Qualcomm Partners With Microsoft To Launch Snapdragon 800 Powered Windows RT 8.1 Devices

In a latest development, Qualcomm Incorporated has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies has expanded its Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors portfolio to include support for Microsoft Windows RT 8.1. According to the company's press release, Qualcomm Technologies and Microsoft will continue to work together on the next level of advanced mobile computing and Microsoft will offer a free software update to Windows RT 8.1.

The free update will be available in the Windows Store later this year. Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors and Windows RT 8.1 are designed to enable OEMs to differentiate their newest products and offer outstanding mobile user experiences. New devices based on Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors and Windows RT 8.1 are expected to be available later this year.

Key Features Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor

Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors feature an integrated multimode 3G/4G LTE modem and CPU speeds of up to 2.2 GHz per core. Other capabilities include USB 3.0 and support for Windows RT 8.1 features and services

"Qualcomm Technologies is committed to the Windows ecosystem and we are excited to be supporting Windows RT 8.1 with our flagship Snapdragon 800 processors," said Luis Pineda, senior vice president of product management, computing and consumer products at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

"Our Snapdragon 800 processors offer the best combination of high performance, efficient power usage and LTE network support and will help enable greater flexibility and connectivity options to Microsoft and device manufacturers. Snapdragon 800 processors deliver significant performance improvements across the entire SoC along with support for new Windows RT 8.1 features and services." He added.

"We are excited to continue working with Qualcomm Technologies on the next iteration of Windows RT 8.1 with their new Snapdragon 800 processors," said Mike Anguilo, Corporate Vice President, Planning and PC Ecosystem, Microsoft Corp.

"The new Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors support our commitment to providing our customers with best-in-class capabilities. Our customers will now have the opportunity to leverage the numerous advantages of these new processors, including integrated 4G/LTE connectivity and outstanding device performance." He added.

Meanwhile, Qualcomm has also announced that it has expanded its Qualcomm Reference Design (QRD) portfolio with a reference design made specifically for tablets running on its Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM 8230 and MSM 8030 processors.

Tablets based on this latest Qualcomm Reference Design will run on Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM 8230 and MSM 8030 processors, respectively.

Key Features Of The Processors

The 1.2 - 1.4GHz dual-core CPUs featuring the Android Jelly Bean mobile operating system, broadband HSPA+ (up to 21Mbps) 3G performance, integrated 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi up to 72 Mbps, 1080p high definition video playback at 30fps, 1080p high definition video capture, and Adreno 305 GPU.

"While some of our customers have utilised Qualcomm Reference Designs for smartphones as a foundation for building and commercializing tablets in certain regions, Qualcomm Technologies has increasingly received customer interest in a Qualcomm Reference Design specifically designed for tablets in emerging regions" said Jeff Lorbeck, senior vice president of product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

"That's why we're excited to announce this reference design specifically made for tablets, further speeding our customer's ability to commercialize devices and delivering on our commitment to enable mobile computing across device tiers." He added.

The company claims that there have been more than 200 public QRD-based product launches till date. The products have been launched in collaboration with more than 40 OEMs in 14 countries. Apparently, there are currently more than 100 designs in progress.