HTC unveils first tablet device
HTC has shown its first tablet computer, the HTC Flyer. The tablet is a touchscreen device that comes with a stylus pen.
HTC has also announced HTC Watch, a new video service that will debut on HTC Flyer tablet, and will collaborate with OnLive, to launch a cloud-based mobile gaming service.
The HTC Flyer features a 7-inch display, 1.5 GHz processor and supports HSPA+ connectivity. The OS is an unspecified version of the Android platform, and the camera is a 5 megapixel model.
With the new HTC Scribe Technology on the tablet, the company stated that people can rediscover the natural act of writing. HTC Scribe Technology introduces a wave of integrated digital ink innovations that make it possible to take notes, sign contracts, draw pictures, or write on a web page or photo.
A feature called Timemark enables users to capture the audio of a meeting in line with their written notes, so that tapping on a word in your notes instantly takes you to that exact place in time in the audio recording of the meeting. Notes are also integrated with the calendar so whenever there is an appointment reminder, you are automatically prompted with an opportunity to begin a new note or in the case of recurring meetings, to continue where the last meeting left off.
HTC Flyer will be available to customers globally during Q2 2011. Pricing is still to be confirmed.
Hutchison plans to launch LTE for Austrian network
Hutchison 3G Austria (3) has upgraded half of its network to HSPA+, enabling theoretical peak download rates up to 42Mbps. By autumn 2011, the entire network will offer HSPA+ coverage to 94% of the Austrian population.
Furthermore, 3 is preparing the network for LTE based 4G services, whose launch in urban areas will start later this year.
According to 3 CEO Jan Trionow, it now has the frequencies, the technology and the data transfer rates for optimal use of state-of-the-art smartphones, innovative multimedia services and nationwide high speed broadband Internet. The network upgrade was provided by ZTE.
Intel plans for new silicon, software and connectivity capabilities
Intel has announced a number of advancements to its mobile portfolio across a broad spectrum of silicon, software and connectivity, including the sampling of Medfield, the company’s 32nm phone chip.
The company has also announced accelerated LTE platforms, a new MeeGo tablet user experience, the acquisition of Silicon Hive, and several new mobile investments and software development tools.
According to Anand Chandrasekher, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the company’s Ultra Mobility Group, the mobile Internet, with all of its complexity, presents tremendous opportunity and growth prospects for the industry at large. Through these efforts and others still to come, Intel is bringing the full weight of its resources, technology investment and the economics of Moore’s Law to drive down costs and power requirements for new markets, while delivering the leading-edge performance that the industry has come to expect from them.
The company has confirmed that its subsidiary, Intel Mobile Communications (IMC) will sample its first compact, low-power multi-mode (LTE/3G/2G), LTE solution in the second half of the year with broad market availability for devices in the second half of 2012. IMC is also now shipping the world’s smallest, fully integrated HSPA+ solution with true 21 Mbps downlink and 11.5 Mbps in uplink for small form factor devices and announced a new platform supporting Dual-SIM Dual-Standby (DSDS) operation for the emerging Dual SIM market.
Expanding upon Intel’s silicon capabilities, the company announced that it is sampling its 32nm “Medfield” smart phone chip with customers. “Medfield” is scheduled for introduction this year and has been specifically designed for the smart phone market segment.
Further building on these silicon capabilities, the company announced the acquisition of Silicon Hive, an Intel Capital portfolio company, which brings better still imaging and multimedia video processor technology, compilers and software tools to its growing Atom processor portfolio. The Silicon Hive capabilities will aid in the delivery of more differentiated Atom-processor based SoCs as multimedia and imaging grow in importance across the mobile smart device segments.
Samsung shows off the world’s thinnest smartphone
Samsung has claimed that it is launching the world’s thinnest phone which is 8.49mm thick- the Samsung GALAXY S II (Model: GT-I9100).
The smartphone has dual-core Android 2.3 and also supports HSPA+ with peak download rates theoretically reaching 21Mbps on supported networks. The GALAXY S II also delivers seamless multitasking, switching between applications instantly.
The Samsung GALAXY S II is equipped with an 8MP, high-profile camera and camcorder with 1080p full HD recording and playback. A significant reduction in power consumption from Super AMOLED display also means it is also more energy-efficient than other comparably-sized devices, allowing Samsung to minimize device weight.
The Samsung GALAXY S II gives customers more choice in personalizing their smartphone experience. New for the Samsung GALAXY S II, Samsung has introduced Live Panel, a service that aggregates live web and application contents to a single customizable home-screen. Customers can design the lay-out of their own Live Panel, online services and mobile apps to appear on-screen. SNS feeds, information and many more applications can all be embedded and accessed instantly through the magazine-like layout.
According to market requirement, the GALAXY S II is able to incorporate Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to support emerging mobile payment service and other services with mobile operators.
No pricing or release dates yet.
True vows no lay off at Hutchison (Thailand)
Thai communications True has announced that it will retain the employees at the Hutchison mobile service when the company takes over the business.
True’s Chief Executive Suphachai Chearavanont vowed that none of the 1,000 people working for Hutchison’s Thailand business will lose their jobs. True, through two subsidiaries, has acquired the business in January from Hutchison.
According to Suphachai, the initial focus would be on maintaining the existing 800,000 Hutch subscribers, and on migrating them to 3G services on a HSPA platform.
Movistar expands HSPA to Loja (Ecuador)
Movistar has reportedly expanded commercial 3.5G coverage to the city of Loja. The expansion of the HSPA-based mobile broadband network was launched in June 2009 which forms part of a nationwide plan to increase Movistar’s high speed services footprint throughout 2011.
Offers currently include a pre-paid mobile internet start-up package costing US$99 plus VAT with an inclusive modem and 500MB of data.
Post-paid Movistar plans start from US$19 per month, whilst new Samsung tablet devices can now be used on the network.
Mobile Backhaul Market to Exceed $8 Billion by 2015
Latest research reports reveals that mobile Backhaul market revenues are expected to exceed $8 billion by 2015. The report indicates that the overall market will grow more than 40% in the next 5 years, while revenues for the Routers and Switches segment will more than double over the same period.
According to sources, they have been tracking the telecommunications equipment market for more than 16 years, and are pleased today to announce that they have leveraged this knowledge to publish a detailed report on the Mobile Backhaul market.
The huge growth in bandwidth requirements, coupled with the transition to 4G IP-based cellular radio technologies will drive the Mobile Backhaul market over the next 5 years. The largest increase in mobile backhaul equipment revenues over the next 5 years will likely come from the Asia Pacific and EMEA regions, as these areas grow their cellular subscriber base as well as prepare for next generation cellular network technologies like HSPA+ and LTE.
ERICSSON: Achieves three HSPA world firsts
Today, three important steps were taken in the evolution of HSPA. A representative from leading operator SingTel was in attendance when Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) recorded three new HSPA world-first achievements in Stockholm, Sweden.
The first demonstration showcased multi-carrier HSPA with 168Mbps on the downlink and 24Mbps on the uplink using a prototype consumer device and commercial network equipment. This is a world record for the highest HSPA speed achieved on commercial network equipment. This demonstration will also be shown by Ericsson during the GSMA Mobile World Congress later this month.
Tay Soo Meng, Executive Vice President of SingTel Networks says: ” SingTel has been driving the growth of mobile data services with the introduction of new smartphones, tablet devices and rich multimedia applications. We expect to see greater demand for higher speeds and bandwidth in the near future. We have been in continuous collaborations with Ericsson on opportunities in the HSPA evolution and its relevance and timing for implementation in our networks. In 2010, we were one of the first in the world to demonstrate 42Mbps “live” on our networks, and it is a natural progression to continue improvements in HSPA with 84Mbps and beyond.”
Dual-carrier HSPA with 84Mbps was also demonstrated for the first time ever, using commercial network products. By using two 5MHz carriers in the connection to the same consumer, peak speeds of 84Mbps are reached, doubling the maximum speed that is offered today by the fastest commercial HSPA networks.
The third world-first achievement was the demonstration of single-carrier HSPA with 42Mbps using end-to-end commercial products including a consumer device. With this new technology, it is possible to reach 42Mbps on a single WCDMA frequency carrier of 5MHz by using multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) technology. Compared with the currently-used dual-carrier HSPA with 42Mbps technology (that Ericsson, as the first vendor, already implemented at the end of 2009), operators can be much more efficient with their valuable radio spectrum.
Ulf Ewaldsson, Vice President and Head of Product Area Radio at Ericsson, says: “These three achievements are the latest additions to our long list of world firsts in HSPA, demonstrating our technology leadership. Operators like Singtel, want to offer their customers the highest HSPA speeds and network capacity needed to fulfill the ever-increasing demand for mobile broadband services on any device. For many years we have focused on the evolution of HSPA and it is rewarding to see that the industry-wide support for HSPA Evolution is now stronger than ever Ericsson’s Evo RAN brings EDGE, HSPA and LTE together into one strong, industry-leading offering. The potential for HSPA is even larger and 3GPP is already looking at even higher HSPA speeds.”
The first commercial network implementations of single-carrier HSPA with 42Mbps and dual-carrier HSPA with 84Mbps can be expected during 2011, followed by higher HSPA speed implementations in later on.
The speeds referred to are peak network speeds. Actual customer speeds will be lower, and can vary owing to congestion, distance from the base station, local conditions, hardware, software and other factors.
T-Mobile Czech now operates 6,711 BTS
T-Mobile Czech Republic has reportedly revealed its networks now comprise 6,711 base transceiver stations (BTS), thanks to the deployment of a BTS in its 5,000th location.
According to reports, T-Mobile’s base stations include a range of network technologies including GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS TDD and UMTS FDD.
As per the company’s director of technology, Frank Meywerk, a significant number of BTS on its network are UMTS FDD-enabled with support for HSPA+, and in future will allow an easy implementation of LTE.
