Business Articles

Apple is contemplating on an unified app development model similar to Microsoft's UWP. (Source: Microsoft)

Apple mulling at unified app development a la Microsoft's UWP

Apple is looking for a way to 'converge a toaster and a refrigerator' by means of creating its own version of a unified app platform similar to what Microsoft currently has in Windows 10. The unified app platform will enable apps ...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 21 Dec 2017 07:24

Honor will bring its retinue of bang for buck devices to Latin America next year

Huawei's sub-brand, Honor, recently launched its smartphones in the US, India, Europe, and the Middle East. The next region to get the company's attention will be Latin America, with the Honor 7X slated to be sold in that market f...

Ricci Rox, 21 Dec 2017 01:00

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Android phablet (Source: Evan Blass)

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is the flagship of the year in India

Only one year after the catastrophic failure of the Note 7, Samsung managed to bounce back with the Galaxy Note 8 and the "Flagship Smartphone of the Year" award it has just received in India proves that the Galaxy Note lineup is ...

Codrut Nistor, 20 Dec 2017 22:40

LG intros ThinQ brand for AI-driven devices

Although the ThinQ name has been used by LG for a few products already, all devices and services of the South Korean-based multinational giant that feature artificial intelligence will be placed under this banner starting in 2018.

Codrut Nistor, 20 Dec 2017 21:15

Xiaomi Mi 5c high-end Android smartphone

Xiaomi goes for Samsung's crown in India

In just a year, Xiaomi managed to go up from 6 percent to 22.5 percent of the Indian smartphone market. To get there, the Chinese brand expanded at the expense of local brands, but now they are going for Samsung's slice of the pie...

Codrut Nistor, 20 Dec 2017 16:55

Google Chrome to kill intrusive ads starting mid-February 2018

According to a recent statement by Google, its Chrome browser will begin blocking intrusive ads on both desktop and mobile websites that do not comply with the Better Ads Standards starting on February 15.

Codrut Nistor, 20 Dec 2017 14:34

Self-healing, repairable glass developed in Japan

A team of researchers from the University of Tokyo has just developed a new type of glass that could finally allow phone manufacturers to build handsets like the iPhone X or the Galaxy Note 8 with shatter-resistant back covers.

Codrut Nistor, 20 Dec 2017 12:15

Huawei Mate 10 Pro Android flagship coming to the US in 2018

Huawei Mate 10 Pro confirmed to hit the US in 2018

The 6-inch Huawei Mate 10 Pro phablet will reach the US via multiple carriers in 2018 and, according to Richard Yu, the details will be unveiled next month in Las Vegas.

Codrut Nistor, 19 Dec 2017 22:10

The Nomadeec telemedicine platform will be showcased during CES 2018. (Source: VRFocus)

CES 2018 | Exelus to showcase emergency telemedicine using the Microsoft HoloLens

Exelus has announced the availability of the Nomadeec platform on the HoloLens that will enable EMTs and paramedics to get real-time information of patient vitals and medical records. It will also enable them to directly teleconfe...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 19 Dec 2017 00:20

AIM is now gone for good

Just as announced back in October, all AIM servers were shut down on December 15. This move finally brings to an end the two-decade history of instant messaging by the once almighty AOL.

Codrut Nistor, 18 Dec 2017 18:30

Oracle acquires Aconex

Although the deal will have to go through an independent review and the shareholders' vote later this year, it looks like Australian cloud company Aconex will join Oracle after the completion of these formalities. The deal is wort...

Codrut Nistor, 18 Dec 2017 11:45

Samsung Headquarters. (Source: Social Barrel)

Samsung market share expected to see 10% drop in 2018

Samsung may be the biggest smartphone manufacturers in the world but analytics claim the company's dominance is set to see a decline next year, with experts expecting a 10% decline in market share.

Ricci Rox, 17 Dec 2017 12:28

The consoles face off. (Source: TheXomil/Pixabay)

November was a strong month for console sales, with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One setting records

November is an important month for retail sales, especially in North America. Sony PlayStation 4 achieved the highest console sales in the month, Microsoft Xbox One produced the largest revenue, and the Nintendo Switch is on targe...

Craig Ward, 16 Dec 2017 23:56

Talks are said to be ongoing between Xiaomi and Verizon. (Source: Technobuffalo)

Xiaomi and Huawei set to make entry into the US market

Huawei and Xiaomi are two of the top six smartphone manufacturers, a noteworthy feat considering their dire lack of presence in the US. Both companies look set to remedy that, however, with reports claiming that there are deals on...

Ricci Rox, 15 Dec 2017 21:20

Official Dell website hinting at unannounced Latitude 7290, 7390, and 7490 notebooks

IT certification site DMTF and Dell itself may have both independently confirmed the existence of the unannounced Latitude 7490. Could a soft refresh be on the way for CES 2018?

Allen Ngo, 15 Dec 2017 09:43

Apple releases the iMac Pro starting at US$4,999

Advertised as "the most powerful Mac ever," the iMac Pro provides an impressive set of hardware specs, packing Xeon processors with up to 18 cores, 22 Teraflops of graphics performance, as well as a 27-inch Retina 5K display.

Codrut Nistor, 14 Dec 2017 23:37

The Asus VivoBook 14 X411. (Source: Asus)

CES 2018 | The Asus VivoBook 14 makes a quiet appearance ahead of CES 2018

Asus has revealed the VivoBook 14 laptop on its website ahead of CES 2018. The VivoBook 14 comes with options of up to an Intel Core i7-8550U CPU and an optional NVIDIA MX150 GPU along with several storage options and will be have...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 14 Dec 2017 23:19

CAT S31 rugged smartphone now available in the US

CAT S31 rugged smartphone finally available in the US

The 4.7-inch CAT S31 is now available in the US via Amazon for around US$330 and, although its specs do not match this price range, the IP68-rated water resistance and its compliance with the MIL-SPEC 810G standard for ruggedness ...

Codrut Nistor, 14 Dec 2017 20:25

LG Gram (2018) ultrabook with Coffee Lake processor (Source: LG Newsroom)

CES 2018 | LG Gram ultrabooks with 8th generation Intel Core processors coming to the US next month

LG has just announced that the updated Gram lineup of ultrabooks is scheduled to arrive in the US starting in January. Next to the 8th generation Intel Core processors, these portables come with a sturdier build and increased auto...

Codrut Nistor, 14 Dec 2017 14:45

Samsung Notebook 9 (2018) ultrabook (Source: Samsung)

CES 2018 | Samsung Notebook 9 Pen and Samsung Notebook 9 (2018) now official

The Samsung Notebook 9 Pen with the built-in S Pen and the two Notebook 9 (2018) models without a bundled stylus come with 8th generation Intel Core processors and should hit South Korea later this month. These new ultrabooks will...

Codrut Nistor, 14 Dec 2017 12:41

Bing search showing subreddit search results. (Source: Reddit)

Microsoft partners with Reddit for some crowdsourced wisdom

A partnership between Microsoft and Reddit will see the latter leveraging Microsoft's AI tools and Bing to integrate Reddit content in search results, especially from AMA sessions and Reddit Answers, enabling a more natural and cr...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 14 Dec 2017 10:38

Higher PC prices may arise should Intel cut back on its "Intel Inside" marketing program (Image source: Intel)

Get ready for higher PC prices should Intel recede on its "Intel Inside" marketing program

OEMs are at risk of losing valuable Intel sponsorship benefits such as marketing exposure, price subsidies, and channel compensations should the Intel Inside program be defunded.

Allen Ngo, 14 Dec 2017 07:19

Lenovo: ThinkPad T470p likely won't get a successor in form of a T480p

Lenovo: The ThinkPad T470p likely won't get a successor in form of a T480p

The ThinkPad T-Series is apparently getting an update soon as the CES 2018 draws near – but one model of the 2017-lineup seems to be getting the axe. The T480p as the successor of the T470p could be made obsolete by the new 15 W Q...

Benjamin Herzig, 13 Dec 2017 20:57

Essential has only sold 50,000 phones (but that may not be as bad as it sounds)

According to the number of downloads of its camera app, Essential has sold no more than 50,000 units. While the accuracy of this number is arguable, hitting such a low volume of sales may not be as bad for the start-up as it sound...

Sam Medley, 13 Dec 2017 05:14

The new HP EliteBook 1020 G2 and 1040 G4 are the brightest business laptops available

The 700 nit panels of the 12.5-inch EliteBook 1020 G2 and 14-inch 1040 G4 are brighter than even the MacBook Pro 13 and over twice the brightness of the XPS 13.

Allen Ngo, 13 Dec 2017 04:36

A 'Made in India' Apple iPhone SE being displayed in a local store. (Source: The Indian Express)

India reportedly chooses indigenization over Apple's demand for tax-free imports

The Indian Government is not in favor of offering import tax sops to Apple's mobile phone parts considering the impact it will have on the domestic manufacturing sector. Apple is demanding that the Government concede to its demand...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 12 Dec 2017 14:59

The UAprof file shows references to a new Huawei tablet. (Source: Mobielkopen)

Rumor | References to a new Huawei tablet surface online, purportedly the MediaPad M4

Some references to what could be the successor to the MediaPad M3 have surfaced online via an UAprof.xml file. The references point to a similar display resolution as the M3 and the OS version to be Android 8 Oreo.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 12 Dec 2017 12:41

Amazon Music Unlimited music streaming service hits 28 new markets

Amazon Music Unlimited and Amazon Echo hit 28 new markets

The Amazon Music Unlimited streaming service and the Echo smart speaker can finally be acquired in many new markets across Europe and the Americas. All these areas receive three plan options: Echo, Individual, and Family.

Codrut Nistor, 11 Dec 2017 23:45

Microsoft is increasing their commitment to their AI for Earth program. (Source: Microsoft)

Microsoft expands 'AI for Earth' program with an additional US$50 million

Microsoft is increasing the investment in their AI for Earth program, which aims to provide software, access, funding, and grants to organisations who are adapting AI technology for environmentally-friendly purposes.

Craig Ward, 11 Dec 2017 23:08

Is the Wall Street involvement going against the decentralized nature of Bitcoin? (Source: CBOE)

Bitcoin futures go online, price spikes close to US$17,000

The cryptocurrency king went almost US$1,000 up in value immediately after the release of CBOE's future contracts. While the involvement of investors and traders could reduce the price volatility, the decentralized nature of the c...

Bogdan Solca, 11 Dec 2017 20:04

Intel 'Gemini Lake' Pentium Silver and Celeron are now official. (Source: Intel)

Intel 'Gemini Lake' Pentium Silver and Celeron CPUs now official, come with support for Gigabit WiFi

Intel has officially announced the launch of 'Gemini Lake' CPUs in Pentium Silver and Celeron variants. 'Gemini Lake' succeeds 'Apollo Lake' and comes with support for Gigabit WiFi, Adaptive Contrast Enhancement, and improved grap...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 11 Dec 2017 16:22

Microsoft will rely on the 365 cloud platform and the Azure Stack solution to reach a US$1 trillion market cap by 2020. (Source: Microsoft)

Microsoft to reach US$1 trillion market cap by 2020

Microsoft's share price is expected to reach US$109 by 2020, leading to a market cap of over US$1 trillion. Surprisingly enough, Windows and Xbox will not be the main revenue generators, Microsoft relying instead on the 365 cloud ...

Bogdan Solca, 11 Dec 2017 13:30

Huawei is Honor's parent company. (Source: Gizbot)

Honor announces plans to take over Indian smartphone market by 2020

Honor President George Zhao has declared the company's intentions to rule the Indian smartphone market by 2020, a goal it hopes to achieve by releasing bang-for-buck devices under the Rs 10,000 price point.

Ricci Rox, 11 Dec 2017 00:16

Andy Rubin returns to Essential after absence over misconduct case

Andy Rubin, founder of Essential and creator of the Android OS, went on a leave of absence at the tail end of November over a case of perceived misconduct during his time as an executive at Google.

Ricci Rox, 10 Dec 2017 20:03

The Sony PlayStation 4 Pro. (Source: Sony)

Sony PlayStation 4 continues to dominate this generation's consoles sales with over 70 million units sold

Sony announced yesterday that the PlayStation 4 has now passed 70 million lifetime sales, along with almost 618 million games sold.

Craig Ward, 09 Dec 2017 01:05

Windows PCs gaining market share worldwide thanks to the education sector

According to Microsoft, "more and more schools are choosing Windows over competitive offerings" in the US while Futuresource's latest quarterly report also revealed a 15 percent growth year-over-year for the global education marke...

Codrut Nistor, 07 Dec 2017 22:55

Samsung has no place in the Chinese smartphone market, data shows

A report by Kanta World Panel has shown the state of the Chinese smartphone market, with figures indicating Huawei's lead, Apple's growth, and Samsung's almost palpable irrelevance.

Ricci Rox, 07 Dec 2017 22:51

You can no longer use Bitcoin to buy games on Steam (and with good reason)

Due to the high volatility and growing transaction fees associated with Bitcoin, Valve is no longer accepting the cryptocurrency as a payment method for purchases made on Steam. This decision sheds some light on the economic ramif...

Sam Medley, 07 Dec 2017 16:16

Microsoft OneDrive 5.1 for Android updated early December 2017

Microsoft OneDrive for Android updated with new looks

Microsoft OneDrive 5.1 for Android comes without the hamburger menu and features tabs at the bottom. A "Free space" option now shows up when the storage is full, advising you to remove those files you no longer need.

Codrut Nistor, 07 Dec 2017 12:20

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC is now official. (Source: Qualcomm)

UPDATE (specifications) | The Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 has arrived

Qualcomm's second annual Snapdragon Technology Summit is underway, with the presentations of the first day including the announcement of the Snapdragon 845 and confirmation of Samsung Foundry as the manufacturing partner.

Craig Ward, 06 Dec 2017 21:41

Spyware issues in late 2017 - Ethiopia spying on journalists

Commercial spyware is out of control

A fresh report published by The Citizen Lab revealed that Ethiopia, a country where less than 5 percent of the population has access to the internet, conducted a complex global cyber espionage campaign.

Codrut Nistor, 06 Dec 2017 21:10

Bitcoin could reach US$20,000 by February 2018. (Source: qz.com)

Bitcoin passes US$12,000 mark, could go beyond US$14,000 this week

If experts are right, Bitcoin has entered a parabolic feedback loop that appreciates its value in waves. This could mean that the price of BTC may reach US$14,000 by the end of this week and potentially go as high as US$20,000 by ...

Bogdan Solca, 06 Dec 2017 18:26

The Asus NovaGo promises more than 20 hours battery life. (Source: Qualcomm)

Updated | Asus announces the NovaGo convertible — the first Windows-on-Snapdragon device with all day long battery life

Asus has announced the NovaGo convertible — the world's first Gigabit LTE laptop powered by the Snapdragon 835 running full Windows 10. The notebook promises always-on connectivity and purportedly offers more than 20 hours of batt...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 06 Dec 2017 08:21

AMD will soon launch Ryzen SoCs with integrated LTE modems. (Source: Qualcomm)

Always-on LTE connectivity coming soon to a Ryzen-powered laptop near you

AMD announced its partnership with Qualcomm to integrate the latter's X16 LTE modem on Ryzen APUs, thereby, bringing always-on LTE connectivity to high-performance notebooks.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 05 Dec 2017 22:15

The HP Envy x2 promises fast LTE and 20 hours of battery life. (Source: Qualcomm)

The Envy x2 is HP's idea of a detachable notebook with always-on connectivity

HP has taken wraps of the Envy x2, a detachable notebook powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC. The Envy x2 sports a premium finish and comes with the promise of Gigabit LTE and 20 hours of battery life.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 05 Dec 2017 21:35

Amazon hits Australia

At the end of a few months full of rumors concerning its expansion, Amazon is finally launching in Australia. While most locals would like to easily access global products, Amazon Australia plans to use on the "buy Australian" app...

Codrut Nistor, 05 Dec 2017 18:45

Huawei Mate 10 Pro teardown (Source: iFixIt)

Huawei Mate 10 Pro gets a 4/10 from iFixIt

The teardown of the Huawei 10 Pro by iFixIt revealed that replacing the display involves the removal of almost every component, and fixing the front camera requires switching the whole display, including its frame.

Codrut Nistor, 05 Dec 2017 14:55