Planned Japanese high-speed train exports to the USA.

Earlier this month, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx visited Yamanashi Prefecture, west of Tokyo, for a test ride on a superconducting magnetic levitation, or maglev, train developed by Central Japan Railway, known as JR Tokai. Foxx rode an experimental seven-car, 505kph train along with JR Tokai Chairman Emeritus Yoshiyuki Kasai and Japanese Transport Minister Keiichi Ishii, for about 25 minutes.

The experience was proof that the miracle of transportation has come this far, Foxx told journalists after the ride. He also unveiled a plan to spend $27.8 million to study the possibility of importing the maglev train into the U.S.

There are actually two US high-speed railway projects in the US, one that connects Dallas- Houston, Texas and it is expected to open in 2021 and a second project northeast maglev train that connects Washington to New York, but opening the Washington-Baltimore section first. No date for this opening yet.

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ride an experimental maglev train in Yamanashi Prefecture in 2014. Nikkei.

Related before post: USA: Texas Central Partners LLC and Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corp to partner in bullet train project

FIFA Puskas Award 2015 nominees short list revealed. Video.

The three nominees for the FIFA Puskás Award for the “most beautiful goal of the year” were announced. 

The three final goals are: Alessandro Florenzi – 16.09.2015, AS Roma – FC Barcelona, UEFA Champions League / Wendell Lira – 11.03.2015, Atletico-GO – Goianesia, Campeonato Goiano (Brazil) / Lionel Messi – 30.05.2015, Athletic Bilbao  - FC Barcelona, Copa del Rey (Spain). 

Toshiba Satellite C55-C5241 15.6 Inch Laptop (Intel Core i5 Fifth Gen, 8 GB, 1TB HDD, Black) Windows 10.

Nominees for the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2015 awards revealed.

The contenders for this year’s FIFA Ballon d’Or Award for the best player of 2015 and for the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year 2015 Award have been announced today on FIFA.com, francefootball.fr and on FIFA’s YouTube channel in a show hosted by Kate Abdo (Sky Sports) with expert analysis from Nadine Kessler (German national team player and FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year 2014) and Edgar Davids (former Dutch national team player and winner of the UEFA Champions League 1994-1995).

The nominees for the FIFA Ballon d’Or are, in alphabetical order: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid), Lionel Messi (Argentina/FC Barcelona) and Neymar (Brazil/FC Barcelona). Meanwhile, Carli Lloyd (USA/Houston Dash), Aya Miyama (Japan/Okayama Yunogo Belle), and Célia Šašić (Germany/1. FFC Frankfurt) are in the running for the women’s award.

The candidates for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football and FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s Football awards have also been announced. In alphabetical order, the contenders are:   

Pep Guardiola (Spain/FC Bayern Munich), Luis Enrique Martínez (Spain/FC Barcelona), Jorge Sampaoli (Argentina/Chilean national team) for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football award; and Jill Ellis (USA/USA national team), Mark Sampson (Wales/English national team) and Norio Sasaki (Japan/Japanese national team) for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s Football award.

All of the nominees were confirmed after a voting process, which was open to the captains and head coaches of the men’s and women’s national teams of the 207 member associations as well as international media representatives selected by FIFA and France Football.

The percentages of the collected votes are as follows (number of votes/number of associations):

Voting for men’s awards: 165

Member associations (captains & coaches):  79.71%

Media representatives: 88.60% 

Voting for women’s awards: 136

Member associations (captains & coaches): 76,83%

Media representatives: 80.92%

The voting procedure for each of the awards was supervised and monitored by the independent observer PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Switzerland.

In addition, the three nominees for the FIFA Puskás Award for the “most beautiful goal of the year” were announced. The three final goals are: Alessandro Florenzi – 16.09.2015, AS Roma – FC Barcelona, UEFA Champions League / Wendell Lira – 11.03.2015, Atletico-GO – Goianesia, Campeonato Goiano (Brazil) / Lionel Messi – 30.05.2015, Athletic Bilbao  - FC Barcelona, Copa del Rey (Spain). 

All of the awards will be presented at the FIFA Ballon d’Or award ceremony at the Kongresshaus in Zurich on 11 January 2016 during a televised show to be streamed live on FIFA.com and FIFA on YouTube. 

For more information about the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2015, including a list of previous winners, please visit www.fifa.com/ballon-dor/ and www.francefootball.fr.

Note to editors: the media accreditation process for the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2015 opened on the FIFA Media Channel (http://media.fifa.com) on 16 November 2015 and will close on 16 December 2015.

50% Off

LG Electronics 65UF6800 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV (2015 Model)

USA: Samsung patent application for its foldable smartphone is on the US Patent and Trademark Office.

The US Patent and Trademark Office has just published an application from Samsung Project V (as the shape of the mobile when it is almost folded) model number SM-G929F for the foldable smartphone/tablet also known as Project Valley.

Despite 9to5mac shows on their site a different draw of the foldable device where it shows an iPod icon we just believe that a year and 6 months ago when Samsung presented the same application patent in South Korea , Samsung was maybe in talks with Apple for some kind of music services at that time from Apple.

Microsoft is going to make available Cortana on iPhones with Apple approval, Time has changed and USA companies are helping each other making some applications available on their devices despite they are competitors.

Samsung is the number one Apple chip supplier a long time ago, so why not sharing some app or service on their mobiles.

According to SamMobile, Valley will be sold in several European countries (the U.K., Germany, Italy, France, Poland) and Nordic nations, as well as its homeland of South Korea. A U.S. release, however, does not seem to be in cards. The last experimental handset launched by Samsung, 2013’s curved Galaxy Round, never made it outside of the Korean market. 

Rumors are saying Samsung might unveil finally the foldable mobile in January 2016, CES 2016 perhaps?

VB

Japan: Scientists create touchable holograms. Video.

Japanese scientists create touchable holograms, believing this could contribute to architecture and medicine.

This isn't CGI. These are touchable holograms, created by Japanese researchers. They've used femtosecond laser technology that fires high frequency laser pulses lasting one millionth of one billionth of a second. The pulses respond to human touch, allowing users to manipulate the hologram's pixels in mid-air. 

DR. YOICHI OCHIAI, TSUKUBA UNIVERSITY, SAYING: "You can't actually feel the videos or pictures, and although you can project a video, you can't interact with it by touching it. So, if we can project an image in a three dimensional form, and if you can touch it, then you can make something where you'll think that there actually is something there." Researchers say their Fairy Lights technology could be used in entertainment, medicine, and architecture.  

DR. YOICHI OCHIAI, TSUKUBA UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR, SAYING: "People's daily lives would change if we used a bigger laser in a bigger space where people can interact with it, and see how it can be used in situations where three dimensional communication is necessary, such as a construction site or in the medical field." Some experts believe the technology could one day create a computer keyboard beamed onto a person's lap - or allow us to experience virtual touch during video chat.

Reuters.

2015 Solid State Drive (SSD) market share: Samsung 41%, Intel 16%, SanDisk 10%

Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to have a more than 40 percent share in the global solid state drive (SSD) market, which is considered the general trend in personal computer markets including notebook computers and servers, this year.

According to market researchers IHS and DRAMeXchange on Nov. 29, Samsung's SSD market share will rank first this year with 41 percent, following Intel Corp. with 16 percent, SanDisk Corp. with 10 percent, Micron Technology Inc. with 7 percent and Toshiba with 6 percent.

In 2014, Samsung's share stood at 34 percent with Intel and SanDisk sharing 17 percent and 16 percent of the market, respectively. The estimate said Samsung will see an increase by 7 percent point, while Intel and SanDisk will show a decrease by 1 percent point and 6 percent point, respectively. Samsung’s market share is almost four times larger than its rival SanDisk.

Since SSD uses NAND flash memory, it is four times faster in reading and writing speeds. This trait considerably reduces booting time for users and it is steadily replacing hard disk drives on the market. But, it is hard to make it high capacity and more expensive than traditional memory storage.

After the mass production of 3-D V-NAND, however, the landscape has changed. The data from IHS shows the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of NAND flash memory from 2014 to 2019, which shows 3-D V-NAND growing a whopping 211 percent, overwhelmingly surpassing multi-level cell (MLC) and triple-level cell (TLC) NAND.

Also, 3-D V-NAND for general customers is expected to account for 60 percent in the market in 2018.

Samsung has become the first in the world to mass produce 3-D V-NAND and other competitors are in pursuit. Industry insiders said that SanDisk, which is indirectly controlled by China’s Tsinghua Unigroup through Western Digital, has started to use 3-D NAND in its SSD products, but it has not been able to reduce the technology gap with the South Korean tech giant yet.

DRAMeXchange said in the market view report, “Considering the SSD manufacturing strategy, Samsung, which has the strength in the 3-D NAND sector, can make full use of its price competitiveness. However, SanDisk is rapidly chasing Samsung by operating its own TLC SSD line.”

LG Electronics Develops Its First Mobile Application Processor.

LG Electronics’ first mobile application processor Nuclun 1 

LG Electronics is trying to move away from Qualcomm, which the company solely relied on for existing mobile application processors (AP), and is now developing its new mobile AP in cooperation with Intel and TSMC. The company seeks to reduce its dependency on Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, which will be manufactured at Samsung's chip-making foundries, and develop its own chip from next year.

According to industry sources on Nov. 26, LG Electronics is currently moving to pilot production of ARM-based 64-bit mobile AP called the Nuclun 2 by using Intel's 14-nanometer FinFET technology and TSMC’s 16-nm FinFET technology. The Nuclun 2 will be an octa-core processor with four ARM’s Cortex A72 at 2.1 GHz and four Cortex A53 cores running at 1.5GHz.

With three years of research and development, LG Electronics introduced the Nuclun 1, which was produced with 28-nm FinFET technology, last year and used it on its G3 Screen smartphone. 

However, its performance fell short of the Samsung Exynos 5420, which was mass produced a year earlier. Even after that, LG Electronics has not abandoned its mobile AP development plan and is now about to complete the development of Nuclun 2, which can be used in its premium smartphones.

The company has been making every effort to develop its own AP due to the fact that LG Group has a strong will not to use semiconductors manufactured by Samsung. An industry official said, “LG has been solely dependent on Qualcomm’s APs to produce its smartphones. So, it is not a coincidence that LG has decided to move away from Qualcomm when its next-generation chipset will be now produced at Samsung's chip-making foundries.”

It is also meaningful in that Intel and TSMC, which are testing the mobile AP with LG Electronics, are two companies competing with Samsung Electronics in the mobile chip market. As a strong partner of Samsung Electronics, Intel supplied its high performance modem chip from the Galaxy S5 lines last year. However, the cooperation has become weak as Samsung Electronics is increasingly using its self-developed modem chip. Also, TSMC has been competing with Samsung for years for foundries to produce Apple’s AP.

It is still unclear which company LG Electronics will finally choose as the producer for the first batch. Some say that the Nuclun 2 produced with Intel’s 14-nm process shows higher performance. Others say that TSMC has a better foundry expertise in AMR-based chipsets compared to Intel so it will stabilize the production in a shorter time.

Confirmed: Apple to adopt LG’s OLED for iPhones.

Apple will adopt organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays on iPhones starting in 2018, supplied by LG Display. As the number one smartphone vendor Apple has decided to use OLED, the global display panel industry is expected to change dramatically.

According to a report from Nikkei on Nov. 16, Apple has notified its suppliers about its future plans, with LG Display already planning capacity upgrades for high-volume OLED display production.

Apple will sell its new OLED iPhones three years later. OLED displays offer sharper images, brighter colors and better power efficiency compared to existing liquid crystal display (LCD). Also, flexible OLED displays allow a wide range of device design.

Samsung and LG commercialized OLEDs on their smartphones in 2010 for the first time in the world. However, Apple has stuck with advanced LCD after its release in 2007.

But initially Apple, which ships over 200 million iPhones a year, may opt for a mix of LCD and OLED until capacity can catch up. Apple is likely to use OLED only on some models of its new iPhone first.

As Apple has officially announced its plan to adopt Korean OLED, the global display market will face a transition in the future. With Samsung Electronics becoming the first to expand the investment in OLED, the company is currently the only company in the world that can reliably mass-produce OLED smartphone screens.

LG is expanding the market with OLED TVs. China’s display panel makers are also making active investment in new LCD display plants with government support.

Accordingly, the move will have a deleterious impact on Japanese display producers, which rely on LCD orders from Apple. It is realistically impossible for Japanese companies to catch up Korea’s OLED technology and its mass production system at once. 

Therefore, Sharp, which is currently seeking to rebuild its business after major restructuring, and Japan Display, which relies on Apple for 30% of its business, are expected to take a hit on their profits.

Related post: LG Display to invest $8.7 billion in new OLED plant, targeting iPhones 2018 models.

Samsung has started the mass production of the industry's first 128GB(DRAM) modules for servers

Samsung Electronics Co.'s 128-gigabyte DDR4 module 

Global chipmaker Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday it has started the mass production of the industry's first 128-gigabyte dynamic random access memory (DRAM) modules for servers with enhanced capacity and speed.

The latest development is double the capacity of the 64-GB DRAM module that Samsung launched in August last year.

Samsung said the latest 128-GB DRAM module beats other rivals also in speed and power efficiency, providing optimal solutions for servers and data centers. The module is composed of 144 8-gigabit DDR4 chips produced by Samsung's 20-nanometer technology.

The company said it will continue to increase the production of 8-gigabit chips to meet growing demand in the market.

Japan: New sensors monitor patients' breathing from under bed.

Minebea has worked with IBM Japan and Chiba University to develop a way to track the respiratory status of hospital patients without hooking them up to equipment.

Bed-mounted sensors detect breathing disturbances by monitoring shifts in the body's center of gravity. Minebea plans to begin trials in hospitals at the start of the new year and hopes to have a commercial product ready in fiscal 2016.

LG Display to invest $8.7 billion in new OLED plant, targeting iPhones 2018 models.

South Korea's LG Display said it will invest more than 10 trillion won ($8.71 billion) to build a large plant to make panels using organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels, raising its big bet on the ultra-clear display technology.

The company said it will spend an initial 1.84 trillion won to begin building the plant, called P10, in Paju, South Korea, to make panels across all product segments including large screens for TVs and flexible OLED panels for devices such as smartwatches and auto displays.

Production is expected to begin in the first half of 2018.

Japan's Nikkei Asian Review reported without identifying sources that LG Display was building a new plant in anticipation of Apple Inc  adopting OLED technology for its iPhone in 2018. A spokeswoman for LG Display declined to comment to Reuters on the report.

LG Electronics Inc  and its affiliate LG Display are investing heavily on OLED for TVs, and LG Electronics recently slashed the prices of TV sets in the United States using OLED in a push to popularise the technology.

nikkei

LG to begin roll out of the LG Ray smartphone for 3G markets.

LG Electronics (LG) will begin roll out of LG Ray¹ to key global 3G markets, starting with the CIS region this week followed by Latin America. LG Ray features a stunning metallic design and comes loaded with best-in-class features such as an expansive 5.5-inch HD display and an 8MP front camera, features unavailable in competing devices.

With its impressively large display powered by a 1.4GHz Octa-Core processor, LG Ray enables users to enjoy multimedia content seamlessly. 

Thanks to LG’s superior optical technology, this device captures impressive images with its 13MP rear camera and 8MP front camera unmatched by other smartphones in its category. Gesture Shot, LG’s exclusive UX inherited from its G Series, delivers an easier way to take selfies and LG Ray also features a removable battery with a capacity of 3,000mAh for longer usage time between charges.

“Customers in 3G markets continue to be a priority for LG so we will continue to develop new products with these consumers in mind,” said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “No matter the country or the device, every LG customers will receive a unique user experience with a balance of design, performance and value.”

Details such as price and availability will be announced locally at the time of launch.

Key Specifications²:

• Display: 5.5-inch HD (1280 x 720, 267ppi)
• Chipset: 1.4GHz Octa-Core Processor
• Camera: Rear 13MP / Front 8MP
• Memory: 1GB RAM / 16GB eMMC / MicroSD
• Battery: 3,000mAh
• Operating System: Android 1 Lollipop
• Size: 5 x 76.4 x 9.3mm
• Weight: 158g
• Network: HSPA+ 21Mbps (3G)
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 11 b, g, n / Bluetooth 4.0 / USB 2.0
• Colors³: Silver / Gold / Titan Black
• Other: Single SIM / Dual SIM

¹ LG Zone in Latin America.

² Specifications may vary depending on the market.

³ Gold and Titan Black to be available in January 2016.

Japan: Wearable walk-assist gets green light for sale

Cyberdyne's HAL for Medical Use, lower limb type, is designed to help patients with such conditions as ALS and muscular dystrophy.

Japan's health ministry approved on Wednesday sale of a wearable walk-assist robot for use in medical facilities, underscoring the government's push to promote such products as part of growth strategy.

The HAL for Medical Use, lower limb type, from startup Cyberdyne is the first wearable medical robot approved for sale in Japan.

The product is designed for use in healthcare facilities by patients with eight incurable conditions including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, and spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy, given height and weight requirements.

Cyberdyne originated at the University of Tsukuba. Yoshiyuki Sankai, a professor there, developed the technology and heads the company as president.

Sensors attached to the thigh and other parts of the body detect the weak signals from nervous system, and the motor-powered limbs facilitate the movement of the patient's joints by leading them in the desired direction. This helps the body remember how to walk, according to the company.

The robot could delay the progress of a disorder, or help regain leg function.

Clinical trials at a national hospital in Niigata Prefecture and elsewhere showed that 24 patients who underwent nine sessions of exercises over a three-month period could walk greater distances than those who did not undergo such exercises.

"We hope to introduce it initially to eight hospitals including the Niigata hospital," Sankai said. If the treatment qualifies for insurance coverage, the company will work to expand the application to spinal cord conditions, too.

The robot is already approved in Europe. In Germany, one session of 60-90 minutes costs 500 euros ($530). Coverage by public health insurance is currently being pursued. But work-related injury insurance fully covers 60 sessions. The bulk of cases are for spinal cord injuries.

Other medical robots, such as the endoscopic-surgery assist system da Vinci, have been on the market, too. But a wearable one is rare. 

The Japanese health ministry likely was driven by a sense of urgency to do everything in its power to combat incurable diseases and age-related conditions in a graying society.

Cyberdyne filed with the health ministry in March, aiming to get approval in nine months under an expedited screening process available for medical equipment to treat rare diseases. The actual process took only eight months, highlighting the government's eagerness to promote such products as part of growth strategy. 

"There is the feel that big reforms are underway to create a new medical industry," Sankai said.

ABC USA network 29 programs coming to South Korean LG Uplus mobile suscribers.

South Korea's No. 3 mobile carrier LG Uplus Inc. said Wednesday it has clinched a deal with the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) to distribute the U.S. broadcasters programs through mobile platforms.

Under the plan, LG Uplus will offer various ABC programs to its subscribers, including "Good Morning America," "World News Tonight" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" A total of 29 programs will be provided starting this week, the company said.

LG Uplus also signed a similar deal with NBC Universal, another U.S. media giant in September.

"We will continue efforts to provide broadcasting content from around the globe to subscribers and expand ties with overseas players," the company said.

The programs will also come with English subtitles to help local users understand the content and improve their language skills.

The carrier's latest move is seen as part of its efforts to attract more subscribers in the South Korean market, of which SK Telecom Co. and KT Corp. take up around 80 percent.

LG Uplus earlier said NBC Universal's dramas distributed through its platform posted 1.5 million views around a month after their release. The programs include "Heroes: Reborn" and "12 Monkeys."

Around 65 percent of the viewers were male, aged mostly in their 30s and 40s, LG Uplus said, adding that its mobile platform was able to attract older age groups to American dramas.

South Korea: Samsung`s Gear VR sold out in one day.

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. said Wednesday its virtual reality (VR) device sold out in one day after the debut on its home turf with its relatively cheap price wooing customers.

The initial number of 2,000 Samsung Gear VR devices has been sold out, it said.

The Samsung Gear VR, which links to the Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge+, Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, went on sale here with a price tag of 129,800 won (US$112.5), significantly lower than the around 250,000 won of previous models.

The device allows users to enjoy gaming and movie content with a 360 degrees rotation view.

The product, which was introduced to the United States earlier this month, also sold out there at major online and offline retailers there in 10 days.

The latest Samsung Gear VR is about 20 percent lighter than previous models. Samsung said users can currently access 100 games and movies that support the virtual reality device.