04-27: Fortsense claims to make the LCD in display fingerprint scanners work; Google is allegedly building a new feature phone operating system; etc.
Memory
SK Hynix has disclosed that the company will both increase its output of DRAM made using its 1st generation 10nm-class manufacturing process (aka 1Xnm), and will start to sell DRAMs made using its 2nd generation 10nm-class fabrication technology (aka 1Ynm) in 2H19. The first products to be made using SK Hynix’s 1Ynm production technology will be its 8Gb DDR4-3200 memory chips. (CN Beta, AnandTech, SK Hynix)
Camera
Apple’s next generation of iPhone XR will allegedly follow in the footsteps of both the iPhone X and iPhone XS by adopting a dual-camera setup.This would suggest that both sensors will offer 12MP resolutions and the telephoto zoom lens will offer 2x optical zoom. (Apple Insider, Macotakara, Phone Arena, My Drivers, CN Beta)
Sensory
Tobii has unveiled the next generation of its Tobii Aware software. Tobii Aware uses PC’s Windows Hello-capable camera to blur and lock the screen when the user is not looking. (Engadget, Tobii, CN Beta)
Biometrics
Fortsense claims to make the LCD in display fingerprint scanners work, it had to revise and improve the quality of the LCD backlight panel. It was achieved by enhancing the fingerprint optical path scheme of the display panel. (My Drivers, CN Beta, OfWeek, 91Mobiles, iGyaan)
Phone
Huawei’s EMUI has reached over 470M daily active users recently. The information comes straight from Wang Chenglu, president of the software department at the company’s consumer business group. EMUI is available in 77 languages across 216 countries or regions in the world. (GSM Arena, GizChina, IT Home)
Google is allegedly building a new feature phone operating system as a competitor to KaiOS. (GizChina, IT Home, Android Headlines, 9to5Google)
The market share of Chinese brands in the Indian smartphone market reached a record 66% during 1Q19, according to Counterpoint Research. Volumes for the Chinese brands grew 20% year-on-year (YoY) mainly due to the growth of vivo, Realme, and OPPO. (Android Authority, Counterpoint Research)
PC / Tablet
TF Securities Ming-Chi Kuo claims that Apple will equip future iPad Pro models with an LCP (liquid crystal polymer) soft board, which will reduce signal loss and increase networking performance. The use of LCP soft boards in iPad models will supposedly begin in 4Q19 and 1Q20, but it is not clear when the iPads equipped with soft boards will actually launch. Kuo does not expect Apple to put a 5G baseband chip in the iPad until 2021 or later. (CN Beta, TF Securities, Phone Arena, BGR, UDN)
Samsung Galaxy View 2 is announced – 17.3” 1920×1080 FHD+ IPS, Samsung Exynos 7884, front 5MP, 3+64GB, Android 8.1, 12000mAh, Dolby Atmos, supports AT&T LTE network, USD740 (monthly USD37 to AT&T). (CN Beta, The Verge, Engadget, Droid-Life)
Automotive
Online payment company PayPal plans to invest USD500M in Uber as the ride-hailing firm readies to unveil terms for its initial public offering. PayPal will invest in Uber through a concurrent private placement at the IPO price. (VentureBeat, Reuters, Tencent)
Ford’s president Marcy Klevorn the company will have 100 self-driving vehicles on the road by the end of 2019. Ford is currently testing vehicles in Miami and Washington, D.C. (CN Beta, Sina, CNBC)
Commerce
Walmart has unveiled a new “store of the future” and test grounds for emerging technologies, including AI-enabled cameras and interactive displays. The store, a working concept called the Intelligent Retail Lab (IRL) operates out of a Walmart Neighborhood Market in Levittown, N.Y. (CN Beta, Walmart, TechCrunch)
