Smartphone News

Qualcomm reveals first dedicated Extended Reality (XR) platform
May 30, 2018 – Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) has debuted its Snapdragon XR1 Platform, the world’s first dedicated Extended Reality (XR) platform. XR1 offers mainstream users high-quality XR experiences while enabling OEMs to develop mainstream devices.
News categories: Qualcomm, Alex Katouzian, Digital TV, Metaverse, Semiconductor, Smartphone, Worldwide

Worldwide smartphones sales fell for the first time in Q4 2017
Feb 22, 2018 – Global sales of smartphones to end users totaled nearly 408 million units in the fourth quarter of 2017, a 5.6 percent decline over the fourth quarter of 2016, according to Gartner.
News categories: Gartner, Anshul Gupta, Market Research, Smartphone, Worldwide

Nuance brings voice to Virgin Media cable TV in Ireland
Nov 9, 2017 – Liberty Global has integrated Nuance’s voice technology to allow Virgin Media subscribers in Ireland to search and access films and TV channels by simply clicking the microphone icon located in the Virgin Media TV Anywhere App and speaking into their smartphone microphone.
News categories: Nuance Communications, Virgin Media, Mark Giesbers, Apps, Cable TV, Digital TV, Ireland, Set Top Box, Smartphone, UX

Smart Home will drive IoT to 50 billion devices
Oct 26, 2017 – The Internet of Things continues to expand rapidly, and the smart home will be one of the keys to further growth through the 2020s, according to Strategy Analytics. Nearly 20 billion IoT and connected devices will be deployed worldwide by the end of this year.
News categories: Strategy Analytics, David Mercer, Bill Ablondi, Market Research, Set Top Box, Smart Home, Smart TV, Smartphone, Tablet, Worldwide

18:9 aspect ratio device shipments to reach 611 million units by 2021
Aug 15, 2017 – The trend in equipping newer smartphone designs with wider screens is giving rise to the 18:9 aspect ratio, with the display shipments expected to reach 611 million units by 2021, according to the latest analysis by IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO).
News categories: IHS Markit, Hiroshi Hayase, Digital TV, Market Research, Smartphone, Worldwide

iflix and Econet Media collaborate to bring SVoD to sub-Saharan Africa
Aug 2, 2017 – iflix and Econet Media’s Kwesé have announced the establishment of a partnership to bring streaming entertainment services to sub-Saharan Africa. The collaboration will leverage the region’s rapid increase in smartphone penetration and growing consumer demand for premium quality entertainment.
News categories: Kwesé, iflix, Joseph Hundah, Andre de Wet, Africa, Digital TV, Smartphone, Streaming

U.S. Connected CE purchase rates in gentle decline
Jun 27, 2017 – Research from Parks Associates reveals challenges manufacturers face as they seek to drive higher rates of purchase in the connected CE markets. While consumer intentions in 2017 mirror the levels of the previous two years, the long-term trend shows lower percentages of households buying CE than in the past.
News categories: Parks Associates, Tricia Parks, Digital TV, Gaming, Market Research, Set Top Box, Smart TV, Smartphone, Tablet, USA

Mariner xVu now monitoring over 3 billion events per week
Feb 16, 2017 – Mariner xVu™ has announced significant growth in tier-1 operators. The xVu software platform is now successfully monitoring over 3 billion events per week, with over 40 million devices under management.
News categories: Mariner xVu, Shaun MacDonald, Big Data, QoE, Set Top Box, Smartphone, Tablet, Worldwide

V-Nova video compression enables FastFilmz low-bandwidth OTT in India
Apr 7, 2016 – V-Nova has announced that FastFilmz, India’s innovative new OTT service provider, has deployed V-Nova’s PERSEUS software. With V-Nova PERSEUS, FastFilmz is able to deliver quality streamed video to both 2G and 3G mobile phone users.
News categories: V-Nova, FastFilmz, Guido Meardi, Eric Achtmann, Dominic Charles, Karam Malhotra, Digital TV, India, Media Player, Smartphone, Streaming