HTC plans more devices with Qualcomm chipsetTAIPEI, Taiwan--Handheld provider HTC today held a joint press conference with wireless provider Qualcomm to announce the continued collaboration between the two companies. HTC also revealed that it plans to globally launch a total of more than 10 handhelds based on the Qualcomm MSM7xxx-series platform later this year.According to the press release, HTC will be the first company to introduce devices with the Qualcomm Mobile Station Modem (MSM) 7500 and 7200 chipsets. Some of the handhelds already announced with this latest chipset include the HTC TyTN II due out in mid-September in Asia as well as the HTC Nike (an HSDPA version of the HTC Touch) unveiled recently in Japan. CDMA models such as the HTC 5800 and 6800 have also been rolled out in the US. The Qualcomm MSM7xxx-series chipsets are said to be the first in the industry to combine two processors--one for the modem, the other for multimedia functions--into a single chip solution. This is expected to provide more processing power, enhance mobile bandwidth, as well as enable slimmer form factors. The chipset will also feature multimedia capabilities such as an 8-megapixel camera, VGA video encoding and decoding and 3D graphics. The MSM7200 caters to the WCDMA/HSDPA handsets, while the MSM7500 will be introduced for the CDMA2000 1xEV-DO markets. Qualcomm also has a third chipset, the MSM7600, that supports both CDMA2000 1xEV-DO and WCDMA. Speaking at the event, HTC's CEO Peter Chou believes the collaboration with Qualcomm, which began in 1998, has allowed both companies to leverage on each other's expertise and to achieve better success in the industry. During a group interview session with the Asian journalists, Chou revealed that the use of Qualcomm's single-chip solution has enabled HTC to reduce its handhelds by up to 30 percent. He also confirmed that the company is planning upgrade more of its older handheld devices with the new Qualcomm chipsets, similar to what's been done with the Touch and TyTN (a.k.a. Dopod 838 Pro), but was not able to give more details. Chou feels that design and user experience will be the two key factors for handheld devices in the near future. The ability to incorporate the latest and greatest technology with a good design will determine the success of the product, he added. Qualcomm CEO Dr Paul E. Jacobs sees the partnership as just the beginning of the road for the two entities. He added that "HTC's success has shown us, as a company, that we needed to build chipsets and technologies that would make these incredible devices smaller, lighter, have longer battery life and more features in them". Jacobs explained at the group interview session that the first generation of the Qualcomm chipsets may not offer substantial power savings but they do help reduce the overall form factor of the handhelds. However, he expects the next-generation Qualcomm chipset to offer better processing and power efficiency as well as improved wireless radio support. HTC will be celebrating its 10th anniversary as well as the opening of a new global headquarters and innovation center in Taoyuan tomorrow.
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