9-26: MediaTek officially unveils Helio X30, P25 and P20; 70% of current owners consider buying a more expensive model for their next phone; etc.
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Chipset |
| TSMC Research Unit has revealed the roadmap of the company for the next few years. TSMC will be switching to 10nm process technology by the end of 2016 and will start 7nm trial production in 2017.The 16 FFC process (a much more refined version of the 16FF+) will also be landing this year. (WCCF Tech, CN Beta)
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| MediaTek has officially unveiled flagship deca-core Helio X30, and two new upper-mid-range mobile chipsets in the Helio P20 and P25. X30 is manufactured with TSMC’s 10nm process, featuring two 2.8 GHz Cortex-A73 cores, four 2.2 GHz Cortex-A53 cores and another four 2.0 GHz Cortex-A35 cores. The main advantages to P20 / P25 octa-core powerhouses over their predecessor are mainly in a slightly faster clock rate for the CPU and GPU, a 16nm process from TSMC and support for LPDDR4x RAM. (CN Beta, Sohu, Gizmo China, Phone Arena, Pocket Now)
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| Job listing for “software engineer” suggests NVIDIA is working with Apple on future Macs. (TechNews, TechWeb, ZOL, Motley Fool, Bloomberg, MacDaily News) |
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Touch Display |
| HTC “Ocean” concept done by designer Danelle Vermelen, is a smartphone featuring a touch-sensitive frame dubbed Sense Touch. HTC is allegedly preparing 3 models codenamed Ocean Master, Ocean Note and Ocean Smart. (Android Headlines, Phone Arena, Ubergizmo, 163, Tencent)
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| As published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Apple’s application for “transparent structures filled with electrically active fluid” deals with electrically active fluids, defined as a fluid “that responds to an applied voltage by conducting current or changing crystalline structure”. Such fluids can serve a range of uses depending on their specific properties and deployment casing. (Apple Insider, USPTO, iPhone Hacks, 91.com)
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| Samsung Display and LG Display are contemplating about introducing ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) technology o flexible OLED thin-film encapsulation process. With ALD technology is used, life and performance of flexible OLED panels can increase overall. Jusung Engineering, WONIK IPS, AP System, and TES have ALD technologies and equipment for displays. (CN Beta, ET News) |
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Battery |
| Sono Motors, a car company based in Munich, is now crowd-funding USD200,000 to build the car Sion, which is currently a prototype. The self-charging car will get power from the solar panels fitted to its roof and sides, though drivers will also be able to use power outlets as an alternative. It is expected to hit the roads in 2018. (CN Beta, Automoblog, Daily Mail)
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Material |
| Truck bedliner spray, commonly called Line-X, is typically used to protect trucks against the elements. It can also be used to protect pretty much anything. It is 300% tougher than standard bedliners. (Tencent, 163, Geek, Popular Mechanics, Mini Planet, Yahoo)
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Smartphones |
| According to GfK, CNY1000 smartphone market is shrinking, 70% of current owners consider buying a more expensive model for their next phone. The upgrade border is at the CNY2000~3000 mid-range segment (domestic branded flagships and imported branded mid-range). However, they are still reluctant to go higher end. “Student models = CNY1000 models” concept is considered out-dated, and students are willing to accept CNY1500~2000 segment smartphones. (199IT, article, Sohu)
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| KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has escalated its sales estimates of Apple iPhone 7 series from 65 million to 70~75 million, mostly because of the recall of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and the dual-camera feature in the iPhone 7 Plus. However, the analyst believes artificial scarcity explains carrier reports of sell-outs and strong consumer demand, with both factors “not entirely due to market demand”. (Apple Insider, CN Beta) |
| With the number of mobile payment users in China still expanding robustly and is likely to reach 200 million in 2016, which is more than 5 times the market size in the US, brand smartphone vendors including Apple, Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi have forayed into the mobile payment race. However, Alipay currently accounts for 47% of online transaction market in China and Tenpay takes 20%, according to China-based iResearch. (Digitimes, press) |
| RIAA report claims that streaming revenue, as far as the US market is concerned, grew by 57% to USD1.6 billion in 1H16, and it also accounted for almost 50% of the industry’s sales. (Ubergizmo, Bloomberg, eWeek, EDM, RIAA, report, Ebrun, Hexun)
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Wearables |
| The 2-year long study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) included nearly 500 overweight volunteers of age 18~35 who were asked to diet and take more exercise. The investigators found that over the course of the study, the volunteers who wore the fitness trackers had lost, on average, about 8lb (3.6kg). (The Verge, JAMA, BBC, Sina) |
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Internet of Things |
| Verizon acquires LED networking startup Sensity Systems, which has raised a total of USD74 million. Investors include Cisco Investment, Acuity Brands, GE Ventures, Simon Venture Group, Almaz Capital, Mohr Davidow Ventures, Radar Partners and Silver Creek Ventures. (TechNews, Green Tech Media, Wireless Week, Verizon, 36Kr) |
| The total addressable value of drone powered solutions in all applicable industries is estimated by PwC at over USD127 billion. The industry with the best prospects for drone applications is infrastructure, with total addressable value of just over USD45 billion. (199IT, PwC report)
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| Paris has carried out its first test of a driverless EZ10 minibus, in the hope that regular routes for the vehicles will be up and running within 2 years. The bus travelled at 25kmph and for RATP, the transport authority for the Paris region, it is the start of a series of tests. (CN Beta, Daily Mail, NDTV)
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