Business Articles

What's the world's fastest mobile network? UAE's Etisalat tops the list at 99 Mbps, followed by South Korea

5G networks are set to transform the mobile data experience. However, very robust 4G infrastructure means that people in some countries already have access to ultra-fast connectivity. Etisalat in the UAE tops the list, offering sp...

Arjun Krishna Lal, Tue, 27 Oct 2020 09:43:00 +0100

A schematic of the new OLED panel's make-up. (Source: SAIT)

Samsung’s next-gen OLED panels could upgrade to five-figure pixel densities

A new development in OLED technology could result in ultra-high-resolution displays, thanks to the latest developments in increasingly thin, effective solar panels. It involves cutting-edge physics that could be relevant to both f...

Deirdre O'Donnell, Mon, 26 Oct 2020 23:44:00 +0100

LG Display reports a return to profitability for the first quarter of the last seven

LG's display division has just released its financial performance figures for the third quarter of 2020 (3Q2020). It has posted a net profit of about US$9.7 million, whereas it reported losses in 2Q2020 and in 3Q2019. There are al...

Deirdre O'Donnell, Mon, 26 Oct 2020 18:41:00 +0100

The new Redmi K30S may look a lot like this. (Source: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi is slated to launch the Redmi K30S Extreme Commemorative Edition in China

Redmi is set to add a new member to the K30 series tomorrow, albeit in China only. However, the rest of the world has apparently already seen this phone, as it is a rebranded Mi 10T. Nevertheless, it is projected to sell for price...

Deirdre O'Donnell, Mon, 26 Oct 2020 15:56:00 +0100

The interest in smart home devices among different household types. (Source: Parks Associates)

Having a home security system may make it more likely for you to buy a smart home device

A new research report has concluded that 63% of households with residential security equipment in the US are now considering buying a smart home device in the next 12 months compared to 40% of broadband internet-using households. ...

Deirdre O'Donnell, Sun, 25 Oct 2020 23:17:00 +0100

AirTags may go places you might not expect. (Source: USPTO via PatentlyApple)

A new leak may reveal the full potential of Apple's upcoming AirTags

Apple is now slated to finally unleash its long-awaited AirTags in 2021. These new products are currently widely accepted to be this OEM's answer to products such as Tile anti-loss wireless accessories. However, according to leaks...

Deirdre O'Donnell, Fri, 23 Oct 2020 20:09:00 +0200

The Papercraft pre-order kit will only be available in Germany. (Image source: Microsoft)

Microsoft is offering origami Xbox Series X Papercraft Kits with pre-orders

Fancy some origami while you wait for your Xbox Series X to arrive? Well, Microsoft is offering Papercraft Kits with some Xbox Series X pre-orders, albeit only Germany. You can print out your own Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S 'P...

Alex Alderson, Fri, 23 Oct 2020 19:44:00 +0200

The RTX A6000 has been found wanting in SPECviewperf 2020. (Image source: NVIDIA)

Leaked NVIDIA RTX A6000 benchmark result points to uninspiring performance with only an 11% uplift over the RTX 6000

The first benchmark result for the RTX A6000 is in, and it does not look good for NVIDIA's enterprise card. Based on a full-fat GA102 GPU with 10,752 CUDA cores supported by 48 GB of VRAM, the RTX A6000 only managed 11% higher sco...

Alex Alderson, Fri, 23 Oct 2020 19:41:00 +0200

Discontinued iPod models: iPod Video, iPod 4th Generation, iPod Mini, iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle (Source: Chris Harrison)

Gone but not forgotten: The original iPod is now 18 years old

After spending almost two decades on the market, the only portable media player sold by Apple that still carries the iPod name is the 7th generation Touch, which is much closer to an iPhone than to the original iPod. Once accounti...

Codrut Nistor, Fri, 23 Oct 2020 17:08:00 +0200

The Master Chief Collection will have to tide Halo fans over with 120 FPS gaming until the arrival of Halo Infinite next year. (Image source: Xbox Game Studios)

Halo: The Master Chief Collection will run at 120 FPS on the Xbox Series X and S

The release of Halo Infinite may be a while off yet, but The Master Chief Collection is coming to the Xbox Series X and S on November 17. The re-release will run at up to 120 FPS on Microsoft's new consoles and will feature a host...

Alex Alderson, Fri, 23 Oct 2020 15:06:00 +0200

Windows 10 21H1 will match the splash screens of programs to your chosen theme. (Image source: Microsoft)

Windows 10 21H1: Microsoft to add HDD/SSD drive health warnings and design upgrades as new preview build lands

Microsoft has released the Windows 10 21H1 Insider Preview Build 20241, integrating yet more features into next year's update. Behind the scenes, the company has been working on many features, including one that will warn people i...

Alex Alderson, Thu, 22 Oct 2020 22:51:00 +0200

An injunction is preventing Lenovo from selling most of its products on its German website. (Image source: Lenovo)

Nokia blocks Lenovo from selling any laptops, PCs or tablets in Germany and is seeking similar injunctions in Brazil, India and the US

Lenovo has had to remove almost all its products from its German website, because of a patent dispute with Nokia. The Chinese company has supposedly been violating H.264 patents that Nokia holds, resulting in the Finnish company t...

Alex Alderson, Thu, 22 Oct 2020 21:26:00 +0200

Update | TSMC can do business with Huawei again, but with a reportedly epic twist

The current US administration put Huawei on its Entity List, which ultimately led to the OEM being cut off from vital suppliers such as TSMC. However, that company has now obtained a license to once again sell to the Chinese elect...

Deirdre O'Donnell, Thu, 22 Oct 2020 15:44:00 +0200

Dell Latitude 5310 in review: Business laptop with long battery life

Dell is mainly doing a model update with the Latitude 5310

Dell's compact business-oriented 13.3-incher offers long battery life, a good keyboard (backlit), and a fast NVMe SSD. An LTE modem is optionally available.
Intel Core i5-10310U | Intel UHD Graphics 620 | 13.3" | 1.2 kg

Sascha Mölck, Thu, 22 Oct 2020 14:32:00 +0200

A Mini next to a regular old iPhone 12. (Source: Apple)

The iPhone 12 Mini is something Android OEMs may ignore as a trend

Apple may have pleased may fans with the release of the iPhone 12 Mini, a rare return to mobile screens of well under 6 inches in size. Therefore, other non-iOS smartphone manufacturers may want to start on their own equally compa...

Deirdre O'Donnell, Wed, 21 Oct 2020 20:01:00 +0200

These models may be the lightest, but they also come with small batteries. (Image Source: Fujitsu)

Fujitsu announces the world's lightest 13.3-inch Lifebook laptops weighing only 634 g, Intel Tiger Lake and AMD Renoir processors in tow

In order to bring the total weight down to 643 grams, Fujitsu had to reduce the number of components, replace the metallic upper cover with carbon fiber and redesign some of the ports and internal circuitry. The UH-X / E3 models a...

Bogdan Solca, Wed, 21 Oct 2020 16:26:00 +0200

New Acer ConceptD 7 Pro & ConceptD 7 workstations with GeForce RTX 2080 Super

Acer is releasing an updated mobile workstation: The ConceptD 7 Pro combines the Quadro RTX 5000 with Intel Comet Lake H. As a variant, the ConceptD 7 contains the GeForce RTX 2080 Super instead of the ISV-certified Quadro.

Benjamin Herzig, Wed, 21 Oct 2020 15:45:00 +0200

The new Travelmate P4 series is lighter and slimmer. (Image Source: Acer)

Acer launches Travelmate P4 & Spin P4 business notebooks with Intel Tiger Lake CPUs

The new Travelmate models come in slimmer yet sturdier chassis made of an aluminum-magnesium mix. Upgrades include the latest Tiger Lake CPUs with Xe iGPUs, up to 32 GB of DDR4 RAM, up to 1 TB NVMe SSD storage, a Thunderbolt 4 con...

Bogdan Solca, Wed, 21 Oct 2020 15:45:00 +0200

The new Acer Chromebox CXI4. (Source: Acer)

Acer pitches its new Chromebox CXI4 as a desktop-replacement for enterprise or education

The CXI4 is Acer's new Chromebox with up-to-date connectivity, featuring Wi-Fi 6, USB 3.2 Gen 2 and type C ports. Therefore, it may prove an option for the processing needed in retail or learning spaces. It also has the dimensions...

Deirdre O'Donnell, Wed, 21 Oct 2020 15:45:00 +0200

Windows applications can now natively run inside Chrome OS. (Image via Parallels)

Chromebooks can now natively run Windows apps thanks to Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise

A new software tool from Parallels, the Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise, allows certain Chromebooks to natively run Windows apps alongside Chrome OS apps, no Internet required. The software seamlessly integrates Window...

Sam Medley, Wed, 21 Oct 2020 04:25:00 +0200

Consumer tech may have a relative boom in 4Q2020. (Source: Pixabay)

Consumer tech sales figures in the US are set to show positive change for the last quarter of 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic often has connotations of economic downturn and general consumption-insecurity. Nevertheless, the US consumer tech sector is now projected to grow by 18% year-on-year for the final quarter of 2020 (4Q2020), w...

Deirdre O'Donnell, Wed, 21 Oct 2020 00:39:00 +0200

Xiaomi claims to have reduced plastic usage by 60% in the packaging of the Mi 10T Lite, without needing to remove the charger or case. (Image source: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi ribs Apple again for not including a charger in the box with Mi 10T Lite advert

Xiaomi is revamping the packaging of the Mi 10T Lite in Europe by using cardboard instead of plastic. The result should yield up to 60% less plastic used without needing to remove the charger or case from the box, an impressive fe...

Alex Alderson, Tue, 20 Oct 2020 21:03:00 +0200

The OnePlus 8T is now on T-Mobile. (Source: OnePlus)

T-Mobile launches the OnePlus 8T with an introductory 50% discount offer

The US carrier T-Mobile now lists the new OnePlus 8T as its latest 5G phone. It costs the same as unlocked units in this country; however, a buyer may avail of an offer by which one is half this price when bought with a new line o...

Deirdre O'Donnell, Tue, 20 Oct 2020 19:22:00 +0200

Intel's SSD business will soon belong to SK Hynix. (Image via Intel)

SK Hynix buys Intel's NAND business for US$9 billion

SK Hynix and Intel have reached a deal to sell Intel's NAND memory business for US$9 billion over the next 5 years. The sale includes Intel's NAND IPs and a NAND manufacturing facility in China.

Sam Medley, Tue, 20 Oct 2020 14:58:00 +0200

Laptop naming conventions have become a total mess

ROG Strix Scar 15 G532, ROG Strix Scar III G531, HP Pavilion 15-cs0053cl, XPS 13 7390, XPS 13 9380, Yoga C930, Yoga Book C930... it's no surprise that even we're starting to get a bit confused at how all these names are structured...

Column by Allen Ngo, Mon, 19 Oct 2020 21:21:00 +0200

The Mi 10T series will start at £199 from October 26. (Image source: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi announces the Mi 10T series in the UK; Mi 10T Lite to debut for £199 from October 26

Xiaomi has announced plans to bring the Mi 10T series to the UK. The Mi 10T, Mi 10T Pro and Mi 10T Lite will all be available to purchase from multiple retailers, including Amazon and Mi.com. The Mi 10T Lite will start for just £1...

Alex Alderson, Mon, 19 Oct 2020 19:30:00 +0200

OPPO launches its first-ever TVs with a 65-inch QLED flagship model

OPPO unveiled products new to this OEM during its October 19, 2020 Wisdom Life conference in China. They include its first-ever TVs, which run on a version of ColorOS developed specially for this new category. They have 4K panels,...

Deirdre O'Donnell, Mon, 19 Oct 2020 19:23:00 +0200

Sony is onto a winner with the PlayStation 5, according to one chief analyst. (Image source: Sony)

The Sony PlayStation 5 is tracking to sell nearly twice the volume of the PlayStation 2's 157 million lifetime sales

The PlayStation 2's record sales will be blown away by the market dominance of the PlayStation 5, according to a top Japanese analyst. Sony's next-generation console is expected to sell anywhere from 200 to 300 million units its l...

Alex Alderson, Mon, 19 Oct 2020 18:20:00 +0200

BOE may be planning to make its own glass for foldables in the future

BOE is the largest supplier of display panels (AMOLED included) in China. A new report indicates that it now intends to compete even further with the likes of Samsung by making its own ultra-thin glass (UTG) as well. This material...

Deirdre O'Donnell, Mon, 19 Oct 2020 17:18:00 +0200

The PlayStation 5 will be launched next month. (Image source: Sony/PlayStation Fanatic)

Updated | PlayStation 5 launch possibly delayed in many Southeast Asia countries as Singapore is treated to a second PS5 pre-order run

PlayStation fans in Southeast Asia will be dismayed by the rumor that the PlayStation 5 launch may have been delayed in a number of countries in that region, including Indonesia and Thailand. However, while gamers in some places m...

Daniel R Deakin, Mon, 19 Oct 2020 10:53:00 +0200

HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7: Even new designs can't save Comet Lake laptops

Intel-based business laptops still have to make do with Comet Lake. This may not stop business customers from buying, but for many customers, laptops with outda...
Intel Core i7-10610U | NVIDIA Quadro P520 | 15.6" | 1.8 kg

Benjamin Herzig, Mon, 19 Oct 2020 03:21:00 +0200

Intel launches the Tiger Lake Celeron 6000 series

Intel's latest Celeron 6305 and 6305E processors have a number of up-to-date features and specs that may make devices based on them particularly worthy of consideration. There may have a lower base clock here compared to its immed...

Deirdre O'Donnell, Sat, 17 Oct 2020 20:05:00 +0200

Intel has a new Pentium Gold variant. (Source: Intel)

Intel Pentium Gold steps up to 10nm thanks to a new Tiger Lake-based variant

Intel has launched the Pentium Gold 7505 processor, which, unlike its immediate predecessor, has a 10 nanometer (nm) architecture thanks to its place in the Tiger Lake series. It also now has double the cache and supports faster i...

Deirdre O'Donnell, Sat, 17 Oct 2020 19:17:00 +0200

Rivals like the Honor 20 Pro and Redmi Note 9 Pro could soon be stablemates. (Image source: Honor/Xiaomi - edited)

Xiaomi mentioned as one of the potential buyers for Honor as Huawei allegedly eyes up 25 billion yuan (US$3.73 billion) deal

Xiaomi is believed to be one of the potential buyers for Huawei’s sub-brand Honor if such a deal is being planned. Other companies connected with the alleged sell-off include Digital China and TCL. Huawei has denied the rumor in t...

Daniel R Deakin, Sat, 17 Oct 2020 11:11:00 +0200

The Xperia 1 II will soon be available in Mirror Lake Green. (Image source: Sony)

Sony unveils new Mirror Lake Green colour option of the Xperia 1 II with 12 GB of RAM

Sony has unveiled a new colour option of the Xperia 1 II, Mirror Lake Green. The fresh look for the flagship smartphone has also been paired with 12 GB of RAM, like the Frost Black version that Sony launched in August.

Alex Alderson, Fri, 16 Oct 2020 23:56:00 +0200

The Xperia 5 II has a dual-layer motherboard. (Image source: Sony)

Xperia 5 II teardown reveals Sony's innovative cooling decisions

The Xperia 5 II may not feature a vapour chamber cooling system, but Sony has attempted to keep its latest flagship cool in other ways. Multiple pieces of graphite film should help prevent overheating, while the Xperia 5 II looks ...

Alex Alderson, Fri, 16 Oct 2020 19:43:00 +0200

Nokia may go to the moon soon. (Source: Nokia/LibreShot)

4G/LTE is going to the moon, and Nokia is going to install it there

Nokia has secured a contract from NASA to provide it with a 4G/LTE network - for a lunar base. The US' space administration has plans to have such a structure on the moon and operational by 2028, and the Finnish brand is the one t...

Deirdre O'Donnell, Fri, 16 Oct 2020 19:33:00 +0200

Carl Pei says goodbye to OnePlus' fans. (Source: OnePlus)

Carl Pei confirms his departure from OnePlus

OnePlus is a smartphone brand that has leveraged hype around "alternative" flagships into a market-leading position over the years, and Carl Pei has been there from the start as its co-founder. However, he has just posted a goodby...

Deirdre O'Donnell, Fri, 16 Oct 2020 18:30:00 +0200

The 15-inch Ultrabook Samsung Galaxy Book Ion is great - but it still has some issues.

We recently reviewed the 15-inch version of the ultra light-weight Galaxy Book Ion and were very pleased with it - all except for one major issue. Despite its g...
Intel Core i7-10510U | NVIDIA GeForce MX250 | 15.6" | 1.3 kg

Christian Hintze, Fri, 16 Oct 2020 16:32:00 +0200

The PG32UQX is a 32-inch Mini-LED gaming monitor with a 144 Hz refresh rate. (Image source: ASUS)

ASUS ROG Swift PG32UQX: Retailer listing points to a US$6,400 asking price for 4K, 144 Hz and Mini-LED gaming monitor

ASUS has packed an awful lot of features into the slim chassis of the ROG Swift PG32UQX, its 32-inch gaming monitor. Not only has ASUS included a 4K panel, but it also has equipped the PG32UQX with a 1,152 zone Mini-LED backlight ...

Alex Alderson, Fri, 16 Oct 2020 13:17:00 +0200

The iPhone 12 series could hit 80 million units sold before the turn of 2021. (Image source: Apple)

Apple iPhone 12 series sales pegged to 80 million units by the end of 2020

Apple is expected to sell at least 70 million iPhone 12 units by the end of 2020, DigiTimes claims. Apple may even top 80 million units before the new year, barring an escalation in the trade war between China and the United State...

Alex Alderson, Thu, 15 Oct 2020 22:16:00 +0200

The supposedly special edition of the OnePlus Nord is not all that special. (Image source: OnePlus)

The OnePlus Nord Gray Ash has a matte finish, but it is only available with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage

OnePlus has released a new version of the Nord, its budget alternative to the likes of the OnePlus 8T and OnePlus 8 Pro. The Gray Ash variant is only available with the premium storage option of the OnePlus Nord though, making it ...

Alex Alderson, Thu, 15 Oct 2020 15:10:00 +0200

The AirPods Studio may not arrive until March 2021, but the AirTags may debut next month. (Image source: Jon Prosser & Concept Creator)

Apple AirTags reputedly launching next month with iOS 14.3, but production issues push AirPods Studio release until December 2020 at the earliest

The AirPods Studio may not be arriving until December at the earliest, according to a new report. March 2021 is another likely candidate for the release window of Apple's over-ear headphones, which are rumoured to cost up to US$59...

Alex Alderson, Thu, 15 Oct 2020 15:08:00 +0200

The XPS series is in this winter sale. (Source: Dell)

Dell discounts a host of consumer and small business hardware for the 2020 winter holidays

Dell's end-of-2020 holiday deals have been outlined in good time this year. They are a range of discounts on PCs and monitors for entrepreneurs as well as those looking for gift ideas already. This includes Vostro-brand machines, ...

Deirdre O'Donnell, Thu, 15 Oct 2020 15:00:00 +0200