By Heather Hamilton, Contributing Writer
According the the Pew Research Center, ⅔ of American adults now own smartphones. Still, one third of adults in the United States and many more across the world, particularly in poorer countries, are without a smartphone, notes an article in Ars Technica. The article goes on to say that, in such countries, older (non-smart) phones can account for as much as one half of sales.
Data shows that the flip-phone market is not growing, but that isn’t stopping Qualcomm, who, according to their website, powered the smartphone revolution and connected billions of people. While they’re leading the way to 5G and associated connected devices, they’re currently working to bring 4G LTE connectivity and 4G services to entry-level feature phones.
In a press release published earlier this week, Qualcomm said that “the Qualcomm 205 Mobile Platform includes the Qualcomm 205 SoC, which encompasses the baseband functionalities, plus hardware components including RF front end, discrete Wi-Fi, power management, audio codec, speaker amplifier, and software, all to enable a comprehensive mobile solution.”
The mobile platform is meant to bring service to customers otherwise unable to access quality, affordable, reliable mobile devices. Qualcomm points to India, Latin America, and Southeast Asia as areas particularly in need of such technology and without access to it.
“Bringing 4G and other advanced connectivity features to emerging regions can have a profound effect on those served. From a business point of view, small enterprises that make up a large percentage of the economy in regions such as India and Southeast Asia will have more reliable, faster, and more secure access to process financial transactions. Multiple days of battery life means reduced need to charge — important for those who may not always have access to a reliable power source. Faster download speeds allow for on-demand content, including music and videos,” Qualcomm writes in their press release.
Counterpoint Research told the San Diego Tribune that more than half a billion 4G LTE-capable talk and flip phones will make their way across the world in the next five years, primarily because of the push for consumers in emerging regions to skip 3G technology and move to a phone with 4G LTE.
Jeff Fieldhack of Counterpoint continued in the San Diego Tribune, “There are a couple of tricky requirements for basic feature phones today in developing markets, and one is voice-over-LTE. That is not easy to implement, especially at low cost.”
Ars Technica asserts that, with Qualcomm’s chip, the battery life will include 45 days of standby time, 20 hours of talk time, and 86 hours of music playback — making it a revolution in an era of limited smartphone battery life.
The Qualcomm 205 Mobile Platform is available now and should appear on phones in Quarter 2. The San Diego Tribune reports that the new chip line will cost approximately $50.
“Feature phones are a lifeline in many emerging countries and the Qualcomm 205 Mobile Platform allows us to bring 4G connectivity and services to the masses with devices at price points never seen before,” said Kedar Kondap, a vice president of Qualcomm, in a statement published in the paper.
Qualcomm 205 SoC features include :
LTE Cat 4 modem with up to 150-Mbps download, 50-Mbps upload
Support for 4G, 3G, and 2G networks
Support for 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, ANT+, FM radio
Dual Core CPU at 1.1 GHz
Qualcomm Adreno GPU
3-megapixel (MP) rear camera, 0.3-MP selfie camera
VGA display at 480p 60 frames per second
HD Video streaming
Support for Linux-based OS
Support for dual SIMs
Pin-compatible with Qualcomm Snapdragon 210/212
Sources: Ars Technica, Pewinternet.org, Qualcomm, and San Diego Union-Tribune
Image Source: Photo by dave at Morguefile.com (free photographs for commercial use)
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