Dell, HP and Lenovo are all set to begin incorporating Qualcomm's Gobi chipset, which allows laptop users to connect to both HSPA and EV-DO networks. HSPA is predominantly used in Europe, while EV-DO has its largest footprint in the U.S. The two technologies' incompatibility has been troubling for companies like Vodafone and Verizon Wireless. While Vodafone owns half of Verizon Wireless, they cannot create synergies between their current 3G services since they make use of different technologies. Gobi looks to correct that and allow laptop users to take advantage of whichever 3G tech is available. Both Vodafone and Verizon Wireless have made plans to deploy LTE for their 4G networks, which would take care of the problem for future data users.
For more on Gobi:
- read this trend piece from CNET