After ravaging the PC market for both DIY builders and OEM buyers, wrecking the game console ecosystem, and savaging the enterprise server landscape, the global memory shortage is officially claiming its next victim: the budget smartphone. According to new market analysis from tech research firm Omdia, the smartphone market, particularly the entry-level market, is on the brink of a massive contraction. Omdia projects that global shipments of smartphones priced below $400 will plummet by over 22% this year, dragging the entire global smartphone market down by 12% year-over-year. The culprit? Skyrocketing contract prices for DRAM and NAND flash memory, which have turned the razor-thin margins of budget phone manufacturing into an impossible financial math problem, especially given that memory alone now comprises up to 64% of the total cost of lower-tier smartphones.

To understand why cheap phones are vanishing, you have to look at the Bill of Materials (BOM). That's the raw physical cost to manufacture a device. In the tech industry, this is governed by the "cost floor." Even if a manufacturer puts a low-capacity memory chip into a phone, the baseline cost to produce, test, and package that silicon has skyrocketed over the past four quarters because memory giants like SK hynix, Samsung, and Micron have aggressively redirected their manufacturing wafer starts away from standard commodity memory and toward High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) to feed the insatiable, high-margin demand of AI data centers. Commodity smartphone memory is effectively being starved out of existence.

Omdia's latest Quarterly Smartphone Technology Trends report reveals just how destructive this conversion has been to phone BOMs. Between Q3 2025 and Q1 2026, the share of manufacturing costs dedicated to memory nearly doubled for sub-$400 devices, where memory chips now account for nearly 60% of the total physical manufacturing cost. In the sub-$99 ultra-budget phones, memory has apparently breached a staggering 64% of the entire BOM budget. When two-thirds of a budget phone's manufacturing cost is tied up in RAM and storage chips, there is simply no money left to pay for the processor, screen, battery, camera sensors, or chassis.

In normal market cycles, handset makers offset expensive components by trimming costs elsewhere, but entry-level devices are already stripped to the bone. Budget champions, including Chinese value brands like Xiaomi (Redmi/POCO), OPPO, Vivo, and Transsion (Tecno and Infinix), have zero structural wiggle room left. As Omdia principal analyst Zaker Li notes, manufacturers are being forced to significantly raise retail prices on low-end models just to maintain microscopic profit margins.

The problem is, entry-level consumers are notoriously price-sensitive; when a $150 phone suddenly costs $220, demand evaporates. Facing unviable economics and weakening buyer demand, smartphone vendors are quietly initiating a tactical retreat from the bottom of the market, scaling back or entirely abandoning low-end handsets to focus on more lucrative price brackets.

Now, while the sub-$400 market collapses, Omdia predicts that smartphones priced above $400 will actually prove resilient, growing by 5.7% this year. However, surviving in this higher bracket requires intense component gymnastics. To keep devices like mid-range "flagship killers" affordable without taking a massive hit on memory costs, manufacturers are quietly downgrading other hardware. Chinese vendors are stepping back from advanced LTPO OLED screens in favor of older LTPS OLED panels on sub-premium models, scraping together $3 to $5 in savings per unit. Because the SoC remains the single largest cost expense in phones over $600, builders are reusing previous-generation processors to slash chip costs by 30% to 40%. Finally, Omdia says to expect mid-range phones to drop redundant macro or ultra-wide lenses entirely, or potentially to revert to smaller image sensors.

True top-tier flagships like the iPhone 17 Pro or Galaxy S26 Ultra are mechanically immune to these compromises. Because their total BOM includes expensive titanium frames, custom silicon, and periscope cameras, memory makes up a much smaller percentage of their overall build cost. However, they aren't immune to the broader economics: premium buyers are simply being handed the bill directly. With memory costs up sharply across the board, industry-wide retail price hikes on high-end hardware are already becoming the new normal.

If you're waiting for phone prices to drop back to Earth, you'll need to be patient. There is relief on the horizon, but it won't arrive in time to save this year's buying cycle. Recognizing that the memory bottleneck is now a threat to the broader tech economy, memory vendors and government regulators are throwing unprecedented billions at the problem. In a historic public-private initiative, the South Korean government recently unveiled an $870 billion (1,350 trillion won) 10-year investment framework with Samsung and SK hynix. The aggressive plan includes breaking ground on multiple mega-fabs in Yongin and Cheongju, with the explicit government-mandated goal of doubling national memory output within five years. Meanwhile, SK hynix is fast-tracking advanced packaging and NAND facilities, and Micron is heavily building out its leading-edge DRAM campuses in the U.S. and Japan.

The problem is, semiconductor fabrication plants take years to build, equip, and scale. Most analysts agree that meaningful, high-volume memory relief won't realistically hit consumer supply chains until mid-2027 at the earliest, with full normalization stretching into 2028 or later. Until we see a major market realignment (or failing that, until those mega-fabs come online), the RAMaggedon will continue to dictate what handsets you can buy in the smartphone aisle.

A smartphone performance enthusiast has shown pictures of their cooler-boosted iPhone 17 Pro Max on Reddit. T-K-Tronix indicates that their Rube Goldberg-esque multiple passive PC SSD cooler contraption elevates the flagship device’s Steel Nomad Light stress test stability score beyond 90% in 3D Mark's Stress Test. From their comments, we think T-K is aiming to improve performance stability for Apple ProRes mode video recording, which is known to make these devices very toasty over prolonged high-resolution recording sessions.

17 Pro Max Cooling with M2 SSD Cooler 90% Stabilty in 3D Mark Stress Test from r/iphone

When boasting about their new stability score, it would have been better if T-K supplied a baseline stability score for the same device, ahead of strapping on the motley array of SSD coolers. While we can’t find any baseline scores from the OP to compare, we found a Max Tech YouTube video where the iPhone 17 Pro Max achieved a 69.4% stability score across a standard set of Steel Nomad Light runs.

Let’s be bold enough to compare these scores, and if we do, T-K's 90.5% performance stability is a significant step up from Max Tech's 69.4%, and could be worth it in sustained Apple ProRes recording sessions. Better sustained and consistent performance stats like this will probably also catch the eyes and imaginations of smartphone gamers.

Vapor chamber cooling is not enough for ultra-enthusiasts?

Apple made a major design detour with the release of the iPhone 17 Pro models. The glass back construction was swapped out in favor of an aluminum wraparound unibody, with a much reduced sliver of glass on the back, left to maintain wireless charging and MagSafe compatibility.

The A19 Pro chip inside the new flagship iPhones is certainly a great performer, and we recently compared it to other platforms, including the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X. However, Apple seems to have recognized the need for sustained non-throttling performance by reworking its flagship smartphone cooling to employ vapor chamber tech for the first time.

At launch, Apple indicated that the vapor chamber, filled with deionized water, dissipates heat throughout the system. When combined with the aluminum unibody, the firm asserted the new system was 20 times better at cooling than the titanium used in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro.

A draft ordinance that proposes a limit of two hours of smartphone use, outside of work or study purposes, was voted on in Toyoaki City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, today. The ordinance passed with 12 out of 19 council members voting in favor. All local citizens should follow the new rule starting from October 1. However, “there is no enforcement or penalty in the ordinance,” reports Japan’s NHK (machine translation).

We reported on this upcoming vote about a month ago. The news raised our interest, as Toyoaki City council would be among the first to attempt to regulate smartphone usage to reap health benefits for the local population. Though the ordinance will cover all citizens of Toyoaki, there is certainly a sense that this is a ‘tool’ with which to coerce school children into reducing their free time screen time.

“Toyoaki City says that smartphones are essential for daily life, but prolonged use may affect the home environment, such as lack of sleep, and may hinder the healthy growth of children,” reports NHK. Children of school age should follow additional advice to put down their devices by 9 pm if at elementary school or younger, and by 10 pm if a junior high school student or above.

Arguments for and against the ordinance

With the 2024 holiday giving season fast approaching, we’re all on the hunt for the best tech deals to give our loved ones. Smartphones are an undeniably top-tier gift for any tech enthusiast, and they are guaranteed to grant you the “OMG WOW!” response from any recipient. If you are giving the gift of a smartphone this year, you may want to consider protecting that gift by including a high-quality phone case. Torras phone cases, known for their distinct O-ring kick stands and grips, can provide that extra bump in protection against drops and scratches while adding some personal style with stunning color options. They also offer extra functionality thanks to features like MagSafe compatibility.

The Torras Ostand 360° Spin Fusion case, for example, is a must-have accessory for any iPhone 16 user. With a sleek and modern curved form available in six different colors, the Ostand 360° case is a perfect complement to the iPhone 16, adding form and function alike. This super drop-resistant case’s curved edges aren’t just for looks. The four corner curves serve as airbags to protect your phone in the case of an accident, absorbing the shock and impact of your phone’s fall. Torras puts the Ostand case through 26 drop tests, ensuring that your iPhone 16 is adequately protected.

The Ostand’s O-ring kickstand can rotate 360° freely, giving you more freedom to use your phone in landscape or portrait mode on various surfaces without compromising stability. Whether you’re watching a movie or YouTube in landscape, or in the middle of an important video conference, the Ostand kickstand lets you adjust your phone to have minimal glare and the best viewing angles. Want to switch to portrait mode for TikTok or FaceTime? Simply rotate the ring to a 90° upright position.

Torras has precisely engineered the small magnetic ring of its Ostand cases with an 8-layer magnetic structure. At its core is 18 N of magnetic force made of high-temperature resistant magnetic iron with an axis tolerance of 1.2 mm. It’s all reinforced by 0.3 mm of Manganese Steel and coated with a dirt-resistant, fingerprint-resistant, primer coating. The Ostand ring is put through more than 10,000 bend tests, you can trust that it will stand up to whatever circumstances without fail.

With any smartphone case, you have to wonder how it will hold up to charging, or if it will interfere with your phone’s features. The Torras Ostand case is not only compatible with MagSafe accessories for the iPhone, it also features a 40% stronger magnet that is still Qi2 wireless charging compatible.

The Ostand 360° isn’t just for iPhone users, either. Android fans with a Samsung S24 or Google Pixel phone can also benefit from all the protective features and additional functionality of a Torras Ostand phone case, including the 360° rotation of the ring stand and strong N52 magnets.

The Ostand 360° Spin Fusion MagSafe Case from Torras is available at a shockingly affordable $45.99 and comes in six beautiful colors: Dune-Desert Gold, Onyx, Ivory, Violet, Clear Coral Pink, and Clear Sapphire Blue. For Android, the Ostand 360° Spin Stand MagSafe case is just $42.99, and available in a sleek, modern black finish. During Black Friday, you can save 15% on Torras cases, making them such an affordable add-on for your gift that you can grab an extra for yourself while you’re at it.

 iFixit published information about the iPhone 16's repairability, giving it a 'provisional' repairability score, as it does for many devices. What stands out in this report is the demonstration of a unique adhesive used to seat its battery.

The adhesive can be debonded by 'hotwiring' a 9V battery to the device, giving a more controlled way of replacing batteries when needed. The application is enormous as it allows technicians to debond glue from any device with this application by using a small amount of current, with the iPhone 16 being the first to use such adhesives.

The debonding method for the battery took a minute and a half with a 9V battery, according to Apple's repair manual. Using battery clips attached to the 9V battery, the positive clamp is secured on the silver tab on the iPhone 16's battery, with the black connector clipped to the lower right screw on the bottom of its speaker for grounding. The result? The power agitates the applied adhesive underneath the batter, making it easily removable with no resistance. 

For replacing batteries on previous models, a repair technician would use a solvent underneath the battery, which can damage other components if it overapplies or spills during this debonding method. Hence, this method increases the repair feasibility. The iPhone 16 also has specially machined ridges and rough surfaces for the glue to settle in within the frame, ensuring the possible bonding for the battery. 

Battery removal using other power sources

It is mentioned in the guide that the removal time may increase with the product's life. Though the demonstration used a 9V battery, the guide also mentions using 30V and above for faster removal and DC power supplies. iFixit did so using its portable FixHub Power Station. Since the device was brand new and hence the applied adhesive- it took 60 seconds to debond at 12 volts with no force required. Though the process eliminates the need to use solvent for debonding, iFixit and Apple recommend using isopropyl alcohol to clean the remaining adhesive.

iFixit also spotted a research paper that explains the mechanism of this adhesive in detail. The new electrically dependable adhesive was critical for recycling, repairability, and reuse of electrical components, but making it work in real conditions was challenging. Several debonding methods were proposed over the years; however, no experiment using various materials worked until an ionically conductive material showed a good level of success. Eventually, a method was devised where electrodes could be used to make an electrochemical reaction to agitate the applied adhesive.

Using adhesive on devices like smartphones, tablets, and notebooks is very common. However, debond glue passes a low-volt battery and speeds up battery replacement while not affecting other components in the device. This would also require these types of adhesives to be readily available in the market, as the new batteries will need to be secure using the same method.

Changing the binding material for batteries has improved over time. Most recently, research published last year showed that changing the binding material increased the battery life by up to 10%. We may see such electrically debonding adhesive widely available for different applications with different levels of strength needed for varying electronics and components.

Apple's next iPhone chip is the A18, powering the new suite of smartphones and Apple's first lineup touting Apple Intelligence features, created specifically for the iPhone 16.

The new chip, based on TSMC's second-gen 3-nanometer technology, combines two performance cores, four efficiency cores, and a 16-core neural engine, which Apple says is twice as fast as previous chips for machine learning. It also boasts 17% more system memory bandwidth.

Apple compared the chip to the A16 Bionic, the chip in the previous non-Pro iPhones, as opposed to the A17 Pro. Apple says the new chip is 30% faster than the A16 Bionic.

Apple says that the new 5-core GPU in the A18 is up to 40 percent faster than the GPU used in the A16 Bionic (used in the iPhone 15). This “desktop class” GPU also performs this feat while using 35% less power.

The company said that Apple can allow for 30% higher sustained performance for gaming than previous versions. The company showed illustrations of optimized motherboards and thermal substructures to allow for better heat dissipation. 

For gaming, the company again touted hardware-based ray tracing, including shadows and reflections, and shows Honor of Kings: World with an ultra graphics mode for iPhone 16. Some big games that required the iPhone 15 Pro's A17 Pro chip will work on the regular iPhone with A18.

The iPhone 16's biggest addition outside of Apple Intelligence feature is the Camera Capture button, which can add overlays that let you zoom, switch lenses, and use other options with haptic feedback. It can also work with Intelligence features to recognize objects and locations, add concert posters to your calendar, and send photos to ChatGPT.

iPhone 16 will start at $799, while the larger iPhone 16 Plus will begin at $899.

A18 Pro

Like the IPhone 16, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are get a the A18 Pro. It's also on a second-gen TSMC 3nm node. The system has a 16-core neural engine capable of 35 trillion operations per second and a 17% bump in memory bandwidth. 

Like the A18, the A18 Pro has two performance cores and four efficiency cores. Apple claims this chip is 15% faster than the A17 Pro, and that it can deliver the same performance at 20% less power. Apple is also promising programmable next-gen machine learning accelerators, faster USB3 speeds and ProRes video recording. You can now capture 4K 120Hz video in HDR.

iPhone 16 Pro will start at $999 (128GB), while the Pro Max will begin at $1,199 (256GB). Pre-orders begin on Friday and will be available on September 20.

In early August, customs inspectors at the Gongbei port of entry between mainland China and Macau became suspicious of a passenger in an electric wheelchair. Believing the wheelchair appeared to have been modified, officials performed an X-ray inspection of the wheelchair, finding that it was being used to smuggle old mobile phones into China. A customs release obtained by IT Home detailed the discovery.

A Macau resident named Chen entered mainland China on August 3 in an electric wheelchair, going through the “no declaration” queue of the Gongbei Port Passenger Inspection Hall in an electric wheelchair. Customs officers noticed the wheelchair appeared to have modification traces and stopped the man for further inspection.

After noticing abnormalities on the scanned image of the wheelchair, officials began disassembling the mobility aid. They found the battery compartment modified, with 121 old mobile phones stashed away inside.

According to Chinese law, any attempt to evade customs supervision “by hiding, disguising, concealing, falsifying or other means, and transporting, carrying or mailing goods or articles that are prohibited or restricted from entering or leaving the country, or goods or articles that are subject to tax according to law, is considered smuggling.”

While reports don’t indicate whether Chen faces criminal charges for the smuggling, it is certainly possible. Chen could be held criminally liable if the Chinese courts deem the actions serious enough to constitute a crime.

Using electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters to smuggle objects has become increasingly popular. In China alone, at least three incidents in the past year have involved passengers getting caught with items sequestered into hidden compartments in their wheelchairs.

In December 2023, a passenger was found with 300 Nintendo Switch game cartridges hidden in their wheelchair. In two other instances, in August 2023 and March of this year, China’s customs officials seized 328 mobile phones hidden in electric wheelchairs. In another March 2023 incident, a man tried smuggling 84 SSD storage devices inside a recreational scooter.

Despite Apple’s initial rejection of the emulator app and the developers’ initial decision to give up, UTM SE was approved and released on the App Store Sunday. The “retro PC emulator” allows you to run classic operating systems, software, and games on the iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro.

UTM is a popular alternative on the Mac to applications like Parallels, VMWare, and VirtualBox. It acts as a graphical interface to the command-line-driven emulator Qemu. It’s never been officially available to iOS users, though, because Apple didn’t allow emulators of any sort on the iOS App Store until April 2024.

When Turing Software first submitted UTM SE to the App Store, Apple rejected the app. Apple also refused to notarize it for third-party app stores in the European Union. Part of the problem was that the app relied on Just In Time (JIT) compilation to provide a satisfactory emulation experience. JIT compilation means compiling code as a program is running rather than beforehand, something Apple deems a security risk on iOS.

Gaming emulators like DolphiniOS have also been rejected for needing JIT support. DolphiniOS depends on the technique to emulate newer Nintendo consoles. UTM used it to translate PowerPC code to run on the Arm-based chips found in current Apple devices.

Unwilling to resubmit the app without JIT support because doing so meant a subpar experience, it seemed as if UTM would not come to iPhones and iPads without jailbreaking the devices. However, help for the project came from another Qemu developer. Qemu is the actual emulation layer UTM uses to allow you to run software as if it was on an old i486 or PowerPC-based Mac.

The team implemented a version of the Qemu Tiny-Code Threaded Interpreter (TCTI). Qemu TCTI interprets the code rather than compiling it, allowing Turing Software to get around the JIT ban. Mind you, this results in a rather slow experience even by the standards of the emulated hardware. That’s why the app includes the “SE” tag at the end — “SE” stands for “Slow Edition.”

That being said, the approval is good news for other emulator developers. For the more general audience, you can install UTM SE from the App Store to run classic games or operating systems on emulated x86, PPC, and RISC-V architectures.

An Alcatel Minitel 2 terminal rescued from a fire is up for auction on eBay France. The melted case of the vintage piece of technology makes it clear the item is useful only as a conversation piece, or perhaps an object of art. Its steep starting bid, approaching $500, might also attract only the most dedicated of collectors.

The Minitel was an online service provided by France Telecom from 1982 until 2012. Begun in 1980 as an experiment to reduce the cost of printing telephone white pages, it developed into a way for users to make online purchases, book train reservations, search the telephone directory, send email, and more. It worked much the way the World Wide Web does today and was the world’s most successful online service until the World Wide Web took that distinction.

The terminal available for auction is an Alcatel model of the Minitel 2, manufactured in 1993. This model succeeded the Minitel 1B, which can still sometimes be found at garage sales. The terminal included a CRT monitor capable of monochrome text, although color models were later available at an additional cost. The base model Minitel was provided free of charge to France Telecom customers in exchange for them not receiving paper copies of residential telephone directories.

The unit being auctioned off is described as being saved from a fire, and the truth of that is certainly evident. While its CRT and keyboard remain intact, the case is melted almost beyond recognition. One of the images shows a sliver of a document the seller believes may have been printed from the terminal. Aftermarket printers were available for the terminals.

The Minitel 2 up for auction is located in Argenteuil, France, sold by eBay user renbat-23. The seller has many other listings running on the auction site, most of which are antiques or works of art. Renbat-23 describes the melted Minitel as a piece of art, and the random patterns of melted plastic do offer some interesting and possibly even aesthetically pleasing shapes.

The starting bid for the item is 450 euros ($482), and there were no bids on the listing at the time of publication. The auction ends Sunday, June 23 at 1:32pm CEST.

You’re at the store and suddenly you remember that you really need to start a script on a remote server. It could be your Raspberry Pi 5 or in my case, back in 2012 it was a misbehaving client project server which forced me to login and restart some services while I was browsing which pizza would be for dinner. I did everything from my smartphone using SSH (Secure Shell) and JuiceSSH, a free SSH client app for Android.

In this how to we’ll install JuiceSSH on our Android smartphone and learn how to make a connection to a Raspberry Pi 5 on our home network.

For this project you will need a device running an SSH server. Typically this is a Linux machine such as a Raspberry Pi. We’re using a Raspberry Pi 5 running the latest version of Raspberry Pi OS. You will also need an Android device.

If you are setting up a Raspberry Pi from scratch, follow this guide to install Raspberry Pi OS with SSH ready to go. If your Raspberry Pi is already running, follow these steps to set up an SSH server.

1. Open a terminal and as sudo, run raspi-config command.

sudo raspi-config

2. Using the arrow keys, scroll to Interface Options and press Enter.

3. Select SSH and press Enter.

4. Select Yes and press Enter to enable the SSH server.

5. Select Ok to acknowledge that the SSH server is running.

6. Select Finish and press Enter to exit. Close the terminal when done. You can now move on to the next part of this how to.

Installing and using JuiceSSH on Android

1.  From the Play Store, search for JuiceSSH and install the application.

2. Open JuiceSSH.

3. The JuiceSSH interface is broken down into four sections. Section 1 is Quick Connect, and we can use this to make a connection to a device. Section 2 will show a list of the connections that we frequently use. Section 3 is where we can create, update and delete SSH connections. Section 4 is where we can find app settings.

4. Click on Quick Connect and in the next screen ensure that SSH is selected and then enter your username and the IP address / hostname of the device. Click OK to start the connection. Here we are connecting to a Raspberry Pi 5 which we know the IP address of. You can use a hostname if you prefer.

5. Click ACCEPT for the host verification screen.

 6. Enter your password and click OK to connect. Optionally you can save the password for a quicker login. Yes it does say Authentication Failure despite us never connecting to this Raspberry Pi via SSH. This is normal as the app will first try to connect without a password.

7. Read the text and click OK - I’ve got it! We are logged in but the app will tell us how to resize terminal text (volume buttons), open the keyboard (press the terminal screen) and how to copy / paste (long press on the item). We can also use the up and down arrow keys to scroll through our command history, just like we were sitting at our desk.

8. Update the software on the remote machine, then install neofetch. Type the command and press Enter to run. Press Y when prompted to confirm. With direct control of our remote system we can issue commands as if we are sitting in front of the machine.

sudo apt update && sudo apt install neofetch

 9. Run the neofetch command to confirm that everything has been installed correctly.

10. Press CTRL and D on the terminal keyboard to exit the SSH session. Pressing the CTRL key will hold the key down enabling us to press the D key to exit.

Managing Connections

A useful part of JuiceSSH is the Manage Connection section. Here we can list all of our connections and have them ready to go at a moment's notice. We’re going to use the quick connection that we just created to create a permanent connection in JuiceSSH.

1. Click on Manage Connections.

2. From the list of connections, long press on the one that you would like to use. We’re going to reuse our connection that uses an IP address.

3. From the list select Edit. We can also duplicate and delete connections via this menu.

4. Set the nickname to something relevant and memorable and then click on the tick in the top right corner to save. If your device uses an alternative port to 22 (the default for SSH), change that here. We’re using a Raspberry Pi 5 inside of Sunfounder’s Pironman 5 case, hence our nickname.

5. Click on the nickname to start the connection. At the Connections screen we can see that the IP address has been replaced with the nickname.

6. Enter your password and click Remember Password, then press OK. Clicking Remember Password will make the login process much faster for future logins. If you did this earlier, then you will not see this dialog box.

7. Once logged in, press CTRL + D to logout.

8. Log back into the connection, this time you will not be asked for a password.

We now have an SSH client on our Android device, ready for action the next time you need to login to a server or run some code on your Raspberry Pi.

Howard County, Maryland, investigators have recovered approximately 15,000 stolen construction tools thanks to an AirTag device tracker. Officials announced the recovery in a May 23 news conference. The tools are believed to have been stolen from retail stores, businesses, vehicles, residential properties, and construction sites.

Howard County Police Chief Gregory Der announced the preliminary outcome of the investigation. Der described it as “one of the largest theft cases not only in Howard County but in this region.” The stolen tools greatly impacted many victims, incredibly individual contractors “who have lost work because of their tools.”

The investigation began in late January when an AirTag tracking device in a stolen tool led officers to a storage unit in Elkridge, Maryland. The victim who led detectives to the first cache of stolen tools was from Virginia.

“This case sends a clear message: we will not tolerate criminal enterprises operating here in Howard County,” Der said. “I want to thank the detectives from our Special Investigations Division and all the officers who have helped on this enormous and unprecedented case. They have put in thousands of hours and have many more ahead of them. They will see it through to the end.”

Following the initial discovery, detectives carried out search warrants at 12 locations, 11 of which were in Howard County. They recovered around 15,000 stolen tools, a quarter of which were still new in their boxes. It’s believed the property was stolen from victims in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

The total value of the stolen tools is estimated at between $3 million and $5 million. The department has already identified more than 80 victims, but the investigative team thinks there could be hundreds more, if not thousands. The Howard County Police Department has set up an online form potential victims can use to recover their property.

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said during the news conference that the investigation displays “the tenacity of our police department” in combating crime and protecting the county’s residents.

Officials urge anyone with information on the case to contact police at (410) 313-STOP (7867) or by email to HCPDCrimeTips@howardcountymd.gov.

SK Hynix, known worldwide as a top provider of semiconductors and DRAM, has begun supplying LPDDR5T DRAM to smartphone manufacturers. As disclosed by SK Hynix in a press release, LPDDR5T (the T stands for "Turbo") marks yet another improvement to the LPDDR5 (Low Power Double Data Rate 5) DRAM standard, this time pushing performance up to 9.6 gigabits per second per-in versus the 8.5 Gigabits per second per-pin enjoyed by LPDRR5X.

This means that SK Hynix has successfully accomplished the fastest implementation of LPDDR5 (and this may even be the last iteration of LPDDR5 before we start seeing LPDDR6). SK Hynix seems to think this is far as LPDDR5 can be pushed, anyway, since it claims this is "an upgraded project of the 7th generation (5X) prior to the development of the 8th generation LPDDR6".

With a full 16GB package of LPDDR5T, 77 GB of data can be processed every second while remaining in the voltage range of 1.01-1.12V. This is slighty above the maximum 1.1V core voltage set by JEDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council) for LPDDR5 and 5X, but still very much within the range of "Low Power" memory.

For right now, LPDDR5T's only confirmed implementation is with Vivo's upcoming X100 and X100 Pro smartphones, which will have SK Hynix's LPDDR5T alongside the MediaTek Dimensity 9300, which is a chip focused on high onboard AI performance. According to Myoungsoo Park, VP of SK Hynix, "Smartphones are becoming essential devices for implementing On-Device AI technology", and so there is a "growing demand for high-performing, high capacity mobile DRAM" met by LPDDR5T.

LPDDR5T won't be exclusive to these MediaTek-powered devices, though. LPDDR5T has also previously passed compatibility validation with Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips, which enjoy a much higher market share than MediaTek's competition. 

Since SK Hynix states that they have achieved compatibility with all major global partners, we'll most likely be seeing this next generation of mobile DRAM in most next-generation flagship smartphones until LPDDR6, anyway.

BenQ has launched a new flagship 4K HDR gaming projector to its X-series. The new BenQ X3100i can project gamescapes up to 150-inches and boasts impressive specs. As well as 4K and HDR support, the 4LED high-brightness projection system is claimed to reproduce 100% of the DCI-P3 color space. Gaming modes, high performance, built-in Google Android TV, and 7.1-channel and Dolby Atmos audio add further appeal to this US$2,399 projector.

As you might expect, Image quality is at the forefront of the projector's design, with HDR tone mapping and SSI Dynamic Black technology. Moreover, a 4LED array delivers “high brightness, vibrant hues, and 100% of the DCI-P3 color space,” according to the projector maker. Specifically, the 4LED system is said to provide 3300 ANSI lumens of brightness.

The tailored gaming abilities of the BenQ X3100i are central to its appeal. It has a selection of game modes users can switch between (RPG, SPG, FPS, and RCG), as well as an Auto mode for consoles. Another of the modes mentioned is BenQ’s version of the popular FPS crosshair, which some find helpful for targeting clarity in shooters.

Another important thing for gamers is that BenQ has put effort into making sure gamers don’t feel that projector gaming is a lower-performance experience than using a modern monitor. Games projected at 1080p can run at 240 Hz and 4 ms low latency. However, cranking up the detail to 4K means 60 Hz max refresh rate and 16 ms latency.

BenQ also highlights its CinematicSound for increasing gaming immersion. It says that its “dedicated Bongiovi DPS enhances audio dynamically to craft a 3D audio realm filled with depth and distance.” Additionally, support for the more well-known 7.1-channel and Dolby Atmos audio standards is provided.

There are a few projector-specific stats to be aware of with the BenQ X3100i. BenQ boasts of its projector’s flexibility with regard to positioning. Its throw ratio of 1.15-1.5 and 1.3x zoom means that it can project a 100-inch screen from just 2.5m (8.2 feet). It also offers a 40%-60% vertical lens shift for installation choice flexibility without sacrificing image quality. It's also quite compact, as 4K projectors go, at 10.7 x 8.4 x 10.2 inches.

The BenQ X3100i has an MSRP of $2,399 and is expected to become available starting next month.

Asus is suing Samsung over alleged violations of its wireless communication patents, targeting devices like the Galaxy 4G, 5G phones, and the Galaxy Z Flip5, reports DigiTimes. Despite its challenges in the smartphone market, Asustek's robust patent collection has given it the confidence to confront Samsung, the world's largest maker of handsets. Asus reportedly approached Samsung a year and a half ago asking for licensing fees to use what it asserts is its patented tech, but the two companies failed to reach an agreement.

There is context to be added, though. Despite Asustek's struggles in the smartphone market, which led to its focus on the niche market segment of gaming smartphones, the company has consistently invested in mobile technology over the years, amassing a significant patent portfolio. This collection not only offers a potential revenue stream through licensing but also serves as a shield against potential legal threats.

Recently, Asus formed Asus Technology Licensing and Innovative Sonic Limited, which owns the company's patents. These entities made Celerity IP LLC, a subsidiary of litigation finance firm GLS Capital, their exclusive licensee that manages the two portfolios, and this company filed a lawsuit against Samsung in the Eastern District of Texas over a single wireless communications patent (U.S. Patent No. 10,187,878), reports RPX Insight. 

The patent in question is described as a 'method and apparatus for improving a transmission using a configured resource in a wireless communication system' and covers 4G and 5G smartphones. RPX Insight says the patent is a standard essential patent.

Asus entered the mobile phone arena in 2003 but has never become a major player in the industry. The company's own projections for its ROG Phone and Zenfone series in 2023 hover around 600,000 units, according to DigiTimes. In stark contrast, Samsung shipped over 260 million smartphones in 2022 alone. 

Despite these market disparities, Asustek's decision to legally challenge Samsung underscores its faith in its patent assets. While its market presence may be dwarfed by Samsung, its intellectual property remains a formidable tool in its arsenal, allowing it to take on industry giants head-on.

Typically, lawsuits involving standard essential patents take years, and even if the court obliges Samsung to pay Asus for its intellectual property, this will hardly make the company's smartphone business profitable. On the other hand, the two companies could possibly negotiate a cross-license agreement. As with all litigation, the process could take several years to wind through the courts. 

Apple's latest A17 Pro system-on-chip for smartphones made on TSMC's N3 production node delivers single-thread performance which challenges that of AMD's Ryzen 9 7950X and Intel's Core i9-13900K processors in Geekbench 6. There is a catch though: Apple's A17 Pro operates at 3.75 GHz, according to the benchmark, whereas its mighty competitors work at about 5.80 GHz and 6.0 GHz, respectively.

Apple's A17 Pro SoC maintained the company's renowned six-core configuration and packs two high-performance cores functioning at up to 3.77 GHz and four energy-efficient cores operating at a lower frequency. When compared to the A16 Bionic (made on TSMC's N4), the A17 Pro boosts the maximum clock-speed of performance cores by 8.95% (from 3.46 GHz), which is in line with what TSMC's N3 (3nm-class) process technology offers compared to its 5nm-class counterparts (+10% ~ +15% compared to N5, about 10% compared to N4).

As far as single-core performance of Apple's A17 Pro in Geekbench 6 is concerned, it is 10% faster than its predecessor, the A16 Bionic, which leads to a question regarding whether Apple introduced any microarchitectural CPU improvements with its latest SoC. Of course, Apple's custom core is traditionally faster than those developed by Arm itself.

Scoring 2,900 points in single-thread Geekbench 6 workload is good enough to challenge many desktop-class processors, but trails the fastest models by ~10%. So, one could say that Apple's high-performance cores could challenge Raptor Cove and Zen 4 cores when working at around 3.77 GHz, at least in this specific benchmark. As always, one benchmark doesn't tell the full story. 

When it comes to multi-core performance, Apple's A17 Pro can only score about 7,200 points, which is only 3% higher than A16 Bionic.  Six cores cannot beat processors that have significantly more cores, yet A17 Pro remains the fastest smartphone SoC around, at least when compared to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

When Apple formally introduced its A17 Pro system-on-chip (SoC) earlier this week, it said that its high-performance cores deliver a 10% increase in single-thread workloads compared to its predecessor. Apparently, this was an accurate estimate and the new processor delivers single-thread performance that is competitive with some PC processors while working at a considerably lower frequency. Meanwhile, it looks like Apple has made little to no architectural changes to its A17 Pro CPU cores and only boosted clocks.

Qualcomm on Monday said that it had renewed its partnership with Apple and will supply the consumer electronics giant with Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF Systems for its smartphones in till 2026. This move highlights Apple's ongoing reliance on Qualcomm, despite its ambitions to develop its own modem. 

Apple's aspiration to create its own modems and reduce its dependence on Qualcomm is well-known. The company acquired Intel's struggling modem business for $1 billion in 2019 and got everything it needed to develop its own modems for smartphones, tablets, and other electronics, including IP and product teams. However, this extended agreement indicates that Apple's independent modem development has not come to fruition.

Developing and building its own modems would allow Apple to sidestep the costs and royalties tied to Qualcomm's components, which would increase the company's profitability. While the new agreement is not exclusive and Apple can still use its own (or non-Qualcomm) modems in its products, it suggests Apple is ensuring that it has a backup plan.  

Meanwhile, Apple is a major Qualcomm customer.  In fiscal 2022, revenues from Apple and Samsung each comprised 10% or more of Qualcomm's consolidated revenues. Since Apple has in-house modem development, Qualcomm expects its reliance on its modems to diminish over time, but it looks like this is not going to happen anytime soon.

The timing of this announcement is noteworthy as it comes just before Apple's annual iPhone event where the company plans to introduce its new iPhone 15. Since we can be assured that this line-up of smartphones is not set to use Apple's in-house developed modem, we would expect it to use Qualcomm's 5G modem and RF front end.

A woman from southeastern China has been arrested for stealing an Apple iPhone 14 Plus. This might have been one of many iDevice thefts on any given day, but the thief's modus operandi has made this case go viral on Chinese social media. Surprisingly, the iPhone thief managed to purloin the device and make her getaway after chewing through the demo device's anti-theft cable with her teeth.

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports that a woman from Fujian province, surnamed Qiu, entered the phone store and began her visit as any normal person might. She wandered around the store, looking at various items, pausing with most interest by the smartphone section.

It is claimed the woman innocently scrolled through the iPhone display when anyone passed by, but later, security camera footage revealed that when the coast was clear, she would set about gnawing at the anti-theft cable. Not long after Qiu left the shop, the staff noticed the unattached cable and missing smartphone. The store workers called the police, and Qiu was apprehended 30 minutes later.

Interestingly, the newspaper report also shared the thief's side of the sorry story. Qiu apparently explained to police that she went to the store intending to purchase a new device, after losing her phone. However, the iPhone 14 Plus sticker price of 7,000 yuan (US$960) apparently left her exasperated, so she decided to steal the store's demo sample.

Electronic devices and components can be really expensive. However, most people will make do with cheaper options or save a little longer to get what they want. Also, chewing through an anti-theft cable might not be without its costs. Most such cables we have seen are reinforced with metal wire filaments, which would surely damage human teeth to chew - resulting in sizable dentistry bills.

Intel recently left the NUC business, but today Asus and Intel revealed that they had reached a preliminary agreement that gives Asus a non-exclusive license to produce Intel NUC designs and develop next-generation NUCs. With its vast engineering resources, Asus will clearly be able to support the rather diverse product line that NUC has become.

The preliminary term sheet enables Asus to build and sell Intel's 10th to 13th-generation NUC PCs as well as develop future NUC designs. In exchange, Asus will have to support existing NUC systems, which is a tough nut to crack given the fact that Intel has released NUCs for all possible markets, including home offices, small offices, businesses, enterprises, IoT, industrial, and even gaming. 

"Our NUC systems product team delivered unique products that spurred innovation in the ultra-small form factor market," said Sam Gao, Intel vice president and general manager of Intel Client Platform Solutions.

Asus intends to form a new business division called Asus NUC BU to produce existing designs, develop new ones, and support the installed base, a plan that clearly indicates Asustek's increasing involvement in the NUC program. While it is too early to think about Asus's future NUC designs, we can anticipate that the company might try to diversify the lineup even further, given its extensive engineering capabilities and tendency to have a very broad product portfolio. In this case, it remains to be seen what happens to smaller value-added NUC resellers that currently make money by customizing Intel NUCs. 

"As we pivot our strategy to enable ecosystem partners to continue NUC systems product innovation and growth, our priority is to ensure a smooth transition for our customers and partners," said Gao. "I am looking forward to ASUS continuing to deliver exceptional products and supporting our NUC systems customers."

Handing the NUC baton to Asus enables Intel to further pivot its corporate focus to what it does best: developing and producing highly competitive chips. On the other hand, the arrangement with Intel will enhance Asus's foothold in the compact PC market and perhaps will even bring the company back to the list of the world's Top 5 largest PC makers.

The license granted to Asus by Intel is non-exclusive, leaving room for other PC and motherboard manufacturers to potentially produce NUC-branded products. Yet, Asus is one of a few companies capable of running the NUC business at a large scale.

For now, it is unknown whether Intel will set specific conditions for those interested in making NUCs, but at least we know that the company has granted non-exclusive licenses, leaving the door open to other players.

"Thank you, Intel, for your confidence in us to take the NUC systems product line forward," said Joe Hsieh, ASUS chief operating officer. "I am confident that this collaboration will enhance and accelerate our vision for the mini PC – greatly expanding our footprint in areas such as AI and AioT. We are committed to ensuring the excellent support and service that NUC systems customers expect." 

Huawei Technologies, which is banned from using U.S.-originated technologies, is planning its return to flagship smartphone market by the end of the year, reports Reuters citing three research firms. The company will reportedly use Chinese fabs and technologies to produce advanced chips required for 5G handsets, although the details remain vague.

Reports from several research companies covering the Chinese smartphone market indicate that Huawei will likely be able to secure domestic 5G chips, thanks to its own developments in semiconductor design tools and chip manufacturing by the Semiconductor Manufacturing International Co. In particular, Huawei is rumored to make use of SMIC's N+1 manufacturing process, which belongs to 7nm-class production nodes, though it is likely that the high-tech giant will use a refined version of N+1.

Huawei's current flagship P60 Pro smartphone relies on Qualcomm's platform as well as the company's own Harmony OS operating system. Using SMIC's production node, the company could probably produce a cheaper handset for the mass market, increase sales of its smartphones, and gain experience with domestic technologies for 5G smartphones. The company has reportedly upped its smartphones sales projections for 2023 from 30 million to 40 million.

What remains to be seen is whether Huawei can produce a rival for the Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 platform using one of SMIC's nodes.

Earlier this year Huawei announced that it had developed electronic design automation (EDA) software to design chips based on 14nm-class and thinner process technologies, which represented a significant advancement for the Chinese EDA industry. Huawei expected to complete testing on this software in 2023 and indicated plans to use its EDA software to design its proprietary HiSilicon chips.

While Huawei does not have its own fabs and cannot access leading-edge process technologies at TSMC, IFS, and Samsung Foundry, it has been collaborating with SMIC, Chinese foundry champion, over building a fab and developing fabs tools for a while. The two companies could refine SMIC's N+1 and other advanced nodes to make them suitable for Huawei's HiSilicon SoCs, but this is our speculation at this point.

The U.S. government restricted Huawei's access to advanced process technologies in 2020, but despite this, the company continues to advance its technologies, particularly in such fields as artificial intelligence. Apparently, the company is using outdated hardware obtained years ago for its current AI projects, reports DigiTimes. At its Huawei Developer Conference this week, Huawei also unveiled its new Pangu Models 3.0 AI Large Model for a wide range of industrial and scientific applications. 

Before Huawei was hit by severe sanctions in 2020, the company's HiSilicon division was among the largest clients of TSMC and obtained plenty of chips made on the foundry's N7 (7nm-class) process technology. The chips in question are Kunpeng 920 processors as well as Ascend 910 AI accelerators that are used for Huawei's Atlas 900 Pod A2 AI training cluster that Huawei's using to advance its AI efforts.

Despite encountering challenges in obtaining access to advanced processing technologies, Huawei is still establishing a strong presence in the AI market through the strategy of import substitution, DigiTimes reported without elaborating. Earlier this year, the company demonstrated new server motherboards and used tape and coolers to hide the names of its component suppliers.

At the Mobile World Congress 2023 event held in Shanghai, Huawei displayed AI devices that perform inferencing in both cloud and edge computing environments, the report claims. At another trade show, the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), the company demonstrated an AI robotic arm powered by its Atlas 200IDK A2 and the Ascend developer kit that could recognize colors and move. That was followed by the company's release of the Pangu Models 3.0 AI models earlier this week.

Keeping in mind that the AI industry in China is estimated to reach a value of $150 billion eventually, it is just too attractive of a market for Huawei to miss. As a result, Huawei is expected to keep investing in its AI software and ecosystem (including its own compute framework) while it is trying to either get potent hardware either by using advanced packaging and mature process technologies or gaining access to sophisticated production nodes.

It is unclear whether Huawei can catch up with rivals that are not hit by restrictions, but at least for now, it looks like the company can continue the development of its AI prowess.

Sending files to and from an Android device can be irksome at times. Sure we can use Bluetooth file transfer, which is slow, but reliable. Or we can email the files to ourselves, save them to a cloud service etc. Is there a better way to do it?

Android has just released a beta for Nearby Share, a Windows app that enables quick and easy file transfer between Android and Windows devices. The best thing is that we only need to install the Windows app. Android has featured Nearby Share since Android 6 and it seamlessly integrates into the Share feature found in many apps.

In this how to, we will install Nearby Share on a Windows 10 PC and learn how to use it to send files to and from an Android smartphone.

For This Project you will need

• Android phone connected to Wi-Fi with Bluetooth active
• PC running Windows 10 or 11

1.  Open a browser to this page and click “Download Nearby Share”.

2. Install Nearby Share. You will find it in the download folder where you double click the executable called “BetterTogetherSetup.exe”. Installation took mere seconds on our machine.

3. Sign in to your Google account.

4. Set the name of your PC, this is the name that will be shown to devices.

5. Click on Receiving.

6. Configure Receiving to your preferred option. If you are just wanting to share files between your devices, select “Your Devices”. Other choices include sharing to your contact list and everyone. Both of these have security implications, so exercise caution.

7. Click Done to finish setup.

Nearby Share is now ready to send and receive files.

8. Open Settings >> System and search for Nearby. We found these extra steps useful in ensuring that our Windows PC was correctly talking to our Android device.

9. Enable “Share content with a nearby device by using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi”, set it to “My devices only” and check that the download location is convenient.

10. Scroll down and configure share across devices to use your devices.

Sending a File to Another Device

1.  Drop a file or folder onto the Nearby Share app. Alternatively, manually select the files / folder via a dialog.

2. Select your device. This will trigger the computer to send the file / folder to the device.

In a few moments your phone will confirm the transfer and the file is ready for use on your Android device.

Sending to a Windows Machine

1. Select the file that you want to send on your Android device. This can be a photo via the Photos app, or any other file via the Files app. We chose a photo to send to our PC.

2. Click Share and select Nearby Share. You may need to click on More to see a fuller list of options.

3. Connect to Wi-Fi and select your Windows PC to start the transfer.

4. Click Done once the transfer is complete.

The Nearby Share app will confirm the transfer, saved to your default folder. In our case it saved the image to Downloads.

For Huawei, it is close to impossible to procure chips for its server and communications products that are widely used in China and other countries. But that doesn't mean that the company cannot get chips at all; it just does not want anyone to know who sells them. At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the company demonstrated its new server motherboards with all chips covered with disguising tape and coolers to hide the names of its suppliers. 

Huawei still sells boatloads of servers and communication equipment in China and a number of other countries, but to build those devices, it needs chips. Virtually all chips today — whether they are logic or memory ICs — are designed using electronic design automation (EDA) tools developed in the U.S. and produced on equipment containing technologies created in America, so their suppliers need to get appropriate licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce to sell them to Huawei or its subsidiaries.  

But getting those licenses is tricky, which is why Huawei likely has to buy chips on the gray market or use complicated means to get hardware from its developers. In both cases, the company prefers not to demonstrate what it uses openly and hides its suppliers, as we can see from images published on Twitter by Jay Goldberg, a 5G, IoT, and networking analyst focused on China. Of course, another reason to hide chips that it uses from prying is could be a way to conceal trade secrets from competitors (and we know that there are Chinese companies copying Huawei's products).

You need to expand the above tweet to see the images. One of the boards (marked at GFMPUB Ver. A) not only conceals logic chips using a radiator or tape, but even hides the supplier of the memory ICs. Another board, which looks like a prototype (or even a mockup) of a 4-way server motherboard, not only conceals the markings on some of the chips, but even does not carry processors, perhaps to guarantee that no one could guess their producer even if the board gets stolen.  

After Huawei became a victim of the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China on the grounds that it has ties with the People's Republic army, the company can no longer procure hardware and software from U.S.-based companies or containing technologies developed in America without getting an appropriate license from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Huawei's HiSilicon subsidiary lost access to advanced semiconductor production outside of China, which to a large degree blocked its advanced chip development. 

As it turns out, there are still ways for Huawei to obtain the chips it needs. Furthermore, the company is reportedly working with China-based SMIC — another company that lost its ability to develop at a rapid pace because of the U.S.-imposed sanctions — to build a fab capable of producing chips and system-in-packages it needs to build its products.

Huawei's CEO, Yu Chengdong, has taken to QQ ('China's Twitter') to announce that the firm has formed an operational division which translates as the 'Huawei Terminal Business'. Previously, Huawei marketed its PCs solely to fickle consumers, and its PC laptops were developed and launched under the auspices of the 'Huawei Consumer Business.' We first saw some custom Huawei devices emerge back in 2019, powered by the company's Kungpeng 920 Arm v8 processors. Now the 'Huawei Consumer Business' has been folded into the 'Huawei Terminal Business'. However, there is still some clear distinction within the organization, with the 'Huawei Terminal Business' being divided into consumer and commercial wings.

Huawei has already established what appears to be a considerable lineup of business products. The MateBook B models, an enterprise laptop series, are joined by MateStation desktops, MatePad tablets, monitors, smart screens, plus printers and wearables. The reorganization and new products will help Huawei expand into what is already a lucrative segment for it, embracing commercial and governmental organizations, and catering more directly to their needs.

We wondered if the MateBook B series were simple rebrands of existing consumer MateBook laptops. This isn't quite the case, as Huawei seems to have launched a new series of consumer laptops called the MateBook D series, which have a lot in common with the B series, but offered fewer configuration options for the screen sizes we checked. However, it is notable that the new MateBooks, both for business and consumer, feature at best 11th-Gen Intel Core processors, with some still packing 10th-Gen CPUs. It remains to be seen if Huawei will add in devices based on its own Arm chips.

Moving along to ponder over the desktops, these are compact unassuming, and workmanlike designs. There are two models of Huawei MateStation desktop buyers can configure. They differ primarily by processor; one comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 4600G APU, and another with a choice between three 10th Generation Intel Core processors, with the pinnacle being the Core i7-10700. Like the laptops, all have Windows 10 or 11 pre-installed.

Huawei claims the MatePad C5e, a 10.1-inch Android 10 (EMUI 10.1 skin) tablet powered by an octa-core Kirin 710A, is "built for business." However, other than that statement, you might not know it was a business tablet, as there are no particular features or specs that make it stand out from the multitudes of other consumer tablets.

Due to sanctions, Huawei products aren't that easy to buy in the US. However, that didn't stop us from acquiring and reviewing the Huawei MateBook X Pro 2021 a year ago to see what we might be missing out on. Overall, the MateBook X was a laptop with a handsome profile but wasn't really worth hunting down where slim and stylish laptops from the likes of Dell and HP (or Apple) are readily available. The same will likely be true of the new products unless Huawei can work some magic with distribution and pricing.

The grip of sanctions is tightening around Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, as even tech giant Huawei has reportedly also stopped all high-performance storage and server equipment shipments headed towards the country. Huawei thus joins tech giants AMD, Intel, Nvidia, and TSMC in cutting off Russia's access to cutting-edge technology that could aid in its war efforts — one of its few technological alternatives to the now dry wells of Western technology.

The decision likely doesn't come out of a political disagreement with Russia's actions. Huawei has severely hamstrung itself in regards to access to U.S. technology in the wake of sanctions already imposed on the company under the China-U.S. trade war. Rather, Huawei is likely simply protecting itself from collateral damage to its own business should the U.S. find issues with any technological shipments featuring American technology and IP.

Existing sanctions against Huawei are so severe that the company has been forced to explore alternative income markets such as pig farming. Perhaps more crucially, Huawei also initiated the development of its own hybrid TSV-free 3D stacking tech to boost silicon performance on non-leading-edge nodes.

While the US sanctions against Russia are primarily aimed at curtailing military applications, advances in consumer technology mean that mainstream AMD Ryzen or Intel Core products could also be deployed in those scenarios. As a result, companies are taking the "better safe than sorry" approach, which looks like a smart move considering Huawei's already-significant troubles.

Thus, Huawei is seemingly putting its technological partnership with Russia on hold until the geopolitical climate settles. The company has already improved Russian infrastructure by installing an Arm-based datacenter server in the heart of Moscow, whose storage system the Russian government has been looking to upgrade — with uncertain success — since last year.

It has now become increasingly difficult for Russia to scale - and even maintain - its already-deployed high-performance computing systems. Should these begin to fail, the country will face a degrading tech infrastructure that is likely to tendril through its military capabilities. A turn towards illegal, under-the-table acquisitions could be the only way out for the country's tech barge to stay afloat.

Huawei has capitalized on its Moscow, Russia presence to invest in the installation of an Arm-based server farm in the city. After a series of blows resulting from the U.S.-China trade wars, Huawei has looked towards diversifying its investments both from a market standpoint and a geo-strategic one. Now, Huawei's Intelligent Computing Systems Department has finished construction of its Moscow Arm-based data center - which the company said was the first such facility in Russia. Huawei said that "the computing cluster will enable our partners and customers to test their software products, to join the construction of a new open ecosystem", and help the company itself develop software on Russian soil.

The infrastructure is meant to solve demand from users who want to capitalize on supercomputing and open source software - one of the reasons why the new data center is mostly focused on serving the Moscow academic and scientific communities. The servers run on the company's Taishan infrastructure, which utilizes Kunpeng 920 processors developed by HiSilicon, the Huawei subsidiary responsible for custom-designing Arm SoCs. Kunpeng 920 SoCs feature Armv8 designs scalable at up to 64 cores running at a maximum 2.6 GHz under a 180W TDP. There's also an octa-channel DDR4 -2933 memory controller in the Kunpeng 920 silicon - it truly was Huawei's latest and greatest at time of its introduction.

The Kunpeng 920 Arm SoCs are manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm node, which already stopped deliveries to Huawei last September, following U.S. sanctions on technology exports to the Chinese company. This means that the server farm was most likely built using stockpiled chips. As for Huawei's foundry access after TSMC shut the company off, and without access to Intel or GlobalFoundries due to their ties with the U.S., Huawei has resorted to China's Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), which currently is only capable of silicon manufacturing at the 14 nm node.

This isn't the first time an Arm data center has entered the supercomputing fray; in fact, Fujitsu's Fugaku, an Arm-based supercomputer deployed in Japan, is the world's most powerful supercomputer, without ever touching the x86 instruction set. Likewise, Huawei Russia’s Intelligent Computing System Department Director Lyu Lu said that "The tests carried out have shown that in a number of scenarios Arm servers can already compete fully with solutions based on the x86 architecture.” 

Huawei considers that Arm, too, is capable of a more widespread presence in the server ecosystem, porting over the power/performance benefits of a mobile-first architecture into the server business - and the company will do that one server at a time if it has to.

Nvidia does not have plans to bring its ray tracing-enabled GPU architectures to smartphones or other ultra-mobile devices right now, CEO Jensen Huang told journalists at a Computex meeting this week. The statements come just days after AMD confirmed that upcoming Samsung smartphones using AMD RDNA2 GPU architecture will support ray tracing. 

According to Huang, the time for ray tracing in mobile gadgets hasn't arrived yet. 

"Ray tracing games are quite large, to be honest," Huang said, according to ZDNet. "The data set is quite large, and there will be a time for it. When the time is right we might consider it." 

AMD, meanwhile, has licensed its RDNA2 architecture, which supports ray tracing, to Samsung for use in the upcoming Exynos 2200 SoC expected to power its laptops and other flagship mobile devices. AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su said this week that the SoC will indeed support ray tracing.

"The next place you’ll find RDNA2 will be the high-performance mobile phone market," Su said, as reported by AnandTech. "AMD has partnered with industry leader Samsung to accelerate graphics innovation in the mobile market, and we’re happy to announce we will bring custom graphics IP to Samsung’s next flagship SoC, with ray tracing and variable rate shading capabilities. We’re really looking forward to Samsung providing more details later this year." 

Currently, Samsung's Exynos-powered smartphones use Arm Mali-powered graphics; whereas, Qualcomm Snapdragon-based handsets use Adreno GPUs.

Nvidia is in process of taking over Arm, which develops general-purpose Cortex CPU cores as well as Mali graphics processing units for various system-on-chips (SoCs). Nvidia has long tried to license its GeForce technologies to designers of mobile SoCs and devices without any tangible success. If Nvidia's acquisition of Arm is approved by various regulators, Nvidia will be able to offer its latest GeForce architectures to Arm licensees. Yet, it appears Nvidia has no immediate plans to bring GeForce RTX to smartphones. 

Nvidia's Ampere and Turing architectures seem to be too bulky for smartphone SoCs (and even for entry-level PC graphics) anyway. For now, the company will have to use its GeForce Now game streaming service to address demanding gamers on smartphones and tablets. 

"That's how we would like to reach Android devices, Chrome devices, iOS devices, MacOS devices, Linux devices -- all kinds of devices, whether it's on TV, or mobile device or PC," said Huang. "I think that for us, right now, that is the best strategy."

Yet, ray tracing is nothing new on mobiles. Imagination Technologies architectures since the PowerVR GR6500 introduced in 2014 have supported ray tracing, so it's up to hardware designers to decide on implementing the capability and game designers to leverage it. Imagination's PowerVR ray tracing implementation is currently supported by Unreal Engine 4 and Unity 5, but it's unclear whether it's primarily used for eye candy, performance increase and/or power reduction. 

According to a report from Asian Nikkei Review, TSMC stated yesterday that it has stopped taking orders from Huawei since May 15. The foundry also confirmed that it will not ship wafers to Huawei after September 14.

New U.S. regulations stipulate that non-U.S. companies that utilize American technology or tools must apply for an export license to sell to Huawei. TSMC Chairman Mark Liu didn't comment on whether TSMC will apply for a license to continue doing business with the Chinese tech giant. 

Despite Huawei's exit and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, TSMC is optimistic about its future. The foundry estimated revenues between $11.2 billion to $11.5 billion for the third quarter of this year. With Huawei out of the picture, TSMC has freed up a lot of production capacity. 

Liu didn't mention any names, but he affirmed that TSMC is working in close collaboration with its other clients to fill the gap Huawei left behind.

Apple could benefit most from all this. The tech company is already one of TSMC's biggest clients, since the foundry produces the mobile chips inside the iPhones. However, a recent Digitimes report claims that Apple will tap TSMC to produce the its custom Arm-based Apple Silicon, which could further bolster the existing relationship between the two companies. 

Then there are other star clients, such as AMD, Broadcom, Nvidia and Qualcomm. We think TSMC will cope just fine without Huawei.

Huawei had already started obtaining its chips from other sources, with one of them being Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC). However, the orders were for 14nm silicon. 

Notably, SMIC or any other Chinese fab simply can't compete with TSMC because its technology is light years in front of the competition. It looks like a rough road ahead for Huawei, and it wouldn't be surprising if the company eventually has to pull the plug on HiSilicon, its chip division.

Samsung announced today that the Galaxy Book S will be available with Intel Lakefield processors. The company has yet to release U.S. pricing and release dates, though the company's UK site has it shipping on June 12 for £999.00.

Update, May 29, 2:07 p.m. ET: Samsung told Tom's Hardware that this announcement is for the Korean market and that US details are unavailable. Story continues below.

The laptop will use an Intel Core i5-L16G7 CPU, which boasts Intel UHD graphics, Foveros 3D stacking technology for the first time and a hybrid CPU architecture. 

Besides its first-of-its-kind processor, the Galaxy Book S will arrive with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and up to 512GB of eUFS storage. It will also come with Wi-Fi 6 and LTE options for connectivity.

The upcoming clamshell is light at 2.1 pounds and is just 0.5 inches thick. Samsung will offer the design in two colors: earthy gold and mercury gray.

Samsung Galaxy Book S Specs

Samsung Galaxy Book S Is a Lakefield Showcase

The Galaxy Book S debuted with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx, but this will be the first time we see Intel's five-core hybrid processor, which pairs one Sunny Cove core with four Tremont cores using Intel's 3D Foveros technology. Samsung's specification states that the Core i5-L16G7 offers clock speeds of up to 3 GHz and an L3 cache of 4MB.

We first saw Lakefield at CES inside the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold, though Lenovo was careful not to name the chip specifically, only saying that it uses Intel Hybrid technology. Microsoft also suggested it would use Lakefield in the now-delayed, dual-screened, Surface Neo. So instead, Samsung got first dibs (though Lenovo plans to release the Fold this year). This laptop leaked earlier on a Canadian version of Samsung's website. 

Enabling All Apps

Using an x86 chip over an Arm chip in the Galaxy Book S means Samsung's machine will support all Windows apps. If Samsung opted for an Arm chip and Windows 10 on Arm,  32-bit x86 apps would have to be emulated, and 64-bit apps wouldn't run at all. Some Windows programs have been compiled for Arm, but they're not all there yet. The Lakefield version of the Book S should offer far fewer limitations in that regard.

What is unclear until we test it is how the two will compare in terms of performance and battery life. But we hope to see this sleek laptop land in our lab soon.

Last summer, news broke that AMD was partnering with Samsung to license its RDNA graphics for use in smartphones. Since then, it had pretty much been radio silence on the topic, until a thread recently spawned on the clien.net forums with benchmark figures, as spotted by Twitter user @Kaz9837.

According to the thread's author, the RNDA-Exynos combo SoC put down some serious performance numbers in the GFXBench test, as you can see in the table below. The data on the Adreno 650 comes from Notebookcheck, as the source appears to have removed data on the Adreno 650.

The Adreno 650 is one of the most powerful mobile GPUs currently available and part of the Snapdragon 865 SoC, which is installed in the Samsung Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 Plus and Galaxy S20 Ultra, as well as smartphones from other manufacturers.

However, we are unfamiliar with the source of the purported RDNA-Exynos data. With the numbers not yet verified, don't take results at face value. Nevertheless, it wouldn't be surprising to see such a performance uplift. After all, Samsung isn't partnering with AMD for nothing.

Don't expect to see an RDNA-infused mobile phone on the market anytime soon. Those aren't expected to arrive until 2021 at the earliest.

Who needs a physical light switch when you can use an augmented-reality one? Armed with a smartphone and a Raspberry Pi, you  can control Phillips Hue lights with the power of AR, highlighting a virtual on/off button that appears as if it's in your living room. This project was created and shared on Reddit by a maker known as Toernblom who was kind enough to give all of the build details.

After watching a video showcasing an AR headset that allowed the wearer to control lights in the real world, Toernblom decided to take on the concept himself. In this project, a Raspberry Pi is used to receive input from an AR smartphone app to toggle Phillips Hue lights on and off. The code will also work on a PC.

Toernblom has a complete breakdown of the project on his website, where he explains more about the setup. The Raspberry Pi relies on a while loop to check for triggers from the AR app. When it detects a change, it sends a signal to the Phillips Hue gateway to change the light value.

This project looks really fun, especially if you're quarantined at home. Be sure to follow Toernblom on Reddit for more updates. You can also check out the Toernblom website for a detailed review of this awesome AR Pi project.

HiSilicon, Huawei's elite chip division, has placed 14nm orders with Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC), China's top chipmaker, according to a DigiTimes report today citing unnamed industry sources. 

HiSilicon's Kirin 710 smartphone processor, which is based on TSMC's 12nm FinFET node, has been out since mid-2018. There is a rumor that HiSilicon is planning to release a gimped variant of the Kirin 710, the Kirin 710A. Kirin 710A is expected to leverage the 14nm FinFET process and, thus, HiSilicon needs a fab that's capable of pumping out the chips.

If DigiTimes' report is true, SMIC has scored a big victory over TSMC, as the Taiwanese foundry has been a core provider of chips for HiSilicon. The recent change would indicate that SMIC's 14nm FinFET manufacturing process has improved to a point where it can go head-to-head against TSMC's process node. Furthermore, the U.S. may block TSMC from selling to Huawei, so that could be another reason why HiSilicon decided to switch from TSMC.

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SMIC's first-generation 14nm FinFET process has been up and running since the fourth quarter of 2019. The Chinese fab's financial data reveals that the node contributed to about 1% of the company's total wafer revenue in Q4; however, SMIC plans to ramp up production progressively this year.

Although SMIC might seem like an underdog compared to TSMC, the Chinese chipmaker shouldn't be underestimated. SMIC is looking to skip the 10nm node completely and transition straight to the 7nm node. The company expects to run risk production of its 7nm process by the end of 2020. TSMC's EUV process is proceeding smoothly. HiSilicon is allegedly on TSMC's client list to leverage the EUV node; however, that'll depend on the outcome of the proposed U.S. block on Huawei.

China continues to push hard to phase out foreign tech and achieve self-sufficiency. SMIC is one of the pieces on the board that China can use to accomplish its goals.

As the U.S. and Chinese governments butt heads over the continued spread of coronavirus, senior Trump administration officials have reportedly agreed to new measures to restrict the global supply of chips to Huawei technologies, Reuters reported citing unnamed sourced this week. 

Last May, the U.S. blacklisted Huawei over supposed concerns that the company was purposefully leaving information vulnerabilities in its products that could be accessed by “foreign adversaries.” This allowed the U.S. government to prevent domestic goods made by companies without a specialized license from shipping to the Chinese company, as well as certain foreign items containing technology made in the U.S. The blacklist came in the midst of tariff negotiations between the two superpowers.

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Now, the U.S. government is reportedly looking to expand the ban’s impact on foreign suppliers, like TSMC, by requiring any companies that use U.S. chipmaking equipment, domestic and international, to acquire a U.S. license before supplying certain chips to Huawei.

According to one of Reuters’ sources, the additional regulation is largely aimed at preventing chip sales to Huawei from TMSC, which is both the world’s largest contract maker and a major supplier of chips for Huawei’s HiSilicon unit. A report from China’s Everbright Securities last year also detailed that producers like KLA Corp, Lam Research and Applied Materials could also be impacted by the ban. If TSMC were hit by the ban, it could open up chips normally meant for Huawei to go to companies like AMD, Nvidia and Apple instead.

Potential consequences from the proposed change aren’t limited to foreign markets, however. “This is going to have a far more negative impact on U.S. companies than it will on Huawei,” trade lawyer Doug Jacobson told Reuters, predicting that Huawei would make its own supply chain. 

The report didn't clarify whether it expects President Trump, who criticized the enhanced restrictions last month, will sign off on the change. 

Huawei declined to comment on the story when Reuters reached out. With Chinese producers starting to get back into full productivity and the U.S. now surpassing China in COVID-19 cases, however, negotiations across both sides are set to be tense.

Nokia today announced its collaboration with Intel on 5G infrastructure silicon, including working together on Intel's recently announced Atom P5900 processor (formerly Snow Ridge). Nokia will also adopt Cascade Lake in its cloud data center solution for a common architecture "from cloud to edge."

Intel announced its portfolio of silicon for 5G New Radio network infrastructure early last week (it originally planned to announce this at Mobile World Congress). It introduced the Atom P5900 series as its first x86 SoCs for base stations. Nokia, ZTE and Ericsson were said to be adopters, and Intel claimed it was on track for 40% market share by 2021 already.

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Intel's SoC is included in Nokia's AirScale radio access products, which are now shipping. AirScale is part of Nokia's Powered by ReefShark line-up. 

“By adopting ReefShark widely in its AirScale portfolio, Nokia is significantly boosting performance and lowering the energy footprint of 5G network rollouts," Nokia said in a statement. 

Nokia said the new ReefShark chipsets improve performance and have a reduced energy footprint. They have previously been rumored to leverage Intel Custom Foundry’s 10nm process technology, but Nokia did not specify the process technology. It is unclear how committed Intel still is to its foundry business after its 10nm delays and whether this affected adoption of its foundry business.

Additionally, Nokia said it will continue to adopt the latest, second-generation Xeon Scalable processors in its AirFrame cloud data center solution. Nokia did not clarify if this refers to the Cascade Lake refresh that Intel also announced last week, but said that this realized the benefits of a common (Intel) architecture from cloud to edge. Nokia also uses Xeons for its AirScale vRAN and 5G core solutions.

Dan Rodriguez, Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Intel’s Network Platforms Group, said: “Implementing technology innovations from the core to the edge of the network is key to unlocking the full potential of 5G. Through our collaboration with Nokia, our broad portfolio of products and ASIC capabilities, we are showing the value that can be realized with a consistent, high-performance architecture across the intelligent 5G network.”

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 on Thursday. The bill, which now heads to Donald Trump for approval, would establish a $1 billion fund to help rural telecommunications networks remove and replace Huawei and ZTE equipment.

U.S. federal agencies have been banned from purchasing Huawei and ZTE equipment through the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019. The Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act would prevent the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from supporting the purchase of that equipment by service providers.

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The bill's passage comes shortly after the FCC adopted a rule preventing telecoms from using the Universal Service Fund, which subsidizes the expansion of broadband availability throughout the country, to purchase equipment from "companies posing a national security threat" (read: Huawei and ZTE and other Chinese companies).

Yesterday, the FCC announced that it "began collecting information from telecommunications carriers on the use of Huawei and ZTE equipment and services in their networks." Universal Service Fund recipients have until April 22 to share this information with the FCC via a dedicated web portal.

The FCC said it wants to know "whether carriers own or are using equipment or services from Huawei or ZTE; the type of such equipment or services; the costs associated with purchasing and/or installing such equipment and services; and the costs associated with removing and replacing such equipment and services."

Huawei gave The Hill the following statement in response to the bill's passage:

"Unfortunately, the legislation that was just passed is considerably underfunded, would take longer than anticipated and could put at risk some of our customers, who serve the most underserved areas. This legislation will simply reduce the ability of broadband providers to provide the most secure network equipment and in turn hurt local consumers and businesses."

We wouldn't be surprised if Huawei contests this decision--it's sued the U.S. government multiple times over the last few years. A District Court judge recently said the company couldn't sue over the federal government's equipment ban, however, because the rule merely affects how the government spends its money.

This bill--as well as the FCC's rule--are similar in concept. U.S. telecoms providers are technically allowed to use Huawei and ZTE equipment; they simply can't use funds from the Universal Service Fund to do so. We'll see how the companies respond if or when President Trump signs the bill into law.

According to a recent WSJ report, the U.S. government has claimed it has proof (it hasn’t made it public yet) that Huawei has backdoor access to U.S. telecommunications companies’ networks. The twist is that this backdoor was actually created for the U.S. law enforcement to spy on various U.S. suspects. This doesn't help the U.S. government’s recent arguments that encryption backdoors can be made secure and with only trustworthy people accessing them.

The U.S. government claimed for years that Huawei has access to backdoors in U.S. telecom equipment but has never shown any proof, leading some to question if concern was just being used as leverage in U.S.-China trade disputes. However, according to U.S. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, there is hard proof. 

"We have evidence that Huawei has the capability secretly to access sensitive and personal information in systems it maintains and sells around the world," he told WSJ. 

Huawei Denies Allegations

Perhaps to no one’s surprise, Huawei has denied the allegations that it has used the backdoors the U.S. government asked it to create for its own purposes or for espionage on behalf of the Chinese government. 

"No Huawei employee is allowed to access the network without an explicit approval from the network operator," the company said in a statement sent to WSJ.

Historically, Huawei has denied such allegations, even at times where there was at least some public proof that it delayed fixing security issues with its hardware. 

A Threat by the Feds' Own Design

Where's the Evidence Already?

The U.S. government has only shared whatever evidence it claims to have with UK and Germany last year, WSJ reported , but for some reason, those two countries are also among those looking to buy Huawei’s networking equipment. 

Meanwhile, we look forward to the U.S. government making whatever evidence it says it has public. If the WSJ report proves true, new evidence could kill any future attempt to implement backdoors in U.S. communications systems. The feds may be forced to decide if it cares more about national security or having a backdoor through which it can access citizens' communications. 

Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) has introduced a bill that seeks to prohibit U.S. intelligence agencies from sharing information with countries that use Huawei's 5G networking equipment, citing national security risks. 

“The United States shouldn’t be sharing valuable intelligence information with countries that allow an intelligence-gathering arm of the Chinese Communist Party to operate freely within their borders," Senator Cotton said in a statement, as per CNBC. "I urge our allies around the world to carefully consider the consequences of dealing with Huawei to their national interests."

The U.S. government shares intelligence information and tools with other countries within the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes and Fourteen Eyes spy alliances, as well as through other means. For example, the recently passed Cloud Act allows the U.S. government to enter deals with each individual country to bypass each other’s judicial process and a warrant requirement in order to gain direct access to the digital data of their own expatriates, even if the data is hosted abroad.

The U.S. government itself banned Huawei, ZTE and other Chinese-manufactured devices in federal agencies, due to the same espionage worries. More recently, the Pentagon also started banning some Chinese applications, such as the social networking app TikTok, from being accessed on military networks. 

The U.S. government began urging its allies to drop Huawei from it critical telecommunications infrastructure last year, arguing that Huawei can’t be trusted not to enable the Chinese government’s espionage operations. 

Some, such as Japan and Australia, agreed to do that, but others, including the UK and Germany, are a little more reluctant, primarily because their national telecom companies have already purchased large quantities of Huawei equipment in order to deploy 5G networks. 

The UK government has said that its core network components and networks used to share intelligence will not make use of Huawei equipment. However, the U.S. government continues to pressure the UK government to drop Huawei completely. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was supposed to meet with the British Foreign Minister last Thursday, but the meeting was canceled at the last minute, due to bad weather.

Huawei has always denied allegations that it helps the Chinese government spy on its foreign customers of 5G networking gear.

Reuters today reported that the U.S. is pressuring the UK to bar Huawei's equipment from its 5G networks. The U.S. contends that relying on the company's networking hardware could endanger national security, according to the report, and the UK is said to be weighing those concerns against the cost of banning Huawei from its infrastructure.

This isn't a new debate. European Union regulators were said to be considering proposals that would ban Huawei from 5G networks in January 2019, too, and the U.S. has repeatedly claimed the company's ties to the Chinese government make it too dangerous to trust with access to global telecommunications networks.

The U.S. has also expanded restrictions on Huawei within its own shores over the last few years. President Donald Trump prohibited federal agencies from purchasing Huawei's equipment in August 2018, for example, and the Federal Communications Commission recently made those products ineligible for certain federal subsidies.

Those efforts were complemented by Huawei's addition to the Entity List by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Canada's arrest of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou at the U.S.' request and other attempts to disrupt Huawei's business. (More on those efforts, and their relative ineffectiveness, can be found here.)

Reuters said the UK is set to reach a decision regarding Huawei's inclusion in its 5G networks later this month. The U.S. has reportedly threatened to sever intelligence ties with the UK--and other members of the Five Eyes alliance--if that equipment is used within those nations networks. Whether or not that's just posturing remains to be seen.

MediaTek announced the new Dimensity 800 Series SoC for 5G smartphones at CES 2020 yesterday. The 7nm chip features an octa-core CPU, a 5G modem and an AI Processing Unit (APU) that offers 2.4 TOPS of artificial intelligence compute power.

Unlike the new X50 and X55 chipsets from Qualcomm, the Dimensity 800 is a single-chip 5G SoC. MediaTek said this allows the SoC to save on power--especially in conjunction with the reduced power draw associated with TSMC's 7nm process.

The SoC supports 5G with two carrier aggregation (2CC CA). MediaTek claims this delivers 30% wider high speed layer coverage compared to 5G without carrier aggregation. It supports both standalone and non-standalone sub-6GHz 5G networks and also has multi-mode support for 2G up to 5G connectivity and Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS). Voice over New Radio (VoNR) is also supported.

On the CPU side, the octa-core design packs four big A76 cores and four low-power A55 cores, both of which are clocked at 2GHz. This is a step down from the four A77 cores in the flagship Dimensity 1000 that MediaTek announced in 2019. The GPU, meanwhile, is a Mali-G57MP4. On the AI side, the Dimensity 800 features MediaTek’s APU 3.0 with FP16 support. It offers performance of up to 2.4 TOPS--which is a notable decrease from the 4.5 TOPS performance offered by the Dimensity 1000.

On the media side, the Dimensity 800's image signal processor (ISP) supports up to 64MP image sensors as well as multi-camera setups. There is also support for 2160p at 60 frames per second video encode and decode and 90Hz Full HD+ displays.

The Dimensity 800 is expected to come to market before the end of the first half of the year.

In November, MediaTek and Intel announced a partnership to bring 5G to laptops in early 2021.

Ossia is close to making it so your phone can start charging just by walking into your home. Today at CES it announced a version of its Cota wireless, over-the-air charging technology that’s fit for using in your house.

Cota Home is a 30 x 30 cm transmitter working on a 5.8 GHz frequency that can send power to a number of devices simultaneously. Once you plug in the transmitter, which Ossia is working on slimming down even more, you can manage it via Cota’s mobile app. And you won’t waste a lot of power because the transmitter only sends out power if a receiver is present.

But to use this incredibly convenient tech, you’ll need something with a Cota receiver. Ossia’s been working with popular smartphone case maker Spigen for Android and Apple smartphone cases that will charge the devices once they’re in the presence of an Ossia transmitter. 

Keep in mind, your phone can be in your pocket or even locked away in a drawer. Unlike competitors, the receiver doesn't have to be within line-of-sight of the transmitter for it to work . But for the fastest charge, you must be within 3 meters (9.8 feet) of the transmitter.

Cota works with RF technology. When asked if this was safe, CEO Mario Obeidat pointed to FCC certification the Cota transmitter and receiver acquired in June for working at 2.4 GHz at a distance of up 1m and using the highest level of radio frequency power of any other certified system. Currently it’s certified for almost 1W, Obeidat said, but the transmitter could go up to 2-3W. 

Before Cota Home can get into, well, homes, Ossia needs certification for 5.8 GHz, which it said it’s hoping to get this year. The company’s also looking for the Spigen cases, which we’ve been told are expected to cost around $100, to arrive this year too. We just hope the two vendors make things easy and bundle the transmitter and case together. 

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced on January 3 that it will accept public comment on its decision to prevent wireless network providers from using the Universal Service Fund, a federal subsidy program meant to reduce the costs of expanding network coverage in the U.S., to purchase Huawei equipment.

According to the FCC, which issued the relevant order in November 2019, relying on Huawei's equipment could pose a national security risk. Rather than banning that equipment from American networks outright, the FCC's decision to withhold federal subsidies gives telecoms a financial reason to seek alternative suppliers.

Huawei challenged the FCC's order in December 2019. The company filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit claiming the FCC's order stood "in violation of the U.S. Constitution, the Administrative Procedure Act and other laws" because it lacked the evidence to back up its claims of national security risks.

Now the American public will have the opportunity to comment on the FCC's claims. The commission said last Friday that "comments are due February 3, 2020 on initial designation of Huawei Technologies Company, its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries as a covered company in National Security Supply Chain Proceeding."

The full text of the FCC's announcement can be found on its website. Huawei's response to the FCC order, which the company said "is threatening the improving connectivity in rural America," can be found on its corporate website. Details about the order--as well as comments on it--are available via the Federal Register.

Samsung announced the original Galaxy Book Flex in October, but it's back around already with the new "α," short for alpha, variant. The notebook  comes in one size, 13.3 inches, but  specifications will vary depending on how much you're willing to spend.

Starting with the display, Samsung built a QLED Full HD display into the Galaxy Flex Book α. No color space details were given other than that it is a 10-bit panel, but we were told that the display has a peak brightness of 600 nits, and with QLED tech it will have HDR support. As a 2-in-1, that display is a touchscreen. It supports pen input, but the pen isn't included.

Elsewhere, the units will carry Intel's latest 10th generation Core series processors and pack either 8 or 12GB of DDR4 RAM depending on the variant you pick. SSD storage is handled by an NVMe unit of either 256 or 512 B in capacity. Security is handled by a fingerprint scanner.

The notebook's real party trick is its form factor and design, as it's made out of a solid diamond-cut aluminum frame. It measures just 305 x 202 x 13.9mm and weighs in at 2.6 pounds (1.19 kg), making it one of the lighter aluminum-framed small form factor notebooks on the market. Despite this small form factor, it comes with a 54Wh battery, which paired with the efficiency of Intel's latest CPUs and the lack of a discrete GPU means a battery life of up to 17.5 hours depending on your level of activity and preferred brightness. Of course, we'd have to test that ourselves to confirm. 

Connectivity is also more than adequate with one USB Type-C port, two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, HDMI, a MicroSD card reader and a 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack.

Pricing will start at $829.99 with availability slated for H1 2020.

Some think success is the greatest revenge. If that's true, Huawei practically became vengeance personified this year, because the company reported a record-high revenue of $122 billion in 2019 despite U.S. government efforts to bring it down.

By now you've probably heard about the conflict between Huawei and the U.S. government enough times to recite it in your sleep. Just in case you haven't, though, here's a brief summary of the back-and-forth that's taken place in the last few years.

• August 2018: U.S. President Donald Trump signs the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2019 to stop federal agencies from buying Huawei and ZTE equipment.
• December 2018: Canada arrests Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou at the request of the U.S. government, which said Huawei violated sanctions on Iran.
• May 2019: The U.S. Department of Commerce adds Huawei to the Entity List, which prevents American companies from doing business with it.
• June 2019: Trump delays the Commerce Department's blacklisting of Huawei.
• August 2019: Trump says the U.S. was "not going to be doing business with Huawei" after China refused to buy American agricultural goods during the ongoing trade war.

We've skipped over some of the relevant stories because there were simply too many to list comfortably. Suffice it to say those are the biggest ways in which the U.S. government sought to affect Huawei's business since the NDAA's signing last August.

Huawei faced similar challenges in other countries, too, as governments around the world publicly wondered if it would be safe to use the company's equipment to establish 5G wireless networks. The U.S. may have encouraged this questioning.

But the primary obstacle to Huawei's success was supposed to be its addition to the Entity List. American companies were forced to stop doing business with the company--or were at least supposed to be--and that could've hamstrung its activity.

Huawei defied expectations by posting the record high revenue (which, again, was $122 billion) despite all those obstacles as well as the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China. Its growth was still slowed, according to chairman Eric Xu, and it's worried about 2020. This year, however, it persevered despite American efforts.

Huawei today announced that it's filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to protest a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) order that prohibits carriers from using the Universal Service Fund federal subsidiary to buy Huawei equipment.

The FCC issued the order on November 22 purportedly because it believes that allowing carriers to use Huawei equipment in rural areas throughout the U.S. represents a national security risk. The idea was that preventing carriers from using the Universal Service Fund to buy Huawei equipment would lead them to seek alternative solutions that wouldn't put the country at risk of foreign influence.

Huawei's argument is that the FCC order "fails to offer Huawei required due process protections in labeling Huawei as a national security threat. Huawei believes that the FCC also fails to substantiate its arbitrary findings with evidence or sound reasoning or analysis, in violation of the U.S. Constitution, the Administrative Procedure Act and other laws." 

In addition, the vendor claims the FCC didn't provide evidence prove Huawei a security threat. 

The FCC has not acknowledged the filing.

Of course, the U.S. has already made similar arguments against Huawei, with U.S. President Donald Trump telling federal agencies to stop buying equipment form Huawei and ZTE, both of which are based in China, last year. They were made again when the U.S. Department of Commerce added Huawei to the Entity List -- which prevents U.S. companies from doing business with it -- back in May. Such arguments have been repeated several times since, too.

All of which is to say this isn't the first time the U.S. government has restricted Huawei's ability to do business in the U.S. Nor is it the first time Huawei's complained about the legality of these attempts. In March, Huawei said that banning federal agencies from purchasing its products was unconstitutional. Now, it's back in the courts in an effort to continue operating in rural areas in the States.

According to Huawei, this most recent restriction "is threatening the improving connectivity in rural America, which depends on Huawei equipment because other vendors were not willing to do business" in these locations. You can find a a transcript of Huawei's press conference here. 

Earlier this year Microsoft announced its first foldable devices, the upcoming Surface Neo PC and Surface Duo Android phone, as well as the Windows 10X operating system on which they would rely. Yesterday, the Windows Developer Platform's corporate vice president, Kevin Gallo, explained in a blog post how the company expects developers to start supporting this new form factor.

Gallo said it's actually just a two-step process: "1. Your websites and apps work," and "2. Embrace dual-screen experiences." That's not a particularly detailed roadmap--there are many things to consider between making something work and truly embracing new hardware. But it looks like Microsoft's keeping expectations simple.

The blog post included a mock-up showing dual-screen devices looking much like their mono-screened counterparts, with the primary difference being that the dual-screen devices were a bit wider. That is the baseline--simply making sure that software won't break just because it's being shown on two displays simultaneously.

That isn't a particularly notable change for desktop software; people have been using multi-monitor setups for years. But these devices are more portable devices, and while there have been some other dual-screen mobile devices, none have really had a noticeable effect on the mainstream market of late. 

Developers will have to figure out how to enable a mobile experience on multiple displays, then, as well as adapt to the other possibilities afforded by devices like the Surface Neo. But that's assuming enough people buy these dual-screen products to justify the additional development costs associated with supporting the hardware.

That's probably why Microsoft's blog post started with "Your websites and apps work" as the baseline. The company isn't expecting developers to introduce amazing experiences that completely justify the dual-screen form factor right away; it just wants to make sure people can use the software they rely on while the category's getting started.

Gallo said Microsoft will assist developers in making sure their software works on dual-screen devices. Windows 10X developers "will be able to use existing investments and tools for Web, UWP and Win32" on devices that rely on the operating system, he said, and the Surface Duo is similarly backwards compatible.

From there, Gallo said Microsoft is "in the process of identifying key postures and layouts across dual-screen and foldable PCs so that [developers] can take advantage of both." Truly embracing these new devices will require some changes to the development process, though, and Gallo summarized Microsoft's efforts there as:

"For native app developers, our goal is to develop a common model layered onto existing platform-specific tools and frameworks for Windows and Android. Of course, APIs to access this model will be tailored to the developer platform for each operating system. For example, you can use APIs to enhance your apps to use dual-screen capabilities and features like the 360-degree hinge. 

Web will continue to follow the standards-based model. And we are committed to building the right web standards and APIs to allow web developers to take advantage of cross-platform dual-screen capabilities. Web developers can use the browser or web-based app model of their choosing to take advantage of these capabilities."

Gallo instructed developers curious about dual-screen devices to email dualscreendev@microsoft.com to learn more about the company's efforts. (And, potentially, to gain early access to these platforms.) The company will also "share more details with developers in early 2020."

Google may have a Game Device Certification program in the works, according to a document XDA-Developers found this week.

Google has not publicly confirmed the project. However, the document contains spec requirements smartphone manufacturers must meet to qualify for the Game Device Certification and to pre-install Google Mobile Services (GMS, Google describes it as “a collection of Google applications and APIs that help support functionality across devices.”) The new spec requirements create a base performance level. This would theoretically make it easier for developers to create compatible titles across any device with the Game Device Certification.

Predictable performance helps developers avoid throttling issues, lost CPU cores and other unexpected malfunctions. As stated in the document, devices  are expected to “provide a modern, up-to-date high-performance GPU and display APIs and enable reasonable frame introspection.”

XDA-Developers also found a LinkedIn job posting from Google for a “Developer Relations Program Manager for Android Game Device Certification,” originally listed in June.

Should the reported project become a reality, the certification could have the ability to create a baseline standard for a new generation of Android gaming devices.

Qualcomm promised to play its role in enabling 5G connectivity for up to 2 billion people by expanding the 5G modem support in its chips beyond the 8- series to the 6 and 7-series processors. The new 5G-enabled mobile platforms will be available in 2020, the vendor announced today.

The majority of the 5G smartphones we saw so far have launched at premium prices over $1,000. However, if 5G is supposed to become the technology that will change everything, then it also needs to be affordable, so that most people can make use of it. 

This is where Qualcomm’s new integrated 5G chips come in. The current Qualcomm X50 modem is a dedicated chip that supports only 5G connectivity. Therefore, if smartphone makers wanted to sell 5G phones, they had to buy two different modems, a 5G one and one that also supported previous technologies (3G, 4G, etc). This is partially what made the 5G phones so expensive. 

Qualcomm's new X55 modem will be integrated into the Snapdragon 8-series mobile platform and will support both 5G and the older wireless technologies. This should make it significantly cheaper for many manufacturers to put the 8-series processor into their high-end and potentially mid-range or upper mid-range devices.

For lower-cost devices, Qualcomm will also make available new Snapdragon 6 and 7-series with their own integrated 5G modem in the second part of next year. Some manufacturers have already signed up to use these chips, including Motorola, Vivo, HMD Global (maker of Nokia phones), Oppo, realme and Redmi.

This week, Samsung and Huawei also announced their own chip platforms with integrated 5G modems. The 5G chip competition is starting to heat up as 5G smartphones begin to become mainstream, so we can expect to see many more 5G smartphone models next year and at much lower price points than what we’ve seen so far this year.

We already knew the Asus ROG Phone 2 would be the first gaming phone with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855, but at IFA in Berlin, Asus showed the phone off to the press and attendees, giving us some quality time with its second gaming phone. The Elite version will be available in late September for 899 euros, while the Ultimate version (see below) will be sold in October for 1,199 euros.

Asus ROG Phone 2 Specs

The phone has a 6.6-inch, 2340 x 1080 AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time in a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The phone’s design is largely similar to the original ROG phone, including the RGB logo on the back. A vapor chamber inside cools the processor and graphics for sustained performance.

With a 6,000mAh battery, Asus is promising stamina for gaming and regular use. Its new 30W charger houses the charging circuitry, which has been removed from the phone. The company claims this is safer and can offer up to 66% charge in less than an hour.

There is also a new ROG Phone II Ultimate Edition. It offers up to 1TB UFS 3.0 storage and a matte black color, along with faster 4G downloads. The regular “Elite” version goes up to 512GB and has a shiny black colorway.

Additionally, Asus announced parternships with Capcom, Pixelbite, Blazing Games, Gameloft and Madfinger Games to bring more mobile titles to the ROG Phone II, along with exclusive content.

Huawei's plans for the international market have been unclear ever since it was blacklisted by the U.S. in May. That ban resulted in Google limiting Huawei to open source aspects of the Android platform, which doesn't include the Play Store or Google apps, and it wasn't clear how soon the company might be able to switch to its own mobile platform. But yesterday Reuters said that Huawei doesn't plan to give up on the international market just yet.

Reuters said Huawei is set to reveal a new lineup of Mate 30 smartphones in Munich on Sept. 18. The lineup's actual launch date is unknown, but Google confirmed to Reuters that Huawei won't be able to use proprietary aspects of the Android platform with the new devices. (At least as the U.S. restrictions are currently being interpreted--the rules haven't been particularly clear since the ban's announcement nearly four months ago.)

That means the device will likely feature the HongMeng platform Huawei reportedly started developing in 2012. We don't know much about the mobile operating system--Huawei's messaging regarding work on its own smartphone platform has been nearly as inconsistent as the U.S. government's position on the company's ban. Here's a brief timeline of HongMeng reports and rumors that started after Huawei was cut off from parts of Android:

• May 23: Huawei told CNBC that its then-unnamed operating system could debut in 2020.
• May 28: Huawei said that it could replace Android and Windows if it needed to, but didn't want to.
• July 8: Huawei said that HongMeng is up to 60% faster than Android.
• July 19: Huawei said that HongMeng isn't supposed to replace Android.
• August 5: Chinese state media said HongMeng could debut as early as this December.

It seems like Huawei was holding out hope that it would be allowed to continue using every aspect of Android and Windows despite the U.S. ban. As the months went on, however, it started touting its own platform in preparation for the first devices built upon it. This might only apply to the company's smartphone plans; it indefinitely delayed the launch of the Mate X laptop at least partly because of its current struggle with the U.S. government.

Huawei doesn't have to introduce HongMeng alongside the Mate 30. It could simply introduce its own app store for Android devices, thus obviating the Play Store, and replace Google's apps with its own. The question is whether or not people will buy Android devices without close ties to Google's services. We should find out more about how exactly the company plans to move forward without Android in the coming weeks.

We said in June that someone needed to check Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei for whiplash after the U.S. kept changing its mind about the Chinese telecom's fate. Now we think it's our turn for a doctor visit because just a few weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would let U.S. companies do business with Huawei, he today told reporters that "we're not going to be doing business with Huawei" after China refused to buy U.S. agricultural goods.

China decided not to buy those goods because Trump expanded tariffs on goods imported from the country on August 1. The new tariffs are expected to affect $300 billion worth of goods on top of existing tariffs, but only at a 10% rate, as opposed to the 25% rate previously applied to other goods. This seemed like a middle ground between the immediate expansion of 25% tariffs and Trump's suspension of that expansion following talks with China.

Confused? Imagine how the companies directly affected by this constant back-and-forth on what goods will be affected by tariffs, whether they'll be allowed to continue selling goods to Huawei and other aspects of the U.S.-China trade war probably feel this morning. (To say nothing of the federal workers tasked with carrying out these actions.) The only constant over the last few months has been uncertainty; shareholders loathe uncertainty.

Trump's announcement today reportedly means that U.S. agencies and companies alike won't be allowed to purchase Huawei's telecommunications products. That isn't anything new to the former--Trump banned federal agencies from using products made by Huawei and ZTE when he signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2019. The ban for private companies, however, could mean Huawei wHuawei won't be part of the U.S.' 5G networks.

"China wants to do something, but I'm not doing anything yet. 25 years of abuse. I'm not ready so fast," Trump said, as per Business Insider.

The situation with Huawei is particularly difficult for companies to parse. First they weren't supposed to work with the company at all, then they were given provisional licenses to keep working with it, then they decided it was okay to sell Huawei products unrelated to national security concerns. Companies like Intel have also applied for licenses to keep doing business with Huawei. Now those licenses will reportedly be delayed at best.

The U.S. wouldn't be alone in banning (or at least considering a ban) Huawei from its 5G networks. Other countries throughout Europe, as well as Australia, New Zealand and Canada have all reportedly considered such bans. The fear is that Huawei, which has been connected to Chinese intelligence agencies, could use its telecommunications equipment to enable widespread surveillance.

Yet, so far Trump has gone back and forth on the motivation behind Huawei's ban. At first the company was deemed a national security risk, but the announcement in June made it seem like the U.S. was simply using Huawei as leverage against China. With Trump today citing alleged abuse by China, the ban seems even more like retaliation.