CELL PHONES
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
» TV: Phones
LAPTOPS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
» TV: Laptops
CAMERAS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
» TV: Cameras
» infoSync TV » Review Center
» Digital Frontier » Expert guides
» RSS & Alerts » Ask The Editors
Home / News / Phones
BSquare discontinues handheldsBy Larry Garfield, Thursday 29 July 2004
BSquare is ending its line of Power Handheld devices. although it will still be around to offer licensing and consulting to other licensees.

BSquare has announced that it has ended the manufacturing of its Power Handheld hardware device and restructured the Power Handheld business unit. The company will continue to sell the software included in the device to smart device makers as a complement to the consulting services and software that the company offers today.

BSquare insists that there is a market for converged devices, but it wasn't able to sell enough units to justify ongoing investments in the field. There was also friction between BSquare's own devices and other companies licensing BSquare's technology to compete with BSquare's units. BSquare will retain all of its patents and copyrights on the relevant technology, however, and says that it will continue to license its technology to other companies as part of its consulting services.

The BSquare Power Handheld line was originally released in 2002, and at the time boasted features and specifications unmatched by competing handheld devices. Running Windows CE .NET 4.1 instead of Pocket PC 2002, it ran a 400 MHz processor with 64 MB of RAM and a 640 x 480 pixel VGA display. Connectivity included an SDIO card slot and dual-band GSM/GPRS. Many of those features, however, are becoming commonplace on other high-end Windows Mobile for Pocket PC devices now with Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, making it more difficult for BSquare to compete. Other enhancements, such as BSquare's radio interface layer, screen magnification, and power management functionality remain unique and the company intends to continue to offer those technologies to other licensees.

As a result of the end of the product line, BSquare is also laying off most of its employees in the Power Handheld division and restructuring much of the company. The company will continue to provide warranty support for devices previously sold.
 
 
RECOMMENDED
Digital Frontier:
CTIA hands-on blog
 
iPhone 3G vs. Omnia vs. Touch Diamond
 
Bold vs. Xperia X1 vs. Touch Pro vs. E71
TOP STORIES
Smartphones with WVGA, VGA or HVGA displays for high-res addicts
 
Hottest smartphones and cell phones coming in September
 
Four new phones are now shipping
Top 15 smartphones
 
Top 15 cell phones
 
15 best-rated phones
CELL PHONE RESOURCE CENTER
Best phones
 
Expert guides
 
Ask the Editors
» Top 15
QWERTY phones
 
All-touch phones
 
Touchscreen phones
Business phones
 
Multimedia phones
 
Concept phones
3+ inch screen phones
 
Wi-Fi phones
 
More...
» Search (New!)
Search by cell phone features
» Manual comparison (New!)
Select up to 4 cell phones side-by-side
» By release
September 2008, Q4 2008
» Top 15 by carrier
Unlocked, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Helio, Alltel
» Top 15 by user type
Average Joe, Business users, Calling addicts, Fashion conscious users, Globetrotters, High-res addicts, Internet addicts, Multimedia enthusiasts, Music aficionados, Outdoor enthusiasts, TV addicts, Video lovers, More...
» Top 15 by brand
Apple, HTC, LG, Motorola, Nokia, BlackBerry, Samsung, Sony Ericsson Other
» Top 15 by platform
Palm OS, Symbian S60, Symbian UIQ, Windows Mobile
» Top 15 by cell phone type
Business smartphones, Multimedia smartphones
Consumer QWERTY phones, Multimedia phones
Concept phones
NOW IN PHONES
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 screenshots
 
BlackBerry Curve 8330 vs. Palm Treo 800w vs. HTC Mogul
 
Samsung Airave review
 
Verizon Wireless Blitz review
 
Verizon Wireless Blitz video review
LG KC910 8-megapixel phone with all-touch interface
Windows Mobile 6.1 upgrade guide
Motorola Renegade V950, Motorola i365 picked up by Sprint
Next 25 stories
MUST READ
CELL PHONES
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
LAPTOPS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
CAMERAS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
MP3 players
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
INTERNET TABLETS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
GPS NAVIGATORS
HDTVs
CAMCORDERS
About us | Site map | How to advertise | Feedback | RSS Feeds | | Archive
Copyright 1999-2008 © infoSync World