Ericsson Supplies Mobile Broadband Module to Lenovo
Mio and Qualcomm Team Up in PND Development
Mizi Research Announces Low-Cost Mobile Design
Samsung Electronics’ Cellular Phone Plant in Vietnam
Sony Ericsson Showcases New Smartphone
Toshiba Showcases Fuel-cell Phone at MWC 2008
NEC Teams Up with Alcatel-Lucent in LTE Development
DoCoMo to Procure Super 3G Base Stations from Ericsson

Ericsson of Sweden announced in early February 2008 that it would begin supplying HSPA (High-Speed Packet Access)-based mobile broadband modules to Lenovo for its notebook computers. According to Ericsson, Lenovo will add the HSPA modules to some of its ThinkPad line of notebooks.

Lenovo is the world’s third largest manufacturer of personal computers. This is the first time Ericsson revealed the name of one its mobile broadband module customers.

Market watchers predict that about half of the 200 million notebook computers expected to be shipped by 2011 will incorporate HSPA mobile broadband modules. [M. Robertson, Portelligent]

Mio Technology, a manufacturer of GPS (Global Positioning System) devices, and Qualcomm announced in late January 2008 plans to co-develop a cellular-connected PND (Personal Navigation Device).

The new PND device will use Qualcomm’s QST1100 chipset and offer real-time traffic updates and voice communication.

Mio is the fourth largest manufacturer of PNDs in the U.S., after Garmin, TomTom, and Magellan. Mio’s PNDs offer real-time contents, a search function, and unique dynamic navigation. Through its co-development deal with Qualcomm, Mio will now offer high-performance, next-generation GPS devices.

The QST1100 chipset is a consolidated solution that includes application processing, GPS, and ubiquitous cellular communication. It is based on Qualcomm’s gpsOne solution, an A-GPS (Assisted-GPS) technology that allows cell phones to plot position more accurately by using GPS satellites in conjunction with land-based stations (towers) to determine location. Worldwide, over 300 million gpsOne-enabled devices have been sold. [M. Robertson, Portelligent]

Mizi Research of South Korea announced in early February 2008 a reference design for ultra-low-cost mobile phones. The reference design is based on Prizm, a GUI (graphical user interface) framework for consumer electronic devices that supports Linux for mobile handsets. Mizi Research plans to collaborate with an unnamed hardware manufacturer to develop and offer a low-cost smartphone package that integrates hardware and software, including cost-optimized hardware, a Prizm user-interface platform, and a full set of user applications. The unnamed handset manufacturer is expected to begin mass-producing the low-cost smartphones in about three months.

The Prizm framework supports protocols such as CDMA, GSM, GPRS, and EDGE. It also offers smartphone applications such as phone service, multimedia, messaging, Internet access, personal information management (PIM) software, and Java. In the second quarter of 2008, mobile TV and a GPS solution are scheduled to be added to the Prizm framework.

Mizi Research is in talks with several domestic and foreign vendors. The company’s CEO expects that smartphones based on its low-cost total package will hit the market in the third quarter of 2008.

Mizi Research says it plans to ship 2 million smartphones this year and 20 million units in 2009, when the next version becomes available. [M. Robertson, Portelligent]

Samsung Electronics of South Korea is expected to announce in March 2008 that it will build a cell-phone factory in Vietnam. Samsung’s intention to build the factory was originally reported in mid-2007, but the official announcement was delayed. Samsung Electronics hopes to grab as much as 20 percent of the global cell-phone market in 2008.

Samsung’s chief executive commented in mid-February at MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2008 in Barcelona, Spain, that the company plans to ship 200 million cell phones in 2008 despite uncertain market conditions. However, the company’s domestic production of cell phones is expected to remain at about 70 to 80 million units this year. Increasing domestic output within South Korea would be difficult, he noted, due to increasing labor cost.

Samsung’s goal is to offer premium products that better reflect market needs and consumer lifestyles in order to solidify its position as a global brand.

Chosun Ilbo, a major newspaper in South Korea, reported in late January 2008 that Samsung Electronics was the world’s second largest supplier of cell phones in 2007. In sales and units shipped, it surpassed Motorola and currently trails only Nokia. [M. Robertson, Portelligent]

In mid-February, Sony Ericsson showcased a new smartphone dubbed XPERIA X1 at MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2008 in Barcelona, Spain. The XPERIA X1 is Sony Ericsson’s first Windows Mobile 6 smartphone. It features a 3-inch WVGA (Wide VGA) touchscreen LCD and a sliding QWERTY keyboard. The phone supports a user interface described as a customized panel interface. Other highlights include 3.2-megapixel camera with auto-focus, MP3/AAC-compatible audio player, Bluetooth, FM radio, wireless LAN, full HTML web browser, and GPS. Supported protocols are GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, and HSUPA.

Sony Ericsson plans to launch the XPERIA X1 in Europe and other selected areas during the second half of 2008. The smartphone measures 110mm (l) x 53mm (w) x 16.7mm (d) and weighs 145gm.

Several sites report that the XPERIA X1 is being ODM (original design manufacturer)-produced for Sony Ericsson by HTC (High Tech Computer) of Taiwan.

Images of the XPERIA X1 are available at http://japan.cnet.com/mobile/story/0,3800078151,20366986,00.htm. [M. Robertson, Portelligent]

Toshiba of Japan showcased a clamshell cell phone incorporating a fuel cell at MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2008 in February, in Barcelona, Spain. The phone is a prototype based on KDDI’s super-slim W55T cell phone, which is only 9.9mm thick. The thickness of fuel-cell prototype is 17.5mm when closed, making it 7.6mm thicker than the W55T.

Toshiba originally showcased a fuel-cell phone mock-up at EXPO COMM Wireless Japan 2007, in July of that year. The mock-up was based on a fuel cell/fuel tank that was only 7mm thick. The new prototype shown in MWC 2008 is very close to the design of the 2007 mockup.

The fuel type is methanol. The prototype phone has a gage that indicates the fuel level. Toshiba did not disclose how much fuel the new fuel-cell phone can contain. However, the company stated that on a single fill-up the fuel-cell phone can run about twice as long as a typical cell phone with a Li-ion battery. The fuel-cell phone weighs 150–160 gm when fully charged.

The prototype fuel-cell phone is actually a hybrid that also contains a Li-ion battery. Hybrids are more practical than phones having only fuel cells, which generate excess heat and are costly to operate, two issues that Toshiba plans to address in the future. [M. Robertson, Portelligent]

NEC of Japan and Alcatel-Lucent of France announced in mid-February 2008 that they are planning a joint venture to co-develop LTE (Long Term Evolution) mobile infrastructure. LTE, also known as Super 3G, is a high-speed protocol for third-generation cell phones. Throughput is more than 100Mbps for downlink and 50Mbps for uplink.

Through their collaborative development, the companies plan to supply systems to the mobile communications providers such as NTT DoCoMo and Verizon. The pair plans to market the proposed LTE system in 2009.

Although the level of investment was not disclosed, the co-development effort will involve over 1000 engineers from both companies. [M. Robertson, Portelligent]

NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s No. 1 wireless service, announced plans in mid-February 2008 to procure Super 3G (LTE) base stations from Ericsson, a Swedish communication equipment supplier. DoCoMo and Ericsson will cooperate towards a commercial service launch in 2010.

Super 3G, also known as the 3.9^th generation and Long Term Evolution (LTE), is a high-speed communication technology that’s just a step away from 4G wireless generation. Super 3G supports data rates of up to 160Mbps for downlink and allows use of the same frequency spectrum as FOMA, which is DoCoMo’s W-CDMA service.

Ericsson began supplying 2G base stations to DoCoMo in 1992. Since then it has supplied W-CDMA stations to DoCoMo as well. Ericsson’s long history of working with DoCoMo helped it win the order for the Super 3G base stations.

Ericsson plans to begin marketing Super3G base stations in 2009. Coincidentally, on the same day, NEC and Alcatel-Lucent announced their collaboration to set up a joint venture to develop LTE (Super 3G) systems. [M. Robertson, Portelligent]