11-12: Qualcomm Snapdragon 830 chipset will reportedly support QC4.0; Apple will allegedly release new 5” and 5.8” iPhones with curved, bezel-free designs in 2017; etc.
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Chipset |
| Qualcomm Snapdragon 830 chipset will reportedly support fast charging speeds of up to 28W, thanks to the Quick Charge 4.0 technology. Reportedly, the new charger will support configurations of up to 5V/4.7A~5.6A, 9V/4A. (CN Beta, Phone Arena, Fudzilla, Android Headlines)
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| Nvidia has just released their financial results for the Q3 FY2017, ending 30 Oct. 2016. The company reported a revenue of USD2B, which is a massive 54% increase from USD1.3M a year earlier, and 40% improvement compared to the previous quarter. (eTekNix, CN Beta) |
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Touch Panel |
| Apple will release new 5” and 5.8” iPhones with curved, bezel-free designs in 2017, according to Barclays Research analysts Blayne Curtis, Christopher Hemmelgarn, Thomas O’Malley, and Jerry Zhang. (Apple Insider, BGR, Mac Rumors, CN Beta) |
| Apple is working toward releasing 3 new iPads in Mar. 2017. 2 of them are refreshed versions of both iPad Pro models which come in 9.7” and 12.9” sizes, and there is word of a new iPad model that would share the same size footprint as the 9.7” iPad Air 2, but feature no bezels, according to Barclays Research analysts Blayne Curtis, Christopher Hemmelgarn, Thomas O’Malley, and Jerry Zhang. (CN Beta, GSM Arena, Apple Insider, Phone Arena) |
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Sensory |
| Tobii has announced its own second-generation hardware, the Tobii Eye Tracker 4C. The most significant upgrade incorporated in the device is head tracking, an industry first, which allows the device to simultaneously track both head and eye movement for the utmost precision in gaming simulation. (TechNews, Digital Trends, Digital Trends, Business Wire)
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| The U.S. Defense Advance Research Project Agency’s (DARPA) Troy Olsson described its Near Zero Power Radio Frequency and Sensor Operations (N-Zero). By 2018 the DARPA’s N-Zero initiative aims to have deployable sensor networks that require near-zero standby-power, a goal the team quickly found that was impossible without microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). (CN Beta, DARPA, EE Times)
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| AR startup Occipital launched in 2013 Structure Sensor — a strip of cameras and sensors strap to iPad that can be used to scan, measure, and project things. The company is pushing that tech forward by releasing its first iOS app called Canvas that can capture and process 3D scans of entire rooms, and it allows taking accurate measurements inside that scan. (The Verge, Canvas, Occipital, China Byte)
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Connectivity |
| CapCam enables quick, easy and reliable pairing of devices using the multi-touch capacitive matrix present in the touch screen to recognize an object placed on top of it. The screen transmits pairing data by modulating the color of pixels under the device’s camera. The information is to establish a connection (like Wi-Fi), over which content can be sent or received in a highly targeted manner. (Android Authority, Future Interfaces Group)
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Smartphones |
| In the quarter to Sept. 2016, Foxconn reported sales of NTD1.07T (USD33.57B), up 0.91% on the year. Operating profit rose 10.33% year-over-year to NTD42.1B, but net profit fell 8.51% to NTD34.63B. Foxconn has been working aggressively to expand automation on its Chinese campuses, including the iPhone assembly facility in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou. (CN Beta, WSJ, Asia Nikkei, Reuters) |
| Taiwan-based metal chassis maker Casetek reportedly will join the supply chain for Apple’s iPhone and become the fourth supplier after Catcher Technology, Foxconn Technology and US-based Jabil, according to Digitimes. (Digitimes, press, ZOL) |
| Google’s Chrome browser is installed on 2B devices between mobile and desktop, Google has announced. (Android Authority, TechCrunch, GMW, 163) |
| Samsung is launching new Tizen Mobile App Incentive Program. The program is designed to support the developer community to grow Samsung’s ecosystem, and there’s USD10K up for grabs for developers who submit their apps. (Android Authority, Samsung, iFeng)
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| Samsung will be incorporating digital assistant technology, named Bixby, into its upcoming products. It appears that Samsung’s acquisition of Viv Labs is a large part of what makes this whole plan possible. (ReadWrite, CNET, Digital Trends, Sina, DoNews, iFeng) |
| Kyocera DuraForce PRO is announced via Sprint – 5” FHD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor, 13MP + 5MP cameras, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage, Android 6.0, IP68 certified, 3240mAh battery, USD99.99 (24 months contract). (Android Headlines)
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Tablets / PCs |
| Quanta Computer shipped 10.9M notebooks in 3Q16, increasing 2.83% on quarter, and expects shipments to decrease 2-3% in the 4Q16 sequentially and slip 0-5% on year in 2017, company vice chairman CC Leung. (Digitimes, press, Sohu, ITN, UDN)
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Wearables |
| Barclays researcher Blayne Curtis indicates that Apple AirPods should finally start production in Dec. 2016 but units are fairly small at 10~15M to start. (CN Beta, Business Insider, Mac Rumors) |
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Internet of Things |
| IBM has launched a framework that allows Watson to have a physical shell and use it in various ways. Developers can integrate the AI from IBM into all kinds of things, including spaces, assembly lines, robots, connected cars, wearables, walls, digital avatars, and objects. (CN Beta, First Post, WSJ)
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| There are 174 private unicorn companies globally valued at a billion dollars or more as of 10/31/16, according to CB Insights unicorn tracker. In 2016, the US gained the most new unicorns, adding 13. China added 10. Meanwhile, 5 countries — Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates — birthed their first unicorns to-date. (199IT, CB Insights, press)
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| After a wave of investments into prominent US-based companies ranging from Snap Inc. to Lyft to Jet.com, US-based financing deals by 4 of China’s largest internet giants, i.e., Baidu, Alibaba & financial affiliate Ant Financial, Tencent and JD, are set to drop in 2016 at the current run rate, according to CB Insights data. (CB Insights, press)
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