02/24, 7:28pm
New chipset allows for better communication in congested environments
Semiconductor solutions provider Broadcom today introduced the industry's first 5G Wi-Fi (802.11ac) 2x2 Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) system-on-a-chip (SoC) for smartphones. The Broadcom BCM4354 SoC will enable manufacturers to deliver twice the Wi-Fi performance of 1x1 MIMO devices used in smartphones today while improving system power efficiency up to 25 percent when using wireless applications.
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02/23, 12:25pm
OEM program, cheaper parts to attract more developers and markets
With the announcement of the next Windows Phone update coming later this year, Microsoft has teamed with Qualcomm in order to expand access to phone creation during a session at Mobile World Congress. The company is pushing to bring the cost of their phones down to appeal to lower-priced markets in hopes of attracting more partners.
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02/20, 6:37am
HTC smart watch will be shown privately at Mobile World Congress
HTC will be showing part of a collection of smart watches behind closed doors at Mobile World Congress next week, according to a report. Bloomberg claims the company will use the trade show to demonstrate two prototype watches, one of which is apparently based on the Qualcomm Toq offering the same low-powered Mirasol display, Bluetooth connectivity, and music playback functionality.
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01/24, 5:30am
1,400 US patents and applications bought by Qualcomm
Processor producer Qualcomm has acquired a considerable haul of patents from HP, including some originally from the portfolios of iPAQ, Bitfone, and Palm. Though the sale price was not revealed by the company in a statement, it did reveal that the purchase includes approximately 1,400 granted patents and pending applications from the United States, and another 1,000 from other countries.
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01/07, 6:47pm
Formula E race car makes first public demo in Las Vegas
The CES in Las Vegas hosted the first public showing of the FIA Formula E race car. The series, which kicks off in this September in Beijing, will feature 10 teams competing for the championship on city courses throughout the world, with the cars powered entirely by electric motors.
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01/02, 12:07pm
Injection molding process allegedly to blame
Several wearable electronic devices -- namely the Apple iWatch and the Qualcomm Toq -- are seeing yield rates below 50 percent in manufacturing, supply chain sources claim. The trouble is said to involve surface treatments for metal injection-molded (MIM) chassis. While MIM used to be applied to internal designs, MIM is increasingly being used for external parts as well, requiring extra surface work. This appears to be at odds with the high quantities companies like Apple are demanding.
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12/17, 10:41am
Unveiling set off panic at Qualcomm
Apple reportedly "stunned" chipmakers when it introduced the iPhone 5s' A7 system-on-chip (SoC) in September, as the first company to embrace 64-bit architecture for mobile platforms. In a HubSpot blog post from Dan Lyons, which was spotted by AppleInsider, an unnamed source within Samsung noted that Apple's announcement was widely downplayed by competitors "but it set off panic in the industry."
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12/10, 9:17am
Bluetooth LE continues retail push
Less than a week after Apple began deploying its iBeacon technology inside US retail stores, Qualcomm has launched its own alternative. Known as Gimbal, Qualcomm's proximity beacons also take advantage of low-power Bluetooth LE to help retailers optimize their smartphone-enhanced shopping experience as customers move throughout a store.
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12/10, 7:19am
Platform for interconnected devices based on Qualcomm Toq app software
A group of companies have banded together to help foster the adoption of interconnected devices, also known as the "Internet of Things" or the "Internet of Everything." Announced by the Linux Foundation, members of the AllSeen Alliance hope to work together on building a software platform for all of the devices to connect and communicate across.
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12/09, 10:47pm
New chipset allows for inexpensive worldwide 4G handset
Qualcomm today announced the Snapdragon 410 chipset with integrated 4G LTE World Mode. The new Snapdragon 410 chipsets are manufactured using a 28nm process technology and feature processors that are 64-bit capable -- the first since Apple leapfrogged its rivals with the 64-bit A7 -- along with accelerated graphics performance with the Adreno 306 GPU, 1080p video playback, and up to a 13 megapixel camera. Snapdragon 410 chipsets integrate 4G LTE and 3G cellular connectivity for all major modes and frequency bands across the globe and include support for Dual and Triple SIM.
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11/26, 7:54am
Mirasol smart watch could ship long after original December 2 target
Qualcomm has opened up pre-orders for its Toq smartwatch, ahead of its December 2nd shipping date. The smart watch now appears in the Qualcomm online store as available to buy, though the component producer does advise that the device will be shipping "within 1-3 weeks," meaning that some customers may face a considerable wait for their order.
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11/20, 11:13am
Chip supports 4K recording, local playback, output to TV
Qualcomm has introduced its next-generation flagship Snapdragon processor, which brings support for Ultra HD features. The Snapdragon 805 is said to be capable of recording 4K video from the device's integrated camera, with support for 4K stream decoding and playback on a high-resolution mobile display or via a connected 4K television.
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11/18, 10:23am
Toq smartwatch uses low-power Mirasol display, boasts multi-day battery life
Qualcomm will be releasing its own interpretation of the smart watch at the beginning of next month. The Qualcomm Toq uses a low-power Mirasol display, something which will help the always-on device to have what is claimed by the company to be "multiple days of battery life," while also remaining visible in bright sunlight.
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11/05, 11:01am
Uses single LTE chipset for all US carriers
In spite of shifting to more advanced components, the iPad Air is actually cheaper to build than the third-generation iPad was, according to a teardown by IHS iSuppli. The cost is estimated to be between $274 and $361 per unit, depending on the exact configuration. The base cost is $42 less than it was for the third-gen iPad. One contributing factor is the A7 processor, which while costing $18 per unit, is still $5 less than an A5 processor was 18 months ago.
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11/01, 7:02pm
Qualcomm may team with equity firm on BlackBerry buy
Qualcomm may be in talks to partner with Cerberus Capital Management to enter a bid to take over struggling Canadian smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry. A report in The Wall Street Journal pegs the chipmaking giant and the private equity firm as latest parties to be considering a takeover of BlackBerry, which has been stuck in a downward spiral in the face of tough competition from Apple and manufacturers of devices running Google's Android operating system. The deal would lash Qualcomm tighter to one of its customers, as BlackBerry already relies on Qualcomm to supply chips that go into its underperforming smartphones.
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10/09, 12:59pm
Says industry 'moving in the direction of 64-bit'
Qualcomm's PR department has issued a statement retracting a recent jab at Apple's A7 processor, made by chief marketing officer Anand Chandrasekher. In an interview with IDG News last week, Chandrasekher called the A7's 64-bit architecture a "marketing gimmick," arguing that it has little to no benefit for the public at the moment. "Predominantly ...you need it [64-bit] for memory addressability beyond 4GB [the iPhone 5s has 1GB of RAM]. That's it. You don't really need it for performance, and the kinds of applications that 64-bit get used in mostly are large, server-class applications."
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10/02, 6:28am
ITC complaint victory by Nokia forces changes in HTC One, others
HTC is being forced to change the design of the HTC One yet again, along with other devices in its range, in order to avoid more legal trouble from Nokia. Following the first stage victory of Nokia in its ITC complaint against HTC, the manufacturer is now working on a way to improve the HTC One's radio components, without infringing on Nokia's patents.
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09/04, 9:00pm
Cross platform development expected, SDK released before end of 2013
At Qualcomm's Uplinq event held earlier today, the company announced media streaming protocol Qualcomm AllPlay. The new effort by Qualcomm is a cross-platform streaming solution to make it simple for "media equipment makers and content providers to deliver wireless streaming of local and cloud-based content across brands or platforms enabled by the AllPlay solution" according to the company.
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09/04, 3:31pm
Toq compatible with Android 4.0.2 and up, available later in 2013
Qualcomm Connected Experiences, a division of Qualcomm, today announced that it will release a smartwatch sometime in the fourth quarter of 2013. Designed to serve as a second display to a smartphone, the Qualcomm Toq ('talk') smartwatch will feature the new Qualcomm Mirasol display technology, a reflective, low-power display that enables an always-on viewing experience, wireless charging by Qualcomm WiPower LE technology, and stereo Bluetooth audio, all while offering its wearer long battery life with seamless connectivity to their smartphone.
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08/21, 12:14pm
Technology companies working on cheaper Internet access plans
A group of technology companies have grouped together to launch a new initiative to bring Internet access to parts of the global population that do not have it. The collective, consisting of Ericsson, MediaTek, Nokia, Opera, Qualcomm, Samsung and led by Facebook, launched Internet.org and will work together on projects to provide access to those without an Internet connection.
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08/16, 7:11am
Previously showed 1.5-inch always-on Mirasol display panel for watches
Qualcomm has registered a new trademark, relating to smart watches. The filings for Qualcomm TOQ, on June 26th and July 17th of this year, suggest that the chip producer is looking into either making components or complete smart watches in the future, bringing it in line with other manufacturers believed to be creating their own.
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08/01, 1:17pm
Floorplan data for over 50,000 buildings in 69 countries passed to Qualcomm
Nokia is working with Qualcomm on solving the indoor mapping problem, by supplying its collection of floor plans and indoor map data. Qualcomm will use the venue maps with its IZat indoor location system to improve its overall accuracy, in order to locate mobile devices to within three to five meters (10 to 16 feet) inside a building.
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07/30, 12:46pm
Three storage capacity options, 2GB RAM, 8MP camera on 8.9-inch model touted
Amazon will be using Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors in the next generation of Kindle Fire HD tablets, according to a report. Sources state that the quad-core Qualcomm processors, clocked at around 2GHz, will be supported by 2GB of RAM in both the 7-inch and 8.9-inch versions of the tablet, and would bring the mobile device range in line with the more recent versions Google, Samsung, and Apple tablets.
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07/30, 10:29am
Three to five similar deals to follow miniature base station agreement
Qualcomm has signed an agreement with Alcatel-Lucent to work together on creating small base stations for phone networks. The deal, which involves Qualcomm gaining a five-percent stake in Alcatel-Lucent in exchange for around 100 million euro ($132.8 million) in research funding, could help turn around the telecom equipment manufacturer's troubling finances.
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07/29, 11:34am
Position has some political support
The BSA -- a group representing technology companies like Oracle, Intel, and Microsoft -- has taken a position against banning products based on infringements of standards-essential patents, a Wall Street Journal article notes. The move appears to have been spurred by a possible ITC ban of some older AT&T-model iPhones and iPads. Samsung scored the ruling in a complaint against Apple.
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07/10, 7:36am
Next-gen ARM-based chips ramping to 3GHz in 2014
ARM processors will be ramping clock speeds to 3GHz in 2014, a statement by the company reveals. Currently, its high-end chip designs for 2013 are being fabricated on a 28nm process. Chips like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 and the Nvidia Tegra 4i, built using ARM designs, are fabricated on a 28nm process with clock speeds hitting a ceiling of 2.3GHz.
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06/24, 7:31am
Sony Xperia Z set to add Snapdragon 800 CPU in mid-cycle upgrade?
Although the Xperia Z powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro has yet to officially arrive in the US, serial Russian smartphone leaker Eldar Murtazin has tweeted that he has already been testing an upgraded Xperia Z prototype running the new Snapdragon 800 quad-core CPU. According to Murtazin, the upgraded Xperia Z is “really fast,” while he also says the screen appears to be an upgraded LCD3-type, like the much praised display on the HTC One. However, Murtazin is not convinced that Sony will necessarily use this display when it goes into production.
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06/20, 6:52am
Snapdragon 800 claimed to have 75-percent more performance than S4 Pro
LG will be using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor in a future replacement for the manufacturer's Optimus G series of smartphones. The change in processor is an upgrade from the earlier Snapdragon chips used in earlier Optimus G devices, with LG claiming it to have "up to 75-percent better performance" than the Snapdragon S4 Pro.
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06/19, 7:24am
Nvidia to remain supplier for some versions of Surface
Microsoft is working on a version of its Surface RT slate computer that uses a Qualcomm processor, according to a report. The change in chip comes at the same time as Microsoft drops the price of the tablet for educational users, in what appears to be a clear-out of current Surface RT stock ahead of a device refresh.
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05/22, 7:27am
Mirasol prototype screen measuring 5.1 inches offers 577ppi pixel density
Qualcomm has shown it is still working on Mirasol displays, by demonstrating a prototype screen at SID Display Week in Vancouver, Canada. The 5.1-inch display had a resolution of 2560x1440, giving it a pixel density of 577 pixels per inch, and was accompanied by a 1.5-inch panel used in an "always-on" smartwatch.
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05/08, 7:11am
Tegra 4 scores 32000 points on AnTuTu benchmark
Nvidia’s forthcoming Tegra 4 chip may have received an early benchmark if an AnTuTu score that has been posted online is to be believed. According to the post, the Tegra 4 produced a score of over 32,000 points, outgunning the 1.9GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 found in the Samsung Galaxy S4. By comparison, the Galaxy S4’s Snapdragon chip produces a score of 25,000 points, while the HTC One with the same Snapdragon chip clocked at 1.7GHz scores 23,600 points.
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05/06, 6:55pm
Industry luminary also serves on Amazon board
Qualcomm today announced the election of Jonathan Rubinstein to its Board of Directors. Rubinstein brings more than 30 years of experience in the mobile, computing and consumer electronics industries to the position, including a tenure at Apple in which he was referred to as "The Podfather" for his role on the iPod team. He last served as Senior Vice President of Product Innovation for Hewlett-Packard until January 2012.
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04/26, 6:49am
Follow-on from Snapdragon 600 to offer 2.3GHz clock speed, 4K playback
Qualcomm is preparing to put the Snapdragon 800 processor into mass production, starting in late May. The system-on-chip follows on from the highly sought-after Snapdragon 600, which has been used in such devices as the LG Optimus G Pro and reportedly had "strong traction" in recent quarterly results, and promises to provide a significant speed boost compared to its 1.7GHz predecessor.
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04/24, 4:51pm
Dividend payout greatest in company history, $5 billion in buyback planned
Chip designer Qualcomm has filed its second quarter of 2013 fiscal earnings. The company exceeded revenue expectations, and is raising its estimated 2013 device shipments and projected earnings for 2013 based on the strength of the quarter. Year over year, Qualcomm saw a 24 percent increase in revenues to $6.12 billion from $4.94 billion. Earnings per share climbed 16 percent tp $1.17 per share, up from $1.01 in 2012.
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04/03, 6:51am
Tablet to switch from Nvidia to Qualcomm processor
Google is said to be launching a revised Nexus 7 tablet by July, according to a report. The new tablet will apparently replace the Nvidia Tegra 3 inside the current generation with a Snapdragon processor from Qualcomm, citing a reduction in power consumption, as well as having a higher resolution screen and thinner bezel, and may also cut the price down to $150.
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03/18, 1:38pm
Sharp to fail in defining display specifications in time, $60M delayed
A $60 million payment to Sharp from Qualcomm as part of an investment agreement has been delayed, due to a looming deadline set to be missed. The second half of the $120 million deal had a number of requirements in order to be paid on time, including making an operating profit in the second half of its financial year, holding net assets worth at least 100 billion yen ($1.05), and to prepare for the production of new display panels, requirements which Sharp has failed to accomplish.
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03/17, 11:44am
Four cores clocked at faster speed than 'octo-core' version
Chip manufacturer Qualcomm confirmed on Friday that the US version of the recently announced Galaxy S 4 smartphone will come with a 1.9Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor, rather than the "octo-core" 8/4 processor Exynos 5 chip used in the international versions. The move is similar to the situation with the Galaxy S III, which in the US is a dual-core processor, with a quad-core model internationally.
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03/08, 9:30am
Would mark unusual course reversal for Apple
Apple is planning to use a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor in the low-cost iPhone, and manufacture it using TSMC's 28nm production lines, claims an industry watcher quoted by the China Times. The move would be unusual, since Apple currently relies on its own A-series processors for iOS devices, which are produced at a Samsung facility in Texas. The Times' report does say, though, that Apple will continue to use A-series chips in other devices.
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02/25, 10:37am
ZTE's new Android flagship
ZTE has continued its upmarket push with its new Android flagship, the Grand Memo, which will be one of the first devices to arrive with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 processor. We stopped by ZTE's Mobile World Congress booth ahead of the company's press conference to handle the new device ahead of its public launch.
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02/21, 7:30pm
Could eliminate need to make separate versions of phone models
The long-awaited possibility of a single, unified chipset that would allow a phone to be truly "global" for LTE users and let manufacturers release a single, worldwide version of various phone models may be at hand. Apple's primary LTE and 3G radio chipset provider, Qualcomm, debuted its RF360 Front End Solution line of chips which support all current LTE and 2G/3G bands. In addition to providing universal LTE/3G capability, the new line also improves overall RF performance.
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02/20, 2:37pm
Charge time reduced by 75 percent
Qualcomm has announced several new Snapdragon technologies ahead of Mobile World Congress, including a voice-wake feature and improvements to Quick Charge. Voice Activation, limited to Snapdragon 800-powered devices, enables a device to wake from standby after hearing a spoken phrase set by the device manufacturer, such as "Hey Snapdragon."
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02/12, 4:15pm
Small-sized offering aimed at smartphones, tablets
Broadcom on Tuesday announced that it has commenced testing of a new LTE chip with its largest customers. The chip is the first of its kind from the manufacturer, and is aimed at competing products from LTE leader and pioneer Qualcomm. Broadcom said today that it expects devices with its LTE chip to go into production in 2014.
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02/01, 7:57am
Qualcomm issues takedown notices to blogs
A leaked roadmap concerning the future of Android has appeared online, forcing Qualcomm company officials to demand it's removal. Technology blogs have been ordered to remove the image due to it containing "confidential and copyrighted information" posted without the authorization of Qualcomm, despite the information revealed in the image to have already been expected by some parties.
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01/30, 8:57pm
Additional revenue allows dividend payment, stock repurchases
In its quarterly report, chip manufacturer Qualcomm has reported record quarterly revenues which it claims are driven by the industry's demand for smartphones and the Qualcomm assortment of 3G/LTE chipsets. The company has posted $1.91 billion in profit, on revenues of $6 billion -- a 29 percent increase from the same quarter a year ago. It has announced a cash dividend payment of $428 million, along with $250 million in stock repurchases.
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01/04, 1:23pm
Intelligent traffic shaping technology uses cloud-based updates
Qualcomm Atheros has revealed its new intelligent bandwidth management technology for Wi-Fi routers and gateways. StreamBoost will allocate data to various Internet-connected devices on a network, automatically managing and shaping network traffic and giving specific applications traffic priority over others, such as gaming or video-on-demand applications.
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12/13, 5:17pm
Qualcomm concerned with release of business-confidential info
A letter condemning Apple as a habitual patent infringer filed by Qualcomm with the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) has been completely withdrawn by the communications chip manufacturer. Qualcomm claims the letter wasn't "appropriately authorized" and that it doesn't want the commission to consider the submission in any way, and to act if it never received the missive.
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12/11, 6:40pm
Filing by Qualcomm induced by call for comments from USITC
(Updated with news of Qualcomm's retraction) In response to some questions posed by the United States International Trade Commission (USITC), wireless baseband supplier Qualcomm has torn into Apple in a court filing, saying that apple "should be embarassed" at the length and depth of the iPad makers' patent infringement. The move is curious, as Apple has been Qualcomm's largest customer for three years. Qualcomm and other stakeholders were encouraged, not required, to comment on a few questions the ITC commission posed in an Apple versus Samsung complaint. Submitters were asked to remark on the availability of injunctive relief over standards-essential patents, and the criteria for a fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) royalty rate.
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12/04, 6:14am
Qualcomm and Sharp announce strategic display tech tie-in
Sharp has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Pixtronix, a subsidiary of Qualcomm, for the development of its MEMS display technology. As part of the deal, Qualcomm will take a stake in Sharp for a total of 9.9 billion yen (around $120m). The deal will see Sharp commercialize MEMS technology by integrating with its vaunted IGZO display tech, while further collaboration between two companies on chipsets and displays has also been mooted.
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11/27, 2:20pm
Patagonia 9620 is a budget RIM phone with OS 7.1
A new Nextel Mexico ad spotted online reveals a new BlackBerry handset will soon be released. However, the phone, called Patagonia 9620, will arrive at Nextel Mexico sometime in December, though pricing nor release dates aren't revealed. The ad does reveal the phone's specs, which include OS 7.1, a 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 processor and 768MB of RAM.
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11/08, 3:54pm
Mobile processor maker briefly surpasses Intel
Qualcomm, manufacturer of many of the ARM-based chipsets powering some of the most popular mobile gadgets in the world, has pulled about even with processor giant Intel in terms of market cap. Shares of the San Diego-based system-on-a-chip manufacturer have gone as high as $61.99 in trading today, giving the mobile chipmaker a market capitalization of $105.5 billion. As of 3:28 PM EST, Qualcomm shares are up $2.49 on the day for a total market cap of $103.32 billion. Intel's shares, meanwhile, are nearly flat on the day, giving the traditional chip market leader a market cap of $104.16 billion.
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