Qualcomm has jumped leaps and bounds in terms of processing power and the "smartness" of their processors and overall chipsets. The new SnapDragon chipset is so powerful that the company claims it can power devices with displays up to 12" in size, that's large enough for netbooks! However the processor is also built on a very small chipset that makes it perfect for mobile devices including Smartphones, Pocket PC's, GPS units and even some Netbooks.
There are several benefits that I wanted to bring to light that SnapDragon will provide for mobile users:
The most obvious feature is the increase in mobile phone speeds, even the ultra fast iPhone 3GS devices are coming in at less than 700mhz of speed, while 1GHz will add 30% faster speeds.
The processor is also built on a chipset that promotes 3G data speeds up to 7.2Mbps, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity and even a gpsOne engine with stand along GPS and Assisted-GPS standard. With this combination of features on a single Qualcomm chipset devices free up space for new advancements in the future, while coming it at much lighter weights than comparable devices.
The chipsets in many cases are also supporting High Definition video up to 720p and even 3D graphics engines that can be used for mobile gaming and video demonstrations. The SnapDragon QSD8x50 chipset also features WXGA support and offers the ability to use a 12MP camera on your cell phone.
In terms of audio the chipsets are also setup to accept the most popular file formats including: AAC+, eAAC+ AMR, FR, WB-AMR, G.729a, G.711, AAC Stereo encode, EFT and HR formats.
Finally the chipset is built to support not only Windows Mobile (the first device to feature the chipset is the Toshiba G01) but also Google Android and other mobile operating systems built on the Linux backbone.
Qualcomm is also promising a lower power output which will allow your device to run with heavy use for an entire day without a recharge.
Those are the main new features found for SnapDragon. The actual features of a SnapDragon chipset depends on the chipset technology implemented.
Here's a list of the added benefits as provided by Qualcomm.com:
- Optimized power management for all-day battery life
- Ubiquitous, real-time connectivity
- Rich Internet browsing experience
- Access to real-time, personalized and location-aware content
- Streaming and playback of locally stored high-definition video content
- High performance 3D UIs, games, maps and more
- High-quality still pictures and video clips
- Access to social networks through instant messaging, video conferencing and chat
