Carmen Nobel

Mobile phone chip manufacturer Qualcomm Inc. has plans for technology that lets small devices transfer data via a USB (universal serial bus) interface without having to use a PC as a middleman. The San Diego, Calif., company announced this week that it has licensed USB On-The-Go technology from TransDimension Inc., a small company in Irvine, […]

Sharp Electronics Corp. in the first quarter of next year will ship the Zaurus SL-5600. The latest addition to Zaurus PDA family, the new device includes a 400MHz processor from Intel Corp. As with previous Zaurus devices, the Zaurus SL-5600 runs the Linux operating system, and it includes a QWERTY keyboard and a sliding cover […]

Research in Motion Ltd. is laying off approximately 10 percent of its workforce in an effort to cut costs, company officials announced on Tuesday. RIM, of Waterloo, Ontario, is expecting a pre-tax charge of between $8 million and $9 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2003, but expects to save up to $25 million […]

Microsoft Corp. has two new mobile hardware partnerships, one aimed at cost-conscious corporate customers and the other at cutting-edge consumers. The Redmond, Wash., software giant has teamed up with Samsung Semiconductor Inc. to develop a design for inexpensive handheld computers based on Microsofts Pocket PC operating system, officials said this week. Devices based on the […]

Two wireless silicon companies are manufacturing two-chip radios that support different WLAN standards. Broadcom Corp. this week will unveil a two-chip solution for IEEE-approved 802.11b access points, while Intersil Corp. has started sampling a two-chip radio for the forthcoming 802.11g standard. The idea behind such products is that the fewer the chips on a processor, […]

Microsoft Corp. officials are confident that their new Tablet PC operating system will be popular in the enterprise, but with most early applications targeting vertical markets, some users are questioning where the system fits in their plans. “Build them,” Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates told hardware officials here last week at the […]

The airwaves are crackling with news of chip technologies that reduce power consumption in wireless devices and integrate incompatible wireless technologies. Advanced Micro Devices Inc. last week announced a new wireless LAN chip set and reference design kit, which company officials said would best similar products from competitors such as Intel Corp. and Intersil Corp. […]

Research in Motion Ltd. scored a partnership triptych this week, announcing licensing deals with Nokia Corp., Palm Inc. and Handspring Inc. Finnish mobile phone giant Nokia Corp. has licensed software from RIM for use in future mobile phones. RIM, of Waterloo, Canada, specializes in wireless e-mail pagers. Neither company would divulge the financial terms of […]

British phone manufacturer Sendo plc. this week announced that the company is scrapping plans for its Z100 phone, which is based on Microsoft Corp.s Smartphone 2002 software. The phone had been scheduled for shipment by the end of the year in Europe and Asia. “It has been a very difficult decision for Sendo given its […]

Toshiba America Information Systems Inc. on Thursday will introduce the Portege 3500, the companys first computer that runs Microsoft Corp.s new Tablet PC operating system. Microsoft is launching the long-awaited OS on Thursday. Based on Windows XP, the Tablet PC system combines pen-based handheld computing and speech recognition with a traditional PC operating system, enabling […]