Nokia, Intel Drop HSPDA for Notebooks

By Geoff Duncan Published February 14, 2007

It was only a few months ago, in September 2006, when Intel and Nokia blew their own horns loudly, announcing plans to develop HSDPA wireless broadband modules for notebook computers. The modules would have been an embedded wireless broadband options in Intel’s “Santa Rosa” Centrino Duo technology, presumably migrating forward to future Intel mobile computing platforms.

Well, so much for big plans: Nokia has confirmed that it has scraped the HSDPA module plan, claiming they couldn’t justify the investment based on the anticipated market. Nokia says it will still consider developing the technology which would have gone into HSDPA modules, but right now there are no plans to bring that technology to commercial products. Nokia continues to cooperate with Intel on other projects.

Recommended Videos

Neither company cited the market case for canceling the technology, but it’s possible that the added cost of embedding HSDPA capability in mobile chipsets would have been too high given the number of potential customers for the technology. Several other computer manufacturers (including Fujitsu, Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Panasonic, and others) are currently offering add-on or embedded HSDPA and/or EDGE wireless broadband connectivity in notebook systems; many use HSDPA technology from Vodafone.

Former Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Topics

QuickCharge: This Week in EV

Phones

The best free VPNs for 2026

The best free VPNs still come with compromises, but a few offer enough privacy and flexibility to be genuinely useful.

Proton VPN UI

A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts your internet traffic and routes it through a server run by the VPN provider. Websites see the VPN server’s IP address instead of yours, and you can get around geo-blocks, censorship, and ISP throttling. The best VPN services are paid, but there are still a handful of free options that do the job well.

Most free VPNs come with a hidden cost, because running servers isn’t cheap and a company that doesn’t charge you has to make its money somewhere else. Many do so by logging your browsing activity and selling it to advertisers, while others flood you with ads and track you across apps.

Phones

The best Kindle in 2026: Here are the top Kindles for reading

From a pocket-friendly e-reader to a premium color notebook, Amazon has a Kindle for almost every kind of reader.

kindle colorsoft back converted

There's nothing quite like curling up with a good book on a cold evening. As much as I love the feel of a physical book, books take up a lot of space, and carrying more than one on a trip quickly becomes a chore. That's where e-readers come in, and the Amazon Kindle remains one of the best options.

Amazon just refreshed its Kindle lineup with thinner, lighter designs, a new flush-front display, and colors that wrap from front to back. Add the Kindle Scribe and the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft to the mix, and you have more choices than ever before.

Phones

The best Android apps in 2026: I spent months testing dozens that truly earn their keep

From smarter task management to custom home screens, these 20 apps give you good reasons to install something new on your Android phone

Electronics, Phone, Mobile Phone

A good Android app should earn its place on your phone. It might make an everyday task easier, handle something the built-in software can't, or let you change an experience that never quite worked for you.

These 20 apps cover everything from quick notes and password management to automation and local file sharing. Some are free, others charge for advanced features, and a few take some effort to figure out. The point isn't to install them all. It's to find the ones that make your phone work better for you.