qualcomm

Qualcomm posts record 2Q rev but earnings view disappoints

Qualcomm today reported record fiscal second-quarter revenue and boosted its forecast for the full year, a reflection of its dominant position as a supplier of chips for smartphones and tablets.

However, the San Diego chipmaker also projected weaker-than-anticipated fiscal third-quarter per-share earnings, causing shares to drop 6.9 percent to $61.45 in after-hours trading.

The forecast raised worries that Qualcomm's expenses are increasing at a time the average selling price of devices is falling. Qualcomm generates a significant amount of its earnings from royalties for its 3G code division multiple access technology, and the price of devices impacts … Read more

GS4 quad-core or 8-core? Samsung chief says it doesn't matter

U.S. customers won't be getting their hands on a Galaxy S4 powered by an eight-core processor, but the head of Samsung Electronics says it shouldn't matter to buyers.

Some models of Samsung's flagship smartphone, available globally in the coming weeks, will feature a quad-core processor from Qualcomm while others will feature Samsung's Exynos 5 chip with eight cores. The U.S. version will use the 1.9GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 series chip.

Some in the tech press have criticized the lack of an eight-core chip in the U.S., but J.K. Shin, co-CEO of … Read more

Why your next Android tablet will be more powerful

Your Android tablet sucks. At least compared with what's coming. Later this year we'll see the release of three new Systems on Chip (SoC). SoC is simply the name used for the collection of silicon that makes up the brains of the tablet and includes the CPU, GPU (graphics processing unit), onboard memory, and other processors.

The new chips will no doubt be used to power many high-end Android tablets and are expected to deliver better-looking games, faster Web surfing, increased battery life, and in at least one case, could allow you to take better-looking photos.

Of course, … Read more

Wireless charging still has strings attached

As obviously useful as wireless charging is, it suffers from a Tower of Babel problem with incompatible standards and competing interests keeping it from truly going mainstream.

But the industry may yet be inching toward some level of sanity. AT&T is seeking from its handset vendors a commitment to one standard of wireless charging, CNET has learned.

The standard, known as PMA, or the Power Matters Alliance, is spearheaded by Powermat Technologies and Procter & Gamble, two unlikely leaders considering their highest-profile products are the bulky iPhone charging covers that only true power-hungry users submit themselves to using. … Read more

Sharp: We'll get the rest of Qualcomm's investment by June

Sharp will receive the remainder of a $120 million investment by Qualcomm in June, according to reports.

Sharp said that by June 28, the television set maker will be granted the second half of Qualcomm's investment. The investment pact was in jeopardy after the Japanese firm missed the March 29 deadline set by the U.S. chipmaker to receive the second half of the $120 million investment, as Sharp experienced delays in fabricating power-conserving screens made jointly by the two companies.

Developed in conjunction with Qualcomm subsidiary Pixtronix, Sharp's new screens are means to conserve power through the … Read more

Sharp to miss investment deadline issued by Qualcomm -- report

After failing to advance far enough toward a manufacturing process goal, Sharp says that it will miss a March 29 deadline to receive the second half of a $120 million investment from chipmaker Qualcomm.

In December, the ailing Japanese electronics maker said it reached a partnership with U.S.-based Qualcomm, which agreed to invest $120 million in a project to jointly develop display panels. However, as reported by Reuters, Qualcomm's conditions included the stipulation that Sharp meet strict deadlines to fabricate power-conserving screens, and as a result, Sharp will not yet be granted the remaining $60 million the … Read more

Samsung invests $111M in Sharp to buoy display business

Samsung has agreed to invest 10.4 billion yen, or about $111.3 million, in Sharp, helping buoy the struggling display maker.

Sharp said it will issue 35.8 million shares to give Samsung's Japanese electronics unit an approximate 3 percent stake in the company. Sharp noted in a press release that the investment "is to build up mutual trust" in the liquid crystal display business and at the same time boost Sharp's capital position.

The new partnership will ensure that Samsung receives a steady supply of large LCD panels for TVs and small and medium … Read more

Intel's best shot at tablets hasn't arrived yet

Intel won't have its best shot at mobile salvation until late this year. Let's hope that's not too late.

As of today, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Dell, Samsung, and Acer, among others, are all shipping high-profile Windows 8 tablets and hybrids with Intel's "Clover Trail" Atom processor.

And all are billed as running "all your favorite Windows applications."

The problem is that Atom still isn't up to the task, as CNET Reviews and many other reviewers have pointed out.

In short, it's Netbook deja vu all over again. Atom-based Netbooks were never … Read more

Mobile oddities: Delve into the stranger side of MWC

Imagine waking up, reaching for the tablet on your nightstand, and turning on your coffee maker from bed. You catch a few more winks before it alerts you that your hot java's ready. If Qualcomm's concept Wi-Fi coffee maker ever goes into production, your mornings may never be quite the same.

The coffee maker, however, is just one of many odd and unusual gadgets on display at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.… Read more