CTIA Wireless 2008 is all about phones, but Qualcomm Inc. was busy Tuesday talking about laptops, portable multimedia players and just about anything else that can be connected to the Internet.
The San Diego-based chipmaker said Dell Inc. will produce laptops with Gobi, Qualcomm’s dual-mode modem that supports both CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Revision A and HSPA. The technology, which was unveiled at CTIA’s October show, had previously gained the support of Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Panasonic; Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA Inc. have certified the modem. T-Mobile International has also certified the technology, Qualcomm said yesterday.
The first Gobi-enabled products are expected to come to market in the second quarter.
“We think there is a tremendous need for end users to stay connected,” Qualcomm COO Sanjay Jha said at a press conference covering a host of topics. “From an enterprise point of view, we have seen tremendous traction with the Gobi platform. . We think there is an opportunity to redefine what mobile computing means.”
The hype underscored the company’s faith in 3G even as many on the show floor below touted 4G technologies such as WiMAX and LTE. The technology is targeted at road warriors who often have to swap mobile broadband cards as they switch mobile networks, and Gobi includes GPS hardware for location-based services.
And GPS functionality can help advertisers approach on-the-go users with targeted marketing messages, Qualcomm executive VP Len Lauer said. Features such as geo-tagging and presence can be coupled with recommendation technologies to create user profiles, allowing media companies to deliver their pitch to the right consumer at the right place and time.
“If I’m a wireless subscriber and maybe I buy NFL content, the (technology) should know that,” Lauer told reporters. “Maybe that promotion coming from Citi Card can be more relevant to what I want to buy.”
Qualcomm also used the press conference to plug Firethorn, the mobile banking startup it acquired last year for $210 million. And the company offered an update on the buildout of MediaFLO USA Inc., its dedicated network for mobile multimedia content.
“We seem to bring on five to six new markets every quarter,” said Gina Lombardi, president of MediaFLO USA “We still have a long way to go to get to the coverage we would like.”
