We tend to focus on the top-tier "super" phones here, but we should never forget that the important market is made of the people who don't yet have a smartphone in areas where technology is only beginning to penetrate. Labeled "emerging markets" by the media, these areas are filled with folks who might not want nor be able to afford $700 smart phones.
The folks making the phones, and the people like Qualcomm who build out the components know how important this sector is. They want people to have devices they can afford, and while it's more of a business decision than a humanitarian one, they do what is necessary to deliver products that will make an impact. We're seeing more evidence of that today from Qualcomm.
In a press release they just sent out, they have announced six new variants of the Snapdragon 200 chip, ready for use in phones and other devices that won't break the bank. Complete with an Adreno 302, the new chips will offer enough horsepower to perform all the standard tasks one would need a smart phone to do, on the networks people need them to be on. The configurations are complete with support for HSPA+ 21 and TD-SCDMA 3G networks, and will come in standard, Dual-SIM Dual-Standby, Dual-SIM Dual-Active and Tri-SIM Tri-Standby configurations. Of course, they're designed to fully support Android as well as Firefox OS and Windows Phone.
These aren't chips that will make their way into devices in the west, but they are a key to both the company's success and pushing technology to people who don't yet have access to it. That makes them important even if we don't feature them in headlines every day. Hit the break for the full press release.
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