Business Articles

Oukitel has reportedly showcased its latest smartphone as the first of its line to debut with the same ultra-fast-charging technology as some much higher-end Android devices. The WP30 Pro is also touted to sport a rear-mounted display as well as its main 120Hz screen, and to have a primary camera with a resolution that is also in triple figures.

Samsung is now slated to have a new option in the mid-range Android smartphone market for 2024 or possibly even late 2023: the Galaxy M44. It has been identified as a 5G device in a new tip, which also confirms its model number and Bluetooth specs. Based on the latter alone, it is shaping up to be an affordable enough new handset on its release.

The first thing the owner of a brand new iPhone might have to do after unboxing is download and install a software update, especially if they, for example want the latest iOS 17.0.3 version. However, that might not be the case in the future, as Apple is now said to have new technology that allows its staff members to update a retail unit without even taking it out of its packaging.

Qualcomm has revealed that it will cut over 1,200 jobs, or those of about 2.5% of its current employees, later in 2023. All of the affected staff members are located in the same region, although they will be obliged to leave their posts in two different facilities within it. Nevertheless, the OEM has announced its intention to keep investing in different business areas at around the same time.

The GSM Association's latest study on mobile internet use worldwide has concluded that over half of the global population now has at least one smartphone. Four billion of those people are estimated to use mobile data on those devices, although hundreds of millions still use alternative mobile devices. The number of people without access to mobile connectivity has also been found to have dropped precipitously since 2015.

An all-electric BMW M car with a dual-motor rear-wheel-drive drivetrain could be on the cards for the German carmaker. This quirky drive-train arrangement could act as a sort of electronic limited-slip differential, give drivers more control over their vehicles, and allow BMW to implement its Drift Analyser feature for extra fun.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s G4 is available with both AMD and Intel CPUs. In terms of multicore performance and GPU power, the Intel model with Raptor Lake U is inferior - at least, the Intel ThinkPad has the single core performance as a strength.

Volkswagen has refreshed the ID.4 and ID.5 with a range of upgrades, the option of an enlarged cockpit display included. The electric cars' Pro models are also touted to come with improved range, torque and power, while their GTX versions are backed to get from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under six seconds.

The Tesla Cybertruck has been spotted in Mexico during a photo shoot, with spy shots revealing a spacious frunk, comfortably seating a grown human man, and a much-improved bed design sans aggressively-slanted sides.

Tesla is expanding its wrap offerings beyond the Chinese market, where they have been available for some time. This new offering all but confirms that Tesla will offer first-party wraps for the Cybertruck, which has been spotted wearing all sorts of exciting and comedic vinyl in test runs.

Sharp/NEC Displays has unveiled the NC1503 projector, a model designed for portable and small booth cinemas. The gadget uses an RB laser light source to generate images up to 17 m (~56 ft) wide with up to 14,000 lumens brightness. Other features include a DCI 2K native resolution, various USB ports and less than 50 dB of fan noise.

Xiaomi's upcoming first-gen car, is widely thought to land as a purely battery-powered electric vehicle (or BEV). However, according to the latest reports, it might also be possible to buy it as an extended-range EV (or E-REV). This kind of car integrates a small internal combustion engine (ICE) intended to help it run on electric power for longer.

OPPO has set the stage for the launch of the next major software upgrade for its Android smartphones during its Developers Conference of 2023. The event will also introduce the OEM's connected smart device ecosystem, not to mention its own generative AI model and latest development in health technology.

The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max upgraded to the latest A17 Pro chipset from Apple, whereas the 15 and 15 Plus were left to make do with the same A16 Bionic from the 14 Pro series. However, according to new analysis, the 2 cheaper models do have the same new external Snapdragon modem for 5G as their higher-end siblings. That means all four new iPhones have the same marquee wireless comms features, Roadside Assistance via Satellite included.

Last week's agreement between Lenovo and Esper brings the latter's enterprise-grade Android and device management to a wide range of devices. The first one to run the custom Android-based OS is the third-generation Lenovo ThinkCentre M70a desktop, to be followed by a few others before the end of 2023.

The Displace TV is touted as the world's first smart screen that works without cables of any kind, and also without a conventional wall-mount of any kind. Now, its OEM has gone into more detail on the "vacuum suction system" that keeps it up instead, and what happens if it or the integrity of the wall behind it were to fail. This involves the "ingenious" safeguards inside the TV rated to let it abseil down gently rather than shatter on the floor.

Sustainability has been one of the mega-trends of the economy in the last few years. In tech, one way to achieve this goal is by making devices repairable. Lenovo, currently the biggest PC manufacturer, has now predicted that the vast majority of its devices will be repairable by 2025.

Sharge (formerly Shargeek) has made its name on accessories designed to appeal to the tech enthusiast with a transparent designs that pack advanced charging capabilities. Unfortunately, they often prove kind of expensive - until now. Their latest Prime Day sale takes 59% off their original prices, leaving even the highest-capacity Sharge 100 up for grabs at under US$200 off.

Tesla's biggest EV competitor in the US market, The Hyundai Motor Group, will be joining the Supercharger bandwagon in 2024, with NACS becoming the default plug for Hyundai and Kia in 2025. Genesis has yet to make an announcement, but one is likely imminent, given the shared vehicle platforms.

Samsung is a little late to the party when it comes to foldable laptops at this stage. Nevertheless, the South Korean giant is said to join in, albeit possibly not until 2024 at the earliest. That event might see the launch of a markedly thin flexible-display device thanks to hinge technology already at work in the Galaxy Z Fold5 or Flip5 smartphones. Then again, there might be some drawbacks to its use in a full PC.

Kia has announced that it will unveil two new concept vehicles at its EV Day event this October. The concept EVs are expected to be the EV3 crossover and the EV4 saloon. The company will also use the event, expected to become an annual tradition, to provide more details on the recently revealed EV5.

The Poly Voyager Surround 85 UC are new Bluetooth headphones that the user can charge simply by placing them on their custom stand. It is powered by NuCurrent NuSync technology to power up via a "unique" near-field communication (NFC) system. The Surround 85 UC headset also supports adaptive ANC and is rated for up to 21 hours of use.

Acer Chromebooks have gone Plus for the first time with the series' latest 514 and 515 variants. The former has a 14-inch WUXGA display driven by a Ryzen 5 7000-series platform, whereas the latter has either 12th- or 13th-gen Intel processors for the potential to 2x the average Chrome OS productivity experience. The OEM asserts that they will deliver a workload capacity enhanced with "AI-powered Google and Adobe features".

CheckMag The titanium credit card Apple launched in 2019 was set to conquer the world, according to easy-to-excite types. The hype was so abundant that Samsung followed suit shortly out of fear of missing out. It's Q4 2023 and Apple Card's future looks bleak, as if the company has somehow forgotten about this little project.

The purveyor of Unreal Engine and Fortnite has apparently just realized that it is "spending too much money", and has decided to take steps to address this situation. Epic Games will cut SuperAwesome loose, and rid itself of Bandcamp, in order to achieve its goals. Nevertheless, it has managed to prepare severance packages for the ~900 employees also laid off as a result of its determination.

Honda appears to be entering the electric SUV space with an SUV that will slot in next to the Honda Passport. The Prologue will start in the “upper US$40,000s,” and it will be available with 21-inch wheels and an AWD drive train with 288 hp.

Next-gen devices with shiny new, cutting-edge 3 nanometer (nm) chipsets are now thought to meet with less consumer enthusiasm or FOMO than one might think as they start to emerge in late 2023 or early 2024. That, according to a respected industry analyst, has already prompted Apple not to splash out on the upgrade as much as it might have, while Qualcomm has already taken one major blow to its hopes for 3nm sales.

Qualcomm has introduced a first-gen Snapdragon AR1 Platform alongside its Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2, the former of which is specifically intended for the smart glasses and other augmented reality (AR) hardware of the near future. The latter, on the other hand, will power more virtual reality (VR) -focused headsets such as the Meta Quest 3.

Ulefone touts its Armor 24 as a rugged smartphone that doubles as its own emergency lighting system thanks to its large rear-mounted LED rated for up to 1,000 lumens of brightness. It also serves to eclipse the smartphone's very well-worn 4G/LTE-only SoC - then again, the platform drives a more or less up-to-date display and runs an Android 13-based OS.

The iPhone 16 series could be touted as even slimmer and more elegant devices thanks to reduced frame height in this generation. It is rumored to switch to a new type of printed circuit board (PCB) material backed to be thinner than conventional alternatives, and, thus, to help next-gen devices get even skinnier in turn.

Kioxia has announced that its latest product for smart home and mobile devices upgrades to the latest 5.1 standard for the eMMC storage of its category. The new BiCS-series memory is rated to achieve up to 2.7 times the performance of its predecessor, and is touted to be more user-friendly and to integrate better with other components.

The Mate 60 RS has been unveiled as one of Huawei's latest top-end smartphones. It may not be foldable, yet still manages to vie with the new Mate X5 Collector's Edition for out-of-warranty spare part costs. The new RS' motherboard alone can also buy a whole new iPhone 15-series handset.

The fastest components are not always the best, as proven by the EliteBook 845 G10. With the smaller Zen4 Ryzen 7 7840U processor, the business notebook is even better because the fan almost always remains inactive in everyday use.

Nissan will only release electric vehicles in Europe, going forward, and the brand aims to completely phase out ICE vehicles by 2030. To usher in the company's EV era, it unveiled a track-focussed electric hot hatch concept called Concept 20-23.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G11 with the Intel Core i7-1365U, 16 GB of RAM, and a 1 TB SSD is 54% off on eBay. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a highly portable 14-inch laptop with dependable performance and the typical ThinkPad touches you'd expect.

The Galaxy A05s is thought to launch as one of Samsung's cheapest new smartphones of 2024. Now, according to a new tip, potential customers might have an idea of what to expect for their money already. That specs list now includes a well-worn 4G/LTE-only Qualcomm processor, a screen of decent resolution and an amount of RAM that could be described as moderate at best.

We have tested the compact Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 with an OLED screen. This made us realize again: When using an OLED screen, dark mode is a must.

Regulatory documents suggest that the Tesla Model 3 Performance will get a significant motor update in the Highland refresh, potentially bringing better acceleration, top speed, and power delivery characteristics to Tesla's economical sedan.

Four Cybertruck units were spotted outside the Tesla Gigafactory in Texas, supposedly waiting for crash testing. Collision safety has been a hot-button topic for the Cybertruck since the stainless steel body and angular design of the electric pickup truck debuted.

Audi has upgraded the Q4 e-tron electric compact SUV for the 2024 model year to more closely resemble its goal of a do-it-all EV. Thanks to upgraded rear motors, the latest Q4 e-tron has more range, more power, and upgraded suspension for a sportier ride.

NIO has confirmed that it has made its own smartphone for fans of its premium automotive experience. The inaugural Phone is equipped with some high-end features to match those from the Samsung Galaxy S series and even the newest iPhones, although they are geared for close integration with first-party cars in this case.

Thanks to the use of a custom-made large language model specifically aimed at voice interaction, the new Alexa AI can carry on even more natural conversations with its users than before. The update allows Amazon's virtual assistant to understand and fulfill more complex questions and requests.

Lenovo's new budget ThinkPads E14 & E16 are available with improved optional screens, which left a good impression during our reviews. The keyboards on the other hand are worse compared to previous models.

Topic chassis: Lenovo has mostly used various types of plastic for ThinkPads. This saves money, but the ThinkPad X13 Yoga G4 shows that magnesium would be the better choice.

EE has announced plans to bring Wi-Fi 7 routers powered by Qualcomm to the UK market soon. The carrier asserts that its residential broadband customers will be among the first on Earth to access such potential speeds thanks to the new devices. The partners are also confident that the upgrade will improve the service in general.

Alongside an early production Cybertruck, Tesla added sweepstakes for the Model 3 Performance to the referral program. An entry costs 1,000 credits, and the winner will be decided on October 6, 2023.