Monday, 16 October 2017 10:46
Samsung Electronics CEO announces resignation
Samsung Electronics announced that Vice Chairman Oh-Hyun Kwon plans to resign as the company’s head of the Device Solutions Business and will not seek re-election as a member of the Board of Directors and the Chairman of the Board when his term ends in March, 2018. Vice Chairman Kwon will also resign as the Chief Executive Officer of Samsung Display. In an emotional letter sent to all employees, Vice Chairman Kwon said that announcing his retirement was the most difficult…
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Monday, 16 October 2017 07:14
Google Pixel 2 the first smartphone with built-in eSIM
Alphabet-owned Google unveiled the Pixel 2 smartphone in two models on Oct. 4, along with a new family of hardware products such as Google Pixel Buds (wireless headphones). The Pixel 2 is the first smartphone built with an eSIM, an embedded SIM that lets you instantly connect to a carrier network. It also features a high-end camera, all-day battery life, and an improved Assistant. As long as you’re a Project Fi subscriber, Google will use the devices’ built-in eSIMs to…
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Sunday, 15 October 2017 13:35
New Uber CEO to meet London transport regulator in desperate attempt to renew license
Uber’s new CEO has jetted into London for negotiations with the city’s transport regulator following the TFL’s (Transport for London) decision to suspend the license of the global ride-hailing service. The TFL deemed Uber unfit to run a taxi service and refused to renew its license. The decision by the TFL left Uber reeling, as the UK, and in particular London is a massive market for the US firm. It was the latest setback in a long line of controversies…
Sunday, 15 October 2017 08:24
Chinese buyers opt for Huawei over Apple, survey claims
Apple appears to be facing a setback in China after a Financial Times survey revealed that smartphone buyers in the country are choosing domestic brands over California-based Apple iPhone products, with Huawei being their first choice. Huawei has the top spot, according to the survey, with 31.4 percent of respondents opting for the brand. The report said, “The proportion of people saying they would buy an iPhone as their next phone dropped to 24.2 percent in September, compared with 25.8…
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Thursday, 05 October 2017 11:25
Tablets and business smartphone market showing signs of ‘rebound’
Q2 growth for tablets and business smartphones was up slightly this year, as the market shows signs of a rebound, according to research by Strategy Analytics. Business smartphone shipments grew 14.8 percent year-on-year to reach 107.1 million units in Q2, up 6.1 percent sequentially from Q1. Tablets reached 17.3 million units in Q2, up 7.5 percent from Q1. While Q2 2017 showed signs of an increase on a slower first quarter, suggesting signs of an improvement for the remainder…
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Tuesday, 03 October 2017 11:34
European Commission pushes for drone safety rules
The European Commission is pushing to speed up the implementation of EU-wide rules for the use of drones in the European Union. More than 1,200 safety occurrences – including near-misses between drones and aircraft – were reported in Europe in 2016, which underlines the pressing need for a modern and flexible EU regulatory framework. The European Commission is calling on the European Parliament and the Council to agree on its proposal from December 2015 establishing an EU-wide framework for drones.…
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Sunday, 01 October 2017 13:26
Ford and Lyft to collaborate on self-driving cars
Ford Motor Company said it has formed a partnership with ride-sharing service Lyft to deploy self-driving vehicles on Lyft’s network in large numbers by 2021. The two companies will work together to design software that will allow Ford vehicles to communicate with Lyft’s smartphone applications. Sherif Marakby, Ford’s vice president for autonomous vehicles and electrification, told Reuters that Ford self-driving vehicles will connect to Lyft’s network, but customers won’t be able to use them at first. Marakby said Ford plans…
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Sunday, 01 October 2017 12:51
Consumer-grade robots have potential beyond trivial tasks
Consumer-grade robots have much more potential beyond trivial tasks around the home, according to a recent study from the User Experience Strategies (UXS) services at Strategy Analytics. The study, which investigated the needs, behaviors and expectations of consumers regarding consumer-grade robots, found that a broader range of movement and the addition of features such as arms and hands and modular elements to enhance task flexibility, will allow robots to become true assistants in users’ lives. “Robots that are modular can…
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Tuesday, 26 September 2017 07:29
Qualcomm supports first commercial smartphone with Gigabit LTE
Qualcomm Snapdragon Mobile Platforms support the world’s first commercial smartphone to feature Gigabit LTE, the company announced on Sept. 21. Qualcomm technology powers Taiwanese company ASUS’s ZenFone 4 Pro smartphone with gigabit connectivity and multi-gigabit Wi-Fi, delivering an ultra-fast virtually seamless gigabit experience. Integrated into the Snapdragon 835 Mobile Platform, the Snapdragon X16 Gigabit LTE modem will give the ASUS ZenFone 4 Pro the ability to execute fast download speeds over 4G LTE, on a compatible LTE network, and superior…
Sunday, 17 September 2017 11:45
Uber vows to stop using diesel cars in London by 2019
Global ride-hailing incumbent Uber has announced that it will cease using diesel cars in London by the end of 2019. City officials in the English capital are aggressively pursuing initiatives and programs aimed at reducing the number of diesel vehicles being driven in and around the city, with London recording alarming levels of pollution. Uber have shown their support for this movement by vowing that they will be using no diesel cars for their services by 2019, with a spokesman…
Sunday, 17 September 2017 11:23
WhatsApp announces plans to monetize its platform in effort to address ‘sustainability issues’
WhatsApp, which is one of the world’s most popular messaging applications - has finally announced a strategy for the monetization of its service in an effort to address issues regarding its ‘sustainability’. Concerns have long been raised over its sustainability, but now the application which was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for $22 billion has revealed its plans. WhatsApp published a blog post in which it outlined its plans to launch a new innovative service that specifically targets large businesses,…
Sunday, 17 September 2017 08:02
Google could purchase HTC’s struggling smartphone unit
HTC’s smartphone unit is struggling, according to its financial results, with its August 2017 revenue ($100 million) down 54.4 percent year-on-year. Google is reportedly considering purchasing HTC’s smartphone unit, Taiwanese press has speculated, but not HTC’s Vive virtual reality (VR) business. Alphabet-owned Google hasn’t confirmed the rumors, but discussions are said to be in progress, with a deal likely to be announced by the end of the year. It also isn’t clear if Google’s purchase of HTC’s smartphone unit would…
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