Report: Google’s Nexus One has component costs of US$174

Google’s high-profile Nexus One device has component costs of about US$174 according to iSuppli, with the research firm declaring the smartphone “both cutting edge and cost competitive.” The Nexus One, sold under the Google brand but manufactured by Taiwanese vendor HTC, carries a ‘Bill of Materials’ (BOM) of US$174.15 (comprising hardware and components costs but not including manufacturing, software, royalties and other costs).

Lenovo takes wraps off Snapdragon-powered smartbook

Laptop-maker Lenovo this week officially unveiled one of the industry’s first major ‘smartbooks,’ the mobile computers designed to compete with traditional Wintel-powered netbooks. Reuters reports that Lenovo's new ‘Skylight’ smartbook runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip and features a Linux (rather than Microsoft Windows) operating system; it is based on the power-efficient ARM chip architecture, rather than Intel Corp's x86 platform, which currently dominates the netbook market. Lenovo said that Skylight will sell for US$499 in the US from April, and will be available in Europe and China later this year. Skylight boasts more than 10 hours of active battery life and has built-in Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity.

AT&T and T-Mobile boost HSPA networks

US operators AT&T and T-Mobile have separately announced upgrades to their national HSPA networks, claiming to support theoretical peak download speeds of up to 7.2Mb/s. In a statement, AT&T – the country’s second-largest mobile operator – said it has completed a software upgrade to its network, but noted that consumers won’t be able to take full advantage of the faster speeds until the new technology is combined with improvements to its fibre-optic backhaul connections, planned for this year and 2011.

Google unveils own-brand 'superphone'

As expected, Google yesterday (5 Jan 2010) unveiled its own-brand ‘Nexus One’ touchscreen smartphone based on its Android 2.1 operating system. Manufactured by Taiwan’s HTC and powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipset and HSPA technology, Google went heavy on the hype during the launch at its Mountain View headquarters in California. "The Nexus One belongs in the emerging class of devices which we call ‘superphones,’ with the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset making it as powerful as your laptop computer of three to four years ago,” claimed Andy Rubin, Google’s VP of Engineering. The Internet giant also claims to be offering “a new way for consumers to purchase an Android mobile phone,” via the creation of its own portal through which people can get the device tied to one of several mobile operators or untethered direct from Google. Nexus One can be bought ‘unlocked’ from the Google web store for US$529, or for US$179 if consumers are prepared to sign up to a two-year contract with T-Mobile USA.

Apple to buy mobile ad specialist

Apple is poised to announce a US$275 million swoop for mobile advertising company Quattro, according to media reports this week. The Wall Street Journal’s 'All Things Digital' blog – citing several sources – claims an announcement may be made as early as today. The move is being compared to Google’s US$750 million acquisition two months ago of AdMob, a competitor to Quattro.

India sees new delays to 3G licensing and MNP

India - the world’s second-largest, and fastest-growing, mobile market - has reportedly again delayed plans to auction 3G spectrum and introduce mobile number portability (MNP). Dow Jones Newswires today reports that a senior official at the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has said the 3G license auction will now be held in February, with a date to be confirmed soon.