IF / News

Chipsets

Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 and 730 full details are leaked. 710 will be built using Samsung 10nm LPE, consists of 2×Kyro 3xx cores of 2.2GHz and 6× Kyro 3xx cores at 1.7GHz. 730 will be built using Samsung 8nm LPP, featuring 2×Kyro 4xx cores of 2.3GHz and 6× Kyro 4xx cores at 1.8GHz. (GizChina, CN Beta)

[Google I/O 2018]  Qualcomm has announced it has been working behind the scenes with Google to support Android P “on select Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platforms”. Qualcomm has worked with Google to implement Android P on select Snapdragon chips.  (Ubergizmo, Android Headlines, CWW, CCID Net, Laoyaoba)

[Google I/O 2018] Pankaj Kedia, Qualcomm’s senior wearables director has revealed that the company will announce updated platform for Android Wear in fall 2018 alongside a flagship device, with “several partners” set to release Wear OS watches based on the new chips by the holidays. (VentureBeat, Wearable, CN Beta)

The upcoming Huawei Kirin 980 will reportedly adopt Cambricon processor IP. Cambricon’s recently-unveiled 1M series is the company’s new-generation AI chip designed using TSMC’s 7nm technology. These 7nm FinFet-based chips will be ready by 2H18. (GSM Arena, GizChina, Huanqiu, UDN)

Intel is partnering with Google and Volvo on the industry’s next take on in-car infotainment. These infotainment systems will be powered by the latest Intel Atom SoC and run Android P. At the show, the new infotainment system is being demonstrated in a prototype Volvo XC40 compact crossover utility vehicle. (Android Headlines, Hot Hardware, Intel, CN Beta, UDN)

ARM has announced its ARM Artisan physical IP will be used in TSMC’s 22nm ultra-low power (ULP) and ultra-low leakage (ULL) platform for Arm-based SoCs. TSMC 22nm ULP/ULL is optimized for mobile and IoT devices, enabling improved performance for ARM-based SoCs, and reductions in both power and area when compared to the previous-generation TSMC 28nm HPC+ platform. (TechNews, Business Wire)

Dialog Semiconductor, the provider of highly integrated power management, AC/DC power conversion, solid state lighting (SSL) and Bluetooth low energy (LE) technology, has announced a significant milestone for its Configurable Mixed-signal ICs (CMICs), with over 3.5B CMICs having been shipped to date. (Laoyaoba, Benzinga)

Europe microelectronics center IMEC has signed a strategic collaboration agreement with IngDan to form a joint innovation center in Shenzhen. (SZ News, Laoyaoba, Sina, China News)

[Google I/O 2018] Google has revealed its third generation of Tensor Processing Units (TPU) for use in its “TPU Pods”. The new TPU is eight times more powerful than 2017 per pod, with up to 100 petaflops in performance.  (Baijiahao, iFeng, Android Headlines, CNBC, TechCrunch)

Touch Display

Apple’s patent for “Electronic device having display with curved edges” describes how to construct a display that differs from the usual rectangular shape typically used in mobile device screens. The patent advises of the reduced pixel count and the irregular rows and columns that make up a round display compared to the uniform pixel arrays in rectangular screens. (CN Beta, Patently Apple, Apple Insider)

LEDinside estimates that when related products become commercialized, the revenue of Micro LED and Mini LED (excluding transfer process) will reach USD1.38B by 2022, and further increase to USD2.891B by 2025. Some applications have a chance to adopt Micro LED technology in the next three years, including AR projection devices that require high-brightness, extra-large display panels such as digital LED displays, and televisions. The production volume of these products may increase gradually. (LED Inside, press, TechNews)

Battery

EcoFlow, a pioneering portable power company that is reinventing the way the world accesses energy, today announced the first-of-its-kind airplane-friendly, stackable, portable power station, River Bank. Each module contains between 40 and 100Wh (watt-hours) of power. (CN Beta, TechCrunch, CNET, Mashable, The Verge, PR Newswire)

Connectivity

Hynetek Semiconductor launches an E-Marker chipset HUSB330, which has passed the USB-IF certification test. This is the first Mainland China’s chipset that obtained USB-IF certification. With E-Market chipset, the cable can support 5A current. (CN Beta, Ping West, Hynetek)

Netgear has announced the “Orbi Tri-Band Wi-Fi Cable Modem Router System”, an all-new 2-in-1 device designed to replace an existing cable modem and router setup. The system covers up to 4,000 square feet, and sold-separately Orbi Satellites can expand coverage by an additional 2,000 square feet each.  (CN Beta, Mac Rumors, TechCrunch)

Samsung has obtained the approval from the FCC to provide Verizon with fixed 5G equipment for its first market in Sacramento, California, later in 2018. The system, using Verizon’s own “5GTF” specification, will provide a wireless 1Gbps connection over-the-air for homes. (Laoyaoba, Telecom Paper, TechRadar)

Phone

Deep in the code of Facebook’s Android app is unreleased functionality letting users “build personalized, illustrated versions of themselves for use as stickers in Messenger and comments.” It is dubbed “Facebook Avatars”. (Android Authority, Gizmodo, Alphr,  Android Central, TechCrunch)

Coolpad has requested a Shenzhen court to ask Xiaomi to halt sales of 5 phones over allegations of patent infringement. The whole list includes Xiaomi’s flagship Mi 6, Mi Max 2, Mi Note 3, Redmi Note 4X, and Mi 5X. (CN Beta, Sohu, Caijing, Gadgets Now, Beebom, Reuters)

In early May 2018, according to Sino MR, the performance of vivo X21 in the first 5 weeks since launch has exceeded its predecessor vivo X9S, indicating that X21 has brought forward the vivo X series models performance. X21 has become the leader for domestic price segment CNY3000-4000. (Laoyaoba, Sino MR, article)

[Google I/O 2018]  Google has announced Android P Beta version is officially available for Chinese vendors Xiaomi, OnePlus, vivo and OPPO. (GSM Arena, Xiaomi, Xiaomi, Tencent, CN Beta, Android Police, GSM Arena)

MediaTech Capital senior media analyst Porter Bibb predicts that Netflix will be acquired by Microsoft in 18-24 months. (CN Beta, CNBC, The Street)

[Google I/O 2018] Google I/O 2018 has a series of announcements, with some listed here.

Android P

• Google has launched the first Android P beta.  (Economic Times, The Verge, VentureBeat)
• Digital Wellbeing for Android P allows the user to assist themselves in regulating their use of their smart device. (SlashGear)
• Google has announced new AI features for Android P: Adaptive Brightness features have been recreated to take advantage of machine learning and a new Adaptive Battery feature has been built. (Android Headlines, Android Headlines, Digital Trends)
• Android P for Android TV is officially unveiled. This update improves the performance of the platform on low-end devices with improved setup especially on mobile and redesigned settings. (Android Headlines, Android Authority, 9to5Google)
• Android P will introduce a new predictive app system called Actions and Slices. (Engadget)

APP

• Google has announced “Smart Reply” and “Smart Compose” as new features for Gmail. (Android Headlines, The Verge,
• Google is launching a developer API that will allow other apps and services access to connect to, upload to, and share to a users’ Google Photos library, as well as a Partners Program for Google Photos. (TechCrunch)
• Google has announced the Instant Apps functionality of the Google Play Store is available to all Android developers. (Android Headlines)
• Google has launched a brand new set of components, tools, and architectures, called Jetpack, designed to make getting started building Android apps a much easier process. (Android Headlines)

AI

• Google is making an effort to allow mobile app developers to quickly add AI features to their software, announcing ML Kit. (Android Authority, InfoWorld, Ars Technica, VentureBeat)
• Google is rolling out new A.I.-based features across many of its products and services, including Google Photos with “suggested actions”. (Digital Trends,
• Google Lens will now be integrated directly into the stock camera app.  (Engadget, The Verge, CNET)
• Google Duplex will help Google Assistant understand complex speech and make it possible to for users to talk very quickly while also giving longer responses and making longer remarks. (Android Headlines, Pocket-Lint, The Independent)
• Google Assistant is getting 6 new voices, will provide new visual experiences, will encourage children to say please, and will soon even make phone calls. (VentureBeat, Ubergizmo)

AR

• Google Maps to get augmented reality (AR) support and a concept called “Visual Positioning System” (VPS). (Apple Insider)
• Google has announced a new update to its augmented reality (AR) platform, ARCore, which will allow the development of shared AR experiences for end users. (Android Headlines, Digital Trends)

360 N7 is launched in China – 5.99” 2160×1080 FHD+ 2.5D, Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, rear dual 16MP-2MP + front 8MP, 6GB+64/128GB, Android 8.1, 5030mAh, from CNY1899. (Android Headlines, Gizmo China, JD.com)

Sharp AQUOS R2 is announced – 6” 1440×3040 WQHD+ IGZO, Qualcomm Snapdragon 845,  rear dual 22.6MP-16.3MP + front 16.3MP, 4GB+64GB, Android 8.0, front mounted fingerprint, IPX5 / IPX8 / IP6X rated, 3130mAh. (GizChina, Sharp, GSM Arena)

Energizer Power Max P20 feature phone is announced – 2.8” 240×320, Spreadtrum SC6531E, VGA camera, 4MB RAM, FM radio, MP3 music player, 4000mAh. (GSM Arena, Gizmo China)

BQ Aquaris X2 and X2 Pro Android One are announced, both feature 5.64” 2160×1080 FHD+, IP52 rated, Android 8.1, USB Type-C, 3100mAh. X2 – Qualcomm Snapdragon 636, 3GB+32GB / 4GB+64GB, EUR300. X2 Pro – Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, 4GB+64GB / 6GB+128GB, EUR380.  (Liliputing, Reddit, BQ)

LG K30 is launched at T-Mobile US supporting 600MHz (Band 71) – 5.3” HD IPS, Qualcomm Snapdragon 425, rear 13MP PDAF + front 5MP, 2GB+32GB, Android 7.1, 2880mAh, USD225. (GizChina, Android Authority, T-Mobile)

Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality

Oculus Chief Scientist Michael Abrash has announced that Oculus Research is rebranded as Facebook Reality Labs (FRL). He has pointed out that FRL has already been “helping Oculus and all of Facebook create trailblazing AR and VR experiences, from what is most affordable to leading edge”. (CN Beta, TechCrunch, Ars Technica, Facebook)

Home

Ring, the Amazon-owned doorbell-with-a-camera company, is launching a social network called Neighbors for sharing photos and videos of package thieves, burglars and other suspicious activity. (CN Beta, Digital Trends, CNN)

[Google I/O 2018] Google has announced that its Smart Displays will be available in summer 2018. The new series of devices announced by Google will bring a huge focus to Google Assistant integration.  (Engadget, GizChina, Sohu)

Robotics

Prismatic’s PHASA-35 solar powered High Altitude, Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (HALE UAV), which has the potential to fly for up to 1 year before needing maintenance, has moved closer to operation following a new agreement between two cutting-edge British companies, BAE Systems and Prismatic. (Digital Trends, sUAS News, Defense News, Baijiahao)

Sony says it sold exactly 11,111 units of its robot dog, Aibo, in the 3 months since the mechatronic canine’s re-release in Jan 2018. Sony has sold a total of 150,000 units of the previous models. (TechNews, Japan Times, Robotics & Automation, The Mainichi)

Artificial Intelligence

[Google I/O 2018] Google has combined all of its Google Research projects and artificial intelligence efforts under one umbrella simply called “Google AI”.  (Engadget, Google AI, Google, Sina)

Intel leads USD20M investment in Gamalon, which is working on a machine learning system capable of natural language processing (NLP) to manage billions of inbound messages, providing individual responses and communicating ideas and sentiments back to humans. (VentureBeat, PRN Asia)

Automotive

Waymo CEO John Krafcik said that his company’s self-driving ride-hailing service will launch in earnest 2018 in Phoenix. Waymo’s pilot program has ordinary Phoenicians hailing rides in an autonomous (and now also driverless) Chrysler Pacifica. The rides are limited to a geofenced area, and they’re offered free of charge. (CN Beta, CNET, Neowin)