Sony 3D camera modules were given a boost in manufacturing output in Asia after a recent burst in interest from smartphone brands. Brands like Apple and Samsung will feature the Sony 3D camera module in some form or another, so says sources inside the industry that wish to remain anonymous. Sony sensor division's head Satoshi Yoshihara suggested that Sony chips will power 3D cameras from several smartphone brands in 2019.
Qualcomm will shift to a new 7nm system-on-chip design for its next, 5G-capable flagship mobile platform, though the company isn't quite ready to spill the beans completely on what it has planned. The new SoC - which Qualcomm says it expects to be the first 5G-capable mobile platform for premium-tier smartphones and more - is currently sampling to device partners.
This week the folks at MARS Bioimaging revealed the first 3D color X-Ray of the insides of a human body. They've got a device called the MARS large bore spectral scanner, AKA the MARS spectral x-ray scanner - and we're crossing our fingers for a simpler name as the product is further developed, too. This scanner uses an adaptation of technology first used by CERN in the hunt for the God particle.
It looks like Samsung is about to be inside your favorite smartphone once again. While the company's chip-making devision lost their contract deal with Apple several years ago, they plan on picking up the pace once again the very near future. They began their series of big moves toward the future they envision earlier this year by splitting off their chip-making business arm within their semiconductor division as "Samsung Foundry" - and it would appear that their next goal is the iPhone.
An announcement from VISA suggested that Chip and PIN technology in fuel pumps will be delayed for several years. The original U.S. Automatic Fuel Dispenser EMV activation date for VISA for gas stations throughout the United States was set for October 1, 2017. That date has now been pushed to October 1, 2020.
When smartwatches arrived on the scene almost two years ago, there were still no components specially designed to the still unheard of device. That meant manufacturers had to make do retrofitting smartphone pieces for smartwatches, which practically meant using unoptimized hardware. February this year, Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon Wear 2100 to offer a system-on-chip solution more suited for smartwatches and similar multi-purpose devices. Now at Computex 2016, it is following that up with the Snapdragon Wear 1100 which targets more special-purpose devices instead.
NXP Semiconductors has rolled out the QorIQ LS1012A processor promising enterprise-class performance and security for consumer and networking applications in a very small package size. The chip has a 64-bit ARM v8 processor with network packet acceleration and QorIQ trust architecture security capability and line-rate networking performance at 1W of power. The chip packs all its features into a tiny 9.6mm x 9.6mm package size.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 is arguably the most hotly-anticipated Android phone of 2016, but the heart of the chip could well be the bigger story. Samsung's flagship is expected to offer the company's own version of a 3D Touch-style pressure sensitive display along with choice of 5.2- and 5.7-inch panels, but it's the processor keeping the phone running that has been prompting speculation.
There has been a lot of focus of late on smartphones and wearables with capabilities to measure certain health factors, mostly heart rates and sometimes even blood oxygen levels. Trying to capitalize on that still growing market, Samsung has announced what is billed to be the industry's first all-in-one health chip solution that combines all the relevant sensors as well as processors in a single chip small enough to be placed inside a fitness band.
About two weeks ago, Samsung unveiled its next generation system-on-chip or SoC, the Exynos 8 Octa. Now it is revealing what will be the first member of that new family, the Exynos 8 Octa 8890. This processor brings together all the latest in the silicon industry, including a 14 nm FinFET process as well as combining both application processor and a powerful new cellular LTE modem in a single chip. This new flagship processor is expected to power the Korean OEM's Galaxy S7 smartphone, due to be revealed by February next year.
Moore's Law is something cooked up by Gordon Moore in a paper long ago. Moore would eventually go on to found Intel and the law states that computing power will double every two years. In the years since Moore came up with his law, it has held true but some scientists and researchers believe we are nearing the end of life for Moore's Law as we begin to reach limits on how small we can make chips.
After months of somewhat keeping silent, while letting its partners do the talking, Qualcomm is finally speaking out on the issues that have plagued what would have been its star chip for 2015, the Snapdragon 810. Naturally, it's calling the rumors of the chip overheating as hogwash and based on incomplete data. Of course, it's pointing the finger at "someone" who has been spreading this rumor to its advantage, without specifically mentioning the one company that stands to profit from the Snapdragon 810's failure: Samsung.