Mobile Trends 2018

Here is my collection of relevant trend for smart phones in 2018:

It seems that crazy growth times in smart phone markets are over at least for some time. The eight-year-long smartphone bubble in China has abruptly come to an end, in yet another warning sign that the global synchronized growth narrative is merely an illusion. China’s smartphone market suffered its first ever annual decline, with shipments down 4 percent from 2016 to 459 million phones in 2017. Canalys blames the weakness on a terrible y/y performance in the industry during the Q4 2017 period, with shipments crashing by over 14 percent to around 113 million phones. Anshul Gupta, a research director at Gartner, said in a statement that customers are choosing higher quality models and keeping them longer, lengthening the replacement cycle for smartphones. 1.9 billion mobile phones were sold in 2017.

Smartphone unit volumes are likely to return to low single-digit percentage growth in 2018 after unit sales declined in the fourth quarter for the first time ever, according to market research firm IDC. Gartner Says Worldwide Device Shipments Will Increase 2.1 Percent in 2018. Overall market is predicted to reach a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.8 percent over period from 2017 to 2022. Taiwan-based IC design houses expect orders from China’s smartphone industry to pick up in the second quarter of 2018, with customer orders likely to register double-digit sequential growth. The processor market is now growing thanks to cell phonescellular processors account for 28 percent of all processor sales.

Apple is the biggest money maker. Apple took over half of all mobile phone revenue in the end of 2017. During October-December, Apple took over 51 percent of the total net sales of its mobile phone through its iPhone. During the quarter, Apple made more sales on its phones than all other manufacturers in total (total net sales of mobile phone manufacturers were $ 120.2 billion and Apple got$ 61.4 billion). Samsung sold for $ 18.9 billion. Huawei sold three million units for $ 8.4 billion. Apple took also the lead from Samsung in smartphone shipments volume: Apple iPhone volumes reached 77.3 million units compared with 74.1 million for Samsung during the last quarter of 2017, according to the Feb. 1 IDC report.

Wireless charging has finally hit the mainstream. At the moment Qi seems to be the winning technology as it is mostly widely adopted and even Apple selected to use it. According to IHS, in 2017 year, 500 million devices with wireless charging were sold (40 percent higher than in the previous year). Mobile phones were the largest single product group. Next year, a billion devices with wireless charging will be introduced, estimates IHS.

New camera features are coming. More lenses to smart phones are coming. A few phones now have four camera lenses, with two on the back and two on the front, but an upcoming Nokia handset could go one better with five. HMD Global isn’t the only company working on the photography-focused smartphone. The Chinese company Huawei is planning to launch its P-20 flagship phone, featuring five cameras in total. Samsung’s upcoming Exynos 7 processor model 9610 is capable of recording slow motion video at 480 frames per second.

Smartphone users seem to be spending less time but more money each time they visit a website. Each time Americans visit retail websites on their phones, they’re spending less time but more money. According to Adobe Analytics the time smartphone users spend on websites per visit has decreased by 10% since 2015 but the amount of money spent per visit has increased by 27%.

People have their phones with them all the time and watch their phones very often. According to Huawei’s Smartphone Relationships survey, 49 percent of respondents think they view their phone several times in one hour. More than half (58%) of the respondents carry the phone with them over 13 hours a day. Most phones are still used to send messages (86%), even though photography (85%) and social media usage (81%) attracted almost the same. 27% of respondents actively use the phone for 3-4 hours a day. 61 percent of users read emails or browse social media first when they are awakened in the morning.

Android and iOS have taken practically almost all of the smart phone OS market. Android 7 is the most common operating system version, as it spins 18.4 percent of all devices on the market. Android 6 is close to the same figures, accounting for 17.6 percent. Of all smartphones, 17.5 percent already run iOS 11. Windows Phone devices accounted for 0.87 percent and is decreasing, so Windows phone is dead. Microsoft has practically ended Windows Phone platform.

Android P brings new features like indoor positioning, privacy features, multi-camera support and easier to support the cutout in the display. Android P developer preview is now available for testing.

There is no more Android Wear. Android Wear has been rebranded as Wear OS to reflect the fact that it works with both Android and iOS smartphone.

Android Go is stripped down version of Android for low-end devices. Android Go phones, which are mostly low-end devices for ~$100 with 1GB RAM or less, were announced at MWC.

Security chip technologies designed for computers are pushing to smart phones. Purism is working on a Librem5 smartphone that can be run on virtually any Linux operating system and all data on the phone will be protected with a Trusted Platofrm Module (TPM).

AI is coming to smart phones with applications like taking decisions, recognizing text, speech and images, or translating foreign languages. Mobile AI Race Unfolds at MWCThe performance of smartphone application processors is constantly increasing, especially in image processing and artificial intelligence. While Apple and Samsung, both armed with home-grown apps processors, have a lock on the premium smartphone market, MediaTek, seeking to rebound in smartphones, is rolling out at the Mobile World Congress its Helio P60 chipset. Samsung develops its own neural network processor (invested last year in China’s DeePhi Technologies). Samsung has not told whether the new Exonys circuit is integrated with a separate neural network processor like Huawei’s Kirin or Apple processors. LG’s opening in AI is the V30S model that is based on the V30 platform. The device is part of LG’s new artificial intelligence ThinQ brand. Telecom operators are looking to artificial intelligence as a potential money-spinner to combat stagnating mobile service revenues. Tirias Research believes that by 2025, 95 percent of all new devices or platforms will leverage artificial intelligence in the cloud or with some form of native machine learning.

5G is coming faster than anyone expected. 5G phones are getting more and more popular in a couple of years. Market research company Gartner predicts that 5G networks will become more common in smart phones in the early 2020s. 5G is coming to newest phones with advanced chip technology. Qualcomm said it will continue to work with longtime foundry supplier Samsung Electronics on Snapdragon 5G chipsets using Samsung’s 7nm Low Power Plus (LPP) process technology with extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. The X24 modem is the first volume-to-output circuit that is manufactured using a 7 nanometer process. Intel, TSMC and Globalfoundries are targeting EUV production sometime in 2019. Gartner says that by 2021, 9 Percent of Smartphones Sold Will Support 5G.

Cisco projects that by 2020, the average smartphone will generate 4.4GB of network traffic every month (up from less than 1GB per month in 2015). And by 2021, smartphone traffic will exceed PC traffic.

Wireless Technology is becoming The Existential Necessity of Life. Technologies like LTE, 5G, and Wi-Fi are continuing to improve. The wireless technologies we all use daily are cellular LTE and Wi-Fi. LTE is gradually morphing into 5G and Wi-Fi continues to get better. Long Term Evolution is our current 4G worldwide cellular standard. The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is still working on 5G, but concurrently companies are testing 5G New Radio (NR) equipment. Wi-Fi, LTE, and 5G all have one thing in common. Their increases in data rate and user capacity have come primarily from advanced antenna techniques.

Current and future smartphones that combine spectrum from several frequency bands can function without a typical antenna, thanks to a tiny “booster” device that can radiate RF signals from the smartphone itself. Microstrip patch antennas became well received in wireless communications systems due to their low cost of fabrication and effectiveness in those systems. A number of approaches have been developed to overcome the limits of traditional antenna designs.

Electromagnetic Radiation Is Decreasing in New Generations of Smartphones. While there’s no evidence that phone-produced RF radiation is carcinogenic, new phones are emitting less of it.

Traditional SIM will be replaced in the near future. It is expected that the traditional SIM card format becomes unnecessary, as in the coming years, all devices will be manufactured with eSIM capability. ESIM allows many things for both the consumer and the operator. For example the same subscriber contract, it is possible to tie up several devices. Also according to the operators, the current network roaming will disappear within the next 3-5 years.

NFC specifications are updates and usage is increasing. Apple’s iOS 11 announcement last spring opening the iPhone 7 and following models to use NFC technology beyond Apple Pay had significant impact across many markets. The 2017 Technical Specification Release from the NFC Forum is made up of 21 new or updated near field communication (NFC) technical specifications. The new specifications are a big step toward ensuring interoperability between NFC solutions in the market with various existing infrastructures, unifying new and existing specs to ensure interoperability and functionality across all solutions using NFC technology (ISO/IEC 14443 or ISO/IEC 18092 specifications).

Smart Glasses are still not ready to wear. Talks give skeptical takes on AR, 5G. Ans we have this this confusion of Smart Glasses vs. Augmented Reality Goggles vs. Virtual Reality Headsets.

Finger sensor integrated to display tries to push to market. Japan Display Inc. (JDI) unveiled a transparent glass-based capacitive fingerprint sensor. Although its TFT-based fingerprint sensors have certain advantages over silicon-based solutions, JDI might be arriving too late with too little. But it could be too little too late as manufacturers are eyeing to other solutions.

Now that Samsung’s Galaxy S9 is already on the market and Huawei’s P20 announcement is looming large, imaging experts have declared 3D sensing the new battleground for the mobile industry. It is left to be seen whether either Samsung or Huawei will be able to catch up with Apple’s iPhone X. The bar set by Apple’s TrueDepth camera is very high.  According to Digitimes, the TrueDepth module module costs $ 30-50, which makes the component too expensive for a few hundred dollars in Chinese-speaking phones. TrueDepth-like solutions have very few component suppliers, so prices are not yet coming down. The TrueDepth module is based on five subsystems or modules: infrared camera, proximity sensor, infrared light, RGB camera and point the projector.

Large-scale use of biometric authentication is primarily tied to smartphones. The wide-range of sensors built into these handheld and ubiquitous devices make them an ideal tool for face and iris recognition (camera), voice (microphone), and touch (fingerprint)Banks are increasingly using voice and face recognition via smartphones for mobile banking purposes. Biometric authentication has several distinct advantages over passwords, including advantages and disadvantages that they are difficult to change. But Are Biometrics as a Form of Authentication Over-hyped and Unreliable?  “Whether a particular biometric method is useful or not depends on the sensor quality and ease of duplicating a particular biometric,”

Smart phone display size seems to be growing. Now, it looks like the size of the iPhone screen will grow clearly this year. As manufacturers shrink bezels and the front-facing sensors leave a notch on your display, Android P will make it easier to support the cutout in the display.

New display technologies are pushing to replace LCD. The AMOLED display is rapidly expanding on smartphones and in particular a flexible version. Last year, flexible displays in the AMOLED market grew to nearly 55 per cent. The X-model is Apple’s first AMOLED display phone. Samsung, LG Display, BOE and Kunshan Optoelectronics began supplying their own flexible screens for smartphones. In near future is it not just LCD and OLED. Sources detail Apple’s initiative to develop tech to mass-produce MicroLED displays, an OLED successor, still at least two years from shipping in its devices.

Nokia brand has returned to smart phone market. Nokia CEO Suri was surprised at Nokia’s return to success: “I would not have thought it a year ago”. HMD has sold last year 70 million phones. Nokia’s basic phone deliveries last year had some 60 million and around 10 million smartphones. Nokia is now receiving money from HMD Global’s Nokia phone sales in royalties.

Smart phone sensors are used more and more for medical diagnostics applications. Most smartphones include an accelerometer and many other sensors. As almost all of us have a smartphone almost all the time, it gives many opportunities for health monitoring. For example a novel method allows screening of stroke-causing cardiac atrial fibrillation using a standard smartphone was developed by the University of Turku.

Smart phones contains a lot of information that is protected in many ways. Authorities want to take a look at this data sometimes. Getting the data from protected phones has became a business of it’s own. Israeli Cellebrite sells the service to get data from secured smartphone for $ 5,000.  GrayShift is selling for $15,000 a device that opens all iPhones.

Traditional 3.5 mm audio jack seems to be disappearing from smart phones. Overwhelming impression from CES 2018 was that headphone companies have, without exception, bid a silent goodbye to the 3.5mm audio plug. Many manufacturers are leaving 3.5 mm audio jacks out of their high end phones while mainly offering wireless audio and USB-C and Lightning as the alternatives.  The ACI headphone jack plugged into a traditional 3,5 mm audio connector with data features challenges USB-C. The Austrian ams company has now developed a new interface standard for 3.5 mm audio socket, offering full compatibility backwards to the current 3.5-mm sockets. The new Accessory Communication Interface (ACI) uses the microphone MIC signal line to provide additional features and turn it into a bidirectional digital connection. Sony’s working hard on promoting a new 4.4mm Pentaconn connector as the next wired standard for dedicated audio lovers. But maybe the battle with 3.5 mm audio jack is already lost to USB-C? Let’s see. The future of headphones seems to be messy. Buying headphones in 2018 is going to be a fragmented mess.

Mobile Malware Attacks Surged in 2017. Machine learning is used to fight against harmful Android Apps. According to Google’s Android Security 2017 Year in Review report 60.3 percent of Potentially Harmful Apps (PHAs) were detected via machine learning. The detection is done by a service called Google Play Protect, which is enabled on over 2 billion devices (running Android 4.3 and up) to constantly scan Android apps for malicious activity. Play Protect reviews 50B+ apps every day.

We will start experiencing the fundamental flaw of too many listening devices. A “first world problem,” at least for the moment is that all kinds of devices capable of acting as a voice-powered digital assistant expands, and as they’re sold over an expanding footprint of the overall international market, it’ll increasingly become an “all-world problem.” For example when you say “Ok Google,” all several widgets can wake up and respond to what you say next.

Sources:

https://www.androidcentral.com/android-p

https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/18/16903516/headphones-wireless-analog-jack-future-ces-2018

http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7477&via=n&datum=2018-01-30_15:32:36

https://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3849063

http://marketing.berktek.us/acton/fs/blocks/showLandingPage/a/2338/p/p-0045/t/page/fm/0/r/l-01db:15f8/s/l-01db?aoRefEmail=s-0141-1801&sid=TV2:JTHpE7KvL

https://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/5g-puhelimet-yleistyvat-vauhdilla-parin-vuoden-paasta-alkuun-niita-nakee-vain-harvoille-6699145

http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/7544-huawei-puhelintaa-katsotaan-useita-kertoja-tunnissa

http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7568&via=n&datum=2018-02-15_15:01:17

https://www.is.fi/digitoday/mobiili/art-2000005600539.html?ref=rss

https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/7/17088394/android-p-developer-preview-notifications-kotlin-microphone

http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7560&via=n&datum=2018-02-14_15:22:43

https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1332970

http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/7509-prosessorimarkkina-kasvaa-nyt-kannykoiden-ansiosta

https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332930

http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7544&via=n&datum=2018-02-12_14:23:45

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20180222PD208.html

http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7570&via=n&datum=2018-02-16_15:00:38

http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/7616-lg-hyppasi-tekoalyjunaan

http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/7618-rajeev-suri-5g-tulee-nopeammin-kuin-kukaan-odotti

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-telecoms-mobileworld-samsung/samsung-launches-galaxy-s9-with-focus-on-social-media-idUSKCN1G90RB

https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333009

http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7752&via=n&datum=2018-03-23_14:10:57

https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333002

http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7579&via=n&datum=2018-02-19_14:48:02

https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333021

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/02/new-android-go-phones-show-how-much-you-can-get-for-100/

https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332996

https://www.recode.net/2018/2/28/17058560/smartphone-users-spending-money-website-visits-adobe

http://www.securityweek.com/can-biometrics-solve-authentication-problem

http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/mobile-tabs/nokia-hmd-global-smartphone-with-penta-lens-camera-to-launch-this-year-report-5033469/

https://www.is.fi/digitoday/mobiili/art-2000005535369.html

http://www.techradar.com/news/next-nokia-flagship-could-have-five-camera-lenses

http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7429&via=n&datum=2018-01-19_15:53:09

http://www.mwrf.com/systems/wireless-technology-existential-necessity-life?NL=MWRF-001&Issue=MWRF-001_20180123_MWRF-001_472&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_2_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=15036&utm_medium=email&elq2=783f31ec516d4c7d8bd0cd1f46359e43

http://www.mwrf.com/components/tiny-microstrip-antenna-covers-wlan-lte-and-wimax?NL=MWRF-001&Issue=MWRF-001_20180123_MWRF-001_472&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=15036&utm_medium=email&elq2=783f31ec516d4c7d8bd0cd1f46359e43

https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/news/electromagnetic-radiation-is-decreasing-in-new-generations-of-smartphones/

https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/brians-brain/4460269/The-fundamental-flaw-of-too-many-listening-devices

http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7449&via=n&datum=2018-01-24_15:29:17

https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1332898

https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332890

http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7653&via=n&datum=2018-03-05_15:39:52

http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7683&via=n&datum=2018-03-09_14:55:36

https://www.eeweb.com/profile/max-maxfield/articles/smart-glasses-vs-augmented-reality-goggles-vs-virtual-reality-headsets

https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332879

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-28/did-smartphone-bubble-china-just-pop

http://investmentwatchblog.com/did-the-chinese-smartphone-bubble-just-pop/

http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/7467-iphonen-naytto-kasvaa

https://www.securityweek.com/mobile-malware-attacks-surged-2017-kaspersky

http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/7686-taman-takia-iphonen-face-id-ei-tule-androidiin

https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/15/17124448/google-wear-os-announced-android-wear-rebranding-smartwatch

https://venturebeat.com/2018/03/15/google-60-3-of-potentially-harmful-android-apps-in-2017-were-detected-via-machine-learning/

http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/7714-vanha-audioplugi-haastaa-usb-c-n-digitalisoituna

http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7719&via=n&datum=2018-03-16_14:56:07&mottagare=31202

https://www.mikrobitti.fi/2018/03/turkulaiskeksinto-korvaa-alypuhelimella-kalliit-laaketieteelliset-laitteet-diagnoosissa-96-tarkkuus/

https://mobiili.fi/2018/03/19/hs-nokian-toimitusjohtaja-suri-yllattyi-nokia-puhelinten-paluun-menestyksesta-en-olisi-vuosi-sitten-uskonut/?utm_source=highfi&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=generic

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531 Comments

  1. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Google makes it harder to send fake apps to Play Store
    https://www.itproportal.com/news/google-makes-it-harder-to-send-fake-apps-to-play-store/

    Small but important change to the Play Store aims to improve security of all Android apps.

    Google is looking to improve the security of all Android apps with some important changes to its Play Store.

    The company is set to add a string of security metadata to all Android APKs. That way, it wants to make sure all apps are authentic, and that they’ve come from either the Play Store, or another verified source.

    Reply
  2. Tomi Engdahl says:

    4 ways Flutter makes mobile app development delightful
    https://opensource.com/article/18/6/flutter?sc_cid=7016000000127ECAAY

    Open source mobile SDK simplifies and speeds iOS and Android app development.

    development was a slow, frustrating experience

    Then, I discovered Flutter, an open source mobile app SDK developed by Google that enables developers to use the same codebase to create mobile apps for iOS and Android.

    Once I found Flutter, I found that mobile development could be joyful.

    Flutter takes this quick development idea one step further: “edit, save.” Although it’s not a web technology, you can see your changes on your mobile device’s screen in less than a second, thanks to Flutter’s hot reload.

    Typically you get this fast development cycle by using fancy, dynamically typed scripting languages, with the downside of pushing errors to runtime

    using Dart as its programming language of choice

    https://flutter.io

    Reply
  3. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Nick Statt / The Verge:
    Niantic Labs, which helped develop Pokémon Go, says it will open the underlying AR platform, called Real World Engine, to third-party developers — Niantic Labs, the San Francisco-based game developer responsible for creating the massively successful augmented reality game Pokémon Go …

    Niantic is opening its AR platform so others can make games like Pokémon Go
    https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/28/17511606/niantic-labs-pokemon-go-real-world-platform-ar

    Reply
  4. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Catalin Cimpanu / BleepingComputer:
    Researchers find Rowhammer vulnerability variant, dubbed RAMpage, affecting all post-2012 Android devices that could allow full control of devices and data

    Every Android Device Since 2012 Impacted by RAMpage Vulnerability
    https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/every-android-device-since-2012-impacted-by-rampage-vulnerability/

    Reply
  5. Tomi Engdahl says:

    David Henry / Reuters:
    JP Morgan Chase launches Finn by Chase, a mobile only bank account with an app for iOS and an Android version coming by the end of the year

    JPMorgan Chase takes smartphone account ‘Finn’ nationwide
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-jpmorgan-accounts-finn/jpmorgan-chase-takes-smartphone-account-finn-nationwide-idUSKBN1JO1MI

    Reply
  6. Tomi Engdahl says:

    The SIM card will finally go to history

    Finally, the SIM card is a very cumbersome way of verifying users. Now, the embedded SIM, eSIM, will finally show up for commercial use. STMicroelectronics has received GSMA accreditation as the first manufacturer of eSIM circuits in the world.

    The SIM card was launched in 1991 to allow secure user authentication and data protection at GSM networks that were launched at that time.

    ST’s eSIM solution is based around the ST33 microcontroller. As an integrated circuit, eSIM takes less space in the devices and is also re-programmable. Not all operators have considered this, because they naturally want to tie the subscribers to their own network.

    On the other hand, eSIM also allows longer commitments to the operator’s network.

    The embedded eSIM card also makes it possible for completely new devices connected to the mobile network. Until now, the SIM card has – as well as nanostructured – set limits on the size and shape of the devices. As a small chip, eSIM removes these restrictions.

    Accurate accreditation applies to GSMA’s SAC-UP (Secure Accreditation Scheme for UICC Production) at ST’s Rousset factory. As an accredited eSIM manufacturer, ST can supply its ST33-based circuits directly to manufacturers’ production. The circuits are ready for use and do not need additional programming.

    Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8160-sim-kortti-siirtyy-vihdoin-historiaan

    Reply
  7. Tomi Engdahl says:

    ETNdigi: LTE micro-networks connect even to the mine

    In particular, LTE micro-networks suitable for industry needs are gradually shifting from pilot sites to production. Technology offers industry new opportunities, good usability and strong security.

    LTE micro-network means the introduction of mobile phone technology in the form of small base stations to a single object such as an industrial plant or a mine. The end result is a local private network that is not part of the public mobile network.

    LTE micro-networks are a major step forward, since never before the base station could have accessed its own factory – or at least not at a reasonable price.

    MICROWORK PROMOTES EDUCATION also from security point of view. When a telecommunications background system can be implemented on-site in the actual location, data may not necessarily have to go outside the factory gates. If you wish, you can eliminate the internet entirely from the picture.

    FOR YOUR ARCHITECTURE LTE Micro Networks are an evolution step on a roadmap that ultimately leads to 5G technology. In other words, the LTE microcomputer system will later provide a full 5G system with an upgrading of the radio interface.

    Nokia has been active in this area and has invested in product development and piloting on Finnish soil. Until now, Nokia has focused on pilot sites in the LTE micro-networks for production use during the spring.

    Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8158-etndigi-lte-mikroverkot-tuovat-yhteydet-jopa-kaivokseen

    Reply
  8. Tomi Engdahl says:

    HTC is firing 25% of its staff to cut costs once again
    https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/02/heal-the-company/?utm_source=tcfbpage&sr_share=facebook

    Struggling smartphone maker HTC continues to struggle.

    After offloading 2,000 engineers to Google as part of a $1.1 billion deal with the search giant, HTC is now laying off 1,500 staff, or nearly one-quarter of its total headcount, to cut more costs. That’s according to a report from Reuters

    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-taiwan-htc-jobs/struggling-smartphone-maker-htc-to-slash-1500-jobs-in-taiwan-idUSKBN1JS167

    Reply
  9. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Light is building a smartphone with five to nine cameras
    https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/03/light-is-building-a-smartphone-with-five-to-nine-cameras/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage

    Light, the company behind the wild L16 camera, is building a smartphone equipped with multiple cameras. According to The Washington Post, the company is prototyping a smartphone with five to nine cameras that’s capable of capturing a 64 megapixel shot.

    The entire package is not much thicker than an iPhone X, the Post reports.

    This is the logical end-point for Light. The company introduced the $1,950 L16 camera back in 2015 and starting shipping it in 2017. The camera uses 16 lenses to capture 52 megapixel imagery.

    Light is not alone in building a super cameraphone. Camera maker RED is nearing the release of its smartphone that rocks a modular lens system and can be used as a viewfinder for RED’s cinema cameras. Huawei also just released the P21 Pro that uses three lenses to give the user the best possible option for color, monochrome and zoom. Years ago, Nokia played with high megapixel phones, stuffing a 41 MP sensor in the Lumia 1020 and PureView 808.

    Reply
  10. Tomi Engdahl says:

    VR, AR and MR headset technologies: almost ready…
    http://yole.fr/Displays_OpticalVisionSystems_AR-VR-MR_TechnologyOverview.aspx#.WzyWAtIzaUm

    OUTLINES:
    Technological reality is piercing the hype for virtual and augmented realities, reminding everyone about all the challenges that are yet to be overcome.
    Today’s technology is very complex and barely enough for immersive realities.
    MicroLEDs could disrupt these realities and be an enabler.
    Real AR headsets with sleek design may be within our grasp.

    Reply
  11. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Researchers find that owning an iPhone or iPad is the number-one way to guess if you’re rich or not
    https://nordic.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-or-ipad-is-the-top-way-of-knowing-if-youre-rich-or-not-2018-7?r=US&IR=T

    A new paper from University of Chicago economists attempts to infer demographics based on people’s consumer behavior or media consumption.
    The researchers found that “no individual brand is as predictive of being high-income as owning an Apple iPhone” based on 2016 data.
    In the United States, if you have an Apple iPhone or iPad, it’s a strong sign that you make a lot of money.

    There are details and caveats to the research, but the economists found that owning an iPhone gave them a 69% chance to correctly infer that the owner was “high-income,” which they defined as being in the top quartile of income for households of that type

    The iPhone is a luxury product that is usually priced higher than competing smartphones. While some low-end Android phones retail for as little as $100 or less, Apple recently raised the price of its highest-end iPhone to $999 or more.

    Reply
  12. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Bloomberg:
    Samsung says it is building the world’s largest smartphone factory in Noida, India with the capacity of 120M units per year — – Indian PM Modi, South Korea’s Moon to visit Samsung facility — India is the fastest growing smartphone major market — Samsung Electronics Co. will open …

    World’s Largest Mobile Phone Factory Set to Open in India
    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-09/world-s-largest-mobile-phone-factory-set-to-open-in-india

    Samsung Electronics Co. opened the world’s largest mobile phone factory in India, in a win for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship program to lure investors to manufacture in the South Asian nation.

    Smartphone makers from Xiaomi Corp. to Oppo Mobiles are building factories in the world’s fastest growing market for the product bolstering Modi’s push to encourage overseas investors to “Make in India.”

    India’s smartphone market grew 14 percent with total shipments of 124 million units in 2017, the fastest pace of growth among the top 20 markets

    The Samsung factory will make everything from low-end smartphones that cost under $100 to its flagship S9 model, according to the company.

    Indians favor low-end smartphones priced at $250 or less, given the low average annual income of its people

    Last year, India overtook the U.S. to become the world’s second-largest smartphone market after China.

    Reply
  13. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Designing for Peak Power in Mobile Electronic Devices
    http://www.powerelectronics.com/power-management/designing-peak-power-mobile-electronic-devices?NL=ED-003&Issue=ED-003_20180709_ED-003_418&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=18425&utm_medium=email&elq2=15382fdb41d24d09826eb6338014b06b

    Most electronic devices exhibit a pulsing behavior, where peak power is much higher than standby power. This includes mobile (i.e., battery-operated) devices. Some common examples of battery-operated devices with pulsing behavior include:

    Wireless sensors that periodically transmit information across a long distance
    Electric hand tools and toys with actuating motors
    Bluetooth audio speakers with high dynamic range
    Medical-device pumps with backup-battery supplies

    A major design goal for a mobile device is to maximize battery runtime (no one wants to face the ire directed at Apple over their phones’ battery problems). Typically, the largest design efforts to achieve this involve minimizing standby power through careful selection and implementation of components with low quiescent power.

    Consideration of peak power requirements via careful design and battery selection can dramatically increase battery runtime and, ultimately, customer satisfaction.

    Reply
  14. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Snapchat code reveals team-up with Amazon for ‘Camera Search’
    https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/09/snapchat-camera-search/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage

    A differentiator, a utility and maybe a money-maker
    Josh Constine
    @joshconstine / Jul 9, 2018

    Reply
  15. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Pranav Dixit / BuzzFeed:
    Living with a low-end Android phone running “lite” apps is a big compromise from a usability standpoint but it is still an upgrade from using a feature phone

    I Used A Phone Like Most People In The World And It Was Awful
    https://www.buzzfeed.com/pranavdixit/big-tech-apps-for-the-next-billion-underperform?utm_term=.haplBB5Zq9#.hkxW7723kM

    I lived with a best-selling Indian phone for 10 days. Nothing went smoothly.

    Ever heard of the Next Billion? It’s a term that the big tech companies use for people in fast-developing corners of the world like India who can finally afford to buy a smartphone and get online for the first time in their lives. Tech companies are hoping to hook these users by releasing slimmed-down versions of their apps and un-bloating their operating systems to run on their low-end smartphones.

    “When we build better products for India, we ultimately build better products for everyone — and for the future,” Google rhapsodized. With this focus, “even the most affordable Android smartphones are as sweet as can be,” it told developers.

    Yet the truth is that the digital life these companies have created for users on low-end smartphones leaves much to be desired. I know, because I lived with one.

    Yet for the average user, none of these specs matter much, said Navkendar Singh, associate research director at IDC. Fewer than 350 million of 1.3 billion Indians have smartphones; millions just recently got their first ones; and just a quarter of the country’s population is online. “Having a basic smartphone in itself is a huge upgrade over, well, nothing,” he said.

    “These people aren’t really bothered about how fast the processor is, or how clear and rich the display is. Their needs are a lot more…basic, and as long as they get decent battery life, a decent camera, and a basic internet surfing experience, they are satisfied.”

    What I bumped into immediately after turning on the Bharat 2 for the first time was the lack of storage, and this limitation entirely defined what I used my phone for. I had to start off by uninstalling the pre-installed bloatware

    Slack went out the window because it was too bloated; Outlook, my email app of choice, was too big to install; and pretty much everything else — banking apps, shopping apps, games, and more — was a luxury I’d live without. Even Google Maps Go, a lightweight browser version of Google Maps that the company said is “designed to run quickly and smoothly on devices with limited memory,” was crippled

    So I boiled down to the essentials: staying in touch with people, catching up on news, ordering cabs, and watching videos (which went shockingly well, and supports the huge popularity of video here), pretty much the same as the Next Billion.

    “I hate Facebook,” he says, scrunching up his face, tapping into his settings to reveal that the regular Facebook app takes up nearly half a gigabyte of his phone’s 8GB storage. To keep his phone usable, Bhujbal deletes the app and reinstalls it each month, which seems to help.

    Tech companies are trying to address this issue by creating lightweight versions of their Android apps that take up a fraction of the storage space their regular versions do

    I installed six of these apps: Facebook Lite, Ola Lite, Uber Lite, Twitter Lite, YouTube Go, and Files Go, an app created by Google to clean up junk files that gather over time on Android devices and free up storage.

    “I think most companies treat light apps as giving people a small taste of their products in the hope that they will eventually upgrade to better phones and use the regular versions of their apps.”

    The Android fix

    So even lite apps were leaving out some segment of the Next Billion with phones like mine. The potential solution: Android Go. It’s a slimmed-down version of Android announced last year that Google claims takes up less space than the full version of its operating system and runs faster on low-end smartphones, and comes bundled with lite versions of most of Google’s own apps. “Go big with faster performance, more storage, data management, and security,” the company said.

    Launched in April, the first Android Go phones have only been on the Indian market for a few months. But you can’t switch to Android Go; your phone has to come with it.

    A dozen first-time smartphone users whom I spoke to said that they had never heard of Android Go, or the concept of lite apps.

    And Potdar, who walks her rural neighbors through using their first smartphones every day, said, “One day, maybe in the next few years, I’m going to buy an iPhone.”

    It’d be a leap: She’s never seen one.

    Reply
  16. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Google gets slapped $5BN by EU for Android antitrust abuse
    https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/18/google-gets-slapped-5bn-by-eu-for-android-antitrust-abuse/?utm_source=tcfbpage&sr_share=facebook

    Google has been fined a record breaking €4.34 billion (~$5BN) by European antitrust regulators for abusing the dominance of its Android mobile operating system.

    “Fine of €4,34 bn to @Google for 3 types of illegal restrictions on the use of Android. In this way it has cemented the dominance of its search engine. Denying rivals a chance to innovate and compete on the merits. It’s illegal under EU antitrust rules.”

    Reply
  17. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Google hit with €4.3bn Android fine from EU
    https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-44858238

    Google has been fined a record €4.34bn ($5bn; £3.9bn) over Android.

    The European Commission said the firm had used the mobile operating system to illegally “cement its dominant position in general internet search”.

    The firm’s parent Alphabet has been given 90 days to change its business practices or face further penalties of up to 5% of its average daily turnover.

    Reply
  18. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Corning’s new Gorilla Glass 6 will let your phone survive multiple drops
    https://www.cnet.com/news/cornings-new-gorilla-glass-6-for-phones-can-survive-multiple-drops/

    The supplier for Apple, Samsung and other device makers has designed the new Gorilla Glass 6 to survive 15 drops from a height of 1 meter.

    In its tests, the glass lasted through 15 drops, twice as many as Gorilla Glass 5. Normal glass failed on the first drop

    Reply
  19. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Li Tao / South China Morning Post:
    Huawei executive says the company shipped 100M smartphones this year as of July 18 and is now aiming for shipments of 200M units by the end of 2018

    Huawei on track to ship 200 million handsets in 2018, bringing it within reach of Apple
    https://www.scmp.com/tech/china-tech/article/2155933/huawei-track-ship-200-million-handsets-2018-bringing-it-within-reach

    Huawei has maintained fast growth momentum despite headwinds for broader industry shipments this year

    Reply
  20. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Bloomberg:
    Banks are increasingly looking to mobile-only offerings to grab market share among younger, lower-income consumers and to boost their presence in new cities — – U.S. Bancorp, JPMorgan among firms with mobile-only offerings — Lenders are no longer bound by geography, an executive says

    Banks Freed From Branches Use Mobile Apps to Go After Customers
    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-21/banks-freed-from-branches-use-mobile-apps-to-go-after-customers

    Reply
  21. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Javed Anwer / India Today:
    Indian telecoms regulator mandates that all smartphone users should be able to install its anti-spam app by January; iPhone could be in breach of the regulation

    India may ban iPhone within 6 months if Apple keeps fighting TRAI and not allow DND App in iOS Store
    https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/india-may-ban-iphone-within-6-months-if-apple-keeps-fighting-trai-and-not-allow-dnd-app-in-ios-store-1291107-2018-07-20

    It’s a fight that is going on for some time. Apple, the maker of the iPhone, and TRAI, the agency that regulates telecom networks in India, are in middle of a bitter fight over the matter of SPAM calls and messages. Now, with a new regulatory policy TRAI has hinted that if Apple doesn’t step back and allows a TRAI app on the iPhone, it is possible that the agency may ask telecom companies like Airtel, Vodafone and Jio to delist and deregister the iPhone from their networks.

    The issue is related to an app that TRAI has created. The agency has made an app called DND — now called DND 2.0

    It is worth noting that Apple takes the privacy of iPhone users fairly seriously and tightly controls the access and data that apps want from users. Google, the maker of Android, has more loosely-created guidelines around the apps accessing private data of users. The DND app is available to Android users and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store, although it has a poor rating.

    On Thursday, TRAI published new regulations mandating that all smartphone users in the country should be able to install the DND 2.0 app on their phones, whether they are using an iPhone or an Android phone. The regulations, suprisingly, need to be followed by telecom companies and not the phone makers, who do not fall under the purview of TRAI.

    Ouch! In other words, if Apple continues to resist DND 2.0 app from TRAI, and does not permit it entry in the iOS App Store, all the iPhones in India may lose access to 3G, 4G or even basic telecom networks.

    The problem here is actually no problem, because whatever TRAI is trying to do and what Apple is proposing is basically same. They both seemingly want best for their users. TRAI wants to curb spam calls and messages on the phones, and Apple too is seemingly fighting for the same. But Apple also doesn’t want to dilute the kind of privacy — which is better than what Android phones offer to their users — that the iPhone users have. And the company is very clear that it cannot allow any app, even the one created by a government agency, to access call and message logs.

    But it is possible that the upcoming iOS 12 can be the middle ground. In the iOS 12, Apple has put in new features that use smart algorithms and machine learning to identify and block spam messages.

    Reply
  22. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Andrew Martonik / Android Central:
    Samsung announces it is developing flexible OLED display certified as “unbreakable” by Underwriters Laboratories, that survived 26 4-foot drops

    Samsung announces new ‘unbreakable’ display that survives punishing UL certification
    This is the direction the industry is heading.
    https://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-unbreakable-display-certified-underwriters-laboratories

    Samsung Display has announced that it has developed a truly “unbreakable” display panel, after receiving certification from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to verify the claim. The base feature of the panel is that it’s made of flexible OLED, like many of Samsung’s modern phones, but in this case it has a substrate that’s been designed to not give out with repeated impact.

    Rather than go with a super-hard glass, Samsung is using fortified plastic that’s flexible.

    The traditional way to have a super-tough screen was to simply harden the covering that went over top of it. Phone makers have been covering displays with synthetic sapphire for years, which is much stronger than traditional glass found on phones. Synthetic sapphire is extremely difficult to break when reinforced properly by the phone’s hardware, and when paired with an OLED panel underneath the entire package is very rugged. But it can eventually break, because it’s brittle. This “unbreakable” panel from Samsung is covered by a fortified plastic rather than glass, which makes it flexible during impact.

    In UL’s testing, the display panel was subjected to 26 successive 4-foot drops without damage, and also continued working in extreme temperatures. Samsung notes that the panel was also tested for drops at 6 feet, well above the current standard test, without issue.

    Though the display may not be easily breakable, the concern with a plastic-based display covering is how easily it picks up scratches with prolonged use. The last time Motorola tried that, it definitely didn’t work out for the company.

    This isn’t just for phones — Samsung envisions applications in automotive, military and education.

    Reply
  23. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Samsung’s new flexible display can withstand a lot of drops
    https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/27/samsungs-new-flexible-display-can-withstand-a-lot-of-drops/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage

    There are those who will almost certainly take Samsung’s declaration of an “unbreakable” display as a challenge. That’s just human nature. For every one else, there’s something undeniably appealing in the idea of a phone that can be dropped from up to six feet, without any sign of damage.

    As far as when (or, rather, if) Samsung’s new flexible OLED tech will actually appear in devices, that remains to be seen. Before you get your hopes up too much, Samsung and LG are in the habit of showing these kinds of technology previews all the time, regardless of economic feasibility.

    Samsung Display’s ‘Unbreakable Flexible Panel’ Verified by Underwriters Laboratories
    https://news.samsung.com/us/samsung-displays-unbreakable-panel-certified-underwriters-laboratories/

    Reply
  24. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Google follows in Apple’s footsteps by cleaning up its Play Store
    https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/27/google-follows-in-apples-footsteps-by-cleaning-up-its-play-store/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage

    Google is cracking down on the apps published to the Play Store. An updated version of the company’s Developer Policy, released this week, indicates the company will now ban a wider variety of apps including cryptocurrency miners, those selling firearms and accessories, those that aim to trick children into downloading adult-themed apps, and apps built using automated tools or wizard services, or based on templates.

    Reply
  25. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Apple comes close to reaching $1 trillion
    https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/02/apple-is-worth-1000000000000/

    Update: Apple shares have now crossed the magic number that values the company at $1 trillion.

    Reply
  26. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Samsung’s first foldable phone will cost twice as much as similar rivals
    https://bgr.com/2018/08/02/galaxy-f-release-date-price-vs-chinese-foldable-smartphones/

    The Galaxy S9 isn’t the hot phone Samsung may have expected it to be, and the company confirmed as much a few days ago in its earnings report for the June quarter. The company also said it’s taking various steps to improve its competitiveness in the mobile business, including an early Galaxy Note 9 launch, cutting-edge technology, new form factors, and gaining leadership in 5G tech.

    In other words, Samsung practically confirmed that it’ll launch a foldable handset in the very near future.

    A few days ago, we learned that Huawei is looking to beat Samsung to market with a foldable phone of its own, just so that it can claim the “world’s first” title. But ET News (via The Investor) has learned that Chinese smartphone makers including Xiaomi and Oppo are already negotiating with Korean component makers on deals that would help them come out with their own foldable smartphones next year.

    Xiaomi and Oppo are making out-folding smartphones the report notes, while Samsung and Huawei are working on in-folding smartphones.

    Samsung, meanwhile, is said to be prepping a better foldable handset than competitors.

    One issue for Samsung might be the price of the handset. Previous reports said the phone will cost around $2,000, and ET News makes the same claim. Samsung’s phone will cost around $1,800, the report notes, which is double the estimated price of a Chinese foldable phone.

    Reply
  27. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Game over for Google: Fortnite snubs Play Store, keeps its 30%, sparks security fears
    Android version of super-game will come direct from Epic
    https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/08/03/fortnite_security_fears/

    The maker of super-hit Fortnite has snubbed Google by deciding to release the Android version of the video game through its own website rather than the Google Play app store.

    The decision is unusual for an app running on a mobile operating system and raises all sorts of questions, not least of which are whether Google’s profit grab will remain unassailable, and what the security implications are of stepping outside the official app store.

    Game maker Epic’s decision not to go through Google’s official app store – which is simple to access through Android phones – is due to Google taking a 30 per cent cut of revenue. Fortnite’s success guarantees that the game will bring in enough money that it makes financial sense to sit outside the official channel – saving literally millions of dollars – and its popularity means Epic isn’t reliant on the Google Play store to make people aware of its game.

    Reply
  28. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Peter Burrows / Fast Company:
    How Doppler Labs, a failed startup that demoed an in-ear computer in 2016, may have influenced development of similar technologies at Amazon, Apple, and Google — In October 2016, an impressive group of tech industry royalty took the time to get a demonstration of a product from a startup called Doppler Labs.
    https://www.fastcompany.com/90212065/the-future-is-ear-why-hearables-are-finally-techs-next-big-thing

    Reply
  29. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Samsung’s official launch video for the Galaxy Note 9 has also now leaked…
    https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/03/samsungs-official-launch-video-for-the-galaxy-note-9-has-also-now-leaked/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage

    The official launch promo video for Samsung’s next flagship smartphone in the long-running Galaxy Note line — the Note 9 — appears to have leaked, with links to the video now cropping up on YouTube.

    The forthcoming phablet has been pretty comprehensively leaked already.

    Reply
  30. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Jessica Dolcourt / CNET:
    How flagship phone prices have been rising and why higher component costs, R&D, and customer willingness to pay a premium may mean higher prices in the future

    Why iPhone and Android phone prices will get even higher
    https://www.cnet.com/news/why-iphone-and-android-prices-will-get-even-higher/

    You thought paying $1,000 for an iPhone was a lot? It may be just the beginning.

    Reply
  31. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Motorola strap-on packs a 2,000mAh battery to appease the 5G gods
    Baby steps, now
    https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/08/06/motorola_5g_mod/

    With the standalone 5G spec (3GPP Release 15) nailed down in June, it was only a matter of time before the first phone was formally announced. And as expected, it isn’t a phone at all, but an addon that clamps to the back of an expandable Motorola phone.

    Verizon has earned the bragging rights to be the first to deliver commercially available 5G by becoming the exclusive launch vendor of the Moto 5G Mod, which will be available, presumably with supporting network coverage in demo locations, in “early 2019″. Huawei has promised an integrated 5G phone for “2H 2019″.

    But Lenovo’s Motorola division conspicuously doesn’t make any promises about speed other than a promise that it’s “10 times faster than today’s wireless technology”.

    That might not be true once networks deploy Gigabit LTE, a precursor to 5G. As with the leap from 3G to 4G, networks can get plenty of mileage from faster iterations of the previous generation for some considerable time. In the case of 3G, HSDPA+ offered fairly similar speeds.

    “Right now the latest version of 3G and the early versions of LTE are not dramatically different,”

    At a minimum, a 5G phone can take advantage of new spectrum allocated for 5G networks – if not much else at this stage. Devices like a Mod-ified Moto are really a stepping stone over from the stepping stone that is Release 14, or Gigabit LTE. The latter supports devices with many more antennas, carrier aggregation, and higher order modulation rates that’s part of the Release 15 (5G) spec. Telstra and T-Mobile (USA) have deployed the stepping stone technology.

    The inclusion of a 2,000mAh battery in the 5G Mod – complimenting whatever is in the phone – confirms that 5G is expected to be a power guzzler.

    Reply
  32. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Top 4 open source augmented reality SDKs
    https://opensource.com/article/18/6/open-source-augmented-reality-sdks?sc_cid=7016000000127ECAAY

    Get in on the AR app boom with any of these open source software development kits.

    Reply
  33. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Qualcomm Wins Taiwan Reprieve Amid Global Antitrust Battle
    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-10/qualcomm-reaches-settlement-with-taiwan-to-slash-antitrust-fines

    Qualcomm Inc., the smartphone chipmaker fighting regulatory actions and lawsuits threatening its most profitable business, has reached a settlement with Taiwan’s antitrust regulators that reverses most of a $773 million fine.

    As part of an agreement announced Friday by the Fair Trade Commission, the company will invest $700 million over the next five years and boost research activities in Taiwan, home to a clutch of important suppliers to global names such as Apple Inc. In return, Qualcomm can stop paying fines and retains the right to charge manufacturers royalties on its technology. The commission said Friday it will keep NT$2.73 billion ($89 million) in fines that Qualcomm’s already paid but waive the rest.

    Reply
  34. Tomi Engdahl says:

    “A Horrifically Bad Idea”: Smartphone Voting Is Coming, Just in Time for the Midterms
    https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/08/smartphone-voting-is-coming-just-in-time-for-midterms-voatz

    A Boston-based start-up promises to let West Virginians vote via app. Critics call it “the Theranos of voting.”

    Reply
  35. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Blue light from phone screens accelerates blindness, study finds
    https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/aug/09/blue-light-from-phone-screens-accelerates-blindness-study-finds

    Light from digital devices triggers creation of toxic molecule in the retina that can cause macular degeneration

    Reply
  36. Tomi Engdahl says:

    That’s why Android’s USB audio is so weak

    The AndroidAuthority site has released an article that illustrates the challenges of the present time in audio playback. The most surprising thing is that there is no updated USB audio codec on Android since Lollipop 5.0, or 2014. Still Android uses USB Audio Class or ADC 1.0.

    ADC 1.0 supports 24-bit audio on two channels at 48kHz sampling rate. However, the USB audio codec has already reached version 3.0. Many manufacturers have supported a newer standard in their own devices. However, this is a problem because consumers do not know what kind of music the devices can play and which headphones they support.

    According to AndroidAuthority, explanation of problems can be found in USB standards. ADC 1.0 works well with the first-generation USB connection. Instead, USB 2.0 consumes a lot more power.

    The USB 3.0 standard, however, corrects the power consumption problem. With new features such as LPM1 (High-Speed ​​USB’s Link Power Management), audio can be transferred more efficiently along the USB3 interface, as the power consumption between packets can be compressed to zero.

    Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8295-taman-takia-androidin-usb-aani-on-niin-heikko

    More:
    If we’re ditching the headphone jack, Android must adopt USB Audio Class 3.0
    https://www.androidauthority.com/usb-audio-class-android-893412/

    Reply
  37. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Apple is beefing up a team to explore making its own health chips
    https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/14/apple-looks-to-develop-chip-for-processing-health-data.html

    The Apple Watch already contains optical sensing capabilities for detecting heart rate.
    Apple has been increasingly interested in the health care market in general.

    Reply
  38. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Liftoff: Females are 79% more likely to make in-app purchases in mobile games
    https://venturebeat.com/2018/08/20/liftoff-females-are-79-more-likely-to-make-in-app-purchases-in-installed-mobile-games/

    Females are 79 percent more likely to complete an in-app purchase after installing a mobile game, according to a report about mobile games by a mobile user acquisition firm Liftoff.

    That’s just one piece of data in the Liftoff 2018 Mobile Gaming Apps Report

    Females make purchases of in-app content about 16.7 percent of the time after installing an app.

    That means that creating user-acquisition campaigns targeted at women will be key for marketers

    “Women are a lucrative audience, and it takes a different strategy to target women,” Ellis said. “They are more lucrative on cost per action campaigns,” where the focus is not simply to get them to download an app but to also do something on top of that, like making a purchase.

    Ellis said he believes we’re in a “golden age of mobile game marketing” because the cost of acquiring users through advertisements is decreasing at all stages while the performance of the ads, or post-install conversion rates, is improving.

    Reply

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