Daily Tech Briefing: Oct. 16, 2014

On Oct. 14, Intel executives announced that the chip maker's Mobile Communications Group lost $1 billion during the third quarter while only generating $1 million in sales.

However, Asus, AT&T and Intel later announced that Asus will use an Intel Atom processor and the chip maker's XMM7160 LTE modem in its new PadFone X mini.

This is a 4.5-inch 4G LTE smartphone that becomes a 7-inch tablet when docked. The device will be available Oct. 24 from AT&T for $199.99 with the carrier's GoPhone plan.

When BlackBerry first began accepting preorders for its Passport smartphones on Sept. 24, the first 200,000 preorders sold out quickly. However, Michael Walkley, a communications technology analyst with Canaccord Genuity recently lowered his financial estimates for BlackBerry through fiscal year 2015 due to the sales delays caused by tight supplies of the new Passport smartphones.

The new service, called the IBM Internet of Things Foundation, makes it possible for a developer to quickly and easily extend an Internet-connected device such as a sensor or controller into the cloud, build an application for that device that can collect the data and send real-time insights back to the developer's business.

Qualcomm officials announced that they are moving forward with the planned $2.5 billion acquisition of British chip maker CSR.

CSR has expertise in a range of areas, including Bluetooth technology, automotive infotainment and indoor location, all of which are expected to become increasingly important as the Internet of Things expands.

Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf explained that CSR's capabilities will help Qualcomm with its growing IoT ambitions.