Samsung Announces First QLED Curved Monitor With Thunderbolt 3

Last month, LG announced a new set of Thunderbolt 3 monitors to be officially unveiled at CES 2018. Not to be outdone at the January event, Samsung today unveiled the first curved display with Thunderbolt 3 connectivity.

The 34-inch CJ791 monitor features a 3,440 × 1,440 UltraWide QHD resolution with a 21:9 aspect ratio, while the single Thunderbolt 3 cable delivers a connectivity speed of up to 40 Gigabits per second to a range of docks, displays, and peripheral devices, including Macs and external GPUs. The Thunderbolt 3 interface also allows the CJ791 to supply up to 85 watts of charging power to USB type-C compatible MacBooks.

The specs can’t quite match LG’s upcoming 34-inch UltraWide 34WK95U, which has a 5K resolution of 5120 x 2160 pixels, but apart from multi-peripheral connectivity, Samsung is eager to promote the CJ791’s QLED display as ideal for gaming and entertainment. With “precise” performance across 125 percent of the sRGB color spectrum, a 4 milliseconds response time, and a sharp 1,500R curvature and ultra-wide 178-degree viewing angle, the CJ791 should still turn some heads at this year’s CES. The company is also touting the monitor’s built-in Game Mode, with a dynamic gamma setting that allows the CJ791 to adjust the color and contrast of individual scenes as they’re displayed.

There’s no word yet on the price of the 34-inch CJ791, but hopefully more should be revealed when CES opens its doors on January 9 for four tech-filled days at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Stay tuned to MacRumors for all the highlights.

• Review: LG’s $1500 38UC99 UltraWide Display Offers a Giant, Desk-Filling Workspace

Tags: Samsung, Thunderbolt 3, CES 2018
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LG Display to Become OLED Panel Supplier for This Year’s ‘iPhone X Plus’

LG Display saw its shares surge to a one-month high on Wednesday following a report that the company will begin supplying OLED panels to Apple’s new range of iPhones this year (via Financial Times).

LG’s stock rallied on an Electronic Times report that the South Korean firm would make over 15 million OLED panels for Apple’s 2018 range of iPhones. LG is already a supplier of LCD panels, currently used in the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, but Samsung dominates supply of OLED displays for Apple’s flagship iPhone X. Indeed, last week LG Display revealed in a regulatory filing that it didn’t supply any of the OLED panels currently used in the iPhone X.

iPhone X Plus mockup by Benjamin Geskin via iDrop News
However, that could change this year, since Apple is expected to launch two new 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch iPhone models with OLED displays in 2018. According to today’s report, LG Display will supply Apple with the 6.5-inch OLED panels, while Samsung will supply the 5.8-inch or 6-inch OLED panels.

Reports have been trickling out since July 2017 that Apple has invested billions of dollars in LG’s OLED production capability for smartphones, but the fruits of its investment were thought to be some ways off. LG was initially reported to have secured 45,000 panels per month for future iPhones from 2019, while as recently as September it was suggested that Apple would have to wait until at least next year before it could move beyond Samsung for significant supplies of OLED panels. However, Wednesday’s report suggests LG could secure its position as the number two supplier of OLED screens for Apple’s iPhones as early as the second half of 2018. LG is said to be planning to mass-produce the panels for Apple at its Gen 6 flexible OLED production line located in Paju, South Korea.

LG came in for scrutiny recently after it emerged that the firm supplied Google with the Pixel 2 XL’s OLED displays, some of which were reportedly prone to screen burn-in or image retention issues. It remains unclear whether the problems stemmed from LG or other factors were involved, although the smaller Pixel 2 and original Pixel phones – both with Samsung-supplied OLED displays – have experienced far fewer issues. It’s also worth noting that Apple says OLED displays can show “slight visual changes” after extended long-term use and minor screen burn-in is considered normal.

The new iPhone X and iPhone X Plus will likely launch around the usual timeframe of September to October, potentially alongside a new 6.1-inch mid-range model with an LCD display.

Related Roundup: iPhone XTag: LG DisplayBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
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‘Pokémon Go’ is finally heading to the world’s largest mobile market

Pokémon Go had a relatively quiet launch in the summer of 2016, but the mobile AR game quickly caught on, leading to server problems as demand proved too great for maker Niantic to comfortably handle.

Once it had its servers in order, Niantic soon began flipping the switch for the game in an increasing number of countries, taking it to millions of new players around the world who eagerly hit the streets in a bid to catch ’em all.

Up to now, however, there’s been one major country absent from the lengthy list of nations where players can download and enjoy the game: China.

That’s set to change after Niantic revealed to the Financial Times (FT) this week that it’s struck a deal with local gaming firm NetEase, paving the way for the game’s launch in the world’s largest mobile market.

While San Francisco-based Niantic is yet to announce a specific date for the game’s launch there, when it does happen it expects millions of new players to join in the fun — and hopefully splash some cash on the game’s in-app purchases.

Taking Pokémon Go to the world’s most populous country is a huge boost for Niantic and looks set to increase revenue for the company after a relatively quiet 2017. Niantic CEO John Hanke told the FT that despite losing a lot of players in the last year, Go still has a loyal following among a smaller but solid base of players who’ve been enjoying numerous updates for the game throughout the last 12 months.

The deal with a China-based partner means the country could be one of the first to try out Niantic’s next major game launch, set in the magical world of Harry Potter, which is expected to arrive in the latter half of this year. Mindful of the difficult launch experienced by Pokémon Go, and aware that Harry Potter will likely generate even more interest, Hanke insisted Niantic has learned its lessons and is now “much better positioned” to cope when the Potter game lands.

Whether the Chinese authorities are well positioned to cope with the potential incidents and accidents caused by Pokémon Go when it turns up on smartphones in the country, well, that’s another question entirely.

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LG will launch a ‘raspberry red’ V30 at CES 2018

LG is launching a new V30 variant at CES 2018, targeting those not quite fond of the phone’s original black, blue, silver and lavender color schemes. The upcoming version is called “raspberry red,” a muted red-pink that’s much darker than the “pink rose” Samsung Galaxy S8. LG’s V30 is a flawed phone that’s both powerful and unpolished — it performs very well, but it has a dim, gritty screen. It produces fantastic sounds, but its camera could perform better in low light, and it has a middling battery life.

The raspberry red version will be no different from the other colors, but LG’s likely hoping that the new eye-catching hue can convince people still on the fence to finally purchase the phone. It will initially be available in LG’s home country, South Korea, right after CES and will roll out in Europe’s and Asia’s key markets afterward. Unfortunately, it’s not clear if the raspberry red V30 will come out in the US — you might end up having to import one if the phone’s not making its way stateside.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Source: LG

Google brings its mysterious Fuchsia OS to the Pixelbook

Google’s Fuchsia operating system — transparent in development yet mysterious in purpose — now works on a third device: Google’s $1,000 Pixelbook. The OS, which has been likened to an Android re-do but appears to be built from scratch, also works on the Acer Switch Alpha 12 laptop and old Intel NUCs from 2015.

These are fairly obscure pieces of kit, which suggests that while Google has no beef with external developers getting inside Fuchsia and having a look around, it’s not going to be easy for them. It’ll run on open source emulator QEMU as well, but the graphics stack needs Vulcan support, which QEMU doesn’t offer, so you don’t get the OS interface, just a command line.

Getting it going on the Pixelbook isn’t any easier. The installation guidelines recommend installing it with a USB drive, but warns that the process is “destructive” to the USB device. Allegedly this just means you’ll need to reformat it, but again, the wording, and the choice of supported devices so far, means Google isn’t actively encouraging people to have a go at this stage.

Via: Android Police

Alexa and Cortana still don’t work together

Remember how Amazon and Microsoft unveiled a team-up that would let Alexa and Cortana talk to each other by the end of 2017? As you might have noticed, that didn’t quite work out as planned. Thurrott has pointed out that the voice assistant crossover still isn’t available as 2018 begins. It’s not clear why, either. Both Amazon and Microsoft have said that they expect to say more “soon,” but that’s no guarantee of news at CES or another imminent event.

The team-up promises to greatly simplify voice control in the home. You could issue commands to an Echo speaker that take advantage of Cortana’s access to Office- and Windows-specific features, while you could use Cortana to access the many, many skills Alexa offers. In short: instead of having to remember which AI helper to use at any given moment, you could settle on one.

It’s also a defensive measure. Both Amazon and Microsoft have to worry about competing platforms. Google is the most direct threat, since it allows Assistant on third-party hardware, but the two have to consider Apple as well — after all, you’re less likely to consider an Echo or a Cortana speaker if you buy a HomePod. Theoretically, this lets Amazon and Microsoft focus on their largest threats instead of trying to take each other down.

Source: Thurrott

Samsung’s latest curved QLED monitor packs Thunderbolt 3

Samsung isn’t going to sit idly by while LG’s upcoming range of monitors hog the limelight at CES 2018. The electronics giant just unveiled another curved QLED display, the world’s first with Thunderbolt 3, which should prick up the ears of MacBook Pro users. It’s officially called the CJ791, which doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, and also features a 3440×1440 resolution, wide 21:9 aspect ratio, and four milliseconds response time.

Those specs are clearly no match for LG’s upcoming 34-inch ultra-wide 5K monitor (or Samsung’s insane 49-inch curved QLED display). But, that isn’t stopping Samsung from boasting of its immersive picture, achieved through its 1,500R curvature and ultra-wide 178-degree viewing angle coupled with its QLED tech, which reflects colors across a 125 percent sRGB spectrum for “deeper blacks and whiter shades.” Ultimately, the company hopes it will attract both business users in search of multi-tasking screen space, and gamers.

And then there’s Thunderbolt 3, which should entice laptop users looking to hook up to a larger monitor without the need for an additional power source. As you’ve probably guessed, that also means faster processing speeds (up to 40 Gigabits per second) and laptop charging, with up to 85 watts of power. Alas, Samsung is keeping quiet about how much cash you’ll need to drop on the display (it won’t be cheap), but we’ll report back when we hear more.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Source: Samsung

Spotify hit with a $1.6 billion lawsuit over Tom Petty, Neil Young songs

Spotify’s 2018 is off to a rocky start as it emerged the company has been hit with a $1.6 billion lawsuit brought by a major music publisher.

Wixen Music Publishing, which has on its books work by the likes of Tom Petty, The Doors, Neil Young, Stevie Nicks, and Weezer, accuses the music streaming giant of failing to obtain the proper licenses to allow it to legally reproduce and distribute the artists’ work.

The suit was filed in a California federal court on December 29, 2017. It alleges that Spotify is offering thousands of songs on its service without the correct licenses, and that it “failed to pay songwriter royalties to [Wixen] approximately 21 percent of the time.”

As noted by Variety, the music publishing industry has for a long time had Spotify in its sights, claiming the online streaming service favors music labels over publishers when it comes to sharing out royalties.

Wixen’s suit sates: “Spotify has repeatedly failed to obtain necessary statutory, or ‘mechanical,’ licenses to reproduce and/or distribute musical compositions on its service. Consequently, while Spotify has become a multibillion dollar company, songwriters and their publishers, such as Wixen, have not been able to fairly and rightfully share in Spotify’s success, as Spotify has in many cases used their music without a license and without compensation.”

Randall Wixen, president of the music publisher, said in a statement that his company was merely “asking to be treated fairly,” adding that it is “not looking for a ridiculous punitive payment.” Wixen said it wants Spotify “to reasonably compensate our clients by sharing a minuscule amount of the revenue they take in with the creators of the product they sell.”

Spotify is yet to comment publicly in response to Wixen’s lawsuit.

This isn’t the first time Spotify lawyers have had to face lawsuits from disgruntled players in the music business. In May, 2017, for example, the company proposed a $43 million payout to settle a class-action suit brought by a group of music artists over proper licensing, though many voiced objection to the offer.

This latest lawsuit comes as Spotify, which is valued at $19 billion, reportedly makes plans to go public some time in 2018. It’s not yet known if the legal action will have any effect on the expected move.

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Apple’s latest acquisition will bolster its tools for app developers

Apple is no stranger to acquisitions. Back in 2014, it bought the company behind TestFlight, a system that lets iOS developers get their app out to tens of thousands of beta testers ahead of launch. Now the company has purchased Buddybuild, a company that helps app developers test and manage their apps on the iOS platform.

The startup says that it has joined Apple’s Xcode engineering group and is accepting no new customers, though the service will remain available to existing ones. The free starter plans and Android customers will lose access as of March 1st of this year. Apple confirmed the acquisition to TechCrunch, as well.

Buddybuild will remain in the same offices for now. “We’ve always been proud to be a Canadian company, so we’re also pleased that we will be staying right here in Vancouver — a hotbed of developer and engineering talent,” the team wrote on its announcement blog post.

Via: TechCrunch

LG’s 2018 TVs get faster and smarter with Google Assistant, Alexa

LG’s TVs have taken home our Best of CES Award for three years running and in 2018 it’s ready to take on all comers once again. As with all home electronics of the current era, the company’s new TVs are AI-ready with its ThinQ technology, but you’ll probably be more interested in their support for third-party smart home services like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. The top of the line OLED TVs will have its new “Alpha 9” processor inside that’s not only powerful enough for AI, but also ready to push video at high frame-rates of up to 120FPS. The chip also claims better color performance and “four-step process of noise reduction” although we’ll be interested to see if it can be disabled to avoid any artifacts or motion-smoothing type impact on picture quality.

There’s no word yet on the OLED display prices, but if you’d rather stick to LCD technology that will likely be cheaper, LG’s Super UHD lineup will have a similar Alpha 7 processor inside, and improved backlighting with denser LED zones. This year they’re featuring “Advanced HDR by Technicolor” which includes support once again for HDR-10, Dolby Vision or Hybrid Log-Gamma encoded video, plus they’re ready to decode any Dolby Atmos audio.

Source: LG