ZTE releases Pre5G massive MIMO solution

ZTEZTE has released its latest Pre5G massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) 2.0 solution at the 2016 China International Information and Communication Exhibition held in Beijing.

This new version is aimed at the high-end marketplace to help operators in the existing developed market meet the dual challenge of surging traffic demand, combined with limits on spectrum resource. With this new-generation product, single-station spectrum efficiency can be greatly improved and existing 4G user terminals can also benefit from the ultra-speed broadband experience without the need to change their mobile phones.

This new-generation massive MIMO 2.0 product is smaller in size, with 16-stream spatial division multiplexing, multi-carrier aggregation, and support for smooth evolution. The product can be flexibly deployed with support for two deployment modes: distribution and integration, to meet different requirement scenarios.

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NVIDIA unleashes palm-sized AI computer for autonomous vehicles

nvidia-drive-px2-for-autocruiseNVIDIA has unveiled a palm-sized, energy-efficient artificial intelligence (AI) computer that car makers can use to power automated and autonomous vehicles for driving and mapping.

The new single-processor configuration of the NVIDIA DRIVE PX 2 AI computing platform for AutoCruise functions — which include highway automated driving and HD mapping — consumes just 10 watts of power and enables vehicles to use deep neural networks to process data from multiple cameras and sensors. It will be deployed by China’s Baidu as the in-vehicle car computer for its self-driving cloud-to-car system.

DRIVE PX 2 enables car makers and their tier 1 suppliers to accelerate production of automated and autonomous vehicles. A car using the small form-factor DRIVE PX 2 for AutoCruise can understand in real time what is happening around it, precisely locate itself on an HD map and plan a safe path forward.

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Baidu and NVIDIA team up on self-driving car
NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang makes the announcement at Baidu World Conference in Beijing.

NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang makes the announcement at Baidu World Conference in Beijing.

Baidu and NVIDIA are partnering to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to create a cloud-to-car autonomous car platform for Chinese and global car makers. The partnership combines Baidu’s cloud platform and mapping technology with NVIDIA’s self-driving computing platform to develop solutions for HD maps, Level 3 autonomous vehicle control and automated parking.

Baidu CEO Robin Li and NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang announced the collaboration at Baidu World Conference in Beijing yesterday.

“We’re going to bring together the technical capabilities and the expertise in AI and the scale of two world-class AI companies to build the self-driving car architecture from end-to-end, from top-to-bottom, from the cloud to the car,” said Huang .

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Explosive start for Galaxy Note 7

Galaxy Note 7 x 2

UPDATE: It’s official. Samsung is recalling the Galaxy Note 7.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 smartphone has launched with a bang (literally). According to reports, some of these devices overheated and exploded while being charging — leading to Samsung to consider a recall, according to Arirang News. Meanwhile, Samsung is delaying shipment of the smartphones.

 

360-degree camera demand to rise

abi researchWhat was popularised by Google Earth is now easily available and affordable for consumers. That is the 360-degree camera, of course.

Demand for such cameras is expected to surge among prosumers and professionals.  ABI Research expects professional grade cameras and mid-tier, prosumer 360-degree cameras to hit nearly two million shipments by 2021, with consumer 360-degree cameras to top four million by the same year.

“The most prominent force driving 360-degree video content and hardware is virtual reality (VR). And though VR has been experiencing a period of content starvation due to its novelty, small early install base, and the high cost of premium VR, support from major content platforms will lessen this for 360-degree video,” said Eric Abbruzzese, Senior Analyst of ABI Research.

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NVIDIA brings GeForce 10-series GPUs to notebooks
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NVIDIA Technical Marketing Manager John Gillooly (front left) and GeForce Product Manager Gaurav Agarwal addressing the gathering of APAC editors in Bangkok.

Hot on the heels of its recently-launched GeForce 10-series, NVIDIA has brought that same Pascal generation of GeForce power and performance to notebooks.

At an APAC Editors’ Day held in Bangkok, NVIDIA shared the capabilities that these notebook GPUs bring as well as gave the editors an opportunity to try out the virtual reality features on HTC Vive headsets.

The new GeForce GTX 1080, 1070 and 1060 GPUs for notebooks, providing gamers with a quantum leap forward in performance and power efficiency on the world’s fastest-growing gaming platform.

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3D printing market to cross US$35b in 2020

IDC3D printing continues to gain traction globally and the market is expected to more than double to reach US$35.4 billion in 2020, according to IDC.

While 3D printers and materials will represent nearly half the total worldwide revenues throughout the IDC forecast, software and related services will also experience significant growth.

Revenues for computer-aided design (CAD) software are forecast to triple over the five-year forecast period while the market for on-demand parts services will nearly match this growth. The gains in both software and on-demand parts printing are being driven by the rapidly expanding use of 3D printing for design prototyping and products that require a high degree of customization in non-traditional environments.

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Samsung skips a note to jump to 7

Galaxy Note 7The stars are aligned. Samsung’s stars, that is. The Korean mobile phone giant has launched the Galaxy Note 7, bringing the phablet numerically in line with the Galaxy S series.

 

And just like the Galaxy S7, the new Galaxy Note 7 comes with curved edges for easier handling. It also sports a 12-megapixel rear camera, expandable storage and a larger 3,500 mAh battery. Among its upgrade from the previous generation are a water-resistant body, iris scanner for added security and new S Pen tricks, in particular GIF-making.

Open for pre-orders from major telcos and Samsung now, the Galaxy Note 7 will be available from August 20.

 

Huawei guns for top smartphone spot

HuaweiHuawei continues to retain resilience in a crowded and competitive global economic environment, aiming to become the top global smartphone vendor in five years’ time, according to ABI Research.

Its successive year-on-year rises in smartphone shipments particularly impressive, as Huawei managed to achieve its high ranking without effectively breaking out of its home market. To become a global electronics brand, the company will need to gain a strong foothold in the US and western European markets, but runs the risk of falling victim to the same plights as its larger competitors.

“Ranking by volume as third largest global smartphone vendor, Huawei is attempting to expand its reach by creating its own chipsets and mobile operating system based on Android. It may succeed with chipsets, but many other competitors tried similar OS development tactics in the past to no avail. It will be tough for Huawei to achieve this goal, even with improved global brand strength and volume gains,” said David McQueen, Research Director of ABI Research.

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Worldwide semiconductor spending to dip 0.7% in 2016

GartnerWorldwide semiconductor capital spending is expected to slide 0.7 percent in 2016, to US$64.3 billion, according to Gartner. This is up from the estimated 2 percent decline in Gartner’s previous quarterly forecast.

“Economic instability, inventory excess, weak demand for PC’s, tablets, and mobile products in the past three years has caused slow growth for the semiconductor industry. This slowdown in electronic product demand has driven semiconductor device manufacturers to be conservative in increasing production,” said David Christensen, Senior Research Analyst of Gartner.

“Looking ahead, it appears the second half of 2016 may see improved demand. However, following Brexit, semiconductor inventory levels may rise in the third and fourth quarters, which could lead to reduced production volumes,” he added.

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