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 phones – cellular 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 MWC. The 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://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
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.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
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://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.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
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=7752&via=n&datum=2018-03-23_14:10:57
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333098
531 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
The next version of Android will allow manual Google Drive backups
https://9to5google.com/2018/08/17/the-next-version-of-android-will-allow-manual-google-drive-backups/
Android has almost always offered a way to backup your device, to keep your data safe in case anything should happen to it. Today, those backups are saved automatically to Google Drive, but in a future version, users will be able to save backups manually.
Whether “next release” means Android 9.1 or Android Q is still unclear, but it’s genuinely nice to see Google respond so quickly to a user’s plight.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Huawei was caught using a pro camera to fake smartphone photos (again)
An actor in the commercial accidentally revealed the trick on her Instagram.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/08/huawei-was-caught-using-a-pro-camera-to-fake-smartphone-photos-again/
Huawei might make decent smartphones, but its marketing and advertising campaigns have, multiple times, been struck by controversy. That continues today, as an actor’s social media post revealed that the company faked smartphone photos with a professional DSLR camera for an advertisement in Egypt.
Reddit user AbdullahSab3 discovered that Sarah Elshamy, one of the actors in the video, posted some behind-the-scenes photos to her Instagram page. One image revealed a photographer shooting the at-home selfie with a DSLR.
The video does not explicitly state that the photos were taken with the smartphone, but it is implied by the sequence of events and by the fact that the specific photo in question was used to promote a feature present in the smartphone.
Other smartphone makers have been caught doing this in the past. Just this past week, Samsung Brazil was caught trying to pass stock photos off as photos taken with the Galaxy A8.
However, this is not always the case.
Consumers have discovered similar stunts in previous Huawei marketing and advertising materials.
Worse yet, Huawei was caught doing almost exactly this previously: it posted an image implied to be a photo taken with its P9 smartphone to Google+, but the EXIF data (metadata included in image files with information on how and when the photo was taken) revealed it was taken with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III, a professional DSLR camera that costs thousands of dollars.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/98ltck/huwaei_faked_an_ad_for_its_new_phone_huawei_nova/
Tomi Engdahl says:
An Android Package is no Longer a ZIP
https://www.fortinet.com/blog/threat-research/an-android-package-is-no-longer-a-zip.html
Over the past few years, I have been giving workshops on Android reverse engineering – my next one will be an advanced session at Virus Bulletin in October. As most other researchers on Android, I typically start off with a slide explaining that an Android Package (APK) is just a ZIP. Since Android 7.0, however, this is no longer true.
The APK Format: a Modified ZIP File
The Format of an APK File Since Android 7.0
Tomi Engdahl says:
A majority of U.S. teens are taking steps to limit smartphone and social media use
https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/24/a-majority-of-u-s-teens-are-taking-steps-to-limit-smartphone-and-social-media-use/?utm_source=tcfbpage&sr_share=facebook
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A majority of U.S. teens are taking steps to limit smartphone and social media use
Sarah Perez
@sarahintampa / 14 hours ago
texting teens
It’s not just parents who are worrying about their children’s device usage. According to a new study released by Pew Research Center this week, U.S. teens are now taking steps to limit themselves from overuse of their phone and its addictive apps, like social media. A majority, 54% of teens, said they spend too much time on their phone, and nearly that many – 52% – said they are trying to limit their phone use in various ways.
In addition, 57% say they’re trying to limit social media usage and 58% are trying to limit video games.
The fact that older children haven’t gotten a good handle on balanced smartphone usage points to a failure on both parents’ parts and the responsibilities of technology companies to address the addictive nature of our devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Epic Fail!
Google has clapped back in tremendous fashion at Epic Games
Fortnite’s Android installer shipped with an Epic security flaw
https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/24/fortnites-android-installer-shipped-with-an-epic-security-flaw/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage
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Fortnite’s Android installer shipped with an Epic security flaw
Devin Coldewey
@techcrunch / 15 hours ago
fortnite-revenue-google-play
Google has clapped back in tremendous fashion at Epic Games, which earlier this month decided to make the phenomenally popular Fortnite available for Android via its own website instead of Google’s Play Store. Unfortunately, the installer had a phenomenally dangerous security flaw in it that would allow a malicious actor to essentially install any software they wanted. Google wasted exactly zero time pointing out this egregious mistake.
By way of a short explanation why this was even happening, Epic explained when it announced its plan that it would be good to have “competition among software sources on Android,” and that the best would “succeed based on merit.”
Many warned that this was a security risk for several reasons, for example that users would have to enable app installations from unknown sources — something most users have no reason to do. And the Play Store has other protections and features, visible and otherwise, that are useful for users.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Epic’s first Fortnite Installer allowed hackers to download and install anything on your Android phone silently
The exact problem we expected to happen, happened.
https://www.androidcentral.com/epic-games-first-fortnite-installer-allowed-hackers-download-install-silently
Google has just publicly disclosed that it discovered an extremely serious vulnerability in Epic’s first Fortnite installer for Android that allowed any app on your phone to download and install anything in the background, including apps with full permissions granted, without the user’s knowledge. Google’s security team first disclosed the vulnerability privately to Epic Games on August 15, and has since released the information publicly following confirmation from Epic that the vulnerability was patched.
In short, this was exactly the kind of exploit that Android Central, and others, had feared would occur with this sort of installation system. Here’s what you need to know about the vulnerability, and how to make sure you’re safe going forward.
Epic Games’ strategy for Fortnite on Android is stupid, greedy, and dangerous
This is the worst possible idea, for the worst possible reasons.
https://www.androidcentral.com/epic-games-strategy-fortnite-android-stupid-greedy-and-dangerous
Tomi Engdahl says:
Galaxy Note 9 release date, specs and price: Buyers warned of shipment delays as handset goes on sale
Argos reportedly blames ‘customs issues’ for shipping hold-up
https://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/3020485/galaxy-note-9-release-date-specs-and-price-buyers-warned-of-shipment-delays-as-handset-goes-on-sale
THE SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 9 is finally here, but it doesn’t have many surprises in store.
Thanks to the huge number of leaks building up to the smartphone’s launch, we already knew almost all there is to know: it’ll ship with a new Bluetooth-enabled S Pen; will pack a hefty 4,000mAh battery; and it’ll start shipping on 24 August.
Galaxy Note 9 hands-on review
It’s so similar to its Note 8 predecessor that INQ got duped
https://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/review/3060975/galaxy-note-9-hands-on-review
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.puhelinvertailu.com/uutiset/2018/08/27/hmd-osti-microsoftilta-pureview-n-ikoninen-kamerabrandi-takaisin-nokia-puhelimiin
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gartner has completed smartphone sales statistics for the second quarter. The figures show that Chinese Huawei rose to Apple’s second place. According to Gartner, this is explained, for example, by the sales drop of Apple’s flagship, iPhone X.
According to Gartner, iPhone X’s sales slowed down much faster than Apple’s previous releases. In particular, the competition brought by Chinese characters means that Apple needs to find new spots on the premium equipment market.
In April-June, Huawei sold 49.8 million smartphones with a market share of 13, 3 percent. Samsung is still number one: 72.3 million units sold meant 19.3% market share.
Can Huawei Become the Number One? If the current trend continues for both Samsung and Huawe, the Chinese manufacturer will rise to the market next year. Samsung obviously sees it differently, and Apple does not agree to be the second.
Android’s market share now stands at 88 percent and iOS’s 11.9 percent. According to Gartner, the total sales of other platforms were down to 112,000 units. This includes other Windows Mobile, Tizen, Sailfish and other marginal mobile platforms.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8355-iphone-x-n-myynti-sakkasi-etuajassa
Tomi Engdahl says:
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Google redesigns Wear OS with a Google Assistant feed, one-swipe access to Fit, and revamped notifications — And adding a Google Assistant feed — If you have a newer Wear OS watch, sometime in the coming month, you’ll get a software update that will change what happens when you swipe on your watchface.
Google is revamping the Wear OS smartwatch user interface
And adding a Google Assistant feed
https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/29/17793870/google-wear-os-software-update-swiping-assistant-smartwatch
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jon Fingas / Engadget:
Skagen unveils a minimalist Wear OS-based Falster 2 smartwatch with a heart-rate sensor, GPS, and NFC, available September 12 and priced from $275
https://www.engadget.com/2018/08/29/skagen-falster-2-smartwatch/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/nokia-uutuutta-myytiin-150-puhelimen-sekuntivauhtia-intialaiskaupan-varastot-tyhjenivat-minuuteissa-6738785
Nokia 6.1 Plus goes out of stock on Flipkart in less than 3 minutes, 150 units sold every second
https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/nokia-6-1-plus-sold-out-flipkart-sale-150-units-per-second-1327353-2018-08-30
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8371-tehokkaampi-koodekki-yleistyy-kannykkavideossa
H.265-koodekin eli HEVC
Apple toi HEVC-koodekin 5-tason tuen A10-sovellusprosessorilleen, joka tuotiin markkinoille iPhone 7-sarjassa. Uusin sukupolve eli iPhone 8- ja X-mallit tukevat HEVC 5.1 -koodausta A11 Bionic -prosessorinsa ansiosta.
Android-leirissä HEVC-tuki on vielä niukempi vaikkakin nopeasti yleistymässä. Suosituin Android-leirin sovellusprosessori, joka tukee 5.1-tason HEVC-koodausta, on Samsungin Exynos 8890.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/08/31/seuraavan-sukupolven-kannykkapiiri-6-9-miljardia-transistoria/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://someco.fi/blogi/videoiden-mobiilieditointi-nelja-android-sovellusta/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/08/31/seuraavan-sukupolven-kannykkapiiri-6-9-miljardia-transistoria/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple’s new iOS 12 beta fixes the annoying ‘please update’ bug
https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/31/apples-new-ios-12-beta-fixes-the-annoying-please-update-bug/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage
iOS 12 beta testers have been plagued with a frustrating bug that continually pops up messages alerting them that a new iOS update is available when, in fact, it’s not. Apple has now fixed this bug, which is patched in the latest iOS 12 betas rolling out now, we understand.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The 12 Best Android Phones You Can Find in 2018
https://www.wired.com/gallery/best-android-phones/
Shopping for an Android phone can be hard work. It’s easy to get swayed by a pretty design or convincing salesperson. Carriers might tempt you with an affordable 24-month payment plan, but before you make an ill-informed impulse buy, read up. From the bottomless pit of phone choices, we bring you our favorites, including our top pick, the Pixel 2. These phones all have their advantages, and we’ve laid them out as honestly as we can. Be sure to check our list of Best Smartphones and Best Cheap Phones for even more recommendations.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Huawei To Launch the Mate 20 with Kirin 980 on October 16th
by Ian Cutress on August 31, 2018 8:56 AM EST
https://www.anandtech.com/show/13314/huawei-to-launch-the-mate-20-with-kirin-980-on-october-16th
Just a small note to detail one of Huawei’s announcements today: alongside the Kirin 980 announcement, Richard Yu, Huawei’s CEO, stated that their next generation flagship device, the Mate 20, will be launched on October 16th. At the heart of the new device will be that Kirin 980, which Huawei boasts as having several world firsts.
As with previous years, Huawei has announced a new flagship SoC one month and followed it 6-8 weeks later with a device announcement. It has happened the last two years, and this is no different: the Kirin 970 from last year is in at least 7 devices from Honor and Huawei now, so we expect the new Kirin 980 to be just as prolific.
Tomi Engdahl says:
HiSilicon Announces The Kirin 980: First A76, G76 on 7nm
by Andrei Frumusanu on August 31, 2018 8:30 AM EST
https://www.anandtech.com/show/13298/hisilicon-announces-the-kirin-980-first-a76-g76-on-7nm
This year at IFA, instead of suddenly finding the new silicon on the show floor, Huawei’s CEO Richard Yu announced this year’s new Kirin 980 during the company’s keynote speech. For readers who’ve been attentively following our articles over the last few months, today’s news should hopefully not come at too big of a surprise, as I’ve been heavily hinting at the timing of the first new 7nm Cortex A76 silicon designs coming later this year in commercial devices, with HiSilicon being the prime candidate for being the first vendor on the market with the their new generation SoC.
Huawei’s silicon design division HiSilicon has been a key strategic component for the company’s products, as it enables it to differentiate itself in a more drastic way than what we usually see from other vendors who simply rely on established open-market SoC vendors such as Qualcomm
Tomi Engdahl says:
Huawei first to preview its 7nm phone SoC – the HiSilicon Kirin 980
Featuring the world’s fastest modem
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/08/31/huawei_7nm_phone_silicon/
Four major companies design the key chips for smartphones, and Huawei’s HiSilicon became the first to announce its 7nm designs today at the giant IFA show in Berlin.
The HiSilicon Kirin 980 series is the first to disclose details of chips based on the new production techniques – although you can expect Apple to follow in a few days. Huawei’s Benjamin Wang said it was the result of three years work, and crams 6.9 billion transistors onto the die.
The 980 incorporates two “Big” A76 2.6Ghz cores, two “Middle” A76 1.92Ghz cores, and four “Little” A55 cores running at 1.7Ghz. The small cores are sufficient for tasks like music playback, which requires only one Little core, or navigation, which can be assigned three. The 980 also incorporates what is the world’s fastest modem with 4×4 MIMO and 2×2 offering 1.4Gb/s speeds – in theory. That should cope with gigabit LTE and the first bout of 5G-branded hardware.
The unit also incorporates two neural network processing (NPU) cores and Arm’s Mali G76 GPU.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/09/01/security_roundup_310818/
A security hole in Huawei phones could allow some attackers an easy way to compromise Android handsets.
The Chinese phonemaker has put out an advisory explaining how a security bypass function can be used to jailbreak the Mate 10 Pro phone with ease.
The flaw, CVE-2018-7936, is exposed when the handset is being restored to its defaults using the Factory Reset Protection tool. If the phone is connected to a PC, the attacker can send instructions that will disable the boot wizard and allow full access to the OS with the ability to install third-party software.
Huawei recommends Mate 10 Pro owners update their firmware to version BLA-L29 8.0.0.148(C432) to get the fix.
Security Advisory – FRP Bypass Vulnerability in Huawei Smart Phones
https://www.huawei.com/en/psirt/security-advisories/huawei-sa-20180827-01-frpbypass-en
Huawei has released software updates to fix this vulnerability.
Tomi Engdahl says:
In his IFA 2018 keynote, titled “The Ultimate Power of Mobile AI,” Huawei Consumer Business Group CEO Richard Yu introduced the Kirin 980, a 7nm, system-on-a-chip (SoC) for use in the company’s future smartphones. As the world’s first commercial SoC manufactured with TSMC’s 7nm process, Kirin 980 will feature a “Dual NPU AI” processing capability.
Source: https://semiengineering.com/week-in-review-manufacturing-test-9/
More:
Huawei Launches Kirin 980, the World’s First Commercial 7nm SoC
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180831005152/en/Huawei-Launches-Kirin-980-World%E2%80%99s-Commercial-7nm
As graphics in mobile games have become more and more sophisticated in recent years, Huawei has integrated the Mali-G76 GPU into the Kirin 980 to deliver unparalleled gaming experiences. Debuting with the Kirin 980, Mali-G76 offers 46 percent greater graphics processing power at 178 percent improved power efficiency over the previous generation.
Industry’s First “Dual-Brain” Power: The latest Kirin SoC represents a new era of On-Device AI. The Dual NPU Kirin 980 elevates the On-Device AI experience with greater processing power and intelligence.
Full-Featured ISP: In pursuit of the best smartphone photography experience, Huawei integrated its proprietary fourth-generation ISP into the SoC.
World-Class Connectivity: To deliver the best connectivity to users of Kirin 980-powered devices, Huawei integrated the world’s first modem supporting LTE Cat.21 with a peak download speed of 1.4Gbps.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Arjun Kharpal / CNBC:
Samsung’s head of mobile says company will bring new features and tech to its mid-end smartphones first as company changes strategy to attract millennial users
Samsung is packing more tech into its mid-priced smartphones to appeal to millennials
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/03/samsung-switches-mid-tier-smartphone-strategy-to-boost-growth.html
Samsung plans to overhaul its smartphone strategy at the mid-range price point in order to appeal more to millennials, the company’s mobile CEO told CNBC.
Instead of introducing new technology in the flagship Galaxy S and Note series of devices, DJ Koh said Samsung will look to bring in cutting-edge features to its cheaper models first.
The first of the devices with the new strategy will be released later this year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Important dates regarding apps with Windows Phone 8.x and earlier and Windows 8/8.1 packages submitted to Microsoft Store
https://blogs.windows.com/buildingapps/2018/08/20/important-dates-regarding-apps-with-windows-phone-8-x-and-earlier-and-windows-8-8-1-packages-submitted-to-microsoft-store/
As a part of our Windows device life cycle, Microsoft Store will soon stop accepting new apps with Windows Phone 8.x or earlier or Windows 8/8.1 packages (XAP and APPX). Soon after that date, we will stop distributing app updates to Windows Phone 8.x or earlier and Windows 8/8.1 devices; at that time, updates will only be made available to customers using Windows 10 devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IDC:
Global wearables market in Q2 2018: shipment volume reached 27.9M units, up 5.5% YoY, as Apple keeps top spot, shipping 4.7M units, up from 3.4M in 2017
Worldwide Wearables Market Ticks Up 5.5% Due to Gains in Emerging Markets, Says IDC
https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS44247418
Growth continued in the global wearables market during the second quarter of 2018 (2Q18) as shipment volume reached 27.9 million units, up 5.5% from the previous year according to data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker. The market experienced similar gains in dollar value, growing 8.3% year-over-year to $4.8 billion in 2Q18 fueled by the continued popularity of smartwatches with their high price tags.
From a regional perspective, mature markets – comprised of North America, Japan, and Western Europe – declined 6.3% year over year as these markets were largely comprised of basic wristbands last year, which have declined substantially since then and the growth in smartwatches has not been enough to offset the decline.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Robert Burnson / Bloomberg:
Facebook is suing BlackBerry for patent infringement of voice messaging technology and other patented processes
Facebook Accuses BlackBerry of Stealing Voice-Messaging Tech
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-05/facebook-accuses-blackberry-of-stealing-voice-messaging-tech
Facebook Inc. is suing BlackBerry Ltd. for patent infringement, escalating the legal battle between the two companies over protected technology.
In a 118-page complaint filed filed Tuesday in San Francisco federal court, Facebook accused BlackBerry of stealing its voice messaging technology, among other patented processes. Facebook is seeking unspecified damages for infringement of six patents.
Tomi Engdahl says:
AnandTech:
Overview of Huawei’s GPU Turbo, which claims to offer Huawei devices more performance at less power via a software update: valid tech with overzealous marketing
https://www.anandtech.com/show/13285/huawei-gpu-turbo-investigation
Tomi Engdahl says:
Huawei Outselling iPhone
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333656
Chinese electronics giant Huawei Technologies sold more handsets worldwide than Apple in the second quarter, marking the first quarter since the early days of the original iPhone that Apple hasn’t been among the No. 2 suppliers, according to market research firm Gartner Inc.
Gartner (Stamford, Conn.) said a combination of innovative new handsets from Huawei and a rapid slowdown in demand for the flagship iPhone X enabled Huawei to move into second place in smartphone sales for the first time, relegating Apple to the No. 3 position.
“Demand for the iPhone X has started to slow down much earlier than when other new models were introduced,” said Anshul Gupta, a research director at Gartner, in a press statement.
Overall, sales of smartphones grew 2% in the second quarter to reach 374 million units, Gartner said.
IDC, a rival research firm, said this week that it expects overall smartphone shipments to decline slightly this year from 1.47 billion last year to 1.46 billion this year, a decrease of less than 1%. However, IDC expects smartphones sales to pick up in the second half of this year and to grow by low single-digit percentages from 2019 through 2022.
Huawei rose to the No. 2 position in smartphone sales despite being almost completely locked out of the lucrative U.S. market due to security concerns about Huawei handsets that stem from U.S. intelligence agencies, including the FBI, the CIA and the National Security Agency.
Huawei’s second quarter handset sales grew 39% compared to the second quarter of 2017, reaching nearly 50 million units, good for 13.3% market share
Apple faces growing competition from Huawei and other Chinese brands, as well as heightened consumer expectations for phone value
Tomi Engdahl says:
Where Will Apple Go From Here?
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333643
Steve Jobs is gone, but Apple Inc. is still riding high. Sales of the consumer electronics company are set to reach a staggering $263 billion in fiscal 2018 — up 144% from $108 billion in 2011, the year that Jobs died. Apple’s $1 trillion-plus market capitalization has woven its story into the fabric of global business history. Pull any strands of the Apple saga, though, and they all lead back to its better-known founder.
The next big thing
A cottage industry of experts, analysts, and enthusiasts has sprung up around the core question of what Apple will roll out in future, each group vying to divine what that next “Big Thing” from the company would be. What, they ask, will Apple do for an encore?
It’s a fair question.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung is set to unveil a foldable smartphone this year
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/04/samsung-unveiling-a-foldable-smartphone-this-year.html
Samsung will release a foldable smartphone this year, DJ Koh, CEO of the company’s mobile division told CNBC.
Koh said the company is focusing on how to make the unfolded phone different from a tablet.
Koh said the device could be unveiled this year at the Samsung Developers Conference in November.
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8403-korvanappien-suunnittelu-helpottuu-merkittavasti
Power & Communication Interface
https://ams.com/Power-Communication-Interface
The interface enables concurrent battery charging at up to 150mA and data exchange between a charger cradle, earpiece and mobile phone. The interface needs only two pins per device, giving design flexibility and improving the reliability of charging operations. By implementing the POW:COM interface in earbuds, manufacturers can improve the user experience, giving enhanced communication capabilities and convenient charging. Furthermore no bluetooth component is required in charging cradle.
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8399-androidin-sisatilapaikannus-paranee-merkittavasti
Kyse on wifi-pohjaisesta RTT-protokollasta (round-trip-time), joka on IEEE:ssä tunnettu nimellä IEEE 802.11mc. Standardi hyväksyttiin loppuvuodesta 2016 ja viime vuoden aikana tuki uudelle protokollalle alkoi ilmestyä piirisarjoihin.
RTT:ssä on käytännössä kyse RF-signaalien lentoajasta reitittimestä päätelaitteeseen ja takaisin
Tomi Engdahl says:
Paul Sawers / VentureBeat:
Tor launches a mobile Tor browser, now available on Android through the Play store or as a direct download
Tor gets its first official mobile browser
https://venturebeat.com/2018/09/07/tor-gets-its-first-official-mobile-browser/
Tor Project, the not-for-profit body behind the anonymizing Tor browser that lets you access the internet without being tracked, has launched the first official Tor mobile browser app.
Tor Browser for Android is available to install from Google Play now, or the .APK can be downloaded directly from the Tor Project website.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.torproject.torbrowser_alpha
Tomi Engdahl says:
Huawei Caught Cheating in Smartphone GPU Benchmarks
https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/276555-huawei-caught-cheating-in-smartphone-gpu-benchmarks
The Chinese manufacturer Huawei has been distributing devices with secret benchmark modes enabled, drastically misrepresenting the performance of these devices and inflating their test results. It’s far from the first time we’ve been down this road, either with benchmarking or mobile devices, but what Huawei has done is a little unusual.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:
Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon Wear 3100 Platform for Android smartwatches with a quad-core A7 processor, 4G LTE, and an ultra-low power coprocessor — After a series of false starts and missed forecasts, the smartwatch market has finally started to come into its own.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 3100 smartwatch chipset promises up to 2 days of battery life
https://venturebeat.com/2018/09/10/qualcoms-new-snapdragon-wear-3100-smartwatch-chipset-delivers-up-to-two-days-of-battery-life/
After a series of false starts and missed forecasts, the smartwatch market has finally started to come into its own. Android Wear, Google’s smartwatch operating system, was recently redesigned, relaunched, and rechristened Wear OS. And smartwatches sales have never been better, with shipments hitting a record 10 million globally in Q2 2018.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lynn La / CNET:
OnePlus says its OnePlus 6T flagship will have a fingerprint reader in the display, likely making it the first phone widely available in the US with the feature
OnePlus 6T will have an in-screen fingerprint sensor, OnePlus confirms
https://www.cnet.com/news/oneplus-6t-in-screen-fingerprint-sensor-confirm-on-display-exclusive/
Amid the rumors swirling around its next flagship, OnePlus confirms that its OnePlus 6T will have a fingerprint reader in the display.
Tomi Engdahl says:
New Chip Seen Boosting Huawei’s Market Share
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333681
Huawei, which has overtaken Apple to become the new No. 2 in smartphones, is expected to increase its market share with the introduction of a new chip, according to analysts.
Huawei announced the company’s next flagship SoC, the Kirin 980, at the IFA trade show in Berlin early this month. The company claimed a number of world’s firsts, saying that the Kirin 980 is the only 7-nm chip to be announced so far and the only SoC with two neural processing units (NPUs), leading the trend toward AI in smartphones.
TSMC, which made the Kirin 980, is also using a 7-nm process to produce the Apple A12 application processor, which Apple is expected to announce on Sept. 12 with the release of its latest line of iPhones.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple iPhone Leaks Reveal Three Lame Names For New iPhones
https://www.forbes.com/sites/curtissilver/2018/08/08/apple-iphone-leaks-reveal-three-lame-names-for-new-iphones/#7fd410a467ec
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple’s newest watch, starting at $399, can now perform an ECG, detect atrial fibrillation and detect when a person’s heart rate is too low.
Fitbit stock sinking following Apple Watch announcement
https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/12/fitbit-stock-sinking-following-apple-watch-announcement/?utm_source=tcfbpage&sr_share=facebook
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple introduces the iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max
https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/12/apple-introduces-the-iphone-xs/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple’s new iPhones are powered by the industry’s first 7nm chips
https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/12/apples-new-iphones-are-powered-by-the-industrys-first-7nm-chips/?utm_source=tcfbpage&sr_share=facebook
Unsurprisingly, Apple today announced its newest generation of iPhones. And with that, it also announced its new chips: the A12 Bionic.
What makes the A12 Bionic stand out is that it’s built using a 7nm process.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Here are the prices of the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR
https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/12/here-are-the-prices-of-the-iphone-xs-xs-max-and-xr/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple is releasing iOS 12 on September 17th
https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/12/apple-is-releasing-ios-12-on-september-17th/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple Hardware Event 2018
https://techcrunch.com/tag/Apple-Hardware-Event-2018/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple, Huawei Both Claim First 7-nm Smartphone Chips
https://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/processors/apple-huaweii-both-claim-first-7nm-smartphone-chips
Apple executives said that the new iPhone Xs and Xs Max will contain the first smartphone processor to be made using 7 nm manufacturing technology, the most advanced process node. Huawei made the same claim, to less fanfare, late last month and it’s unclear who really deserves the accolades. If anybody does, it’s TSMC, which manufactures both chips.
TSMC went into volume production with 7-nm tech in April, and rival Samsung is moving toward commercial 7-nm production later this year or in early 2019. GlobalFoundries recently abandoned its attempts to develop a 7 nm process,
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple Adds Electrodes to Turn Watch into Electrocardiograph
https://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/consumer-electronics/portable-devices/apple-adds-electrodes-to-turn-watch-into-electrocardiograph
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ben Thompson / Stratechery:
The iPhone XR is neatly segmented primarily by virtue of being close enough to the best to be a force in the market for years to come — Apple released a new flagship iPhone yesterday, the iPhone XS. This isn’t exactly ground-breaking news: it is exactly what the company has done for eleven years now …
The iPhone Franchise
https://stratechery.com/2018/the-iphone-franchise/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:
Apple announces 5.8″ iPhone Xs and 6.5″ Xs Max with OLED displays, A12 Bionic 7-nanometer processor, dual-SIMs, available in gold, silver, and space grey
http://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/9/12/17843330/new-iphone-xs-max-release-date-screen-features-specs-apple-2018
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8430-oneplus-luopuu-kuulokeliitannasta