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January 2010 saw some significant new releases from Apple, LG and Google, but the biggest news will probably come next month at Mobile World Congress.

Mozilla recently released a fully functional version of its Firefox browser for Nokia's Maemo 5 platform. Firefox has been available to Maemo before in betas, but this is a complete build of the browser. Some of its features include ...

InvenSense  announced the MPU-3000 family of motion processing units, featuring an embedded Digital Motion Processor (DMP) hardware accelerator engine. The DMP, together with an embedded FIFO, offloads high-frequency motion algorithm computation from the host application processor, reducing interrupts and host MIPS to improve overall system performance. It also provides a series of industry first features for complete motion processing in smartphones including the widest range of motions from 250 to over 2000 degrees/sec, built-in 16-bit ADCs, programmable digital filters, factory calibration to 1% sensitivity, built-in 6-axis sensor fusion, and 13mW of power consumption.

With a 4×4x0.9mm footprint and I2C or SPI digital interfaces, the MPU-3000 family is the first product of its kind to address handset requirements. The MPU-3000 extends the traditional inertial sensor architecture with the industry’s first embedded Digital Motion Processor (DMP). The MPU-3000 also integrates a secondary I2C interface to link an external accelerometer to the DMP, another first in the product category. This enables the DMP to perform 6-axis sensor fusion on output from the gyroscope and accelerometer and report quaternion output to the handset application processor, offloading the host from sensor timing synchronization and sensor fusion computation. Other features of the MPU-3000 include internal clock generation, an embedded temperature sensor, programmable interrupts, and an FSYNC pin for synchronizing image, video and GPS data.

“We have worked for the past several years to deliver a motion processing solution specific to the size, power and diverse application requirements of the handset market,” said Joseph Jiang, vice president of the handheld business unit at InvenSense. “The MPU-3000 family is a technological breakthrough that fully leverages our expertise in gyroscope and mixed-signal design, MEMS fabrication, and high volume test and calibration to deliver a truly unique solution to the market.”

The MPU-3000 family is available now for sampling by select qualified customers with mass production in Q2 2010.

[via slashgear]

During it's recent earnings call, Microsoft CFO Peter Klein said, "On the mobile side, our strategy remains the same. As we've been saying from a product perspective, we're working very hard on the next version of Windows Mobile. As Bill indicated, ...

Varioptic today announced that it has developed its first liquid lens, A316S, offering Optical Image Stabilization functionality to mobile phones.Varioptic has finalized the next generation of Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) liquid lenses, correcting handshake.

Varioptic’s Autofocus (AF) liquid lenses are used in consumer, medical and industrial devices ranging from full HD DV camcorders, bar code readers, security cameras, dental cameras to machine vision cameras. Liquid lenses have been in production since January 2007 and more recently, ramping mass production, with Japanese partner Seiko Instruments Inc. (SII).

With no moving parts, the new liquid lens, A316S, is very robust and uses very limited power (less than 50mW during a shot). The A316S liquid lens actuator, featuring both OIS and silent/smooth AF, is able to fit in typical AF camera module size.

“This unique OIS technology, developed by Varioptic, will enable our customers to integrate liquid lenses in camera phones in early 2011, accelerating Varioptic’s growth” stated Christian Dupont, Varioptic CEO. “Liquid lenses with Optical Image Stabilization will enable mobile users to take good pictures even in low light conditions as well as capturing stable and focused videos with their mobile phone. The next generations of camera phones will become comparable to digital still cameras and camcorders, while remaining compact and robust”, added Christian Dupont.