The month in tech: the OnePlus 5T and VR's impressive sales

Mobile world

G’s new flagship phone, LG V30, sports a new p-OLED screen, thinner build and improved dual cameras. It’s also being marketed as a luxury phone and content creation device with a particular focus on videographers. The six-inch p-OLED display dominates the front panel with slim bezels and an 81% screen to body ratio. The LG V30 also features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, 4GB of RAM, 64/128GB of internal storage, Gigabit LTE support and the possiblity of a microSD expansion. LG has bucked the recent trend by keeping the 3.5mm headphone jack on their smartphones and the device comes with a 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad Digital-to-Analog Converter. The V30 also includes a standard USB-C connector on the bottom with support for USB 3.1 speeds. The phone is equipped with a 16MP (f/1.6) rear camera and a 5MP selfie cam. The 13MP wide-angle camera is also an added perk. The V30 was built to show video, ideal for YouTubers and would-be videographers.

It’s an Honor

Elsewhere, Honor has unveiled the latest Honor 7X smartphone with a new 18:9 display and 5.93-inch screen for a better than HD 2160 x 1080 resolution. On the back of the phone, the Honor 7X’s dual rear cameras are equipped with a 16MP lens for rich colours and a 2MP depth sensing lens for shallow depth of field shots. In addition, the phone comes with a wide-angle 8MP front-facing camera for selfies. The fingerprint sensor also sits on the rear of the smartphone. Inside, the phone is packed with a Kirin 659 CPU backed by 4GB of RAM, 64GB storage plus microSD, a non-removable 3,340mAh battery and a classic micro USB charger port.

The OnePlus 5T claims to have the largest screen the firm has ever put on a phone, a tweaked design, an improved rear camera and facial recognition

Screen boost

The second generation handset from OnePlus, the OnePlus 5T, claims to have the largest screen the firm has ever put on a phone, a tweaked design, an improved rear camera and facial recognition ability. The handset sports a 6.01-inch Full HD AMOLED panel with an 18:9 aspect ratio and features a Full HD resolution at 1080 x 2160 with a 401ppi pixel density. The Chinese manufacturer has also included Sunlight Display, which automatically detects harsh light and adapts the display for the best viewability. The bigger display means the 5T has slimmed down bezels above and below the screen to provide a sleeker look and an 80.5% screen-to-body ratio. The bezel reduction also means the fingerprint scanner and physical navigation keys have disappeared from the front of the phone. The digit reader has been relocated to the back of the device. The addition of facial recognition is also a first for OnePlus. While the functionality is used for unlocking the handset, OnePlus plans to extend the use of facial recognition to log in to apps and verify purchases.

L Smart typing

TAP Systems has unveiled its new wearable keyboard and mouse which allows your fingers to type anywhere. The one-handed Bluetooth wearable input device allows users to tap on any surface and deliver data directly to the screen. It can also be used as a method for navigating through a virtual reality world with a headset on, and in the accessibility field for those with impaired vision. Tap comprises of one loop for each finger and the thumb loop contains a haptic motor and sensor that can function like a mouse. “Tap is a part of a larger phenomenon in the tech industry,” said Ran Poliakine, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Tap Systems. “Our vision is that over time, we will see organic input, such as hand gestures, replacing traditional tech accessories.”

High spec viewing

Meanwhile, Samsung has unveiled its Q9F QLED TV, which uses Quantum Dot tech in its screens to produce a wider colour range and more brightness and contrast. It also benefits from a new screen filtering system that soaks up ambient light. The TV features a new voice control system, which responds to one or two word instructions and also allows you to tweak the set’s white balance and colour management settings by voice alone.

Tech world 

The latest news, insight and analysis from the general tech sector, including VR headset sales hitting one million units in Q3 2017 and Amazon making it easier for developers to build VR, AR and 3D apps Sales of VR headsets surpassed one million units for the first time in Q3 2017, with Sony accounting for half of all sales. According to research from analyst firm Canalys, Sony shipped more than 490,000 PlayStation VR headsets in Q3. Oculus shipped 210,000 of its Rift units while HTC shipped 160,000 Vive VR headsets. Sony, Oculus and HTC combined made up 86% of the total VR headset market in Q3 2017. “VR adoption in the consumer segment is highly dependent on price, and Oculus’ strategy of lowering prices has definitely helped drive adoption,” said Vincent Thielke, research analyst at Canalys. The global VR headset market is expected to gain a sizeable boost in 2018 from new entrants supporting Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality platform.

Virtual spaces

Amazon has unveiled a service aimed at making it easier for developers to build VR, AR and 3D apps. Using Amazon Sumerian, developers will be able to build virtual environments for mobile devices, head-mounted displays, digital signage and web browsers. The environments can be populated with 3D objects and animated characters, and can run in any browser that supports WebGL or WebVR graphics rendering. Potential use cases suggested by AWS include creating a virtual classroom to train remote employees and new staff or a virtual environment that enables people to tour a building. In other Amazon news, the NFL is joining Major League Baseball as an AWS customer with real-time statistics running on the retail giant’s cloud platform. The tool is part of the NFL’s Next Gen Stats programme, which will take advantage of AWS machine learning and data analytics tools to enhance its current offering.

Oculus shipped 210,000 of its Rift units in Q3 2017 as Canalys reports sales of VR headsets surpassed one million units for the first time in Q3 2017

 This can be used to show viewers a unique data-driven view of play on the field as well as allowing the teams to augment their film review process where NFL coaches can examine player performance. The NFL uses RFID tags in player equipment and the ball to capture real-time location, speed and acceleration data.

Future of tech

Nearly 90% of UK businesses are planning to invest in AI and the Internet of Things (IoT) by 2020, according to a report from Deloitte. More than half of respondents expect to invest more than £10m by 2020 in digital technologies such as AI, cloud, robotics, blockchain, analytics, IoT, VR and AR. Seventy-three percent of those will invest in robotics, 63% in VR and AR, 62% in wearables, 54% in biometrics and 43% in blockchain. The research also found that 77% of respondents expect AI to disrupt their industries, while just under half expect their workforce to decrease in size once they implement AI. Only 8% said they think AI will directly replace humans and more than a third believe AI will actually complement humans and aide their decision making.

Speedy data

Telecoms firm Ericsson predicts there will be at least one billion 5G subscriptions in 2023. This is double the number of connections the company predicts for 2022, the company said in its semi-annual Mobility Report. The technology is expected to be first deployed in dense urban areas and Ericsson said more than 20% of the world’s population will have access to 5G by the end of 2023. Early 5G deployments are expected in markets such as the US, South Korea, Japan and China. The report also said demand for mobile data in general is surging and it expects 110 exabytes of data per month to travel over mobile networks by 2023. North America is leading the way with the highest average monthly usage, exceeding 7GB of data a month by the end of 2017.