5-26: Huawei sues Samsung for patent infringement; Samsung officially wants to defend; French police raided Google’s offices in Paris; Microsoft lays off 1,850 workers from mobile unit; etc.
Huawei sues Samsung for patent infringement; Samsung officially wants to defend; French police raided Google’s offices in Paris; Google reportedly keeps track of, and ranks OEMs and carriers based on how fast they put out updates for the Android OS and monthly security patches; Microsoft lays off 1,850 workers from mobile unit; HTC is turning its nascent virtual reality business into a separate company under its full control; Xiaomi Mi Drone is launched; E Ink has developed an electronic paper display that can show up to 32,000 colors; Moxi’s flexible phone is reportedly to go into mass production end of 2016; OPPO showcasing foldable smartphone; etc.
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Chipsets |
| Apple iPhone this year is rumoured to start using Intel LTE modem XMM 7360, and will be 30%-40% volume. The remainder would be from Qualcomm, and it is believed that X12 LTE is the perfect choice. (CN Beta, Mac Rumors)
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Touch / Display |
| E Ink has developed an electronic paper display that can show up to 32,000 colors, dubbed Advanced Color ePaper (ACeP). ACeP only has a resolution of 1600×2500 pixels (150ppi). (Engadget, E Ink, Mashable, Gizmodo, Huanqiu)
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| Moxi’s flexible phone is reportedly to go into mass production end of 2016, and will soon launch the first monochrome display flexible phone, priced at CNY5000, and expects to ship 100K units. And, in 2018, a colour display Moxi flexible phone is expected. (iFanr, Bloomberg, Phone Arena, CNN)
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| OPPO showcasing foldable smartphone, which is still in the prototype stage, and the actual market release of the device has not been finalized yet. (CN Beta, Gizmo China)
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| The joint venture company, Sakai Display Product (SDP), established by Hon Hai/Foxconn Technology and Sharp has develop a new technology of “PLAS”, which improves the high definition of large-size display panel used in products like TV. It is projected to be used in 8K television that will popular in 2020 or OLED television popular in the future. (TechNews, Glass in China) |
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Sensors |
| UC San Diego has developed a flexible patch that performs like a wearable Tricorder in “Star Trek”. It attaches to the wearer’s chest and monitors vital signs, and could be used for athletes and patients with heart problems. (Times of India, CNET, CN Beta, Nature, 163)
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Battery |
| University of Texas at Dallas has teamed up with Seoul National University to develop a new catalyst is called “dimethylphenazine” that has an increased voltage efficiency and much higher stability. (CN Beta, IB Times, Energy Harvesting Journal)
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Connectivity |
| Samsung Electronics and SK Telecom just announced plans to build a nationwide network based on LoRaWAN in South Korea to connect the intelligent devices required for the smart cities of the future. (The Verge, CN Beta, Samsung, Telecom Paper)
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Smartphones |
| Google reportedly keeps track of, and ranks OEMs and carriers based on how fast they put out updates for the Android OS and monthly security patches. (GSM Arena, Bloomberg, CN Beta) |
| Apple has re-hired Jon Callas, a cryptography expert co-founding encrypted communications firm Silent Circle. (CN Beta, The Verge, Reuters) |
| UBS’s Steve Milunovich is cutting his fiscal 2017 estimates for Apple to 207.35 million iPhone units, at USD650 price on average, for revenue of USD215.16 billion. That is down from his prior view of 217.2 million units, a USD674 price, and USD226.3 billion in revenue. (CN Beta, Barron’s, press) |
| BMO Capital Markets’s Tim Long estimates for the installed base of older iPhones — 2 years or more — is the highest ever, at 26%, better than the 23% the company had entering the iPhone 6 cycle at the end of 2014. On an absolute basis, he expects the highest-ever aged iPhone base at the time of the iPhone 7’s release, at about 120 million units. (TechNews, Barron’s, press)
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| India’s Finance Ministry on Wednesday ratified a decision by the country’s Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) that requires Apple to comply with domestic sourcing rules in order to open its own stores. Apple would have to procure 30% of its product components locally in India. (TechNews, Bloomberg, Money Control, Hindustan Times, IB Times) |
| Huawei has filed suit in the United States and China against Samsung, claiming Samsung has infringed on patents on wireless connectivity for mobile devices. Huawei has committed itself to offering anyone a licence so long as they agree to a non-excessive compensation. (CN Beta, BBC, Reuters, MSN, Engadget) |
| Samsung Electronics officially states it will defend itself against patent lawsuits filed by smartphone rival Huawei. (CN Beta, Yahoo, Korea Times) |
| French police raided Google’s offices in Paris on 24 May 2016, looking for evidence of money laundering and tax evasion. (News OXY, CNN, CN Beta) |
| Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt carries both an Apple iPhone 6s and a Samsung Galaxy S7, and he prefers the latter. (Apple Insider, CNBC, C114, IT Bear) |
| South-east Asia’s Internet economy, spanning online shopping to games and advertising, will surge sixfold to about USD200 billion in the next 10 years, according to joint research by Google and Temasek Holdings. (CN Beta, Business Times, Strait Times) |
| Microsoft Project Europe was teased during the company’s Build Tour, although its function was not revealed it seems Europe could be an expanded concept of Project Rome. (CN Beta, Softpedia, Winbuzzer)
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| Microsoft lays off 1,850 workers from mobile unit. Terry Myerson, Executive Vice President of the Windows and Devices Group, says that this is not by any means the end of the Windows Phone platform, explaining that the company remains committed to supporting Windows handsets in the future. (CN Beta, Softpedia, Beta News) |
| Inventec has reportedly increased production of Xiaomi Mi 5 of 700,000 units per month to 1 million per month. Inventec has increased its production capacity utilization ratio of its Nanjing plant to 90% recently. (Gizmo China, JD GOD, HuashengJP) |
| GREE president Mingzhu Dong indicates that GREE 2 smartphone order has reached 350K units within one month since it is launched. The production cannot match the demand. Her target is to sell 100K units per month, which is 36 million in one year. (163, IT Home, gFan) |
| Sony has published its forecast for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017, revealing that it expects to ship a total of 20 million smartphones in the year, down nearly 20% from the 24.9 million in the year prior. Sales are forecasted at JPY940 billion, but expects a profit of JPY5 billion, up from the JPY61.4 billion loss it recorded last year. (CN Beta, Nikkei, GSM Arena, Sony)
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| Sony Xperia E5 is revealed – 4.6” HD IPS LCD display, MediaTek MT6735 processor, 13MP + 5MP cameras, 1.5/2GB RAM, 16GB storage, Android 6.0, LTE, dual-SIM optional. (India Times, Fone Arena, CN Beta)
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| Micromax launches Bolt Selfie – 4.5” FWVGA IPS display, MediaTek MT6735 processor, 5MP + 5MP cameras, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, Android 5.1, LTE, dual-SIM, 1750mAh battery, INR4999. (Android Central, Financial Express, NDTV)
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| Intex Cloud String HD is launched – 5” HD 2.5D curved display, Spreadtrum SC9832A processor, 8MP + 5MP cameras, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, Android 5.1, LTE (VoLTE), dual-SIM, 2200mAh battery, INR5599. (Android Central, NDTV)
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Tablets |
| HTC confirms that it has stopped manufacturing Google Nexus 9 tablet. (Phandroid, CNET, CN Beta) |
| Chuwi HiBook Pro is revealed – 10.1” 2560×1600 IPS OGS display, Intel Atom Cherry Trail x5 Z8300 processor, 5MP + 2MP cameras, 4GB RAM, 64GB ROM, Windows 10 / Android 5.1 dual OS, 8000mAh battery with 3A quick charge. (Gizmo China, Tablet-News, Giz China)
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| Samsung Galaxy Tab Iris is launched in India – 7” WSVGA (1024×600) display, 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 5MP rear camera, 1.5GB RAM, 8GB storage, Android 5.1, iris authentication, 3600mAh battery, Aadhar-compliant and STQC-certified, INR13499. (CN Beta, TechRadar, Slash Gear)
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Wearables |
| Apple CEO Tim Cook believes that in the future, customers will look back and wonder how they ever survived without the Apple Watch, revealing that future models will add health-focused features that will monitor most everything your body is doing. (CN Beta, Yahoo, IB Times, CNBC) |
| Researchers at Staffordshire University in the UK are working on a way for jurors to get a whole lot more insight into the alleged crimes that they are asked to rule on. (Mashable, TNW, CN Beta, BBC)
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| Samsung “denies” rumour of ceasing development of Android Wear products, and will continue to support Tizen platform. (Android Authority, Engadget, Fast Company, CN Beta) |
| Tipatat Chennavasin, general partner at the Venture Reality Fund, which invests in augmented-reality and virtual-reality start-ups says, Microsoft is taking a more measured approach with HoloLens, and it’s the right strategy. The market research consultancy Digi-Capital predicts the AR industry could be worth USD90 billion annually by 2020. (CN Beta, Yahoo, Indian Express, Economic Times) |
| Goldman Sachs’ Wei Chen believes virtual reality will be the next major product cycle and create an USD80 billion market by 2025. Goldman thinks HTC Vive could be positioned to make a gross margin of 20%-25% longer term, and estimate service revenue could generate a gross margin of 70%-100%. (Barron’s, press, CN Beta) |
| HTC Chairwoman Cher Wang indicates that HTC is turning its nascent virtual reality business into a separate company under its full control. (CN Beta, Nikkei) |
| Magic Leap teams up with communications company Twilio to make chatting with holographic eventually happen. (Engadget, TechCrunch, The Verge, TechWeb)
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| Pebble 2 and Pebble Time 2 are launched, Pebble 2 last for a week with one full battery charged, while Pebble Time 2 lasts for 10 days. Both features heart rate sensor, water resistant up to 30 meters and has a built-in microphone for voice replies and notes. Pebble 2 is priced at USD99, and Pebble Time 2 USD169. (CN Beta, USA Today, TechCrunch, Cult of Mac)
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| Pebble Core is “a tiny little Android phone without a screen”. Inside the IPX67 waterproof casing, in fact, is a low-power SoC running Android 5.0, with a 3G connection, GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth, along with an accelerometer, and supports Qi wireless charging. (CNET, Slash Gear, 163, IT Home, Ars Technica)
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Internet of Things |
| Apple is preparing an SDK that would allow developers much greater access to Siri — and the improved assistant will power a stationary hub device like Amazon’s Echo. (CN Beta, Daily Mail, TechCrunch, The Information, Forbes) |
| Toyota and Uber have entered into an agreement where the two companies will investigate developing a strategic partnership, and new mobility services for customers. (CN Beta, Bloomberg, Forbes, CNET) |
| German carmaker Volkswagen announced a USD300 million investment in Gett, a service that is available in 60 cities and connects passengers with taxis and black town cars. (CN Beta, WSJ, LA Times) |
| OaSense smart shower head uses presence-sensing detectors to conserve water. By utilizing a presence-sensing detector that pauses the flow of water when someone steps away from underneath the shower head. (CN Beta, Trusted Reviews, Digital Trends, Kickstarter)
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| Xiaomi Mi Drone is launched – camera uses a Sony 12.4MP sensor that can capture video at up to 3,840×2,160 at 30fps, detachable gimbal does 3-axis stabilization which corrects itself 2,000 times per second, 5100mAh (27mins airborne), CNY2499 (1080p camera with 1km range) / CNY2999 (4K camera with 2km range). (BBC, Mashable, Engadget, CN Beta)
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| Google plans to launch a “self-driving technology development center” in Novi, Mich., just outside the home of the American auto industry in Detroit. (CN Beta, Apple Insider, Google)
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| Foxconn has replaced 60,000 people with robots at a single factory in Kunshan, China. (Apple Insider, SCMP, Engadget, BBC, 163, Tencent) |
