IBM announces the world’s first working 7nm chip
IBM, in conjunction with GlobalFoundries, Samsung and SUNY, has unveiled the world’s first successful production of a 7nm FinFET chip with fully working transistors. The achievement comes as part of a $3 billion, five year research program spearheaded by IBM, which aims to push the limits of chip technology.
Today’s leading mobile processors are built on 14nm and 20nm manufacturing techniques. This 7nm breakthrough will eventually lead to smaller, faster and more energy efficient processors. However, before we go any further, it’s important to note that we are still years away from any potentially viable mass manufacturing techniques at 7nm.
Just yesterday we were talking about the ongoing race to 10nm, but to reach even smaller chip sizes we’re going to need new manufacturing techniques and new materials, plain old silicon just won’t cut it here. This is where IBM’s research comes in.
For a little background, one of the difficulties associated with smaller transistors (the electronic switches that form that basis of processors) is that the number of electrons able to squeeze through the transistor (aka the current) is also reduced, which increases the chance of errors. To combat this issue, IBM mixed some germanium into the channel, producing a silicon-germanium (SiGe) alloy with higher electron mobility, thereby improving the current flow. SiGe also helps to keep power consumption low and transistor switching at high speeds.
SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering’s Michael Liehr, left, and IBM’s Bala Haranand look at wafer comprised of 7nm chips
The other half of successfully producing such small chips is actually developing manufacturing tools detailed and accurate enough to etch out your processor design on such a small scale. IBM made its chip using EUV lithography, which uses a wavelength of just 13.5nm to etch out chip features. This is substantially smaller than the 193nm wavelength of state of the art argon fluoride lasers used at 14nm.
However, EUV is still expensive and difficult to use, making its suitability for time constrained mass production questionable. The tiniest errors at this size can completely undermine production, so expensive stabilizing isolation equipment and buildings are required to protect the manufacturing tools from vibrations. Some observers are concerned about the diminishing savings associated with ever smaller processors, as difficult and more expensive manufacturing techniques eat into the cost benefits of being able to squeeze more chips onto the same silicon area.
It is still too early to say when 7nm mass production capabilities will be ready, but firms have their sights set for sometime around 2017/2018.
WSJ: Samsung launching Galaxy Note 5 early to beat Apple
Samsung is believed to be bringing the launch date of the Galaxy Note 5 forward by a few weeks in order to beat Apple to the punch. The Wall Street Journal believes that the Korean company will announce its phablet gigantophone in August and get it into stores ahead of the iPhone 6S. It’s a break from tradition, since Samsung normally refreshes the Note line at IFA in the first week of September. Last year, however, the iPhone 6 arrived around the same time and, presumably, stole enough thunder to prompt the change.
The move would give the company something to shout about after seeing its smartphone sales slip between April and June. It’s believed that Samsung misread demand for the Galaxy S6 Edge which was significantly more popular than it had anticipated. By bringing the launch of the Galaxy Note 5 forward by a few weeks, the device could be in stores by September and/or encourage fair-weather users to wait a few more days when it comes to upgrade time.
[Image Credit: AP]
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Samsung
Source: Wall Street Journal
WSJ: Samsung won’t launch the Galaxy Note 5 at IFA
According to a report published by The Wall Street Journal earlier today, Samsung will not be taking the wraps off its upcoming flagship phablet, the Galaxy Note 5, at Berlin’s IFA trade show in September this year. It will, instead, move its announcement forward a few weeks in order to avoid competing for attention with the unveiling of the latest iPhone, which usually takes place just after IFA.
This isn’t the first time Samsung has released a smartphone in an uncustomary month, though. Back in August, 2014, it launched the Galaxy Alpha, which did extremely well during its first couple of months on the market. The fact that the Asia-based manufacturer has done this before adds credibility to the report as it makes sense for it to follow in the same footsteps for its fifth-generation phablet.
If recent leaks, rumors and speculation are anything to go by, the upcoming Galaxy Note 5 is expected to pack a 5.67-inch Super-AMOLED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels, an Exynos 7422 processor, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing shooter.
Source: WSJ
Come comment on this article: WSJ: Samsung won’t launch the Galaxy Note 5 at IFA
Samsung rolling out Android 5.1.1 for the S6 Edge in Algeria, Austria, Brazil, Croatia, Egypt and Germany
Samsung has now started rolling out the Android 5.1.1 update to all unlocked variants of the Galaxy S6 Edge located in Algeria, Austria, Brazil, Croatia Egypt and Germany. As for as added functionality goes, this upgrade transports the latest build of the Android operating system to the handset, in addition to a truckload of bug fixes and stability improvements.
All the changes you’d expect to find in the Lollipop software are bundled into this upgrade, including support for multiple accounts, improved notifications, stronger 256-bit encryption, a smoother multitasking experience and the recently-announced Material Design guidelines.
As usual, the upgrade is being rolled out in stages, but if you don’t feel like waiting for a notification confirming that it’s ready for your device to hit your unit, you could always search for the update manually.
To do so simply open the Settings app, scroll to the bottom and tap on “About Device”, hit “System Updates”, then select “Check for updates”. Once done, the upgrade will start downloading from Samsung’s servers.
Come comment on this article: Samsung rolling out Android 5.1.1 for the S6 Edge in Algeria, Austria, Brazil, Croatia, Egypt and Germany
WSJ: Samsung to launch Galaxy Note 5 in mid-August, in order to avoid iPhone overlap
Here’s an interesting report from the highly-respectable Wall Street Journal: Samsung is reportedly moving up the release date of the Note 5 to August, in order to avoid competing for attention with Apple’s iPhone.
According to a person familiar with the matter consulted by WSJ, Samsung is going to launch the Note 5 around mid-August, in order to give the phablet “some breathing room” ahead of what’s expected to be heated competition with the new generation of the iPhone.
The launch event could take place in a major US city, according to the source, and not the usual venue, Berlin’s IFA trade show, where the first four generations of the Galaxy Note were introduced. Exactly which city will host the event is yet to be decided.
The report is short on details, but if it’s accurate it would be a major departure from Samsung’s established routine. Moving up the Note 5’s release could be perceived as a sign of insecurity in the face of Apple’s onslaught, though a bigger reason could be a desire to accelerate the release of the Note 5 in order to make up for the underwhelming performance of the Galaxy S6.
Samsung is also reportedly working on an oversized version of the Galaxy S6 Edge, that was rumored to launch sooner than the Note 5. It could be that Samsung has decided to launch the Note 5-S6 Edge Plus duo early, though there’s no mention of the former in WSJ’s report.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 and Galaxy Tab A 9.7 review
After staying away from the tablet market for almost a year, Samsung introduced a new budget-friendly tablet series back in March. First launched in Russia, the Galaxy Tab A series has now made its way to other markets around the world, including the US. The two tablets that are currently a part of the series offer everything that you may love about the Samsung experience, and at an affordable price point. As is true in the Android world though, the competition in this space is quite intense, with some really good options out there. So are these devices worth it? We find out in this full review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 and Galaxy Tab A 9.7!
Buy the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 from Amazon for $229
Buy the Galaxy Tab A 9.7 from Amazon for $266.77
Design
On the design front, both tablets feature an all-plastic build, with a matte-finish back and a silver display frame. The plastic certainly feels cheap when talking about the overall feel, but at least it makes for a back that isn’t prone to fingerprints. There are parting lines to be found on the sides and the corners of both tablets as well. While that doesn’t necessarily impact the usage negatively, it is a testament to the somewhat disappointing build quality of these devices.
Read more: Best cheap Android tablets (June 2015)
Signature Samsung design elements make a return this time around as well, with the physical home button up front, flanked by capacitive back and recent apps keys, found below the display. There is no backlighting with these capacitive keys though. Moving around the device, the power button and volume rocker are found on the right side, the microSD card slot is placed on the left, and the microUSB port and headphone jack are both at the bottom. The speakers are also found on the bottom, with the larger Galaxy Tab A 9.7 featuring a dual stereo speaker setup, compared to the single speaker of its smaller sibling. On the back of both are the camera and two smart cover connectors that can be used with the Samsung Smart Cover and a handful of third-party cases.
Both the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 and Galaxy Tab A 9.7 are thin and somewhat light, with a thickness and weight of 7.4 mm and 313 grams for the former, and 7.5 mm and 450 grams in the case of the latter. With the exception of an extra speaker, a slightly less protruding camera on the larger device, and of course, the overall size, both tablets share a similar aesthetic. It also worth mentioning that both of these devices come with a display with a 4:3 aspect ratio, and as a result, are slightly wider than what you’d expect to see on any other Android tablet.
Display
Both the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 and the Galaxy Tab A 9.7 feature TFT touchscreens with the identical resolution of 1024 x 768, resulting in unfortunately low pixel densities of 160 ppi and 132 ppi respectively. This low resolution is certainly disappointing, as it would be something you’d expect with a tablet that is far cheaper than the price for what these tablets are being sold.
With that said, despite the noticeable lack of sharpness, both panels do offer vibrant colors and excellent viewing angles. Sunlight readability could be slightly improved, but the displays are definitely bright enough for standard indoor use. Also noticeable is a thin black border around each display that adds to the bezel of the device. This is a lot more evident on the white model, which could be an annoyance to some people.
Performance and hardware
Under the hood, both tablets pack the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor clocked at 1.2 GHz, and backed by the Adreno 306 GPU and 1.5 GB of RAM. This is quite the capable processing package, but things tend to feel a little slower than they should at times. The benchmark scores disappoint as well, and just like with the displays, this isn’t what you’d expect nor want with a device priced as high as these. The extra .5GB of RAM is pretty noticeable compared to devices with only 1GB, but unfortunately not by much. On the other hand, these tablets do handle gaming well, and while there is the occasional dropped frame, things remain smooth for the most part.
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Both tablets come with 16 GB of on-board storage, further expandable via microSD by up to 128 GB. Apart from the standard suite of connectivity options, a 4G LTE-capable version is also coming soon, which will also see the on-board storage and RAM bumped up to 32 GB and 2 GB respectively.
The speakers on the Galaxy Tab A devices get reasonably loud, and sound pretty good overall. It is easy to block them when using the device in landscape orientation, though, which is an issue with pretty much all devices with side-firing audio. The larger 9.7-inch model has a slight advantage in this area with its dual stereo speakers, but the audio quality remains about the same when it comes to real world usage.
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One highlight when it comes to the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 and Galaxy Tab A 9.7 is the battery life, with the devices packing large 4,200 mAh and 6,000 mAh batteries respectively. Using each tablet with Wi-Fi enabled and the screen brightness set at 75% allowed for both devices to last just over 14 hours, with an impressive 7 hours of screen-on time in the case of the 8-inch model, and 8 hours of screen-on time with the 9.7-inch model. The power saving modes Samsung offers with its devices are also available here.
Camera
Both devices come with 5 MP rear camera and a 2 MP front-facing unit. The rear camera allows for decent looking shots and will do in a pinch, but is certainly not capable enough to replace your primary mobile photography device. As far as the camera application is concerned, it isn’t as packed with features as is found with Samsung smartphones, but there are a few different modes, effects, and filters available that might help make up for the poor quality photos.
Software
As far as the software is concerned, both devices come with Android 5.0.2 Lollipop with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI on top. These tablets also bring with them quite a few incentives on the software side, including the availability of six Microsoft applications pre-installed, along with the option to claim 100 GB of free cloud storage for 2 years with the use of Microsoft OneDrive. In addition, you also get a 3-month subscription to Next Issue, one free Kindle e-book every month for a year, three free audio books from Audible, and three months of access to SIRIUSXM radio for new users.
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When it comes to the user interface, some of the positives include quicker and easier access to the Quick Toggles menu, along with the ability to edit these toggles, a split view of the Settings menu, a “close all apps” button, and multi-window, which proves to be really useful on devices with large displays. What gets confusing is the number of duplicate apps you’ll see, such as two web browsers, two note-taking apps, two email apps, three music apps, and even two app stores. The launcher’s non-alphabetical organization method can also take some getting used to, and the default keyboard is mediocre at best. Of course, you always have the option of third-party launchers and keyboards to remedy these downfalls.
Specifications
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 | Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7 | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 8-inch TFT display 1024 x 768 resolution, 160 ppi |
9.7-inch TFT display 1024 x 768 resolution, 132 ppi |
| Processor | 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 Adreno 306 GPU |
1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 Adreno 306 GPU |
| RAM | 1.5 GB | 1.5 GB |
| Storage | 16 GB expandable up to 128 GB |
16 GB expandable up to 128 GB |
| Camera | 5 MP rear camera 2 MP front-facing camera |
5 MP rear camera 2 MP front-facing camera |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n Bluetooth 4.0 GPS + GLONASS microUSB 2.0 |
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n Bluetooth 4.0 GPS + GLONASS microUSB 2.0 |
| Software | Android 5.0.2 Lollipop | Android 5.0.2 Lollipop |
| Battery | 4,200 mAh | 6,000 mAh |
| Dimensions | 208.3 x 137.9 x 7.4 mm 313 grams |
242.5 x 166.8 x 7.5 mm 450 grams |
| Colors | white, smoky titanium, smoky blue | white, smoky titanium, smoky blue |
Gallery
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7
Pricing and final thoughts
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 is available for $229, and the larger Galaxy Tab A 9.7 also features a heftier price tag of $299, but is currently on Amazon with a price tag of $266.77. Further, an S-Pen can also be picked up with the 9.7-inch model for an additional $50, but keep in mind that the device itself doesn’t have a slot to house the stylus. Available color options for both tablets include White, Smoky Titanium, and Smoky Blue.
Check out these other Samsung devices!
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So there you have it, a close look at the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 and Galaxy Tab A 9.7! Both of these tablets bring a lot of positives to the table, including good quality audio, fantastic battery life, and a few useful Samsung-exclusive software features. With that said, the low resolution display and slower performance make it hard to justify the price tag, especially with regards to the larger 9.7-inch version. There are some really good tablets that offer similar specs and features to these tablets, but are also cheaper. That turns out to be the biggest issue with the latest Samsung tablets, unless you’re absolutely sold on the Samsung experience.
Buy the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 from Amazon for $229
Buy the Galaxy Tab A 9.7 from Amazon for $266.77
Samsung and TSMC racing to get 10nm chips out first
Samsung was set to produce it’s 10nm chips for upcoming big orders but it looks like TSMC is also beginning production. According to recent events it looks like TSMC will be skipping past 14nm and going straight to 10nm. Remind you of anyone? That’s similar to what Samsung did when it skipped it’s 10nm FinFet mark directly to 14nm in order for the trendy stacked method.
TSMC is preparing to begin production of it’s 10nm as soon as this year in order to capture some big orders. Samsung is not happy with this because similar with it’s 14nm process, Samsung tried to take large customers like Qualcomm and Apple away from TSMC. Samsung now relies heavily on it’s chip making process.
After the Snapdragon 810 overheating issues with TSMC, Qualcomm reached out to Samsung to manufacture the new upcoming 820 chipset. Apple has also reached out to Samsung for it’s new A9 chip production. Samsung believes if TSMC’s chipsets come out first rivals like Qualcomm and Apple will seek them for orders. As of now Samsung has not announced any change and will stick to its schedule to produce it’s 10nm chips at the end of next year.
The new chipset will bring improvements to power consumption and clock rates. We’ll see how this all turns out.
Source: BusinessKorea
Via: SamMobile
Come comment on this article: Samsung and TSMC racing to get 10nm chips out first
Samsung gets Wi-Fi certification for SM-G903F
At a time when Samsung’s latest Galaxy S6 and the S6 Edge are already doing quite well, the Korean electronics giant has decided to serve its old wine in a new bottle by reintroducing the Galaxy S5 with a few changes. And why not. The old Samsung flagship still has a loyal fan base across the globe.
Samsung has received Wi-Fi certification for a device named, SM-G903F, on July 6. Sources revealed that the new device will be called the Galaxy S5 Neo, and it will bear many similarities with its 2014 sibling. While both handsets sport 5.1-inch 1080p Super AMOLED displays, 16-megapixel rear cameras, 2GB of RAM and 2,800 mAh battery, the Galaxy S5 Neo will feature a 64-bit octa-core Exynos 7580 processor instead of the Snapdragon 801 and a 5-megapixel front camera rather than 2-megapixel one of the original S5.
A few more goodies that Samsung has managed to pack in this improved device include LTE-Advanced connectivity and Android 5.1 Lollipop out-of-the-box. There are reports claiming that the Galaxy S5 Neo is available for preorder in Czech Republic for $490.
While the rumors about this new Samsung handset have been circulating for quite some time, the Wi-Fi document that has surfaced now confirms that the smartphone will operate on 802.11/ac Wi-Fi at 2.4 Ghz and 5Ghz frequencies.
Source: Blog of Mobile
Via: SamMobile
Come comment on this article: Samsung gets Wi-Fi certification for SM-G903F
Xiaomi and Samsung are the most faked Android phone brands in China
You can tell a lot about the popularity of a device from market research and analyst estimates, but to learn what phones people really desire, China’s sprawling fake and clone industry is a great starting point.
AnTuTu, the China-based benchmark developer, has a great vantage over the market: tens of thousands of devices check in to its servers every day to submit benchmark scores. Among them, thousands of fake devices imitating brand-name phones of all calibers.
Looking at data from 10 million devices, AnTuTu found that the two most faked smartphone brands in China are Xiaomi, with a share of 37.3%, and Samsung, with 30.96%. Put in another way, out of every three fake phones, one is a Samsung and one a Xiaomi.
It’s no surprise to see Samsung at the top of this questionably honorable ranking – the company has a strong cachet in the world’s largest phone market, accumulated over years of market domination. That’s despite the fact that in recent quarters, Samsung’s share took a dive in China. Much of this decline is due to Xiaomi, and it looks like Xiaomi’s also beating Samsung in the “most likely to be faked” category.
Huawei, HTC, ZTE, Coolpad, Oppo, and Lenovo are other brands that are frequently faked, though their numbers are significantly lower.
The elephant in the room is Apple – AnTuTu hasn’t included iPhones in its statistic, but we suspect the number of iPhone fakes and clones circulating in China is sky high. After all, the local market has provided Apple with the bulk of its growth over the past year, as status-hungry Chinese snap up iPhones at a blistering rate.
AnTuTu notes that the number of fake devices has decreased compared to past years, a sign that users are increasingly capable to spot fake devices before they buy them. More importantly, many people no longer need to buy a fake, not when Xiaomi is offering genuine products at very low prices.
You may think that these stats only concern China. But most of the fakes and clones you can buy on eBay and other platforms come from China. At the very least, this should be a reminder to be extra careful when buying Samsung or Xiaomi smartphones from unverifiable sources.
Samsung files to trademark ‘Tab S Pro’, implies a larger tablet is on the way
Remember when Samsung said it would trim its product line-up? Yup, so do we. Not only are we looking forward to the upcoming announcement of the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus handsets at IFA, but we also believe that the much rumoured Galaxy Tab S2 range of tablets will also be revealed in the coming weeks. And, if that isn’t quite enough new products for you, Samsung has also filed to trademark the ‘Tab S Pro‘ moniker for future use as well.
As you can see from the trademark application above, the details are non-existent other than the name “Tab S Pro“. If one tries to apply some logic to the trademark, you might be inclined to believe that the Tab S Pro will be a larger tablet, possibly with a 12-inch or bigger display if you think back to last years 12.2-inch Note Pro tablet. Also, seeing as the current Galaxy Tab S tablets use Super AMOLED technology, it isn’t a huge leap of faith to believe that the Tab S PRO will too. Of course, there’s always the chance that Samsung will switch things up, which means that all of this is pure conjecture.
This isn’t the first time that the Tab S Pro name has appeared. Back in January it was spotted in the device compatibility list for Samsung’s Milk Music service.
It’s believed that Samsung will announce its Galaxy Tab S2 tablets sometime in August, so Samsung could announce the Tab S Pro at the same time. Would you be interested in a 12.2, or maybe even 13-inch tablet with a Super AMOLED display? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: engdtj.kipris.or.kr
Via: GalaxyClub
Come comment on this article: Samsung files to trademark ‘Tab S Pro’, implies a larger tablet is on the way
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