14 DAY TRIAL // Qualcomm's 1GHz Snapdragon platform is already available on the market in a Windows Mobile-based smartphone, the Toshiba TG01, and it seems that soon more smartphones powered by it will become available for purchase. Two of said devices have been met before, namely the HTC Leo and the Acer F1, yet others should also emerge, coming from companies like Asustek Computer and Inventec Appliances.
A recent article on DigiTimes says that more handset manufacturers based in Taiwan are set to include the Snapdragon processor in their smartphones, in a move that will probably drive the processors used in such future devices to the 1GHz road. For the time being, the handsets that we know to include the platform are running under Microsoft's mobile operating system, except maybe for the Sony Ericsson Xperia X3, which has been recently rumored to also include the powerful Qualcomm solution, and which should land on the market with Google's Android OS on board.
The Acer F1 and HTC Leo should not be strangers to you, yet a few words on their specs still need to be said. Thus, the HTC Leo is expected to come with a 4.3-inch capacitive multi-touch display and with a 5-megapixel photo snapper with auto focus, while running under the 6.5 flavor of Windows Mobile. A wide range of sensors, including speed, light and distance, should also be included in the handset, at least this is what DigiTimes notes.
As for the Acer F1, it sports a 3.8-inch touchscreen display, a 5-megapixel photo snapper, an array of connectivity options that include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 and GPS, as well as the WM 6.5 operating system. Priced at around US$555, the smartphone is expected to make an appearance as soon as October 6 is here, the same day Windows Mobile 6.5 will surface on the market on other handsets.
Other Taiwan-based mobile phone makers are to include the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform in their devices starting with next year. According to the news site, Asustek Computer and Inventec Appliances are the companies working at the moment on the development of Sanpdragon-based smartphones, and they should kick off volume production in the first half of next year.