5-8: Indian smartphone shipment reached 24.4mln in 1Q16; HoloFlex holographic flexible smartphone; Doppio “multi-screen” smartwatch; Samsung, Huawei and HTC possibly further pressuring the entire supply chain’s ASPs; etc.
Indian smartphone shipment reached 24.4mln in 1Q16; HoloFlex holographic flexible smartphone; Doppio “multi-screen” smartwatch; Samsung, Huawei and HTC possibly further pressuring the entire supply chain’s ASPs; Google did not give up Android One; etc.
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Chipset |
| Forbes’ Rober Hof believes that AI-on-a-chip soon will make phones, drones and more a lot smarter. (Forbes, press, CN Beta) |
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Display |
| Human Media Lab at Queen’s University has created HoloFlex, the “world’s first holographic flexible smartphone” display using an array of tiny lenses overlaid onto one flexible FHD OLED screen and allows multiple people to simultaneously view 3D images with naked eyes. (Android Authority, Engadget, Human Media Lab, Sohu, iFeng)
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| The Doppio “multi-screen” smartwatch concept is a collaboration between the University of Calgary, Dartmouth College, and University of Waterloo. They made a working prototype with dual touchscreen displays — one of which completely detaches from the wrist-bound screen and can be stuck above, to the side, or anywhere. (The Verge, ACM Digital Library, Gizmodo, IT168)
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| Shipments of public displays are expected to grow 9.3% on year, reaching approximately 3 million units in 2016, as revenues increase 15.3%. Total public display revenues will rise USD1 billion per year to reach USD9.7 billion in 2020. The ASP of a public display will increase from USD1,826 in 2015 to USD1,926 in 2016, according to IHS. (IHS, press, Digitimes)
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Sensors |
| Using the HTC Vive and its motion controllers, the Manus system can track players’ entire arms, bending elbows and all. The controllers strap onto players’ wrists for full-arm positional tracking and the gloves allow them to articulate their fingers in the VR space. (Engadget, 4399)
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Biometrics |
| U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals the invention behind Apple’s secret to making the iPhone 6s Touch ID work twice as fast – using two-processor system. (Patently Apple, CN Beta)
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Smartphones |
| According to Canalys, India’s smart phone market grew by 12% year on year, with 24.4 million units shipping in 1Q16. The top five vendors stayed the same, with Samsung in the lead, followed by Micromax, Intex, Lenovo and Lava. (Canalys, press, CN Beta)
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| Citi analyst Jim Suva’s take on Apple’s disappointing results for March 2016 quarter is that there is a risk of potential price cuts from Samsung, Huawei and HTC further cutting iPhone market share and possibly further pressuring the entire supply chain’s ASPs. (Barron’s, blog, TechNews) |
| Mike Hayes, director Google Android & Chrome partnerships says, more Android One devices will be coming to markets this year, as a part of Google’s “broader hardware strategy”. (CN Beta, Telecom Talk, Digital Trends, Economic Times) |
| BLU Energy JR is official – 4” WVGA display, MediaTek MT6571 processor, 3.2MP + VGA cameras, 256MB RAM, 512MB storage, Android 4.4, 2G, dual-SIM, 3000mAh battery. (Phone Arena, BLU)
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| Ulefone Future is official with side-mounted fingerprint sensor – 5.5” FHD in-cell LTPS display, MediaTek Helio P10 processor, 16MP PDAF + 5MP cameras, 4GB RAM, 32GB storage, Android 6.0, LTE, dual-SIM, USB Type-C, 3090mAh battery, USD239.99. (Ulefone, Gizmo China, MTKSJ)
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Tablets |
| According to J.D. Power Tablet Satisfaction Study for 2016, Volume 1, Apple on top with a score of 830 and a full five Power Circles. Microsoft finished second, just one point behind Apple with a tally of 829. (Phone Arena, JD Power, press, IT168)
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Wearables |
| Mary Lou Jepsen, a key figure in Facebook’s Oculus, is leaving Facebook after a little more than a year on the job to focus on curing diseases. (CN Beta, CNET, Business Insider) |
| Slice Intelligence shows that while 80% of Apple Watch buyers at launch were men, the gap has since closed considerably. Men are still more likely to buy an Apple Watch, but the split has since narrowed to about 60%-40%. A year ago, 56% of Fitbit buyers were said to be women, and by March of 2016, buyers had increased to 63%. (CN Beta, Apple Insider, Slice Intelligence, press)
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Internet of Things |
| McLaren’s CEO Mike Flewitt indicates that a new McLaren powertrain will be specifically designed for a hybridized application. In 2022, more than half will be hybrids. (CN Beta, CNET, Hybrid Cars) |
