With the pace of technology moving as fast as it does, early adopters often find themselves committed to one of several competing technologies that may not survive to large scale maturity (think HD-DVD vs Bluray).  Because of this, it’s really easy to appreciate devices that combine compatibility between rival platforms, thus offering a hedge to early adopters who may not want to risk owning potentially obsolete gear.

Given that there are presently two types of next generation wireless data network currently in deployment (WiMAX and LTE), news of a partnership between Beceem Communications and Motorola to “pair Motorola’s advanced 4G WiMAX infrastructure with Beceem’s upcoming BCS500 4G chip” is very exciting.   The single-chip solution will allow manufacturers to develop products capable of operating within both types of network, with the convenient ability to “handoff between WiMAX and LTE” networks depending on which type of connection is performing best.   The BCS500 chip should go into production in the middle of 2011, so let’s get some mobile devices designed around this thing, pronto.