Windows 10 ARM Mobile PCs Demonstrated with Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC at Computex 2017

Windows on ARM has been tried before with Windows RT, but the systems were crippled, and it was not exactly a success. Microsoft and Qualcomm are now giving it another try with ARM mobile computers running the full version Windows 10 on Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, and Asus, HP, and Lenovo building devices based on the solution. There are plenty of inexpensive Intel PCs running Windows 10, so what would be the benefits of using Snapdragon 835 SoC? Qualcomm explains that it’s the first to coming integrate Gigabit LTE, it offers up to 50% longer battery life in specific use cases like watching videos and gaming, and thanks to big.LITTLE technology provides up to 4 to 5 times improvement in battery life compared to Intel’s solutions. Windows 10 does not have the same limitations as Windows RT had, and you can do pretty everything that you would on an Intel […]

Qualcomm Unveils Mesh Networking WiFi Router / Gateway Reference Design Powered by IPQ40x8/9 NSoC

Qualcomm has just announced the Qualcomm Mesh Networking Platform for OEM and broadband providers to design home WiFi routers/gateways capable of providing “robust and consistent connectivity”, and feature voice control capabilities, centralized management and security, and a range of mesh system features. In order to speed up adoption the the platform, the company introduced the Qualcomm Mesh Networking Reference Design with the following key features & benefits: Network System-on-Chip (NSoC) – Qualcomm IPQ40x8/9 network system-on-chip with four Cortex A7 cores, 802.11ac WiFi 2×2+2×2, network and crypto accelerators Qualcomm Wi-Fi Self-Organizing (SON) feature suite will ensure corner-to-corner Wi-Fi coverage, easy set-up, automatic management and traffic optimization, as well as additional security safeguards. Carrier-Grade features with Wi-Fi SON APIs, cloud-based diagnostics Integrated voice capabilities thanks to built-in microphone array and speaker, voice recognition software, and APIs support for popular cloud-based assistant applications. Variety of backhaul options to be used to maximize the […]

Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Octa-core Processor To Feature ARM Cortex A75 Cores (Reports)

According to reports from China, Qualcomm’s next application processor (or rather mobile platform) will be Snapdragon 845, and if accurate, the comparison table below between the Snapdragon processor and Hisilicon Kirin 970 SoC shows the former will be powered by some customized (魔改) version of yet-to-be announced ARM Cortex 75 cores. Snapdragon 845 octa-core processor will be manufactured using Samsung 10nm LPE processor, come with four custom Cortex A75 cores, four Cortex A53 cores, an Adreno 630 GPU, and an LTE X20 modem supporting LTE Cat 18 for up to 1.2 Gbps download speed. Other features like 802.11ad (High bandwidth, short range WiFi), UFS 2.1, and LPDDR4X were already found on earlier model. I’ve been unable to find further details about ARM Cortex A75 right now, and we have to wait until ARM Techcon 2017 before getting more details. Mobile phones powered by Snapdragon 845 are supposed to start shipping […]

Qualcomm Introduces Snapdragon 630 and 660 “Mobile Platforms” for Mid-Range Smartphones & Tablets

Qualcomm has announced two new Snapdragon SoCs Mobile Platforms, namely Snapdragon 630 and 660, with the aim of introducing “high-end features” to mid-range devices. Both chips come with eight cores, an Adreno GPU, and are manufactured with 14nm FinFET technology. Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 Key features: CPU – 8x ARM Cortex A53 clocked at up to 2.2 GHz (low power cluster up to 1.8 GHz) GPU – Adreno 508 with support for OpenGL ES 3.2, OpenCL 2.0 full,Vulkan, DX12 DSP – Hexagon 642 DSP Memory I/F –  LPDDR4, dual channel up to 1333MHz, 8GB RAM Storage I/F – eMMC and UFS flash Display – Up to 1920×1200 resolution; DisplayPort and USB type-C support Video – Up to 4K @ 30 fps playback and capture; H.264, H.265 and VP9 codecs Audio – Qualcomm Aqstic audio codec and speaker amplifier; Qualcomm aptX audio playback Camera – Up to 24MP single camera, up to […]

Intrinsyc Introduces Open-Q 2100 SoM and Devkit Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 SoC for Wearables

Qualcomm unveiled Snapdragon Wear 2100 SoC for wearables early last year, and since then a few smartwatches powered by the processor – such as LG Watch Style and Watch Sport – have been launched, and Intrinsyc has now unveiled one of the first module based on the processor with Open-Q 2100 system-on-module, and a corresponding Nano-ITX baseboard. Open-Q 2100 SoM specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 (APQ8009W) quad core ARM Cortex A7 processor @ up to 1.094 GHz with Adreno 304 GPU System Memory – 512 MB LPDDR3 Storage – 4GB eMMC flash Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi (WCN2320), Bluetooth 4.1 LE, Gen 8C GNSS (GPS/GLONASS) with on-board u.FL connector (WGR7640) Audio – Integrated Codec/PMIC (PM8916-1) with optional support for Fluence HD, Snapdragon Voice Activation, and Snapdragon Voice+ 2x 100-pin board-to-board connectors with USB 2.0, I2S, GPIO, MIPI DSI up to 720p @ 60 Hz, 2-lane MIPI CSI, SDC2/microSD […]

Qualcomm 205 SoC is Designed for Entry-level 4G LTE Feature Phones Running Linux

Qualcomm has just introduced Qualcomm 205 “Mobile Platform” designed to bring 4G LTE connectivity and services to entry-level feature phones to emerging regions, such as India, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. The SoC features a dual core ARM CPU, an Adreno 304 GPU, and an LTE Cat 4 modem. Qualcomm 205 SoC specifications CPU – Dual Core ARM Cortex A7 processor at 1.1 GHz GPU – Qualcomm Adreno 304 GPU supporting OpenGL ES 3.0 Memory I/F – LPDDR2 & LPDDR3 up to 384 MHz Storage I/F –  eMMC 4.5 flash Display – MIPI DSI up to 480p60 Cellular Connectivity X5 LTE modem supporting LTE Cat 4 with up to 150 Mbps download, 50 Mbps upload; Dual SIM card 2G, 3G and 4G support VoLTE support Connectivity – Support for 802.11 b/g/n & VoWIFI, Bluetooth 4.1, ANT+, FM radio,  GPS/GLONASS/Beidou Camera – Dual 3MP camera support (rear + front) up to […]

Emdoor EM-QL8170 is One of the First LTE Tablets Designed Thanks to Allwinner & Qualcomm Partnership

Allwinner and Qualcomm announced a partnership last year to help Chinese manufacturers design entry-level LTE tablets based on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, and Allwinner collaborated with Emdoor one several designs including EM-QL8170 LTE tablet with a Snapdragon 210 processor and a 6.98″ display. Emdoor EM-QL8170 specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 (MSM8909) quad core Cortex A7 processor up to 1.3 GHz with Adreno 304 GPU @ 400 MHz System Memory – 1 or 2 GB DDR3L Storage – 8 or 16 GB flash + micro SD slot Display – 6.98″ IPS touchscreen display with 1280×720 resolution Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1 LE, and GPS Cellular Connectivity – LTE Cat 4 with 2x micro SIM card slots Camera – 2.0MP front-facing camera, 8.0MP rear camera Audio – 1x microphone, 1x 3.5mm audio jack, likely some speaker somewhere… USB – 1x micro USB port Battery – 2850 mAh battery Dimensions – 189.7 […]

Qualcomm’s Alleged “No License, No Chips” Policy Gets it into Trouble with the FTC

Qualcomm is the leader in baseband processors used for cellular communications in smartphones and other products, and one way the company has become a leader is by leveraging its patents, by either forcing customer to first “purchase a license to standard-essential patents, including elevated royalties that the customer must pay when using a competitor’s processor”,  “refusing to license its cellular standard-essential patents to competitors”, or “entering exclusivity dealing arrangements” with companies such as Apple. At least that’s according to a complaint brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the US that accuses Qualcomm of maintaining a monopoly and using unfair methods of competition, violating the company’s commitment to license on a FRAND (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) basis . The license requirements may explain why smaller companies have a hard time making Qualcomm based products, although this may have  improved with the partnership with Allwinner, and the launch of Qualcomm […]