IF / News

Chipsets

Qualcomm has announced Snapdragon X24 , which is set to be the world’s first Cat 20 modem to make it out into the wild and will boast “fiber-like” internet download speeds of up to 2Gbps.  (Android Authority, The Verge, VentureBeat, CNMO)

Qualcomm has announced wireless edge services a set of trusted software services designed to meet the requirements of new Enterprise and Industrial IoT customers. Qualcomm wireless edge services software is expected to be exposed through new APIs and available on select Qualcomm Technologies’ chipsets – initially the MDM9206, MDM9628 and QCA4020 – and later on, select Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms. (Android Headlines, Internet of Business, ZDNet, Qualcomm, Sohu)

Qualcomm has announced a new LTE IoT Software Development Kit (SDK) for the Qualcomm MDM9206 LTE IoT global multimode modem. It is designed to assist in the creation of new cellular-enabled IoT applications, products and solutions – accessing the power of the application processor, connectivity, global navigation satellite system (GNSS) capabilities and peripheral interfaces integrated in the MDM9206 LTE IoT modem. (Qualcomm, PR Newswire, Telecom TV, Sohu)

MIT has created a neural network chip that reduces power consumption by 95%. This feature makes them ideal for battery-powered gadgets like mobile phones and tablets to take advantage of more complex neural networking systems. The new chip increases the computation speed of neural networks by 3~7 times over earlier iterations. (CN Beta, Android Headlines, MIT, Engadget)

Dutch quantum computing company QuTech, in conjunction with chip-maker Intel, has unveiled a programmable two-qubit quantum computer running on a silicon chip. The researchers used a special type of qubit (the quantum version of a classical computer’s bits) called spin qubits to run two different quantum algorithms on a silicon chip. (CN Beta, TNW, Nature)

ARM has announced a new Machine Learning platform called Project Trillium with two AI IPs – one for machine learning and the other for object detection in mobile devices. The ML (machine learning) processor is described by ARM as ‘specifically designed for inference at the edge’. It is said to deliver 4.6 TOPs, with an efficiency of 3 TOPs/W for mobile devices and smart IP cameras’. The OD (object detection) is described as ‘the most efficient way to detect people and objects on mobile and embedded platforms’. (The Verge, Engadget, Extreme Tech, Electronics Weekly, IT Home)

Storage

Apple is reportedly in talks to buy storage chips from Yangtze Memory Technologies. Apple will use these chips in new iPhone models and other products for sale in the Chinese domestic market specifically. (GizChina, Patently Apple, Asia Nikkei, CNBC, iFeng, Tencent)

Connectivity

Huawei has teamed up with TIM and Fastweb to test 5G data connections over the 3.6-3.8GHz spectrum band in Italy. These trials are part of a state sponsored initiative promoted by the Italian Economic Development Ministry (MISE), labeled Project Bari Matera after the first two locations to benefit from it.  (Android Headlines, RCR Wireless, Telecoms, CC Time)

Phones

U.S. intelligence agencies including the CIA, the FBI, and the National Security Agency (NSA) have suggested people should not use devices made by Chinese manufacturers Huawei or ZTE. Both companies dismiss the intelligence agency warnings over security risks. (Digital Trends, Android Headlines, Reuters, CNBC, 163, Yesky)

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects Apple to ship 100M units of the new 6.1” iPhone with LCD display in 2H18. He believes it will be priced USD699~799.  If the company skews on the lower end, he sees shipments reaching as high as 115M units. In all, he believes the 6.1” iPhone will account for about 50% of new models set to ship in 2H18. (GSM Arena, Apple Insider, Sina, CN Beta)

Morgan Stanley said that Apple had a strong showing in China during 4Q17. On a sequential basis, iPhone shipments rose 12% during 4Q17, compared to 3Q17. During the same time period, deliveries of Android phones declined 17% in China. However, Morgan Stanley adds that overall iPhone growth in the country is slowing as Android users upgrading to a new phone are choosing models produced domestically from Huawei and OPPO.  (Phone Arena, Fast Company)

According to Strategy Analytics, global smartphone revenues hit an all-time high of USD120M during 4Q17. The smartphone industry’s wholesale average selling price (ASP) surged 18% annually from USD255 in 4Q16 to USD300 in 4Q17. Apple captured a record 51% global smartphone revenue share, accounting for more than the rest of the entire industry combined. (Phone Arena, Strategy Analytics, press, Sohu, Sina)

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 and Note 5 Pro with 5.99” 2160×1080 FHD+ IPS LCD are announced in India: Note 5 – Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, rear 12MP + front 5MP, 3GB+32GB / 4GB+64GB, Android 7.1.1, 4000mAh, INR9,999 / INR11,999.  Note 5 Pro – Qualcomm Snapdragon 636, rear dual 12MP-5MP + front 20MP, 4/6GB + 64GB, Android 7.1.2, 4000mAh, INR13,999 / INR16,999. (Android Central, Android Authority, NDTV)

Wearables

Fitbit has acquired a small Boston-based software startup called Twine Health. Twine Health offers a HIPAA-compliant health coaching platform that aims to help users improve health outcomes. The platform is also pitched as a way for workplace health providers to lower healthcare costs by encouraging users to manage chronic conditions and make lifestyle changes alongside teams of providers, coaches, friends and family. (CN Beta, TechCrunch, The Verge, ZDNet, Fitbit)

Magic Leap’s cheapest mixed reality headset will cost about as much as new phone; the mid-level Creator Edition will be priced like a premium PC, according to CEO Rony Abovitz. (CN Beta, PC Mag, Daily Mail, ReCode)

Samsung has filed in South Korea to trademark a new logorelated to “computerized vision-assisting eyewear”, suggesting that the idea of Samsung building a Google Glass-like headset is still on the table. (Android Headlines, The Verge, Tech Radar, KIPRIS, SamMobile, Sina)

Internet of Things

DroneBase, a drone services provider for businesses, has raised USD12M in a series B round of funding led by Union Square Ventures and Upfront Ventures, with participation from DJI, Hearst Ventures, and Pritzker Group.  (Android Headlines, TechCrunch)