Candlebox
Globalizing Internet Access
Closing the Connectivity Gap
It’s easy to take personal computers for granted. In the typical American home, they are as ubiquitous as televisions. They are used for entertainment, communication, research, and education.
“ Unlike the United States, books are scarce in a lot of the emerging markets. We expect a lot of families to be interested in Candlebox to help augment their kids’ education. ”
- Dhinakar RadhakrishnanDirector of Engineering in the Office of the Chief Scientist.
However, in many places around the globe, PCs are cost-prohibitive for the average family. Additionally, landline connectivity infrastructure is often lacking. For millions of people, these obstacles hinder their ability to access the global Internet—and the wealth of resources contained therein.
With its new Candlebox technology, Qualcomm hopes to bring the global Internet community to these nascent markets. “By leveraging the convergence of computing and wireless technology, our goal is to bring connectivity to nearly a billion people in places such as India, Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America,” says Dhinakar Radhakrishnan, director of engineering in the Office of the Chief Scientist.
From Computing to Connectivity
The core idea for the Candlebox concept grew from the fact that, for the average PC user, processing power has taken a backseat to connectivity. And, as Internet capabilities have become increasingly sophisticated, the web browser has morphed from an application to an application platform. With more and more services offered through the Internet, a good browser interface is now much more critical than the native applications on one’s computer.
From Desktops to WebTops
Candlebox is a fixed wireless device and will be using the high-performance MSM™ 7XXX series chip (and future series chips) that will connect to a stand-alone monitor or TV, a regular keyboard, and a mouse. Using a sophisticated Internet browsing platform as the main interface, Candlebox will create a web-based desktop experience. This “WebTop” will offer a low-cost alternative to the traditional PC, allowing high-speed wireless Internet access and enabling web-based applications that are compatible with popular formats like Microsoft Word and Excel.
“With Candlebox, we have created a platform that extends our technology beyond telecomm,” says Radhakrishnan. “The guts of today’s handheld phones are as powerful as computers from the early 2000s. With our dual-core chips, ¬which provide both connectivity and computing¬, we can power a ‘desktop-grade’ browser with our mobile processor and deliver the next-generation Web-based (i.e., Web 2.0) services that are cropping up all over the Internet,” explains Radhakrishnan.
Qualcomm Teamwork and Partnerships
Teamwork with partners, both internal and external, has been integral to the Candlebox project. Qualcomm regional offices have been a big part of the team—the Qualcomm South East Asia and the Qualcomm India team have been instrumental with market research and regional operator interactions. And significant collaboration with external OEMs and application developers will ensure that all the hardware and software capabilities are in place to make Candlebox a success. “Without the support of our external partners, we would not have been able to accomplish so much in such a short time,” says Radhakrishnan.
Innovation for Education
“I wish there had been a solution like this when I was growing up in India,” says Radhakrishnan. “Unlike the United States, books are scarce in a lot of the emerging markets. We expect a lot of families to be interested in Candlebox to help augment their kids’ education.” With Candlebox, students can do research, write assignments and submit them electronically. They will also be able to interact with other students, their teachers and other like-minded people all over the world!
“Candlebox’s impact could be significant,” says Radhakrishnan. “This product could put home Internet access within financial reach for many people for the first time, giving them another medium to be informed and connected.”
