IF / News

Chipsets

[CES2018] Intel’s Gregory Bryant, SVP of the Client Computing Group has announced that the company is shipping 10nm Cannon Lake products in 2018, and will enter expansion of production and mass production in 2019. (CN Beta, AnandTech, Tom’s Hardware)

[CES2018] MediaTek has provided more information about the strategy for enabling A.I. edge computing on its NeuroPilot A.I. platform.  Through a combination of hardware and software, an AI processing unit (Artificial intelligence Processing Unit, APU), and NeuroPilot SDK, MediaTek will bring AI across its wide-ranging technology portfolio. (Android Headlines, MediaTek, Digitimes, Jiweinet)

[CES2018] MediaTek has announced a new entry in its lineup of specialized system-on-chip (SoC) products for the home automation and IoT connectivity market. This new chip is the MT7622, and it is the first of its kind in the world to feature 4×4 MIMO on 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 on a chip with a dedicated Wi-Fi accelerator.  (Android Headlines, TASS, Laoyaoba)

[CES2018] MediaTek has announced the MT5598, its latest system-on-chip designed for contemporary smart television sets which supports a variety of HDR technologies and 120Hz content, as well as 4K resolutions.  (Android Headlines, MediaTek, Fudzilla, Baijiahao, PC Home, Sohu)

Touch Display

[CES2018] Stream TV Networks and BOE Technology have announced their joint cooperation to combine the high-resolution panels of BOE with Stream TV’s award-winning Glasses-Free 3D technology (@UltraD3).  (CN Beta, PR Newswire, Korea IT Times)

Memory

Samsung has begun production of its 2.4Gbps per pin “second-generation” 8GB HBM2 (High Bandwidth Memory) DRAM dubbed Aquabolt. By having four packages of the DRAM, a system can process 1.2TB of data per second. Samsung achieved 2.4Gbps by stacking 8 levels of 8Gb chips on a buffer chip. (CN Beta, Storage Review, Guru 3D, ZDNet)

[CES2018] Intel has announced a new Optane SSD for PCs this afternoon. The Optane SSD 800P is an M.2 SSD that bridges the gap between Optane Memory modules for hard disk drive acceleration and the Optane SSD 900P add-in card and U.2 devices for desktops. (CN Beta, Tech Report)

[CES2018] Dell has announced the Portable Thunderbolt 3 SSD. Available in 500GB or 1TB configurations, Dell has built what it calls the world’s most compact storage device to date. Transfer speeds are expected to be up to 2,650 MB/s. (CN Beta, Techspot, TechRepublic, Dell)

Smartphones

[CES2018] Samsung and NextRadio are teaming up to enable the FM chip on future devices. LG reached a similar agreement with NextRadio in Aug 2017. An unlocked chip and NextRadio’s app allows you to listen to over-the-air FM broadcasts on your phone. (Android Authority, NextRadio, Sohu, PC Pop)

Apple Europe has agreed to pay more than GBP100M of extra taxes following an “extensive audit” by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). The company said the payment of GBP137M, including interest on the unpaid tax, was a “corporate income tax adjustment” covering the years until Sept 2015 that “reflects the company’s increased activity”.  (Financial Times, Engadget, The Guardian, Sina)

LG will launch its mobile payment system in the United States in 1H18 in time with the release of its upcoming mobile phone. LG Pay has been in service in South Korea since Jun 2017 and is moving to catch up with Samsung’s Samsung Pay, which is currently available in 18 countries, including the United States, China, Australia, Britain, Singapore, Spain and Switzerland. (Android Central, Yonhap News, 163, Yesky)

Wearables

[CES2018] YI Technology intelligent imaging technologies, in collaboration with Google’s VR team, have announced details of its YI Horizon VR180 Camera. Developed to leverage Google’s new VR180 format, the stereoscopic, 3-D camera gives users an easy way to capture high-resolution, immersive video. (Business Wire, ZDNet, Sohu, Heix)

Will.i.am’s tech company i.am+ has bought truly wireless earbud startup Earin. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. (Digital Trends, The Verge, TechCrunch, Sohu)

[CES2018] Spartan’s boxer briefs claim to block 99% of mobile phone and Wi-Fi radiation with pure silver fibers woven into the cotton fabric. As the company puts it, the boxer briefs are a Faraday Cage for men’s private parts. (CN Beta, CNET)

Internet of Things

Facebook is reportedly working on a video chat device for the living room ‘Portal’ that features a 13”~15” laptop-size touchscreen, wide-angle camera, microphone, AI speakers, and it will be geared for communal use in the living room. Facebook will unveil Portal in May 2018. (Android Authority, Daily Mail, Telegraph, Cheddar, Sohu)

[CES2018] Anker’s Zolo sub-brand announces Model Zero, which supports Google Assistant. The Model Zero is circular in shape and stands vertical with an oval cutout up top. Besides delivering an iconic look, this loop doubles as a handle with Anker considering this a “Portable Home Speaker”.  (Android Central, 9to5Google, Sohu)

[CES2018] Philips has announced a series of software-related upgrades to its Hue lighting system, including the immediate launch of Hue Entertainment, and new apps for both desktop and mobile devices. Philips also has announced a collaboration with Razer that allows your Hue lights to react to any game played on a device that features Razer Chroma.  (Apple Insider, Mac Rumors, Philips, Sina, My Drivers)

[CES2018] Baidu has unveiled 3 smart hardware products, powered by the latest and most advanced version of its conversational AI system, DuerOS 2.0—Little Fish VS1 smart screen, smart lamp / speaker Sengled, and smart speaker PopIn Aladdin. (CN Beta, Globe Newswire, The Verge)

[CES2018] NXP Semiconductors, LG Electronics and HELLA Aglaia have announced a strategic collaboration for automotive vision applications. The three powerhouses of automotive advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) have created a new vision platform that will be made available to all automakers. (Automotive World, Android Headlines, Globe Newswire, EEPW)

[CES2018] Tello is built by a Chinese company called Ryze, but will be sold through DJI’s storefront, and it is priced at USD99. It only can fly for 13 minutes, equipped with a 720p camera and collision detection. It is also VR headset compatible. (Android Central, DJI, iFeng, Sohu)