Business Articles

Samsung Pay is the third most popular contactless digital payments system in use in Russia today. The South Korean giant's resultant market dominance is now under threat, however, as a Swiss company now asserts a relevant patent it owns is being infringed upon so that consumers can use it in the country. It is seeking a sales blockade that would mean Samsung would have to take a sizeable number of its handsets off Russian shelves soon.

SK Hynix has introduced its latest development as high bandwidth memory 3 (or HBM3) as "the world’s best-performing DRAM". It is rated for up to 78% greater data-processing rates compared to its predecessor, thanks to its maker's latest TSV technique. HBM3 also has a new maximum capacity per module, thanks to the latest manufacturing processes.

A Lenovo representative has announced that the OEM will hold a major product event for later in 2021. A new tablet, the Xiaoxin Pad Pro 12.6, is confirmed as one of the stars of this show. However, there may be others, and they may be new PCs of the Yoga line.

If gray and black laptops aren't your thing, then Razer has got you covered once again with yet another pink color option for one of its many models. The Razer Book competes with the Dell XPS 13 9310 as both are 13.4-inch laptops designed for offices.

Realme launched the Realme Pad last month in India as an affordable but capable tablet. Apparently, the Realme Pad is set to make the trip over to Europe and a new leak has now provided information on the tablet's pricing for that market.

Sony has just announced that its latest camera is none other than the latest alpha 7 (or a7) full-frame unit. The OEM touts it as a true "hybrid" shooting machine, in that it has optimized the new device for stills as well as videos - and live-streams. Furthermore, the a7 IV boasts a raft of updated hardware updates, which include its rear-mounted touchscreen.

Two crypto lending platforms have been ordered to stop trading in New York. The state's Attorney General, Letitia James, took this action as these companies have allegedly failed to register with the Attorney General's Office, a legal requirement in the state.

A new electric vehicle player has entered the fray, and it is none other than Apple's iPhone manufacturer Foxconn with an electric SUV, sedan, and bus models trio.

The recently launched and redesigned 2021 MacBook Pro with its expanded connectivity, but also the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 supposedly herald the beginning of a new design era in which Apple prefers function over form when it comes to the design of its products.

As a surprise guest at Volkswagen's manager conference, Tesla CEO Elon Musk found praiseful words for his closest competitor in the electric car segment, and also offered some management advice for the German automaker.

Bitcoin has reached a new high, having returned to over US$60,000 last week. Now, the cryptocurrency has appreciated to a few dollars off US$67,000 as it nears US$70,000. US$100,000 per coin no longer seems that far away.

Samsung has formally unveiled One UI 4 today. The OEM has indicated that this new interface is intended for use across all devices a given user might have from its brand, from its accessories to its mobile devices or PCs. Accordingly, it contains the latest versions of features such as SmartThings Find and Quick Share.

Sony has taken issue with Dbrand selling Darkplates side plates for the PlayStation 5. In response, Dbrand has released Darkplates 2.0 in three colours.

Intel has switched approaches with Apple, having run an aggressively anti-Apple campaign earlier this year. Now, CEO Pat Gelsinger has been speaking the Apple M1's praises. However, he still wants to tempt Apple back with better processors than it could manufacture itself.

Verizon, Samsung and Qualcomm have collaborated on a project directed toward raising the limit for upload speeds over 5G. This was done using a combination of mmWave and other bands to produce a result estimated at over 700 megabits per second (Mb/s). This might reduce the time taken to upload 4K videos over the networks in question to just a few seconds.

There are now mere hours before Apple's Unleashed event, and the Cupertino giant's virtual store has gone offline. Its main page notes it is down for "updates". This may be as good a sign as any that long-awaited upgrades to product lines capable of flying off the shelves are on the way.

A new set of leaks have now revealed pricing of the upcoming Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro for both the US and UK markets. The leaked prices indicate that the phones will be cheaper than expected, with the Pixel 6 supposedly starting at an incredible US$599.

Acer's Indian servers have been breached by the hacker group Desorden, who claim to have access to 60 GB of sensitive corporate information and financial data. The group also claimed to release data of millions of Acer customers for a fee. Acer said that the breach has been reported to local law enforcement, and that it will have no impact on business continuity.

NFC is a popular form of casual data transfer between compatible devices, and can also be used as a form of wireless charging as well. This is typically done using the NFC WLC standard, which allows for low-wattage power delivery over a specific frequency. Now, NuCurrent claims its latest development improves on those specs, for improved charging and data-transfer speeds.

In a recent policy change, Valve decided that the Steam platform would no longer support games built on blockchain technology that let users receive or exchange crypto or NFT assets, raising questions about the future of player-owned NFT assets.

After having his GeForce RTX 3080 order remain unfulfilled for an entire year, a buyer in Poland reportedly ordered a special cake commemorating the “anniversary,” and sent it to the retail. Surprisingly, this drove the retailer to actually fulfill the order, a year after it was placed.

The ZBook Fury 15 G8 is one of the fastest mobile workstations in its size class. If you're in it for the features and not so much for the speed, however, then the older and likely cheaper ZBook Fury 15 G7 will be more than enough.

The nascent Li-Metal battery technology that allows for 500 miles (800km) of range on a charge has won the heart (and a $100 million investment) of Hyundai for the next Ioniq models built on the E-GMP platform.

The heavyweight fight between the two American tech giants is going into the next round. Users on Twitter now mock and criticize the CPU manufacturer from California for its anti-Apple marketing post.

Canalys has now released a report on the smartphone market for the latest complete quarter, the third of 2021 (3Q2021). The group has concluded that its shipments have fallen by 6% year-on-year (YoY), and that this reduction can be attributed to the ongoing chipset shortage. However, this did not stop Samsung from staying at the top of the charts, as it did in 3Q2020.

3D printing start-up Divergent has purchased three NXG XII 600 metal printers, doubling its production capacity. These new printers will allow Divergent to get vehicles on the road within the next two years.

Google’s AI department was recently hit by a class-action lawsuit in the UK, because of possible irregularities in the way that it received and handled the data of over 1.6 million NHS patients from the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.

Former co-founder of OnePlus and now CEO and co-founder of London-based consumer tech brand Nothing, Carl Pei has announced it is partnering with Qualcomm on its future products. The announcement coincides with Pei’s announcement that Nothing has raised US$50 million.

Dell has announced the Latitude 5430 Rugged, a 14-inch semi-rugged laptop designed for working in harsh environments. The Latitude 5430 Rugged offers several Intel Tiger Lake choices along with optional Nvidia Quadro T500 graphics. The laptop also offers 5G connectivity and is FirstNet Ready for connectivity during emergencies.

Acer's new L811 laser-powered device is directed at those wishing to project their own 4K HDR10-compatible movies at home. For those who would prefer a monitor that could also support some image-editing work, there is the 27-inch CB273U IPS monitor. For more "serious" display needs, however, the OEM has now also announced pricing and availability for the Nitro XV272U KF.

Dell has announced the Latitude 7330 Rugged Extreme, which it claims to be the smallest 13-inch rugged laptop with 5G connectivity. The Latitude 7330 Rugged Extreme is powered by Intel Tiger Lake processors and is meant for the toughest jobs in harsh environments. The device is IP65-rated and tested to match MIL-STD-810H specifications.

Acer has introduced the TravelMate Vero, a sustainable variant to the TravelMate business laptop segment. The TravelMate Vero is made of 30% PCR plastic and comes in a 100% recyclable packaging. The laptop is powered by Intel 11th gen Tiger Lake CPUs and will allow businesses to customize the boot up screen with their own corporate logos.

Acer's latest Chrome OS devices have arrived with 14- or 15-inch FHD displays, each with up-to-date processors and features. The higher-tier 515s come with Spin and Enterprise variants, whereas the new 514 and Spin 314 set themselves apart with a new MediaTek Kompanio platform and an "environmentally friendly" OceanGlass touchpad respectively.

Apple’s fears of the global chip shortage impacting its ability to manufacture enough iPhone 13 models is starting to materialize. According to Bloomberg, Apple is said to have been forced to scale down its iPhone 13 production by as many as 10 million units as chip shortages have started to bite.

Samsung has begun mass producing its 14nm DDR5 DRAM with cutting-edge EUV technology. Samsung's five-layer EUV process has allowed it to achieve the highest DDR5 DRAM bit density in the industry with 20% productivity enhancement. The DDR5 DRAM also draws up to 20% less power than the previous DRAM node.

Sony and TSMC are said to be in discussion to open a new semiconductor factory in Japan. The new plant would produce chips for cameras, cars and other purposes and could help stabilize chip supplies.

President Biden's administration may soon issue an executive order on crypto trading that will be a coordinated regulation push by all government agencies involved - from the Treasury Department to the national security ones.

If the Precision 5560 looks familiar, then that's because it is essentially the same mobile workstation as the Precision 5550. It's the GPU and PCIe4 storage options available that set the two apart.

The Lumix BS1H is Panasonic's latest cuboid-style digital cinema camera with a full-frame sensor. The OEM touts it as a particularly manageable entry into this level of videography, as it has crammed its up-to-date 6K specs into a particularly compact form-factor. It also supports a familiar range of outputs that include SD cards, HDMI and IP streaming.

Lenovo is currently hinting that a machine called the Yoga 16s will launch sometime soon, in China at the least. Now, the OEM has hyped this PC again with some tantalizing new display details. They emphasize the laptop's relatively high brightness and refresh rate, along with support for HDR and touch controls.

Canon has announced the RF5.2mm f/2.8L, created with the dual fish-eye lenses needed to convert a single DSLR into a VR content-creation machine. This new binocular accessory is compatible with the EOS R5, and confers 180-degree 3-dimensional stereoscopic recording in up to 8K on the flagship camera.

There are many different laptop designs, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. While this also applies to large, heavy laptops, there is such a thing as too big. Unfortunately, the Lenovo ThinkPad P17 G2 is a prime example for this. For the next generation, Lenovo should update its design to something that looks more recent.

The exact nature of the concessions offered to the European Commission is yet to be determined. In light of the concession proposal, the European Commission extended the ARM deal review deadline until October 27 to analyze the implications and seek additional input from ARM's customers. Nvidia was also recently in news headlines because of its US$100+ million investment plan for the UK's fastest supercomputer.

Lenovo has updated the second generation ThinkPad P15 with new Tiger Lake processors from Intel along with Thunderbolt 4, but the highlight of the mobile workstation is the new professional RTX A3000 GPU from Nvidia, which provides a huge performance boost.