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The largest tech acquisition offer in history wasn’t enough.

Qualcomm’s board of directors issued a statement on Thursday saying that they are turning down Broadcom’s $121 billion bid to buy the competing chipmaker.

According to the release, Qualcomm “unanimously rejected” an “unsolicited proposal” to buy all of its shares at $82 each, of which $60 would be cash and $22 stock. Broadcom made the revised offer on Monday, up from the previously proposed deal price of $70 per share.

Qualcomm says that it is still undervalued at $121 billion. The board wrote a letter to Broadcom, stating it is worth more, specifically because “your proposal ascribes no value to our accretive NXP acquisition, no value for the expected resolution of our current licensing disputes and no value for the significant opportunity in 5G. Your proposal is inferior relative to our prospects as an independent company and is significantly below both trading and transaction multiples in our sector.”

In other words, Qualcomm thinks it can eventually be worth more on the stock market than $121 billion. Boards of public companies have a fiduciary duty to consider shareholders, so Qualcomm needed to justify why it was turning this down.

This is partly because it doesn’t think Broadcom is appreciating the value gathered fromQualcomm’s recent acquisition of NXP Semiconductor. It also believes that Broadcom is underestimating Qualcomm’s ability to excel at making 5G wireless technology, which it hopes will be instrumental to IoT, short for “Internet of Things.” This could help connect internet in cars, homes and wearable devices.

It presently has a market cap of $92 billion, despite months of deal talks. This implies that the stock market doesn’t think it will end up selling for its desired price in the near future.

Qualcomm shareholders will be voting on March 6th whether to replace its board with Broadcom’s nominees.

Even if Qualcomm were to approve the deal, it’s also not clear if it will actually go through. Regulators may decide that it would have too much power over the smartphone chip market.

Qualcomm already works on both Apple and Samsung phones. It also works with a handful of Chinese competitors. This was the basis for a recent lawsuit.

Qualcomm’s shares recently fell on reports that Apple could start working with Intel instead. Intel’s stock has not traded up this week, however.

The EU recently fined Qualcomm $1.2 billion because of an exclusivity deal with Apple that it felt was unfair.

source:TechCrunch

We ran 12 tests on the Snapdragon 845 processor to find out.

There's little doubt the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9 will be fast. And on a warm, sunny day at Qualcomm's headquarters in San Diego, California, we found out exactly how fast that might be.

The Galaxy S9 is expected to be one of the first phones in 2018 to use Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 chipset. The chipset is the phone's brain. You can't run the operating system, connect to the internet or process photos without it. The Snapdragon 845 also comes with advanced features that will produce more colorful photos and videos, longer battery life and biometric security that guards your privacy with your fingerprint or face.

Here's the Snapdragon 845 reference device, running a graphics test. Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

A poorly performing chip means the entire phone could run slowly, and the battery probably won't last as long. So when Qualcomm offered to let us test the claim that Snapdragon 845 will work 25 percent faster across the board compared to the Snapdragon 835 found in last year's Galaxy S8, we jumped at the chance.

We journalists spent two hours running and rerunning a suite of 12 benchmarking tests on Android reference phones that the company whipped up specifically to evaluate and fine-tune Snapdragon 845. For a truer reading, we gave the phones a chance to cool down when their batteries grew hot.

Together, the dozen benchmarking tests simulate how well the graphics (GPU), raw computing power (CPU) and websites among other things will run on phones that use this chip.

I then ran the exact same tests on some of 2017s top phones when I returned to San Francisco: the Galaxy Note 8, Pixel 2 XL and LG V30. And yes, all three used last year's Qualcomm chip, the Snapdragon 835.

Watch this:Our Samsung Galaxy S9 feature wishlist

You'll see the results in the charts below, but spoiler alert: The 845 device performed at least 25 percent faster than the best score on all but four tests out of the dozen.

Now, benchmarking tests are only one indication of performance, and there's a lot they don't cover. Keep reading for more on that.

The new chip is hitting at a time when Qualcomm, the world's largest chipmaker for mobile phones, needs to show it's still the apex predator. The company faces increased pressure from device makers like Huawei and even longtime partner Samsung, both companies that make their own chips (Samsung phones often use Qualcomm in some regions and their house-made Exynos processor in others).

Watch this:Samsung Galaxy S9: The latest details

Qualcomm is also locked in a legal battle with Apple that it's currently losing -- perhaps along with Apple's business -- even as the ensuing threat of a hostile takeover by giant chipmaker Broadcom looms.

But a wave of best-in-class phones made with Snapdragon 845 will give Qualcomm the prestige it needs to sell more chips and strengthen partnerships as it prepares to usher in 5G phones next year.

What's a reference phone and why does it matter?

The phones running Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 CPU aren't prototypes, and you'll never be able to buy them. They're what's known as "reference devices," working phones meant for in-house use.

In this case, Qualcomm relies on them to test new chips in as close to a real-world environment as possible. The reference devices also work as a proof-of-concept for partners that might consider making a phone or other device using the chip.

Snapdragon 845 reference phone specs

• 5.5-inch LCD screen with 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution

• Dual rear cameras: 12-megapixel and 13-megapixel

• Front-facing camera: 12-megapixel

• 2.8GHz Snapdragon 845 processor

• 6GB RAM

• USB-C

• No headset jack

• Not waterproof

Snapdragon 845 vs. Galaxy Note 8, Pixel 2 XL and LG V30

I ran 12 benchmarking tests a minimum of three times each on the Snapdragon 845 reference phone, in some cases rerunning tests six times when the results seemed off-target. I averaged the results.

Then, I ran each test three times on three other phones: the Galaxy Note 8, Pixel 2 XL and LG V30, which all run on Snapdragon 835. That's a grand total of 150 benchmark results to average and compare in the chart you see below.

The Galaxy S9 looks like this, according to these renders

If you don't regularly study benchmarking scores, don't worry. All you need to know is that taken together, these tests attempt to model real-world speeds for graphics, computing power and web use. They establish a baseline indicator of how fast the phones can be at their peak efficiency.

Comparing phones with the Snapdragon 835 chips can be one basis for predicting how devices made with the next generation processor will behave, along with real-world observation.

If there's only one thing you take away from this chart, it should be how much faster the Snapdragon 845 reference device is than the next fastest 835 phone. That's the far right column.

SNAPDRAGON 845 VERSUS NOTE 8, PIXEL 2, LG V30

Snapdragon 845 Reference Phone	Galaxy Note 8	Google Pixel 2XL	LG V30	Percentage faster
AnTutu	256,805	200,665	203,109	178,871	26%
Geekbench 4.0	Single: 2,439; Multi: 8,200	Single: 1,870; Multi: 6,411	Single: 1,911; Multi: 6,393	Single: 1,922; Multi: 6,466	Single: 27%; Multi: 27%
GFXBench 4.0 Manhattan 3.0 Offscreen	5,160 frames	3,911 frames	3,747 frames	3,750 frames	32%
GFXBench 4.0 Manhattan 3.1 Offscreen	3,769 frames	2,650 frames	2,566 frames	2,573 frames	42%
GFXBench 4.0 T-Rex Offscreen	8,434 frames	6,567 frames	6,476 frames	6,318 frames	28%
GFXBench 4.0 Car Chase Offscreen	2,086 frames	1,488 frames	1,453 frames	1,432 frames	40%
3DMark Slingshot 3.1 Unlimited	4,895	4,690	4,017	3,568	4%
3DMark Slingshot 3.0 Unlimited	6,217	6,026	5,006	4,029	3%
Kraken - Chrome (lower is better)	2,436 milliseconds	3,643 milliseconds	3,536 milliseconds	3,150 milliseconds	23%
Octane - Chrome	15,921	11,550	12,326	10,805	29%
Sunspider - Chrome (lower is better)	448 milliseconds	591 milliseconds	529 milliseconds	862 milliseconds	15%
Jetstream - Chrome	86	59	63	62	37%

*Higher scores are better, for all results except Kraken and Sunspider
**Versus the next fastest phone in this group

Snapdragon 845 benchmarking tests paint half a picture

Benchmarking scores aren't the end-all, be-all of performance indicators. First of all, the tests don't account for variations in how you use the phone, or for all the features that help you enjoy your device.

Second, the validity of benchmarking results has been called into question in the past for "optimizing" phones so they skew more powerful in testing. Samsung, OnePlus and HTC have all been nailed for this.

The Snapdragon 845 will power 2018's top phones. Josh Miller/CNET

Even if one handset using 845 winds up with scores that peg it as slower than another device with the same chipset, you may not notice much difference when using the two side by side.

That's why we balance test scores with anecdotal observation from everyday life. Does it lag or hang as you naturally use it, how smooth is scrolling or gameplay on a game with some seriously detailed graphics? How long does it take to process a photo?

The most meaningful interpretation we can get from these results right now is that Qualcomm's claims mostly hold. Best case scenario, you can hope for your Snapdragon 845 phone to be about 25 percent faster than 2017's models.

But the variation in score between phones humming along on the very same chip proves that there are other factors in play that make these devices the sum of multiple parts, not just a collection of processors.

Before you know it, we'll be able to get a better idea of Snapdragon 845's real-life results, as soon as the first phone to use it -- likely the Galaxy S9 -- lands in our hands.

source:CNet

Things have not been so rosy for Qualcomm over the past few months, whether you are looking at an ongoing legal dispute between the chipmaker and Apple or Broadcom’s aggressive attempts to acquire the company.

Now, Qualcomm is saying its executive chairman, Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, will no longer serve as executive chairman for the company’s board of directors. He’s going to remain a director, but with all that’s happened related to its dispute with Apple, its attempts to wave off Broadcom, and also its efforts to get through its acquisition of NXP as quickly as possible, it would make sense for at least some move for the chairman to show shareholders that they are aware of the issues and are looking to change things up.

The company said it is discontinuing the role of executive chairman, and also naming a new independent director Jeffrey Henderson who will serve as the non-executive chairman. It’s a lot of weird semantics here, but the end result is that the board is bringing on someone independent as a kind of signal to shareholders that they are ready to make some changes in light of the issues the company has dealt with and Broadcom’s tender offer to buy it.

You might recall some of this happening recently with Uber, where pending the massive investment with Softbank, the company assembled what my colleague referred to as a “Frankenboard.” As Uber CEO Travis Kalanick was on his way out and the company was trying to get fresh funding from Softbank, the board got a lot of new independent directors as it tried to establish some sense appeasement its existing shareholders.

Qualcomm delayed its annual shareholder meeting, which was set to take place Tuesday this week where investors would meet and Broadcom would be making an aggressive stand to work around the company’s existing management in order to acquire it. Throughout the weeks leading up to it, the companies have basically been duking it out of PR statements on their investor relations pages (though this is what we see on the outside), and may now see the need to find some way to appeal directly to the company’s shareholders ahead of the meeting now scheduled to take place in around a month. Qualcomm delayed the meeting pending a regulatory review by the CFIUS, but it still has been part of an ongoing saga.

source:TechCrunch

The hype is starting to give way to reality as the wireless industry irons out the kinks in the new wireless technology. What better place to do it than a trade show in Barcelona?

5G will bring higher speeds to our phones than ever before, and it's ready and raring to go…

Well, almost.

The advent of 5G, the next generation of cellular technology, comes loaded with promises. It will enable smart cities, wireless streaming video in virtual reality, driverless cars and a huge leap in speed and reliability. The good news is we've seen demos proving it works.

But here's the bad news: We won't see the first 5G device until later this year -- and it'll likely come in the form of a wireless hotspot "puck." Phones aren't showing up until early next year at the earliest. So why should you care about 5G now?

Before 5G gets out into the wild, carriers, governments, infrastucture manufacturers, chip makers and organizations designed to bring them all together need to do some negotiating about when and how they are going to make it happen. Mobile World Congress, happening next week in Barcelona, is where many of these conversations will take place. It's not sexy, but it's necessary.

"The dull stuff is engineers in labs, testing, testing, testing, finding something that doesn't work, fixing it," said Ben Timmons, senior director of marketing and business development for Qualcomm in Europe.

Not that people won't be shouting from the rooftops about 5G. In fact, we expect it to be on the lips of most of the attendees. "Last year's MWC was a 5G hype-fest, CES last month was a 5G hypeapolooza and 5G hype at this year's MWC will be even bigger," T-Mobile Chief Technology Officer Neville Ray said in an email.

But the real opportunity of the show is a chance to see what the next generation of networks and phones will be capable of. Think integrated augmented and virtual-reality applications that work without wires, or low-power sensors that can run for years on a single battery charge. Ben Wood, an analyst for CCS Insight, predicts that there could be announcements from Google and its partners about its ARCore platform, its 3D-sensing camera technology. Sophisticated areas like ARCore and VR tax not only our phones, but also the networks, something that 5G will solve.

Last year at MWC, Qualcomm, Intel, Huawei and other industry leaders got together and agreed to accelerate efforts to create the first network standard, which they formalized in December. At CES in January, Qualcomm CEO Stephen Mollenkopf said 5G will be the biggest thing since electricity.

This year, Ray expects the conversation to be geared around deciding what 5G services will look like in the future, which will mean "more than just speed," encompassing talks around spectrum and applications for the internet of things. He's looking forward to having "a grown-up conversation about what 5G needs and the best path to get to real, mobile, standards based, nationwide 5G," he said.

Key players from the US and Asia are likely to have substantive plans to discuss, said Ian Fogg, senior director for mobile and telecoms at IHS Markits. Korea and Japan are at the forefront of rolling out 5G, while Verizon is testing 5G as a broadband replacement service this year. The others are all vowing to have mobile 5G networks up shortly after.

Meanwhile, Europe has to play catch-up after taking a more cautious approach.

"Despite the EU's lofty ambitions for the region to be among the 5G pace setters, most providers remain focussed on making the most of their significant investments in 4G/LTE," said CCS Insight analyst Kester Mann. "I'd say Western Europe is probably one to two years adrift of trailblazing markets like the US and South Korea."

Perhaps a meeting or two in Barcelona will jumpstart their ambitions.

source:CNet

While the wireless industry says 5G is coming in 2019, AT&T believes it can launch its service by the end of this year.

Next stop for the 5G hype train: Reality?

The next generation of cellular technology promises a massive boost in speed, more ubiquitous coverage and a responsiveness quick enough to handle remote surgery or autonomous vehicles. It's supposed to be the fuel that drives all other innovations at CES 2018. Despite the numerous company announcements and field trials from the wireless industry, we don't seem to be that much closer to 5G, which is widely expected to roll out in a big way by 2019.

AT&T is shooting for 5G bragging rights. Roberto Machado Noa/Getty

AT&T is hoping to speed up the timetable. The company said on Thursday that it plans to launch its mobile 5G network in a dozen markets in late 2018, along with a single device able to tap into that network. This is different from Verizon's plan to offer 5G service as a replacement for home broadband service this year. AT&T's 5G will look more like the typical cellular service you enjoy now.

If it meets its deadline, AT&T would be the first carrier in the US to launch a mobile 5G service, which has the ability to eventually transform our world through broader, faster and more reliable coverage. The promised speeds are far faster than what most people can get at home (download a season's worth of "Stranger Things" in seconds), but 5G will also better power the growing family of connected devices in our lives. The launch of 4G gave us Uber, Snapchat and live-streaming video -- 5G potentially opens the door even wider to new innovations.

That promise has the carriers engaged in a war of words over 5G. Verizon struck first in 2015 by saying it would the first to launch field trials of 5G, and is on track to deliver a type of fixed 5G service later this year.

"We are encouraged to hear that other wireless providers are beginning to adopt our strategy toward unleashing the full potential of 5G mobile technology," Ed Chan, chief technology architect at Verizon, said Thursday. "This is good news for customers, society and the 5G ecosystem."

T-Mobile has mocked both Verizon and AT&T as fueling the hype and potentially disappointing customers. Now AT&T is looking to up the timeline again.

AT&T, however, is light on details. Gordon Mansfield, vice president of radio access network and device design for AT&T, said that while there would be a single type of device able to tap into the 5G network, he wouldn't comment on what the gadget would look like. Whatever the form, the device is expected to use 4G for most of its normal connection, and switch to 5G when the extra speed is appropriate -- think a download, live-streaming video or another bandwidth-intensive app.

He also declined to say which markets would get 5G coverage. The company has rolled out the confusingly named "5G Evolution" markets over the past year -- cities with the infrastructure for higher wireless speeds, but isn't actually 5G. The company calls 5G Evolution the foundation for 5G, although Mansfield wouldn't say if one of the 23 metro areas would be in the dozen 5G markets.

Here's a list of the "5G Evolution" markets: Atlanta; Austin; Boston; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Buffalo, New York; Chicago; Fresno, California; Greenville, South Carolina; Hartford, Connecticut; Houston; Indianapolis; Los Angeles; Louisville; Memphis; Nashville; New Orleans; Oklahoma City; Pittsburgh; San Antonio; San Diego; San Francisco; Tulsa; and Sacramento, California.

The timing of AT&T's launch is curious given that major chip supplier Qualcomm has said it doesn't expect the first devices to include 5G radios until the first half of 2019.

Mansfield, however, said AT&T has worked with a number of partners and suppliers to ensure a device will launch commercially this year.

Expect to hear more about 5G at CES 2018 next week.

source: CNET

Welcome to LG’s new smartphone strategy. A new flagship every year, followed by an incremental upgrade six months later. It’s a strange approach that’s sure to annoy early adopters, but LG’s certainly not the first to adopt the strategy — it’s in-line with the sort of thing OnePlus, among others, have been doing for a while now.

The first such handset from LG bears similarly confusing branding — the LG V30S ThinQ. As the name implies, there’s very little difference here from a hardware perspective — “RAM and color” as the LG rep put it. Which is to say, the memory’s been bumped up to 6GB from 4- and the phone’s available in Platinum Gray and Moroccan Blue, the latter of which was chosen with help from the fine folks at Pantone.

So, why the long name? ThinQ is LG’s new umbrella name for its AI-centric offerings. In this case, specifically, it has to do with what the company is working on from the camera software perspective. LG’s doing a good job innovating on imaging hardware for a while now, and this addition aims to add to key AI and ML learnings to help improve the pictures it takes.

The Korean smartphone maker is leveraging software built by Berlin-based photography software startup EyeEm, with all of the processing happening locally on the hardware (versus sending it to a cloud-based server), speeding up the process a good deal. When you enter into the AI Cam setting, the phone starts cycling through potential objects.

Words flash on the display like a scene out of A Beautiful Mind. We trained the camera on a candle and “mannequin,” “food,” “wine” and “ham” all popped up on the screen as the system started thinking aloud. At the moment, the camera is trained to recognize eight specific categories:

• Person (portrait)
• Animal
• City/building
• Flower
• Sunrise
• Sunset (These are two separate)
• Food
• Landscape

The phone then adjusts the settings based on what it’s shooting — kind of an Artificial Intelligent Auto, if you will.

The results are largely pretty impressive, but still a little hit or miss in our limited testing. For instance, we put sushi, a pastry and grapes on a plate, and the camera had no problems recognizing it as “food.” It was similarly astute when we took photos of people. On the other hand, a large white dog that happened to be passing by as we were shooting also came up as “person.” To the best of our knowledge, it was not, in fact, a person in a dog suit, but who’s to say for sure, really?

The system seems to be flashy as much as it is actually impressive, but it points to the growing push toward mobile AI could be used to improve things like photography. And unlike other solutions, LG’s is happy to show its work to some degree. The update also has implications for other functionality, including the ability to do things like reading QR codes and to better serve as a smart home hub with LG’s own devices.

Of course, given the fact that this update is largely software, it’s also backward compatible, meaning the standard V30 will be getting the functionality “soon,” according to an LG rep. When, precisely that is, remains to be seen, but it shouldn’t be too long after the phone launches in its native Korea next month. So that should curb some of the FOMO among those who picked up the phone a few months back.

As for wider availability (including U.S.), we’ll probably be getting more info on that front soon. Ditto for pricing. Interestingly, the V30S will be replacing the V30 in some, but not all markets. A lot of that decision making is ultimately in the hands of the carriers in the given country.

Only LG can say it didn’t push to include the latest Qualcomm chip. After all, MWC is expected to be a bit of a soft launch for the Snapdragon 845, and this one’s only got the 835 — same as you’ll find in the standard V30. A rep hinted that the new chip is likely to arrive on a new phone from the company (no surprise there, really) and suggested that it’s a bit trivial to be the first to market with a new — which is both kind of true, but mainly just the kind of thing companies say when they’re not the first with a chip.

All in all, it’s a weird diversion from the standard smartphone upgrade cycle — but then, that’s exactly what we’ve come to expect from LG.

source:TechCrunch

These are the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ https://t.co/deXGg39m0d pic.twitter.com/RNGezrF4Bs

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) 26 Ocak 2018

With Mobile World Congress coming up at the end of the month, the smartphone world is ramping up to peak hype in preparation for the Samsung Galaxy S9’s expected debut there on February 25th. The rumors are flying so we scoured the net and gathered up the most credible leaks and rumors to give you the best idea of what Samsung will announce in just a couple of weeks.

Design

One of the most confusing things about the Galaxy S9 based on early leaks and renders is that the front of Samsung’s new flagship is going to look almost identical to the Galaxy S8—right down to the curved display and the rounded corners on its screen. Even the arrangement of the sensors and cameras built into the top bezel look unchanged.

...in Lilac Purple. pic.twitter.com/p506mqDci4

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) 5 Şubat 2018

However, it’s a slightly different story around back, as Samsung has moved the S9’s fingerprint sensor to a more central location below the rear camera, rather than off on the right side like you get on the Galaxy S8. Additionally, the camera stack is aligned vertically, instead of horizontally, which gives the S9’s back a more symmetrical appearance. Everything else seems like it is pretty much the same as the Galaxy S8, including the brushed aluminum band holding the front and back glass panels together, and Samsung’s retention of the dedicated Bixby button on the left.

For those wondering about color options, Evan Blass claims the S9 will be available in midnight black, lilac purple, titanium gray, and coral blue.

Specs

Inside, the Galaxy S9 is expected to come with Qualcomm’s latest mobile processor, the Snapdragon 845, which would the first time this chip has been featured in a consumer device. Memory and storage for the S9 will stay at 4GB and 64GB respectively. However, VentureBeat claims the S9+ should get a small bump up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage standard. The S9 and S9+’s OLED screens will remain the same size, at 5.8 and 6.2-inches, and should sport the same 2960 x 1440 resolution as well.

A nice upgrade, according to SamMobile, is that it seems the S9 will have stereo speakers, which should deliver a much richer audio experience than the mono setup on the S8. Finally, also according to Evan Blass, Samsung has wisely decided to retain a headphone jack for the S9, which should be a big boon for people who don’t want to deal with wireless headphones.

New Rear Camera

Finally, here are the rear component layouts: pic.twitter.com/r8GYVbzt44

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) 26 Ocak 2018

Despite the lack of official specs or info, Samsung is already teasing the power of the S9’s new camera. Based on yet more info from Evan Blass, that confidence might not be unwarranted, as it seems the S9 will feature the world’s first adjustable aperture camera on a smartphone that can switch between f/1.5 (which would also widest aperture on a smartphone) and f/2.4 on command. On top of that, there are reports from SamMobile saying that the S9 will have a new super slowmo feature that can record video at up to 480 frames per second at 720p. Meanwhile, the S9+ will also feature a second rear camera with 2x optical zoom similar to the one found on the Galaxy Note 8.

Other New Features

Image: SamCentral

Currently, the S8 already has iris scanning and facial scanning biometric security options. But according to SamCentral, on the S9, Samsung will combine the two to create what it’s calling Intelligent Scan, which seems to be the company’s answer to Apple’s Face ID. Based on a teardown of the Note 8’s Oreo update, Intelligent Scan should leverage eye and face recognition to offer better security, while also enabling another new feature that people are calling 3D emojis.

That’s right, after Apple included Animoji on the iPhone X, it seems Samsung has come up with its own version of animated emojis that react to your facial movements. According to ETNews, the S9 will be able to create 3D characters based on a persons’s face, which can be used in place of emoticons in specific messaging apps. However, 3D emoji is currently just a placeholder name, while we wait for Samsung to announce something more official on February 25th.

The so-called 'DeX Pad,' first reported here: https://t.co/DowGkJrKUA pic.twitter.com/5hDaR4g5CM

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) 8 Şubat 2018

The last big change is a new version of Samsung’s DeX Station, which has evolved from a standup dock-like affair to something more padlike. The pad will come with all the necessary ports to hook up a mouse, keyboard and an external display, so that you can transform the S9 into a mini desktop of sorts. Fingers crossed it improves on the last version.

Price and Availability

This last topic is the subject of some major trepidation, because in the fall, both Samsung and Apple released the most expensive phone each company has ever made in the $900 Galaxy Note 8 and the $1000 iPhone X. And unfortunately, based on rumors coming out of both South Korea and the UK, it seems like the price of the Galaxy S9 is going up too.

Based on rumored pricing in Asia and Europe, I’m estimating that the Galaxy S9 will go for between $775 and $800, which would be a significant jump up from the $700 to $720 the Galaxy S8 cost when it came out last year (prices varied slightly depending on the carrier). Meanwhile, the larger S9+ will most likely command its typical $100 premium over the standard model. This would make the S9 the most expensive Galaxy S yet, which probably isn’t too surprising for anyone keeping tabs on recent smartphone trends, but it is a bit worrying.

Image: Samsung

As for when you’ll actually be able to buy one, @evleaks claims that pre-orders will go live on March 1st, with orders shipping out two weeks later on March 16th. This would be one of the earliest Galaxy S launches in recent history, which is good for anyone who has been holding off on buying a new phone, and should ensure that Samsung is the first phone maker out there selling the next generation of phones.

So will the S9 be enough to steal the thunder away from Apple iPhone X? It’s hard to say yet, but if those camera rumors are true, that could be enough put Samsung back on top. Either way, I’ll be on the ground in Spain at Mobile World Congress covering all the news, so check back starting Feb 25th for the latest.

source:Gizmodo

Other than the big screen and slim bezels.

One of the most daring -- and expensive -- phones of 2017, the iPhone X has some great design and software features that attempt to justify the stratospheric $1,000 price. It's got ultraslim bezels and an all-screen face, an excellent camera and cutting-edge face-scanning technology.

Of course, the iPhone X has more than a few maddening feature flaws that make me shake my head in disappointment, but after using the X for over two months, I've come to really love some of the subtler changes. They successfully make it much smoother and more useful than previous iPhones. And when you're using the phone for hours a day, every day, even small conveniences add up.

Here are the five that made the biggest impression on me, plus one runner-up that needs a little work.

Lock screen notifications for your eyes only

iPhone X gets cryptic with messages until you make eye contact. Jason Cipriani/CNET

Your notifications and alerts aren't anyone's business but your own, which is what makes this anti-Peeping Tom feature so great.

Give the lock screen a sidelong glance and your list of notifications simply shows you the apps that are alerting you: Gmail, text, Facebook Messenger and so on.

But when the iPhone X's depth-sensing Face ID camera recognizes you, the details of the alert fill in. You suddenly see the sender and the actual message; either the full text if it's short or an excerpt if it's long.

When Android phones begin adding similar advanced face-scanning technology -- remember, Qualcomm is making this technology available to all phones that use its Snapdragon 845 chipset -- I expect to see them adopt this approach, too.

Face ID saves time logging into websites

Face ID doesn't always work when I want it to, but when it does, it can whisk me right into password-protected websites such as Amazon and my bank. That saves me from having to type my password a million times. It works similarly to registering your fingerprint to access a site -- except you literally never have to lift a finger.

This is a feature you opt in to, so you don't have to use it if you prefer tight password control. You can also use Face ID to authenticate purchases, but that'll happen on a seller-by-seller basis.

Fancy portrait selfies

You can take selfies with the same cool lighting effects asyou can with the rear cameras. Óscar Gutiérrez/CNET

With the iPhone X, Apple wants you to take even more portrait shots.

Both the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X give you new portrait lighting options (in beta) to give bokeh-effect photos some additional theatrical drama. But only the iPhone X extends the same courtesies to the front-facing camera.

Flip over to selfie mode and you're able to tap Portrait to gently blur the background and make your mug pop. You'll also be able to choose from lighting options: natural, studio, contour, stage and stage light mono. These can make a big difference in rounding out your self-portrait.

One thing to keep in mind: While Apple uses two rear cameras to achieve portrait mode on the iPhone X, 8 Plus and 7 Plus, portrait mode selfies rely on a single camera lens, assisted by software. Don't expect the same level of quality and detail as dual-camera portrait mode.

Check out what happens when you try taking portraits with the front-facing camera.

Easier app switching

The typical way to flip from one open app to another is to swipe up from the iPhone X's bottom edge until a carousel of apps appears, and then swipe right to leaf through those.

Another way that I find faster is to place your finger at the edge of the bottom bezel and then flick right. That opens your latest apps in full-screen mode -- the above carousel method shows you shrunken "thumbnail" versions that you can then expand once you've selected the one you want. This is especially useful if you want to go to an app you opened immediately before.

Tap to wake

Taking a page from Android phones, the iPhone X introduces tap-to-wake features, which means that when the screen is locked, you can tap the display to see the lock screen. (You can also raise the phone to wake the iPhone 6S and newer models, and the iPhone SE.)

When your iPhone's buddied up to you on a table or desk, tap-to-wake is a convenient way to see the time and date or the battery and Wi-Fi status. Plus you can peep your (obscured) notifications without having to unlock the phone, or even lift it.

Runner-up: Maps navigation shortcut

When you're in Google or Apple Maps, in the phone app or in voice memos and open any other app, a colored indicator bubble appears around the iPhone X's clock.

You can tap this bubble from any screen you're in to immediately return to your ongoing navigation, phone call or voice memo. It's a terrific, time-saving shortcut that I absolutely love.

Watch this:9 iPhone X tips and tricks

Here's a good example of why you might want to toggle between two screens. Say you're navigating for someone, and most of the route is freeway driving. You may want to pop out of the navigation to read an article then pop back in to give the driver prompts about the next turn ("5 more miles, then exit Page Mill Road").

The missing step is getting back to whatever you were doing before. Instead of being able to press the same shortcut button to flip back to your other task, you'll have to swipe out of the map and open your browser again or use one of the above task-switching methods. None of this is hard, but once you get used to a timesaving shortcut, you'll absolutely want to use it both ways.

Apple could have pushed just a little harder to make this feature that much better. Let's hope two-way shortcuts make it to the next iPhone.

source:CNet

The idea is that a centralized network could protect US communications from Chinese spying. But it might prove a hard sell.

National security officials working for President Donald Trump are considering building a superfast 5G network as an option to counter Chinese spying on US phones, according to a report published Sunday.

Details of the plans come courtesy of a PowerPoint presentation and memo produced by a senior National Security Council official seen and reported by Axios. An unnamed senior administration official confirmed the accuracy of the information late Sunday to Reuters.

A nationalized 5G network is currently under discussion at a low level in the Trump administration and won't be considered by the president for six to eight months, according to Axios. The network would be designed to counter Chinese threats to US economic and internet security, with emphasis on protecting emerging technologies reliant on 5G, such as self-driving cars and the internet of things.

Watch this:What the heck is a 5G network?

Such a network could be built and owned by the government, with infrastructure rented out to US carriers. This would be a significant departure from the current system, in which network providers build their own infrastructure and lease airwaves from the government.

The telecommunications industry has already been busy getting ready for a future built on 5G, the next-generation wireless technology that promises significantly better speed and coverage than current 4G networks.

While widespread implementation is likely still several years off, Verizon, the largest carrier in the US by number of subscribers, expects to begin commercial 5G operations as a broadband replacement service later this year. It's set to spend around $17 billion in 2018 on capital projects, which includes its work on 5G. AT&T said it plans to launch a mobile 5G network in a dozen markets by the end of the year.

China companies have their own 5G ambitions. Last week, mobile chip giant Qualcomm announced plans to build 5G phones as early as 2019 with some of the largest Chinese phone makers, including Lenovo (Motorola's parent), Xiaomi, ZTE, Oppo (OnePlus' owner) and Vivo.

'A costly and counterproductive distraction'

On Monday, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai -- a Republican appointed by Trump -- spoke out against the idea of a nationalized US network.

"I oppose any proposal for the federal government to build and operate a nationwide 5G network," Pai said in a statement. "Any federal effort to construct a nationalized 5G network would be a costly and counterproductive distraction from the policies we need to help the United States win the 5G future."
Fellow FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly likewise blasted the plan. Across the aisle, Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, questioned the need for such a network.

While I'm glad that the Trump Administration recognizes that maintaining American leadership in the information age requires a significant investment commitment, I'm concerned that constructing a nationalized 5G network would be both expensive and duplicative, particularly at a time when the Administration is proposing to slash critical federal investments in R&D and broadband support for unserved areas,

he said in a statement.

Representatives of the White House didn't respond to a request for comment.

The plan also raises a number of questions, including how the government would build the network and what airwaves it would use to power the service. The next-generation network requires extensive amounts of wireless spectrum to enable its high speeds, as well as a comprehensive array of cellular radios, and it's unclear where it would get those resources. The FCC has actually auctioned off spectrumto private companies willing to build their own networks.

Still, a government-run network could theoretically let smaller companies rent capacity and offer competitive services, according to NewStreet Research analyst Blair Levin. The risk is that wireless providers may re-evaluate their own 5G investment plans with the prospect that the government could become a source of competition.

Pai says the best way forward is to push spectrum to the private sector and encourage companies to do their own thing.

"The market, not government," he said, "is best positioned to drive innovation and investment."

source:CNet