Items tagged with (NASDAQ:QCOM)
With some smartphone vendors deciding for the rest of us that we don't need a headphone jack, the time for fast progression on the wireless audio front is needed now. Wireless audio isn't anything new, of course, but it's a technology that's extremely hard to get right. A good wireless solution needs to have decent battery-life, a stable connection, and of course, good audio quality. Again, wireless audio isn't anything new, but when Apple released its wireless AirPods earbuds (and removed the headphone jack from its iPhone at the same time), it seemed to spur every other vendor to begin taking...
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At Computex a couple of weeks ago, Qualcomm unveiled its next gen Snapdragon platform targeting "always-on" laptops. That came to us in the form of the interestingly named Snapdragon 850 - a mere 5 digits higher than the 845, a chip which currently graces top-end Android smartphones, such as the OnePlus 6, and Samsung Galaxy S9. Features-wise, both the Snapdragon 845 and 850 are nearly identical, but the latter will be clocked a bit higher to deliver better performance for laptop convertibles. What's slated to offer even more performance apparently, however, is something called the Snapdragon 1000,...
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There is another wrinkle in the ongoing dispute between Apple and Qualcomm over the issue of patents used in the former's iPhone devices. Previously Apple claimed Qualcomm was "unfairly...charging royalties for technologies they have nothing to do with," and more recently, the company accused the chipmaker of "selecting asserting its patents," only targeting Apple devices containing Intel chipsets. Now Apple is trying a different legal tactic—it is asking the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to invalidate four of Qualcomm's patents. It's an interesting legal maneuver, and...
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Apple has been fighting Qualcomm over patents that the iPhone allegedly violates. Qualcomm filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) previously, and a panel has recommended that a trade judge find that Apple infringed on at least one of these patents. If the judge does rule that Apple infringed on the patent, there is a chance that the import of some iPhone devices into the United States could be blocked. More than likely any ruling that Apple violated patents would simply mean a licensing fee paid by Apple to keep a steady flow of iPhone coming into...
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When Microsoft and Qualcomm announced "Always Connected" Windows 10 PCs back in late 2016, it was revealed that the first shipping systems would be powered by the Snapdragon 835 processor. The first generation of convertibles laptops have shipped from the likes of ASUS, HP and Lenovo with that processor platform on board, but a new generation will soon be upon us and today out at Computex, Qualcomm has unveiled new silicon technology to enable them. Powering this new breed of devices will be Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 850 Mobile Compute Platform. The Snapdragon 850 is a dedicated SKU that will only...
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Qualcomm is looking to make Extended Reality (XR) the next big thing in mobile computing. XR is the term that Qualcomm has coined to describe the full gamut of Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) experiences. With XR, Qualcomm is looking to provide a single platform that developers will be able to leverage for an array of different devices. This is how Qualcomm describes XR: At some point in the future, we envision the convergence of the smartphone, mobile VR headset, and AR glasses into a single XR wearable. In this scenario, a single pair of XR glasses will primarily...
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If you are planning to purchase a newfangled always-connected Windows 10 laptop with Qualcomm Snapdragon hardware inside, you might want to wait for the new crop to arrive, which will deliver improved performance over the introductory models. How much of a performance gain remains to be seen, though leaked benchmarks suggest that upcoming Windows 10 PCs powered by a Snapdragon 845 system-on-chip (SoC) will be significantly faster than current models running a Snapdragon 835 chip. As it stands, there are not a lot of models to choose from just yet in the ARM + Windows 10 arena. Users who are interested...
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Qualcomm is rolling out a new mobile chipset for mid-range devices. As the first new system-on-chip in the company's newly minted 700-series Snapdragon tier, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 710 brings upgraded performance to mainstream phones and tablets compared to the previous generation Snapdragon 660, and combines a multi-core artificial intelligence engine with neural network processing capabilities. What's notable about the Snapdragon 710 and the 700-tier in general is that Qualcomm is injecting technologies and features that were previously reserved for its premium mobile chipsets. "By incorporating...
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Facebook is teaming up with Qualcomm in an effort to bring its gigabit wireless internet project to the masses. The Terragraph Project is a 60GHz multi-node, millimeter-wavelength wireless system the two tech giants hope to have operating on a trial basis by mid-2019. Terragraph makes use of the 802.11ay WLAN standard and can transmit data at 20 to 40 Gbps at a distance of 300 to 500 meters. The aim is to provide "speed, efficiency and quality" internet service around the globe in even dense urban areas that are typically hard to [wirelessly] serve. The pair is also touting that Terragraph will...
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Sprint is offering a deal that folks who are interested in one of the new slick little Qualcomm Snapdragon Always Connected PC Platform devices will really love. The deal allows eligible devices to get free unlimited LTE data for the entirety of 2018. There are three devices that are eligible for the free data offer, including the ASUS NovaGo, HP Envy X2, and the Lenovo Miix 630. All three of those devices are on the aforementioned Snapdragon 835 Mobile PC Platform and employ a Qualcomm X16LTE modem. The 2-in1 machines look very similar to the Microsoft Surface Pro with ultra-portable detachable...
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China's second largest manufacturer of telecom equipment and the number four smartphone maker in the United States, ZTE, is on its way to shutting down after the US government banned the company from doing business with American component suppliers, including chipmakers Qualcomm and Intel, both of which it relied heavily on for parts used its smartphones. The company's future may now depend on an appeal to modify or reverse the 7-year ban. For the time being, ZTE says it has enough funds to avoid going completely under, but has ceased "major operating activities." In essence, the company is on...
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Back in late February, Qualcomm announced its Snapdragon 700 series of smartphone processors, which will sit just below the 800 series when it comes to performance and "clout". A new report is shedding a bit more insight into the processor family, which will include both the Snapdragon 710 and Snapdragon 730. First up is the Snapdragon 710, which will be built using Samsung's 10nm LPE process technology. The SoC will reportedly have two Kryo 3xx cores clocks at 2.2GHz and six low-power Kryo 3xx cores clocked at 1.7GHz. The Snapdragon 730, which is built on a Samsung 8nm LPP process, includes...
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When Microsoft and Qualcomm announced that convertible devices powered by Snapdragon 835 processors running Windows 10 would be available to the public, it was a shock to the system. The devices, which features integrated LTE modems, promise runtimes in excess of 20 hours along with good overall performance for your everyday tasks. However, one of the big downsides to Windows on ARM up to this point is that developers have only had access to the ARM32 SDK. 64-bit apps, which current Snapdragon processors are capable tackling, weren’t supported. That's changing now with...
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One of the reasons the Essential Phone did not perform better in terms of sales is because it launched at $699, putting it in competition with premium handsets from established players. It was just too pricey, despite an overall decent collection of hardware and features. Now the price is a lot more enticing—Amazon is selling the handset for $399.99, making it a pretty good deal for what you get in return. This is an unlocked handset with a 5.71-inch edge-to-edge Quad HD display, powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 system-on-chip. Granted, the Snapdragon 845 has replaced the previously generation...
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