Intel buys cellular chip maker Comsys

Intel seems to have taken yet another surreptitious step towards the world of cellular, snapping up bankrupt Israeli based Comsys Mobile Communication and Signal Processing, a WiMAX/GSM modem chip maker for a reported $30 million.
 The acquisition, said to have taken place in late May, has not been confirmed by Intel, but has been widely reported in the Israeli press, as well as by Forward Concepts analyst Will Strauss who claims his comsysmobile.com email addresses now work with intel.com.
Comsys started out as a modem making firm for PCs developed for Conexant Systems, but later developed IPR for 2G and 2.5G cellphone modems. Strauss notes that the firm’s biggest licensee was Texas Instruments, which later purchased the Comsys cellphone operation.  Comsys, says Strauss, then changed direction and entered the WiMAX business, Intel’s playing field, with its combo WiMAX/GSM modem chip.
Strauss says Comsys’ 80 employees will now join Intel’s major wireless R&D centers in Haifa and Petah Tikva.
Another source close to both firms confirmed to RCR Unplugged, “Comsys did, or was about to, go out of business, so Intel just hired some of their employees.”
The source goes on to say he doesn’t think Intel acquired any Comsys products, but that it was normal and expected that Intel “continue to hire wireless expertise inside Intel…not just for Wifi or WiMax, but many areas.”
Meanwhile Strauss notes that “although 3G capability was mentioned in the Israeli news reports of the acquisition, we are unaware of such IPR by Comsys.”
He added, “Comsys has closed shop, and I suspect that Intel wanted their brains and IPR, not their chips.
“Any cellphone chips that Intel may make, whether 3G or 4G will have to also “down-clutch” to 2G and Comsys has that IP,” Strauss told RCR Unplugged.
Strauss posits that Intel is “anxious” to return to the cellular business, realizing it is the only segment that can rival the PC space. “Intel, now under different management, is searching for ways to get back into the cellphone chip market that it once abandoned,” he claims.
The firm, says Strauss, had reasonable success with its XScale-based application processors, but had a tough time merging its multi-level flash memory on the same die with its baseband “Frio” DSP core. Intel sold both properties to Marvell, which has since revitalized and expanded on them.
Intel has been making massive efforts to scale its Atom chips enough in terms of size and power usage to make them suitable for cell phones. Several months back the tech giant announced its latest iteration of Atom, the Atom Z6xx based on the latest “Moorestown” silicon had cut idle power to 1/50th of its predecessors and that power consumption for audio processing had reached 1/20th of the previous version. Not a bad start.
This achievement, admitted Intel, was largely thanks to the company’s use of Freescale’s power management IC (PMIC) and Strauss claims an audio DSP in Intel’s accompanying Platform Controller Hub MP20DSP also went a long way to slashing most of the audio processing.
Still, rumors abounded that Intel was on the prowl for a cellular chip company, with Infineon Technologies AG topping most speculators’ lists. Such an acquisition would, in Strauss’ opinion, have put Intel head-to-head with Qualcomm, the world’s largest fabless chip house and #1 cellular chip vendor.
Unfortunately for Intel, however, Infineon was not up for sale, so the chip giant went looking elsewhere, and appears to have found at least some of what it was looking for.
As to why Intel hasn’t formally announced this ‘acquisition,’ Strauss told RCR “Intel doesn’t have to inform the public unless there’s a ‘material effect’ on its revenues or profits.”

http://tiny.cc/d0rop

Android on Beagleboard using GSM GPRS USB Modem

Headwind GSM Modem Driver 4.0.0810

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Publisher's description

From LiteMobile Software :

Need to setup an SMS notification or equip your website with an SMS service, but do not wish to pay for using internet gateways? The solution for you is to use a GSM device. The multi-purpose SMS messaging software "Headwind GSM Modem Driver" is a professional platform, allowing you to integrate SMS services with a database, website, or desktop application. The unique feature of the software is the automatic configuration of the serial connection in accordance with the device capabilities, which makes Headwind GSM Modem Driver potentially compatible with every GSM device. Once configured, Headwind GSM Modem Driver can be automatically launched at startup, so your PC can be used as the reliable SMS server.

The software has many useful features, such as sending Flash SMS (or the instant message immediately shown on the phone screen), sending WAP Push SMS (containing a link to the mobile webpage or another mobile content item), sending USSD commands (to check the balance and order the SMS packets), receiving delivery reports, and much more. There is a user-friendly connection wizard, which automatically determines and configures an installed GSM modem. The application provides the COM/.NET interface, which can be used by third-party applications (written, for example, in VB.NET) for SMS messaging. Headwind GSM Modem Driver is equipped with a unique interface of SMS sources (local files or remote URLs containing outgoing SMS) and SMS handlers (commands or remote URLs calling when a short message is received). This interface makes the software able to be integrated with any system, whether it is a desktop application, database, or a web portal. Version 4.0.0810 implements delivery reports and includes interface improvements and integration with website.

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GSM/GPRS modem

SimCom’s SIM340DZ is a complete quad-band GSM/GPRS solution in an SMT module ready to be embedded in a customer’s application. Featuring an industry-standard interface, the device delivers GSM/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900 MHz performance for voice, SMS, data and fax in a form factor measuring 33 x 33 x 3 mm.

The SIM340DZ is controlled via AT commands (GSM 07.07, 07.05 and SIMCOM enhanced AT commands). It operates from a supply of 3,4 to 4,5 V over the temperature range of
-40°C to +85°C. The modem interfaces to an external SIM at 3 V or 1,8 V. Other interfaces include two analog audio interfaces, RTC backup, SPI, serial and debug interface, antenna pad, charge interface and general-purpose I/Os. The devices carry GCF, CE, RoHS and FCC approvals.

For more information contact Barry Culligan, Otto Marketing, +27 (0)11 791 1033, contact@otto.co.za, www.otto.co.za

Verizon UMW190 USB World Modem [Global Connectivity, Dual-Band CDMA/Tri-Band UMTS/HSPA, Quad-Band GSM]

Posted by Robert Lesher

For those of us that travel around the world frequently, there is one thing upon which we can always count; the inevitable problems that come with roaming with your cell phone or smartphone. It would seem that the communications world has come a long way with the increasingly large number of global phones that are capable of roaming about on various international networks. There is, however, one segment of this wireless networking realm that has been conspicuously absent and that’s the USB modem. Their popularity for intra-country use is without dispute but their ability to move internationally has been a bit of a concern. The latest USB modem from Verizon, the UMW190, is hoping to change all that. It offers true global connectivity and promises to give the user 3G access just about everywhere they may roam.

The Verizon UMW190 USB Global Modem operates on dual-band CDMA/Tri-Band UMTS/HSPA and quad-band GSM, which should just about have you covered everywhere you’d want to go. That’s not to say that you should expect to be able to update your Twitter account from Outer Mongolia or post your latest wet t-shirt shots to FaceBook from the Australian Outback, but I think if you happen to be in either of those situations you just might have more pressing issues to which to tend.

Verizon has stated that the modem will be in its stores later this month and will retail for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a new two-year agreement. There’s always a catch, isn’t there? Anyway, other features of the modem include a pre-installed sim card, a sliding cover, compatibility with Windows, and a visual status indicator. A USB extension cable is also included with the modem.

http://nexus404.com

Headwind GSM Modem Driver review

Headwind GSM Modem Driver, the high end software with amazing capabilities to send and receive SMS using your GSM mobile and system.
With the help of this professional tool you can easily integrate SMS services for your database, website, or desktop application. All you need is a GSM mobile and an effective internet connection with your system. With the unique capability to create automatic configuration for serial connections as per your device capabilities this program can be potentially compatible with every GSM device. With this program you can easily send Flash SMS, WAP Push SMS, USSD commands, receiving delivery reports, and much more. The program is integrated with the COM/.NET interface usable by the third-party applications for SMS messaging. The tool also supports SMS sources and SMS handlers.
Headwind GSM Modem Driver, supports a user-friendly connection wizard with the capability to automatically determine and configure an installed GSM modem.

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AnyDATA's ADU-610 checks into the USB HSDPA modem game

AnyDATA Corporation released wireless USB modem - the ADU-610 - to carriers worldwide. Powered by blazing download speeds from the Internet of up to 7.2 Mbps, this small modem makes wireless broadband accessible for PDAs, notebook, and even home PCs.

The ADU-610 high-speed modem works worldwide on 3G networks that utilize the latest HSDPA/UMTS technology. In areas where the carrier has deployed 2.5G networks, the USB modem till transmits at 384 kbps.

The ADU-610 is designed for portability. It is small as a keychain - 35x93x10mm - and has an internal antenna unlike first-generation data cards. The device is certified for PCs using Microsoft Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) drivers. The modem has also been certified to support Windows Vista.

The USB modem has its own battery and operates at maximum allowable output power for outstanding performance. The modem works worldwide on wireless networks that utilize high-speed 2.1Ghz frequencies as well as 1800 and 900Mhz GSM networks.

http://www.slashphone.com/69/6559.html