IF / News

Chipsets

MediaTek has announced Helio P22 featuring octa-core ARM Cortex A53 operates up to 2.0GHz, Edge AI enhancement powered by MediaTek NeuroPilot, supporting 13MP+8MP setups at a fast 30fps. (Android Authority, NDTV, PR Newswire, MediaTek, Baijiahao)

Tsinghua Unigroup reveals that 5G is the focus of research and development in 2018, and the company will launch 5G chipset for commercial terminals in 2H18 based on Spreadtrum RDA. (Laoyaoba, Qianlong)

Samsung has announced that 7nm Low Power Plus (LPP) ready for production in 2H18. Key IPs are under development, aiming to be completed by 1H19. (CN Beta, Business Wire)

Apple’s system-on-chip manufacturing partner TSMC is reportedly churning out next-generation 7nm “A12” processors expected to launch later in 2018.   (Apple Insider, Bloomberg, CN Beta)

Dutch firm ASML has introduced a new machine for manufacturing microprocessors that helps make them even smaller and more powerful. The machine uses extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light to essentially print designs onto microchips. It first projects the EUV through a blueprint. Then, a series of optics, manufactured by the German company Zeiss, reduces and focuses the light onto a piece of silicon, which has a coating made from a light-sensitive chemical. (CN Beta, Beta News)

Touch Display

Google and LG have unveiled a new display panel designed for VR headsets. The 4.3” OLED 18MP display has a resolution of 4,800×3,840. The display has a pixel density of 1,443PPI and a 120Hz refresh rate. Google and LG have referred to it as the “world’s highest-resolution OLED on-glass display”. (Android Authority, Wiley Online Library, Road to VR, VentureBeat, 9to5Google, Glass.cn)

LG Display (LGD) is showing off a 77” flexible and transparent OLED. According to LGD, this prototype display will feature a UHD resolution with 40% transparency and can also be rolled up to a radius of 80mm without compromising on functionality. (Digital Trends, ZDNet, Ubergizmo, Huanqiu)

Camera

Lucid has announced that the company is partnering with RED on an 8K, 3D prosumer camera that will work with its incoming Hydrogen One smartphone. The device has two synced 4K cameras that capture and convert video and images to 8K 4V (.h4v) files. Those can then be displayed in 3D on the Hydrogen One’s “holographic” display, and later uploaded to YouTube, Facebook and RED’s own content hub. (Pocket-Lint, Engadget, IT Home)

Sensory

The demand for solid-state LiDAR systems is still rising in an aggressive manner as an increasing number of original equipment manufacturers in the auto industry are investing even more resources in their efforts to finalize SAE Level 2 and Level 3 semi-autonomous driving solutions, according to LeddarTech, a provider of such sensor solutions. (Android Headlines, PR Newswire)

Biometrics

In late 2016, Amazon introduced a new online service that could help identify faces and other objects in images, offering it to anyone at a low cost through its giant cloud computing division, Amazon Web Services. Amazon is providing the technology, known as Rekognition, as well as consulting services to law enforcement agencies in Oregon and Orlando. (Engadget, Washington Post, NY Times, ACLU, Amazon, Tencent)

Phone

Washington reportedly is neared a deal to lift its ban on U.S. firms supplying Chinese telecoms gear maker ZTE Corp, and Beijing announced tariff cuts on car imports, further easing trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies. (Android Authority, CN Beta, WSJ, Reuters)

President Donald Trump says his administration has not yet reached a deal with China on saving ZTE, contrary to reports. Trump faces bipartisan backlash on Capitol Hill over a potential deal to lift sanctions on the company. The president says he is not satisfied with trade talks with China that took place in Washington in mid-May 2018. (Gizmo China, CNBC, Bloomberg, Android Headlines, iFeng, Sohu)

Google is reportedly facing a collective suit in the U.K. worth up to USD4.3B, stemming from a workaround the company is alleged to have implemented on iOS’s Safari Browser back in 2011. Google has been accused of illegal data collection from 4.4M users of a browser called Safari. (Android Headlines, Engadget, The Inquirer, Sohu)

TECNO Mobile has recently expanded its range of budget smartphones in India with the launch of the Camon i Sky. The company is reportedly planning to launch a new Camon series offering in the country in the near future. The series will be the brand’s first AI-enabled selfie-centric smartphone under the Camon series. (GizChina, 91Mobiles)

Sony would pay about USD2.3B to gain control of EMI, becoming the world’s largest music publisher in an industry that has found new life on the back of streaming services. Sony, which has run the business since then, will buy a 60% stake owned by Mubadala Investment Company, lifting its ownership to around 90% from 30% currently. (Ubergizmo, Apple Insider, Reuters, iFeng, Tencent)

Vietnamese handset brand Mobiistar is set to enter the Indian smartphone market later in May 2018 and has decided to make India its global headquarters to run operations in other countries. The company has recently expanded to South East Asia with countries like Cambodia and is now set to enter the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, starting with Dubai. (Android Authority, Economic Times)

Huawei Honor 7A and 7C are launched in India go on sale at Flipkart: 7A – 5.7” 1440×720 HD+, Qualcomm Snapdragon 430, rear dual 13MP-2MP + front 8MP, 3GB+32GB, Android 8.0, 3000mAh, INR9,999. 7C – 5.99” 1440×720 HD+, Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, rear dual 13MP-2MP + front 8MP, 3GB+32GB / 4GB+64GB, Android 8.0, 3000mAh, INR11,999. (Android Authority, Android Central)

Micromax Android Oreo (Go Edition) phone Bharat Go is launched in India – 4.5” 480×854 TFT, MediaTek MT6737, rear 5MP + front 5MP, 1GB+8GB, 2000mAh, INR4,399. (Android Authority, NDTV)

HTC U12+ is announced – 6” 2880×1140 QHD+ Super LCD, Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, rear dual 12MP-16MP + front 8MP, 6GB+64/128GB, Android 8.0, 3500mAh, IP68 rated, from USD799. (CN Beta, Android Authority, Android Central, The Register)

Home

Ovie, a Chicago-based tech startup, has launched its Smarterware connected food storage system via a Kickstarter campaign. The new system is designed to help the user reduce food waste and keep better track of their food. Smarterware consists of Smart Tags, 6-cup containers, clips, and universal connectors that can attach to any container or bottle. (Digital Trends, Home World Business, CNET, Kickstarter, RFID World)

Artificial Intelligence

Samsung is opening a new artificial intelligence (AI) laboratory located in Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Samsung’s Cambridge laboratory will focus on improving the way human behavior and emotions are understood, more specifically on the topic of emotion recognition. (Android Headlines, Telegraph, Bloomberg, BBC, iFeng, Sina)