Category: Gadgets

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Xenith iCafe opens with 100 NVIDIA GeForce GPU-Powered PCs

Xenith iCafeGamers in northern Thailand, specifically Chiangmai, will get to enjoy premium gaming experience with the opening of Xenith iCafe in the city.

All its 100 PCs are equipped with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 GPUs, which deliver advanced performance, power efficiency, and realistic gameplay based on the latest NVIDIA Maxwell technology. They also come with high quality Razer gaming gear – mouse, keyboard and headset – all tailored to give gamers the best experience.

Situated near Chiangmai University , the modern and trendy Xenith iCafe features two gaming zones – a comfort zone and a VIP zone to cater to gamers’ needs as well as to host gaming events. This is a new trend in the iCafe market where owners can better balance cost, performance and functionality while delivering the gaming experience that their customers demand.

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NVIDIA adds AI and supercomputing prowess to driverless cars

DRIVE PX_illustrationThe new NVIDIA DRIVE PX 2 is set to give driverless cars a major boost.

Touted at the world’s most powerful engine for in-vehicle artificial intelligence, it allows the automotive industry to use artificial intelligence (AI) to tackle the complexities inherent in autonomous driving. NVIDIA DRIVE PX2 utilises deep learning on NVIDIA’s advanced GPUs for 360-degree situational awareness around the car, to determine precisely where the car is and to compute a safe, comfortable trajectory.

“Drivers deal with an infinitely complex world. Modern artificial intelligence and GPU breakthroughs enable us to finally tackle the daunting challenges of self-driving cars,” said Jen-Hsun Huang, Co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA. “NVIDIA’s GPU is central to advances in deep learning and supercomputing. We are leveraging these to create the brain of future autonomous vehicles that will be continuously alert, and eventually achieve superhuman levels of situational awareness. Autonomous cars will bring increased safety, new convenient mobility services and even beautiful urban designs – providing a powerful force for a better future.”

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NVIDIA unveils VR-ready programme

NV-GF-VR-Ready-logo-wht-RGBNVIDIA is paving the way to virtual reality (VR) gaming experiences with the launch of its new VR-ready programme at CES.

Under the programme, PC and notebook makers and add-in card providers will deliver GeForce GTX VR Ready systems and graphics cards that deliver an immersive VR gaming experience. The programme minimises confusion regarding which equipment is necessary to play the range of VR games and applications increasingly coming to market.

Delivering a great VR experience demands seven times the graphics processing power of traditional 3D games and applications – driving framerates above 90 frames per second (fps) for two simultaneous images (one for each eye).

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NVIDIA brings VR to SEA

The HTC Vive takes users to another dimension adding freedom of movement to VR.
The HTC Vive takes users to another dimension adding freedom of movement to VR.

As the year heads to a close, the anticipation for virtual reality (VR) is gathering momentum. And NVIDIA has helped to raise the tempo by bringing VR to Southeast Asia in a closed door event for analysts, the media and enthusiasts.

Held on December 11 at Crown Plaza Changi Airport in Singapore, the event gave participants the opportunity to try out two of the hottest VR products — Oculus Rift and HTC Vive — powered by NVIDIA technologies.

Oculus Rift lets users immerse in three three-dimensional games (details are under embargo from the content owners), taking gaming to another level.

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7m Apple Watches sold in six months

Apple WatchesApple’s magic formula for success has continued with the Apple Watch. The highly-sought after smart watch dominated the market with nearly seven million units sold since launch, according to Canalys.

And this figure in just two quarters exceeds all other vendors’ combined shipments over the previous five quarters. That’s simply amazing!

In Q3, Apple was the only smart watch vendor to ship more than 300,000 units. The quarter also saw the release of the Pebble Time Steel, which helped the company ship more than 200,000 total smart watches, while Samsung’s Gear shipment declined ahead of the Q4 release of the Gear S2. Vendors will continue to battle for position behind Apple in Q4 as a raft of new devices from a diverse set of companies hits the market. For example, both Fossil and Tag Heuer will be launching their first smart watches before the end of the year.

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NVIDIA introduces Battlebox PC in ANZ

BattleboxAt PAX Australia held over the weekend in Melbourne, NVIDIA introduced the combat-ready Battlebox PC, which is designed especially for hardcore gamers.

A Battlebox PC is a beast of a gaming machine with a powerful combination of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti GPU horsepower, two-Way NVIDIA SLI and the best components. It is also VR Ready and supports 4K gaming and DX12 for better visual effects and rendering techniques.

The Battlebox PC will is available from Centrecom, MSY, Mwave, PC Case Gear, PLE, Origin PC, Scorptec, and UMART in Australia, and Computer Lounge, PB Technologies and Playtech in New Zealand.

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Tablet sale slides 12.6% in Q3

IDCTablet sale continued its decline for the fourth straight quarter, according to IDC. Q3 shipment of 48.7 million units represented a 12.6 drop year on year, further highlighting the challenges the tablet market is facing.

At the close of 2014, IDC estimated the installed base of tablets to be 581.9 million globally, which was up 36 percent from 2013 but slowing quickly. With mature markets such as North America, Western Europe, and Asia/Pacific well past 100 million active tablets per region, the opportunities for growth are getting fewer.

“We continue to get feedback that tablet users are holding onto devices upwards of four years. We believe the traditional slate tablet has a place in the personal computing world. However, as the smartphone installed base continues to grow and the devices get bigger and more capable, the need for smaller form factor slate tablets becomes less clear. With shipment volumes slowing over four consecutive quarters, the market appears to be in transition,” said Ryan Reith, Program Director of IDC.

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Microsoft Surface a new laptop

Surface BookNotebook, tablet, 13.5-inch display, 12 hours of battery life, and a NVIDIA GeForce GPU to boot — that’s what the new Microsoft Surface Book is made of. And it certainly got the world excited as news poured out from the press briefing in New York last night.

Dubbed the “ultimate” laptop by Microsoft, the device will sell for US$1,499 for the entry level model and US$2,699 for the top-end model, which comes with 512GB and a Core i7 processor.

Past iterations of the Surface have been pitched as a tablet first but this new model is presented as a laptop first, with a screen that detaches from the keyboard to become a tablet.

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Smartphone’s fingerprint sensors boost biometrics market

abi researchMore Chinese smartphone vendors are investing in equipping their devices with fingerprint sensors with such phones expected to hit one billion shipment by 2020, marking a 17 percent CAGR, according to ABI Research.

Biometrics on smartphone devices have moved past the simple authentication option and are headed towards establishing a more robust mobile payment solution.

However, other biometric modalities such as face, voice and eye-based recognition are currently moving out of the fledgling phase and are to be integrated as highly-secure – albeit more expensive – biometric capabilities in smartphone devices with a five-year CAGR revenue growth of 144 percent.

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Camera drones thriving in China

The Parrot Bebop is a fine example of a camera drone that consumers are snapping up.
The Parrot Bebop is a fine example of a camera drone that consumers are snapping up.

Camera drones are getting the attention, or rather causing concern among governments and the general public. While the public is usually perturbed by the invasion of privacy, governments has security and safety concerns.

That’s why it’s surprising that China’s camera drone market is thriving and used in areas such as film and television, geological exploration, and emergency response.

According to IDC, with a growing demand for more sophisticated products, Chinese consumers view camera drones as a trendy and in vogue product.

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Tablet vendor landscape evolving

IDCThe worldwide tablet market shed seven percent in Q2 to 44.7 million units, according to IDC. Quarter on quarter, the drop was 3.9 percent.

The market was not helped with the lack of hardware innovation and new products.

“Beyond the decline, we are seeing a profound shift in the vendor landscape as the top two vendors, Apple and Samsung, lose share in the overall market. In the first quarter of the year, Apple and Samsung accounted for 45 percent of the market and this quarter, with the growth of vendors like LG, Huawei, and E FUN, their combined share dropped to 41 percent,” said Jean Philippe Bouchard, Research Director for Tablets of IDC. .

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Samsung launches Galaxy Tab S2 and Galaxy A8 4G+

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and A8 4GSamsung has launched the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and Galaxy A8 4G+ in Singapore.

Claimed to be the thinnest and lightest tablet of its size, the Galaxy Tab S2  features a SUPER AMOLED display that is optimised for reading and viewing any type of digital content. It will be available from  August 7 in black and in 32GB with microSD supporting up to 128GB. The gold version will be available later next month.

The Galaxy Tab S2 will retail at:

  • Galaxy Tab S2 (9.7-inch) Wi-Fi: S$698
  • Galaxy Tab S2 (9.7-inch) 4G+: S$798
  • Galaxy Tab S2 (8.0-inch) Wi-Fi: S$598
  • Galaxy Tab S2 (8.0-inch) 4G+: S$698
Continue reading Samsung launches Galaxy Tab S2 and Galaxy A8 4G+
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Apple Watch makes its mark in Q2

Apple Watch rangeIt’s confirmed. Price does not matter when it comes to Apple products, or at least to Apple fans.

In its launch quarter, Apple Watch took the lion’s share of the wearable market with 4.2 million units shipped, according to Canalys. It breezed past Fitbit, Xiaomi and all the smart watch vendors, despite its significantly higher pricing.

However, early sales were hindered by two factors — Apple missing the end of year holiday season and supply constraints.

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Logitech becomes Logi

Logitech has shortened its brand to Logi as part of its transformation to produce more than just PC peripherals. The new name will be on selected products in existing categories with “a few surprises in new categories”.“We’ve […]

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Tablet market experiences steepest drop since inception

Source: ABI Research

​Tablet shipment has experienced the sharpest drop — 35 percent quarter-on-quarter decrease — since 2009. The consumer device also lost 16 percent year-on-year, according to ABI Research.

Apple and Samsung have been key market players and continue to dominate a significant majority of the tablet market.

“2015 is the pivotal year for smaller, competing vendors to step-up, build their business, and gain market share in advanced and emerging markets. The tablet market lacks a truly competitive playing field needing a strong third even fourth vendor to drive the market out of stagnation. Acer, ASUS and Lenovo all show promise for claiming those spots but need to focus on building their businesses especially in markets where purchase decisions are still largely to be made,” said Jeff Orr, Senior Practice Director of ABI Research.

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Goodspeed 4G Mobile Hotspot MF900 accommodates 10 SIM cards

Goodspeed 4GZTE and Uros have introduced the Goodspeed 4G mobile hotspot MF900 — which is manufactured under a technology licence from Uros — providing travellers with affordable international data roaming.

The device is the world’s first commercially available 4G hotspot that accommodates up to 10 SIM cards at once. It provides private connectivity for up to 14 Wi-Fi connections and one USB connection simultaneously.

The Goodspeed MF900 supports all mainstream global 4G frequencies (LTE FDD & LTE TDD), allowing end-users to connect to 4G networks whenever, wherever. Powering the device is a Qualcomm Gobi MDM9225 modem chipset, which offers downlink data rates of up to 150Mbps and uplink rates of up to 50Mbps.

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Huawei and Volkswagen to collaborate on smart cars

Volkswagen LamandoHuawei and Volkswagen are working together on car connectivity. They have unveiled technology that integrates smartphone functions with vehicle-mounted systems and allows drivers to use those functions safely while driving at the International Consumer Electronics Show Asia in Shanghai this week.

The partners have demonstrated a series of apps that safely allow drivers to use GPS navigation systems, play music, send and receive messages, and make phone calls while behind the wheel. The apps support MirrorLink, an open technology standard designed to maximise interoperability between smartphones and vehicle-mounted systems. They cover multiple services including phone calls, SMS, navigation, multimedia, and payment that are all centered on smartphones.

“Our cooperation with Huawei will seamlessly blend the capabilities of users’ smartphones with the systems in their cars. All content on the phone will be shown in real time on the car’s infotainment touch screen. The result is smart and convenient interaction between phone and car,” said Sven Patuschka, Executive Vice President for Research and Development of Volkswagen Group China.

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Global PC shipment down 7% in Q1

CanalysApple held on to its top spot despite a 16 percent drop in PC shipment in Q1. It shipped 17.2 million units, taking a 15 percent market share while Lenovo and HP came in second and third place respectively. Samsung was next with 9.5 million units shipped with Dell just behind with 9.4 million units.

Overall, the global PC market, including tablets, declined seven percent, according to Canalys.

“The growth drivers that previously helped the market through 2014 will have little effect this year. Vendors are struggling with exchange rate fluctuations which is making financial planning more difficult and forcing price increases. These challenges, combined with a softening of demand as Windows 10 draws nearer along with Microsoft’s free upgrade plans, means PC market declines will be greater in the second quarter than they were in the first,” said Tim Coulling, Senior Analyst of Canalys.

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Selfie stick: Simple invention but extremely useful!

Selfie stickIn a world of technological breakthroughs, the selfie stick is a really simple invention. Somebody had the bright idea to stick a holder at the end of a rod and voila, the selfie stick was born.

And what an invention it has turned out to be. It has solved the problem of close up shots being really closed up, especially for the one pressing the smartphone button. Also, group shots would have been really tough with the presser looking really big relative to the rest of the folks.

But, it was only during a recent trip to the UK that I truly appreciated the value of the selfie stick. From the airport to the various tourist attractions, my wife and I could take couple shots without me having to look disproportionately larger or having to keep asking passers-by for their help.

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APAC device shipment to grow 3.2% in 2015

GartnerShipment of devices (PCs, tablets, ultramobiles, and mobile phones) in Asia Pacific are expected to hit 1.2 billion units in 2015, an increase of 3.2 percent over 2014, according to Gartner.

“Device penetration is very high in Asia Pacific – at or beyond saturation point in mature markets and major cities in the emerging markets. Market saturation, along with consumers extending the lifetime of their tablets, has caused a re-calibration in the growth trajectory in the market. From 2016, we expect the tablet market to resume growth from a stabilised base,” said Lillian Tay, Principal Analyst of Gartner.

The computing devices market is forecast to drop 1.9 percent this year, affected by weak demand for tablets. The PC market overall will continue to grow slightly, as shipment in the premium ultramobile category compensate for a decline in sales of traditional desk-based and notebook PCs.

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Mobile gaming fuelling gaming market growth

abi researchRising demand for mobile games is driving the video game market to reach US$80 billion in 2020, up from under US$70 billion last year, according to ABI Research.

Traditional PC and console segments, on the other hand, will see a one- to two-percent annual growth.

Triple-A titles have the potential to dramatically change a developer/publisher’s financials, but gaming’s long tail is equally important to the continued growth of the industry. This is particularly true in the mobile space where a hit title can catapult a mobile game developer into the upper echelons of the market — as was true for developers such as King Digital (Candy Crush Saga) and Supercell (Clash of Clans).

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New NVIDIA SHIELD made to game

SHIELDFirst, there was the SHIELD portable. Then, the SHIELD Tablet. Today, at Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, NVIDIA has unveiled its third SHIELD, an Android TV console that delivers video, music, apps. and amazing games to the home.

Built on Android TV, SHIELD can play top-quality 4K video content, includes one-click access to Google Voice Search and provides the richness of Android’s app ecosystem.

The sleek device comes loaded with NVIDIA technologies, including the recently launched NVIDIA Tegra X1 mobile superchip. It can also access the NVIDIA GRID game-streaming service, which is powered by GeForce GTX supercomputers in the cloud.

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Android is top OS for smart devices

abi researchSmartphones and tablets helped boost Android’s reign over all smart device operating systems (OS) in 2014.

According to the ABI Research report, although Android’s reign is strong, that dominance may have reached its peak as OS competition increases. It expects Android to experience a modest CAGR of 10 percent between 2014 and 2019 as leading OEMs realise the profits produced by Android vendors is finite and seek new OSs for differentiation.

Since inception, the smart device market has been rapidly increasing as devices, especially smartphones, become ubiquitous.

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5 reasons why I like the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge

My Samsung Note EdgeThis week’s introduction of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge brought back memories of when the first Samsung Galaxy Note came out in 2011. While many were pooh-poohing the smartphone for being too large and bulky, I was really excited and among the first owners.

Four years down and I have not regretted that decision to cut over from what was the last Symbian-based Nokia phone to the massive Android smartphone. In fact, my family of four now carries the entire Samsung Galaxy Note range (OK, we’ve retired the original Note).

Last December, I upgraded from my trusty but slowing Note 2 to the Note Edge. It’s been nearly three months and I’m really loving it — the same feeling I had with the first Note.

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Wearbles sale to triple in 2015

The HTC Grip is a newcomer to the wearable market.
The HTC Grip is a newcomer to the wearable market.

With vendors are rolling out new wearable devices at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, it is not surprising that the market is set to boom.

In 2014, GfK noted that 13.5 million health and fitness trackers were sold globally compared to 4.1 million smartwatches. This year, that combined number is expected to jump 51.2 million units in 2015.

Last year, actual sales of health and fitness trackers (HFT) easily outstripped smartwatches. This was driven, in part, by the significantly lower average sales price of HFT, making these devices more affordable than full-feature smartwatches.

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HTC debuts Vive VR headset

HTC ViveThrough a strategic partnership with Valve, HTC has introduced HTC Vive, which aims to transform the way consumers interact with technology and the world around them. If you’re planning to go out and grab one, hold steady because the consumer edition will only be available at end 2015.

HTC and Valve have introduced a full room scale 360-degree solution with tracked controllers so users can get up, walk around and explore virtual space, inspect objects from every angle and truly interact with surroundings. The headset features high quality graphics, 90 frames per second video and great audio fidelity.

HTC is also introducing new wireless VR controllers that will make users feel as one with the virtual environment. The new HTC VR Controllers come in a pair and are designed to work with a wide range of VR experiences.

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NVIDIA SHIELD may go underwater with US Navy submarines

SHIELD droneThe NVIDIA SHIELD gaming console may be designed with gamers in mind but the US Navy is considering using the device in its nuclear submarines.

Instead of manipulating avatars, SHIELD may be used in navigating submarines. Sounds cool, doesn’t it? After all, SHIELD is already used to fly drones (see video, right).

For more than a decade, the US Navy has been putting off-the-shelf tech into its submarines’ sonar systems. The Navy can swap this gear in and out fast so sailors always get the most advanced stuff.

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Shoppers bring online competition to brick-and-mortar stores

GfK mobile compare pricesSaw a product you like in a brick-and-mortar shop? Why not whip out your smartphone to read a review of the product or compare prices with other stores? That’s what more and more shoppers are doing during their visit to physical stores.

According to a GfK survey of mobile phone users in 23 countries, 40 percent of shoppers compare prices online while another 40 percent contact a friend or family member for advice. Thirty-six percent take photos of products that interest them.

Globally, men outweigh women on using their mobile phone inside a store to compare prices on a regular basis, standing at 42 percent and 37 percent respectively. The most active age group is shoppers aged 20-29, with nearly half (49 percent) saying they regularly do this, followed by those aged 15-19 and 30-39, both at 45 percent.

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Tablet shipment down 12% globally in Q4

CanalysThe stats are in – tablet shipment dropped 12 percent to 67 million units in Q4, according to Canalys. The desktop market fell back into a decline in Q4 as Windows XP upgrades waned. The notebook market held firm with another quarter of just one percent growth.

Total PC shipments (desktops, notebooks and tablets) fell six percent in Q4 to reach 148 million units, resulting in full-year 2014 shipments of 528 million units, up three percent on 2013.

Apple regained the top spot in the PC market on the strength of holiday sales, with just under 27 million units shipped. Lenovo’s shipments grew six percent year on year to almost 20 million units as it increased its market share to 13.3 percent. Samsung dropped out of the top three to make way for HP, with growth of 17 percent driving shipments over 17 million units, its best quarter since Q3 2011.

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Tablet sales to be sluggish in 2015

GartnerGlobal demand for tablets will continue to be slow in 2015, according to Gartner. Worldwide tablet sales will reach 233 million units, an eight percent increase from 2014.

“The collapse of the tablet market in 2014 was alarming. In the last two years, global sales of tablets were growing in double-digits. The steep drop can be explained by several factors. One is that the lifetime of tablets is being extended – they are shared out among family members and software upgrades, especially for iOS devices, keep the tablets current. Another factor includes the lack of innovation in hardware which refrains consumers from upgrading,” said Ranjit Atwal, Research Director of Gartner.

Gartner analysts expect vendors in the devices space to announce new partnerships at CES this week that lead to innovative apps that use personal data to tailor the user experience.

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Samsung rolls out rugged tablet

Galaxy Tab ActiveSamsung has unveiled Galaxy Tab Active, a ruggerised tablet that’s designed just for business use.

Developed following consultations with leading companies across vertical markets — such as retail, logistics and transportation — the tablet is the first inspired by professionals and designed specifically to boost business productivity.

Its features deliver business functionality based on performance, durability and protection, allowing professionals to work without limitations in and out of the office. The Galaxy Tab Active provides full connectivity and meets the always on needs of today’s mobile business environment.

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5 reasons why I like the Garmin Vivosmart

Garmin VivosmartMy first experience with a fitness band began exactly a week ago when I bought the Garmin Vivosmart at Sitex.

This was after much evaluation of the options available in the market. Essentially, wearables fall broadly into two categories — activity tracker and smartwatch. I wanted the look of an activity tracker (which I think looks cool) with the features of a smartwatch, especially notifications from smartphone.

The Garmin Vivosmart fits these requirements nicely. After one week of wearing it, I must say that its features have transformed my life in several ways.

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Wearable band shipment up 37% in Q3

Moto 360Wearable bands are all the rage with many new models announced and expected to be available in the coming months.

In Q3, nearly five million wearable bands were shipped — an increase of 37 percent quarter on quarter, according to Canalys.

Motorola Mobility’s Moto 360 is the most successful among Android Wear devices, accounting for over 15 percent of the smart band market. Despite being supply-constrained, its appealing design helped it to easily outship other Android Wear products.

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Smart garments show greatest potential for growth among wearable devices

GartnerWearable electronic devices for fitness shipments are forecast to reach 68.1 million units in 2015, down from 70 million units in 2014, according to Gartner. This temporary dip in sales will be driven by an overlap in functionality between smart wristbands, other wearable fitness monitors and smartwatches.

However, the market for smart wristbands and other fitness monitors will rebound in 2016 because of versatile designs and models with lower-cost displays.

“Fitness wearables are used for tracking health, which goes hand-in-hand with fitness and wellness. Consumers will be able to integrate the data from most wearables into a single account where their data can be analysed using cognizant computing to provide useful insights to wearers.,” said Angela McIntyre, Research Director of Gartner.

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PhotoMath app solves algebra problems using smartphone camera

PhotoMathAlgebra can be a bane to students and while some turn to their teachers for help, others request for assistance from parents, siblings and tutors. With PhotoMath, they now have another source of help. Best of all, it’s free!

PhotoMath, which is now available on iOS and Windows smartphones, leverage the devices’ cameras to scan a printed math problem and provide an answer in an instant — complete with the steps to solving the problem.

All the student needs to do is to install the app, scan the equation within a red frame and the app does the rest.

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Google’s Nexus 9 breaks new ground with NVIDIA Tegra K1 64-bit processor

Google Nexus 9When Google announced the Nexus 9 last Wednesday, one of the more pertinent developments is that the new tablet sports the NVIDIA Tegra K1, which brings 64-bit capabilities to Android for the first time.

Google’s first tablet, the first Nexus 7, was also powered by the NVIDIA Tegra two years ago.

The Nexus 9 has broken new ground as the Tegra K1 is the first ARM processor for Android to take advantage of Lollipop support for 64-bit CPU architectures. Earlier known as Project Denver, the ARM v8-based custom CPU design brings class-leading efficiency and power to mobile devices.

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China open to using smartwatches as payment system

gfk_logoSmartwatches are set to be more than health trackers with countries around the world exploring different potential.

According to a recent GfK survey, 54 percent of respondents are keen to use smartwatches for payment even though mobile payment using a smartphone to pay at the checkout with near field communication (NFC) technology hasn’t proved very popular so far.

Besides mobile payment, the survey covering China, Germany, South Korea, the UK, and the US, revealed taht people in these countries see potential in using smartwatches to “carry” tickets for passenger transport or as security keys to their computers and online accounts.

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Worldwide semiconductor market to grow 7.2% this year

GartnerA slew of demand for semiconductors is helping the industry to hit a targeted 7.2 percent growth to hit US$338 billion this year.

Apple and Samsung are among the many IT vendors that have unleashed new products in recent months, spurring the growth in the semiconductor market.

“Semiconductor revenue set an all-time record in the third quarter of 2014, fueled by a strong electronics build for the holiday season. Get ready for a flood of new product introductions, ranging from simple low-cost tablets to high-end ultramobiles and smartphones. Demand for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has been robust, but there is concern for other types of devices planned for the holidays,” said Jon Erensen, Research Director of Gartner.

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New Honda cars to feature NVIDIA Tegra-powered Android infotainment system

Kristian - Israel

The 2015 editions of the Honda Civic, Civic Tourer and CR-V will leverage the power of  the energy-efficient automotive-grade NVIDIA Tegra processor for the Honda Connect infotainment system.

Easy and intuitive to use, the Android-based system is responsive to touchscreen gestures such as pinch, zoom and swipe to give drivers the same experience that they get on their smartphones and tablets.

Featuring rich, vibrant graphics and the ability to customize screens, Honda Connect delivers a personal experience to whoever is behind the wheel. The Tegra-powered system drives a seven-inch capacitive touchscreen display for satellite navigation, AM/FM/DAB, rearview camera and vehicle information. Access to the Honda App Center enables compatible apps for use on the touchscreen, such as Aha Radio.

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Huawei presents stylish Prime mobile wifi

Huawei Prime E5878Huawei has unveiled the Huawei Mobile WiFi Prime E5878, claimed to be the world’s thinnest at 7.5mm, the equivalent of five credit cards stacked on top of each other.

Delivering download speeds of up to 150 Mbps and connectivity for up to 10 devices, Huawei Prime is so compact and portable at 109.5mm long and 58mm wide that it can easily slide into a pocket or bag to stay connected on-the-go, making it ideal for small and home office business professionals.

Huawei Prime features press and play functionality with a five-second start up to provide quick connectivity for up to 10 WiFi-enabled devices at once with a range of 100 metres.

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Emerging markets to give tech devices US$10b boost

gfk_logoIndia, China, Pakistan, and Vietnam are among the top five emerging markets that will drive tech devices sale in 2015, according to GfK.

The resarch firm has forecasted that the global technology device market will remain at US$1 trillion next year, just as it has been since 2011.

Top 10 tech device growth markets in 2015​ ​ ​ ​
​ 2014 (U$b)​ ​2015 (U$b) ​Percentage YoY ​Growth (U$b)
​India 30.0​ 34.8​ 16%​ 4.8​
China​ 199.0​ 200.8​ 1%​ 1.8​
Nigeria​ 5.1​ 5.7​ 13%​ 0.7​
Pakistan​ 4.2​ 4.8​ 15%​ 0.6​
Vietnam​ 5.5​ 6.1​ 11%​ 0.6​
Bangladesh​ 3.3​ 3.8​ 13%​ 0.4​
Brazil​ 39.0​ 39.3​ 1%​ 0.4​
Egypt​ 4.6​ 5.0​ 8%​ 0.3​
Indonesia​ 12.4​ 12.7​ 3%​ 0.3​
​Philippines 3.8​ 4.1​ 6%​ 0.2​
TOTAL​ 306.9​ 317.1​ 3%​ 10.1​

Source: GfK

Continue reading Emerging markets to give tech devices US$10b boost
Gadgets by entelechyasia

Samsung avails Curved Soundbar in Singapore

Samsung Curved SoundbarIf you own a Samsung Curved TV, match it with the Samsung Curved Soundbar HW-H7501 which is now available in Singapore for S$999.

Designed to work in conjunction with Samsung’s Curved UHD TVs. the Samsung Curved Soundbar is crafted with a finely brushed aluminium finish that  matches and complements the Samsung Curved UHD TVs.

It can be easily wall-mounted and installed under the TV without the need to drill separate holes into the wall. With a width of 42mm and same curvature radius of 4,200mm as the Samsung Curved UHD TVs, the soundbar delivers a greater sense of curve by surrounding the viewer and providing a powerful listening experience.

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Watch for it — US$30 smartwatches next year!

mi-bandSmartwatches are attracting lots of attention but the prices are keeping many at bay, at least for now. Come next year, the prices are expected to average US$30, as smartphone vendors and component suppliers look to tap this market. In fact, Xiaomi has already introduced the Mi Band at just US$13.

Gartner predicts that by 2016, smartwatches will comprise about 40 percent of consumer wristworn devices. Nine out of the top 10 smartphone vendors have entered the wearables market to date or are about to ship a first product, while a year ago only two vendors were in that space.

“Apple has finally unveiled its Apple Watch, which we expect to trigger more consumer interest once it starts shipping in 2015,” said Angela McIntyre, Research Director of Gartner.

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Enterprise by entelechyasia

75% of mobile apps will fail security test

Gartner

Enterprise employees are downloading mobile applications from app stores and use these applications to access enterprise assets or perform business functions. What’s scary is that many of these applications have little or no security assurances.

According to Gartner, more than 75 percent of mobile applications will fail basic security tests in 2015. These applications are exposed to attacks and violations of enterprise security policies.

“Enterprises that embrace mobile computing and bring your own device (BYOD) strategies are vulnerable to security breaches unless they adopt methods and technologies for mobile application security testing and risk assurance. Most enterprises are inexperienced in mobile application security. Even when application security testing is undertaken, it is often done casually by developers who are mostly concerned with the functionality of applications, not their security,” said Dionisio Zumerle, Principal Research Analyst of Gartner.

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Apple Watch to spur worldwide wearable growth of 129% next year

Watch lineupJust a day after Tim Cook announced the much-awaited Apple Watch to a thrilled gathering of journalists, Canalys is predicting that the device will be the biggest driver behind wearable band shipment in 2015.

The global wearable market is expected to grow 129 percent year on year to reach 43.2 million units in 2015, of which 28.2 million will be smart bands and 15.0 million will be basic bands, according Canalys.

Canalys defines smart bands as those capable of running third-party applications, and basic bands, as those which are not.

Continue reading Apple Watch to spur worldwide wearable growth of 129% next year