Excessive demand for iPhone display panels forces Foxconn to invest $2.6 billion into new plant

Excessive demand for iPhone display panels forces Foxconn to invest $2.6 billion into new plant:

One of Apple's largest suppliers, Foxconn, is set to invest some $2.6 billion in a new plant, which will exclusively produce display panels for Apple. Reportedly, the reason behind this is an urgent request by Cupertino, which obviously expects larger demand for iPhone smartphones.



The plant will be built by Innolux Corp., which is one of the larger LCD display manufacturers in Taiwan and is owned by no other than Foxconn itself, and will provide 2,300 people with jobs. Allegedly, the installation of the equipment has already begun and the plant is scheduled to become operational by the ...

NEED. THIS. NOW. This stunning HTC One (M9) concept would instantly be the world's most gorgeous Android phone

NEED. THIS. NOW. This stunning HTC One (M9) concept would instantly be the world's most gorgeous Android phone:

This year's One (M8) Android phone from HTC is easily the most beautiful smartphone of 2014. The design is incredible and the all-aluminum build is unmatched. Apple's iPhones are typically the most sleek smartphones each year by a wide margin, but ugly antenna lines and a peculiar protruding camera lens marred an otherwise fantastic design this year.

Turning our attention to 2015, it's probably safe to say that the upcoming HTC One (M9) will be among the most beautiful phones on the planet yet again next year. Of course, it's amazing what you can accomplish when pesky things like physics and the cost of materials aren't standing in your way, and a new HTC One (M9) concept shows us the Android smartphone we have all been dying for.

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New York City has plans to convert 10,000 pay phones and turn them into Wi-Fi kiosks

New York City has plans to convert 10,000 pay phones and turn them into Wi-Fi kiosks:

New York City is rumored to be doing away with 10,000 pay phones still standing in the city. In their place, the city will build Wi-Fi kiosks pushing out internet signals at 1000 Mbps. In addition to offering an internet connection, the kiosks would offer free domestic calls, and free calls to 9-1-1 emergency services. Charging stations would also be built into the kiosks, giving power users a place to recharge their mobile devices while on the run.



The program, called LinkNYC, is expected to generate $500 million for the city over the first 12 years of operation. The kiosks will also bring ...

Notebook supply chain starts preparing 1Q15 orders to minimize impact of labor shortages

Notebook supply chain starts preparing 1Q15 orders to minimize impact of labor shortages: With the notebook supply chain's labor shortages in the first quarter of 2015 expected to be a lot more serious than in previous years, some notebook brand vendors such as Dell have asked suppliers to start processing their orders in December, a month earlier than usual, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

Taiwan market: Lenovo launches new Yoga tablets

Taiwan market: Lenovo launches new Yoga tablets: Lenovo has launched its full series of Yoga tablets in Taiwan including the Yoga Tablet 2, the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro and the Yoga 3 Pro with sizes ranging from 8- to 13-inch.

Xiaomi's CEO: We will probably be the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world in 5 to 10 years

Xiaomi's CEO: We will probably be the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world in 5 to 10 years:

Just four years and a half ago, nobody had heard about Xiaomi, simply because this fast-growing Chinese company was non-existent at the time. Although its products are only available in select Asian markets as of now, Xiaomi has climbed all the way up to the third spot of the smartphone market, selling more devices than older major players such as LG, Sony, Lenovo, HTC, and many others. Xiaomi's crusade for the lion's share of the smartphone market is nowhere near finished, mind you.



Xiaomi's CEO, Lei Jun, which happens to currently be the 23rd richest man in the Middle Kingdom, claimed ...

Mythbusters explain Corning's Gorilla Glass, compare it to other types of (not so resistant) glass

Mythbusters explain Corning's Gorilla Glass, compare it to other types of (not so resistant) glass:

Corning’s Gorilla Glass has slowly but surely conquered nearly all of the smartphone market with its scratch resistant solutions, and even the latest attempt by Apple and GT-Advanced to topple it with sapphire did not bear fruit.



So what is it that makes Gorilla Glass so tough and resistant to hits and scratches? Corning has smartly recruited Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman from Mythbusters to walk us through the history of glass and show us all the advantages of the strengthened glass solutions of Corning.



The narration is brilliant: informative and entertaining, ...

Gorilla Glass 4 shouldn't shatter when you drop your phone

Gorilla Glass 4 shouldn't shatter when you drop your phone:

Plenty of mobile device screens can easily resist minor cracks and scratches, but let's be honest -- those aren't the biggest problems. No, the real crisis comes when you drop your phone and the display shatters into many pieces. Thankfully, Corning...

Huawei's upcoming Honor smartglasses probably employ F-16 fighter jet heads-up display technology

Huawei's upcoming Honor smartglasses probably employ F-16 fighter jet heads-up display technology:

Back in March, we told you that Lumus, a military contractor popular for its F-16 helmet heads-up displays, has developed a military-grade eyewear, which will be eventually sold to manufacturers that are willing to implement Lumus' technology in their smartglasses. At the time, the contractor showcased two development kits, the binocular DK-32 and the monocular DK-40. But why are we telling you this?



Well, it seems that Huawei might be among the adopters of Lumus' F-16 technology, as the China-based giant just teased on Weibo that it has smartglasses in the pipeline - judging from the ...

Samsung to supply 80% of iPhone and iPad processors by 2016

Samsung to supply 80% of iPhone and iPad processors by 2016:

The Korea Times reports that Samsung and Apple - bitter rivals and excellent partners - have reached an agreement for application processor production for upcoming iPhone and iPad models. Samsung is said to once again become the leading supplier of processors for Apple, tasked with producing 80% of the total processor supply in 2016. The remainder will be handled by the trusty Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.

As usual, Apple will keep designing its A-series processor, while Samsung and TSMC will play the manufacturing part. According to internal sources, Samsung's ...

New York City green-lights the use of Chromebooks in public schools

New York City green-lights the use of Chromebooks in public schools:

It's no secret that Chromebooks have been on the rise, especially in grade schools, and now Google has just scored another pretty big win. New York City officials just formally approved the use of Chromebooks in public schools. In a blog post, Hal...

One of the coolest Android handsets ever will finally launch soon

One of the coolest Android handsets ever will finally launch soon:

Unveiled initially at MWC 2014 in February, the YotaPhone 2 is not available in stores yet, though the handset appears to have plenty of potential. The successor of the original YotaPhone, the YotaPhone 2 is supposed to offer users access to two touchscreen displays and high-end specs, with Android Central reporting the company has scheduled a special December 3rd event to launch the handset.

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100 million people globally are tapping a mobile payment terminal with their phone or tablet

100 million people globally are tapping a mobile payment terminal with their phone or tablet:

With the early success of Apple Pay, mobile payment services are in vogue. Softcard, founded by Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, is available on a number of Android phones with NFC. Last week, Verizon and AT&T added Softcard support for the Windows Phone 8.1 powered HTC One M8 for Windows. That is the first phone running the Windows Phone platform that supports the service. With Apple Pay motivating many people to use a mobile payment service for the first time, we should see a large increase in the number of people willing to tap their phone on a terminal. Softcard CEO Michael Abbott said about ...

After all this time, here’s what Google still gets wrong about big tablets

After all this time, here’s what Google still gets wrong about big tablets:

Google has certainly released some quality tablets, most notably its smaller series of Nexus 7 tablets. However, Ars Technica has taken a very detailed look at the Nexus 10 with Android 5.0 Lollipop installed and has concluded that Google still can't get large tablets right.

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Touchscreen controller IC prices to fall further in 2015

Touchscreen controller IC prices to fall further in 2015: Prices of touchscreen controller ICs used in handsets are likely to fall 30% or more in 2015, due to fierce price competition among China- and Taiwan-based chip suppliers, according to industry sources.

With profit margins slipping, ​Samsung cutting phone models and production costs by a third

With profit margins slipping, ​Samsung cutting phone models and production costs by a third:

There are major changes brewing at Samsung, reports the Wall Street Journal, and chief among those is the fact that we will be seeing far fewer Galaxy Megas, Cores, Grands, Aces and so on. Even we already lost count of those, and we doubt anyone is trying to keep up anyway, as the tens of phones that Samsung is turning every year with very minor specs and design differences to each other and even their predecessors got very confusing very quickly.

Not anymore, though, as Robert Yi, head of investor relations, confirmed during a presentation in New York that it will be cutting ...

Nokia's return to hardware begins with the $249 N1 Android tablet

Nokia's return to hardware begins with the $249 N1 Android tablet:

Rumors of Nokia's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Its lineup might seem empty now that it's relinquished control of its Lumia smartphones to a lumbering giant and gave up on those low-cost Asha devices earlier this year, but that doesn't mean...

90 percent of American households have 3 or more devices online

90 percent of American households have 3 or more devices online:

How pervasive has the internet become? Roughly 90 percent of American households have three or more devices connected to the internet. And about half have five or more.

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Huge leak reveals what may be some of 2015′s hottest Android phones

Huge leak reveals what may be some of 2015′s hottest Android phones:

You're probably not aware of it if you live in the United States, but Huawei has been pushing out some of the sleekest and most intriguing smartphones in the world over the past year. We reviewed the Huawei Ascend P7 earlier this year and it was quite impressive, and the company's flagship phablet for 2014 — the Ascend Mate 7 — was also a stunning device.

Now, a new leak may shed some early light on Huawei's upcoming new smartphones, and they might be some of the hottest handsets of 2015.

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Which Smartphone and Tablet Displays Show the Most Accurate Colors?

Which Smartphone and Tablet Displays Show the Most Accurate Colors?:

If you walk into a Walmart, Best Buy, or any major TV retailer, all of the TVs are showing identical videos, but their colors will be noticeably (to obnoxiously) different on every TV on the wall—even in Best Buy's high-end Magnolia showrooms. Why is that?

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Digitimes Research: Monitor market continuing toward high-end, curved units

Digitimes Research: Monitor market continuing toward high-end, curved units: The monitor market saw various developments in November, namely the release of curved high-end monitor technology from Samsung Electronics and new Ultra HD monitors from Lenovo and Acer.

Supply chains gearing up for expected flexible display demand in 2015

Supply chains gearing up for expected flexible display demand in 2015: Following developments by Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics to produce devices with flexible displays, panel makers from China, Taiwan and Japan, and related component supply chains are reportedly bumping up efforts to meet expected flexible display demand in the high-end smartphone market in 2015.

Samsung wants to make smartphones with foldable screens next year

Samsung wants to make smartphones with foldable screens next year:

In addition to cutting down the total number of smartphones it’ll launch next year, Samsung also plans to launch foldable smartphones at some point in 2015, ZDNet reports. The company has already launched a couple of handsets with curved displays, including the Galaxy Round and the Galaxy Note Edge, but it’s yet to mass produce a smartphone with a flexible display that can actually be folded in half.

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Meizu MX4 goes Pro with '2K+' screen, fingerprint reader and 'Retina Sound'

Meizu MX4 goes Pro with '2K+' screen, fingerprint reader and 'Retina Sound':

It wasn't all that long ago when China's Meizu unveiled its latest phone, the MX4, but the real flagship is actually what the company announced today. As you can tell from the name, the new MX4 Pro is a beefed-up version of the earlier model, yet...

Motorola Keylink Helps Find Your Keys or Phone When Your Brain Can't

Motorola Keylink Helps Find Your Keys or Phone When Your Brain Can't:

Motorola has had a busy couple of months (like really busy ), but they've still got one more little piece of hardware to push out to the masses. This is the Motorola Keylink, a $25 keychain that will help you find your misplaced keys or smartphone, Android and iPhone alike.

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Intel's reinvention of the all-in-one PC is slim, portable and still huge

Intel's reinvention of the all-in-one PC is slim, portable and still huge:

Black Brook. Quaint country town? Probably. It's also Intel's code name for its all-in-one PC reference design: a slender tablet-ish device with a kickstand and a handle. It's also got a full HD 20-inch display, quad mics, multitouch support and...

Slates on the catwalk: world's thinnest tablets roundup

Slates on the catwalk: world's thinnest tablets roundup:

With Apple releasing the iPad Air 2, Dell spitting out the incredible Venue 8, and Sony making its first small slate, the Z3 Tablet Compact, our ranking of the world's thinnest tablets has now changed significantly, as the new slates clock in at just about quarter of an inch girth. A slender tablet is certainly better than a thick one, said Captain Obvious, for looks and ergonomics sake alone, that's why we are rounding up the most anorexic slates out there, with the cutoff being held at 0.31" (8mm).

Apple managed to trim the waistline of its metal-clade iPad Air 2 to the incredible ...

Google Glass developers are reportedly losing interest in the device

Google Glass developers are reportedly losing interest in the device:

Are developers losing interest in writing apps for Google Glass? Some have changed their focus from one wearable to another. Take Twitter, for example. The company apparently stopped work on its app for the connected specs, and started working on one for Android Wear powered smartwatches instead. Twitter's decision to back away from its Google Glass app is not unique. Of 16 firms working on a Google Glass app, nine have decided to call it quits, according to Reuters. Those that gave up did so because of a perceived lack of customers or because of the limitations of Glass.



The outlook for ...

Analysis indicates iPhone 6 is outselling the iPhone 6 Plus 3-to-1

Analysis indicates iPhone 6 is outselling the iPhone 6 Plus 3-to-1:

Apple’s new line of iPhones are a success, there is no arguing that point. Without providing a specific breakdown of sales by model or storage capacity, Apple announced it set a new record for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus sales during its launch weekend.



The new iPhones dominate the sales cycle with the carriers at the moment, and will be a strong contender as we approach the holiday shopping season. What is not known with absolute certainty is which of the new iPhone 6 models is proving to be the most popular.



UBS analyst Steven Milunovich has been scrutinizing a report from Consumer Intelligence ...

Samsung Display asking supply chains to cut pricing by 30%

Samsung Display asking supply chains to cut pricing by 30%: Samsung Display is asking supply chains including backlighting makers to reduce pricing for components by as much as 30% during the fourth quarter of 2014 as the company aims to drop overall pricing for small- to medium-size applications.

Digitimes Research: Taiwan shipments of LCD TVs reaches 8.96 million in 3Q14

Digitimes Research: Taiwan shipments of LCD TVs reaches 8.96 million in 3Q14: Taiwan makers' shipments of LCD TVs reached 8.96 million units in the third quarter of 2014, up 3.2% on quarter and up 0.1% on year, according to Digitimes Research.

Governments in Middle East and North Africa to spend US$12.2 billion on IT in 2014, says Gartner

Governments in Middle East and North Africa to spend US$12.2 billion on IT in 2014, says Gartner: Governments in the Middle East and North Africa will spend US$12.2 billion on IT products and services in 2014, an increase of 1.3% over 2013 revenues of US$12 billion, according to Gartner. This forecast includes spending on internal services, software, IT services, data center, devices and telecom services. Government comprises local and regional government and national and international government.

Sound Off! Are modular smartphones the way of the future?

Sound Off! Are modular smartphones the way of the future?:

Initiatives like Project Ara and Vsenn show that modular smartphones might very well be the future. The idea of selectively upgrading various parts of a device at your own convenience appeals to a lot of people. Does this sort of approach sound...

Blackberry fans line up here: pre-orders for the new Classic are open

Blackberry fans line up here: pre-orders for the new Classic are open:

Platform loyal BBM addicts have a new device to consider -- other than the Passport -- now that Blackberry is taking pre-orders for its upcoming phone. The Classic (aka Q20) brings the design, keyboard and trackpad users are used to, plus a large...

Asustek aims at 3rd largest global notebook market share for 2015

Asustek aims at 3rd largest global notebook market share for 2015: Asustek Computer expects to ship 20.1 million notebooks (including notebook/tablet hybrid models) in 2014, increasing 6.9% on year, and aims to see 2015 shipments grow over 5% on year to attain the third-largest global market share, the company said at a November 12 investors conference.

Digitimes Research: Taiwan makers ship over 18 million smartphones in 3Q14

Digitimes Research: Taiwan makers ship over 18 million smartphones in 3Q14: Taiwan-based ODMs and own-brand makers shipped 18.4 million smartphones in total in the third quarter of 2014, increasing 6% on quarter and 11.7% on year, according to Digitimes Research.

E Ink reports increased performance during 3Q14

E Ink reports increased performance during 3Q14: E Ink has reported its third-quarter 2014 revenues reached approximately NT$4.07 billion (US$132.95 million), with an EPS of NT$0.09.

CNY1,000 Full HD smartphones may become a wide trend in China during 2015

CNY1,000 Full HD smartphones may become a wide trend in China during 2015: China panel makers are solidifying panel production for 2015 and may be able to provide Full HD handset panels at low pricing that would allow China vendors to expand their lineups of CNY1,000 (US$163) smartphones released in 2015.

Connected things in use will reach 25 billion by 2020, says Gartner

Connected things in use will reach 25 billion by 2020, says Gartner: Gartner has forecast that 4.9 billion connected things will be in use in 2015, up 30% from 2014, and will reach 25 billion by 2020. The Internet of Things (IoT) has become a powerful force for business transformation, and its disruptive impact will be felt across all industries and all areas of society.

Wistron aims to ship 21 million notebooks in 2015

Wistron aims to ship 21 million notebooks in 2015: Wistron aims to ship 21 million notebooks and 25 million smart hand-held devices including three million tablets for 2015, the company said at a November 13 investors conference.

BlackBerry and Samsung join forces to take on Apple

BlackBerry and Samsung join forces to take on Apple:

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Apple's iOS platform recently started to make waves in the enterprise space, and some analysts suggested it could mean curtains for BlackBerry. Of course, BlackBerry shares are up more than 75% over the past 12 months, so the company isn't quite down for the count despite its diminished market share.

And now, BlackBerry has joined forces with Apple's archrival in an effort to combat Apple as it turns up the heat in the mobile enterprise market.

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91% of American adults feel like they have lost control over their personal data

91% of American adults feel like they have lost control over their personal data:

According to Pew Research, Americans feel that they do not have any control over their personal information. In fact, a stunning 91% of those surveyed in the country, say that they have no control how companies receive and use their personal information. This is important, because 88% feel that it is very difficult to remove incorrect information about them that is posted online.



Do you use Instagram or Twitter? Are you a Facebook devotee? 80% of those who use a social networking site, worry that advertisers and businesses can access the personal data that they put up on such sites. 70% ...

Digitimes Research: Lenovo, Asustek to launch US$149 Chromebook

Digitimes Research: Lenovo, Asustek to launch US$149 Chromebook: Lenovo and Asustek are expected to release Chromebooks using Google-certified solutions from China-based Rockchip in the first half of 2015 at the latest, and their devices are expected to be priced at US$149, a new low for notebook products, according to Digitimes Research's latest finding from the Greater China supply chain.

Tablet AMOLED panel shipments to reach 42 million in 2019

Tablet AMOLED panel shipments to reach 42 million in 2019: Shipments for AMOLED panels used in tablets are expected to reach 42 million as of 2019 as demand in the 7-, 8- , 10- and 13-inch segments increase, according to figures from DisplaySearch.

Asustek faced with difficulty to reach 2015 target smartphone shipments due to competition from Xiaomi

Asustek faced with difficulty to reach 2015 target smartphone shipments due to competition from Xiaomi: Asustek Computer has set target global shipments of 16 million smartphones for 2015, with China to be a focus market, but is expected to face difficulty due to price-performance competition in the China market from Xiaomi Technology, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers.

12" iPad Pro might enter mass production in Q2, due to display shortages

12" iPad Pro might enter mass production in Q2, due to display shortages:

Rumors that the eventual 12.9" iPad Pro is facing delays from its predicted early 2015 production schedule might turn out to be true, after all. Apple is expected to announce a tablet with a much larger display diagonal to combat the slew of thin and light touchscreen convertibles that will flood the market this holiday season thanks to Intel introducing its first fanless Core M processor line that allowed for some incredible designs from OEM manufacturers.

The iPad is predominantly geared for web and media consumption, while the Windows convertibles ...

Sharp's new display shows the pixel-density race is far from over

Sharp's new display shows the pixel-density race is far from over:

If you have spectacularly good eyesight, the highest pixel-density you can see is about 500 pixels-per-inch (ppi). But that trifling little detail isn't stopping display manufacturers and marketers, no sir! Sharp just revealed an iPhone 4s-sized...