Business Articles

A new report published by a Chinese media outlet asserts that the flexible-display maker Visionox has agreed to supply its displays to the OEM Huawei. This agreement will apparently take effect from early 2020. Therefore, this brand (not to mention its subsidiary Honor) could start producing devices with next-gen screens very soon.

The latest research on smart-home tech uptake has shown that 29% of all broadband-using households in the US polled owned at least 1 such device. This is a change of 20% compared to 2018. However, concerns about personal data remain a major barrier to this category doing even better.

Virtual, mixed and augmented reality are probably the most familiar forms of extended reality - or technologically-enhanced experientia - out there. The latest research suggests their combined market may be worth US$30 billion or more by the next decade on. Unsurprisingly, gaming is a prominent sector therein.

Xiaomi has teased its new Watch Color, a wearable that, unlike its last, has a round face. It is slated to come in a variety of finishes and bands that will give it a total of 1540 different possible looks. This new device will be launched on January 3, 2020.

TCL has announced that the new displays to be shown off at the next CES by this company will feature mini-LED technology. This next-gen form of backlight may prove a viable alternative to OLED. TCL asserts that its version are capable of "unrivaled contrast and brilliant clarity".

Today, (December 29, 2019) Xiaomi's CEO Lu Weibing posted to Weibo claiming that the OEM opened no less than 100 brick-and-mortar stores in its native China. These outlets, which were apparently full of potential customers interested in the new Redmi K30 5G, all reportedly started trading at the same time. This achievement rounds off a good 2019 for the company.

The runaway success of Netflix’s Witcher adaptation appears to have had a knock-on effect on the rest of the franchise. The Witcher games recently reached record-high player counts and Andrzej Sapkoswki has been propelled to the top of Amazon's book charts.

The Huawei P40 and P40 Pro are confirmed to be billed for a launch in March. Details and renders of the devices have now been revealed, painting the pictures of two ambitious flagships set to compete against the Samsung Galaxy S11 phones.

A lawsuit was recently filed against Apple, claiming that the company engaged in willful patent violation. The issue at hand is that the Apple Watch Series 3 allegedly violates a patent filed by Dr. Joseph Wiesel with regards to atrial fibrillation detection technology.

Lenovo's first attempt of an integrated privacy filter is not very convincing. The picture quality is not affected, but the privacy filter only works at low brightness levels.

Jony Ive, Apple’s former design head, made a $129,000 contribution to the Daily Mail’s “Be a Tree Angel Campaign.” The campaign, running over the course of National Tree Week, seeks to spread awareness and enhance the UK’s green cover.

HTC continues to take hit after hit. The Taiwanese company's mobile business has suffered over the past few years, and the company is set to downsize its workforce yet again, slightly over a year after it laid off 1,500 staff.

Apple suppliers Goertek and Luxshare are reportedly seeking financing to invest in Vietnamese AirPods Pro manufacturing. In the context of the ongoing US-China trade war and rising wages in China, this marks another instance of production shifting from China to neighbouring lower-wage countries.

Netflix’s stock delivered over 4000 percent in decadal returns, making it the “best-performing stock of the decade.” But, as competition heats up in the streaming video market, questions are raised about just how viable Netflix’s low-margin business approach is. What does the future hold for the streaming giant?

Samsung reportedly plans to release its first-gen foldable phone to the Taiwanese market soon. It is slated to do so in January 2020, and is said to cost well over US$2000 in this new region. The device already features on the OEM's official site for this country.

Sony's image sensor business is in high demand. Even running its factories 24/7 cannot keep up with demand. Sony's semiconductor business expects to generate over US $9 billion in revenue this year, about $8.15 billion of which comes from smartphone camera sensors.

The iPhone XR topped global sales charts in the third quarter of 2016, marking its fourth consecutive quarter at the top, according to Counterpoint Research. Other entrants in the top 10 global sales charts for 2019Q3 include Samsung's mid-range handsets (the Galaxy A series), a trio of Oppo phones, Xiaomi, and Huawei.

The LG V50 ThinQ 5G was unveiled back in February and its successor is billed to come exactly a year after. Going by a new report, the LG V60 ThinQ will be announced at MWC 2020, and it will feature a second screen with an upgraded folding structure.

If a hands-free speaker with the ability to deliver the kind of charging to match is all you want for the holidays, it seems Xiaomi (nearly) has you covered. It has just certified a device called the Mi Wireless Charger Bluetooth Speaker. It appears to be an audio product with a built-in induction coil for smartphones and other gadgets.

Samsung is billed to release the Galaxy S11 phones in February. The problem with that, however, is that there's a chance we won't be getting the S11, as a new tip touts a Huawei-esque naming scheme switch that will see the phones called the Galaxy S20 series instead.

At the request of the director, Universal will roll out an update to the movie Cats, which released this past Friday. The "patch" aims to clean up some of the CGI in the movie, which has largely been panned by critics. The film scored a measly $2.6 million over its opening weekend, a drop in the bucket compared to its $100+ million budget.

DISH, a source of paid TV that also integrates apps such as Netflix, has announced that some Google Nest products can now co-ordinate with its "Hopper" or "Wally" receivers. As a result, users of both products will gain the abilty to see video from their Nest doorbells on their big screen. This update should be available from now.

50 carriers in 27 different locations had set up 5G networks by October 2019, whereas over 300 others in about 109 additional markets may be preparing to do so. This is in accordance with some of the latest research on 5G deployment, which is found in a new whitepaper by OPPO and IHS Markit.

Physicality Games is a new retailer setting itself up as a platform for games in physical form. Its creators assert that its listings will not be "limited", as with some sellers in this market. It also intends to sell merchandise, gaming accessories and collectibles.

GoPro has released a new product that is compatible with its pre-existing mounts. However, it is not an action-cam: it is instead a mini LED floodlight intended to be used with one of them, the HERO8 Black. It can also clip onto this device, although it needs a 2nd accessory to do so.

AMD recently joined the Blockchain Gaming Alliance, the first hardware manufacturer to do so. They aim to provide members with computing platforms to power new, blockchain-based gaming functionality. What are the implications for gamers?

OWC has unveiled its 64 or 128GB RAM stick kits for the new Mac Pro. They come in 768GB to 1.5TB SKUs, meaning a user can match Apple's factory maximum with this third-party memory. However, this option may also enable some savings.

Third quarter financial results show that Apple continues to reign supreme in the smartphone space. Reports indicate that Apple secured over half of the industry's profits and one-third of its revenue.

Google announced yesterday that it has acquired Typhoon, an independent game developer. Typhoon's first game, Journey to the Savage Planet, is due out January 28, 2020. While Google has not given much detail surrounding the acquisition, it's likely the search giant bought the studio to develop games for its ailing Stadia game streaming service.

Motorola had planned to open Razr 2019 pre-orders in the United States on December 26, 2019. However, the OEM has now pushed this event, as well as its subsequent launch, back to an unspecified date. This is said to be due to unexpected levels of interest in buying the foldable phone.

The OnePlus Security Response Center (or OneSRC) is this OEM's first bug-bounty initiative. It offers cash incentives (in USD) to report deficiencies in its own software. They start from US$50, but go into 3 to 4 figures for the more severe vulnerabilities.

There is no need for a Surface Connect port now that Thunderbolt 3 is becoming ubiquitous amongst mid-range to high-end laptops and tablets. There is nothing that Microsoft can't do with the more universal Thunderbolt 3 port that they are already doing with the expensive proprietary Surface Connect port.

PoE Texas has announced the GBT-NUC, a new type of lid for certain Intel mini PCs that enables them to access power and data through just 1 Ethernet cable. Therefore, the devices can function independently of a conventional wall-plug, and may make them into more versatile office computers, display controllers or media-centers.

Samsung has reportedly put a device called the SM-G715FN/DS through FCC testing, suggesting that it will be released soon. Some leaks allege that this phone will be marketed as the XCover Pro, thus resurrecting the OEM's line of these toughphones. Its new addition will have Bluetooth 5.0 and a display of about 6.3 inches in size.

Facebook announced today that it has acquired cloud gaming startup PlayGiga. The startup, which is based in Madrid, has experience working with telecoms to build gaming-as-a-service platforms that rely on 5G networks. This is yet another step in Facebook's journey of snatching up gaming-oriented companies.

The latest firmware update for Nikon Z-series cameras allows them to use CFexpress, a new memory-card format associated with faster transfers compared to XQD. This new software also allows the Z 6 or Z 7 to record 4K UHD or full-HD video in RAW. However, this can only be done with Atomos recorders and may not be available for free.

Netflix is reportedly testing some new plans in the Indian market. It will let users avail discounts on the company's Premium subscription by paying for three, six or twelve months of service in advance. Since they are a part of Netflix's pilot program, the plans are not available to everyone just yet.

The redundantly named ProArt StudioBook Pro will have some of the highest specifications in the ultra-thin mobile workstation space. Expect to pay at least $4000 USD for this professionally-tuned system.

Corsair recently acquired Scuf, a manufacturer of customizable console and PC game controllers. This purchase is yet another move by Corsair to branch out into other market sectors. Corsair purchased Elgato, which makes video streaming and capture equipment, and boutique PC seller Origin last year and this past summer, respectively.

SuperData recently announced its XR Dimensions market intelligence platform. XR Dimensions focuses on trends in the AR and VR industries. Initial XR Dimensions reports make bold claims: VR is thriving and AR is already mainstream. But does the evidence hold up?

LG has announced that the next generation of Signature OLED and NanoCell TVs have "exceeded" the requirements for the 8K Ultra HD designation. This new spec has been developed by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) in order to define the next-gen resolution standard. Therefore, the Korean giant may be the first to use buzzwords such as "Real 8K" when marketing new products.

Razer has opened its first shop in Europe, giving fans the chance to experience all its laptops, peripherals and clothing in one place. Located in London's West End, the store covers over 3,700 square feet split across two floors. The store not only showcases the company's products, but also gives gamers the chance to play games like Fortnite to their heart's content.

AT&T has announced that its 5G service is now live in 10 different American cities, Los Angeles and New York included. In fact, it claims to have 2 (authentic) flavors of this connectivity: 5G and 5G+, which are based on low-band and high-band forms of the new radios. They are available to personal and business customers.

Google unveiled an updated Assistant with new features at its I/O event this year. It has only been available to the US market since then; now, however, it is being applied to others such as Ireland and Canada. Then again, it remains restricted to Pixel devices in these regions.

The Pixel 3a phones are widely regarded as being some of the most recommendable devices in the market right now, especially in the US. The 3a and 3a XL have MSRPs of US$399 and US$479 respectively, but can now be had with a massive US$120 off those prices—US$279 and US$359

Samsung Electronics' President Young Sohn, a few days ago, announced that the company had sold a million units of its US$2000 Galaxy Fold. Apparently, the Samsung executive was wrong. The company did not, in fact, sell a million units of the foldable phone.

Opera released a variant of its browser optimized for gaming earlier this year. Now, it has announced that the same app, known as GX, is compatible with macOS as well as Windows. Therefore, those using such systems can now use features such as Twitch support and network limiters in their browser.

Visible light communication is a form of wireless technology that uses radiation in the visible to infra-red light spectrum to transmit data. It is seen as an increasingly robust and reliable way of doing so, and needs not much more than conventional, low-power LEDs to work. Its market is now thought to be capable of being worth US$101.3 billion by the end of 2024.