Qualcomm makes BREW mobile platform free to use

Qualcomm has really changed its business strategy lately. At one time the chip designer and manufacturer charged all concerned parties when using its mobile phone platform, BREW.

Handset manufacturers had to license it, and developers had to pay to get their applications and games certified for it. But as we heard last week, the company has made an unexpected move to breathe new life into the dumbphone system.

"It’s an open platform now. It’s free to OEMs and operators. This is as open of a platform we know how to make,” Qualcomm’s CEO Paul Jacobs asserted.

While the rest of the world focuses on smartphones (many of which will likely be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipset - as indeed is Google's Nexus) the millions upon millions of ordinary mobile handsets will now have the option of adopting a very user friendly system with a vast legacy of existing software.

Its appeal will also be felt with manufacturers, who'll be able to pick up an easy to install BREW chip from Qualcomm that'll make basic phones into very usable and attractive devices. America's three major carriers are also onboard, which lends enormous weight to Qualcomm's new tactic.