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 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://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

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-19/apple-is-said-to-develop-displays-to-replace-samsung-screens

https://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/seitseman-vuoden-tyo-tuottamassa-jattipotin-turkulaiskeksinto-korvaa-kalliit-laaketieteelliset-laitteet-tavallisella-alypuhelimella-6707089

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

  1. Tomi Engdahl says:

    http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8419-parempaa-aanta-mobiililaitteeseen

    Reply
  2. Tomi Engdahl says:

    http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8415-elisa-ratkaisu-sisatilaongelmiin-wifi-puhelut

    Reply
  3. Tomi Engdahl says:

    The 7 most egregious fibs Apple told about the iPhone XS camera
    https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/12/the-7-most-egregious-fibs-apple-told-about-the-iphone-xs-camera-today/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage

    To be clear, I have no doubt they made some great updates to make a good camera better. But whatever those improvements are, they were overshadowed today by the breathless hype that was frequently questionable and occasionally just plain wrong.

    Reply
  4. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Almost half of US cellphone calls will be scams by next year, says report
    https://www.cnet.com/news/almost-half-of-us-cell-phone-calls-will-be-scams-by-next-year-says-report/

    Fraudsters most often use local prefixes to trick people.

    Many of us are already conditioned to ignore phone calls from unknown numbers. A new study seems to validate that M.O.

    By next year, nearly half of the mobile phone calls we get will be scams, according to a new report from First Orion

    “Scammers relentlessly inundate mobile phones with increasingly convincing and scary calls,”

    Reply
  5. Tomi Engdahl says:

    I think Apple has given pretty terrible names…
    Overall Apple didn’t appear to be able to make anymore a very inspiring event.

    XS, XR, XS Max? The difference between the new iPhones
    https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/12/comparing-iphone-xs-vs-xs-max-vs-xr/?utm_source=tcfbpage&sr_share=facebook

    XS is the normal one. XR is the cheap one. XS Max is the big one. That’s a good start to understanding Apple’s confusing naming scheme for its new line of iPhones. Apparently jealous of Android’s fragmentation, Apple decided it needed three different models, three different storage sizes and nine different colors.

    Reply
  6. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Trump administration will send an alert to your phone next week
    https://nypost.com/2018/09/15/trump-administration-will-send-an-alert-to-your-phone-next-week/?utm_campaign=iosapp&utm_source=facebook_app

    Reply
  7. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Smartphone vendors looking for new thermal management solutions for 5G phones
    https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20180914PD205.html

    While preparing to launch 5G-enabled smartphones in the first half of 2019, most major handset vendors are reportedly seeking new thermal management solutions in response to heat dissipation requirements under high-speed 5G environments, according to industry sources.

    Android phone makers, including Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, are apparently more keen than Apple on the development of 5G phones, and reportedly have approached related suppliers for sampling of new thermal management solutions, said the sources.

    Huawei has said that it plans to release commercial 5G solutions and 5G chips in March 2019 and then 5G-enabled smartphones in June. Additionally, Huawei’s sub-brand Honor product line is also scheduled to launch its first 5G model with total solutions in 2019.

    Reply
  8. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Nilay Patel / The Verge:
    iPhone XS and XS Max review: terrific display, great speakers, and long battery life, but expensive, very good camera but not great, portrait mode a hit or miss

    Apple iPhone XS and XS Max review: smoothed out
    Solid updates to a winning formula
    https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/18/17871816/apple-iphone-xs-max-review-camera-processor-battery-price

    Reply
  9. Tomi Engdahl says:

    iPhone XS and XS Max Have 4GB of RAM, XR Has 3GB; XS Max and XR Have Larger 3,174 and 2,942 mAH Batteries
    https://www.macrumors.com/2018/09/19/iphone-xs-xs-max-xr-ram-and-battery-mah/

    The battery capacities and RAM inside the new iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR have surfaced in regulatory filings Apple is required to submit to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

    https://news.mydrivers.com/1/595/595505.htm

    Reply
  10. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Wileyfox’s Windows Phone is back in stock and being manufactured again
    https://www.windowslatest.com/2018/09/19/wileyfoxs-windows-phone-is-back-due-to-popular-demand/

    A report published earlier this month revealed that Wileyfox is discontinuing the sale of its Windows Phone but today the company reached out to us to confirm that their Windows 10 Mobile handset is once again available.

    the company is committed to its Windows Phone and the handset will receive the monthly cumulative updates from Microsoft until late 2019.

    Microsoft has already stopped developing new features for its mobile platform but the company is said to be working on a device that’s codenamed Andromeda and it’s arriving next year according to leaks from multiple publications.

    Reply
  11. Tomi Engdahl says:

    http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8466-puheohjaus-tulee-crm-jarjestelmiin

    Introducing New Einstein Voice – You Talk, AI Listens
    https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2018/09/introducing-einstein-voice.html

    Salesforce has helped our customers succeed as the #1 CRM company year after year. But the fact is getting granular, real-time data into Salesforce that you can take action on could be easier. What if you could talk to Salesforce, and let artificial intelligence make the best use of that information? Now you can, thanks to Einstein Voice.

    Reply
  12. Tomi Engdahl says:

    http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8460-puhelimen-tekoaly-moninkertaistuu-ensi-vuonna

    Reply
  13. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Install and run GNU/Linux on Android
    https://github.com/meefik/linuxdeploy

    This application is open source software for quick and easy installation of the operating system (OS) GNU/Linux on your Android device.

    Reply
  14. Tomi Engdahl says:

    iPhone XS and XS Max Teardown
    https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+XS+and+XS+Max+Teardown/113021

    Reply
  15. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Wearables Market Hits Speed Bump
    https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333752

    Growth in wearable electronic device shipments is expected to slip below 10% for the first time in 2018 before returning to double-digit percentages each year from 2019 to 2022, according to market research firm IDC.

    IDC (Framingham, Mass.) forecasts that shipments of wearables — including smart watches, wristbands, earwear and other devices — grow to 122.6 million units this year, up 6.2% from 115.4 million units last year. IDC blamed the lower growth on continued softness in sales of basic wearables — devices that do not run third-party applications.

    “The slowdown in the worldwide wearables market is a sign that this is a market in transition instead of a market in slowdown,”

    Reply
  16. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Open-source alt-droid wants to know if it’s still leaking data to Google
    Challenge accepted? You can download /e/ now
    https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/09/24/grab_your_degoogled_open_source_altandroid_now/

    Google-free fork of Android, reached a milestone this month with its initial ROM release. It’s available for download, so you can kick the tires, with nightly builds delivered via OTA (over the air) updates.

    El Reg interviewed the project’s leader, Gael Duval, in the summer. Duval launched and led the Linux Mandrake project. Back then it was called “eelo”, but has morphed into just /e/ – which autocorrect features won’t try to turn into “eels”.

    The project is significant in that the European Commission recently noted how few people switch platforms.

    Reply
  17. Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/te-mobilepayn-toimitusjohtaja-ei-kateista-kayta-ja-uskoo-muutokseen-mobiilimaksaminen-on-vain-valivaihe-6742158
    https://www.talouselama.fi/uutiset/mobiilimaksaminen-on-vain-valivaihe-anniina-heinonen-on-no-cash-ihminen-ja-aikoo-kiihdyttaa-mobilepayn-kayttoa/60684b59-cf9e-3899-a33a-35b17b42ccfc

    Reply
  18. Tomi Engdahl says:

    This Windows file may be secretly hoarding your passwords and emails
    https://www.zdnet.com/article/this-windows-file-may-be-secretly-hoarding-your-passwords-and-emails/

    A little-known Windows feature will create a file that stores text extracted from all the emails and plaintext-files found on your PC, which sometimes may reveal passwords or private conversations.

    Reply
  19. Tomi Engdahl says:

    http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8480-uudet-iphonet-avattiin-vaativat-paljon-kasityota

    Reply
  20. Tomi Engdahl says:

    http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8478-alypuhelimen-audiotestaaminen-helpottuu
    https://www.ap.com/news/apx500-version4-6-available/

    Reply
  21. Tomi Engdahl says:

    http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8482-pian-rannelaite-valvoo-syketta-sydankayraa-ja-lampotilaasi

    Reply
  22. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Don’t Hold That Cell Phone Quite So Close!
    https://www.mwrf.com/systems/don-t-hold-cell-phone-quite-so-close?NL=MWRF-001&Issue=MWRF-001_20180925_MWRF-001_92&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=20175&utm_medium=email&elq2=90c2abe5855f4ed093b5083d115b9c37

    Carcinogenic studies on cell-phone RF radiation in mice and rats, specifically GSM- and CDMA-modulated RF radiation, revealed development of one form of cancer.

    Many people rely on their portable cellular telephones; some even spend a better part of each day with the electronic device close to either ear. But they may want to reconsider, according to recent research revealed by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ (NIEHS) National Toxicology Program (NTP), a part of the U.S. National Institute of Health. The NIEHS reviewed the NTP’s draft reports on its carcinogenesis studies of cellular-telephone RF radiation in mice and rats during a three-day March 26-28, 2018 meeting in Research Triangle Park, N.C.

    Part of the study involved lifelong exposure of rats (lifelong being two years in their cases) to 900- and 1900-MHz RF radiation with code-division-multiple-access (CDMA) and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) cell-phone modulation formats.

    During the third day of the scientific/medical meeting (March 28), the researchers revealed that both GSM- and CDMA-modulated RF radiation led to development of malignant schwannoma (cancer) in the hearts of male rats. They also pointed out that the same risk for malignant schwannoma existed for female rats exposed to the same conditions. Those conditions included exposure in large reverberation chambers, using 10-minute-on and 10-minute-off cycling for 19 hr/day during the two-year research period.

    Different specific absorption rates (SARs) were used on the subjects, never raising the body temperatures of the exposed animals by more than 1°C. To achieve realistic exposure levels, the reported SARs in the brains and the hearts of the rats were only 1.05 and 2.27 times, respectively, the whole-body average SARs of the test subjects.

    The NTP cell-phone RF study is the largest study of its kind.

    Reply
  23. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Qualcomm accuses Apple of stealing its secrets to help Intel
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-qualcomm/qualcomm-accuses-apple-of-stealing-its-secrets-to-help-intel-idUSKCN1M51RT

    Reply
  24. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Teardowns Open Apple iPhone XS
    Apple combines two batteries into one
    https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333762

    Reply
  25. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Pangu Hackers have Jailbroken iOS 12 on Apple’s New iPhone XS
    https://thehackernews.com/2018/09/ios12-iphone-jailbreak-exploit.html?m=1

    The Chinese hacking team Pangu is back and has once again surprised everyone with a jailbreak for iOS 12 running on the brand-new iPhone XS.
    Well, that was really fast.

    Reply
  26. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Eric Johnson / Recode:
    CEO of Jawbone Health, which emerged after the liquidation of Jawbone, explains why he believes his new “device agnostic” health tracking startup will succeed

    Wearables pioneer Jawbone is back with a new mission: Warning you about health problems you didn’t know you had
    https://www.recode.net/2018/9/26/17904022/jawbone-health-hosain-rahman-wearables-healthcare-salesforce-kara-swisher-decode-podcast

    Jawbone Health CEO Hosain Rahman reflects on past mistakes and explains what’s next on Recode Decode.

    Last year, it looked like Jawbone was toast. The mobile technology company — which invented wireless phone headsets, Bluetooth speakers and fitness-minded wrist wearables — announced in July it was liquidating its assets.

    But now, with new investors and a fraction of its original staff (about 110 compared to 600 at its former peak), Jawbone has morphed into Jawbone Health, a medical subscription service that aims to help users catch health problems early. Although it will offer a wearable device free to paying subscribers, the new company will be “device and sensor agnostic,” partnering with other “clinical-grade” device makers and able to accept data from hardware like the iPhone and the Apple Watch, CEO Hosain Rahman said on the latest episode of Recode Decode.

    Reply
  27. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Tom Warren / The Verge:
    Microsoft says it has stopped developing new features for mobile versions of Office apps for Windows and is focusing on win32, web, iOS, and Android — Microsoft’s universal app experiment for Office is all but over — Microsoft first started work on its touch-friendly Office apps for Windows 8.1 more than five years ago.

    Microsoft puts its touch-friendly Office apps for Windows 10 on hold
    https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/28/17913174/microsoft-office-universal-apps-windows-10-development

    Microsoft’s universal app experiment for Office is all but over

    Reply
  28. Tomi Engdahl says:

    See the new iPhone’s ‘focus pixels’ up close
    https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/25/see-the-new-iphones-focus-pixels-up-close/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage

    The new iPhones have excellent cameras, to be sure. But it’s always good to verify Apple’s breathless onstage claims with first-hand reports. We have our own review of the phones and their photography systems, but teardowns provide the invaluable service of letting you see the biggest changes with your own eyes — augmented, of course, by a high-powered microscope.

    Although the optics of the new camera are as far as we can tell unchanged since the X, the sensor is a new one and is worth looking closely at.

    The sensor size has increased from 32.8mm2 to 40.6mm2 — a huge difference despite the small units. Every tiny bit counts at this scale. (For comparison, the Galaxy S9 is 45mm2, and the soon-to-be-replaced Pixel 2 is 25mm2.)

    The pixels themselves also, as advertised, grew from 1.22 microns (micrometers) across to 1.4 microns — which should help with image quality across the board.

    That’s Apple’s brand name for phase detection autofocus (PDAF) points, found in plenty of other devices. The basic idea is that you mask off half a sub-pixel every once in a while (which I guess makes it a sub-sub-pixel), and by observing how light enters these half-covered detectors you can tell whether something is in focus or not.

    Reply
  29. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Jan Wolfe / Reuters:
    ITC judge says that iPhones infringed one Qualcomm patent but denies the chipmaker’s request for a ban on the import of Apple’s phones into the US

    U.S. trade judge declines to block iPhone imports
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-qualcomm-itc/u-s-trade-judge-declines-to-block-iphone-imports-idUSKCN1M82JG

    A U.S. trade judge on Friday declined to block the importation of Apple Inc (AAPL.O) iPhones with chips from Intel Corp (INTC.O), handing a major defeat to Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O) in its high-stakes legal dispute with the iPhone maker.

    A U.S. International Trade Commission judge said Apple’s phones infringed one Qualcomm patent related to power management technology, but denied the chipmaker’s request for a ban on the import of some iPhones into the United States.

    “We’re glad the ITC stopped Qualcomm’s attempt to damage competition and ultimately harm innovators and U.S. consumers,” Apple said.

    Reply
  30. Tomi Engdahl says:

    OpenSignal:
    Survey of overall mobile video experience in 69 countries, where Czech Republic and Hungary top the rankings and US is 59th

    The State of Mobile Video (September 2018)
    https://opensignal.com/reports/2018/09/state-of-mobile-video

    For years, OpenSignal has reported on the speed, availability and latency metrics of the world’s mobile operators. But now we’re taking our analysis of the mobile user experience one step further. Keeping with our mission of measuring what real people actually see on their mobile phones, we are examining the single-most important service on mobile networks today: video. OpenSignal analyzed the consumer mobile video experience in 69 countries around the world, and the results were definitely surprising. Countries with the most sophisticated networks and the fastest speeds aren’t necessarily those providing the highest-quality video-viewing experience. In the case of mobile video, faster isn’t always better.

    Reply
  31. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Solarin smartphone: Super secure and super expensive at $17,000
    https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/solarin-super-secure-android-smart-phone/index.html

    Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy were front row at the London launch of a new super-secure Android smart phone Solarin on Tuesday.
    The top-of-the-range phone promises military-grade encryption technology to protect users’ calls and messages and is aimed squarely at business leaders, celebrities, VIPs and the super-rich.

    Reply
  32. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Brian Fung / Washington Post:
    US government ran the first nationwide test of its wireless emergency alert system at 2:18PM ET today, with a message going to all US wireless users — Beginning at 2:18 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, Americans across the country were interrupted by an urgent notification on their cellphones.
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/10/03/millions-cellphone-users-are-about-get-presidential-alert-heres-what-know/

    Reply
  33. Tomi Engdahl says:

    ‘Siri, I’m getting pulled over:’ A new shortcut for iPhones can automatically record the police
    https://nordic.businessinsider.com/ios-12-shortcut-uses-iphone-to-record-police-during-traffic-stop-2018-10?r=US&IR=T

    A big new feature for iPhones this year is Shortcuts, an app that lets you write scripts for the iPhone.
    One widely shared shortcut is called Police, which records police interactions and texts a predetermined contact that you’ve been pulled over.
    It also sends a video of the encounter to your contact.
    The creator says the shortcut can be adapted for other situations.

    Reply
  34. Tomi Engdahl says:

    http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8486-apple-nettoaa-yli-800-dollaria-iphone-xs-maxista

    Reply
  35. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Infection? Your Smartphone Will See You Now
    https://hackaday.com/2018/09/24/infection-your-smartphone-will-see-you-now/

    When Mr. Spock beams down to a planet, he’s carrying a tricorder, a communicator, and a phaser. We just have our cell phones. The University of California Santa Barbara published a paper showing how an inexpensive kit can allow your cell phone to identify pathogens in about an hour. That’s quite a feat compared to the 18-28 hours required by traditional methods. The kit can be produced for under $100, according to the University.

    Reply
  36. Tomi Engdahl says:

    USB-C audio sucks: Bring back the headphone jack!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly-bSBHOSIo

    Gordon walks us through the differences between USB-C analog and digital based dongles/headphones – and rants about why it’s a mess. Phone makers need to get their **** in order!

    Reply
  37. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Microsoft is embracing Android as the mobile version of Windows
    https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/3/17933644/microsoft-android-apps-windows-10-app-mirroring-report

    Android is the obvious choice for Windows users now

    Microsoft unveiled a bunch of Surface hardware during a press event in New York City last night. While matte black Surfaces, headphones with Cortana, and a new Surface Studio were the highlights of the hardware side, Microsoft unveiled an interesting change to its Windows operating system. Windows 10 will soon fully embrace Android to mirror these mobile apps to your PC.

    Microsoft announces app mirroring to let you use any Android app on Windows 10
    https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/2/17929908/microsoft-app-mirroring-android-windows-10-desktop

    Reply
  38. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Best GPS Trackers for Kids 2018
    https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.tomsguide.com/us/best-gps-child-trackers,review-2884.html

    Reply
  39. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Google’s Pixel 3 will use AI to respond to telemarketer calls
    https://thenextweb.com/plugged/2018/10/09/googles-pixel-3-will-use-ai-to-respond-to-telemarketer-calls/

    Google today announced its Duplex AI feature will roll out to Pixel 3 owners next month, but that’s not the only cool new AI experience they’ll get. A new call-screening and response feature will launch with Duplex, and it could mean an end to spam calls. Telemarketers: Your days are numbered.

    Duplex is the futuristic jaw-dropping AI the company showed off earlier this year that calls businesses to schedule appointments for you autonomously. It’s finally making its way to English language customers sometime next month and, along with it, a robust new update to Google’s call screening AI is slated for debut as well.

    Reply
  40. Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.wired.com/story/google-pixel-3/
    https://www.wired.com/story/2018-google-pixel-event-recap/

    Reply
  41. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Personal Tech
    Punkt: A minimalist Android for the paranoid
    https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/10/09/punkt_mp02/

    Feeling lucky?

    Readers cry out for more diversity in the phone world, but few alternatives are as striking as Punkt’s take on Android.

    Petter Neby, founder and CEO of the Swiss design-led company, told The Register Punkt’s second device is coming to market this year with an unusual USP – security hardening by BlackBerry.

    Just don’t call it a “dumb phone”.

    The eye-catching MP02 closely resembles the first 2G device, designed by Jasper Morrison, whose work spans light rail vehicles to furniture. But it’s the first built on a Google-free AOSP Android code base to support 4G. Neither Punkt phone is cheap – the MP02 retails at $350.

    And it resolutely won’t do WhatsApp.

    Isn’t it daunting selling a phone that, er, doesn’t do very much?

    “It’s all about what it doesn’t do,” Neby said. “This is a minimalist phone, a focused phone. It just makes calls very, very well, does messaging, and acts as a LTE modem for your other devices.”

    The D-word did slip out but we were swiftly corrected.

    “This is not a dumb phone. It’s a minimalist phone.”

    Reply
  42. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Microsoft has open sourced its 60,000+ patent portfolio by joining the Open Invention Network.

    ​Microsoft open-sources its patent portfolio
    https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-open-sources-its-entire-patent-portfolio/

    By joining the Open Invention Network, Microsoft is offering its entire patent portfolio — with the legacy exception of its Windows and desktop application code — to all of the open-source patent consortium’s members.

    Several years ago, I said the one thing Microsoft has to do — to convince everyone in open source that it’s truly an open-source supporter — is stop using its patents against Android vendors. Now, it’s joined the Open Invention Network (OIN), an open-source patent consortium. Microsoft has essentially agreed to grant a royalty-free and unrestricted license to its entire patent portfolio to all other OIN members.

    Reply
  43. Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.yrittajat.fi/uutiset/596424-minka-meilin-valitset-kannykkaan-esittelyssa-kuusi-ilmaista-sahkopostiohjelmaa?utm_campaign=58c7d65973a6a367cd06e007&utm_content=5bb88d07a914390001033eee&utm_medium=smarpshare&utm_source=facebook

    Reply
  44. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Why People Are Putting Fitness Trackers on Toilet Paper in China
    https://gizmodo.com/why-people-are-putting-fitness-trackers-on-toilet-paper-1829622767

    It all started with a mystery: Why would a fitness tracker detect a beating heart on a roll of toilet paper?

    As Chinese tech site Abacus reports, toilet paper is having a bit of a viral moment in China after fitness tracker owners discovered the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 would display a heart rate when attached to a roll. Users of the social media platform Weibo posted numerous images documenting the phenomenon. They also tested other cylindrical objects, such as bottles, cans, and even the appendage of a stuffed animal—all of which showed the mysterious phantom heart rate.

    Abacus tested it out in a video and found that placing a Xiaomi Mi Band 3 on a roll of toilet paper did indeed show a heart rate of 81 BPM. A coffee mug had 72 BPM and a banana had 77 BPM. But it’s not just Xiaomi trackers—the same experiment using an Apple Watch Series 4 and an Android Wear smartwatch yielded similar results, albeit it with a lower heart rate.

    To detect heartbeat, trackers beam a green light at a user’s wrist. Blood absorbs green light, so when blood flows faster it absorbs more green light. This process, known as photoplethysmography (PPG), is a relatively simple way to detect how fast a user’s heart is beating.

    Why is Xiaomi’s fitness tracker detecting a heartbeat from a roll of toilet paper?
    Weibo users are confused, but the answer isn’t as wild as it seems
    https://www.abacusnews.com/digital-life/why-xiaomis-fitness-tracker-detecting-heartbeat-roll-toilet-paper/article/2167498

    Reply
  45. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Google’s new phone software aims to end telemarketer calls for good
    https://nordic.businessinsider.com/google-pixel-3-telemarketer-call-screen-2018-10?r=US&IR=T

    Google is trying to end telemarketer calls on smartphones through a new Android feature named “Call Screen.”
    The feature lets you use Google Assistant to answer phone calls; it instantly transcribes the phone call and lets you choose if you want to pick up.
    If it’s a telemarketer, the call can be instantly marked as spam.
    The feature is rolling out to Pixel 3 smartphones first, but “comes to the entire Pixel family next month.”

    Reply
  46. Tomi Engdahl says:

    http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8552-uuden-samsungin-kameroissa-yhteensa-71-megapikselia

    Reply
  47. Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/10/11/kuinka-monta-kamerakennoa-kannykkaan-mahtuu/
    Galaxy A9

    Reply
  48. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Three New Apple Watch Features for People with Type 1 Diabetes
    https://myglu.org/articles/three-new-apple-watch-features-for-people-with-type-1-diabetes

    One Drop announced its latest Bluetooth blood glucose monitor will transmit readings directly to most Apple Watches, and two other features that may help the diabetes community.

    Reply
  49. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Kellen / Droid Life:
    Google’s real-time translations now available on Android phones and all Assistant-optimized headphones, not just Google Pixel Buds

    Pixel Buds Real-Time Translations Available on All Google Assistant Headphones
    https://www.droid-life.com/2018/10/13/pixel-buds-real-time-translations-now-available-on-all-google-assistant-headphones/

    Reply
  50. Tomi Engdahl says:

    http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8568-huawein-lippulaiva-julkistetaan-uusia-ratkaisuja-luvassa

    Mate 20 Pro:

    uses HiSilicon newest Kirin 980 manufactured with 7 nm

    Dual NPU

    Expected to have fingerprint sensor on front screen

    Reply

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