IF / News

Chipsets

Qualcomm has quietly updated the official specs tables of several of its recent Snapdragon mobile chipsets. It appears that most of the major chipsets including 670, 675, 710, 845, and 855 are capable of capturing photos with a resolution of 192MP. (Android Authority, XDA-Developers)

Phone

American smartphone brand, Figgers has announced the Figgers F3 as the first 5G smartphone in America. The phone is the first “Made In America” phone with the 5G network. The phone will also feature 1TB of internal storage, a 4K display, dual 18MP camera setup. Its Figgers Super Base can wirelessly charge the F3 when it comes within a 5m range. (GSM Arena, Mobile Crypto Tech)

vivo Y91i is announced in India – 6.22” 1520×720 HD+ IPS, MediaTek Helio P22, rear 13MP + front 8MP, 2+16/32GB, Android 8.1, 4030mAh, face unlock, no fingerprint scanner, INR7,990 / INR8,490. (Gizmo China, GSM Arena, Fonearena)

PC / Tablet

According to IDC, China’s tablet market shipments is about 22.12M units, down 0.8% year-on-year. IDC said that in 2018, the Chinese tablet PC commercial market benefited from government statistics/environmental protection projects. In addition, IDC expects that China’s tablet PC market will recover in 2019, shipments will reach 22.52M units, an increase of 1.8%. (CN Beta, GizChina)

Apple is reportedly nearing the release of its 7th generation iPad. The report cites supplier sources and says the 2019 iPad will retain both the headphone jack and Touch ID. (CN Beta, Mac Rumors, Macotakara, 9to5Mac)

Honor Tab 5 is announced – 8” 1920×1200 display, HiSilicon Kirin 710, rear 8MP + front 8MP, 3+32GB / 4+64GB, 5100mAh, Wi-Fi / LTE versions, dual Smart PA audio chips, from CNY1,099. (Android Headlines, Gizmo China)

Augmented / Virtual Reality

TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the mass production of Apple’s first augmented reality (AR) device may start in 4Q19, though it is suggested this window stretches into 2Q20. He claims the first generation of Apple’s AR glasses will only act as a display, with a nearby iPhone performing all of the processing, including rendering scenes, providing a data connection, and location-based services like GPS. Foxlink would be the manufacturer of this AR device. (Apple Insider, TF Securities)

Luci is unveiling a new kind of entertainment virtual reality (VR) headset, dubbed the Luci Immers, that promises crystal-clear viewing of VR films and other content, thanks to dual micro-organic-light-emitting displays (microLED). The Santa Clara, California-based company, which is a division of Beijing-based AT Holding, is a late entrant in a crowded field. (VentureBeat, 7tin)

Gaming company Valve has confirmed that it has laid off several full-time employees and contractors, possibly from its virtual reality hardware team. (Upload VR, Engadget CN, Sina, The Verge)

Automotive

Chinese drone maker EHang is planning a U.S. initial public offering (IPO) in 2019. It could raise USD400M~500M. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Guangzhou province, EHang first made headlines in 2016 when it unveiled a passenger drone concept which it said would retail at up to USD300,000. (CN Beta, Reuters)

Smart cars will integrate four core elements, collectively dubbed CASE (connected, autonomous, shared and services, and electric), which has become a common goal being sought after by major automakers including Daimler, initiator of the CASE concept. The elements are sending the global auto industry marching toward high-tech development while also ushering in new business models. (Digitimes, press, Digitimes, press)

Artificial Intelligence

Google is expanding its Duplex reservation system, the AI assistant that can call restaurants and make reservations for user, to a total of 43 states in the United States. (TechCrunch, Trusted Reviews, The Verge, Google, Teller China)