9-1: IFA 2016 is happening, new wearables and tablets announced; After 2 times of battery explosion, Samsung delays Galaxy Note 7; etc.
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Chipset |
| Qualcomm indicates that Snapdragon 821 has a 10% improvement from the Snapdragon 820. 821 also delivers a modest 5% power savings, supports Google Daydream via a Snapdragon VR SDK. (Android Authority, Qualcomm, CN Beta)
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| Qualcomm China chairman Meng Pu indicates that by 2030 China will become the leader in global semiconductor industry, which includes industrial design, production, and packaging. (East Day, Sohu, Hexun, OfWeek)
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| The industry has long viewed silicon photonics as the best solution to increasing data transfer speeds, and in fact, Intel’s developmental process dates back 16 years. Intel announced it is shipping 100G silicon photonics transceivers to customers in 2016. (CN Beta, Tom’s Hardware, eWeek, Technology Review, Digitimes, PC World)
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| Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huan announced that Nvidia and Baidu will be building an end-to-end solution for self-driving cars. The end goal is a platform that allows Baidu to get a self-driving taxi fleet on the road, and the same platform is also designed for use in OEM cars, tied into the same network. (CN Beta, WSJ, Nvidia, TechCrunch)
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| According to EE Times, 28nm — The Last Node of Moore’s Law has now been confirmed: After the 28nm node, we can continue to make transistors smaller, but not cheaper. (Sohu, Gfang, EE Times, EE Times, Monolithic 3D)
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Camera |
| Facebook is testing a newly built image stabilization technology specifically designed to make 360-videos smoother. Facebook claims it combines standard 2D algorithms with 3D techniques, and a new “deformed-rotation” motion model, to create a hybrid stabilization architecture. (Digital Trends, Forbes, Fortune, Recode, OS China, Baidu VR, VRRB)
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Battery |
| After multiple reports of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 battery exploding during charging, Samsung has delayed rollout of the device in undisclosed markets for additional quality control testing. (Apple Insider, Reuters, Engadget, Business Korea, Sina, 163)
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| Samsung SDI to invest USD357 million to build EV rechargeable battery cell plant in Hungary. (iTer News, Auto News, Hybrid Cars, ITDCW, CNFOL, 163) |
| SolarWindow Technologies transforms regular windows into solar panels that are up to 50 times more efficient than the regular photovoltaics. They apply liquid coatings to glass / plastic surfaces at ambient pressure, and dry these coatings at low temperature to produce transparent films. (Digital Trends, Clean Technica, ET Today)
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Biometrics |
| According to Digitimes, while Germany-based Osram Licht AG currently dominates global supply of IR LED chips used in iris recognition, China- and Taiwan-based LED chip makers are poised to have products in certification as soon as 4Q16. (Digitimes, press, OfWeek, OfWeek) |
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Material |
| ROK Mobile International (ROK) and Human Health Organization (H2O) to team up to create a new smartphone, ROKiT 1, which will be the world’s first low radiation smartphone with plans to utilize a NASA developed electromagnetic radiation shielding material originally developed for space applications. (Yahoo, Android Headlines, Forward Geek)
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Connectivity |
| Elisa, a Finnish internet service provider, claims that it has the fastest 4G mobile internet speed with 1.9Gbps data download using Huawei’s technology. (163, C114, Fierce Wireless, Android Headlines, Business Recorder, IB Times) |
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Smartphones |
| IDC supply chain study shows that in 2Q16 components including LCD, processor, memory, are in tight-supply, causing the global smartphone production merely grew 4.8% compared to 1Q16, lower than expected. Looking into 3Q16 global smartphone production development, IDC forecasts that thanks to the seasonal pull, global smartphone production shipment would increase with double-digit figure. (IDC, press, EE Trend)
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| Peter Zhai, Huawei’s president for consumer business group in India, announced that the company has received a manufacturing license in India – and that it would soon initiate its local manufacturing plan. Also, he indicated that Huawei’s both brands would gain 10% of India mobile phone market share by end of 2017. (CN Beta, ebrun, yeSky, Evertiq, Media Nama, Economic Times) |
| Lenovo A6600 is launched in India – 5” HD IPS LCD display, MediaTek MT6735P processor, 8MP + 2MP cameras, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, LTE (VoLTE), dual-SIM, 2300mAh battery, INR6999. (GSM Arena, Phone Radar)
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| Sharp A1 and C1 launched in China, priced at CNY1499: A1 – 5.5” FHD LTPS LCD 2.5D display, MediaTek Helio X20 MT6797 processor, 16MP + 8MP cameras, 4GB RAM, 32GB ROM, Android 6.0, USB Type-C, 300mAh battery. C1 – 5.5” FHD 3D display, MediaTek MT6753 processor, 13MP + 13MP cameras, 3GB RAM, 64GB ROM, Android 6.0, 2600mAh battery. (CN Beta, DoNews, 163)
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| [IFA 2016] HTC One A9s is unveiled – 5” HD IPS LCD display, MediaTek Helio P10 MT6755 processor, 13MP + 5MP cameras, 2GB RAM + 16GB storage / 3GB RAM + 32GB storage, 2300mAh battery. (Android Central, The Verge, SlashGear)
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Tablets |
| [IFA 2016] Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Plus is unveiled – 10” WQXGA (2560×1600) display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, Android 6.0, IP52 certified, 9300mAh battery, USD299. (Android Headlines, Android Central, CNET, Android Police, Lenovo)
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| [IFA 2016] Lenovo Yoga Book 2-in-1 is unveiled – 10.1” FHD IPS LCD display, Intel Atom X5-Z8550 processor, 8MP + 2MP cameras, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, Android / Windows 10, LTE optional, RealPen Stylus, Halo Keyboard, EUR499 (Android) / EUR599 (Windows 10). (Android Headlines, Forbes, CNET, GSM Arena, MS Poweruser)
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| Lenovo Miix 510 2-in-1 is announced – 12.2” 1920×1200 display, Intel Core i7 6th-Gen Skylake processor, up to 8GB RAM, up to 1TB SSD, Windows 10, LTE optional, stylus pen, priced from USD600. (Engadget, Liliputing, Lenovo, IT Home)
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| [IFA 2016] ASUS ZenPad 3S 10 announced – 9.7” 2048×1536 display, MediaTek MT8176 processor, 8MP + 5MP cameras, 4GB RAM, 32/64GB storage, Android 6.0, 5900mAh battery, EUR379. (CN Beta, Android Police, Digital Trends, Talk Android, ASUS)
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Wearables |
| HTC makes USD5 million investment in VR gaming startup Steel Wool Studios. (TechCrunch, Tom’s Hardware, Road to VR, Toutiao) |
| [IFA 2016] Samsung Gear S3 Classic and Frontier are announced – 1.3” 360×360 circular Super AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass SR+, Samsung Exynos 7270 processor, 768MB RAM, 4GB storage, Tizen 2.3.2, compatible with iOS, 3G / LTE (Frontier), GPS, IP68 certified, 380mAh battery. (Android Headlines, Apple Insider, CNET)
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| [IFA 2016] Fossil is adding its smartwatch lineup with 4 new additions offering classic designs with plenty of technology under the hood. The company unveiled the Q Nate, Q Crewmaster, Q Gazer, and Q Tailor, compatible with iOS and Android, priced from USD175. (CN Beta, PC Mag, Slash Gear, Techno Buffalo)
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| Garmin Forerunner 35 is announced – all-day activity tracker as it counts steps, calories and intensity minutes, optical heart-rate sensor, GPS, compatible with iOS / Android / Windows Mobile, USD200. (Engadget, Digital Trends, CNET)
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| Garmin Virb Ultra 30 action camera unveiled – LCD touchscreen, 4K video at up to 30 fps, 3-axis image stabilization and livestreaming to YouTube, USD500. (Engadget, Garmin)
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Internet of Things |
| Chinese manufacturing enterprises’ spending on the IoT is expected to reach USD127.5 billion by 2020, with 2016~2020 CAGR of 14.7%, according to IDC. Software and services will lead the way for the fast growth of IoT spending in the manufacturing industry, with a combined market share of over 60%. (IDC, press, Digitimes, C114)
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| Uber is launching a new electric car service in the UK, in partnership with Nissan and China’s BYD, where it will offer leasing (not purchasing) options for fully-electric cars (BYD E6s and Nissan Leafs) to its drivers, as well as include those vehicles in the mix of cars that it offers to passengers for journeys. (CN Beta, TechCrunch, Reuters)
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| Yuneec Breeze is a selfie drone for the masses, compatible with iOS and Android via its Breeze Cam app, containing flight modes of Selfie, Follow Me, Orbit, Journe and Pilot, aided with GPS and optical sensors, priced at USD500. (Digital Trends, Yuneec, Cool Things, Highsnobiety, CNET, Tencent)
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| Xiaomi launches Mi Robot Vacuum Cleaner, which features 3 dedicated processors, uses a low-noise brush-less fan supplied by Japanese firm, NIDEC. The fan has a maximum pressure of 1800Pa which provides greater suction power when dealing with tough dirt, equipped with 5200mAh battery, priced at CNY1699. (Gizmo China, CN Beta, Android Central, Digital Trends)
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| Google’s DeepMind is partnering with the UK’s NHS to explore how machine learning could help doctors treat head and neck cancers. DeepMind will be conducting cancer treatment research at the Radiotherapy Department at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Foundation Trust. (Android Headlines, CN Beta, Technology Review, ZDNet, Digital Trends) |
| Alphabet is breaking up Nest, its standalone smart-home gadgets company, and moving Nest’s software group back into Google. Nest Labs will continue to exist as a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet, continuing to develop Nest-branded hardware. (TechNews, Business Insider, USA Today, Fortune) |
