OLED panels race to the top, $37.2 billion in revenue estimated by 2020
The Korea Herald , which is why LG and Samsung (which even plans to sell its LCD plant) have been investing so much into it.
The common saying says all things that rise must also fall, but we would say OLED panels are just starting to go on their ascension, and a new report from Allied Market Research would agree with such assumption. According to the latest statistics, the OLED world-wide market is to reach a $37.2 billion in revenue by 2020. The number is hard to ignore, as is the CAGR (Compound Anual Growth Rate) of 18.3% during the forecast period of 2015-2020.
What is OLED?
The concept is very complex and a bit hard to explain, but we will try to simplify it a bit. In essence, an OLED panel is simply a screen made of organic materials. These emit light when electricity is applied through them, which means they require no back light (unlike LCD displays).
OLED screens are typically made of four layers: the substrate, the cathode, the anode and the organic layer. The anode and cathode are in charge of the movement of electrons, which travel through the organic layer (this part helps produce light and color).
See also: Do black interfaces really save power on AMOLED displays?
AMOLED vs PMOLED
By the way, there are two main OLED technologies currently available, and these are believed to continue being the most popular in the years to come. These would be AMOLED and PMOLED. The main differences are that AMOLED displays are more expensive and material intensive, but they happen to provide a better image and make for higher definitions. On the other hand we have the PMOLED panels, which are easier to build and much more affordable, yet lack on quality.
This report states AMOLED will be the most popular of the 2, for obvious reasons. In fact, they go as far as saying that it will make for $32.0 billion out of those $37.2 billion in OLED revenue by 2020.
See also: AMOLED vs LCD: differences explained
The benefits of going with OLED
There are plenty of reasons to go with OLED technology. For starters, the picture quality tends to be better. Colors are more vibrant, blacks are deeper, and because these are not back-lit, they offer a much higher contrast when compared to LCD. The same characteristics allow it to have better viewing angles.
In addition, these screens use less energy, are thinner and happen to be more durable. What is there not to like?!
See also: The state of AMOLED 2014 and beyond
Why wait for 2020?
Though OLED screens are obviously the better choice in this market, some do still prefer the color accuracy that IPS LCD screens can produce. OLED is definitely not for everyone, and it also doesn’t help that it does happen to be a more expensive technology. This is why you usually see it in high-end smartphones that cost a pretty penny.
We do know the prices of OLED screens are expected to come down, though. In fact, it is said OLED screens may undercut LCD displays by next year. Regardless of what happens? I am glad the world is adopting OLED screens, as I do prefer the image and performance they offer. Do you disagree? Would you rather have some form of LCD screen or any other technology?
Samsung replaces its smartphone chief
Samsung Mobile’s top execs held on for a while during the company’s troubled time with smartphones, but it’s apparently been long enough. JK Shin, in addition to another co-CEO, (Samsung’s exec lineup is a… multi-layered one), will withdraw from daily operations, replaced by DJ Koh, a mobile exec who previously oversaw Samsung’s barely-nascent Tizen mobile OS and Samsung Pay — neither of which are international success stories (yet?). At the same time, Samsung’s head of TVs and home appliances, BK Yoon, is being moved on to focus on “long-term strategy”.
Source: WSJ
Google is matching up to $1MM for donations to DonorsChoose.org (students in need) #ForEveryKid
Happy Holidays everyone. I’m sure many of you are tired of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, and your wallets are a little lighter after the spending binge. I truly hope you all got spectacular deals on incredible products, either for yourselves or for a loved one.
Now that it is December, the time is upon us to get in the spirit of giving.
One of my very favorite things about Google is their commitment to making a difference in the world. At the very bottom of the Santa Tracker webpage, Google is asking for people to get in the holiday spirit by donating to DonorsChoose.org. Not everyone is fortunate enough to splurge during the Black Friday weekend and some kids don’t even have access to simple school supplies.
#ForEveryKid (From Google)
“Help fund a special project on DonorsChoose.org. This December, we’re helping to double the impact by matching donations by 50%, until we reach our goal of donating US$1,000,000. Together, we can make classrooms more inclusive #ForEveryKid“
How does it work?
DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need. Public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on our site, and you can give any amount to the project that most inspires you.
When a project reaches its funding goal, we ship the materials to the school. You’ll get photos of the project taking place, a letter from the teacher, and insight into how every dollar was spent. Give over $50 and you’ll also receive hand-written thank-yous from the students.
Is there a minimum donation?
You can give as little as $1 and get the same level of choice, transparency, and feedback that is traditionally reserved for someone who gives millions.
What kinds of schools do you serve?
K-12 public schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, including public charter schools.
How did DonorsChoose.org start?
Charles Best, a new social studies teacher in the Bronx, often talked with his colleagues about materials and experiences they wanted their students to have, but which they had no funding to support. He created DonorsChoose.org in 2000 so that individuals could connect directly with classrooms in need. Check out our fun timeline.
Are gifts tax-deductible?
As a 501(c)3 charity, donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of US law. Our federal tax ID # is 13-4129457.
I know not everyone is fortunate enough to be in a position to donate money, but the holiday season is about giving, and even if you can donate time at your local food bank, homeless shelter, or even just helping a neighbor rake leaves, take the time to do something nice for someone. But if you are fortunate enough to donate money, help support DonorsChoose.org and Google will match %50 of every dollar raised to help students in need.
You can fund projects in your local communities, or you can give to projects hundreds of miles away.
Some projects ask for as little as $555, such as this one where a teacher is asking for support to pay for simple school supplies. The funding will provide basic supplies for her 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade special education students. The project just needs $203 to be funded half way and Google will take care of the rest.
Or this project which needs just $69 to reach its goal:
Learning With Autism: A Safe Place To Grow
My students need tools to help focus their minds and calm their bodies to be ready to learn. Other students in the class need books to build empathy and understanding.
I know Androidguys doesn’t have the reach that sites like Engadget and Android Central have, but if you could help pass this message along to everyone you know, we can help kids by funding one, two, three or maybe even hundreds of projects. Every dollar counts. #ForEveryKid
Let’s aim to get most of these projects funded before Santa comes on the 25th.
The post Google is matching up to $1MM for donations to DonorsChoose.org (students in need) #ForEveryKid appeared first on AndroidGuys.
10 best new Android apps of November 2015
App developers are pushing the envelope on a daily basis trying to improve and enhance our smartphone and tablet experiences. In fact, so many Android apps come out every day that it’s difficult to keep track of them all. It’s difficult to usurp the best of the best but if you’re getting bored with what you’ve got and want to try something new, check out the best new Android apps from the last month!
Adobe Capture CC and Adobe Illustrator Draw
[Price: Free]
Adobe recently released not one, but two new Android apps and they are Adobe Capture CC and Illustrator Draw. Capture CC is a design app that lets you create things like brushes, stamps, shapes, and other similar things for later use. It’s a fairly simple app to use and comes with Adobe Creative Cloud support. Illustrator Draw is a drawing app that lets you use vectors, layers, zoom, and various other tools to create works of art. Both apps have a few bugs that are being worked out, but they’re both entirely free to download and use.
Get Adobe Capture CC now on Google Play!
Get Adobe Illustrator Draw now on Google Play!
Apple Music
[Price: Free, $9.99/month]
Apple Music was released to a very mild reception on Android. A lot of people laid on the Apple hate which is starting to be the norm for Apple apps that get released on Android, but the service itself isn’t half bad. It boasts 30 million songs, curated playlists, and various radio stations for $9.99/month. The app itself could use some work, though, as it does contain some bugs, lag, and other minor issues. It’s worth a shot and we hope Apple fixes those issues sooner or later.
Get it now on Google Play!
Custom Quick Settings
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Custom Quick Settings is an application for users of Android Marshmallow. As it turns out, there’s an experimental feature that lets you edit and create your own tiles in Quick Settings and this application allows you to engage with that feature. You can do stuff like launch apps and shortcuts and there is even cursory Tasker support. It’s an app for power users and it’s free to download and try out to see if you like it.
Get it now on Google Play!
Drivemode
[Price: Free]
Drivemode is an application that is meant to be used in the car. It works by giving you swipe gestures and large, colorized buttons to help you keep your eyes on the road and off of your smartphone. It seems to work pretty well and can be useful for those who use their phones in the car. With it, you can listen to music, answer texts, answer phone calls, and plenty of other tasks. The unique UI and usability make it a pretty decent app to pick up and it’s totally free with no in-app purchases.
Get it now on Google Play!
Parchi
[Price: Free]
Parchi is a free and lightweight note taking app that came out of Microsoft’s Garage Project. As you’d expect, you can take a variety of notes with it including regular notes and lists. You can also add extra stuff if needed. The unique feature of this app is the use of hashtags to help label notes. Using the hashtags, you can easily search and find the notes you’re looking for or a series of notes if you reuse hashtags. It’s totally free with no in-app purchases.
Get it now on Google Play!
See also: Best Android phones (November 2015)
Pintasking
[Price: Free, $3.99]
Pintasking is a unique application that allows you to keep open applications in a floating button. That means they’re always there, sitting on the side of the screen waiting for you to open them up and engage with them again. This is a great application for power users and you can try it before you buy it, although the application limits you to two floating icons for the purposes of demoing the app. The full version costs $3.99.
Get it now on Google Play!
Pool
[Price: Free]
Pool is an app from MediaFire, which you may know as the cloud storage and file sharing service you’ve probably downloaded stuff from before. Pool is kind of a hybrid mix of Google Photos and Instagram in that it allows you to upload and store photos but you can also share them directly with people. It’s quicker and easier than sending individual photos over texts and, unlike Instagram, you only share it with people you want to share with.
Get it now on Google Play!
Signal Private Messenger
[Price: Free]
Signal Private Messenger is a newer messaging service that gained a lot of steam very quickly after Edward Snowden publicly endorsed the app. It boasts immense amounts of security and helps keep your messages encrypted and private only for your eyes. It’s accompanied by a very basic, but functional Material Design interface and it’s entirely open source for those who like to see what the app code looks like. It’s quite good and worth a shot.
Get it now on Google Play!
Wonderwall
[Price: Free]
Wonderwall is an application that helps you find backgrounds and wallpapers. It features tons of landscape and nature photography from talented photographers all over the world. You can find the pictures you like and then make them your background. There is also a function that auto-sets the background for you each day with a new image. It’s young, but has a lot of potential and you can even upload your own shots if you want.
Get it now on Google Play!
YouTube Music
[Price: Free, $9.99/month]
Google released YouTube Music as an off-shoot to the original YouTube application. This one carries a number of music-centric features, including featured playlists and you’ll only find music videos when searching for content. The free version of the app is fairly competent but if you pick up a YouTube Red subscription, you’ll also get offline videos, the ability to play music without loading the video, and, of course, ad-free videos.
Get it now on Google Play!
Related best app lists:
If we missed any great new Android apps, tell us about them in the comments! To see our complete list of best app lists, click here.
10 best new Android games of November 2015
Android gaming is getting bigger and better every month it seems and there is always a slew of new titles coming to Google Play. Whether you’re a casual gamer or you want something with a beat more meat on its bones, there’s usually a game coming out to suit everyone’s taste. Let’s take a look at the best Android games from the last month!
Call of Champions
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Call of Champions is a new MOBA that was released this last month. As with most MOBAs, you collect a party and then storm off onto the battlefield to defend your side and take over your opponents. It features decent graphics and it seems to work rather well in terms of online play. There are a total of 15 heroes to gather, all with their own unique abilities. It’s free to download and play with the in-app purchases being for extra content.
Get it now on Google Play!
Dead Effect 2
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Dead Effect 2 is the sequel to the popular Dead Effect game that helped define what a shooter should be on Android. In this new sci-fi shooter, you’re tasked with killing all sorts of bad guys and monsters. There is also an RPG element that lets you level up your character and make it stronger. The graphics are quite impressive and the controls are about as good as you can get on a touch screen. It’s free to download so you can give it a shot right now.
Get it now on Google Play!
Fallout Pip-Boy
[Price: Free]
Okay, Fallout Pip-Boy isn’t necessarily a game but it is probably the best companion app to a game we’ve seen in a very long time. It launched alongside Fallout 4 and gives you the ability to monitor your character from your smartphone or tablet. You can see things like stats, inventory, the map, and there are even mini-games that you can engage with. The reviews are almost universally positive and we agree because it’s pretty great.
Get it now on Google Play!
Horizon Chase
[Price: Free, $2.99]
Horizon Chase is an ode to the racing games of old. It uses retro-style graphics with a touch of modern thrown in for good measure. You can choose between a number of cars and race them through a number of brightly colored tracks. It even comes with a soundtrack from Berry Leitch, known for making music for arcade style racing games like this one. You can try the demo for free with the full game costing $2.99.
Get it now on Google Play!
Lost Echo
[Price: $2.99]
Lost Echo is an adventure, platform, puzzle game that originally saw success on iOS. The story involves a man named Greg and his journey to find his girlfriend Chloe. The catch is that he’s the only one who remembers that she existed. It features some fun puzzles, an actual story line, mini-games, and the graphics aren’t half bad either. The game also contains no in-app purchases and the reviews have been generally positive so far.
Get it now on Google Play!
See also: 10+ best free Android games with no in app purchases
Minecraft: Story Mode
[Price: $4.99 with in-app purchases]
Minecraft: Story Mode is the latest episodic adventure game out of Telltale Games. This one features Minecraft-style graphics but instead of the usual grinding and open-world exploring, you’re actually playing through a story line. It’s voiced by an all-star cast of actors and actresses including Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, Corey Feldman, and many more. As with most Telltale Games, your story decisions affect other parts of the story, which is always a nice touch.
Get it now on Google Play!
Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee
[Price: $4.99]
The latest Oddworld game to hit Android is Munch’s Oddysee. It’s true that this isn’t necessarily a brand new story from the series, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a lot of fun. For those who haven’t played, this title is an action-adventure game where you must reclaim the last package of gabbiar. It hasn’t received a ton of press so it’s still a little obscure, but the user reviews have been really good so far.
Get it now on Google Play!
Prune
[Price: $3.99]
Prune is an atmospheric puzzle game with a simple, but strangely enjoyable premise. In each level, you’ll be given a tree that is growing and a light source. Your job is to prune the tree in such a manner that it grows into the light so it can blooms pretty flowers. It’s simple to play but can be challenging to complete. The music, graphics, and even game play mechanics are made to help you feel relaxed while playing it and that’s definitely a vibe we got. There are also no in-app purchases with this game.
Get it now on Google Play!
Shooty Skies
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Shooty Skies is the latest time killer from the creators of Crossy Chicken. This title is already pretty popular for having come out just a few weeks ago and we can see why. It’s addicting, quick to play, and a very colorful experience. It uses retro-style graphics much like Crossy Chicken and you’ll be taking to the skies to shoot down all kinds of bad guys. It’s a classic Freemium title which means there are in-app purchases.
Get it now on Google Play!
This War of Mine
[Price: $14.99]
This War of Mine is a survival game based around World War II. The main difference between this one and others is that you have to survive being the innocent civilians stuck in the middle of two warring sides. Each decision you make determines who lives and dies and whether or not your survive. It’s surprisingly deep and emotional for a mobile game and probably among the best titles released this year.
Get it now on Google Play!
Related best app lists:
If we missed any great new Android games, tell us about them in the comments! To see our complete list of best app lists, click here.
Massive ‘GTA V’ mod adds way more than 4K textures
Grand Theft Auto V got a pretty major overhaul when it made the jump from last-gen hardware to PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One last year, but that leap’s got nothing on a new user mod that takes the stick-up simulator into ultra high-definition. “The Pinnacle of V” adds UHD textures for clouds, water, rain and blood, but its biggest changes go well beyond the superficial level. The designers boast that “literally every aspect of the game has been tweaked, adjusted and fine tuned” including bullet speeds, on-foot and in-car police patrols, population density for more realistic rush-hour traffic and now you can shoot through certain materials like wood and plastic too. Oh, and vehicle handling has apparently been completely redone as well — something on full display in the video after the break.
Via: Eurogamer
Source: The Pinnacle of V
How to enable Developer Options on your Android device
If you desire to take a bit more control of your Android device, but aren’t sure where to start, might we suggest looking at Android’s built-in Developer Options?
Let’s quickly look at how to enable Developer Options, then we’ll backtrack and discuss why exactly you would want to enable these features and what you can do with this new found power.
The following steps are for nearly any version of Android out there. We worked from both a vanilla Android experience, based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow on the Nexus 5, and Android 5.0.2 Lollipop on the Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet. We have been using Developer Options on a number of Android devices for a long time now – this article was previously written based on Android 4.4.4 KitKat – while a few features have changed, the process to activate Developer Options has not.
First, open up your main system Settings.
Scroll down, all the way to the bottom to find About Phone (or About Tablet.)
Scroll down again and find the entry with Build number.
Start tapping on the Build number entry, Android will now pop up a message informing you that in x amount of clicks, you will become a Developer. Keep tapping away until the process is complete. Well, we can forget about an education and work experience if tapping a button a few times is all it takes to become an Android developer! I’m kidding of course.
With that out of the way, head on back to the main system Settings and you will now see Developer options listed. For me it was the second to last entry.
What are Developer Options good for?
Allow me to begin with a warning. Developer Options contains a number of items that truly are for trained professionals. Please do not change anything if you do not understand what it is or does. At the very least, take note of the default setting and be prepared to come change things back if anything goes wrong.
Now, as the name implies, Developer Options are a set of tools and settings designed to assist an app developer in optimizing their products and tracking down errors. For example, the option called Pointer location provides a precise reading of user input. While this is great for a developer that needs to understand touch location and movement, the overlay is fairly unusable for your everyday computing.
Instead, perhaps Show touches would work for you. You’ve seen the result of Show touches before, it is that little white dot that is present in many of our Android customization articles.
Apps like Helium backup require that you turn on USB debugging, which is also found in this list.
We won’t spend any more time digging through this list, there are many options, most of which will not do you any favors for your day to day. Of course, with a few careful tweaks, one could dramatically improve, or destroy, their Android experience.
One menu down, one to go
While there are a few changes to the features available within Developer Options itself, we are more excited about the new hidden menu that allows Android 6.0 Marshmallow users to edit the layout for the Quick Settings notification menu. A few quick clicks, pokes and prods will have you up and running. We’ve previously discussed how to do this, make sure to go check it out.
Edit Quick Settings in Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Are there any Developer Options that you always turn on for your devices?
Eddy Cue Discusses Why Apple Made a Pre-Installed News App
In a follow-up to an interview Apple executive Eddy Cue had with CNN senior correspondent Brian Stelter a month ago, the senior vice president of Internet software and services discussed Apple’s thoughts on the News app, which launched alongside iOS 9 in September. When asked why Apple decided to turn it into a pre-installed app, Cue offered a look into how Apple determines what constitutes a pre-installed app.
“We’ve only created the apps that we think everyone uses every day… We really wanted to create a single app that all customers could go to, to read all their news — no matter what they are interested in, no matter what topics, no matter what publications they want to follow — and get that experience that they’re used to with our products, where it looks beautiful, it’s really easy to read and yet it provides all the content available around the world.”
Cue goes on to say that Apple believes the app is a “really, really important application for the world,” noting that good journalism is important to Apple. News organizations, Cue says, have to worry about creating their own apps, interfaces and user experiences. Apple believes something like the News app can streamline this and help news organizations focus on journalism. Apple believes that the app benefits local news outlets that can’t afford to create their own apps. Furthermore, Cue says Apple even thought about how small outfits like upstart news organizations and church newsletters could use News to distribute information.
Apple is also working on a version of the app for China, Cue tells CNNMoney. When asked whether the company is running into censorship problems in the country, Cue says that it’s not. Instead, Cue notes that Apple has a “great working relationship” in China and that Apple Music, its App Store and retail stores in the country show that they know how to work in China.
Finally, Cue says that Apple has no plans to hire journalists and create content of their own. Instead, Apple’s goal with News is to “empower those journalists to get their content to the right customer.”
In late October, Tim Cook said that Apple News had approximately 40 million users. However, Cook didn’t reveal whether that number was regular users or customers who had simply checked out the app, making it difficult to determine how many people truly use Apple News. Apple has partnered with dozens of publications for Apple News, including CNN, The New York Times, ESPN and more. To get the latest news and rumors from MacRumors, make sure to add MacRumors to Apple News by clicking this link.
Discuss this article in our forums
Explore the surfaces of planets in ‘Elite: Dangerous’ beta
The expansion pack for Elite: Dangerous, the one that lets you go planetside and explore the surface of places like Europa, is out now. Sort of. The Horizons Planetary Landings beta, teased in a video released last week, does exactly what it says assuming you’ve pre-ordered Horizons itself. Everyone else needs to wait for the official release sometime before year’s end. Driving the all-new Surface Recon Vehicle, players can discover signals, crashed ships and mineral deposits, vastly expanding the range of gameplay. Creator David Braben recently showed off the expansion in a demo (below), and said that certain features, like textures and frame rates, might still have issues.
Via: Rock, Paper, Shotgun
Source: Elite Dangerous
Adobe Photoshop update brings custom toolbars and artboards
Before the sun sets on 2015, Adobe has another round of updates for its Creative Cloud software. The new features span a number of apps, but we’ll focus on Photoshop CC. To boost overall productivity, and to save you time and a few headaches, Adobe is giving the photo-editing software custom toolbars. This means that you’ll be able to add, delete and rearrange what appears in that set of tools on the left side of the interface. The new feature allows to you customize the layout of your workspace so that only the items you use are taking up valuable space. In theory, you’ll spend less time hunting for the tool you’re after, too. Slideshow-344396
AIVAnet 