QUALCOMM Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), pioneer and world leader of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital wireless technology, today announced plans for a family of Mobile Station Modems (MSM™) that will enable a new breed of portable Internet access devices to deliver expanded data capabilities and advanced wireless Internet services.
The new iMSM™ product family will feature a number of different chips and system software solutions available over a period of time, and will be targeted to different segments of the wireless device market. Expanding on the fundamental elements embodied in QUALCOMM CDMA Technologies' current MSM products, the new architecture will help accelerate the evolution of multiple classes of smart phones, combining telephony, full Internet protocol stacks and drivers, and handheld computing functions into feature-rich wireless handsets that include larger screens, more memory and greater data processing capabilities.
"The future of wireless Internet will be dependent upon the ability of chips to enable a full spectrum of information appliances - including smart phones, PDAs and handheld computers," said Jane Zweig, executive vice president of Herschel Shosteck Associates, Ltd., a leading international telecommunications consultancy based in Wheaton, Md. "It is equally important that chips support the operating systems behind these devices."
"We have been working very closely with our customers, various carriers and technology partners in planning the iMSM family segmentation and usage scenarios in order to maximize its functionality and end user appeal," said Johan Lodenius, vice president of marketing and product management for QUALCOMM CDMA Technologies. "The iMSM family leverages our core hardware and software technologies to support an array of applications providing our customers with the means to create new feature-rich devices and extend beyond basic telephony applications and services."
The iMSM family, based on core processor technology from ARM [(LSE:ARM); (Nasdaq: ARMHY)], will support leading industry-accepted consumer electronics operating systems (OS), including: Microsoft Windows CE operating system and Symbian's platform. There will be two initial iMSM product offerings. Detailed feature sets and schedules will be announced later.
The iMSM4000™ solution features a single CPU targeted at PIM-based (Personal Information Management) smart phones with an advanced end-user interface. In addition, this solution enables design of extremely small mobile devices by providing an unprecedented level of integration. The iMSM4100™, with its dual CPUs capable of processing high intensity, high memory applications, is targeted at the wireless handheld computing market and supports the leading third-party operating systems including: Windows CE and Symbian. Handset manufacturers will have the flexibility to license and install the OS of their choice. Both chips will enable faster product development cycles, improve power management, aid in facilitating ergonomically pleasing designs and allow flexibility in targeting specific markets.
"As the embedded processor of choice for digital wireless applications, the ARMŽ architecture is supported by a wide range of industry-accepted consumer electronics operating systems, making it the ideal solution for QUALCOMM's new portable Internet access devices," said Reynette Au, vice president of worldwide marketing for ARM. "The new iMSM products, which are based on a low-power, high-performance ARM processor, will facilitate the rapid, efficient evolution of smart platforms - demonstrating once again why QUALCOMM is an industry leader in wireless communications."
"The modular nature of Windows CE makes it appropriate for a wide range of information appliances such as wireless phones," said Harel Kodesh, vice president, Productivity Appliances Division at Microsoft Corp. "We're very pleased that QUALCOMM's newest solution supports Windows CE enabling a whole new generation of wireless devices to put the power of the Internet into the palm of your hand."
"Symbian has developed relationships throughout the wireless value chain to ensure that content, services and Wireless Iinformation Devices come together to offer unprecedented consumer benefits," said Juha Christensen, executive vice president, Symbian. "With a sophisticated flexible user interface, Symbian's platform is tried and tested, robust, efficient and designed to be scalable for a wide range of Wireless Information Devices. Working with QUALCOMM will extend Symbian's seamless interoperability, allowing device manufacturers to innovate and vary their offerings for mobile users."
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