Qualcomm has acquired San Diego-based SoftMax, which develops noise reduction technology for handsets. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. SoftMax creates multi-microphone noise suppression and echo cancellation technology. Qualcomm expects to use the technology in mobile phones, Bluetooth headsets, VoIP phones and notebook PCs. The company's technology also improves battery life, is easy to implement and requires minimal processing power or memory.

For more on the deal:
- read this press release