Sharp abandons TVs in the US, hands keys to China's Hisense

Sharp abandons TVs in the US, hands keys to China's Hisense:

Sharp's financial problems have forced it to leave the LCD TV business in North America. Chinese TV maker Hisense has paid a mere $23.7 million for the company's Mexican factory and the right to use the Sharp brand in North and South America. Sharp l...

Touch panel suppliers step up shipments for new iPhone

Touch panel suppliers step up shipments for new iPhone: Touch panel supply chains of the iPhone 6 have stepped up shipments for the next generation iPhone, with shipments of the new Apple smartphones expected to reach 36-40 million in the third quarter and 50 million in the fourth quarter, according to supply chain sources.

Virtual reality device shipments to reach 43 million by 2020, with mobile-reliant head mounted displays foremost, says firm

Virtual reality device shipments to reach 43 million by 2020, with mobile-reliant head mounted displays foremost, says firm: The early excitement surrounding augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) has prompted some substantial bets from major players, including Google, Samsung, Microsoft, and Facebook. Microsoft's Hololens will likely be a major driver of consumer AR devices, while Google Cardboard will continue to be the first choice for an inexpensive VR experience (estimated to ship around 1.5 million units by then end of 2015), and will join Samsung's Gear VR in driving mobile-reliant device growth. The Oculus Rift, along with similar devices like the HTC Vive or Sony's Project Morpheus, will be dominant among tethered devices and will drive early growth, with their successors likely continuing that lead in the space. These tethered VR devices are forecast for the highest growth among VR device types (128% CAGR 2014-2020), but ultimately mobile VR devices will ship more units total (25 million in 2020), according to ABI Research.

Global smartphone shipments growth slows to 15% in 2Q15, says Strategy Analytics

Global smartphone shipments growth slows to 15% in 2Q15, says Strategy Analytics: Global smartphone shipments grew 15% on year to reach 339.5 million units in the second quarter of 2015, which was the industry's slowest growth for six years, according to Strategy Analytics.

Innolux to merge with CMEL

Innolux to merge with CMEL: Innolux will merge with its subsidiary CMEL, with the former to be the surviving company. Innolux currently holds a 97.19% stake in CMEL.

Huawei passes Microsoft as third-largest mobile phone maker

Huawei passes Microsoft as third-largest mobile phone maker:

When Microsoft bought Nokia, it inherited a pretty large feature phone business. But that business has shrunk a lot since the purchase, according to Strategy Analytics, and Microsoft hasn't set the smartphone world on fire either. As a result, Huawei...

Xiaomi rumored to launch a Windows 10 tablet in the upcoming months

Xiaomi rumored to launch a Windows 10 tablet in the upcoming months:

According to a reputed analyst from China, Xiaomi is gearing up to launch a Windows 10 tablet in the near future.

With global tablet sales plummeting, Xiaomi has refrained from launching any tablets recently. The last time that the manufacturer launched a new tab was back in March 2014 when the company introduced the Xiaomi Mi Pad. Back in May this year, Lei Jun, CEO at Xiaomi, took to the company's Weibo account to reconfirm the company's commitment to tablets in response to rumours that Xiaomi is giving up on the tablet market, but made this statement without mentioning ...

Samsung posts Q2 2015 financial results, confirms new Galaxy with "larger screen" for later this year

Samsung posts Q2 2015 financial results, confirms new Galaxy with "larger screen" for later this year:

Samsung today posted financial results for the second quarter (Q2) of 2015, which ended on June 30. The South Korean giant reported a revenue of $41.7 billion (48.54 trillion KRW), and an operating profit of $5.93 billion (6.9 trillion KRW). Both numbers are slightly higher than the numbers from last quarter.



According to Samsung, the quarter-on-quarter improvements came after strong sales in the Semiconductor Business (including processors and memory products), while its TV business also played an important role.



Samsung's IT & Mobile Communications Division (responsible ...

Corning announces 2Q15 core sales of US$2.5 billion

Corning announces 2Q15 core sales of US$2.5 billion: Corning has announced its second-quarter 2015 core sales reached US$2.5 billion, flat on year. Core earnings increased 7% on year to US$522 million and core EPS increased 12% to US$0.38.

Getac launches new ruggedized tablet with improved gear

Getac launches new ruggedized tablet with improved gear: Getac has announced upgrades to its existing T800 ruggedized tablet with new hardware that is certified by ATEX Zone 2, 22 and will rename the device to T800-Ex. The new tablet has also passed US military MIL-STD-810G and IP65 certifications.

Motorola survey reveals the relationship people have with their phone

Motorola survey reveals the relationship people have with their phone:

Fresh off a well-done media event that has the smartphone community still buzzing, Motorola revealed the results of a survey it took of 7112 adults in seven countries. The aim was to see how strong the relationship is between smartphone users and their handsets. Over the last few years, everywhere you go, people are looking down at a bright screen that is on the device in their hands. Many of us baby our phones by putting them in cases so that they won't break if they drop. Manufacturers have made some models waterproof so that we can use our phones in the shower or even the swimming pool.



How ...

Apple creeps closer to Samsung in global smartphone market share

Apple creeps closer to Samsung in global smartphone market share:

During the second quarter, Apple cut into Samsung's lead in the battle for global smartphone market share. The latest numbers have been released by Strategy Analytics, and they show that Apple gained 4.5 percentage points on Samsung from April through June. Make no mistake about it though, Samsung still leads the way with 20.5% of smartphone shipments during the period. But that number seems to decline each quarter, and Apple now trails its rival by only 9.6 percentage points.



While Samsung shipped 89 million phones for the quarter, a 7% decline from the 95 million it shipped during last ...

Worldwide tablet market continues to decline; vendor landscape is evolving, says IDC

Worldwide tablet market continues to decline; vendor landscape is evolving, says IDC: The worldwide tablet market declined 7% on year in the second quarter of 2015 with shipments totaling 44.7 million units according to preliminary data from the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker. Marked by little hardware innovation and limited vendor portfolio updates, the market also declined 3.9% compared to the first quarter of 2015.

Scientists Finally Created a White Laser—and It Could Light Your Home

Scientists Finally Created a White Laser—and It Could Light Your Home:

Lasers have been advancing science and threatening move characters since the 1960s, but you may have noticed they always have a distinct color. Now, a team of scientists has developed the world’s first white laser.

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Lenovo gives Motorola autonomy as new models show

Lenovo gives Motorola autonomy as new models show:

Today's new product announcements made by Motorola reveal a couple of interesting things. One, the company can still be very relevant in the Android smartphone market. Two, Lenovo has given Motorola president Rick Osterloh and his crew a wide berth when it comes to producing new Motorola branded smartphones.



When Lenovo purchased Motorola from Google in January 2014 for $2.91 billion, the Chinese manufacturer had a different reason for acquiring the company than Google did. The latter bought Motorola for its prized portfolio of intellectual property. All of those patents, and Project Ara, ...

Flat panel display revenues forecast to fall in 2015, says IHS

Flat panel display revenues forecast to fall in 2015, says IHS: Led by declining TFT LCD revenues, global flat panel display (FPD) industry revenues are forecast to fall 2% from US$131.4 billion in 2014 to US$129 billion in 2015. Dwindling TFT LCD display revenues, declining panel demand in the PC segment, along with ongoing panel-price erosion are the primary reasons for overall FPD revenue declines in 2015, according to IHS.

Quantum dot market to grow at CAGR of 30.4% during 2015-2020, says research firm

Quantum dot market to grow at CAGR of 30.4% during 2015-2020, says research firm: The global quantum dots market was valued at US$961.4 million in 2014 and it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 30.4% during the period 2015-2020. The global quantum dots market is increasing due to rising demand of nanotechnology in several industries. Quantum dot being one of the efficient technologies among its peers, its demand is increasing due to growing display based electronics market. The increasing urbanization and rising disposable income are further encouraging the growth of display based devices, as adoption of latest technology is becoming more affordable, according to P&S Market Research.

LG made only 1.2 cents in operating profit for each phone it shipped last quarter

LG made only 1.2 cents in operating profit for each phone it shipped last quarter:

Selling smartphones has become a low margin business for LG, based on its latest earnings report. The company posted an operating profit for the second quarter of just $172,000 for its mobile business. During the three months, the company shipped 14.1 million units, a 3% decline from last year's second quarter figure.



But the most incredible number is the 1.2 cents in operating profit that LG made per phone shipped. LG blames the results on weak sales of premium phones. Smartphone and tablet sales showed strong growth in North America, but sales in its own backyard of South Korea were weak. ...

Samsung sensor puts 16-megapixel cameras into slim phones

Samsung sensor puts 16-megapixel cameras into slim phones:

Wondering how Samsung manages to cram a 16-megapixel camera into seemingly wafer-thin phones like the Galaxy A8? By developing a brand-spanking new sensor that fits, that's how. The Korean company has built an ISOCELL-based CMOS imager that uses extr...

Motorola Moto X Style is announced: a stylish Android flagship at an exceptional price

Motorola Moto X Style is announced: a stylish Android flagship at an exceptional price:

As if the day wasn't exciting enough, Motorola just took the wraps off its latest and greatest smartphones, among which is the Motorola Moto X Style. Here to succeed the 2014-edition Moto X, this new Android-powered Moto smartphone is built to impress with its exquisite design, all while delivering a pure Lollipop experience at an exceptional price. 

Design and display

In true Motorola fashion, customizability is one of the Moto X Style's key selling points. Buyers may tailor the phone's appearance to their liking via the ...

iPad mini 4 and iPad Air 3 details finally revealed in new report

iPad mini 4 and iPad Air 3 details finally revealed in new report:

As iPhone sales continue to impress, iPad sales continue to plummet. During Apple's most recent earnings report, it was disclosed that year over year, iPad sales fell by 18%. What's more, revenue from iPad-related sales dropped by 23%.

Nonetheless, Apple remains committed to the tablet space, with Tim Cook stating as recently as April that Apple will continue to invest in the iPad product pipeline. Cook also said that he "strongly predicts" that iPad sales will pick up in the future.

So with fall right around the corner, we'll likely be seeing an iPad refresh sometime in the next three months or so. To that end, a recent report from the Japanese-language Macotakara blog relays a few tidbits about what we can expect to see when Apple revamps its iPad lineup later this year.

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New Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event officially confirmed for August 13: S6 Edge Plus and Note 5 likely to be announced then

New Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event officially confirmed for August 13: S6 Edge Plus and Note 5 likely to be announced then:

Those who are familiar with Samsung's mobile strategy know that the company likes to announce important devices during events called Galaxy Unpacked. Well, Samsung has just confirmed that a new Unpacked event will take place on August 13 in New York City.



While Samsung doesn't say exactly what it's going to show us on that day, rumors have it that August 13 will be the announcement date of the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus.



The simple image that Samsung is using as an invitation to the event - seen above - suggests that we're going to see a handset with a curved display ...

Worldwide smartphone market posts 11.6% increase in 2Q15, says IDC

Worldwide smartphone market posts 11.6% increase in 2Q15, says IDC: Vendors shipped a total of 337.2 million smartphones worldwide in the second quarter of 2015, up 11.6% from the 302.1 million units shipped a year ago, according to IDC.

Wistron said to consider moving notebook production out of Kunshan plants

Wistron said to consider moving notebook production out of Kunshan plants: Rumors have spread in the IT market that Wistron is planning to stop its notebook production in Kunshan, China and will move all its production capacity to plants in Chongqing and Chengdu in inland China. The company has responded by saying it has not yet shut down the notebook production at its Kunshan plants and will make decision based on clients' demand and will continue to make adjustments to achieve better efficiency.

Digitimes Research: Global tablet shipments decline 10% in 2Q15

Digitimes Research: Global tablet shipments decline 10% in 2Q15: Global tablet shipments declined 10% sequentially and over 15% on year to reach only 45.76 million units in the second quarter, according to Digitimes Research's latest report on the global tablet market. Major markets felt the impacts of weak currencies; mid-range to entry-level large-size smartphones continued to cannibalize tablets; and vendors saw high inventory.

OnePlus 2 official: The ultimate flagship smartphone killer is finally here

OnePlus 2 official: The ultimate flagship smartphone killer is finally here:

The second-generation OnePlus handset is finally here. After numerous revelations about the OnePlus 2, as well as unofficial leaks, the company took the wraps off its new flagship smartphone killer on Tuesday. Just like its predecessor, the OnePlus 2 will be a tough competitor for top Android handsets and the iPhone, especially considering its high-end specs and affordable price.

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Is Apple releasing 3 new iPhones this year? New report says it wanted to

Is Apple releasing 3 new iPhones this year? New report says it wanted to:

There’s a lot of back and forth on the iPhone 6c rumor, and a new report seems to indicate that Apple may have indeed planned three new iPhones for a fall 2015 launch... but then decided to stick with just two of them. However, a new 4-inch iPhone with updated internal components that would launch alongside the iPhone 6s family — often dubbed as the iPhone 6c — might still be in the works.

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Chinese Police Shut Down a Huge Counterfeit iPhone Factory

Chinese Police Shut Down a Huge Counterfeit iPhone Factory:

A police raid in Beijing has shut down a large counterfeit iPhone factory that had produced over 41,000 handsets, reported to be worth $19 million.

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This Tiny Light-Emitting Device Flashes 90 Billion Times a Second

This Tiny Light-Emitting Device Flashes 90 Billion Times a Second:

This may look like a piece of abstract art, but you’re actually looking at the cutting-edge of optical technology. Using a branch of physics known as plasmonics, this microscopic set-up can pulse light on-and-off a bewildering 90 billion times per second.

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Here's how screen size preferences have changed through the years (infographic)

Here's how screen size preferences have changed through the years (infographic):

It's interesting how our perception changes with time. For a moment, it may seem like smartphones are getting simply too big to be handled comfortably, but fast-forward a couple of years, and we find ourselves willingly dealing with even bigger handsets... It's an astonishing trend that has been amazing us here at PhoneArena for a few years now. Besides enjoying this screen size evolution thing as viewers, though, we thought it might also be fun to visualize it in the form of a cheery infographic. And guess where the data came from - you! We reminisced about what you've been telling us when it ...

Huawei G8 unveiled with 5.5-inch 1080p screen, SD-615 and a fingerprint scanner

Huawei G8 unveiled with 5.5-inch 1080p screen, SD-615 and a fingerprint scanner:

This morning, the Huawei G8 has been unveiled. Just a couple of days ago, we told you that the phone had received its TENAA certification, and as expected, the handset is equipped with a 5.5-inch 1080 x 1920 FHD resolution screen. That produces a pixel density of 401ppi. A 64-bit Snapdragon 615 SoC is under the hood, carrying an octa-core CPU and the Adreno 405 GPU.



Chinese manufacturers have been offering two variants of many new handsets, with consumers able to select from a pair of RAM/ROM combos. That is the case with the G8. One version offers 2GB of RAM with 16GB of native storage. ...

This is the vehicle the Apple Car may be based on

This is the vehicle the Apple Car may be based on:

The evidence pointing to Apple actually developing its own car continues to grow with each passing week. Just a few days after we highlighted some intriguing car-related hires Apple recently made, now comes word from the German-language Manager Magazin that Apple is hoping to base portions of its own electric car after the BMW i3.

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Samsung's latest monitors wirelessly charge your phone

Samsung's latest monitors wirelessly charge your phone:

It's not coated in gold, but Samsung's newest screen -- a monitor this time -- packs wireless charging for mobile phones (and other Qi-compatible gadgets. (Yes, functionality you'd actually want in your office monitor... if you have a wirelessly char...

Sydney gets world's first e-ink traffic signs

Sydney gets world's first e-ink traffic signs:

Sydney is now using the world's first outdoor e-ink traffic signs to guide motorists during special events. The city's Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) agency was apparently fed up with the constant chore of changing signs, and developed the tech wi...

China produces over 760 million handsets in 1H15, says MIIT

China produces over 760 million handsets in 1H15, says MIIT: China-based makers produced 761.788 million handsets in total during the first half of 2015, decreasing 4.5% on year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

US govt guide aims to bolster security of mobile devices used in health care

US govt guide aims to bolster security of mobile devices used in health care:

Health care providers are increasingly using smartphones and tablets for tasks such as accessing and transferring medical records, and submitting prescriptions, but these devices may not be secure enough to protect sensitive medical information from hackers.

That's the conclusion of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, whose cybersecurity center released a draft guide Thursday to help health IT professionals shore up the mobile devices.

"Mobile devices are being used by many providers for health care delivery before they have implemented safeguards for privacy and security," the agency said.

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