Business Articles

Following the announcement that OnePlus is completely merging its operations within Oppo, a leaked memo has shed more light on how the arrangement will work. While the merger will still produce OnePlus-branded phones, the company is now a sub-brand within the larger Oppo structure.

The Chinese government has started targeting cryptocurrency mining operations in the Sichuan province. Local electricity companies have been instructed to cut power to large-scale mining firms. As a result, some companies have relocated to the United States, while others could set up shop in neighbouring Kazakhstan.

In earlier years, the energy efficient "Ultra Low Voltage" CPUs of the U series hardly offered any performance, but manufacturers still packed them into workstation laptops. Even though the modern U processors are still considerably slower than H CPUs, at this point their absolute performance is high enough for new models such as the ThinkPad P15s Gen 2 to be able to deliver sufficient power for CAD applications.

TeamGroup has launched the latest generation of its Elite series of desktop U-DIMM RAM sticks. The new 2x16GB modules are the OEM's inaugural DDR5 versions of these components. As such, they are rated for potential advantages such as a 4,800MHz top speed and increased stability.

Fitbit has acknowledged that its iOS app is causing battery drain problems with its flagship smartwatch. Currently, the company has advised a workaround, although it breaks syncing between the Fitbit Sense and iOS devices.

The Galaxy Z Fold2 remains available in the US, contrary to reports. Samsung has not stopped selling it on its US website. However, no US carriers have stock of Samsung's foldable smartphone in either colour, possibly in anticipation of the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Currently, the only way to get your hands on a Galaxy Z Fold2 in the US is to purchase an unlocked handset.

LG's last flagship smartphone has reached the Google Play Console. The Velvet 2 Pro, codenamed the LG Rainbow, has some bleeding-edge hardware and would have been an excellent upgrade on last year's LG Velvet.

For the first time since its original release in 2018, Lenovo is not merely updating the ThinkPad P1. The new version of the premium mobile workstation, the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 4, is a complete redesign. A large 16 inch 16:10 screen, vapor chamber cooling, top-firing speakers, 5G, a 1080p webcam and Tiger Lake H as well as up to the Nvidia RTX A5000 - Lenovo has packed the ThinkPad P1 G4 with new features.

OnePlus has announced that it is merging its operations with Oppo. The two companies are owned by the same parent company and had already merged their R&D teams five months ago.

Cyberpunk 2077 has made the briefest of returns to the PlayStation Store following its removal last year. For some reason, Sony allowed people to wishlist the AAA game, despite CDPR's support drying up for it in the last few months.

What appears to be a widespread issue is affecting Galaxy S21 Ultra devices and looks like the camera app is the culprit. In some cases, the battery drain can go as far as 21 percent in seven hours and only 15 minutes of screen time. Sadly, the regular battery stats monitor does not detect anything wrong.

Leaks concerning a successor to Qualcomm's current top-end mobile SoC, the Snapdragon 888, have only just started to emerge. Nevertheless, there are hints that phone manufacturers have been sent samples of this alleged "895" to test already. According to a reliable tipster, these OEMs have one thing in common: they are all Chinese.

Microsoft has unveiled a new entry in its Xbox series, the Xbox Mini Fridge. According to the company, the Xbox Mini Fridge keeps drinks cooler than all its competitors thanks to Xbox Velocity Cooling Architecture. The Xbox Mini Fridge should hold up to 10 cans, too.

Wacom has announced that the entry-level, non-wireless version of its Intuos drawing tablet has joined the Works With Chromebook program. This means the device is certified to integrate "seamlessly" with Chrome OS PCs via USB type A. This might represent a useful new prospect for beginner artists and creators, not to mention remote educators.

The trend for laptop displays is currently moving towards a longer 16:10 aspect ratio. The result is smaller bezels below and above the screen, more space for documents - and much better usability in tablet mode. This is shown by the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Yoga Gen 2, for example.

The die shots showcase Sapphire Rapids ESF parts that utilize MCM, enabling Intel to creates chips with up to 56 Golden Cove cores. Multi-socket implementations could offer enterprise customers a new Xeon option with higher IPC, better temps at 10nm, scaling up to 3-digit core counts.

Lenovo's latest Windows tablet is barely 4 months old and it's already being discounted. If you're in the market for a Windows Surface Pro, then you may want to consider getting the ThinkPad X12 instead.

Rumors are flying that Microsoft has acquired no less than three more studios to join its growing list of game developers that make up the Xbox Game Studios. While no names have yet been confirmed, it’s widely believed that the makers of Crysis, Crytek, will be one of the companies focusing their future output on the Xbox Series X|S and Windows.
Update: New rumors suggest Microsoft has acquired five studios.

The manufacturer is likely clearing room for the eventual ThinkBook 15 G3 model with AMD Ryzen 5000U series options later this year. If you want a prosumer laptop for a budget price, then this deal will check a lot of boxes.

Sony has finally made professional-grade drones for cameras like the Alpha 1 in-house for the first time. However, all the seamless compatibility, enhanced connectivity, speed and control over aerial footage implied with the launch of the Airpeak S1 comes at a near-five-figure cost. Furthermore, the new gimbal designed for the UAV does not even come in the box with it.

Four months ago, CD Projekt Red revealed that it had become the victim of a ransomware attack. Initially, the company brushed off the attack, but it has now confirmed that people are sharing sensitive information online.

Acer has announced that its latest round of consolidated revenue (for May 2021) was its best for 7 seven years. These earnings, which totaled about US$895 million, grew by nearly 23% year-on-year (YoY). The OEM's gaming arm grew by 15.3% YoY, whereas its Chromebooks brought in 30.1% more revenue compared to May 2020.

Someone has posted a 100 GB TXT file to a hacker forum that contains up to 82 billion passwords. According to a report, the number of unique entries may only be 8.4 billion, but it still significantly increases the risk of password dictionary attacks. All passwords in RockYou2021 are between 6 and 20 characters long.

Realme CEO Madhav Sheth's latest tweet hints strongly at the imminent launch of this company's inaugural laptop. Judging from a possible product teaser included with this post, the machine is intended to be a MacBook clone, along the same lines as the Xiaomi Mi Notebook line. Realme's new take on this category is slated to launch by the end of June 2021.

A new report from China tells us that Xiaomi could resurrect its long-dead mobile chipset department. The company is allegedly in the process of hiring staff and securing patents for an in-house smartphone SoC.

The Schenker Vision 14 is a new entrant into the ~14-inch, 16:10 display thin-and-light laptop market. This fresh option has magnesium alloy in its construction, as well as Tiger Lake CPUs and 3K/90Hz panels in some configurations. It can support up to 64GB of RAM, Thunderbolt 4, and has 2 slots for M.2 2280 SSDs.

The current silicon crisis is often perceived as bad news for CPU and GPU supplies worldwide. However, a new report highlights the point that its ramifications might be more widespread than that. It indicates that disrupted sales of a controller chip necessary for working USB 4/Thunderbolt 4 might lead to a lack of PCs with 11th-gen Intel processors next, or to OEMs resorting to releasing the same machines without this spec.

In 2016, a 21-year-old student sent an iPhone to Apple for repair, only for the technicians who repaired her device to share explicit photos and a video of her online. Five years on, Apple has agreed to pay her millions of dollars in damages.

Tesla has cancelled the Plaid+, the range-topping model of the Model S. However, it seems that Elon Musk broke the news on Twitter before Tesla could inform those who had ordered the 1,100 bhp car.

Apple's WWDC 2021 keynote has introduced the next big things in iPadOS. They include new cross-platform features such as the upgraded Maps, FaceTime and Messages app. However, others, such as fresh split-screen capabilities, better-fitting widgets and the new Shelf, are more tablet-specific.

Microsoft has patented a new and particularly futuristic take on its logo: one that integrates camera sensors. This concept, which might come as part of the OEM's hardware one day, uses emerging under-display technology to put a tiny lens behind each square of the iconic Windows-evoking symbol. The new leak hints that it might appear on either the front or rear of next-gen devices.

Optoma has announced the FHDS130 SOLO LED Display as its latest addition to its line of large-scale products in the "pro-AV" category. The 130-inch screen is calibrated by the OEM out of the box, and is rated for clarity, brightness and sharpness. It also has a single-cable solution that might reduce installation time and complexity by a considerable margin.

Days Gone was launched to mixed reactions back in 2019, and its recently released PC port has mirrored that for the most part. Over a hundred thousand fans may have banded together to demand a sequel from Sony but even that looks to have been inadequate, with new information essentially confirming that Days Gone 2 is dead in the water.

Google has reportedly informed developers that it will introduce a new setting in Android that allows users to suspend Advertiser ID sharing across apps. The measure might boost privacy, although some app-makers might argue that it might also increase the risk of certain frauds, as well as revenue loss. Nonetheless, the changes are slated to start taking effect from late 2021.

Counterpoint has produced a bill of materials (BoM) analysis for the Apple Watch Series 6 and has estimated that the cost is just over a third of the official price of the popular smartwatch. The most expensive parts of the 2020 Apple Watch are the processor and memory, with Cupertino cutting costs by removing Force Touch.

The current US Government has announced a fresh panel of restrictions on a total of 59 companies that, as the administration believes, has links to China's ruling political party. These sanctions prevent the corporations on the list from securing investment from US entities. The measures come into effect from August 2, 2021.

Apple will finally release its first high refresh rate device. According to Ice Universe, the upcoming iPhone 13 Pro Max will sport a 120 Hz display, a year after Apple ditched similar plans for the iPhone 12 Pro Max. The imminent flagship will also be equipped with a battery big enough to offset the increased power draw of a 120 Hz display.

A surprise move by Google brings to an end the three-year-old policy banning the use of its ad services by cryptocurrency exchanges. The revised policy will allow ads for Cryptocurrency Exchanges and Wallets targeting the United States to go online starting in August, as long as they will be certified by Google.

Zepp Health has announced that its increasingly popular brands Amazfit and Zepp broke into the top 4 of names in the smartwatch market in terms of shipments for the first quarter of 2021 (1Q2021). They sold nearly 69% more units compared to 1Q2020. Zepp Health brands were also #1 in several countries for the quarter.

Huawei has reportedly hung physical posters teasing its second-gen MatePad Pro up around its domestic market ahead of its imminent launch. They depict a high-end slate with slim enough bezels, not to mention screen contents seemingly lining up with those from earlier HarmonyOS-related leaks. The device might also sell alongside a new keyboard dock and a compatible stylus.

Apple's Podcasts app will soon spawn a new wave of titles, to be published by new partner brands such as the Washington Post and Sony Music and also by independent creators. These new streams will require monthly or yearly fees, for which bonus or early-access content, as well as an ad-free experience, are thrown in. The new subscriptions are to be available in 170 countries from May 2021.

The X1 Extreme is among the few Lenovo ThinkPads that have not been updated yet this year. The upcoming Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 seems to be a huge redesign, as a leaked video shows wide speaker grills and a taller screen.

Today (May 31, 2021) is the last day on which LG's production lines for smartphones and tablets will be open. The OEM had previously announced that it would no longer be making these kinds of devices, and will now repurpose their former plant to make new home appliances instead. It might also now churn out new displays and camera components.

ViewSonic's ColorPro VP2768a has won one of the Technical Image Press Association's (TIPA) World Awards for 2021, in recognition of specs and features prized by photography experts. The monitor also already boasts Pantone validation and TÜV SÜD-certified color-blindness simulations; therefore, the OEM might now tout its performance yet further with this new title.

Marvell has announced that its latest line of SSD controllers has upgraded to PCIe 5.0 and NVMe 1.4b support. These specs render the Bravera SC5 series compatible with up-to-date cloud-related demands, or so the OEM asserts. They are also rated to offer advanced security and response-time features.