Qualcomm has announced a new PC alternative to make high-speed wireless Internet access more widely available and affordable in emerging markets.

The Kayak PC alternative leverages the widespread availability of 3G wireless broadband to bring Internet connectivity to markets where wired Internet access has often been difficult to access or unaffordable. The Kayak PC alternative fills the niche that exists between desktop PCs, which normally require landlines or separate accessories for connectivity, and Internet- capable wireless devices.The Kayak PC alternative includes a reference design and recommended software specifications that will be made available to device manufacturers. Manufacturers can then design a wide range of devices based on the Kayak reference design. The Kayak reference design uses Qualcomm's dual-core Mobile Station Modem (MSM) MSM7xxx-series chipsets to provide both computing and connectivity.

Devices based on the Kayak reference design will offer a full-featured Web 2.0-capable browser from Opera Software able to perform at desktop resolutions; access via the browser to Web 2.0 productivity applications; support for both television sets and computer monitors to be used as displays and/or for a built-in display and compatibility with a standard keyboard and mouse for input, music player and/or a 3D gaming console functionality.

In the future, commercial Kayak-based devices may also be powered by Snapdragon solutions. Initial Kayak PC alternative units, manufactured by Taiwan-based Inventec Corporation, will be used to initiate user trials during the first quarter of 2009 in Southeast Asia on both CDMA2000 and WCDMA (UMTS) networks.