Qualcomm’s Snapdragon line virtually breathes fire

Consumers around the world can expect more powerful smartphones and other mobile devices that use up less power to reach the shelves in the years ahead, said Qualcomm, an American telecommunications research and development firm.

As a result, mobile Internet use will grow by leaps and bounds, while mobile devices gain the ability to handle ever more complex applications.

Qualcomm recently launched its Snapdragon line of integrated chipsets optimized for mobile devices. The company believes this new line, which combines a device’s graphics unit, processor and other components into a single chip, will pave the way for the development of new and better devices for the market.

“Devices need to be more responsive. When customers are on the go, they want to access their information and applications as quick as possible,” said Qualcomm country general manager Mantosh Malhotra during a briefing.

“Snapdragon meets this need with fast, powerful processing and high-performance multimedia wireless connectivity and optimized power consumption.”

At the top of the Snapdragon line of chipsets is the S3.

The dual-core S3 has processing speeds of up to 1.5 gigahertz, per core. That’s 50 percent faster than Apple’s Ipad 2.

It is also powerful enough to support 1080p high-definition video playback on a device that can fit in your pocket.

Another standout in the S3’s long list of talents is its ability to support up to 16 megapixels on cellular phones or tablet computers, which are, again, devices that will fit in most pockets.

And because all these capabilities are squeezed in a single component, battery life is no problem. If anything, Malhotra said, battery life has even improved.

“Snapdragon processors make it possible for you to fully enjoy your … smartphone,” he said.

Malhotra says most consumer electronics companies today, excluding Apple, which makes chipsets in house, now use Snapdragon.

These devices include leading brands like Acer, Lenovo, Samsung, Asus and LG.

“There are currently 100-plus Snapdragon-based devices announced with more than 200 Snapdragon-based devices in development, including over 30 tablets,” Malhotra said.