Apple likely to invest in LG Innotek for next-gen iPhone, iPad TrueDepth camera components

Apple is likely to invest in LG Innotek for next-gen iPhone, iPad TrueDepth camera components for face ID components. A series of meeting between the companies and regulatory filings by LG suggests that Apple is looking into investing a one-time payment to help LG build out 3D sensing component.  This move comes with an aim to avoid the shortage of components as it happened with the iPhone X. The regulatory filings further hint that it will invest 873.7 billion won ($821 million) to build additional facilities for the next-generation camera and emitter module business for mobile implementations. Korea Economic Daily suggests that latest development came into the picture after Apple CEO Tim Cook and LG Innotek CEO Park Jong-seok meeting in November last year. Apple in December announced that it was granting Finisar $390 million. Finisar produces vertical-cavity-surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) that power iPhone X TrueDepth camera, as well as the proximity-sensing capabilities of AirPods. If rumors are to be believed, it is heard that Apple will likely use the TrueDepth camera technology in upcoming iPhones as well as iPads. Source

Samsung said to begin mass-production of foldable smartphones in November

Samsung is said to begin mass-production of foldable smartphones in November according to a report from ET News. Furthermore, sources claim that the company has decided to mass-produce foldable Smartphones in November as it recently switched from development phase of foldable Smartphones to mass-production phase. Report further details that Samsung has even established a detailed schedule for production of foldable Smartphones. It is said that the company will start the design work from March and manufacture panels in September. This time frame might suggest that we will be seeing foldable Samsung phones from early 2019. Though there are no exact specifications, it is said that Samsung foldable Smartphones sport 7.3-inch flexible OLED displays that can also be folded inwards. Samsung Display division will be in charge of manufacturing foldable displays. While Samsung is actively pursuing its foldable smartphone project, it will still remain the second company to introduce foldable smartphone since Lenovo has already introduced a prototype of a foldable Smartphone in 2016. The Samsung Foldable Smartphones will be targeting ‘ultra-premium markets. When asked about the same, a Samsung representative has said "It is true that we are developing foldable Smartphones. However, we cannot confirm any schedules for mass-production or release of foldable Smartphones due to our business strategies.” Source

Full QWERTY Keyboard Moto Mod and Vital Moto Mod announced

At the CES 2018 Motorola introduced Livermorium Slider Keyboard Moto Mod and Lenovo introduced Vital Moto Mod for the Moto Z series of smartphones. They keyboard mod was the winner of the 2017 Transform the Smartphone Challenge with Indiegogo. The Livermorium Keyboard Moto Mod is a five-row slider back-lit keyboard mod that also has a separate number row, shortcuts for different utilities and also comes with Android navigation buttons . The standard version has a built-in 1700mAh battery which provides about 15 hours extra standby time; and a Lite version is 2mm thinner and 20g lighter without the additional battery. The Vital Moto Mod features advanced sensor technology which allows you to easily measure your own five vital signs from one Moto Mod sized integrated device. You can measure five vital health signs -- heart rate, respiratory rate, Pulse Ox, core body temperature, and even accurate systolic and diastolic blood pressure from your finger. The Keyboard Mod Mod will be available from Moto Store for $99  (Rs. 6,305 approx.) later this quarter. The standard version with built-in battery is priced at $199 (Rs. 12,675 approx.)and is expected to be available later this year. The Lenovo Vital Moto Mod is priced at $395 (Rs. 25,160 approx.) and will be available in ...

Razer unveils Android laptop-phone Hybrid Project Linda dock for Razer Phone

Razer today at the CES 2018 show has unveiled the Android laptop-phone Hybrid Project Linda concept. The company has showcased a 13.3-inch laptop design powered by the Android-based Razer Phone. The smartphone and laptop hybrid concept opens up a new era for mobile personal computing.  It seamlessly docks the Razer Phone inside its chassis where a touchpad would normally reside and connects with the press of a button. Razer Phone's Snapdragon 835 chipset and 8GB of RAM delivers responsive performance and instantly transforms Project Linda into an Android laptop. The Phone's 5.7-inches display can be used as a touchpad, or as a second screen for access to apps, tools, and more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gKu-T13vXs&feature=youtu.be It comes with dedicated keys for navigation, search, and app selection. The Project Linda features a unibody CNC aluminum chassis and is just 0.59-inch (15 mm) thin and weighs 1.25 kg including the docked phone. Its 13.3-inch Quad HD touchscreen display has 120 Hz experience and the concept also packs a 53.6 Wh internal battery that can rapidly charge the docked phone to full capacity over three times while away from AC power. The Laptop also comes with 200 GB of storage. Connectivity options include the built-in 3.5-millimeter audio jack, a USB-A port, a USB-C charging port, ...

Asus introduces new ZenBook 13, ZenBook Flip 14, ROG G703, X507, Vivo AiO V272 and AiO V222

Asus at the CES 2018 show has introduced the new ZenBook 13, ZenBook Flip 14, ROG G703, X507, Vivo AiO V272 and Vivo AiO V222 range of Windows 10 laptops and all-in-one PCs. The company has also showcased the ASUS Windows Mixed Reality Headset.  The Asus ZenBook 13 packs magnesium-aluminum alloy and it is powered by the 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor. It has up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB PCIe SSD. The ultra-thin laptop also comes with Harman Kardon audio system delivers powerful immersive sound. It runs on Windows 10 and has support for Windows Hello, Modern Standby, and Cortana digital assistant. It weighs just 985 grams. The ZenBook Flip 14  is an ultra-slim 2-in-1 laptop that sports 14-inches. It is powered by the 8th Generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processor with up to NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics, 16GB RAM, 512GB PCIe x4 SSD. The company claims that it will offer up to 13 hours on a single charge. It also has support for the ASUS Pen active stylus. The ASUS X507 sports a 15.6-inch Full HD slim-bezel NanoEdge display that is powered by the 7th Generation Intel Core i7 processor with NVIDIA GeForce MX110 graphics. It is powered by the Windows 10 and weighs just 1.68kg. It comes with 256GB SSD storage with ...

Panasonic LUMIX GH5S Mirrorless camera with 4K HDR Video, Dual ISO, improved low-light capture announced

Panasonic has announced the LUMIX GH5S, its latest flagship model under LUMIX G DSLM cameras based on the Micro Four Thirds system standard. This doesn't have 5-Axis in-body Stabilization that was present in the GH5 that was launched and also uses new 10.2-megapixel Digital Live MOS Sensor with Dual Native ISO Technology and Venus Engine that allows for a maximum 51200 ISO in high-sensitivity recording with minimal noise. It can record Cinema 4K (4096 x 2160 resolution) video at 30 or 60 frames per second and shoot 14-bit RAW files at up to 10 frames per second. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pnMi0CLF8w "The High Sensitivity MOS Sensor and Venus Engine realize high-speed readout of full digital signals and the quality is outstandingly high for every single frame. The signal readout speed is accelerated by approximately 1.3x in the new Digital Live MOS Sensor and the rolling shutter is also suppressed with the high readout speed when recording video or using an electronic shutter," said the company. It can record 4:2:2 10-bit 400-Mbps All-Intra in 4K 30p/24p and 200-Mbps All-Intra in Full-HD. It also allows for 4K HDR video with Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) mode in Photo Style. It also has -5EV luminance detection performance with Low Light AF with  higher sensitivity and ...

Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018) with 6-inch Infinity display, dual front cameras launched in India for Rs. 32990

Samsung today launched the Galaxy A8+ (2018)  smartphone in India, as it had promised. It was  introduced last month along with the Galaxy A8 (2018) and packs a 6-inch Full HD+Infinity Super AMOLED  18.5:9 display, is powered by Octa-Core Exynos 7885 14nm processor, runs Android 7.1.1 (Nougat),  has 16-megapixel rear camera with f/1.7 aperture, and a 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel dual front cameras, both with f/1.9 aperture. Dual front cameras let you switch between them for close-ups with the background to portrait shots and the Live Focus feature lets you adjust the bokeh effect before or after you take the picture. It comes with IP68 ratings for water and dust resistance and packs a 3500mAh battery with support for fast charging. It also comes with Samsung Pay. Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018) specifications 6-inch (1080×2220 pixels) Full HD+ Super AMOLED display Octa-Core (2.2GHz Dual + 1.6GHz Hexa) Exynos 7885 14nm processor with Mali-G71 GPU 6GB RAM, 64GB storage, expandable up to 256GB via micro SD card Android 7.1.1 (Nougat) Dual SIM 16MP rear camera with LED flash, f/1.7 aperture 16MP front camera with f/1.9 aperture, secondary 8MP camera with f/1.9 aperture Fingerprint sensor Water and dust resistant body (IP68) Dimension: 159.9×75.7x 8.3 mm Weight: 191g 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2.4/5GHz), Bluetooth v5, NFC, USB Type-C 3500mAh battery with adaptive ...

Dell introduces Mobile Connect wireless mobile-PC integration Software

Dell along with launch of a wide range of gaming notebooks, notebooks, PCs, has also demoed the new Mobile Connect wireless mobile- Dell PC integration software which will come pre-installed in all new XPS, Inspiron, Alienware and Vostro laptops in 2018. The software lets users make calls, send texts, get notifications and even fully mirror Android phones on the PC. However, certain functionalities are limited to just iPhone like seeing and replying to incoming calls and messages, while receiving alerts from other apps like Facebook and Whatsapp is limited to Android. It uses WiFi and Bluetooth to let you control your smartphone from the laptop. Users will also have control on which specific apps you would like to receive notifications from on your PC. Dell says that the connection is secure through a point-to-point, never going through the internet or WiFi routers. The Mobile Connect wireless mobile-PC integration software will be available on new Dell consumer XPS, Inspiron, Vostro, and Alienware PC’s starting in January 2018 starting with iOS 10 and Android 5.0 Lollipop and above. Source

Dell introduces new XPS 15 2-in-1, Latitude Notebooks, VR-ready Inspiron Gaming Desktop and Dell Cinema

Dell at the CES 2018 event  introduced a wide range of products ranging from XPS 15 2-in-1, Latitude series 2-in-1 Notebooks, Dell Cinema audio-visual experience, VR-ready Dell Inspiron Gaming Desktop.  The XPS 15 2-in-1 sports a 15.6-inch InfinityEdge 4K Ultra HD display and there is also a 15.6-inches Full HD base model as well. It is powered by the 8th Gen Intel Core processor with Intel HD graphics and discrete Radeon RX Vega M graphics in a single package. It comes with an innovative maglev keyboard and near slim edge display. It runs on Windows 10 with  Xbox app, support for DirectX12, and gamers can directly streaming their gameplay using Mixer. Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 will be available in the U.S. on Dell.com from April starting at $1,299.99 (Rs.82,880 approx). The company also unveiled the VR-ready Dell Inspiron Gaming Desktop powered by the 8th Gen Intel quad-and hex-core processors with discrete graphics. It runs on Windows 10 and has Xbox Live support with the Xbox app and Direct X12. They come with solid-state drives for faster boot up and transfer speeds. The Inspiron Gaming Desktop starting at $799 (Rs. 50,980 approx.). Also announced are the Dell Latitude notebooks and 2-in-1s which are powered by the 15W dual-core and quad-core 8th Gen Intel Core vPro processors. The Line-up includes Latitude ...

YI Horizon VR180 Camera with 5.7K stereoscopic 3D video and photo capture, 4K live streaming announced

Along with the Lenovo Mirage camera, Google in partnership with YI Technology introduced YI Horizon VR180 Camera at the CES 2018. It leverages Google’s new VR180 format so that the stereoscopic 3-D camera captures high-resolution, immersive 3D video in 5.7K resolution at 30 frames per second (fps). It also features instant in-device stitching and supports live streaming at 4k resolution. Highlights of YI Horizon VR180 Ambarella H2V95 chipset supports 5.7K video and photo capture. One-button live video streaming 2.2 inch (640x360 pixels) retina touch screen Built-in WiFi, USB Type-C USB port with HD speed data transmission Professional-grade 4 microphone design with outdoor noise reduction VR180 app by Google lets you manage photos and videos Compatible with YouTube and Google Photos YI Horizon VR180 Camera will be available starting from the second quarter of 2018 and we should know the pricing closer to the launch. Source 1, 2