Gobi chip offers high speeds, GPS

Qualcomm Inc.’s new Gobi chip marks the arrival of a technology long-discussed by the San Diego company, according to one analyst.
The chip will offer high-speed access to the Internet via both CDMA2000 1x EV-DO and UMTS-based HSPA networks worldwide, plus GPS. The chip will be embedded in laptops and appear in commercial products in the second quarter of 2008, the company said.
“This is a product-branding announcement,” said Mike Thelander, CEO of Signals Research Group L.L.C. “It’s been on their roadmap for some time.”
Thelander said that uptake of the new chip would depend on its price. Qualcomm’s announcement came with implicit endorsements from laptop vendor Hewlett-Packard Co. and carriers Vodafone Group plc and Verizon Wireless.
The Gobi chip represents a competitive move to rival Intel Corp.’s work on WiMAX chips for Sprint Nextel Corp. and others, according to Forbes.com.
“We are leveraging Qualcomm’s expertise in multi-mode wireless chipsets to bring unparalleled connectivity to notebook users, who can . access the Internet without looking or a (Wi-Fi) hot spot,” said Sanjay Jha, COO and president of Qualcomm CDMA Technologies.