Modem, wireless router and landline/VoIP handset super combo device BoB from iiNet seems to be rather popular, with the ISP announcing that they’ve sold 50,000 of the devices since they launched about a year ago. More »
Flash 10.1 Beta 3 spreads the hardware-accelerated H.264 video love to more graphics chips, specifically ones you’d in less beefy netbooks: Intel’s GMA 500 series and Broadcam’s Crystal HD video decoder. Stick with 720p Flash video, and you’ll be dandy. More »
HD Flash video, which has a hearty appetite for CPU cycles, and Intel’s Atom, which doesn’t have huge surplus of said CPU cycles, have never made a great couple. So Adobe getting serious about Flash hardware acceleration on netbooks is great news! For some. Eventually.
Broadcom makes the Bluetooth chip spotted in the iPod touch. The company’s latest offering might show us what’s to come next on Apple’s platform.
If there’s a must-have mobile technology this year, that’s Bluetooth over Wi-Fi. Easy-to-establish, peer-to-peer Bluetooth connectivity seamlessly coupled with Wi-Fi speeds. As the video shows, the experience is perfect. I want this in my iPhone.
The new chip, which also integrates Bluetooth and FM radios, can grab 802.11n data at speeds of up to 50Mbps, and Broadcom claims it can do it all without totally devastating your battery.
Broadcom already makes a boatload of the GPS chips found in mobile phones and other location-aware gadgets, and now they’re adding Skyhook’s Wi-Fi positioning service to most of their mobile Wi-Fi chipsets, spreading the location-based love even without GPS. This is how iPhone regular finds your location in addition to using nearby cell towers (Skyhook IDs your position by comparing to those of known hotspot SSIDs in the vicinity), so look for even more location-based services coming to more phones in the future. [CNet]
Henry Nicholas, co-founder of integrated circuits manufacturer Broadcom, has just been charged with spiking the drinks of other technology execs and maintaining a warehouse full of coke, meth and ecstasy. This is the latest incident for Nicholas, who in July 2007, was accused of constructing a sex cave so he could roll hard on ecstasy and properly love his prostitutes. In addition, Nicholas, along with co-founder Henry Samueli and CFO William Ruehle were charged last month on multiple counts of conspiracy, options backdating, falsifying reported income and securities fraud (BORING!). And call me a dreamer, but I’m still waiting for allegations involving a midget to work their way into this equation. Checkout Valleywag for the full indictment document.[NYT]
We have all heard the rumours about whether or not GPS functionality will show up on the new iPhone, but according to GigaOM it is a done deal. Their confirmation is based on two factors: private sources that claim a GPS contract for the iPhone was awarded to Broadcom and legal requirements put in place last year by the FCC regarding Enhanced 911. Even though GigaOM is a reputable source, I’m not ready to buy into iPhone GPS just yet. Sources are sources and I’m pretty sure E911 doesn’t even need GPS. [GigaOM]
