IF / News

Chipsets

[IFA2018]  Huawei has announced Kirin 980. It is the first 7nm mobile processor, the first one built around ARM’s Cortex-A76 CPU and Mali-G76 GPU, the first with a Cat.21 smartphone modem supporting speeds up to 1.4Gbps, and the first chip to support 2,133MHz LPDDR4X RAM.  (VentureBeat, CNBC, AnandTech, The Verge, iFeng, My Drivers)

Storage

Micron Technology has announced it is investing USD3B by 2030 to make memory chips. The investment breaks down to about USD250M per year over 12 years, and it will create about 1,100 new jobs.  (VentureBeat, The Register, Reuters, 163, Tencent)

Connectivity

[IFA2018] ZTE is premiering “5G Device Solutions” aimed to help bring next-generation networks to smartphones . ZTE does not expect to ship its first 5G smartphone until 2H19. The company will employ advanced antenna arrangement, intelligent tuning and beamforming technologies. (Android Authority, Pocket Now, Ubergizmo, Phone Arena, iFeng)

Phone

According to Chairman Li Zixue, ZTE has resumed its normal production operations, including those aimed at manufacturing Android smartphones. (Android Headlines, RCR Wireless, Techspot, Reuters, EET China, Reuters CN)

Huawei has pleaded with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for a hearing over its de facto ban from participating in the stateside wireless market. Huawei claims that it has been unfairly targeted by the U.S. government over national security concerns — a subject it believes the FTC can address under its mandate to protect consumers and industries. (Android Headlines, VentureBeat, SCMP, Caijing, FTC, EET China)

In 2Q18, Huawei surpassed Apple to secure the No. 2 worldwide smartphone vendor position for the first time ever, according to Gartner. Overall, sales of smartphones to end users grew 2% in 2Q18 to reach 374M units. (Apple Insider, TechCrunch, Gartner, press, Baijiahao, Ebrun)

4 companies with Wisconsin operations have announced the formation of a USD100M corporate venture capital fund to accelerate the state’s tech ecosystem. Apple supplier Foxconn, insurance company Northwestern Mutual, health care provider Advocate Aurora Health, and building materials supplier Johnson Controls are each investing USD25M to form the early-stage venture fund, called the Wisconn Valley Venture Fund. (CN Beta, PR Newswire, VentureBeat)

The survey conducted by Loup Ventures based on 530 U.S. consumers has shown a surprisingly high intent to upgrade, suggesting 48% of current Apple iPhone owners intent to upgrade to a newer iPhone in 2019, compared to 25% in Jun 2017. (Ubergizmo, Loup Ventures, press, Sohu, ChinaZ)

[IFA2018] BlackBerry KEY2 LE is announced – 4.5” 1080×1620 FHD IPS, Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, rear dual 13MP-5MP + front 8MP, 6GB+64/128GB, Android 8.1, front fingerprint scanner, 3500mAh, from USD399. (GSM Arena, The Verge, Tom’s Guide)

[IFA2018] HTC U12 Life is announced – 6” 1080×2160 FHD+, Qualcomm Snapdragon 636, rear dual 16MP-5MP + front 13MP, 4GB+64GB, Android 8.1, 3600mAh, GBP300. (Android Headlines, GSM Arena, HTC)

[IFA2018] ZTE Axon 9 Pro is announced – 6.21” 2248×1080 FHD+ AMOLED, Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, rear dual 12MP-20MP + front 20MP, 6GB+128GB, Android 8.1, 4000mAh, EUR650. (CN Beta, Android Headlines, GSM Arena)

[IFA2018] Sony Xperia XZ3 is announced – 6.0” 2880×1440 OLED HDR, Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, rear 19MP + front 13MP, 4GB+64GB, Android 9.0, IP65 / 68, wireless charging, rear fingerprint scanner, 3330mAh. (GSM Arena, Sony Mobile, The Verge, ZDNet)

[IFA2018] Sharp is announcing 3 new Aquos smartphones: Aquos D10 – 5.99” 2160×1080 FHD+, Qualcomm Snapdragon 636, rear dual 12MP-13MP + front 16MP, 4GB+64GB, 2900mAh, EUR399. Aquos C10 – 5.5” 2040×1080 FHD+ TFT, Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, rear dual 12MP-8MP + front 8MP, 4GB+64GB, 2700mAh. Aquos B10 – 5.7” 720×1440 HD+ TFT, MediaTek MT6750T, rear dual 13MP-5MP + front 13MP, 3GB+32GB, 4000mAh, EUR299. (Android Headlines, Digital Trends, Android Authority, Phone Arena, GizChina)

[IFA2018] Motorola unveils 2 Android One devices: Moto One – 5.9” 1520×720 HD+, Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, rear dual 13MP-2MP + front 8MP, 4GB+64GB, Android 8.1, rear fingerprint scanner, 3000mAh, EUR299. Moto One Power – 6.2” 1080×2246 FHD+ IPS, Qualcomm Snapdragon 636, rear dual 16MP-5MP + front 12MP, 3+32GB / 4GB+64GB, Android 8.1, rear fingerprint scanner, 5000mAh. (GSM Arena, 9to5Google, 91Mobiles, Motorola, XDA Developers)

Alcatel 1 with Android Go is announced in US – 5” 960×480 FWVGA+, MediaTek MT6739, rear 5MP + front 2MP, 1GB+8GB, Android Oreo (Go Edition), 2000mAh. (Alcatel, Android Police, Digital Trends, Android Headlines)

YU Ace is announced in India – 5.45” 720×1440 HD+ IPS, MediaTek MT6739WW, rear 13MP + front 5MP, 2GB+16GB / 3GB+32GB, Android 8.0, rear fingerprint scanner, 4000mAh, from INR5,999. (GSM Arena, Flipkart)

LG Candy is launched in India – 5” 1280×720 HD, 1.3GHz quad-core, rear 8MP + front 5MP, 2GB+16GB, Android 7.1, 2500mAh, INR6,699. (GizChina, GSM Arena, NDTV, Hindustan Times)

PC / Tablet

[IFA2018] Lenovo Yoga Book C930 is announced – Dual display 10.8” 2560×1600 IPS + 10.8” 1920×1080 E Ink, Intel Core M3-7Y30 / i5-7Y74, 4GB+256GB, optical fingerprint scanner, 2×USB 3.1, 35.8Wh, Wacom Active Pen, 3G/4G (optional), USD1000. (Liliputing, TechCrunch, PC World, iFeng)

[IFA2018] Alcatel 3T 8 is launched with Android Go – 8” 1280×800 HD, MediaTek MT8765, rear 8MP + front 5MP, 3GB+32GB, Android Oreo (Go Edition), 4080mAh, from USD138. (Android Headlines, Tech Guide, Phone Arena, GizChina, Flipkart)

Wearables

[IFA2018] Sennheiser has announced a pair of truly wireless headphones—MOMENTUM True Wireless headphones, priced at USD299. It supports 4 hours of continuous playback, with the carrying case can provide an additional 12 hours of playback. (Android Headlines, TNW, The Verge, iFeng)

Home

[IFA2018] Lenovo is is announcing three products as part of the Smart Home Essentials lineup, which includes a smart plus, a smart bulb and a smart camera.  (Android Headlines, TechCrunch, Tom’s Guide, CN Beta)

[IFA2018] Huawei debuts AI Cube combining a 4G modem, home Wi-Fi router, a high-end 360º wireless speaker, and powered by Amazon Alexa featuring AI capabilities. (Android Headlines, The Verge, The Register, VentureBeat, 163, iFeng, ChinaZ)

[IFA2018] Marshall is announcing Stanmore II Voice and the Acton II Voice, featuring Amazon Alexa assistant, priced at USD399 and USD299, respectively. (TechCrunch, BGR, The Verge)

Bose is launching Home Speaker 500 adding support for Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Assistant, which is priced USD399. The speaker uses 2 custom drivers pointed in opposite directions that helps the speaker deliver true stereo separation from a single unit by bouncing sound off surrounding walls.  (GizChina, CN Beta, TechRadar, EFTM)

[IFA2018] Anker Innovations has revealed the Soundcore Flare S+ feautring Amazon Alexa voice control. It is priced at USD130. (Android Central, VentureBeat, Digital Trends, PR Newswire, Baijiahao)

Augmented / Virtual Reality

[IFA2018] Lenovo is building on its popular Star War: Jedi Challenges augmented reality (AR) game, by debuting a new Dark Side Expansion pack for the game, and a limited edition Kylo Ren lightsaber.  (Android Headlines, Android Central, Stuff, Sina)

Automotive

The first pre-production FF 91 model from Faraday Future has rolled off the line at the company’s facility in Hanford, California. (CN Beta, Electrek, Forbes, Digital Trends)

Dyson revealed in 2017 that it plans to invest nearly USD3B to bring its very own electric vehicles to market by 2021. Dyson has recently taken control of a bunch of haggard old airfield hangars in Hullavington, Wiltshire and is in the middle of a GBP200M (USD260M) restoration project to transform the World War II-era buildings into “state-of-the-art engineering work spaces”. (VentureBeat, Wired, Baijiahao)

Uber has announced plans to integrate bike- and scooter-sharing services on its app. Now the company has reportedly begun engineering its own scooter. Jump Bikes, which Uber acquired in Apr 2018 for more than USD100M, is overseeing the project. (Android Headlines, Bloomberg, 512Tech, East Money, 36Kr)

Payment

Google has renamed its UPI payment app in India from Google Tez to Google Pay. Google Pay in India will continue to use the UPI protocol instead of the NFC-based system used in other countries. (GSM Arena, Live Mint, Indian Express, ET Today, CN Beta)

Fintech

MyCrypto, an open source interface that simplifies the process of storing, sending, and receiving digital assets, has announced it has raised a USD4M round, led by Polychain Capital. MyCrypto provides a suite of tools that help users create new wallets and buy, sell, or exchange virtual currencies. (VentureBeat, Coin Desk, Coin Journal, Elecfans, Bia News)