New Qualcomm mobile chips add HSPA+
updated 04:45 pm EST, Fri February 13, 2009
Qualcomm 42Mbps chipsets
Chipmaker Qualcomm on Thursday announced a new range of chipsets for mobile devices that include support for dual-carrier HSPA+ data networks. The Qualcomm QTR8610 transceiver supports worldwide 3G bands as well as Bluetooth, GPS, and FM radio capabilities, in addition to a number of codecs that allow it to play back varied multimedia content.
Three HSPA+ capable chipsets meant for cellphones and part of Qualcomm's Mobile Station Modem line include the MSM8260, MSM8660 and MSM8270. Based on 45nm manufacturing technology, all three share the same 1.2GHz Scorpion CPU and 600MHz DSP. They are capable of processing images from 16-megapixel cameras and have 1080p HD video playback and recording capabilities along with DTS and Dolby 5.1 surround sound support. The chips can be installed in devices with 24-bit displays up to 1280x800 pixels in resolution and can support 3D or 2D user interfaces via attached graphics processors. Assisted GPS capability with Glonass satellite service support is likewise built in.
Where the three differ is in their download speeds. The MSM8260 supports 3GPP Release 7 HSPA+ for data transfer rates as fast as 28Mbps, while the MSM8660 has 3GPP/3GPP2 multimode. The MSM8270 can access Release 8 dual-carrier HSPA+ for speeds up to 42Mbps.
The MDM8220 chipset for data cards has the same capability, allowing for 42Mbps downloads and 11Mbps uploads.
The MDM8220 is planned for a sampling release in the middle of 2009, with both the MSM8260 and MSM8660, along with the QTR8610 coming in the fourth quarter of the year. The MSM8270 is due to be released in the middle of 2010.
