Business Articles

Samsung's Exynos team apparently feels humiliated by Samsung releasing the Snapdragon variant of the Galaxy S20 series in South Korea. (Image source: Samsung)

Opinion | Samsung's Exynos 990 snub in South Korea could be the final nail in the coffin for its beleaguered chipset subdivision

The Exynos 990 has come in for a lot of criticism internationally. As we have discussed in our reviews of the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy S20 Ultra, the Exynos 990 is a bit of a stinker. Samsung even dropped its in-house ch...

Alex Alderson, 05 Apr 2020 00:36

Opinion | Samsung refutes reports of performance disparities between the Exynos 990 and Snapdragon 865

The Exynos 990 being a significantly worse chipset than the Snapdragon 865—or even last year's Snapdragon 855—may as well be fact at this point. Samsung appears to disagree, though, for what it's worth.

Ricci Rox, 04 Apr 2020 23:53

Early leaked LG G9 ThinQ renders. (Source: OnLeaks)

Snapdragon 765G-powered LG G9 ThinQ replacement billed for May 15 launch

Going by recent reports, LG has now killed off its flagship G-series, with the LG G9 ThinQ all but officially dead in the water. According to word on the grapevine, the replacement to the G9 ThinQ has now been penned down for a Ma...

Ricci Rox, 04 Apr 2020 23:52

The Huawei Atlas 900 is a 2020 Red Dot Design Award-winning AI cluster

Huawei's Atlas series is this OEM's take on the AI cluster, which delivers extremely high-volume processing for this area of computing. One of its latest variants, the 900, has just won a Red Dot Design Award for 2020. This group ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 03 Apr 2020 18:43

VPN use was found to increase in March 2020. (Source: Flickr)

Global VPN use spiked during March 2020, study finds

Virtual private networks (VPNs) are popular tools among those who want to safeguard their internet usage and the data involved. The sudden and widespread need to work from home has given them a new dimension of necessity, however....

Deirdre O Donnell, 02 Apr 2020 22:14

The Dell Vostro 15 3590 laptops come with a dedicated numeric keypad. (Image source: Dell)

Deal | Budget business for a bargain: Dell Vostro 15 3590 with i7-10510U and AMD Radeon 610 GPU reduced from US$1,212 to US$699

Dell’s Vostro lineup might be overlooked for better known laptop series such as the Inspiron or XPS, but there are some very attractive deals to be had at the moment, especially if you’re looking for a budget device for a small bu...

Daniel R Deakin, 02 Apr 2020 14:59

Huawei's P40 series has been praised for its excellent cameras. (Image source: Huawei)

Alleged domestic prices for the Huawei P40 series will frustrate buyers of the global variants

The alleged domestic prices for the Huawei P40 smartphones have been leaked online, and they are considerably lower than the prices customers will have to pay for the flagship smartphones in the European and UK markets. It has bee...

Daniel R Deakin, 02 Apr 2020 12:49

The display of the P40 Pro was supplied by BOE and LG. (Source: Huawei)

Who made the display on the Huawei P40 Pro? Not Samsung, apparently

The Huawei P40 Pro sports an impressive quad-curved 90 Hz FHD+ AMOLED display, but which company is responsible for producing that piece of hardware? While last year's Huawei P30's screen was made by Samsung, Huawei appears to hav...

Ricci Rox, 02 Apr 2020 10:27

Huawei has released its earnings report for 2019. (Source: Huawei)

Huawei reports that it made US$123 billion in 2019

Huawei has released its financial performance report for 2019, which outlines its takings worldwide from all its business, consumer electronics included. They show that overall revenues have increased year-on-year (YoY). However, ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 01 Apr 2020 16:56

Xiaomi Redmi fans in India will soon have to pay more for their mobile phone of choice. (Image source: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi and POCO announce mobile phone price increases in India due to raised GST

Both Xiaomi and POCO have revealed plans to raise the prices of their smartphone products in India due to the increase in Goods and Service Tax on mobile phones. The rate has gone from 12% to 18% and Xiaomi and POCO will soon be u...

Daniel R Deakin, 01 Apr 2020 13:20

PSA: Update your Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon BIOS or recharging can take almost 6 full hours

PSA: Update your Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon BIOS or be prepared to wait 6 hours for a full charge

The latest BIOS and Thunderbolt firmware update as of March 2 fixes the battery recharge rate of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon. If purchasing a unit from a reseller, the system may be outdated and in need of a manual update.

Allen Ngo, 31 Mar 2020 23:29

Today is World Backup Day, so you might want to ensure your essential digital assets are safe (Source: World Backup Day)

Are your files safe? Today is World Backup Day

Since almost 20 percent of computer users have been targeted by a malware attack in the last year and about the same percentage have never backed up their data, today is a great day to finally back up your files or refresh your ex...

Codrut Nistor, 31 Mar 2020 14:17

AMD introduced Zen 2 processors in 2019. (Image source: AMD)

AMD's Ryzen 5 3600 sold almost three times as many units than all of Intel's chips put together in latest Mindfactory CPU sales data

The latest CPU retail sales revealed from Mindfactory will make for hard reading for Intel. AMD is often dominant in terms of processor sales with the large German retailer, but the latest figures are really worth taking a closer ...

Daniel R Deakin, 31 Mar 2020 11:47

CTL launches its new VX11 Chromebook

CTL has unveiled the latest addition to its series of affordable Chrome OS devices. The VX11 is powered by the Intel Celeron N4020 chipset, thus boosting the Wi-Fi speeds and performance of this 11.6-inch convertible. It also has ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 30 Mar 2020 23:00

The new Jabra Evolve2 series. (Source: Jabra)

Jabra launches the Evolve2 enterprise-grade headsets

Jabra has announced new editions to its collaboration- and co-working-focused Evolve series of headsets. They are compatible with the Unified Communications (UC) platforms typically used in offices, and may block a greater degree ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 30 Mar 2020 21:07

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook coming to the US early April 2020

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook coming to the US next Monday

This Intel Core i5-10210U-driven high-end Chromebook that was unveiled three months ago is finally coming to the US via Best Buy and Samsung's online store. Priced at US$999, the Galaxy Chromebook has a flip-and-fold design and it...

Codrut Nistor, 30 Mar 2020 15:58

Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) gets Android 10 with One UI 2.0 as of late March 2020

Quad-rear camera Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) gets Android 10

Samsung's first phone to sport four rear cameras has just received its second major update. The Android 10/One UI 2.0 update arrives one year after the Galaxy A9 (2018) got the Android 9.0 Pie update. The changelog is not official...

Codrut Nistor, 30 Mar 2020 13:09

Several Sony businesses are to be restructed. (Source: Sony)

Sony will consolidate 3 areas of its business into a new corporation

Sony has announced a plan to take its existing Electronics Products & Solutions (EP&S) divisions, which includes its Mobile Communications business, and combine them into 1 intermediate holding entity. This new corporation is inte...

Deirdre O Donnell, 29 Mar 2020 23:32

The Huawei FusionServer Pro 1288H V5. (Source: Huawei)

Huawei introduces servers with Intel Cascade Lake Refresh compatibility

Intel recently refreshed its Cascade Lake server-grade processors. Huawei has announced that its latest servers can support these Xeon chipsets. They are members of this OEM's FusionServer Pro series, and include the 2298 V5, 1288...

Deirdre O Donnell, 29 Mar 2020 22:38

Early renders of the supposed LG G9 ThinQ. (Source: OnLeaks)

The LG G9 ThinQ may now be dead with LG touted to kill off the series in favor of a new sub-premium phone; 4000 mAh, 6.7" display, sub-$800 price tag, and a Snapdragon 765G?

Last week, there were reports claiming that LG would move the LG G9 ThinQ downmarket by pairing it with a Snapdragon 765G. Apparently, though, those reports may have been misguided. New information claims the Snapdragon 765G-power...

Ricci Rox, 29 Mar 2020 15:54

The Mi 10 Pro costs an overwhelming €999 in Europe. (Source: Xiaomi)

Opinion | The Xiaomi Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro mark the end of the era of affordable Xiaomi flagships

Yesterday, Xiaomi launched the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro globally. While the phones are solid offerings, some would consider them to be priced inappropriately, with the Mi 10 Pro carrying a hefty €999 MSRP. But are the phones overpriced...

Ricci Rox, 28 Mar 2020 21:12

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 with laughable 4 GB RAM on sale for $599 (Image source: Best Buy)

Deal | Microsoft Surface Pro 7 with laughable 4 GB RAM on sale for $599

It's 2020 and high-end Windows PCs are still shipping with 4 GB of RAM for some reason. Do yourself a favor and avoid this one if you intend to do more than just web browsing with a few open tabs.

Allen Ngo, 28 Mar 2020 21:05

The Mi 10 Lite 5G will start at €349 (~US$389). (Image source: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite: 5G connectivity but the cameras from the Redmi Note 9S?

The surprise announcement of yesterday's Xiaomi Mi 10 series event proved not a new flagship, but a new mid-ranger. Succeeding the Mi 9 Lite, the Mi 10 Lite not only packs a 6.57-inch display and a 4,160 mAh battery, but also 5G c...

Alex Alderson, 28 Mar 2020 18:01

Apple halts iPhone production in India: No iPhone SE 2 anytime soon? (Image source: Apple)

iPhone SE 2: Apple halts production in India, inevitably impacting the release of its US$399 budget smartphone

Following the lockdown of India owing to the coronavirus pandemic, Apple has ceased production in the country until at least April 14. With Foxconn and Wistron closing their production facilities, it seems unlikely that any upcomi...

Alex Alderson, 27 Mar 2020 22:14

Control has been added to GeForce NOW. (Source: NVIDIA)

NVIDIA's GeForce NOW to get new games every week

GeForce NOW is NVIDIA's cloud-gaming service. Its streaming library may be bolstered by a new announcement that it will have new titles added by the week going forward. The first batch debuted as a result of this initiative includ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 27 Mar 2020 22:10

The Mi 10 series will start at €799. (Image source: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi announces exorbitant Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro pricing; massive camera upgrades already in the works

Stealing the limelight from the P40 series somewhat, Xiaomi has now confirmed European pricing for the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro. While the Mi series can no longer reasonably be called affordable flagships, Xiaomi has already pledged to...

Alex Alderson, 27 Mar 2020 16:41

Microsoft could make cryptomining great again. (Image Source: Kryptographe)

Microsoft could revolutionize cryptomining with user body activity proof-of-work

A recent Microsoft patent details how the cumbersome proof-of-work implementation on current cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin that has ever-increasing processing power requirements can be replaced with a system that validates user bo...

Bogdan Solca, 27 Mar 2020 16:24

Basically a good convertible: the HP EliteBook x360 1030 G4

HP EliteBook x360 1030 G4: When security hampers productivity

Old LCD screens were almost impossible read when looking at them from the side. After having labored hard at removing this flaw from displays, it has now returned in the shape of a security feature.

Mike Wobker, 27 Mar 2020 14:00

AMD sold 10 time as many motherboards as Intel this week, per Mindfactory (Image source: AMD)

AMD ships 10 times as many motherboards as Intel per latest Mindfactory data

Recent Mindfactory data indicates that AMD has sold 10 times as many motherboards as Intel over the last week. This aligns with previous numbers for Ryzen processors and cements their lead over a beleaguered Intel.

Arjun Krishna Lal, 27 Mar 2020 11:11

Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga - business convertible with slight weaknesses

The Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga is on the virtual shelf for 1,119 euros. The manufacturer relies on a modern Intel Comet Lake SoC with 16 GB RAM and an SSD with 512 GB storage space.

Sebastian Bade/Christian Hintze, 25 Mar 2020 20:18

Samsung introduces its "industry-first" EUV-made DDR4 DRAM

Samsung has announced that the first million units of its revolutionary DRAM made using extreme UV (EUV) techniques have been shipped. This new kind of DDR4 memory's production method is touted to result in higher performance, as ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 25 Mar 2020 19:18

OnePlus launches its own payments service in its home country

OnePlus Pay is the latest smartphone OEM-provisioned digital wallet platform on the market. To date, it only works in China, although it could expand to other markets later. As with other similar services, it allows a user to stor...

Deirdre O Donnell, 25 Mar 2020 18:31

High-speed internet is getting more and more essential. (Source: Wikipedia)

76% of US households polled would find it "very difficult" to live without their high-speed internet

A survey of US households with broadband internet resulted in findings that 76% of this group reported that they would find life harder without these services. Given that this research was conducted in the last quarter of 2019 (4Q...

Deirdre O Donnell, 25 Mar 2020 17:53

Xiaomi already sells a face mask called the Mi AirPOP PM2.5 in China. (Image source: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi puts "Smart Mask" face mask into development

Exceptional times require special measures and solutions. Many companies and manufacturers are reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic by not only producing their regular products like cars, consumer electronics and smartphones but also...

Alex Alderson, 25 Mar 2020 16:24

The ICI HotSpot non-contact thermometer. (Source: ICI)

A US company donates its IR-powered remote thermometers to authorities affected by COVID-19

Infrared Cameras Inc. is a Texas-based company that makes products that allow the assessment of a target's core temperature without touching them. For example, its HotSpot thermometer uses infrared (IR) technology to help assess s...

Deirdre O Donnell, 25 Mar 2020 15:33

DFC analysis: The PlayStation 5 will outsell the Xbox Series X

According to new analysis, Microsoft will catch Sony up somewhat with the pair's next-generation consoles. However, while Microsoft will achieve a larger market share with the Xbox Series X than it did with the Xbox One, Xbox One ...

Alex Alderson, 25 Mar 2020 14:22

Battery life was apparently the primary concern for including a 60 Hz display in the Redmi K30 Pro. (Image source: Xiaomi)

Redmi GM explains why the Redmi K30 Pro only has a 60 Hz display

The Redmi K30 Pro certainly has plenty going for it, but a high refresh-rate display is not one of them. The regular Redmi K30 does though, to confuse matters more. The general manager has now explained this decision.

Alex Alderson, 25 Mar 2020 13:33

Coronavirus: Computex 2020 gets postponed to September

Yet another technology exhibition has to wave the white flag, as the Taiwanese tech-show Computex announced today that it will not happen this June. However, the exhibitors still hope that Computex will eventually happen this year...

Benjamin Herzig, 24 Mar 2020 18:56

Apple is just one company headed for potential loss this year. (Source: Apple)

Every sector of the tech market will feel the effects of COVID-19, according to a new report

GlobalData is an analysis firm that produces the ‘Tech, Media & Telecom Trends' report. It has just released a re-evaluated form of the same for 2020 that takes the economic impact of COVID-19 into account. It indicates that all a...

Deirdre O Donnell, 24 Mar 2020 18:41

The Redmi K30 Pro offers almost everything a user could need. (Source: Redmi)

Xiaomi launches the Redmi K30 Pro and Redmi K30 Pro Zoom Edition - The nigh-perfect flagship killers

Xiaomi has now unveiled the Redmi K30 Pro and K30 Pro Zoom Edition. The phones feature the absolute best performance hardware on the market right now, and deliver virtually everything a smartphone enthusiast could want, at an extr...

Ricci Rox, 24 Mar 2020 09:41

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to advanced prevention measures worldwide. (Source: CDC)

Samsung, OPPO, Vivo and Xiaomi suspend work on their devices at their Indian facilities

Samsung, Xiaomi and OPPO are among a growing number of businesses announcing a shut-down of their plants in India in order to comply with this country's COVID-19-related lockdown measures. Meanwhile, Vivo has reportedly asked thei...

Deirdre O Donnell, 23 Mar 2020 18:53

Some cloud gaming market stats. (Source: Fortune Business Insights)

The cloud gaming market is now projected to be worth as much as US$56.57 billion by 2027

Cloud gaming is an emerging alternative to user-owned PC set-ups, in that the massive amounts of GPU power required to sustain it are accessed remotely. Its market had an estimated value of US$12.53 billion in 2018. However, a new...

Deirdre O Donnell, 23 Mar 2020 18:15

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT graphics card features 40 compute units. (Image source: AMD)

AMD enjoys gains in Mindfactory GPU and CPU sales data thanks to resurgent Radeon RX 5700 XT and consistent Ryzen 3000 demand

AMD has enjoyed a good week in terms of the sales data leaked from Mindfactory. Unsurprisingly, the popularity of the company’s Ryzen 3000 series has continued to help it keep a very strong lead over Intel in CPU sales; however, t...

Daniel R Deakin, 23 Mar 2020 12:05

Samsung accounted for 14.1 percent of the global AP market in 2019

Samsung overtakes Apple and becomes the world's third-largest mobile chipmaker

Thanks to increased sales in India and the US, Samsung has finally managed to overtake Apple and to become the world's third-largest mobile chipmaker. Last year, the tech giant, headquartered in South Korea, was in control of 14.1...

Codrut Nistor, 23 Mar 2020 11:15

HMD Connect is a new roaming alternative. (Source: Google Play Store)

HMD Global offers a new way to get mobile data wherever you are

HMD Global has launched a new product, which is for an Android phone rather than being one. Known as "Connect", it distributes data-only SIMs that operate based on a sort of pay-as-you-go model. The user buys data "packages" to us...

Deirdre O Donnell, 21 Mar 2020 18:49

Only 2 iPad Pros per order, Apple fans. (Source: Apple)

Apple imposes new limits on its online orders due to coronavirus-induced supply issues

Apple has updated its sales pages with a new drop-down menu in its Bag (checkout) page that allows a user to buy a maximum of only 2 given devices at a time. This applies to the iPhones that can be bought through this site, as wel...

Deirdre O Donnell, 20 Mar 2020 22:00