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Josh Miller/CNET
Qualcomm is aiming to spread its reach. The world’s biggest mobile electronics chipmaker announced several partnerships on Monday that could bring its chips to more devices and objects in people’s everyday lives.
“Qualcomm is not just talking about it, we’re doing it,” Qualcomm President Derek Aberle said during the company’s Consumer Electronics Show presentation.
To date, the San Diego-based company has invested a total of $33 billion in research and development aiming to bring together technologies that allow for Wi-Fi and LTE in the mobile space. Qualcomm now hopes to leverage that R&D for other markets. Moving into the Internet of Things, the company is looking to connect everything from wearables and cars to lightbulbs and health care devices.
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During his presentation, Aberle announced a handful of new partnerships. A couple of those partnerships are in the health care sector, including Walgreens and Novartis. Qualcomm is working on mobile apps and remote mobile monitoring devices with these companies. Aberle also announced a new collaboration with a company called Lifx to develop connected lighting. The idea with Lifx is to turn any lightbulb into a smart lightbulb.
“Qualcomm is already seeing tremendous traction” in these new areas, Aberle said.
On top of emphasizing its move into the Internet of Things, Aberle also touted its upcoming chip — the Snapdragon 810 — which is set to ship in devices early this year. The company said the new chip provides a notable boost over its predecessor, the 805, with improved data speeds, longer battery life, higher-quality graphics and fuller support of 4K video, the next step up from high-definition video. One of the first smartphones to carry the 810 will be LG’s G Flex 2, Aberle said.
