Intel launches the Yolo, its first smartphone for Africa

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Intel's chips for smartphones have made strides since we first reviewed them last year, but it's still fairly rare to find one in the wild. So what is Intel telling people who might take a gamble on a more niche processor? Yolo. Released through carrier Safaricom, the Yolo is Intel's first African smartphone, as well as the first phone we've seen to use the Lexington Atom chip Intel announced at CES. Despite what will jump to mind for most of us, the name is a nod to the Lava Xolo X900, the very first Intel phone. The Xolo was announced for India in mid-2012, while the Yolo is now coming to Kenya.
The Yolo is based on Intel's reference design from CES, with a 3.5-inch screen and 1.2GHz processor; if it follows the specs we saw there, it'll have a pretty minimal 320 x 240 display and dual SIM support. According to a reviewer at Techweez, who also took the photo above, the phone runs Ice Cream Sandwich and supports HSPA+. Intel's chips can offer longer battery life without sacrificing performance, though we found Lexington sluggish at CES. The company is targeting developing markets with Lexington, sidestepping the problems with LTE support it's encountered elsewhere. The Yolo will sell for 10,999 Kenyan shillings, or about $125. There's no word on whether it will start showing up in other countries in the future, though Intel said at CES that multiple companies were working on Lexington phones.
Source:Internet

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Asus Claims the Title of World’s Smallest Wi-Fi Router

Amongst all of its Windows 8 PCs and tablet announcements at CES, Asus also quietly revealed what it's boasting as the world's smallest Wi-Fi router. And with a form factor only slightly larger than a well-equipped flash drive, the WL-330NUL Pocket Router is the perfect accessory for minimalist road warriors.
Weighing in at just 25 grams, the 802.11b/g/n router includes an ethernet port on one end for sharing a wired connection, and a USB cable on the other for stealing power from a computer. It can also be plugged into an outlet if you want to spare your laptop's battery. For ultra-thin notebooks lacking an ethernet port, the WL-330NUL doubles as a USB ethernet adapter too. As for pricing and availability, that's still to be announced.

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Audi unveils in-car 4G LTE wireless broadband

Audi AG has unveiled the 2013 Audi A3 with 4GLTE wireless connectivity powered by the second generation Gobi multi-mode 3G/4G LTE chipset, the MDM9215, by Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. With peak data rates approaching 100 megabits per second, the enhanced “Audi connect” services in the A3 are expected to transform the user experience and provide enhanced features such as an in-car Wi-Fi hotspot, Internet radio, Web services and an augmented navigation system that presents street level visual imagery streamed to the vehicle. “Audi was the first automaker to highlight the potential for LTE connectivity in vehicles at CES 2012 and now becomes the first automaker to announce a commercial model with embedded 4G LTE connectivity,” said Ricky Hudi, chief executive engineer of electrics/electronics, Audi AG.“As a highlight, we will soon be offering a fully integrated LTE link for our Audi connect services in the new Audi A3 in 2013.” The Gobi MDM9215 chipset will be implemented by Audi in the automotive module. The solution will power Audi connect with 4G LTE speeds and is designed to enable enhancements to real-time navigation, weather and travel information while providing ultra-fast Wi-Fi hotspot access for up to eight devices in the car. Qualcomm has been embedding its Gobi technology with leading automakers for more than a decade and is currently the largest supplier of 3G and 4G technologies and chipsets for passenger-car telematics and connected-car services, with tens of millions of connected vehicles in operation worldwide. “We hope to introduce to automobiles the same 4G LTE connectivity that Qualcomm brought to today’s leading smartphones and mobile computing devices,” said Kanwalinder Singh, senior vice president of business development, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.“The capabilities ofthe MDM9215 chipset allows Audi to define a new in-car media experience, including viewing and interacting with content on the headunit as well as on passengers’ own Wi-Fi-connected smartphones and tablets, all at 4G LTE speeds.” Source:Internet

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Broadcom introduces 5G WiFi Combo chip for Smartphones and tablets

Broadcom Corporation, a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, has introduced the BCM4335, the industry's first complete 5G WiFi combo chip for smartphones, tablets, ultrabooks and other mobile devices. The new solution furthers Broadcom's wireless connectivity leadership and establishes it as the first chip vendor to sample solutions based on the 802.11ac standard for every major Wi-Fi product segment. 5G WiFi, the 5th generation of Wi-Fi based on the IEEE 802.11ac standard, is a major evolutionary step from the existing 802.11a/b/g/n networks. 5G WiFi dramatically improves the wireless range in the home, allowing consumers to watch HD-quality video from more devices, in more places, simultaneously. With 3X faster speeds, consumers can download web content from a mobile device, and synch large files such as videos, in a fraction of the time it would take on a similar 802.11n device. Since 5G WiFi transfers the same volume of data at a much faster rate, devices enter low-power mode quickly and, as a result, are up to six times more power efficient than equivalent 802.11n solutions. Broadcom introduced its family of 5G WiFi chips for access points and PCs at CES in January 2012.  The world's first 5G WiFi routers and notebooks powered by Broadcom's 5G WiFi chips were introduced to the market in Q2 2012. Smartphones and tablets powered by the new BCM4335, which are expected to hit shelves in Q1 2013, will allow consumers to reap the full speed, range and power saving benefits of 5G WiFi on both ends of the wireless connection.

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