Monday, 24 October 2016 05:19
Local content rules stymie Apple’s entry to Indonesian smartphone market
AFP reports that Apple is battling to gain a foothold in Indonesia’s booming smartphone market where local content regulations are hampering its efforts to compete against Samsung and other rivals. The iPhone 6S and 7 are yet to be released in Indonesia as Apple struggles to fulfill requirements that phone makers must have 20 percent ‘local content’ for 4G handsets sold in the country. South Korea's Samsung has been able to meet the rules and gain a share of the…
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Wednesday, 19 October 2016 13:06
Samsung says it will compensate suppliers hit by discontinuation of Galaxy Note 7
In the midst of a chaotic period for Samsung Electronics, on October 18, the South Korean company said it would compensate suppliers hit by the decision to scrap its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones because of safety concerns with exploding batteries. Samsung announced that it was discontinuing the Note 7 after a chaotic recall that saw replacement phones also catching fire. The Galaxy Note 7 recall and discontinuation of the product won’t come cheap. Samsung estimates that the cost of the…
Tuesday, 11 October 2016 06:51
Samsung’s credibility hangs by a thread as it implements global halt of Galaxy Note 7 sales
Samsung continues to struggle with more reports of exploding Galaxy Note 7 smartphones. Therefore, the South Korean company recently said it was “adjusting production” of the device after major distributors ceased offering replacements because of continued safety concerns. Samsung issued a global recall in early September for 2.5 million of its flagship devices following reports of exploding lithium-ion batteries. On October 11, Samsung officially called to halt all sales of the device. Reports began to surface of replacement devices exploding…
Wednesday, 05 October 2016 08:20
Google challenges the iPhone with launch of Pixel smartphone
Google unveiled its in-house designed Pixel smartphone on Tuesday, October 4, confirming the U.S. firm’s push into hardware. The phone features a built-in assistant similar to the iPhone’s Siri. Google also revealed details of its new “home assistant” virtual reality headset and Wi-Fi router. Google is leading a major push toward artificial intelligence software centered on it new smartphone and other devices. "We are building hardware with the Google Assistant at its core," said Rick Osterloh, head of a new…
Tuesday, 04 October 2016 13:38
Boxed 1st Generation iPhone 2G’s are selling for more than iPhone 7’s
The release of the new high-tech iPhone 7 may have people in awe and willing to fork out up to US$800. But it’s not actually the most expensive iPhone on the market. Surprisingly, the 1st Generation Apple iPhone 2G is selling for up to US$4,800 on eBay. The old-school devices are now considered to be collector’s items if they’ve been well kept and in the original packaging. Unlike most technology devices which gradually lose value over time, The Daily Dot…
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Thursday, 29 September 2016 07:18
BlackBerry ends handset production outsourcing to Indonesian partner
Canadian-based BlackBerry, one of the pioneers of the smartphone market, announced on Wednesday, September 28, it will cease producing handsets, instead outsourcing production to an Indonesian partner. Handsets bearing the BlackBerry brand will be produced under license by PT Tiphone Mobile Indonesia Tbk. The move will allow BlackBerry to concentrate on software and services. BlackBerry has struggled in the smartphone market in recent years. About a decade ago, it was among the largest smartphone makers in the world, but its…
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Monday, 26 September 2016 06:47
Myanmar mobile operator MPT intros Spreadtrum powered smartphones
Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) has chosen chipsets from Chinese fabless semiconductor developer, Spreadtrum Communications for its latest smartphone models M40 and M50. According to Spreadtrum the M50 adopts Spreadtrum’s 28nm WCDMA/HSPA(+) /GSM/GPRS/EDGE chipset SC7731G with an embedded quad-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A7 processor. “[The M50] features a double-sided glass separated by metal frame design, a 5-inch HD on-cell 2.5D curved glass touchscreen, 1G RAM, 8GB storage, an 8MP rear camera and 5MP front camera. It is pre-installed with the Android…
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Thursday, 15 September 2016 11:06
Samsung plans to update Note 7 software to prevent battery explosions
With the awe-inspiring launch of the latest iPhone, Samsung is racing to replace millions of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones around the world, after numerous reports that the devices’ batteries were catching fire. In order to prevent more occurrences, Samsung plans to fix Note 7’s in its home market of South Korea that will prevent the batteries from charging above 60% capacity. On the front page of the newspaper Seoul Shinmun, it read: “This plan is for the safety of…
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Thursday, 15 September 2016 07:38
Apple’s iOS 10 released with reports of a major fault that left devices “bricked”
Apple’s latest operating system for iPhones and iPads just released, bringing with it a host of new features such as a changed lock screen to provide more information, and artificial intelligence for photos. But shortly after its launch, some Apple users were subject to a major fault that left devices “bricked” or temporarily useless. iOS officially released to Apple users on September 13. It offers a range of new features such as several redesigned apps, a new design for notifications,…
Thursday, 08 September 2016 08:30
Apple’s iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch Series 2 just launched ending months of anticipation
Apple will soon be celebrating its 40th birthday. What’s more, the company is celebrating the fact that it has sold almost a billion products around the world. But the release of Apple’s new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus is its biggest reason to celebrate yet. The iPhones were unveiled at Apple’s annual media event in San Francisco on Wednesday, September 7. The phones are water and dust resistant, come in new shades of black, have improved cameras, and no…
Wednesday, 07 September 2016 13:53
LG launches V20 flagship with Google’s latest Android 7.0 Nougat
LG revealed its latest flagship smartphone on September 6 which features Google’s latest Android 7.0 Nougat. The V20 is the successor to LG’s flagship V10 in 2015, which also features a dual-camera system and a second display located at the top of the phone. However, these features have been upgraded in the V20, such as the display which features a much brighter font. Interestingly, the V20 retains the headphone jack which many phone-makers are trying to phase out, and also…
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Monday, 05 September 2016 08:59
Huawei unveils nova smartphone series and MediaPad M3 tablet at IFA 2016
At Berlin’s IFA 2016, Huawei Consumer Business Group debuted the Huawei nova and the Huawei nova plus, the first smartphones in the new series designed to meet the needs of today’s most dynamic consumers. The new nova series features multi-curve design features, camera advances for more vivid photography, and performance updates for enhanced usability. Huawei also introduced a new version of its MediaPad M3 tablet and announced new color options for the award-winning Huawei P9 smartphone. Every feature of the…
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