baseband

Inside the Samsung Galaxy S III: Quad-core drives galaxial screen

The Samsung's Galaxy S III's vast 4.8-inch screen sits atop a quad-core processor and Sony camera, among other goodies exposed in detail via a chipworks teardown.

Before we dive into the specs, let's be clear. For a phone, it's big. Big enough to be brushing up against 5-inch mini tablets.

"I'd say it does verge on being unnecessarily large, but thankfully it isn't as ludicrously big as the Samsung Galaxy Note with its 5.3-inch screen," said CNET"s Jessica Dolcourt in her review of the phone.

And note this … Read more

First Intel-branded 3G, 4G chips debut

Intel announced shipments of the first 3G chips--and future 4G silicon--that sport its branding today at Mobile World Congress--the fruits of its acquisition of Infineon's wireless business.

"Intel Inside" takes on a new meaning with 3G chips. After the acquisition, Intel Mobile Communications has overnight become a major supplier of so-called baseband processors, which handle the 3G connection and are one of the most critical chips in a smartphone or tablet.

Intel's--formerly Infineon's--3G chips are used in prominent devices such as the iPhone and iPad.

Announced today, the XMM 6260 is designed for smartphones … Read more

Over 2 billion baseband cellular devices to ship in 2014

The move to 4G and the longevity of 3G will kick off a rise in the number of devices shipped with baseband cellular modems to more than 2 billion annually in another four years, according to a report released Thursday by In-Stat.

Devices with baseband modems--wireless chipsets that enable the connection to cell towers--include traditional mobile phones, smartphones, Netbooks, notebooks, tablets, and e-readers. Though Wi-Fi will continue to be a practical technology for short-range connections, baseband devices will still offer greater coverage by tapping into cellular networks, according to In-Stat.

As the current onslaught of mobile devices taxes existing 3G … Read more

iPhone Dev-Team releases PwanageTool 3.1.4

The iPhone Dev-Team has released PwnageTool 3.1.4, an update to its Mac hacking utility for iPhones and iPods. The group also confirms rumors that Apple may be finding ways to block future jailbreaks.

This version of the PwnageTool was created to specifically unlock iPhone OS 3.1.2, but all generations of the iPhone are supported by this release as well as the first and second generations of the iPod Touch. (Second-generation devices must have already been jailbroken for this application to work.) Unfortunately, third-generation iPod Touch users are completely left out--no jailbreak for you with this utility.… Read more