8-21: Samsung is having a market capitalization of USD210bln; Rumored Apple upcoming 4.7” iPhone would also feature a camera with OIS; etc.
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Camera |
| New leak suggests that Apple upcoming 4.7” iPhone would also feature a camera with optical image stabilization (OIS). (Phone Arena, Redmond Pie, GFAN, TechWeb)
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Memory |
| A DRAM production slip-up has forced a Korea-based vendor to scrap 30,000-50,000 wafers from its 21nm node, according to Digitimes. Yields on the vendor’s 21nm process are not an issue, adding that the production shortfall could further inhibit supply. Contract prices for 4GB DDR3 modules settled at USD12.50 in June 2016. (Digitimes, press) |
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Smartphones |
| According to a survey conducted by RTG Consulting Group, which researched 4,000 shoppers between the ages of 15 and 32 in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu, among Gen-Y, the most popular brands are Apple, WeChat, Alipay, Taobao, and Zara. But for the younger Gen-Z, the most favorite are Xiaomi, Adidas, Nike, Uniqlo and Converse. (HL, CRI English, Forbes, RTG Consulting Group report, CN Beta, Financial Times)
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| Earlier 2016 Nokia had formed a company based in Finland called HMD. Nokia is now preparing to revive its mobile phone business. Forbes believes that in the feature phone segment, Nokia might find it easy to re-establish itself. While this segment is not very large, consumers such as young children, senior adults and first time mobile phone buyers in emerging economies prefer a feature phone over a smartphone. (Forbes, article, CN Beta) |
| Google secretly acquired the team at mobile app development startup Apportable more than a year ago. (CN Beta, Venture Beat, Silicon Angle) |
| Google quietly revealed a new operating system Fuchsia. The thinking behind Fuchsia may be that aging kernels such as Linux are inadequate for this new wave of devices. As such, its creators are imagining a new one for modern times. (The kernel itself is called Magenta, which is based on another recent Google experiment called LittleKernel)。(Fast Company, CN Beta)
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| The revenue profit of Samsung Electronics mobile division in 2Q16 has grew 57%. After 3 years of struggle, shares of Samsung capping a 30% rally this year that underscores the technology giant’s improved fortunes. It is the world’s largest mobile phone vendor, having a market capitalization of KRW260 trillion (USD210 billion). (WSJ, CN Beta, 4-Traders)
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| Till end of June 2016 in Korea, 10 corporate groups and 89 related companies have laid off in total 641,000 employees. It was 4700 employees laid off compared to 646,000 laid-off employees in 2015. (51Touch, China Times, Digitimes, 52RD)
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| Ride-hailing company Lyft, the 2nd largest such firm behind Uber, has been making overtures to sell itself recently to companies including Apple, Google, Amazon, Uber, Didi Chuxing, and General Motor. However it has not been fruitful. (The Verge, NYT, Huxiu, Sohu) |
| Asustek recorded non-operating income of NTD1.542 billion (USD48.2 million) in 2Q16, including a gain of NTD942 million from foreign exchange. Of 2Q16 revenues of NTD93.938 billion, 65% came from PC product lines, 18% smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, 14% motherboards, graphics cards and components, and 3% IoT products. (Digitimes, press, CAN, China Times)
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| Lenovo’s net profit climbed 64% to USD173 million for the quarter ended June 2016 compared with a year earlier, but its mobile arm lost money again as a USD3 billion bet on buying Motorola to diversify has yet to pay off. (Barron’s, WSJ, Reuters, India Times, 163, WSJ[cn], Sina) |
| Huawei G9 Plus is unveiled – 5.5” FHD 2.5D curved display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, 16MP OIS + 8MP cameras, 3/4GB RAM, 32/64 GB storage, USB Type-C, 3340mAh battery, from CNY2399. (GizChina, My Drivers)
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| YU Yunique Plus from Micromax is unveiled – 4.7” HD IPS LCD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor, 8MP + 2MP cameras, 2GB RAM, 8GB storage, Android 5.1, LTE, dual-SIM, 2000mAh battery, INR6499. (Android Headlines, Gizpress, Phone Bunch)
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Wearables |
| Ubisoft touts the Nosulus Rift, which is a VR device to emulate the fart smell of the game “South Park: The Fractured But Whole” whenever the player farts in the game. Each press of the fart button releases the smell on the Nosulus Rift. (TechNews, Upload VR, Ubisoft, Polygon, Yibada)
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Internet of Things |
| LG introducing battery-powered Minibeam projectors “PH450U” and “PH150G”. (Android Headlines, CN Beta, LG)
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| Sony has announced its first smart car audio system, the XAV-AX100, which is compatible with both, Apple CarPlay as well as Android Auto, and priced at USD499.99. (GSM Arena, Sony, Tencent)
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Others |
| Deals and funding to VC-backed fintech companies declined 49% on-quarter and 51% on-year in 2Q16, according to KPMG and CB Insights. However, CB Insights still have faith in fintech industry, estimating in 2016 the overall investment will still exceed last year with USD14.5 billion. (CB Insights, report, Sina, Jiemian)
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