PC, handset supply chain makers conservative about prospects for 2016

PC, handset supply chain makers conservative about prospects for 2016: Makers in the PC and handset supply chains in Taiwan are conservative about a business rebound in the second half of 2016 as well as the overall performance for the entire year amid unfavorable business news from the sectors, including layoffs at Intel and declining iPhone shipments.

Global LCD TV panel capacity in 2Q16 to grow 8.8%, says Sigmaintell

Global LCD TV panel capacity in 2Q16 to grow 8.8%, says Sigmaintell: Global production capacity for LCD TV panels in the second quarter of 2016 will reach 42.6 million square meters, increasing 8.8% on quarter, according to China-based Sigmaintell Consulting.

What's a graphene display and why it's going to be in flexible smart devices from the future

What's a graphene display and why it's going to be in flexible smart devices from the future:

Yesterday, a Chinese manufacturer whose name escapes us turned a few heads by showing a working and completely flexible Android smartphone which uses a graphene screen. The invention is shaped like a bracelet and has no problems wrapping itself around a lady's hand, for example. This glimpse of the feature reminded us that leading smartphone makers already have flexible displays in mass production, but they still choose to incorporate them in devices that are absolutely flat and un-bendable. It also sparked our interest in the never seen in use before piece of technology ...

iPhone 7 ‘Pro’ schematics show up in Japanese mag w/ dual camera, sans headphone jack

iPhone 7 ‘Pro’ schematics show up in Japanese mag w/ dual camera, sans headphone jack:

Rumors that Apple will ditch the headphone jack with this fall’s iPhone update have been around for a while now, but Japanese magazine Mac Fan today has shared detailed design schematics of the iPhone 7 ‘Pro.’ According to the magazine, the device will feature the same overall size as the iPhone 6s Plus, but will ditch the headphone jack and feature dual iSight cameras on the back (via Macotakara.)

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What becomes of Facebook when people start to value privacy?

What becomes of Facebook when people start to value privacy?:

Facebook's role in the world has changed though I didn't expect to have an epiphany about that while sitting in the pews of a drafty, 11th-century church. It was at a wedding earlier this month, and the program handed out bore a disclaimer that would...

Intel explains its strategy for moving beyond the PC

Intel explains its strategy for moving beyond the PC:

When Intel slashed thousands of jobs as part of its big attempt to expand beyond the PC, it left a lot of people wondering: just what is this strategy, and why is it so vital? As of today, you have a better (if imperfect) explanation. CEO Brian Krzan...

EMEA PC shipments declined 10% in 1Q16, says Gartner

EMEA PC shipments declined 10% in 1Q16, says Gartner: PC shipments in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) totaled 19.5 million units in the first quarter of 2016, a 10% decline from the first quarter of 2015, according to preliminary results by Gartner.

Rising industrial PC market to stabilize in 2018, says IHS

Rising industrial PC market to stabilize in 2018, says IHS: While the global market for industrial PCs has experienced ups and downs in recent years, it is forecast to pick up in 2016 and will start to stabilize in 2018. The key reason for the increase in short-term growth is an expected improvement in the outlook for process industry investment and the continued use of industrial PCs in applications outside the established areas of industrial automation. Global revenues from industrial PCs are forecast to grow at a CAGR of 6% from 2014 to 2019, reaching US$4.3 billion, according to IHS.

VR hardware to soar past US$2 billion mark in 2016, says IDC

VR hardware to soar past US$2 billion mark in 2016, says IDC: Worldwide shipments of virtual reality (VR) hardware will skyrocket in 2016, with total volumes reaching 9.6 million units. Led by key products from Samsung, Sony, HTC, and Oculus, the category should generate hardware revenues of approximately US$2.3 billion in 2016. While VR will drive nearly all of the hardware volume in 2016, augmented reality (AR) hardware is forecast to ramp up over the next few years. According to the first worldwide AR/VR forecast from IDC, the combined device markets will see hardware shipments surge past 110 million units in 2020.

Lenovo's ZUK phone puts other Chinese flagships to shame

Lenovo's ZUK phone puts other Chinese flagships to shame:

ZUK, a Chinese smartphone brand that you may have already forgotten about, has recently joined the ranks of Moto and Vibe to become Lenovo's latest mobile sub-brand. That wasn't the plan when Lenovo started restructuring its mobile division last year...

Scientists Made LEDs 60 Percent Brighter By Copying Firefly Lanterns

Scientists Made LEDs 60 Percent Brighter By Copying Firefly Lanterns:

A team of researchers has managed to boost the amount of light an LED emits by 60 percent simply by shaping its outer surface to resemble the outside of a firefly’s lantern.

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McDonald's places a large order of Samsung tablets in the UK

McDonald's places a large order of Samsung tablets in the UK:

If you make a trip to a McDonald's in the coming months, expect to see a few tablets. As part of an agreement with device management company SOTI, the fast food chain plans to install Samsung Galaxy Tabs in the "majority" of its UK restaurants, givin...

Huawei aims to surpass Apple and Samsung in China smartphone market in 5 years, says CEO

Huawei aims to surpass Apple and Samsung in China smartphone market in 5 years, says CEO: Huawei Technologies aims to surpass Apple and Samsung Electronics as the largest smartphone vendor in the China market in five years, according to a China-based sina.com report, citing company rotating CEO Eric Xu.

Slowing notebook replacement cycle leading to higher resolution displays, says IHS

Slowing notebook replacement cycle leading to higher resolution displays, says IHS: The global notebook display market fell 23% on year in the first quarter of 2016, according to IHS. Due to the low profitability of high definition (HD) notebook panels, panel makers have begun to decrease production, in favor of Full HD (FHD) panels. FHD panels are therefore expected to enjoy high growth through 2018 and could become mainstream in notebooks in three years. However, there still are many customers concerned more about price than specification upgrades. In addition to FHD resolution, some panel makers have begun promoting even higher Ultra HD (UHD) resolution.

Taiwan market: Dell launches enterprise notebook with ultra-thin bezel design

Taiwan market: Dell launches enterprise notebook with ultra-thin bezel design: Dell has launched its new enterprise notebook, the Latitude 13 7000, featuring a 13-inch display with an ultra-thin 7mm bezel making the overall chassis as small as a typical 12-inch notebook, in Taiwan. The notebook adopts a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic chassis to enhance the bezel's sturdiness.

Here’s how Apple’s refreshed 12-inch MacBook compares to last year’s model

Here’s how Apple’s refreshed 12-inch MacBook compares to last year’s model:

Earlier today, Apple took wraps off of a refreshed 12-inch MacBook just over a year after the line was first introduced. While Apple is touting that this MacBook is faster and offers longer battery life than last year’s model, the company is notoriously vague when it comes to sharing under-the-hood details on its product pages. We’ve done some digging, however, and will attempt to break down all of the differences between last year’s 12-inch MacBook and this year’s upgraded model.

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Corning can now print high-res images on its Gorilla Glass

Corning can now print high-res images on its Gorilla Glass:

Corning revealed a new use for its line of toughened touch surfaces on Tuesday, dubbed Vibrant Gorilla Glass, which will enable manufacturers to print high-resolution images on the material. "It provides a wide range of color possibilities that you j...

New ‘ultra-thin’ MacBooks are coming in second half of the year

New ‘ultra-thin’ MacBooks are coming in second half of the year:

Apple’s MacBooks are due for a substantial refresh this year, at least when it comes to design. The company is rumored to be ditching the MacBook Air line and while making the MacBook Pro thinner than ever and similar in design to the 12-inch Retina MacBook. Refreshed 13-inch and 15-inch ultra-thin MacBooks were expected in the second quarter, but a new report says the machines are going to be launched only at some point in the second half of the year.



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Email privacy bill finally moves forward

Email privacy bill finally moves forward:

After seemingly taking ages to do anything, Congress is at last moving forward on better email privacy safeguards. A House committee has voted unanimously to approve the Email Privacy Act, a bill which would require that federal officials get a warra...

HTC 10 review: The flagship the company should have made years ago

HTC 10 review: The flagship the company should have made years ago:

HTC has done it. The company's new flagship smartphone, the 10 (yes, that's the name, and no, I don't like it either), is a credible contender for Android greatness. I've spent a little over a week using it as my daily driver, and while the name stil...

Flexible lens sheets could change way cameras see

Flexible lens sheets could change way cameras see:

Cameras are already embedded in a lot of devices, but what you could wrap them around things like a "skin?" That's the premise of "flexible sheet cameras" developed by scientists at Columbia University. Rather than having just a single sensor, the de...

Apple reportedly tasks Samsung with 100 million 5.5" AMOLED panels for a 2017 iPhone

Apple reportedly tasks Samsung with 100 million 5.5" AMOLED panels for a 2017 iPhone:

Well, well, well, what do we have here. The Chinese edition of the Wall Street Journal just cited a source out of Korea which claims that Apple has signed a 3-year contract with Samsung to supply it with OLED panels for future iPhones. So far, so good, this Samsung-Apple partnership, as well as the rumored OLED switch have been rumored for a while.

The new piece in this report, however, is how concrete it is in explaining the size and quantity of AMOLED displays that Apple has allegedly ordered Samsung to make, and the fact that their first use is scheduled for the eventual iPhone ...

Did a report just uncover the best new feature coming to next year’s iPhone 7s?

Did a report just uncover the best new feature coming to next year’s iPhone 7s?:

If you're on a two-year upgrade cycle, you might want to consider skipping the iPhone 7 and waiting for next year's model. Apple will reportedly rely on its old friend Samsung to supply it with OLED panels for upcoming iPhone models, according to a report from The Korea Herald. In a deal said to be worth north of $2.5 billion, Samsung in 2017 will begin supplying Apple with 100 million 5.5-inch OLED panels every year for a period of three years.

The 2017 start date is significant because it suggests that the iPhone will incorporate an OLED display on the iPhone 7s. Previously, it was believed that OLED panels wouldn't make their way into Apple's smartphone lineup until 2018 with the release of the iPhone 8.





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This plastic could make paint scratches a thing of the past

This plastic could make paint scratches a thing of the past:

Self-healing plastics are nothing new. In fact, IBM stumbled across the discovery of one such polymer by accident not too long ago. But now there's a new Wolverine-like plastic stealing the headlines (okay, fine... 'science journal' headlines) and th...

Tablet and iPad Market Is 100 Million Units Smaller Than Expected | Re/code

Tablet and iPad Market Is 100 Million Units Smaller Than Expected | Re/code:



'via Blog this'



When Apple iPad sales took off in 2011, Gartner estimated that total tablet sales would reach 300 million units annually by 2015. However the devices missed that mark by 100 million units, due to high sales of smartphones, especially those with larger screens. Detachables appear to be a bright spot in the tablet segment, with IDC estimating that tablets with a detachable keyboard will make up 20% of the combined PC and tablet market by 2020.

Solar cell generates power from raindrops

Solar cell generates power from raindrops:

Rain is normally a solar energy cell's worst nightmare, but a team of Chinese scientists could make it a tremendous ally. They've developed a solar cell with an atom-thick graphene layer that harvests energy from raindrops, making it useful even on t...

Android Auto reaches cars in 18 more countries

Android Auto reaches cars in 18 more countries:

Android Auto isn't just available in a handful of countries anymore. Google has expanded its phone-as-infotainment integration to 18 more countries, as well as Puerto Rico. Most of the coverage revolves around Europe and Latin American nations (inc...

HTC Vive review: Truly immersive VR comes at a cost

HTC Vive review: Truly immersive VR comes at a cost:

The virtual reality wars have officially begun. Last week the consumer version of the Oculus Rift finally started shipping, and now HTC's $800 Vive headset is ready to roll. It's a collaboration between HTC and Valve, and it's also a showcase for Val...

Newly discovered magnetism is a big boost for quantum computers

Newly discovered magnetism is a big boost for quantum computers:

Until now, humanity has only known two forms of magnetism: ferromagnetism (the kind you see on your fridge) and antiferromagnetism (a sort of negative magnetism found in hard drives). However, MIT researchers just confirmed the existence of a third...

Call Sweden's national number and talk to a random Swede now

Call Sweden's national number and talk to a random Swede now:

The news almost reads like an Onion headline: Sweden, the country, has got its very own telephone number. And you can call it anytime you like to chat with a random Swede about, well, anything really. The quirky announcement is the work of the Swedis...

Asustek sees 30% growth in Europe LCD monitor market, Acer leads in North America

Asustek sees 30% growth in Europe LCD monitor market, Acer leads in North America: Asustek Computer and Acer are seeing increasing sales of their LCD monitors with Asustek dominating in the gaming sector and enjoying over 30% growth in Europe in 2015, while Acer is leading in North America and is a top-three vendor in the Asia Pacific, according to sources from channel retailers.

iFixit’s teardown of iPhone SE reveals it uses the iPhone 5S display and more

iFixit’s teardown of iPhone SE reveals it uses the iPhone 5S display and more:

We got our first look inside the iPhone SE a couple of days ago when Chipworks took one apart. The company revealed then some of the mix of old and new components, but iFixit has now provided a closer look in its own teardown.

The main finding is that the entire display assembly is straight out of the iPhone 5S – right down to the FaceTime camera, which explains why that remained a paltry 1.2MP unit instead of the 5MP version in the iPhone 6S …

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