Business Articles

Apple had reportedly planned to release iPhone 16- or 17-series devices with their own in-house Wi-Fi chips to go with their next-gen proprietary processors. However, according to a leading industry analyst, these aspirations have just gone the same way as the Cupertino giant's custom 5G baseband dreams. Meanwhile, the unusually high pressure to make A16 Bionic and M2-series successors instead mounts.

TCL has loaded the Ion X up with a nostalgic combination of smartphone features: a microSD card slot, a 3.5mm jack and a removable battery. Then again, its display and internal specs are on the low-end side, and it will not get 5G on its Metro service in the US. Accordingly, it goes for just under US$120 via its new carrier.

Q4 2022 brought an all-time second biggest quarterly loss of US$664 million for Intel and the YoY situation is bleak as well, forcing CEO Pet Gelsinger to axe a few more non-core businesses to save capital.

The Surface Pro is Microsoft's flagship convertible, and the ninth generation now offers Wi-Fi 6E and a leap in performance thanks to the Alder Lake CPU, but other features such as the optional LTE modem or the audio jack have been omitted. This doesn't make the device any better.

The Sharp NEC PV800UL projector has been announced. The gadget has a laser light source producing up to 8,000 ANSI lumens brightness. You can use the device to throw images up to 500-in (~1,270 cm) wide, and the projector is compatible with various lenses. Plus, the PV800UL can run quietly with 33 dB running noise.

Xiaomi's upcoming first-gen car is reportedly coming along in testing ahead of its upcoming launch. The vehicle has allegedly been spotted in some new leaks that have drawn comparisons between it and a certain Tesla vehicle. However, according to a company executive, all is not as it appears.

The well-known 3D printer brand Creality has pursued a direct sales model, or one of selling through its own web-store, for about half a year now. Now, it has announced it has raked in over US$12 million since going live in 2022. The company credits the move with a vast growth in success and recognition in the consumer (or prosumer) home extruding market.

We put these pricey AI-powered earbuds to the test in both Mandarin and English under a variety of scenarios. They're great for basic day-to-day conversations, but the automatic translations can be unreliable depending on your accent and topic.

Smartphones that can convert into phablets or even tablets without the need for a hinge may once have been thought to be the trend that would leave devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 behind without delay. However, according to the latest industry leaks, rollables will fail to overtake foldables in the near future after all, as OEMs struggle to solve some of the greater manufacturing and durability problems implied by the newer form-factor.

Shortly after a Russian weapons manufacturer claimed they have developed a Starlink terminal detection radar to be tested on the battlefield in Ukraine, Russia now informs that it has captured Elon Musk's satellite Internet stations as trophies. The former head of Roskosmos also tipped that Russia has created and delivered its own satellite system for battlefield communications.

Microsoft's recent layoffs seems to have impacted 343 Industries — makers of the popular Halo franchise — the most along with studios such as The Coalition and Bethesda. With several former employees voicing their opinion about leadership and the unwarranted need to cull workforce despite good cash flow, Halo fans fear these moves will have an adverse impact on Halo Infinite even while being assuaged officially that the game's development will go as planned.

ViewSonic has announced that it will unveil a new 5K display as a headline act at its Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) showcase. The massive, business-grade display can be written or drawn on as well as show 105 inches of visual content. It will be joined by even bigger LED displays, some of which have upgraded to flexible displays, and ultra-bright projectors at the conference.

ViewSonic's latest VG56V Series of monitors come with their own pop-up cameras for a new perspective on pro-grade remote conferencing. The OEM asserts that their new front-facing "docking" web-cams improve on user security as well as enhance how they present themselves during online meetings. The new displays also support USB type-C, DisplayPort and giga connectivity.

Lenovo introduces numerous ThinkPad laptops into the market every year that each cover different market segments. It is not easy to select one model from this wide selection that is "the best," but we still think that for most users, this is the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s G3 AMD.

The Sharp NEC P627UL laser projector will shortly be demonstrated at ISE 2023. The gadget, designed for meeting rooms or educational spaces, has up to 6,200 ANSI lumens brightness. You can use the projector to throw images up to 300-in (~762 cm) wide with support for a WUXGA resolution and 4K @ 30 Hz input processing.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has issued a blog post detailing the company's plans to reduce its personnel numbers by 10,000 in 2023. These layoffs have reportedly already begun, affecting one of the Redmond giant's US centers. Then again, some of those whose jobs are terminated are slated to benefit from enhanced post-employment support.

A recent rumour of Samsung showing a new prototype foldable smartphone during CES 2023 has fired up speculation about the state of the Galaxy Z Fold5. Sadly, the prototype shown is actually the Flex In N Out, a work of Samsung Display, not the Samsung Galaxy division.

Once known as Samsung Pay and available as Samsung Wallet since June 2022, the digital wallet platform of the South Korean tech giant continues its expansion. After reaching 13 new markets at the end of 2022, Samsung Wallet is now heading for 8 new ones, including Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, and more.

Future Airstream, Jayco, Entegra Coach and Tiffin RVs by THOR can be ordered with factory Starlink Internet pre-installed. The factory integration is guaranteeing speeds of up to 50Mbps even when the SpaceX satellite network is congested and THOR will give a month of Starlink RV service for free.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is projected to launch with a new rear camera that may or may not be based on the latest, most compact, zoom technology. Now, Apple has reportedly tipped LG, the OEM responsible for this breakthrough, for components that could make such a camera module for an upcoming flagship smartphone. Then again, another parts company has also secured a piece of this pie.

The current vanilla iPhone 14 flagship is projected to become supplanted by a newer model with Apple's latest Dynamic Island display type in 2024. Now, according to the latest leaks, this 15-series device may be on the cusp of entering mass production. These rumors are now accompanied by renders showing how this new kind of base-model might look with its new screen.

The EliteBook scores with a powerful, energy-efficient Rembrandt APU, USB 4, LTE modem and very good battery runtimes. HP uses a very bright 13.3-inch screen in a work-friendly 16:10 format (1,920 x 1,200) with an optional privacy filter.

DISH has filed an appeal arguing that SpaceX shouldn't be allowed to shoot its big next generation Starlink Internet satellites that will provide phone service because of possible interference. The Dark-Sky Association has filed a separate lawsuit, but SpaceX appears nonplussed as it has launch permission by the FCC for some of the satellites requested.

According to a leading industry analyst, Apple has found a partner to help with alleged plans to make iPhones that ditch conventional physical side buttons for those that are "solid-state", or pressure-sensitive, in the near future. This potentially interesting hardware update may be exclusive to the upcoming 15 Pro series at first, yet may be quickly adopted by Android flagships thereafter.

The demand for Apple's well-performing laptops could drop off rather dramatically in the first quarter of 2023, also because the highly anticipated MacBook Pro refresh with the improved Apple M2 Pro and M2 Max chipsets has allegedly been pushed back once again.

Microsoft has confirmed the ultimate end of Windows 7 support by finally pulling the last vestige of updates available to the OS. The Redmond giant has also now announced that its 8.1 successor is also now at the end of its life, although it will not be extended the same prolonged security-update palliative care of the preceding version.

LG Display has confirmed more details about its next-generation OLED panels. Soon to be available in the LG G3 OLED, LG Display's 'OLED Meta' panels should provide superior brightness than their predecessors, with up to 2,100 nits peak luminosity quoted. LG Display claims that its new displays also offer wider viewing angles while consuming less power too.

Samsung Display has appealed to the United States FTC to enforce a sweeping ban for all aftermarket/refurbished AMOLED screens in the country. If enforced, such a law runs the risk of gutting the entire independent repair industry, denying consumers the choice for cheaper parts.

According to new reports, Apple has no plans to release a new generation of any AirPods model this year. Instead, the AirPods 4 and AirPods Max 2 will likely debut in late 2024, and could be joined by an all-new AirPods model—the AirPods SE, maybe—seemingly planned to arrive with an MSRP around US$99.

The United States' administration has ruled that Apple has infringed on the intellectual property of another company. Masimo asserts that the Cupertino giant appropriated their trade secrets in making the pulse oximeter found in Apple Watches since the 6 series. Now, the deliberations that might see the popular wearables banned from the market are slated to begin.

DJI has announced a series-first Mini addition, touted to allow users to "Move Lighter" under the same new RS 3 gimbal name. It has been designed to weigh half as much as its Pro sibling, yet is touted as an ideal companion for a range of cameras, full-frame mirrorless units with their lenses included. It also integrates its own little touchscreen, although there is also a dedicated Bluetooth shutter button.

OmniVision issues a challenge to other mobile CMOS-makers such as Sony and Samsung with its latest 8K-capable mobile image sensor. The OV50H has an on-trend 50MP resolution, as well as support for staggered HDR thanks to in-house technology. It also debuts a new kind of quad-phase detection (QPD) touted to deliver improved auto-focus. Therefore, its maker backs it as a worthwhile component for the flagship-grade smartphones of the future.

Volkswagen now claims that it shipped nearly 24% more electric cars to customers in 2022 compared to 2021, doubling those sent to those in China and also growing those sent to the North American market. The ID.4 was found to be responsible for most of these shipments, and was also deemed the best-selling car in one market for the second year running.

The OnePlus 11 debuted recently and is already proving to be a sales success, with the flagship outselling other Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phones like the Xiaomi 13 and Vivo X90 series in China. Despite that success, however, OnePlus has also confirmed that it has no plans to debut a OnePlus 11 Pro.

Tecno has been accounted a Top 10 Smartphone Brand worldwide for 2022 and 2023 at the latest major CES conference. The OEM attributes this award to the innovation and design it has striven for in producing devices such as the Phantom X2 Pro, the world's first handset with a retractable zoom lens.

Apple is said to have scrapped plans for a successor to the current 2022 iPhone SE (or SE 3). However, Qualcomm may have reasons to rejoice at this rumored cancellation, as the Cupertino behemoth had also been thought to debut its own baseband for with the affordable-grade handset. Therefore, the market for mobile data hardware may continue as normal rather than shaken up with a new player.

Jackery has brought its latest additions to its Explorer family to introduce to the world at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The 1500 Pro is the more portable of the two, although some may prefer the larger capacity of the new Ultra Charging flagship. The 3000 Pro is hyped as capable of powering some appliances on the go.

TCL has come to CES 2023 to put its latest developments on show, its potentially advantageous inkjet-printed OLED, high-PPI LCDs for VR headsets and extendable-display tablet included. It has also hinted at upcoming gaming technology in the form of a huge, high-refresh-rate 1G1D-pixel TV.

The powerful 14-inch business laptop from HP comes with a quick AMD Ryzen processor and a bright 400-nit IPS display, which arguably turn the EliteBook 845 into a decent bargain at a steeply discounted sale price of US$879.

Skyworth's bendable OLED TV is on display during CES 2023, alongside other TVs with tech such as mini-LED backlighting. The OEM is also demonstrating its own in-house OS as an alternative to the Google TV of its upcoming outdoor screen at the major Las Vegas conference.

Qualcomm has announced that satellite-based connectivity is coming to Android smartphones, starting with those powered by its latest flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. The OEM has partnered with Iridium to deliver the first-gen system, and intends for it to be available worldwide and, eventually, to devices besides smartphones.

The new Lenovo ThinkCentre Neo 50q Gen 4 is a desktop of just one liter (l) in volume, yet is rated to fit SSDs and HDDs of up to 1TB in size, as well as up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM. It is also WiFi 6-capable thanks to choice of its 13th-gen Intel platforms, and supports business-class IGEL operating systems as well as Windows 11 installs.

Lenovo has introduced a Wireless Dock to go with its ThinkBook line of laptops, starting with the 13x Gen 2. Both devices are the first to support the Power-by-Contact technology for the OEM's vision of the cable-free future. The new Dock also has space for a user to keep their 'standard' wireless accessories powered.

The ThinkBook 16p Gen 4 has debuted with a new lid-mounted POGO-pin interface for a new range of detachable and interchangeable accessories. Lenovo has announced that it is called the Magic Bay, and has unveiled the first 3 products to be compatible with it. The OEM claims to have developed them based on feedback concerning the biggest problems faced while working remotely.

Taiwanese PC manufacturer Asus is renown for its consumer PCs, especially the ZenBook line and the Republic of Gamers (ROG) laptops. The business line ExpertBook is somewhat less prominent - to change this, the new Asus ExpertBook B9 packs a 2.8k OLED screen into a lightweight magnesium-lithium chassis.