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Qualcomm CEO details a 'born mobile' world at 2013 CES

Paul Jacobs gave a pre-show CES keynote that featured everyone from Microsoft's Steve Ballmer to Desmond Tutu. He detailed a world where everything is connected and showed how Qualcomm fits in.

Shara Tibken Former managing editor
Shara Tibken was a managing editor at CNET News, overseeing a team covering tech policy, EU tech, mobile and the digital divide. She previously covered mobile as a senior reporter at CNET and also wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. Shara is a native Midwesterner who still prefers "pop" over "soda."
Shara Tibken
2 min read
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer takes the stage at CES 2013 with Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs. CNET/James Martin
LAS VEGAS--Qualcomm Chief Executive Paul Jacobs today detailed a world where everything and everyone is "born mobile."

Being born mobile means being connected via mobile device, anytime and anywhere, Jacobs said, and he spent nearly two hours at the Consumer Electronics Show today detailing how his company is helping enable that trend. Qualcomm, which supplies them wireless chips for the majority of the world's cellphones, is more than happy to provide the processors that power everything from wearable health monitors to smartphones to automobiles.

"We're all part of what we're calling 'Gen M' now, the born mobile generation," Jacobs said. "We've all really come to expect and demand devices ... in the palm of our hands."

Jacobs unveiled two new high-end Snapdragon mobile chips, with the top processor giving performance up to 75 percent better than its predecessor. The chips also included Qualcomm's newest 4G LTE technology and the newest version of Wi-Fi, 802.11ac.

He also demonstrated Qualcomm technology like Vuforia, which enables augmented reality, and wireless electric car charging.

Jacobs took over the CES pre-show keynote speech from software giant Microsoft, which declared 2012 to be its last show. Microsoft couldn't seem to stay away, though, with Chief Executive Steve Ballmer making a cameo to talk with Jacobs about the companies' partnership for Windows Phone and Windows RT, the version of the operating system that runs on cellphone chips.

Ballmer wasn't the only guest who stopped by. The show also featured an archbishop, an actress, a Nascar racer, a director, a Sesame Street character, and a band. All (except Maroon 5, which mainly just sang) talked up the benefits of Qualcomm's technology for their craft. An electric powered Rolls Royce even made an appearance.

"People all around the world are staying connected to each other, to the Internet, and to all their entertainment and information," Jacobs said. "Thanks to this demand for data, mobile is the largest technology platform in human history."

Watch this: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's surprise return to CES