broadcom

Broadcom on Monday announced a chip integrating 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and FM radio into a single silicon die, a move designed to expand the range of features available in mid-range mobile-phone handsets.

The introduction of the BCM4329 was motivated in part by the increased popularity of Wi-Fi in mid-range "feature phones," Broadcom said. It added that this growth is due in turn to the integration of cameras, browsers, and audio capabilities into more handsets, which is driving a need for transferring data and media between handsets and other electronics such as TVs, PCs, printers, remote speakers, and … Read more

Broadcom on Tuesday said that it completed the acquisition of Advanced Micro Devices' digital TV chip business--at a discount to the original price.

On August 25, the two companies announced a price for the unit of $192.8 million. But Broadcom now expects that AMD's digital TV business will have fourth-quarter revenue of between $15 million and $20 million, lower than previously expected, the Irvine, Calif.-based company said.

Accordingly, the price has been slashed to $141.5 million, about a 27 percent reduction from the original price.

Broadcom had said in August that AMD's DTV unit would … Read more

Updated at 11:34 a.m. PT to include Broadcom statement

A U.S. appellate court has reversed an import ban on certain cell phones with chips made by Qualcomm, ruling that the U.S. International Trade Commission overstepped its authority in a 2007 decision.

Last year, the ITC ruled that certain new models of 3G wireless handsets with Qualcomm chipsets could not be imported because they infringed on a Broadcom patent. An appellate court stayed the ban in September, pending appeal.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued its decision (PDF). The appellate … Read more

Chipmaker Broadcom announced on Wednesday it is once again suing Qualcomm, claiming the company's sales and licensing practices amount to patent misuse.

The complaint was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California in San Diego. According to Broadcom's claims, Qualcomm receives royalties twice for its patents by controlling the post-sale use of its already-"exhausted" wireless communications patents. Qualcomm's control over its patents constitutes misuse, Broadcom claims, and has brought harm to the industry and consumers.

The lawsuit continues a series of battles over wireless communications patents between … Read more

Chipmaker Broadcom is adding Wi-Fi positioning technology from Skyhook Wireless to its semiconductors to help provide more accurate location-based services.

Broadcom plans to use GPS (Global Positioning System) and Wi-Fi to help provide accurate location-based information for mobile devices, the company said. Location-based services are becoming hot, especially since the launch of Apple's iPhone 3G, which comes with GPS. The location applications that use GPS have been among the most popular applications downloaded from the Apple App Store.

But GPS has its limitations. Skyhook's Wi-Fi location technology can use known Wi-Fi hot spots to augment GPS. The service … Read more

Chipmaker Broadcom has won the latest battle in a long patent war with Qualcomm.

On Wednesday a federal appeals court affirmed that Qualcomm is infringing on two cell phone patents. It also upheld an injunction against Qualcomm selling products with technology that infringes the two patents.

But it wasn't a total loss for Qualcomm. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that Qualcomm was not infringing on one of the three patents in question. This patent relates to video compression technology.

That said, the court affirmed the judgment of infringement on two other patents. One … Read more

The legal drama between wireless chipmakers Qualcomm and Broadcom continues this week.

On Thursday, the companies said a federal judge has ruled that Qualcomm is in contempt of an injunction that bans the use of patented wireless technology owned by Broadcom.

U.S. District Judge James Selna ruled that Qualcomm violated an injunction issued last year that banned Qualcomm from using technology in its chips that violates Broadcom's patents on wireless technology. The judge also ruled that Qualcomm has not been paying royalties to Broadcom for the use of its technology in Qualcomm-based cell phones with QChat walkie-talkie feature. … Read more

Broadcom is paying $192.8 million in cash to acquire Advanced Micro Devices' digital television business, the companies said Monday.

AMD's DTV assets include Xilleon integrated DTV processors and reference designs, NXT receiver ICs, the Theater 300 DTV processor, and a line of panel processors that perform advanced motion compensation, frame rate conversion and scaling.

AMD had announced last month that it was quitting the DTV market, as part of an effort to streamline its businesses. CEO Dirk Meyer said in a press release that the sale was a "key step" toward helping the company boost its … Read more

Chipmaker Broadcom has won the latest battle in a patent dispute with SiRF Technology Holdings, a developer of location-based technologies.

On Friday, Broadcom announced that the U.S. International Trade Commission, or ITC, has denied SiRF's request to review an Initial Determination that found no violation by Broadcom's subsidiary Global Locate of Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930.

The legal battle between SiRF and Global Locate began before Broadcom bought Global Locate in July 2007. SiRF initially took Global Locate to federal court over patent infringement and then Broadcom counter-sued. Those suits were stayed pending the … Read more