cores is reportedly in the works, based on results found from a benchmark testing website. A powerful chip — likely from Qualcomm — would be welcome in smartphones, but might be better suited to Android tablets compete against Apple’s iPad. Read more »
Qualcomm has much to fear from Intel, which is attempting to gain a foothold in the mobile market even as Qualcomm looks upmarket to computers. However, MediaTek, a Taiwanese baseband provider that today signed an agreement to license LTE technology, should have Qualcomm more worried. Read more »
