OmniVision Introduces New Sensor Technology

Intel to re-enter mobile-phone market
June 2, 2008
By Lynnette Luna
Tagsmobile-phone chip market  Marvell  Intel
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Two years after selling off its XScale mobile processor unit to Marvell, Intel says it is now preparing to re-enter the mobile-phone market. Intel‘s CEO Paul Otellini told the Financial Times that as mobile devices become more powerful and adoption computer-like applications rises, Intel is in a position to make inroads into the mobile-phone market.
"If you accept that the value proposition of the high end of the mobile phone market is full Internet access that happens to have voice, my view is that it‘s easier to add voice to a small computer than vice-versa," Otellini said in an FT interview.
Intel aims to begin by pushing its low energy consumption Atom chips and will launch a mobile version, code-named Pineview, in late 2009. Intel‘s Atom chips are intended for use in ultra-mobile PCs and smart phones. When Intel sold the XScale division in 2006, the company said it wanted to focus on its core business along with WiFi and WiMAX.
Meanwhile, shares of Marvell Technology increased 23.3 percent on Friday, hitting a six-month high after the company reported better-than-anticipated results due to a jump in WiFi and 3G chip sales. The stock of other wireless chipmakers increased after Marvel indicated "stronger-than-expected sales of 802.11n wireless connectivity devices" in its financial report.
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Intel sells off XScale/Mobile processor unit to Marvell for $600M.Intel/Marvell story
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Data Demand Drives Higher Mobile Phone Costs
Users are willing to pay extra for advanced phones, driving costs to their highest level in years.

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May 30, 2008
ByJudy Mottl:More stories by this author:
Mobile phone users are not only getting moresocial and looking forfun, they‘re also increasingly willing to spend more for the privilege when they buy a phone.
According to a new study fromJ.D. Power and Associates, they‘re willing to spend an average of $9 more on new phones -- an increase the research firm termed "substantial."
The average wireless handset price tag now hovers about $101, the highest amount cited since the firm began studying wireless device costs five years ago.
The research firm said that cost difference spiked during the past six months and represents the largest jump in two years.
"It‘s a pretty big increase, and I think it shows that usage habits are changing as well with people moving from voice to data and text activity," Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates, told InternetNews.com.
The report findings are sure to be music to wireless carriers‘ ears in today‘s tough fight to grab subscribers. Such competitionprompted fixed-rate plan wars earlier this year, ispropelling exclusive device deals andpushing handset makers to advance mobile application efforts.
Parsons said new consumer phones, such as Apple‘s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone, and increasing consumer interest in smartphones -- such as Research in Motion‘s (NASDAQ: RIMM) BlackBerry and the Palm (NASDAQ: PALM) Treo device -- are spurring users to accept higher device costs.
The study reports sales of smartphones have increased "considerably" over the past year, to 6.3 percent from 1.7 percent in 2007.
While users are willing to pay more, they‘re also hanging onto their devices a bit longer than in the past. The average reported cell phone ownership is 17.7 months, an increase from 16.6 months in 2006.
The current average reported purchase price for smartphone devices is $208. The average price for phones with less functionality is $58, according to the 2008 U.S. Wireless Mobile Phone Evaluation Study.
Not only are users willing to pay more, some who never paid for a phone are now forking over a few bucks. The report indicates a "sudden decrease" in the number of wireless customers who opt to remain with the free phone that typically comes with contract subscriptions. That figure dropped from 36 percent to 33 percent during the past six months.
As one industry analyst explained, there are two sets of users within the mobile phone and device space: those who just want a basic phone for voice, and those who want the features a smartphone can offer.
"We‘re seeing the basic cell phone segment getting squeezed a bit right now with the economy, but we haven‘t seen that on the smartphone side, no slowdown yet in device adoption," telecom analyst Jeff Kagan told InternetNews.com.
One reason is that carriers are pushing their smartphone devices in marketing plans and advertising much more heavily than their cheaper, traditional phones, Kagan said.
"The market will continue to be split but we‘ll see more growth on the smartphone side as people realize they want more than just phone call function," he added.
The study also reported on customer satisfaction with wireless handsets, weighing factors including design, features, durability, battery power and operation.
Sony Ericsson, whichdebuted a new smartphone earlier this year, landed in first place for the second consecutive time.
The report also noted the clamshell design remains a clear customer favorite, with 64 percent of devices boasting the look.Design was the top reason cited in device selection, with free phone offers coming in second. Additional price considerations came in third, followed by camera features, and additional features and device size ranking fifth in importance.
OmniVision Introduces New Sensor Technology
By Monica Alleven
WirelessWeek - May 27, 2008
OmniVision Technologies is introducing what it considers a breakthrough for cameraphones – a way to deliver more pixels in a skinny form factor while delivering high-quality images at prices that will be attractive to handset manufacturers.
\OmniVision is launching its OmniBSI architecture, a sensor design that adopts a different approach to traditional CMOS image sensor technology. Instead of front-side illumination (FSI), it uses back-side illumination (BSI). BSI is not a new technology – it’s been used in military and aerospace applications, but those are typically for larger devices. What’s new is how OmniVision is using BSI, executives said.
The result is better pictures in low-light situations, which is where a lot of cameraphones are used. It also leads to more vibrant colors and sharper images, according to Mike Hepp, product marketing manager in OmniVision’s Camera Technology Group.
Key to the introduction of the architecture is OmniVision’s relationship with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC), its long-time foundry and process technology partner. Working together over the past couple years, the companies devised a way to process the technology in mass volumes, which is critical to the whole process.
OmniVision isn’t naming its handset customers, but it’s possible the technology could wind its way into cell phones sold in the United States, executives said. The company currently is demonstrating an 8-megapixel OmniBSI CameraChip sensor and expects to start sampling the first products before the end of June.
Google to offer iPhone-like app store for Android
June 2, 2008
By Lynnette Luna
TagsiPhone  Google  Developers
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It appears Google plans to offer an iPhone-like application store for the Android platform, offering developers a central place to distribute applications on its open-source platform. Android project leader Andy Rubin, speaking at the Google I/O, didn‘t exactly announced the app store but guaranteed one is on the way. "It would be a great benefit to the Android community to provide a place where people can go to safely and securely download content and where a billing system would allow developers to get paid for their effort," he said. "We wouldn‘t have done our job if we didn‘t provide something that helps developers get distribution."Article