It’s been a while since we last heard about Qualcomm’s Mirasol display, but it’s still alive and the company has showed off their MEMS-based reflective display at SID Display Week. Included in the demo were a 5.2-inch panel with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 and 577 ppi on a smartphone and a 1.5-inch panel on a smartwatch, although the displays were just mock-ups.

According to a representative, the display is expected to come out with third-party devices. The main advantage of the Mirasol screen is its energy efficiency, having 6 times power advantage over LCD and OLED displays, which means you if a smartphone arrives with Mirasol tech it could go without charging for quite a number of days. But Mirasol requires an external light source (not backlight like an LCD).More R&D is still required for the tech so don’t expect it to show up on any devices anytime soon. For now, Sharp’s IGZO tech seems to be the best thing out there.

About the Mirasol technology, Ars Technica’s Jon Stokes explains:

“Each Mirasol pixel is composed of three subpixels: red, green, and blue. Each subpixel is a simple structure made up of two films that are separated by an air gap. When the air gap is open, the subpixel reflects light at a specific wavelength; when current is applied to the two films, they pinch together and the air gap closes, turning the pixel nonreflective (black).

Like an E-Ink pixel, each Mirasol subpixel is bistable, meaning that it’s stable in either the “open” or “closed” states, and it requires power only to switch states; this bistability gives it its low-power characteristics. State switching is fast, on the order of a few microseconds, which is why Mirasol can do video”.

Check out the video, which comes to us courtesy of Engadget, to take a closer look at Mirasol.

The post Qualcomm Mirasol Display (Hands-On Video) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

It looks like Google and Asus are teaming up again for a second-gen version of the Nexus 7, and if rumors are to be believed, they could be ditching Nvidia as the processor supplier this time around.

The rumor claims that the second-gen Nexus 7 will instead use a Qualcomm processor, and could have to due with Qualcomm’s chip integration process. While the Nvidia Tegra 4i does in fact have integrated 4G LTE, supposedly the processor came to late to fit in with their development plans and launch schedule for the Nexus 7′s successor.

The idea of Asus and Google switching to Qualcomm is believable enough, but keep in mind that this rumor comes from sources reporting to DigiTimes. DigiTimes has a less-than-perfect track record when it comes to this sort of ‘news’, so take it with a healthy dose of salt.

Regardless of what processor gets thrown in there, we do know that it seems more than likely that Asus and Google would team up again for the Nexus 7. The biggest reason is just how much of a success the 7-incher has been in tablet market, selling roughly 5 million units give or take some.

When the Nexus 7 successor does arrive, what kind of features and improvements are you hoping for when compared to the original? Shout out your ideas in the comments below.

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When it comes to Apple iPad and iPhone products, custom chips is the name of the game. As rumors continue to surround the existence of a low-end iPhone for debut this year, things could change.

According to a new report by China Times, the budget-oriented iPhone will be powered instead by a Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC. Going with a Qualcomm SoC will help them further cut costs, or so says the report.

The report further claims that it will be a 28nm class of Qualcomm Snapdragon, which means it would likely be the Snapdragon 400. Keep in mind that it is still very unclear whether or not a budget iPhone is more than a rumor in the first place.

If the budget device exists, I would think it more likely they would either still rely in-house or if marketed specifically at China, they could go with a Chinese chipset maker. Is there a chance all of this is rumor-mongering and nothing more? You bet there is.

For now, we can’t say for sure one way or another, but take everything you hear about the ‘budget’ iPhone with a grain of salt. Do you think Apple would/is considering a cheaper iPhone model that could help win over the developing world and budget-concerned consumers in major markets like Europe and North America?

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The hotly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4 will be unveiled in New York next week, but nobody knows exactly what the device is coming packed with. The talk about S4 featuring different chipsets for different regions is of course not new, but that rumor is still around.

According to a recent report, the Galaxy S4 might be launched in the US featuring Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 600 chipset, while the device’s European version will get Samsung’s own Exynos 5 8-core chipset.

As you might not have forgotten, last year Samsung launched its S3 in the US with the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chipset inside because the Samsung Exynos chipset did not feature LTE. That may not be the problem here since the Galaxy Note 2 is proof that Samsung does not need Qualcomm to provide LTE. And also LTE will become more popular in Europe this year, so Samsung has to provide it with the European version of the S4 as well. So, LTE may not be the issue for the company.

Another suggestion is the heat issue. But if that’s the case, Samsung definitely won’t launch a device with known issues onto any market. So, most likely the problem is related to production. Just to remind you, the Samsung’s upcoming greatest device is expected to sell around 100 million units. The company might simply be incapable of making enough chips in time.

All these are just theories though and the best thing to do is to wait for a confirmation from the company. We will keep you updated as we learn more, so stay tuned to Mobile Magazine.

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Tegra 4 — Nvidia’s “secret ingredient” for future smartphones — is now the world’s fastest mobile processor, if we are to believe the benchmarks that are coming in. The Tegra 4 appears to be capable of demolishing every other mobile processor out there.

The new chip’s power was showed off on a few prototype devices at the Mobile World Congress and it appears to be far better than the Tegra 3 and Qualcomm S4 processors currently out there. But how about Apple’s A6 processor, you ask? The Tegra 4 Skadooshed it.

But just as Nvidia claimed about its new chipset, Qualcomm also boasts about its Snapdragon 800 that it is faster than Tegra 4. We will have to wait until 800’s benchmarks are here to know for sure, and also there is Samsung’s Exynos 5 Octa to consider. The 1.7-GHz Snapdragon 600 chipset, 800’s little brother, on the HTC One was tested and we can see that the Tegra 4 is a clear winner.

For now, it’s safe to believe that the Tegra 4 is ahead in the race and we can wait for its arrival in Nvidia’s Project Shield, and don’t forget about the Tegra 4i powered Phoenix about which we reported earlier.

What do you prefer, Qualcomm or Nvidia processors?

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The post Nvidia Tegra 4 Benchmarks Suggest Pure Awesomeness appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

There is strong rivalry between Qualcomm and Nvidia on the market but lately the momentum appears to be swinging in the former’s direction. As you might already know, the LG Optimus G Pro and the HTC One are coming with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor. And now, right after Nvidia unveiled their newest chipset, Qualcomm has announced their 200 and 400 chips.

The new chipsets are meant for entry-level and mid-range smartphones, and for the high-end devices the company already introduced the 600 and 800 processors back in January. The newly announced chips are coming with improved battery life, better performance and connectivity.

The Snapdragon 200 is coming with quad ARM Cortex-A5 CPUs which will run at 1.4GHz per core and an Adreno 203 GPU. You will also get support for 8 Megapixel cameras, HD video playback, GPS, and it features better battery life as said earlier and Multi-SIM capabilities, so it see quite a bit of popularity in Asia as well.

The 400 chipset will be available in two configurations: dual Krait CPUs at 1.7GHz per core or quad Cortex A7 at 1.4GHz. You will be able to enjoy 3D gaming with an Adreno 305 GPU and get support for up to a 13.5MP snapper.

According to the company, 55 Snapdragon 800-powered devices should be available by the second half of 2013. No info on which all devices will be powered by the newly announced processors. But we will keep you updated, so stay tuned.

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A new Qualcomm roadmap has leaked out to the web revealing what we all already knew, Android 5.0 will in fact be called Key Lime Pie.

This has pretty much be “unofficially confirmed” through many hints and teasers in the past, so it really isn’t much of a surprise. Based on the leaked information, it seems likely that Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie will be announced in the second quarter of 2013, likely at Google I/O on May 15th.

Qualcomm’s information also revealed they planned to introduce new chips “tailored to fit the updated platform”. So what is Android 5.0 bringing to the table? Honestly, we have no clue. That said, all the indications so far hint to something very BIG.

With other past rumors talking about a Nexus Chromebook with a touchscreen and other similar efforts, perhaps Android 5.0 will see tighter integration with Chrome OS or something? Again, its all just speculation at this point.

One thing is for sure, 2013 seems like an interesting year in tech. Microsoft is attempting to prove itself in the tablet space, BB10 is now arriving, Firefox is on its way, Ubuntu Phone is starting to sort of come out and continued changes in the Chrome OS and Android world.

This year is going to be a good one for techies like myself, I can just feel it.

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In the past we’ve covered development about Firefox OS, including their browser-based simulator for testing it out on your PC.

Still, when is Firefox OS actually coming? We’ve been hearing 2013 for a while now, but the good news is that Mozilla is finally giving us a bit more information about what the future holds.

According to Mozilla, Brazil will be the first market this year. Mozilla has also confirmed Alcatel, Qualcomm and ZTE are all partners involved in the effort to bring Firefox OS out to the market.

So what’s in store outside of Brazil? Mozilla is talking about these plans right now it seems. “Telefonica has announced plans to ship devices in Latin America in 2013. While we have no further announcements at this time, interest and momentum continues to grow in Firefox OS,” says Mozilla’s VP of products, Jay Sulivan.

The good news is that ZTE is filling in some of these blanks for us. ZTE says that they are working to bring their handsets over to Europe this year, and are also considering aiming at the North American market. Their US launch will hinge on how well Firefox OS takes off elsewhere.

So why Firefox OS? The idea is that it uses open-source technology that makes it fast and easy to use, even on low-end, low-cost hardware.

The idea is that it could be appealing towards those in the developing world or those in major markets that just can’t afford or refuse to spend high-dollar on a phone.

Additionally, since the entire OS uses technology such as HTML5, any web programmer should be able to easily be an app developer for the platform. This should make it very easy for programmers to come out with interesting apps, in theory at least.

The smartphone world is getting crowded, but Mozilla believes that Firefox OS could be perfect for the lower-end market. What do you think, do they have any chance at all?

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[CES 2013] Move over Snapdragon S4 Pro, you are yesterday’s news. Qualcomm has now confirmed two new chips, the Snapdragon 800 and 600, which the company says offers 75 and 40 percent better performance when compared to the S4 Pro.

The latest chips move over to 28nm high performance for mobile technology, which means even lower power consumption rates while providinig excellent overall performance. Both chips feature a new architecture. The 800 features a quad-core Krait 400 CPU, with 2.3GHz per core and the 600 has a Krait 300 quad-core at 1.9GHz.

Other improvements include the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800′s abilities to record, play and display in UltraHD, even form a phone. The chip also supports resolutions up to 2560×2048 and has audio improvements such as DTS-HD and Dolby Digital Plus.

So when do the first phones and tablets featuring the processors actually hit? The first Snapdragon 600 devices are expected in 2nd quarter 2013, and the 800 follows shortly after with an expected “mid-2013” release.

For more details about the new chips, head over to Qualcomm’s blog. What do you think, excited to get your hands on a new 600 or 800-based device in the near future?

The post Qualcomm Announces Snapdragon 600 and 800 Next-Gen Chips appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

While smartphones were around long before Apple, there is no denying that the iPhone had a major influence on the phone market in 2007. What’s interesting though is that if history had played out differently, we might have seen the first Apple smartphone roughly a decade earlier.

You’ve probably heard of Apple’s Newton PDA line from the 90s. What you might not know though is that Qualcomm courted the company and attempted to get them to include a cellular radio within the Newton.

While Apple seems to have initially entertained the idea, they ended up rejecting the proposal from Qualcomm in the long-run.

Qualcomm felt that there was a future in cellular technology and combining it with PDA-like devices, but apparently Apple wasn’t ready to move towards this brave new world so soon. Later, Qualcomm would introduce the Qualcomm PDQ with Palm, and many PalmOS devices would also utilize a Qulacomm cellular radio.

Okay, so this might not matter much now, but it is still a pretty interesting thing to ponder on. Imagine what things would look like now if Apple would have jumped into the game so early.

Could the iPhone as we know it even have materialized or would Apple have failed in the smartphone market and end up avoiding future smartphone efforts?

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