Business Articles

Xiaomi has announced the launch of its two new entry-level smartphones, the Redmi 6 and Redmi 6A. The previous offerings in the series were best-sellers, so these new ones have rather large boots to fill. Of course, there’s the pesky little issue of the devices featuring MediaTek processors.

Although Intel is very quiet with the details, independent sources confirmed that the new 10 nm processor is based on a 71 mm Cannon Lake die. Its die includes a 45 x 24 mm CPU area and a 47 mm chipset. Unfortunately, due to the troublesome manufacturing process, Intel will not be able to mass produce the new chip before the end of the year.

Verizon is rolling out a third "unlimited" data plan that offers 75 GB of premium 4G LTE data for $95/month. After that 75 GB allotment is up, data can be subject to throttling during "high-traffic times" in order to relieve congestion. The rollout of this data plan still doesn't answer consumer demand for a truly unlimited plan on America's largest network provider.

Epic Games has announced that Fortnite's first World Cup will be held late next year. The tournament, which will be open to any and all gamers that want to participate, will offer $100 million in prizes, spread across various events and victors.

In a memo to his car manufacturing company, Elon Musk said that Tesla would be laying off 9% of its workforce, which equates to about 3,000 jobs. This is the latest move by the electric car manufacturer to stem its outward cash flow, which has only grown since the delivery of its first vehicle six years ago.

Lenovo launches the first model of its well-known ThinkPad-line of laptops with the new Intel Coffee-Lake hexa-core processors. The new ThinkPad P52 is not only the first ThinkPad workstation with those new CPUs, its also Lenovo's first VR-ready mobile workstation in the more compact 15.6-inch size with the new Nvidia Quadro P3200.

Huawei has officially launched its new MediaPad M5 tablets for the US market. The devices come in three variants and bring some much-needed life back to a dying tablet scene. Prices begin at just over US$300.

Renders of the upcoming Nokia 5.1 Plus have surfaced. Going by the images, the device will feature a notch, making it the second Nokia device to do so, after the Nokia X6 that was released a short while ago.

The Mate 10 Pro remains one of the best devices on the planet, and is currently available for US$550 on multiple retail outlets, a significant price drop from its US$800 launch MSRP. The model on sale is unlocked, comes with 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage, and a US warranty.

Samsung’s Galaxy S9 devices have been said to be numerical improvements over the S8 devices but you wouldn’t think that if you saw their sales numbers. The flagships finally overtook the iPhone X and iPhone 8 pair to become the best-selling smartphones in the world in April, although there’s an obvious reason for that.

The Vivo NEX is billed to be unveiled today. Details of the device have surfaced already, however, throwing more light on a device that’s regarded by most to be one of the most radical smartphones in recent times.

The Microsoft Surface Lex, also known as the Surface L, is rumored to arrive with type covers currently codenamed "Gibs" while its list of specs and features apparently includes USB Type-C and LTE connectivity. Compared to the Surface slates currently available and the type covers for them, the Surface Lex and its keyboard attachment will both be more affordable.

Maryland-based video-game developer Bethesda has released an official trailer for Fallout 76 at E3 and announced work on The Elder Scrolls VI. Other projects from the company discussed at the massive trade show in Los Angeles included an epic space game called Starfield and a new entry into the Doom franchise: Doom Eternal.

A Microsoft executive has confirmed that the company is working on new Xbox consoles. Phil Spencer, who is the Executive Vice President of Gaming and head of the Xbox brand, stated that the development team behind the highly successful Xbox One X console was already busy working on future iterations of the popular home entertainment device.

The 2017 15.6-inch Legion Y520 will split into two successors this year as the Legion Y530 and Legion Y7000. The Y7000 represents a more natural evolution of the existing Legion design while the Y530 will be more restrained in its looks to appeal to office workers. Both, however, are otherwise very similar in performance and internal options.

After 20 years since its 1998 release as Yahoo Pager, today's Yahoo Messenger — a Verizon property starting in 2017 — will be shut down in about five weeks. Although there is no official replacement for this iconic product, its successor might be Squirrel, a messaging app which is currently being tested by a few chosen ones.

A user on Reddit has narrated the tales of their trip into China, which saw the country’s border police accost them and install what was almost definitely surveillance software on their Android devices.

HTC released its sales numbers for the month of May, with the company recording close to a 50% drop in revenue from the same period in 2017. Revenue for the first five months of the year was equally distressing, though things are likely to pick up as the U12+ goes on sale this month.

Apparently, Intel's 28-core CPU presentation from Computex was not really accurate, as the company tried to pull a few tricks on the audience. Anandtech meanwhile got some answers from Intel, revealing that the demo CPU was pre-overclcocked to 5 GHz. Moreover, the chip is designed for extreme workstations, so this was not the HEDT Cascade Lake-X CPU.

Essential has announced the release of its new Audio Adapter HD. The small adapter can be attached to the PH-1 and allows users to plug in a 3.5mm cable for an MQA-certified audio experience.

iPhone X clones are a dime a dozen, and the latest device to join that hallowed list is the subtly-named Ulefone X. The new device may be a shameless clone but it does look good on paper, which is more than can be said for a few other devices in that niche.

Following Trump's intervention, ZTE has finally been granted a lifeline out of its current dire straits. The Chinese company has been ordered to pay a massive US$1.4 billion fine for its misdemeanours that saw it hit with a trade ban a few months ago.

Live images of Nubia's upcoming flagship, the Nubia Z18, have surfaced, revealing everything the device has to offer. Slim bezels, a chin, and a notch are some of the biggest talking points.

It's clear that HDDs will soon become obsolete even when it comes to capacity, but the enterprise sector is still relying on these devices because SSDs still cost a fortune in large numbers. Seagate's latest Exos 14 TB HDD is primarily aimed at the enterprise sector, but IronWolf and Barracuda versions for NAS and consumer markets are also expected in late 2018.

Motorola has finally unveiled its latest device, the sub-premium Moto Z3 Play. The smartphone is definitely solid on paper but its five hundred dollar price tag may be off-putting to some.

HMD has proclaimed its dedication towards providing steady updates for its devices. The company has promised that all of its devices will receive the update to Android P when it's released—yes, even devices like the sub-$100 Nokia 1 and Nokia 2.

Do you own a laptop with an OLED display? It's going to have to last because IPS displays continue to be the go-to panel technology for nearly all new models. Both Lenovo and Dell discontinued their only OLED laptops last year and have told us that they have no short-term plans to reintroduce an OLED option.

It seems like Blizzard is feeling the pressure from games like Path of Exile, as it finally revealed that it is working on a new Diablo game through a job listing for dungeon artists. With Blizzard being so meticulous, the game could remain in development for a while, but, hopefully, it will not take another 10 years.

AMD's answer to Intel's 28-core HEDT CPU was showcased today at Computex in the form of the 32-core/64-thread Gen 2 Threadripper. These top-of-the-line HEDT chips from AMD will use all 4 interconnected dies, unlike the first gen Threadrippers that used only 2 of 4. As a bonus, AMD gave a sneak peek to its 7 nm EPYC CPUs based on the Zen 2 microarchitecture.

Dell wants the Alienware brand to be more deeply associated with competitive gaming. Instead of just eSports sponsorships like other brands, Dell will attempt to train potential pro gamers directly with the help of Team Liquid. Details are still very scarce on what the online program will involve, but we are expecting more to be revealed during Dell's E3 press conference.

Tipster Evan Blass has revealed the complete specifications sheet of the upcoming BlackBerry KEY2. The device makes a number of improvements on its predecessor but also comes with a price tag one would expect to find on a flagship.

Over the past month, Lenovo carried out a subtly engaging media campaign for its upcoming device, the Z5. That device was unveiled yesterday, however, and it would seem that most of the company's claims were pure hogwash.

Microsoft took to the stage at Computex 2018 to demonstrate a new class of meeting room devices. Dubbed Windows Collaboration Displays, these devices are meant for the modern meeting room and come with a full suite of Microsoft 365 collaboration tools and built-in sensors that can interface with Azure IoT spatial intelligence capabilities.

AMD demonstrated the world's first 7nm GPU architecture at Computex 2018. The Radeon Instinct series of accelerators are made for High Performance Compute (HPC) applications and feature 32 GB HBM2 memory on a 4096-bit bus. The 7nm Vega GPUs are currently being sampled with targeted availability in 2H 2018.

The convertible is essentially a ProBook x360 440 G5 but with 360-degree hinges and a 1080p touchscreen. Its 14-inch form factor and relatively inexpensive starting price will set it directly against the Lenovo ThinkPad 14 and Dell Inspiron 14 5000 series when it launches before the end of June.

A logo bearing the words "HITMAN 2" appeared on WB Games' site Monday night before being promptly removed, hinting that a new Hitman game may be just around the corner. The official Hitman twitter seems to confirm this; a new tweet, bearing a blurred video of the titular Hitman's next target, teases that something is coming June 7th.

USB Type-C Gen. 2 is still rather uncommon on notebooks. The single-chip controller solution from Cypress should make it less expensive for both Intel and AMD to integrate multiple USB Type-C Gen. 2 ports onto laptops while allowing for 100 W power delivery and better fail-safe mechanisms.

It was a long time coming: Laptop pioneer Toshiba wants to sell its laptop business and it has found a buyer. Sharp, a subsidiary of the huge ODM Foxconn, will buy the business for a comparably low price.

For now, the top configuration of the XPS 15 9570 with a non-touch full HD display available in the US via Dell.com sports an Intel Core i7-8750H processor. However, Frank Azor has just confirmed that more setups will be available later this month, including one that features the i9-8950HK processor out of the box.

Intel is celebrating 50 years of its existence and 40 years since the first x86 processor, the 8086, debuted and is introducing the 8th generation Core i7-8086K Limited Edition CPU to commemorate these milestones. The Core i7-8086K is a 6-core 12-thread part that can overclock to a 5 GHz single-core boost out of the box making it a compelling option for gamers and content creators.

"Wonder Woman" and "Asus" come together like peanut butter and jelly. The titular actress was appointed to brand ambassador for Asus PCs early this year and Asus is leveraging that fact again for Computex 2018. The move will hopefully boost Asus' public image to ultimately sell more PCs worldwide.

The 14-inch PS42 ships with Intel U-class CPUs and a GeForce MX150 GPU in an aluminum chassis very similar to that of the 15.6-inch GS65. The design could potentially lead to a proper successor for the old GS43 Shadow since the two Prestige and Gaming G Series families almost always share chassis designs. The PS42 will ship in Europe by the end of next month.

A press release from Dell Technologies has shown that the Texas-based company has enjoyed strong results for the first financial quarter of fiscal year 2019. Total net revenue stood at US$21.4 billion, which is a considerable increase over the US$18 billion revenue earned for the first quarter of the previous fiscal year.

SK Hynix sister concern Klevv has announced the availability of the world's first 'wireless' RGB M.2 NVMe SSD. Called the CRAS X, the SSD has a hollowed out heatsink to let the RGB lighting take center stage. Apart from the CRAS X SSD, Klevv is also introducing CRAS X RAM modules with RGB and support for Intel XMP 2.0.

A report has stated that Microsoft may be considering buying GitHub for US$5 billion. The hosting service was founded in 2008 and was valued at US$2 billion back in 2015, when the company confirmed it had raised US$250 million in funding. If Microsoft does acquire GitHub, it would be one of the Redmond-based firm’s largest acquisitions.

Google silently removed the Tablets heading on the Android website, indicating that the tech behemoth may no longer push development for tablet features. This could be another sign that Google is planning on merging ChromeOS and Android, eliminating the need for tablets altogether.

According to a leaked Dutch ad, Nvidia will bundle a copy of The Crew 2 with the purchase of a new GeForce GTX 1080 or GTX 1080 Ti. This move could be the harbinger of the return of a relic of the pre-crypto PC gaming world: bundling AAA games with a GPU purchase.

According to Roland Quandt, the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are set for an August/September launch. Both devices are also going to built by Foxconn, the Taiwanese company most known for manufacturing iPhones.

Xiaomi, yesterday, released a trio of devices in its Mi 8 lineup. The Mi 8 SE is the cheapest and least powerful of the devices but still manages to offer unbeatable value, especially considering its sub-$300 price tag.