Enterprise

Samsung temporarily shuts down infected Galaxy Z Flip factory

Coronavirus strikes again

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The coronavirus epidemic is burning through the technology industry, leaving a trail of delays and shortages in its wake. So far, the virus has already torched Apple’s China-based manufacturers and the entire MWC 2020 event.

For the immediate future, the global epidemic can add Samsung to its list of victims. Previously, the South Korean company saved itself from the crisis, owing to its geographical roots. Unfortunately, if you turn into world news today, the virus has already made its way to South Korea.

In the city of Gumi, one of Samsung’s factory workers has contracted the disease, forcing the company to shut down the entire plant, according to a South Korean news outlet. The entire factory will open again on February 24. Additionally, the infected employee’s floor will remain shut down until February 25.

As for the workers themselves, Samsung has urged those who worked with the employee to put themselves in quarantine and undergo tests for potential infection. The company has also asked all employees to limit travel when possible, conducting business only through video calls.

Of course, Samsung has a tight hold on the South Korea business sector. The closure of just one factory probably won’t affect the company’s supply too much.

The affected Gumi factory specializes in Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Z Flip production. If anything, the temporary closure will only slow the foldable phone down partially. Regardless, it’s not a good look for Samsung, especially if the virus continues to spread across the country.

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US increases efforts to ban TikTok and other apps

New bill faces vote later this month

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Millions of users are fans of TikTok. However, the American government is clearly not. Over the years, the country’s officials have experimented with ways to ban the platform from the American tech space. While past efforts haven’t materialized into anything concrete against the Chinese platform, a new bill might finally pave the way to ban TikTok (and other apps) for good.

Today, American senators have introduced a bipartisan bill which will give the government the necessary authority to ban TikTok from American companies. As always, the new bill is concerned about TikTok’s potential as a gateway for Chinese surveillance. If passed, it will prohibit the app from being offered through the App Store and the Play Store on American soil.

If you’ve followed the drama all this time, you might be wondering what’s new this time. Unlike other efforts in the past, the new bill isn’t just limited to TikTok. In fact, it doesn’t even name the app explicitly.

Instead, it aims to introduce a system which will ban other potentially dangerous apps from “adversarial countries” such as China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela. When the next Huawei or TikTok rears its head, the government will have an established way to deal with the company, rather than going through years of discussions.

The bill must still pass through a vote later this month, so it’s still an open playing field. However, it isn’t the only effort to curb the platform. A recent act, the Deterring America’s Technological Adversaries Act, aims to deal with the app directly.

SEE ALSO: TikTok is now under investigation by the European Union

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Enterprise

Qualcomm announces world’s first iSIM

Coming with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

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Though the technology is ubiquitous today, there’s still a sense that eSIMs are still working their way into the mainstream. However, the world keeps turning and is already on its way towards the next big thing. Today, Qualcomm has announced what that next big thing is: iSIM.

Qualcomm and Thales have officially confirmed that the world’s first commercially deployable iSIM will arrive on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. All devices with the chipset will be able to enjoy the benefits of the burgeoning technology.

Now, let’s get the biggest question out of the way: What is an iSIM?

SIM cards, as we knew them back then, are little chips we inject (or used to inject) inside smartphones. Over time, the telecommunications industry developed the eSIM (or embedded SIM). Instead of a manually swappable chip, the eSIM is an even tinier chip physically soldered into the smartphone. Telecommunications networks can just digitally install the network data directly into the eSIM.

The iSIM, or integrated SIM, shrinks things even more. Instead of a physically soldered chip, the SIM is now installed inside the hardware, taking up less than 1mm2 of the device’s real estate. Though the difference seems miniscule, freeing up this much space leaves room for improvements in other components. Additionally, an iSIM takes up less power than traditional SIMs and eSIMs.

Qualcomm is already hopeful for the technology, expecting iSIM shipments to grow to 300 million devices by 2027.

SEE ALSO: Qualcomm partners with Mercedes-AMG in F1

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Enterprise

Nokia has an all-new logo

After 55 years with the old one

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Image source: Nokia

In the world of old tech, the Nokia logo is all-enduring. If you lived through the early days of mobile phones, you’ll recognize the simplicity of the Finnish company’s dark blue logo emblazoned on every device back then. Now, after five-and-a-half decades, Nokia is changing things up a bit with a brand new logo.

During MWC 2023, Nokia unveiled a new logo to reflect what the company stands for today. For a company that’s existed since the 1800s, the new logo is as youthful as a startup today. The new logo features a more open font and a brighter blue.

Though the company eventually got its big break for creating one of the most iconic mobile phones in history, Nokia is much more than just a phone brand. The company now handles a wider net of telecommunications technologies. To reflect that, the new logo aims to bring the company’s perception to the present and the future, while paying homage to the era that put it on the map.

If you’re wondering what that means for the brand’s modern smartphones, the old logo isn’t going away entirely. According to Nokia, the deal with HMD Global (which handles the brand’s smartphones today) will retain the old logo for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, both logos will exist in separate spaces. The old logo will exclusively pertain to the brand’s smartphones, while the new logo will usher in the brand’s endeavors in other industries.

SEE ALSO: Nokia seeks to kill OPPO’s sales in some countries

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