I’ll admit up-front I’m cheating. I’m writing this from the comfort of my home office without having to go anywhere near the CES madness (I was there last year; 170,000 people packed into the center of Las Vegas, block-wrapping lines to get taxis, never again). I’m relying instead on the Wired preview of the first day and what… Read More
MediaTek X20 Benchmark Leaks: A Prelude to 2016 Mobile Chipset Wars?
MediaTek is making waves, again. The company’s flagship mobile system-on-chip (SoC)—Helio X20—is up against rivals like Apple, Qualcomm and Samsung, according to leaked Geekbench scores, and is leading in some of the performance benchmarks.… Read More
How Wireless Modem IP is Aiding Roadmap to 5G Chipsets
The semiconductor industry is steadily charting its course toward 5G chipsets with the availability of extremely complex system-on-chip (SoC) designs that support the surge of data traffic over next-generation wireless networks. Take Blu Wireless Technology, for instance, the IP supplier from Britain that is using the Arteris… Read More
MediaTek: Where Do I Go From Here?
MediaTek is at crossroads. The company that pioneered the “Shanzhai” model for smartphones by providing small OEMs and ODMs in China with starter kits and turnkey design solutions is now facing its first real test after years of runaway success.… Read More
The Fog Begins to Lift on 5G Cellular
5G mobile communication is widely forecasted to be a market reality seven to ten years from now. As envisioned by the International Telecommunications Union Radiocommunications sector (ITU-R), in their next generation International Mobile Telecommunication or IMT-2020 documents, 5G comprises three top-level goals: enhanced… Read More
Smartphone Trends Revealed
I’ve been using cell phones since the 1980’s and I’ll never forget my first one, the Motorola DynaTAC (aka Brick Phone). The data plan was paid for by my EDA employer, and it did make me more productive because clients, prospects and co-workers could get a hold of me by simply dialing, not having to go through a secretary… Read More
Implications of LTE in the 5 GHz Band
Back in December 2013, during a 3GPP Radio Access Network (RAN) plenary meeting, Ericsson and Qualcomm introduced LTE-Unlicensed, a scheme that puts LTE-Advanced signals in the 5 GHz unlicensed UNII band, in conjunction with an LTE “anchor” signal in a licensed band. The objective is supplemental downlink bandwidth… Read More
Innovative Apps to Evolutionize Wearable Segment
In recent years, excessive cold or heat in particular regions of the world has become a regular phenomenon; it reminds me about a movie I saw a couple of years ago, “The Day After Tomorrow” in which the whole Manhattan was shown covered with ice. Can’t say whether that can ever happen if at all, but on a better note today, I can see the possibility… Read More
Samsung’s Luck with Gear S2
The wave of new and improved smartwatches started this year. Apple launched its first smartwatch in April. Several other players including Motorola, LG, ASUS, and Huawei have launched their new smartwatches this year. Sony launched its latest ‘SmartWatch 3’ in October last year. Rising consumer electronics brands like Xiaomi… Read More
Wi-Fi Pioneers: Where are they now?
Wi-Fi is the unsung hero of the mobile revolution. Some people even call it the real Internet. In retrospect, smartphones took off partly because Apple forced mobile operators to seriously consider handsets with Wi-Fi capabilities. Now Wi-Fi is an intrinsic networking component serving smartphones, tablets and notebook computers… Read More
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