8-17: Intel announced partnership with ARM, also Joule maker board, Aero drone platform, Euclid dev kit, and VR Alloy; etc.
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Chipset |
| Nvidia has unveiled a trio of laptop GPUs based on its new “Pascal” chip architecture, the GeForce GTX 1060M, 1070M and 1080M. This facilitates using a VR headset like the HTC Vive or the Oculus Rift on a reasonably small laptop. (AnandTech, The Verge, Engadget, PC Online, IT168, CN Beta)
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| Disappointing sales of the Apple iPhone 6s during 1H16 and lower-than-expected orders for the upcoming 7 series are negatively affecting sales at flexible PCB (FPCB) suppliers Zhen Ding and Flexium Interconnect. (Digitimes, press, China Times, China Times)
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| ARM announced partnership with Intel Custom Foundry in an agreement that will put ARM SoC hand-in-hand with Intel’s 10nm process. This means that ongoing development of the Artisan Physical IP will move forward with Intel technology. (Android Authority, Engadget, Bloomberg, Intel, ARM, Forbes, Sina, Tencent) |
| Intel new Joule maker board is designed to provide a platform for makers to create powerful computer vision products, and “seamlessly transition from prototype to at-scale robotics, machine vision”, drone and other products. (TechCrunch, The Verge, Engadget, Intel, Baijia, Sohu)
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| Intel’s ready-to-fly drone is a fully assembled unit that runs on Intel’s Aero Compute Board with a Linux operating system, RealSense for vision and comes with Santa Monica startup AirMap’s software development kit pre-loaded. (TechCrunch, TVN, Intel, Sohu)
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Touch Display |
| Hon Hai Precision’s acquisition of Sharp may have accelerate OLED display R&D, but it still needs 2 years before it could be put in use. This implies that Sharp would have to wait till 2018 to supply OLED panels to Apple iPhone. Hon Hai has already invested JPY2000 billion in the R&D, thus, it might have to wait for 2 more years to get back on the investment. (TechNews, CN Beta) |
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Camera |
| The European New Car Assessment Program (Euro-NCAP) has drafted its strategy to protect VRUs (Vulnerable Road Users) that amount to around half of all deaths and injuries on Europe’s roads. Strategy Analytics states that the emergence of new camera applications and new imaging concepts that will help drive automotive camera demand to almost 200 million units in 2023. (EE Trend, Strategy Analytics, press)
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Battery |
| Panasonic’s senior managing director, Hideaki Kawai indicates that Panasonic is seeking to raise up to USD3.86 billion in corporate bonds to push forwards its efforts at the Tesla Gigfactory. (Reuters, Inside EVs, Bazhongol)
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Sensory |
| Velodyne LiDAR, the recognized global leader in Light, Detection and Ranging, or LiDAR technology, announced the completion of a combined USD150 million investment from co-investors Ford Motor and China’s Baidu, Inc. (CN Beta, USA Today, Business Wire, Digital Trends)
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| Intel launches Euclid. This device integrates sense, compute, and connect capabilities in an all-in-one candy bar size form-factor. Equipped with a RealSense camera, an Intel Atom, and wireless connectivity, the kit comes pre-installed with a developer-friendly utility application. (Engadget, Intel, Tencent, TechCrunch)
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| Ford acquires SAIPS for self-driving machine learning and computer vision technology. (TechCrunch, Ford, 163) |
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Connectivity |
| Planet Labs Inc. has launched a small constellation of what it calls “cubesats” that can deliver much more frequent imagery of economically sensitive spots than traditional satellites. Those spots include retailers’ parking lots, oil-storage tanks or farmland. (CN Beta, WSJ)
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Smartphones |
| According to IDC, the top smartphone vendors Huawei, OPPO and vivo cornered 47% of the China smartphone market in 2Q16. IDC points out that hiring celebrity endorsers may help increase numbers in the short-term, but this alone may not be sufficient to drive numbers in the long run. (IDC, press, CN Beta)
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| Asustek Computer aims to ship 20-21 million smartphones in 2016, falling short of its target of 25 million units set for 2016. (UDN, Digitimes, press) |
| According to Apteligent, Sony devices have the lowest crash rate, with Motorola devices coming in second — in other words, devices from both companies should run fairly smoothly. (Digital Trends, Apteligent report)
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| 5 numbers that show Apple’s explosive growth during Tim Cook’s first 5 years as CEO. (Venture Beat, CN Beta)
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| In the midst of a visit to China, Apple CEO Tim Cook has promised to open up an Asia-Pacific research and development center in the country by the end of 2016. (WSJ, Business Insider, Apple Insider, CN Beta)
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| Former Huawei Honor President, Liu Jianfeng will be coming on board and taking the reigns as CEO of Coolpad Group. (Gizmo China, TechWeb, CN Beta)
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| It is rumored LeEco may acquire Smartisan. Coolpad’s newly appointed CEO Liu Jiangfeng and Smartisan CEO Luo Yonghao have been admiring each other for a while now. (CN Beta, DoNews, ZOL)
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| Xiaomi CEO, Lei Jun, announced the company’s NFC based mobile payment Mi Pay. (Hexun, Sina, CNMO, ChinaZ, Gizmo China)
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| Snapchat is rumored preparing to acquire Vurb, a smartphone search engine, for USD110 million. (Android Authority, Android Headlines, The Information, Leiphone, 163) |
| Samsung reportedly to manufacture averagely 3 million Galaxy Note 7 per month in 3Q16. The total shipment in 2016 could reach 18 million units. (Android Headlines, Softpedia News, Korea Herald, IT Home) |
| Google and Russia’s Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS) have failed to reach an out-of-court settlement agreement on in regards to a case set against Google over Android. (CN Beta, Android Headlines, Reuters, eWeek) |
| RMQ5018 is Windows 10 phone – 5” HD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 processor, 8MP + 2MP cameras, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, Windows 10 / Android 5.1, LTE, dual-SIM, IP68 certified, 3200mAh battery, USD130. (GSM Arena, MS Poweruser)
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| Cool1 from LeEco and Coolpad is announced – 5.5” FHD IPS LCD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 MSM8976 processor, dual 13MP + 8MP cameras, 4GB RAM, 32/64GB storage, LTE, dual-SIM, fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C, 4060mAh battery, from CNY1499. (Gizmo China, My Drivers)
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Tablets |
| According to Digitimes Research, global notebook shipments are expected to drop 7.3% on year to below 150 million units in 2016 as Windows 10’s new anniversary update fails to prompt a lot new purchase of PCs and Intel Kaby Lake processors only had a small upgrade from previous models and were delayed in shipments plus emerging markets are seeing weakening demand. (Digitimes, press) |
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Wearables |
| According to IDC, worldwide revenues for the AR / VR market will grow from USD5.2 billion in 2016 to more than USD162 billion in 2020. This represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 181.3% over the 2015-2020 forecast period. (IDC, press, Hexun) |
| Intel has unveiled Project Alloy, an all-in-one virtual reality solution—untethered, no external sensors with RealSense cameras built-in. Project Alloy will be open source, allowing developers to first get their hands on the technology and create new experiences. (Android Headlines, CN Beta, Intel, NBC News, CNET)
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Internet of Things |
| Ford CEO Mark Fields announced that the company will ship self-driving cars without steering wheels, brake or gas pedals by 2021. (TechCrunch, 163) |
