14 DAY TRIAL // A corporate engineering opening at Qualcomm has been spotted by tech-publications which suggest the move has something to do with Apple’s rumored plans to launch a CDMA-capable iPhone through Verizon.
In the US, Apple currently sells the iPhone 4 via AT&T, which ties the device to a two year contract, allowing Apple to charge $199 for the 16GB version, and $299 for the version with 32GB of storage capacity.
However, analysts believe Apple has just about squeezed every cent from its partnership with the carrier, making it imperative that Cupertino starts looking elsewhere for means of getting the iPhone 4 in the hands of more customers.
Lately, all eyes are on Verizon, the wireless operator known to support the CDMA standard, a channel access method used by various radio communication technologies as an alternative to GSM.
Coincidentally or not, Qualcomm is responsible with building the first CDMA cellular base station in the early '90s. The company has, by far, the most know-how in the field.
The job posting spotted over at Qualcomm’s web site indicates the Apple - Verizon deal may still be on the table.
Specifically, the giant fabless chip supplier, which also deals with wireless telecommunications research and development, is looking to hire an "iPhone Developer Guru" for a "secret" project.
“The iPhone has no secret for you? Well, that's what you think... join us and develop the most challenging product of your life!”, the job description reads.
“You are driven by a very strict development discipline, well versed in Agile, and your passion is to bring product in the hands of consumers,” Qualcomm states.
The chip maker needs a person who has been “exposed to application or game development on mobile for years”, and who has developed and deployed apps on Apple’s smarphone.
“Join us now: we are small fast moving team working in a lab 24hrs/day!”, says Qualcomm.
The new recruit will be responsible mainly with iPhone software design and development.
However, this person’s responsibilities are not limited to this.
“…we expect you to be part of the team and contribute to all aspects of the product development including Android, Web development, Server side development and operation aspects,” Qualcomm adds.
Skills and experience required include: Objective C, Xcode, C; Multithreaded application; File, network & socket programming; OO design, UI design; Client-Server design; J2EE, Tomcat; JBoss; JSON; HTTP, SSL; Test Driven Development, Unit Tests.
Finally, a Master's is preferred, although not having one is not necessarily a problem, Qulcomm outlines, “if you've been programming since you're kid and have the right experience and skills.”