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Qualcomm plans to reject Broadcom's takeover bid
Broadcom might have to forget about taking over Qualcomm without a fight -- Reuters sources claim that Qualcomm's board is planning to reject the unsolicited buyout bid. Reportedly, Broadcom's offer of $70 per share, despite setting a record, "undervalues" Qualcomm and doesn't account for the potential regulatory hurdles involved in clinching such a huge deal. The chip giant could voice its objections as early as November 13th, the tipsters said, but might take a few days to ready a fuller response.
Broadcom offers to buy Qualcomm for a record $130 billion
Wireless chip manufacturer Broadcom has officially bid to buy its rival Qualcomm in a deal worth up to $130 billion. If successful, it would become the richest tech acquisition in history, nearly doubling Dell's $67 billion purchase of EMC in 2015. Rumors of the acquisition started popping up yesterday, and the offer will likely kick off a pitched battle between the two companies and regulators around the world.
Qualcomm may face takeover bid from chip rival Broadcom
Qualcomm is already facing headaches between antitrust cases and its patent spat with Apple, but there's one more that might join the pile. The Financial Times reports that Broadcom, one of Qualcomm's main rivals in the wireless chipset space, is planning an unsolicited $100 billion takeover bid. The move would easily eclipse Qualcomm's previous record-setting bid to buy NXP (which has yet to be cleared), and Broadcom is supposedly willing to buy NXP in the process. A formal announcement could be made public before the weekend is out, if the scoop is accurate.
Apple faces Caltech lawsuit over WiFi patents
Apple's legal troubles with schools aren't over yet: Caltech has sued Apple and chipmaker Broadcom for allegedly violating four WiFi-related patents. Supposedly, most Apple devices (including the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch) from the iPhone 5 onward use Broadcom chips that copy Caltech decoding and encoding technology to improve data flow. As with most such lawsuits, the institute is calling for both damages and a ban on offending hardware.
Spark's pint-sized board adds WiFi to any device for $19
Are you crafting your own gadget and want to add wireless networking to it? You'll want to look into Spark's new Photon board, then. The stamp-sized peripheral lets you add WiFi to many devices without requiring a lot of technical know-how; if you can design a gadget in the first place, you can probably get it online. Spark sees it as a relatively easy way for artists, engineers and students to make internet-savvy objects. It's cheap enough that it won't hurt to try. The regular Photon costs $19, and those who want to put it into mass-produced items can get the P0 or P1 at respective prices of $10 and $12 -- all of which are bargains next to the Core's original $39 price.
Flaw lets hackers break your WiFi router's security with one guess
Typically, attacks against your WiFi router require a lengthy attempt to guess any codes and passwords. Not if you use 0xcite's new technique, however; the research firm has detailed a flaw in some router chipsets that lets hackers bypass the push-button security of WiFi Protected Setup (WPS) almost instantly. Instead of trying to guess a hotspot's PIN code, which can take hours, you simply take a single shot based on a series of offline calculations. Once you're ready to attack, it takes roughly "one second" to get in.
Recommended Reading: the theory of disruptive innovation, the curse of Xanadu and more
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. The Disruption Machine by Jill Lepore, The New Yorker !function(d,i){if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement("script");j.id=i;j.src="https://widgets.getpocket.com/v1/j/btn.js?v=1";var w=d.getElementById(i);d.body.appendChild(j);}}(document,"pocket-btn-js"); There's a lot of different theories about how markets evolve, but that of disruptive innovation has proven quite popular over the last several decades. But if you ask Jill Lepore of the New Yorker it's an incomplete theory. While it's more than capable of explaining why businesses fail it doesn't really account for more complex changes. It's not like the theory of evolution, it's merely "an artifact of history." But it's still an interesting prism through which to view everything from the shift to 5.25-inch floppy disks to the downfall of the American auto industry.
Broadcom's new chip lets your phone use any wireless charging standard
Wonder why only a handful of mobile devices support wireless charging? It's partly because the standards are horribly fragmented: companies have to choose between technologies like PMA, Rezence and Qi, and it's not clear which of those will last. Broadcom might put the issue to bed with its new (and awkwardly titled) BCM59350 chip, though. The hardware lets gadgets charge using any existing wireless technology -- you won't have to hunt for specific charging pads. It can also handle up to 7.5W of power instead of the usual 5W, so your gear might charge faster than it would using old-fashioned wires.
Raspberry Pi's computer now fits in the space of a tiny memory stick
Didn't think that Raspberry Pi's namesake computer could get any more miniscule? Think again. The organization has unveiled the Compute Module, a board that stuffs the Pi's processor and 4GB of storage into the space of a stick of DDR2 laptop memory; you're looking at the tiny new device on the left. This isn't meant to show off Raspberry Pi's miniaturization skills, though. Fitting the system into a small standard connector lets circuit board builders attach whatever interfaces they like, rather than make do with the built-in ports on a conventional Pi design. You'll have to buy the Compute Module alongside a starter IO Board when the hardware launches this June, but it will eventually be possible to get the modules by themselves. Individual pricing isn't available just yet. However, Raspberry Pi says that large-scale buyers (think educators and entrepreneurs) can buy batches of 100 at about $30 per piece.
Broadcom's new 5G WiFi chip promises up to twice the real-world speed
It's great to have speedy 802.11ac WiFi in a smartphone, but the technology doesn't always live up to the promise; busy hotspots and walls often slow it down. They may not be as much of a problem once Broadcom's new BCM4354 system-on-chip reaches handsets, though. It's the first mobile part to combine 802.11ac with 2x2 MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) antennas, giving the wireless signal a more reliable path when there's a lot of interference. In other words, you're more likely to get close to the chip's 867Mbps peak speed -- Broadcom reckons that the hardware is up to twice as fast as a 1x1 MIMO design. Whether or not the BCM4354 is that quick in practice, you may not have to wait very long to try it out when the chip is already in production. Just who's using it isn't clear, but Samsung is boasting that the Galaxy S5 is the first smartphone to support 802.11ac with MIMO. We've reached out to Broadcom to check whether or not the 4354 is inside Samsung's latest flagship, and we'll let you know if it can confirm anything.
Broadcom's new chip brings GPS to smartwatches without killing the battery
Mobile World Congress kicks off next week, so it's high time that the behind the scenes players showed off what'll linger beneath the aluminum and Gorilla Glass of next-generation devices. Broadcom is unveiling the BCM4771 GNSS SoC, a wittily named slab of silicon that promises to make the GPS units of smartwatches less power-hungry and more accurate than before. Thanks to its 40-nanometer construction and a new sensor hub that integrates everything into one package, the chip also claims to be much cheaper than the existing tech. It's pencilled in for a launch at the end of March, so hopefully we'll see wearables in the Fall boasting of a battery life that's longer than, say, an hour.
Broadcom's new chips could put fast LTE in your budget smartphone
While entry-level smartphones are getting to be quite good these days, few of them have fast LTE; many have to make do with either basic LTE or 3G. If Broadcom is successful with its just-revealed M320 and M340 system-on-chip designs, though, advanced 4G could soon be very affordable. The new chips respectively bundle dual- and quad-core processors with 150 Mbps LTE radios, making it easier for small firms to ship cheap handsets (Broadcom expects sub-$300 pricing) with speedy internet access. They're already integrated with Android 4.4 KitKat, too, so companies don't always have to fuss over software support. Broadcom isn't saying when phones with the new chips will reach the market, but it's currently delivering sample units to "leading" manufacturers.
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: Broadcom VP Rahul Patel
Get ready to talk chips and the internet of things with Broadcom VP Rahul Patel. January 10, 2014 4:30:00 PM EST
Daily Update for January 7, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some of the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
Daily news roundup for January 7, 2014
Good morning! Welcome to the morning news roundup for January 7, 2014. Pebble introduces the Steel watch. Can't wait for the rumored iWatch? Pebble has got you covered with their new watch that won't look anything like Apple's. Broadcom SDK eases Apple AirPlay implementation. Chipmaker Broadcom has introduced a new software development kit that makes it easier for manufacturers to add Apple's AirPlay audio wireless streaming support to products. The BBC iPlayer is now more popular on tablets than on any other platform. The BBC has announced that viewing of its iPlayer streaming service on tablets like the iPad has overtaken PCs for the first time ever. It's another sign that we are in Steve Jobs' post-PC era. Apple to announce its quarterly earning on January 27. Apple will announce its all-important holiday earnings on January 27 at 2:00 PM PT / 5:00 PM ET. As usual, iPhone and iPad sales are the things investors will care about most, but so are forward-looking statements. Apple's 'Red Friday' Lunar New Year sale coming up on January 10 in Asia. Apple will be taking part in its annual 'Red Friday' Lunar New Year sale this Friday, January 10. Red Friday in Asia is similar to Black Friday in America. No word yet on Apple's deals, but if you live in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan or Thailand, you'll find out soon enough. Man sues Apple for a pattern of discriminatory behavior. A Mr. Terel Gray (or "Terrel Gray") has sued Apple over what he claims to be a pattern of discriminatory behavior at its retail stores. This is a very odd story -- the filing itself is full of typos and grammatical errors, and even spells Mr. Gray's name two different ways.
Broadcom's new WiFi chips aim to keep your video streams flowing
All that hardware strewn throughout your crib is only as good as the sum of its parts. Broadcom is one of the firms bent on evolving those parts, and today at CES the company's introducing two new chips that'll pervade the tech of 2014 (even though you likely won't know it). First up is the BCM43569 (2x2 MIMO), which blends 5G WiFi, aka 802.11ac, and Bluetooth 4.1 standards with a USB 3.0 interface. The combo SoC is intended for the next generation of smart TVs and set-top boxes, allowing simultaneous WiFi/BT connections to other devices and ensuring solid video-streaming performance in your airwave-saturated home. The BCM43602 (3x3 MIMO) 5G WiFi chip, which instead uses a PCI Express interface, is destined for future routers and set-top boxes. It, too, is slated to improve the reliability of video streaming over 802.11ac by assuming the brunt of wireless processing work usually executed by those products' internal CPUs. Both new chips also support beamforming for maintaining stronger connections, and are available for OEMs to play with right now.
Broadcom's audio SDK for the internet of things makes AirPlay easy
While many are content with the phrase "internet of things," Broadcom prefers the equally vague slogan "Wireless Internet Connectivity for Embedded Devices" (WICED) to describe its platform for helping hardware speak the same language. The company's revealed its latest efforts in this area today in the form of an SDK for implementing audio streaming over WiFi, which includes baked-in support for Apple's AirPlay standard, as well as good, old DLNA. It also promises serious streaming range and tight synchronization for multi-room dance parties. Broadcom hopes OEMs will leverage the SDK to connect all manner of home entertainment gear to one another, and the internet. You know, for streaming stuff to things that are networked with other things, and stuff.
Broadcom announces WiFi and Bluetooth combo chips for in-car connectivity
Be it PCs, phones, televisions or wearables, if it can go wireless, Broadcom wants in on the action. Today the company has added one more category to that list, and it's the car. Indeed, its new line of wireless chips is specifically catered for automotive use, and is decked out with the latest 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth Smart Ready technologies for smoother streaming between mobile devices and in-car displays. But the technology's scope doesn't stop there. You could also use it for smartphone remote control of your vehicle's settings, high-speed connectivity via LTE hot spots, vehicle-to-infrastructure communications and even the syncing of biometric data to make sure the driver isn't fatigued or drunk when he or she's behind the wheel. Broadcom's current automotive portfolio consists of the BCM89335 5G WiFi / Bluetooth Smart Ready combo chip and the BCM89071 Bluetooth and Bluetooth Smart Ready chip, which are now in the sampling stage. Of course, as this is still in development, we're not sure just which cars will incorporate such tech just yet. Seeing as how more cars are getting connected, however, you'll probably see it in action at your local auto dealership sooner than you think. For more on Broadcom's automotive initiative, check out the press release after the break.
MobileBench group aims to improve mobile benchmarking, recruits Samsung but lacks Qualcomm, NVIDIA
It's called MobileBench: an industry consortium planning to offer "more effective" performance assessments on mobile devices -- most likely centered on, but not limited to, Android. Unsurprisingly after recent developments, Samsung joins as a founding member, alongside Broadcom, Huawei, Oppo, and Spreadtrum. While that's who's in, who isn't? Well, both NVIDIA (responsible for the Tegra series of mobile chips) and the increasingly ubiquitous Qualcomm, which makes the Snapdragon mobile processor range. Between them, they power the likes of Microsoft's Surface series, Amazon's new Kindle Fire range, not to mention numerous flagship devices from LG, Samsung, Sony and Motorola. The group gathered for the first time yesterday in Shenzhen, China and outlined how it aims to offer more useful tools for mobile platform designers and "more reliable indices" for assessing user experience. MobileBench plans to establish impartial guidelines and a more sophisticated evaluation methodology for both its first benchmark tool, MobileBench and MobileBench-UX, for testing system-level applications. The benchmarking tool will assess hardware performance, including high-level processes like video and image viewing, camera use and other real-life use cases, with one of the primary aims being result consistency and less deviation between repeated tests. Another app is planned for consumer use in the future, likely similar to the benchmarking apps Engadget uses in its reviews. The bigger question is how much the consortium can achieve without wider adoption inside the industry -- it's apparently "actively seeking" more members.
Broadcom adds WiFi Direct to its embedded device platform, furthers our internet-of-things future
Broadcom, wireless. Peanut butter, jelly. Together, they just work. So today's announcement that the company is adding WiFi Direct to its WICED (Wireless Internet Connectivity for Embedded Devices) platform feels pretty natural. The firm believes that WICED Direct will allow OEMs to develop wearable sensors -- pedometers, heart-rate monitors, keycards -- and clothing that transmit everyday data to the cloud via a connected smartphone or tablet. This would help push along the internet of things movement that's been bandied about so much recently, and maybe even ensure you aren't locked out of the house again. [Image credit: Brandon Shigeta / Flickr]
