AT&T, Panasonic will support Qualcomm's Gobi chip

Qualcomm just received more support for its Gobi embedded laptop chipset. AT&T has certified the technology to be used on its HSPA network along with two of Panasonic's Gobi-enabled rugged notebooks. In addition, HP's refreshed line of notebooks, which have built-in Gobi technology, are also certified for AT&T's network.

On the CDMA front, two of Panasonic's Gobi-enabled laptops received certification from Verizon Wireless for use on its EV-DO network.

Gobi allows users to switch seamlessly between 3G networks around the world, including GSM, EDGE, HSPA, and EV-DO. Vodafone, which operates an HSPA network in Europe, has backed the project, complementing partner Verizon's U.S.-based EV-DO network.

Yesterday at Andrew Seybold's Wireless University before the opening of the CTIA Wireless I.T. and Entertainment conference in San Francisco, Qualcomm's vice president of strategic products for their CDMA division, Michael Concannon, extolled the virtues of Gobi.

One of the keys to Gobi's innovative design, Concannon said, is that it standardizes API, and allows developers to develop a potentially endless variety of applications that sit above the card firmware, while providing no problem with certification.

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