Qualcomm claims 1b 3G subs as its own

Qualcomm will launch a 1.5GHz processor early next year, fuelling a predicted surge in the number of 3G devices running its silicon in the next four years, CEO Paul Jacobs revealed yesterday.
 
Jacobs said sample shipments of the new processor have already begun and it will be launched 1Q11 in a Q&A session after his keynote at the Innovation Qualcomm event in London, Pocketlint.com reported.
 
The CEO predicted up to 2.8 billion 3G subscribers will use devices running Qualcomm silicon by 2014, up from 1 billion currently, and said its 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor would make the leap from tablets to smartphones in the next year.
 
Jacobs also demonstrated an augmented reality application, framing a photograph on the wall using an HTC handset, and a pair of prototype devices using Mirasol e-ink displays.
 
Augmented reality and displays are two of several areas Qualcomm is focusing R&D efforts on, Jacobs explained, with its Plaza apps store, healthcare applications, MediaFLO, FLO TV and BREW also in the mix, MobileEntertainment.com said.