New ARM Chip Will Be a Big Boost to Samsung Phones; Apple Working on Flexible Touch Displays; Base iPhone 7 Gets a Simple, Big Upgrade
Posted: May 31, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, ARM, Flexible touchscreen, Foxconn, iOS, iPhone, Memory, Processors, Samsung, TPK, VR Leave a commentARM will have new chips out in time for next year’s flagship smartphones like those from Samsung that will boost performance by 30% while giving 30% better power efficiency. Cnet.com says ARM claims you will be able to run a phone’s chip at full speed for the duration of a movie, game, or VR experience! It’s the Cortex-A73 computing processor and Mali-G71 graphics processor. The graphics processor gives 50% higher performance with 20% energy savings. Samsung and a couple others have already licensed the tech…no word about Apple, but they’ve used ARM in the past.
An Apple supplier, TPK…which is a division of Foxconn, has a silver nanowire tech rolling out that will allow for flexible touch screens. Since Foxconn is the major supplier of iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad, patentlyapple.com notes that there’s a high probability that you’ll be seeing these everywhere in the next 2-5 years. More to the point, TPK says they expect their clients to launch flexible touch panel devices in the 2nd half of 2016! If they’re talking about Apple, a folding 7 inch tablet or display that wraps around your arm will be one hell of a ‘one more thing! Stay tuned!
One of the most boring, yet important tidbits has just dropped about the iPhone 7…bgr.com reports it will finally ship with 32 gigs of memory instead of the nearly useless 16 gigs in the base phone. No more cheapskate Apple buyers whining about having to delete pictures and songs from their iPhones anymore!
Moto’s Modular Capable Flagships Coming; Foxconn to Build Big iPhone Plant in India
Posted: May 10, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amps, Apple, Foxconn, India, iPhone, Modular backplates, Moto X, Motorola, Vector Thin, Vertex Leave a commentPictures leaked out a while back of Motorola’s 2 Moto X flagships with what looked like fairly large speaker holes on the metal back, and a protruding camera lens. According to venturebeat.com, there’s more to it than that. The Vertex and Vector Thin will accommodate modular backplates you can swap out that add functionality. There will be at least 6 at launch counting the plain cover. The others have: stereo speakers; a battery pack; a camera grip with flash and optical zoom; a pico projector; and a rugged cover with wide angle lens attachment. The camera lens will sit flush with the backplates…which Motorola calls Amps….attached. So far, no pricing on either the phones or the Amps.
The Economic Times of India says Foxconn is close to a deal to build a 10 billion dollar iPhone manufacturing plant there. 9to5mac.com reports it will sit on 1200 acres, and be up and running in about 18 months. This is only one of 10-12 manufacturing plants Foxconn hopes to open in India by 2020. Apple sales were up 56% year over year in India.
Google Self-Driving Tech in Chrysler Minivans Next Year; New iPhones We Can’t Live Without
Posted: May 3, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Chrysler, Google, hybrid, iPhone, Pacifica Minivans, Reality distortion field, Self Driving Cars, Steve Jobs, Tim Cook Leave a commentTech companies and car makers are moving at warp speed towards self-driving vehicles. Now, 9to5google.com has picked up a Bloomberg report that Google self-driving tech will be featured in 2017 Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans. The non-exclusive deal may be in place this week. The vans will have a 30 mile electric only range, have a gas V-6 that kicks in after that, and the battery can be recharged in 2 hours when plugged into 240 volts.
In an interview Monday, Apple’s Tim Cook teased that the next generation of iPhones will have features you ‘can’t live without, that you don’t even know you need today…’ So far, Wall Street is not impressed, and the stock is still down, but it does make one wonder if there’s One More Thing or maybe Two that Apple has kept under wraps so that KGI Securities and other usually reliable sources haven’t been able to get wind of. We’ll know in September whether it’s just Tim Cook channeling Steve Jobs’ legendary reality distortion field, or if Apple is really going to knock our socks off with some killer feature or features.
Apple Watch 2 May Have Own Cellular Connection; Tesla’s Distant Cheaper 4th Model
Posted: April 27, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Apple Watch 2.0, Elon Musk, iPhone, Model 3, Model 4, No tethering, Tesla Leave a commentThe Apple Watch version 2.0 may have its own cell connection, which would allow it to operate without constant tethering to an iPhone. Macrumors.com also picked up from the Wall St Journal that the updated Watch may sport a faster processor as well and will drop in the fall. It would require its own cellular number and data plan, but that’s something a lot of users would be happy to pay for to be able to use it while leaving the phone in a bag, car, or even at home.
There’s been a lot of buzz in the last month about Tesla’s Model 3, which they began taking pre-orders for and which will have a base price of 35 grand. Now, according to bgr.com, Elon Musk says he’s already thinking about a 4th model…and he says it will be even more affordable than the model 3. At a meeting in Norway, Musk said ‘…with something like the Model 3, it’s designed such that roughly half the people will be able to afford the car. Then, with fourth generation and smaller cars, we’ll ultimately be in the position where everyone will be able to afford the car.”
Future iPhone May Have Curved Glass Case & 5.8’” AMOLED Screen; Your Free Future Fridge
Posted: March 28, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AMOLED screen, Apple, Face & Iris scanning, Free refrigerator, Internet of things, iPhone, Smart refrigerator, Wireless charging Leave a commentOver the weekend, appleinsider.com got hold of a note to investors from KGI Securities saying the 2017 iPhone may use curved glass front and back…similar to the iPhone 4S, but curved. It will also allegedly have an AMOLED screen…which, as we’ve noted, gives brighter colors and blacker blacks. The screen would be 5.8 inches, a little bigger, but smaller bezels would let Apple put it into the same sized phone. Wireless charging and face and iris scanning for security also may be incorporated.
A new fridge for free may be in your future. At least some people think so. At this year’s CES, Samsung introduced a refrigerator touted as truly “smart,” with connected cameras inside the fridge, an ability to run Pandora with built-in speakers and even grocery shopping through Amazon’s Alexa or a new, dedicated app called Groceries by MasterCard.Techcrunch.com reports that as an effect of the internet of things, and refrigerators like this one, your consumption can be tracked…and the fridge could automatically reorder the foods for you. Grocery sellers and manufacturers would subsidize this, as it locks in customers…like you are for the ink cartridges that go into cheap, subsidized printers. Are you ready for a fridge that makes recommendations, and has a subscription service for auto purchase of the foods? It looks like that’s coming!
Details on iPhone SE Being Shown Monday; Preorders and Update for PlayStation VR
Posted: March 18, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 12 megapixel, 4K video, 5s, A9 processor, Apple Pay, Hey Siri, iPhone, Launch bundle, M9 chip, NFC, PlayStation VR, Preorders, Rose gold, SE, Sony Leave a commentThe iPhone SE will look almost identical to the iPhone 5s on the outside. 9to5mac.com says the updated 4 inch iPhone, which will be shown Monday, does have less shiny edges and slightly curved glass, but otherwise is a dead ringer for the 5s. Inside, however, it’s a whole different thing…the SE will sport the fast A9 processor and M9 chip, so it will offer ‘Hey Siri’ always on support, as well as an NFC chip for Apple Pay and a 12 megapixel camera that records 4K video. It will have 16 and 64 gig memory, and include the Rose Gold color option of the 6 and 6s. Best….it starts at $450.
Sony has announced that you can preorder the PlayStation VR starting next Tuesday. We reported earlier this week that the VR would be $399, but that’s not including camera or controllers. Now, according to bgr.com, Sony has clarified that an official launch bundle will be available for $499 including PlayStation Camera, a couple Move controllers, and PlayStation VR Worlds game. The limited preorders start at 10am Eastern, 7am Pacific Tuesday, so get ready. Another preorder window will open this summer. The system should be here by the holidays 2016.
Future Apple Watch Might Call 911 Over Heart Attack; Nest Update Vastly Improves Auto Away
Posted: March 10, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Apple Watch, Auto Away, Away mode, Call 911, Family account, Heart attack, iPhone, Medical Emergency, Nest, Nest Cam Leave a commentApple has applied for a patent that uses the Apple Watch and iPhone to detect and report a medical emergency like a heart attack, and call 911. 9to5mac.com reports that the patent describes sensors detecting one or more so-called ‘care events,’ and…depending on the severity of the problem…email a family member, or in the event of a heart attack, call 911. It would use the accelerometer to detect sudden movement and heart monitor to detect loss or a reading. As a safety, it might ask for a response before calling. To allow for false alarms of a fall, it would use data to ignore the fall if you were at a bungee jumping facility. No information on when they might implement this.
Being rolled out right now…and update to Nest software. Theverge.com reports that Nest will be able to use the app update to detect when you leave the house, and set the thermostat to ‘away’ mode, then turn the heat back on when you’re getting close to home. It can allow for multiple family members with a family account setting that handles up to 10 smartphones with the app. They are also updating so data can be used from NestCams and the Nest Smoke Alarm to determine auto away.
Galaxy S7 Getting Rave Reviews; The F-35 Fighter Jet’s Radar Issues
Posted: March 8, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Galaxy S7, IHS Jane, iPhone, Pentagon, Radar, Samsung Leave a commentThe gorgeous new Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are generally getting rave reviews. Bgr.com reports that most reviewers love the quality of the glass and metal case and beautiful screen…although you may want to wrap that beauty…more than a few people had sad faces due to Apple’s glass back a few years ago. The phone is certified water proof for 30 minutes in over 3 ft of water, and is dust proof. The cameras are great, and some reviewers say it easily beats the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. The net consensus is, it’s by far the best Android phone you can buy right now…a couple say the best smartphone, PERIOD…including Apple’s. Of course, iPhone 7 drops in September.
Most people have heard of the many flaws of that flying (or really non-flying) lemon, the F-35 Joint Strike fighter jet…the trillion dollar boondoggle aircraft that is supposed to replace planes of all the US services. The Pentagon has even released a report detailing dozens of problems and bugs. Now, according to an IHS Jane report, there’s the radar: basically it sometimes degrades or fails completely. The fix: the pilot has to reboot the radar…in flight….in battle. Talk about flying blind! Oh…and for all the bugs….the aircraft is yet to be tested for hacking! Happy landings.
Apple Working on More Secure Future iPhones; Samsung Building 256 Gig Memory Smartphone Chips
Posted: February 25, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 256 gig, 4K movies, Apple, FBI, iPhone, Samsung, security, Troubleshooting, UFS 2.0, VR Leave a commentIn the middle of the dust up with the FBI over writing a software backdoor to hack it’s own iPhones, which Tim Cook has called ‘the software equivalent to cancer,’ Apple is working on making their phones even more impenetrable. Theverge.com reports that they are working to plug a troubleshooting feature that allows Apple to install new firmware on an iPhone to upgrade the operating system without inputting the user’s passcode. If they remove the feature, which security experts deem highly likely, they won’t be able to open up a backdoor no matter who wants one or tries to force them to.
Samsung has started mass producing 256 gig embedded chips, double what it had last year. According to engadget.com, they will run the Universal Flash Storage 2.0 standard, which will make them red twice as fast as current ones. These chips will not only give future phones the storage capacity of a lot of laptops, but will make it easy to store memory hogs like 4K movies…and transfer them faster using USB 3.0. It will also make it much more practical for phones to carry virtual reality content.
Apple’s Trade Up Plan Moves into Conquest Sales; Amazon Expands Flex Delivery
Posted: February 18, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Android Trade Ins, Apple, Flex, iPhone, Prime Now, Private Drivers, Trade Up with Installments Leave a commentApple has introduced Trade Up with Installments, which lets you put the price of a trade-in towards payments on a new iPhone, with payments down to as low as $15 a month. This is on top of your phone plan, of course, but the interesting thing noted by techcrunch.com is that Apple will take non-Apple trade-ins. Android users can get up to $300 for their used devices…like a Samsung Galaxy S6 in good condition will net you $290 towards the purchase of a new iPhone. Apple basically gets you and writes a mini-loan through Citizens Bank. If you like to trade more than every 2 years, this might be the deal. Apple is cleverly stealing the concept of conquest sales from the auto business, which has done this as well as loyalty discounts for decades.
Amazon has had Flex, and Uber-like home delivery service for Prime Now customers. The retail giant is now working to contract with private drivers to take even standard packages to customers’ doors, cutting out UPS, FedEx, and the Post Office more than ever. According to geekwire.com, the program is in effect already in part of Texas. They are reportedly paying drivers $18 an hour, and shifts can be scheduled 8a to 4p 7 days a week. Considering that Amazon has been working on leasing over 20 planes from Boeing, and flying out of a center formerly used by DHL, it sure looks like they are moving full force into doing their own logistics.
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