4-20: Intel layoffs 12000; Samsung develops new CIS of 1/1.7-inch; Samsung to get back Apple’s NAND orders; Huawei to focus on IoT, VR and 5G in 2016; etc.

4-20: Intel layoffs 12000; Samsung develops new CIS of 1/1.7-inch; Samsung to get back Apple’s NAND orders; Huawei to focus on IoT, VR and 5G in 2016; etc.

2016-04-20

Uncategorised

Intel layoffs 12000; Sony has issued a statement disclosing its manufacturing sites in the Kumamoto region; Samsung develops new CIS of 1/1.7-inch; Samsung to get back Apple’s NAND orders; Feature phones still have demand in emerging markets; Huawei to focus on IoT, VR and 5G in 2016; LeEco unveils LeSEE first car; etc.

Chipset

Intel is laying off 12,000 employees globally, or about 11% of its workforce. (The Verge, Intel, Sina, Sohu)

Display

Synaptics announced that Meizu is featuring Synaptics’ ClearForce technology for its new flagship PRO 6 smartphone. (EE Trend, Synaptics, NADSAQ)

Sony Xperia X Premium to feature world’s first High Dynamic Range (HDR) display. It is a technique used in imaging and photography to reproduce a greater dynamic range of luminosity than is possible with standard digital imaging or photographic techniques. (Pocket-Lint, Phone Radar, CS, My Drivers)

Camera

Sony has issued a statement disclosing its manufacturing sites in the Kumamoto region which have been affected by the earthquake of April 14 and subsequent earthquakes. (Digitimes, press, 163, People.cn)

Samsung to develop a huge 1/1.7” CMOS camera sensor with an aperture as wide as ƒ/1.4 for its future smartphones, capturing 18MP-24MP images. (GSM Arena, Photo Rumors, Sam Mobile, CN Beta)

Apple patent “folded telephoto camera lens system” describes a method of forming a telephoto lens into a sort of lowercase “r” shape, reminiscent of an old-fashioned periscope. (Apple Insider, ZOL, iFeng)

Memory

Since iPhone 5, Apple has been requesting to use EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference) shielding technology for NAND-Flash package. Samsung Electronics is reportedly co-developing EMI shielding process that uses spray method with Protec. It is planning to supply NAND flash memories to Apple for iPhones. (ET News, TechNews)

Biometrics

Average iPhone user unlocks device 80 times per day, 89% use Touch ID, Apple says. (Apple Insider, Techpinions, Sohu)

Smartphones

Some China-based handset suppliers are still ramping sales of feature phones at lower prices to emerging markets where demand for such devices remains strong due to insufficient next-generation mobile communication networks and lower purchasing power. (Digitimes, press)

Huawei expects to sell over 10 million P9 and P9 Plus units in 2016. (Android Headlines, GSM Arena, IT168)

Xiaomi managed to sell 14.8 million smartphone units in 1Q16 worldwide according to an estimate made by IHS Technology analyst Kevin Wang. (Phone Arena, Android Headlines, iFeng)

Google Play Store – which hosts a total of around 2 million apps – saw more than 11.1 billion app downloads in the last quarter, an increase of around 6.7% compared to the figure reported during the same time last year. The top 3 apps were social media applications, owned by Facebook — WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Facebook. (GSM Arena, Phandroid, Statista)

Apple has elected to pay USD24.9 million to Dallas-based company Dynamic Advances to settle a four-year-old lawsuit relating to Siri. (The Verge, Business Journal, DoNews, ZOL)

Pulling data from Apple December 2015 earnings report, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster estimates gross margins on Apple services business could be above 60%. The analyst estimates gross margins for Apple’s cut of App Store revenue is 90%-95%, while Apple Care is at 70%. (Apple Insider, Tencent, Regator)

China-based Oukitel K6000 Premium is official – 5.5” FHD AMOLED display, MediaTek Helio X20 MT6797 processor, 13MP + 13MP cameras, 6GB RAM, 32GB storage, Android 6.0, LTE, dual-SIM, 6000mAh battery. (Android Headlines)

LeEco unveils: Le Max 2 – 5.7” QHD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 21MP OIS + 8MP cameras, 4GB RAM + 32GB storage / 6GB RAM + 64GB storage, Android 6.0 (EUI 5.5), LTE, dual-SIM, USB Type-C, ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, 3100mAh battery, CNY2100 / CNY2500. Le 2 Pro – 5.5” FHD display, MediaTek Helio X25 processor, 21MP PDAF + 8MP cameras, 4GB RAM, 32GB storage, Android 6.0 (EUI 5.5), LTE, USB Type-C, fingerprint sensor, 3000mAh battery, CNY1500. Le 2 – 5.5” FHD display, MediaTek Helio X20 processor, 16MP + 8MP cameras, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, Android 6.0 (EUI 5.5), USB Type-C, 3000mAh battery, CNY1100. (GSM Arena, TechWeb, Android Central, ZOL)

ZTE unveils two new smartphones: ZTE A910 – 5.5” HD Super AMOLED display, MediaTek MT6735 processor, 13MP PDAF + 8MP cameras, 2GB RAM + 16GB storage / 3GB RAM + 32GB storage, LTE, dual-SIM, fingerprint sensor, 2540mAh battery, CNY1299 / CNY1499. ZTE V7 MAX – 5.5” FHD Super AMOLED display, MediaTek octa-core preocessor, 16MP PDAF + 8MP cameras, 3GB RAM + 32GB storage / 4GB RAM + 32GB storage, LTE, dual-SIM, fingerprint sensor, 3000mAh battery, CNY1799 / CNY1999. (CN Beta, PC Home)

Wearables

Chinese device maker Pico has unveiled a new VR system Pico Neo – 3.81” 1200×1080 AMOLED display with 102º field of view, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB RAM, 32GB eMMC, physical buttons plus a touchpad on the back and a 6-axis motion sensor, 5000mAh battery, CNY1899. (The Verge, Pico VR, Liliputing, Geekbuying, Sina, TechWeb)

Internet of Things

In a recent survey of more than 600 IT leaders from K-12 and higher-education organizations conducted by Extreme Networks, almost half – 46% – reported that they believe Internet of Things (IoT) technology will transform the way students learn at their schools within the next two years. (Re/Write, Extreme Networks, Cloud IoE)

A startup called Timeular is building a strange new Bluetooth paperweight for time tracking, ZEI°. User can write different tasks on each side of the polyhedron, and then when you flip ZEI° to a new side, it tells the computer or phone to start a timer for that side’s task. (The Verge, Timular, LMTW)

Huawei has revealed its vision for 2016 at its annual analyst summit (HAS), with a focus on the Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, and 5G internet. (Read/Write, Indian Express, Huanqiu, CC Time)