Business Articles

Samsung shipped 19 million Galaxy S8 Android handsets in Q2 2017

Samsung shipped over 10 million Galaxy S8 units in the second quarter

Although Apple's iPhone 7 remains the world's most popular smartphone model, the Galaxy S8 is the most popular Android handset, with 10.2 million units shipped in the second quarter (Galaxy S8+ sales reached 9 million for the same...

Codrut Nistor, 18 Aug 2017 08:25

Ransomware Locky and Mamba have started rearing their ugly heads again. (Source: 2-Spyware)

Beware! Ransomware Locky and Mamba on the prowl again

Variants of ransomware Locky and Mamba have resurfaced and are more lethal than ever. Those unfortunate to be infected, risk encryption of the entire HDD and need to cough up a huge sum of money for decryption and recovery of thei...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 18 Aug 2017 07:55

Microsoft's new Chrome extension brings unified sign-in to organizations

A new chrome extension from Microsoft allows single sign-in authentication to users who log in to Windows 10 using their Microsoft account and access their organizations Azure Active Directory content, or who deal with conditional...

Craig Ward, 17 Aug 2017 21:08

The Acer Predator Helios 300 aims to be the gamer's choice in the Indian market. (Source: Flipkart)

Acer unveils the Predator Helios 300 in India, prices start from US$2028

Acer has officially unveiled the Predator Helios 300 in India equipped with an overclockable NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060/1050Ti GPU and other top of the line specs worthy of a gaming laptop with prices starting from ₹ 1,29,999 (US$ 20...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 17 Aug 2017 17:39

Google Home smart speaker now offers free voice calling in the US and Canada

Google Home owners in the US and Canada get free phone calls

While Amazon's Alexa can only provide device-to-device calls, Google's smart speaker is now able to call phone numbers for free. Unfortunately, this feature is only available for its users located in Canada or the US.

Codrut Nistor, 17 Aug 2017 16:00

Samsung Galaxy S8 flagship, Samsung to get US$3.5 billion from Google to keep it as default search engine

Google to pay Samsung US$3.5 billion to remain the default search engine

A few days after we heard that the internet search giant wants to pay US$3 billion to Apple to remain the default search engine on iOS, we find out that Samsung is going to receive US$3.5 billion to keep Google as the default sear...

Codrut Nistor, 17 Aug 2017 15:25

Google buys AIMatter

This AI startup based in Belarus is behind Fabby, a mobile app for Android and iOS with more than 2 million downloads so far that uses artificial intelligence to detect and process images.

Codrut Nistor, 17 Aug 2017 14:10

Huawei Mate 10 mid-October launch event invitation

Huawei confirms mid-October launch event

The Chinese phone maker has just sent out invites for the Mate 10 launch, confirming that this next-gen phablet would be unveiled in October, just as most recent rumors revealed.

Codrut Nistor, 17 Aug 2017 10:50

Google files patent for a Pixel C notebook

Google might not launch a new Pixel notebook, but this patent that recently surfaced online shows an interesting device that comes with a section that can be covered and opened.

Codrut Nistor, 16 Aug 2017 22:15

Qualcomm Spectra ISP camera module in action

Upcoming Qualcomm chipsets to feature depth sensing camera tech

The next-gen Spectra ISP makes Qualcomm the first brand to announce depth-sensing camera tech that was designed specifically for the Android ecosystem. The next flagship Snapdragon Mobile Platform is expected to bring it to the ma...

Codrut Nistor, 16 Aug 2017 21:25

Google Allo client for desktop now available - getting started instructions

Google Allo is finally available for desktop

Although iPhone users are not able to use Allo on the desktop yet, those who own Android handsets can finally use the messaging app on the desktop. However, quite a few features remain exclusively available on mobile.

Codrut Nistor, 16 Aug 2017 15:45

Ubuntu Linux with GNOME GUI, GNOME GUI is now 20 years old

The GNOME Project is now 20 years old

Although its archrival KDE has been around since 1996 and its initial release only arrived in 1999, GNOME can be considered to be two decades old now, since the GNOME Project was born on August 15, 1997.

Codrut Nistor, 16 Aug 2017 13:55

The much anticipated Essential Phone PH-1 will be customer hands next week. (Source: Essential)

Essential Phone customers receive advice that their phones are finally ready to ship

Customers who have placed orders for the Essential Phone PH-1 have started receiving notifications from Essential that their devices are ready to ship following receipt of final payment. The smartphone is the brainchild of Android...

Sanjiv Sathiah, 16 Aug 2017 11:14

Samsung Portable SSD T5 Deep Black and Alluring Blue color options

Samsung Portable SSD T5 now available

With prices starting at US$129.99 for the 250 GB model, this new portable SSD comes in blue and black, also offering 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB models. It comes with 256-bit AES hardware data encryption and supports transfer speeds up...

Codrut Nistor, 16 Aug 2017 11:01

Microsoft buys Cycle Computing to accelerate Big Computing in the cloud

Microsoft acquires Cycle Computing

Thanks to the addition of the cloud computing orchestration market leader Cycle Computing to its long list of assets, Microsoft hopes to ease the process of using High-Performance Computing and other Big Computing capabilities in ...

Codrut Nistor, 16 Aug 2017 09:50

Maybe Intel's 'Ice Lake' will feature improved thermal interface material. (Source: derwiki/Pixabay)

Intel 10 nm+ 'Ice lake' will supercede 8th-generation processors

An eagle eyed user of the Intel Codename Decoder has found an entry for the 10 nm+ "Ice Lake," Intel's replacement architecture for the currently unreleased Coffee Lake (14 nm++) and Cannon Lake (10 nm) processors.

Craig Ward, 15 Aug 2017 23:56

Samsung patent showing Note handset with breathalyzer-stylus accessory

Samsung patent reveals a Note device with breathalyzer stylus

Although this is only in the patent stage for now, future Note devices might come with a breathalyzer-stylus accessory that also bends to act as an external microphone and a gas sensor.

Codrut Nistor, 15 Aug 2017 20:25

Clevo revenue drops in first half of 2017 but expected to rebound with new devices

Clevo has reported first half revenues are down by 7.7 percent in their notebook business between 2016 and 2017. Net profit remains in the positive but is tight at slightly below US$11 million, or only 3.95 percent of revenue.

Craig Ward, 15 Aug 2017 16:01

The MA10-ST0 is a Mini-ITX form-factor server motherboard. (Source: Gigabyte)

Gigabyte unveils unannounced 16-core Denverton SoC from Intel

The new MA10-ST0 server motherboard comes packed with the high-end 16-core C3958 Denverton SoC that hasn't been previously announced by Intel. The combo is designed to power NAS servers.

Bogdan Solca, 15 Aug 2017 14:55

It's been a good day for those who invested a few weeks back. (Source: bitboy/Wikimedia)

Bitcoin value reaches all-time high, blows past the $4000 mark

Bitcoin, the world's most popular cryptocurrency, has been on a rise of epic proportions, with it's journey climaxing a few hours ago at an all-time high trade value of just under $4500.

Ricci Rox, 15 Aug 2017 13:00

Saygus V Squared Android phone might finally launch in 2017

Saygus V Squared hits FCC

After countless delays, the crowdfunded Saygus V Squared handset was labeled by everyone as vaporware, but this might have been wrong. The phone has apparently cleared the FCC and might finally reach the market.

Codrut Nistor, 15 Aug 2017 11:15

Opera Max app on smartphone and tablet, Opera Max discontinued mid-August 2017

Opera discontinues Opera Max

Opera Max has been delisted from the Google Play store catalog but those still using this service will be able to do so "for a period of time" that has not been revealed. Opera promised to announce the termination of server-side s...

Codrut Nistor, 15 Aug 2017 10:10

Colorful Balloons vs. Facebook Moments, Facebook coming to China in disguise

Facebook hits China via Colorful Balloons

Although Chinese regulators have something against social networks and foreign search engines, it seems that Facebook has just found its way to the local market via a photo-sharing app that launched via a local partner.

Codrut Nistor, 15 Aug 2017 07:35

Google voice typing gets support for 30 new languages, 119 supported total

Google's voice typing now supports 119 languages

The latest expansion of Google's speech recognition brings 30 new languages to Gboard for Android and Voice Search, as well as to the Cloud Speech API. The Google Translate app and other Google products are also expected to get th...

Codrut Nistor, 14 Aug 2017 20:55

ZTE Blade Z Max Android phablet hits MetroPCS on August 28

ZTE Blade Z Max hits MetroPCS later this month

This 6-inch phablet features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processor, 2 GB RAM, 32 GB internal storage, runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat, and is expected to retail for a no-contract price of only US$129.

Codrut Nistor, 14 Aug 2017 18:05

Nikon celebrating 100 year anniversary

Japanese camera giant Nikon is celebrating its 100 year milestone. Along with a host of web features marking the occasion on its homepage and a YouTube video retrospective, the company has started rolling out a number of special e...

Sanjiv Sathiah, 14 Aug 2017 14:34

The new materials create insulating rust that is beneficial to the miniaturization process. (Source: Stanford)

Silicon chips might not retire too soon, thanks to ultrathin semiconductors

Scientists from Stanford University combined silicon with ultrathin semiconductors, making silicon viable for chips under 5 nanometers and thus offering a smoother transition between silicon and germanium-based chip manufacturing.

Bogdan Solca, 14 Aug 2017 11:23

Huawei Honor 9 in Robin Blue finish and 6 GB RAM now available

Huawei Honor 9 now available in Robin Blue

This special variant of the Huawei Honor 9 handset comes with 6 GB RAM like the Honor 9 Premium, but only features 64 GB storage space like the standard model. Sadly, the Honor 9 is not officially available in the US yet.

Codrut Nistor, 12 Aug 2017 21:05

Infographic showing how the blockchain works with cryptocurrencies. (Source: Oxfam/Financial Times)

Microsoft is making it easier for enterprise to integrate block chain technology

Microsoft has announced their 'Coco Framework' which will officially be released as an open-source project on GitHub in 2018. The Coco Framework is intended to help make blockchain technology a viable and secure option for industr...

Craig Ward, 12 Aug 2017 20:39

Dropbox two-factor authentication now available via WiFi connectivity only

Dropbox gets two-factor authentication via mobile app

When in need to access an account while located in an area where no cell signal is available, but WiFi is at hand, Dropbox users can now take advantage of the mobile app to verify their identity.

Codrut Nistor, 12 Aug 2017 19:20

Moto Z2 Force Android smartphone to hit China with 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage

Moto Z2 Force with 6 GB RAM hits TENAA

While the US market only got a model with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage, it looks like China is on its way to a Moto Z2 Force with 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage, but with a slightly lower battery capacity.

Codrut Nistor, 11 Aug 2017 22:30

Nintendo Switch with removable Joycon controllers. (Source: Nintendo)

Nintendo sued over joycon controller design, meanwhile NVIDIA says Nintendo are "innovators"

NVIDIA has praised Nintendo for being innovators and risk takers for their successful Switch console. Meanwhile, Nintendo is facing a lawsuit from Gamevice, who claim that the detachable controller design of the switch infringes o...

Craig Ward, 11 Aug 2017 19:52

Samsung Contacts update reveals possible Bixby global launch (Source: SamMobile)

Samsung Bixby might go global

Without any official confirmation of a Bixby global launch yet, Samsung updated its Contacts app and added "Bixby English global launching" to its changelog. For now, the US remains the only market where Bixby is available with En...

Codrut Nistor, 11 Aug 2017 17:00

Intel building their own fleet of self-driving cars

After recently completing their purchase of Mobileye, the Israeli self-driving vehicle sensor company, Intel announced that they would build a fleet of 100 vehicles to perform data collection and safety testing of the technology. ...

Craig Ward, 11 Aug 2017 16:36

Windows 10 Pro for Workstations highlights (Source: Microsoft)

Microsoft Windows 10 Pro for Workstations coming this fall

This upcoming Windows 10 edition will come this fall with the following highlights: the ReFS file system, SMB Direct file sharing, persistent memory, and expanded hardware support.

Codrut Nistor, 11 Aug 2017 14:45

The Surface Pro has faces issues with power management, throttling, backlight bleed, and even noise.

Microsoft defends Surface family after Consumer Reports labels Surface products "unreliable"

Microsoft executive Panos Panay has attempted to defend the reliability of Microsoft's Surface family of products following Consumer Reports's failure to recommend the Surface products based on surveyed high rates of failure.

Douglas Black, 11 Aug 2017 14:31

Anker Eufy Genie smart speaker, cheapest Alexa device on the market mid-August 2017

Anker Eufy Genie launches with Alexa support

Priced at just US$34.99, this new smart speaker is the cheapest Alexa-enabled device available on the market right now. Its set of Alexa capabilities is limited, but at least it can be connected to another audio system to improve ...

Codrut Nistor, 11 Aug 2017 11:45

It's loss after loss for LeEco (Source: Mobileworldlive)

LeEco troubles continue as company closes only shop in Russia

Chinese company LeEco has been in dire straits over the last few months, with their attempts at expanding into the Indian, American, and European markets meeting with significant stumbling blocks. This time, reports have claimed t...

Ricci Rox, 11 Aug 2017 09:49

25 percent of Surface Pro owners will experience reliability issues, claims Consumer Reports

Meanwhile, Apple is sitting happily at first place for having the most reliable laptops and tablets.

Allen Ngo, 10 Aug 2017 19:35

PayPal corporate HQ, Swift Financial joins PayPal

PayPal buys Swift Financial

The goal of this new corporate acquisition is to help increase small business owners access to capital and better provide credit to merchants who are not using PayPal's services yet.

Codrut Nistor, 10 Aug 2017 19:15

Friends with benefits — Kaspersky and Microsoft seem to have reconciled their differences with respect to security in Windows 10. (Source: Kaspersky)

Kaspersky withdraws antitrust claim after Microsoft offers to make Windows 10 more AV vendor friendly

It appears that Microsoft and Kaspersky have come to terms with respect to the latter's demands of a more antivirus vendor friendly approach in Windows 10 resulting in withdrawal of all antitrust allegations against Microsoft by K...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 10 Aug 2017 19:10

Facebook Watch - Watchlist section, Facebook video platform launching August 2017

Facebook Watch now official

Facebook's video platform called Watch is now official, although some of the details are not public yet and the service is on a limited rollout in the US. However, full availability is expected soon.

Codrut Nistor, 10 Aug 2017 18:00

BlackBerry KEYone Black Edition Android flagship availability to improve

BlackBerry KEYone Black Edition coming soon to new markets

This handset with more storage and memory than the regular KEYone arrived as an exclusive edition for India, and now a teaser for IFA 2017 suggests that more markets would follow this fall.

Codrut Nistor, 10 Aug 2017 17:05

Oppo R11 FC Barcelona limited edition smartphone launches in China mid-August 2017

Oppo R11 FC Barcelona edition to hit China next week

This limited edition football-themed Android smartphone will be available starting on August 18 for a price of around US$522. Unfortunately, there is no information about its release in other countries for now.

Codrut Nistor, 10 Aug 2017 16:02

Sony developed the educational blockchain using he IBM Cloud and the Hyperledger Fabric 1.0 framework. (Source: Sony)

Sony wants to provide increased cybersecurity for educational institutions through blockchain tech

Recognizing the potential of the blockchain tech, Sony is looking to provide an educational system based on the highly acclaimed Hyperledger Fabric 1.0 framework. The blockchain-based system records information in a difficult to f...

Bogdan Solca, 10 Aug 2017 14:08

T-Mobile REVVL Android smartphone now available

T-Mobile REVVL now official

This US$125 handset runs Android Nougat and features a 5.5-inch HD display, 2 GB RAM, 32 GB internal storage, a fingerprint reader, as well as a 3,000 mAh battery and quite average cameras that use 5 MP and 13 MP sensors.

Codrut Nistor, 10 Aug 2017 12:35

Gionee A1 Lite Android smartphone now available in India

Gionee A1 Lite launches in India

This 5.3-inch affordable handset with a 20 MP front camera and a MediaTek MT6753V processor under the hood can be acquired in India starting today for around US$234. The only two color choices available are gold and black.

Codrut Nistor, 10 Aug 2017 11:10

Disney Princess: Charmed Adventures is one of 42 titles the suit alleges to collect personal information of children without parental consent. (Source: Disney)

Disney sued for allegedly illegally collecting data on children with smartphone apps

Disney is being sued along with three software companies for creating software targeted at young children that collect personal information and send it to advertisers without the consent of parents. Disney has signaled it aims to ...

Douglas Black, 10 Aug 2017 05:45

A PlayStation 4 controller utilising DualShock 4 vibration technology. (Source: Sony)

Immersion CEO claims Sony's DualShock technology lags behind Microsoft and Nintendo

The President and CEO of Immersion Corporation, a company which develops game controller vibration features, is claiming that Sony's DualShock is using 90's technology, putting it well behind the competition. Immersion currently l...

Craig Ward, 09 Aug 2017 23:58

Acer Chromebook 11 C771 now available starting at US$280

Acer Chromebook 11 C771 hits the market

This new Chromebook comes with an 11.6-inch IPS display and has the Intel Celeron 3855U processor under the hood, carrying a price tag of US$280. The touchscreen variant retails for US$50 more, and more powerful variants are expec...

Codrut Nistor, 09 Aug 2017 20:25