Intel is banking on WiMax to boost its declining sales. The company will provide the technology to Sprint Nextel Corp., which announced that it will spend $3 billion to create a new network based on the standard. Intel saw a 13 percent annual increase in sales due to its Centrino chips between 2003 and 2005. But profits in the past two quarters have been dropping and Chief executive officer Paul Otellini expects revenues to fall — the first time since 2001 — because of increasing market gains by Advanced Micro Devices, AMD.
Via [philly.com]
Tag Archive for 'Chipsets'
Wireless chipmaker CSR has developed a VoIP phone that may be sold for under $20 or just a tenth of the average cost of current models. The company plans to license UniVox to handset manufacturers and sees the release of the product by the second half of next year. The phone uses CSR’s UniFi tri-band Wi-Fi chip, which is intended for low-power embedded applications, and renders up to 20 hours of talk time. It supports SIP, IAX2 VoIP, WEP, WPA and 802.11i security.
Via [itweek.co.uk]
Israeli startup Amimon got 14 Million in second round funding for thier wireless HDTV chipset. The company claims the ability to stream HDTV signal wirelessly to TV’s potentially avoiding costly cable installation. Other companies are in the same market, but are basing thier technology on pre-802.11n specs that might not be around by the time the market opens up for the technology.
Via [redherring.com]
At the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, two researchers showed how criminals can attack laptops due to a flaw in WiFi card software. David Maynor of SecureWorks and independent researcher Jon Ellch, aka Johnny Cache, opted for a video presentation instead of a live demo so as not to provide too much information that could be taken advantage of by cyber criminals. The video showed how easily Maynor was able to remotely control an Apple Computer MacBook Pro using a Dell laptop due to a flaw in the MacBook’s third-party WiFi card. Maynor clarified that the problem is not unique to Mac units and can also affect those running Windows or Linux.
Via [businessweek.com]
Intel has discovered flaws in its Centrino’s wireless technology that could make laptops hosting it susceptible to security attacks such as worms. The vulnerabilities, according to a statement by the company, “exist in the Microsoft Windows drivers for the Intel 2200BG and 2915ABG PRO/Wireless Network Connection Hardware because of the way that they currently handle certain frames.” They “could potentially be exploited by attackers within range of the Wi-Fi station to execute arbitrary code on the target system with kernel-level privileges.” Intel’s website provides more information on these security holes.
Via [vnunet.com]
WiFi vendors are expressing concerns over AMD’s plans to acquire ATI Technologies. The perception is that AMD will follow the “Centrino” route, which involved a bundle of an Intel-manufactured processor, chipset, and Wi-Fi card. Dirk Meyer, the president and chief operating officer of AMD, dismissed the concerns, assuring that the company has no plans of copying Intel’s strategy. Meyer stressed that AMD will “continue to rely on the ecosystem and great partners like Broadcom.” Also, “the strength of [AMD's] approach is for customers to have access to best of breed components.” Nonetheless, companies like Broadcom are already studying their options as their own customers are already asking about their contingency plans should the AMD-ATI deal pushes through. Mike Hurlston, vice president and general manager of Broadcom’s wireless LAN business, said: “We’re certainly getting that [kind of question] from a lot of customers. Our answer has been that it’s too early to tell.”
Via [pcmag.com]
Intel has unveiled Rosedale II, the company’s first chip that supports mobile Wimax. The firm, according to Chris Beardsmore, Intel’s market development manager for Europe, will conduct commercial trials of the new silicon in Europe by the end of 2006. Beardsmore expects Rosedale II to expand the user base of Intel’s WiMax solutions. Beardsmore said: “What we’re seeing with Rosedale II is, not only have the vendors who bought Rosedale I (a fixed WiMax chip) said they’ll buy it, but we’ve also seen people like Alcatel enter the market.” He revealed that 10 companies have already ordered the new chip, whose production is set to start “later this year.”
Via [news.zdnet.co.uk]
Intel Corp. representatives have plans to ship the “Rosedale 2″ WiMAX chip within the next 6 to 9 months, according to a company spokesperson. Unlike the current chip, Rosedale 2 will support both the current fixed version (802.16d) and the new mobile version of the 802.16 WiMAX specifications. “Nomadic” or “portable CPEs,” which are similar to a home router, can be carried from location to location, but the next step (802.16e) is for WiMAX capabilities to be shipped inside devices. At its release, the Rosedale 2 technology will work with customer premise equipment (CPEs) only — individual devices will have to wait.
Via [extremetech.com]
Intel is set to unveil Rosedale 2 — a chipset that can support fixed and mobile WiMax — at the upcoming Wireless Communications Association International (WCA) 2006 meeting in Washington. The chip is intended for use in modems and residential gateways but the company is aiming to extend its application to picocell base stations. Later this year, Intel plans to launch Ofer-R, a single-chip radio that offers support for both WiFi and WiMax.
Via [eetimes.com]
Airgo has released True MIMO Media, a quality-of-service enhancement for its “Multiple In, Multiple Out” scheme of multiple antennas. The technology aims to boost range and effectively rid packet errors or wireless interference. STMicroelectronics and Caton Overseas are expected to utilize this latest innovation for their reference designs and set-top boxes.
Via [pcmag.com]
Altera Corp. and Sequans Communications announced the availability of mobile WiMax chipsets. Using FPGA technology, they seem very certain that they will be able to upgrade the chipsets for future improvements to the WiMax standards. No word yet on any customers.
Via [eetimes.com]
Alienware, a soon-to-be-acquired-by-Dell niche PC maker, has targeted chipsets made by Airgo Networks to power two of the Alienware game-focused laptops. The notebooks — Aurora m9700 and Aurora mALX — will come equipped with Airgo’s Gen3 True MIMO technology (multiple input, multiple output), combining mobility plus Wi-Fi connections at speeds fast enough for high-performance gaming.
Via [news.zdnet.com]
New developments from a professor at the University of Rochester might make WiFi less power hungry. The new chips use an analog rather than digital clock to frequency match. Fewer digital operations means less power consumed. Hopefully this technology can make it into production chipsets in the near future as everyone would like more battery life on portable devices.
Via [vnunet.com]
Intel is backing a new startup called Arch Rock and thier desire to build wireless internet enabled sensor devices. The idea is to have these things on everything, utilizing a low power mesh network to string them together to allow operators to have a firm grasp of what is happening in the physical world, through the internet. It will be interesting to see if start ups like this can deliver on the promises they make.
Via [eetimes.com]
Intel Goes To The Max On WiMax
At the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, Intel CEO Paul Otellini announced that the company will integrate WiMax into its 5th generation Centrino chips by 2008 as part of its goal to make the technology as ‘ubiquitous’ as WiFi. In view of plans by Sprint and Clearwire, Otellini believes WiMax will virtually extend over the whole country, with around 100 million people using the technology. According to the company, no less 200 WiMax trials are under way worlwide.
Via [theinquirer.net]