8-30: Samsung Exynos 7570 built by 14nm process; Sharp hopes to collaborate with JDI on OLED development; Apple eyes Micro-LED; etc.
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Chipset |
| Samsung has begun mass production of Exynos 7570 targeting entry-level market – built with Samsung 14nm process, featuring 4×Cortex-A53 cores, a fully integrated Category 4 LTE 2CA modem with the usual Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, FM Radio, and GNSS options. (Android Authority, Samsung, 163, 91)
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| MediaTek will invest INR400 crore (USD60 million) or about a 5th of the capital being infused into India’s One97 Communications, which runs mobile payment and ecommerce platform Paytm. (WSJ, Bloomberg, B-Next, Hexun, Economic Times, TechWeb)
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| Shipment of mobile application processors for smartphones and tablets in the China market are expected to grow 18.6% in 2H16 from those shipped in 1H6 due to seasonal demand and inventory build-ups for 1Q17, according to Digitimes Research. (Digitimes, press, EEPW, Digitimes[cn])
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Touch Display |
| Sharp President Tai Jeng-wu indicates that that the Japanese electronics maker wants to cooperate with LCD maker Japan Display Inc. (JDI) in developing next-gen OLED. (CN Beta, Asia Nikkei, Reuters) |
| TCL released information that it now seeks to USD6.96 billion to build a new LCD and OLED G11 production fab in Shenzhen. It is built by TCL and CSOT with help from the Shenzhen Economic and Trade Commission, will have a monthly capacity of 90,000 G11 substrates (3370×2940 mm) and use IGZO backplanes. (TCL, OLED-Info, OfWeek) |
| Innolux chairman and CEO Wang Jyh-chau believes that OLED is unlikely to fully replace LCD technology in terms of performance-cost ratio and reliability long term. In addition, other new display technologies, such as Micro-LED, are being developed (Digitimes, press, 52RD)
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| Apple is rumored to use OLED on its iPhone in 2017, but Micro-LED is what Apple is after eventually. Apple may be developing Micro-LED technology at the factory following its acquisition of Micro-LED company LuxVue Technology in 2014. Apple may gain a Micro-LED display itself as early as 2H17. (CN Beta, iPhone Hacks, Mac Rumors, WCCF Tech, 163, Digitimes, press) |
| A California legal firm filed the necessary paperwork to start a class action lawsuit over Apple’s so-called ‘touch disease’ problem on its iPhone 6 series. (Phone Arena, Reuters, Kit Guru, TNW, 163, Tencent) |
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Camera |
| Samsung Galaxy S8 might reportedly come with a dual camera setup on the back, a camera and an iris scanner at the front, which will be debut in Feb. 2017. (CN Beta, Softpedia, Android Headlines, Phone Radar)
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Memory |
| TrendForce reports that compared with the prior quarter, the average contract price of MLC-based SSDs rose 0~0.5% while that of the TLC-based SSDs fell slightly by 0~1%. Though there are signs of tightening supply in the upstream of the SSD supply chain during the second half of this year, TrendForce maintains that the SSD adoption rate in the notebook market will exceed 30% in 2016 and may even reach 50% in 2018. (TrendForce, press, TrendForce[cn], press)
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Battery |
| Northwestern University may have found a way to combine the benefits of 2 major EV components that could extend vehicle range and speed up charging. NU has created a material called a covalent organic framework (COF), which is a crystalline organic structure featuring a number of pores suitable for storing energy. (CN Beta, ZME Science, CNET)
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| British vacuum magnate James Dyson says that he will spend USD1.4 billion over the next 5 years to build a battery factory and push battery technology forward. (CN Beta, Fortune, Techspot) |
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Sensory |
| Sinclair School of Nursing and the College of Engineering at the University of Missouri found that sensors that measure in-home gait speed and stride length can predict likely falls. This technology can assist health providers to detect changes and intervene before a fall occurs within a three-week period. (Engadget, TechCrunch, Hexun, University of Missouri, Eureka Alert)
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| uSens is showing off the first line of its Fingo hand-tracking developer kits. The sensors have an eye toward mobile VR and integrate inside-out positional tracking tech, allowing an attached headset to track the user’s location within a space. (TechCrunch, uSens, ZOL, Baidu VR)
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Biometrics |
| Synaptics has announced that its Natural ID FS4500 fingerprint sensor has gone into sampling. The 6×6mm sensor is notable for its under-glass applications, with the capability to function beneath a layer as thick as 300μm. (Phone Arena, Synaptics, Planet Biometrics, ChinaZ)
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| Demand for iris- and face- recognition chips for smartphones is expected to surge encouraging more China- and Taiwan-based fabless firms to step into the field, according to Digitimes. (Digitimes, press, Digitimes[cn]) |
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Material |
| MIT and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) have created new 3D printed structures that can “remember” their shapes, even after they are stretched and bent to oblivion, which could lead to breakthroughs in solar cells and drug capsules that release medicine only when a fever is detected. (CN Beta, Morning Ticker, Engadget, MIT)
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Smartphones |
| Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray estimates that among the current Apple iPhone install base, some 275 million users are on devices more than 2 years old. These are the potential users for new iPhone. He forecasts sales of 234.5 million iPhones in Apple’s fiscal year 2017. He believes about 150 million of those will be of the new flagship “iPhone 7” series. (Apple Insider, Ped30, WSJ, CN Beta) |
| China Labor Watch published a report on 24 Aug. 2016 in which it accused ODM Pegatron of having workers at its factory in Shanghai, eastern China, work more than 80 hours a week, far exceeding the weekly maximum of 60 hours set by Apple (the factory undertakes OEM production of iPhone). Pegatron has denied the accusations. (Digitimes, press, CN Beta) |
| The European Commission handed down its biggest tax penalty yet, ordering Apple to pay EUR13 billion (USD14.5 billion) in back taxes — but both Ireland and Apple are appealing the ruling. (CN Beta, Apple Insider, Europa, Apple Insider, CN Beta) |
| Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff retweet this: Crazy seeing Apple trying to catch Samsung. Battery life, waterproofing, blue color, front led light, and curved screens. Samsung set the standard. (CN Beta, CNET)
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| BlackBerry says it would raise about USD605 million by selling convertible debentures to shareholder Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd and other investors. (Android Headlines, News18, India Times, Woyoo, 163) |
| BLU Pure XR (rebranded Gionee S8) announced – 5.5” FHD AMOLED 2.5D curved display with force touch, MediaTek Helio P10 MT6755 processor, 16MP PDAF + 8MP cameras, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, Android 6.0, LTE Cat. 6, 3000mAh battery, USD299.99. (GSM Arena, Android Central, PR Newswire)
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| Archos 50 Saphir is unveiled – 5” HD IPS LCD display, MediaTek MT6737 processor, 13MP + 5MP cameras, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, Android 6.0, LTE, dual-SIM, 5000mAh battery, IP68 certification, EUR199. (Phone Arena, Archos, Phones Review)
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Tablets |
| According to Digitimes, worldwide tablet shipments dropped 9.4% sequentially and 13.2% on year to reach only around 40 million units in 2Q16. This was due to overall weak demand for tablets; seasonality; dropping sales of Wi-Fi-only tablets, tablets with phone functionality and 2-in-1 devices; and shortages for key components such as panels. (Digitimes, press, Digitimes[cn])
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| According to Digitimes, Asustek Computer and Huawei are expected to shift more of their existing orders for notebooks and smartphones away from China-based BYD, which is having a difficult time fulfilling its promises in product quality and shipment schedule to the clients, and to other ODMs, including Foxconn, Pegatron and Quanta. (CN Beta, Sohu, Digitimes, press) |
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Wearables |
| Fitbit Charge 2 and Flex 2 announced: Charge 2 – redesigned, and features personalized deep-breathing sessions that the company calls “Relax” and improvements to cardio fitness tracking, USD150.Flex 2 – water resistant up to 50 meters and tracks pool swims including laps and calories burned, USD100. (Android Authority, Fitbit 1, 2, Apple Insider, 163)
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| Xiaomi subrand Huami launches smartwatch Amazfit – 1.34” 300×300 circular low-power display, 1.2GHz dual-core Ingenic processor, 512MB RAM, 4GB storage, GPS module, optical heart-rate monitor, IP67 certification, 280mAh battery, CNY799. (Android Central, CN Beta, 163, GizChina)
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| Sony announced FES Watch U as part of its First Flight crowd-funding program. It features an e-ink display on both the band and the watch face. It is compatible with iOS. (Android Headlines, Digital Trends, SlashGear, 163, ZOL)
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Internet of Things |
| Beijing Consumer Association has conducted product tests of electric hooverboard from 20 brands across Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guandong, etc.. They found out that, out of 20 samples, 16 of them have exceeded speed limit of 20km/h. (CN Beta, 163, Sohu)
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| China’s two biggest cities, Beijing and Shanghai, just issued updated road traffic laws that ban hoverboards and Segways from roads and bike lanes. (GizChina, Tech in Asia, Xinhuanet, Xinhuanet) |
| Baidu is using a Chery EQ modified with its driverless tech for testing in China. The modified Chery EQ will continue the development of the Baidu AutoBrain, with the vehicles designed for testing in China. (CN Beta, IT Home, My Drivers, Engadget, Business Insider, Fast Company)
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| Alphabet executive David Drummond recently stepped down from Uber’s board as the two companies work to bring their respective self-driving car projects to market. (CN Beta, Apple Insider, WSJ) |
| Philips Hue announces a USD40 motion sensor. It connects to Hue Bridge and executes a Philips Hue command. It can even detect whether it is nighttime so that it does not turn on all the lights during the day. (TechCrunch, Gizmodo, Philips Hue, CN Beta)
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| Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne identifies Samsung as potential partner amid interest in Magneti Marelli auto-parts unit. (Bloomberg, Independent, 163) |
| China’s electric-vehicle (EV) industry, with 200-plus companies backed by a raft of billionaires, verges on a massive shakeout as the government imposes stricter technology standards on fledgling manufacturers and considers limiting their number to only 10. (CN Beta, Bloomberg, article, Business Mirror) |
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Others |
| The world population will reach 9.9 billion in 2050, up 33% from an estimated 7.4 billion now, according to projections included in the 2016 World Population Data Sheet from the Population Reference Bureau (PRB). Africa’s population will reach 2.5 billion by 2050. Asia will gain about 900 million to 5.3 billion. (CN Beta, Eureka Alert, PRB, report)
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