News & Reviews:   Technology

While we may just saw the launch of the latest and greatest SoC from Qualcomm, we have yet to know how the SoC is like in terms of performance. A new report has been spotted online, showing the possible specs of the 835, as well as the mid-tier 660 as well.

After the reveal of the high-end HTC Vive and Oculus Rift from Valve, many are feeling that VR is something beyond their reach and means, as the entry point for high-end VR seems to be in the realms of high-end gaming machines. However, a new report states that Microsoft’s own Holographic OS may not need something high end – in fact, the PC at your house right now may already be supported for VR.

The parent company of Harman-Kardon, JBL and AKG will be purchased by Samsung for a staggering USD 8 billion (~RM 35 billion) in a deal that give Samsung a significant presence in the large and rapidly growing market for connected technologies.

While the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 shows what curved displays can be like to own, we are still plagued with the limitation of smartphones – both phones still have bezels around the display, albeit a very tiny one. Sharp, one of the premier manufacturers of displays, has reveal a display that is without bezels, and spans from corner to corner.

Head’s up Xiaomi smartphone users. MIUI 9 is real, and it has been teased online. The new OS based on Android 7.0 Nougat is set to be available for Xiaomi devices either sometime the end of this year, or perhaps in 2017.

The recently launched Apple iPhone 7 and Apple iPhone 7 Plus comes with Apple’s new Fusion A10 processor – with its two high-powered and two –low-powered cores running to keep the phone in optimum condition. However a new report has just been shared online that a new processor is on its way from Apple, and it is expected to be used in their Apple iPad Pro products.

The next time you are busy lining up at your local Maybank, check if they have WiFi on offer. Selected branches around Malaysia now gives out free WiFi access to their customer while waiting in line.

While the company may be facing some tough times, Samsung is still a large multinational company, and they have many facets of business to rely on. Case in point – chip fabrication. They are fabricating their own processor – the Exynos - and we will be seeing another customer using Samsung’s fabrication facilities. Qualcomm is said to engage with Samsung for their Snapdragon 830 fabrication.

After the successful entry to the Japan market, Spotify is growing ever more in its presence online, and now they are said to be in talks to purchase Soundcloud, in a deal that could be around USD 700 million (~RM 2.9 billion).

We are still looking and waiting for the foldable smartphone to come to fruition. We expect Samsung to be the first company to bring the foldable smartphone to the market – but according to a new patent filed by them, we may see a foldable tablet first instead.