The month in tech: Intel's latest i9 chip and Barclaycard's new bill payment system

Five mobile networks, including O2, Three, EE and Vodafone, are competing for a share of future mobile data airwaves and 5G-compatible mobile devices in an auction operated by Ofcom.

At the start of the auction, Ofcom’s Spectrum Group director Philip Marnick said: “Our job is to release these airwaves quickly and efficiently, and we want to see them in use as soon as possible. This spectrum will help improve people’s experience of using mobile broadband today, and also help companies prepare for future 5G services.”

Ofcom carefully manages the amount of spectrum available to telecoms companies to avoid congestion and to ensure no one company dominates. Current mobile services run on the 2.3GHz band and future 5G services will run on the 3.4GHz band, with both bands being auctioned to bidding companies.

CPUseful

Intel has unveiled a series of new highend Core i9 CPUs running its eighth-generation Coffee Lake microarchitecture aimed at laptops. The Intel Core i9- 8950HK offers six cores, 12 threads and can hit clock speeds of up to 4.8GHz.

Intel is promising a 29% hike in overall boosted speeds compared to its previous seventh-generation Kaby Lake CPUs, which had been criticised for lacklustre performance. The boost translates into a 59% hike in 4K video-editing performance and a 41% improvement in gaming performance.

The Core i9-8950HK is likely to pop up in gaming laptops and mobile workstations aimed at high-end video editing. Intel also revealed eighth-generation Core i5 and Core i7 chips for laptops, which again make use of the enhanced 14nm fabrication process that underpins the Coffee Lake architecture.

These also promise high-end gaming and video-editing performance, as well as enough grunt to power VR headsets and Microsoft’s ‘mixed reality’ goggles.

Dual action

The upcoming HTC U12 Plus flagship mobile device was leaked in March, presentingtech fans with an insight into the highly awaited device. The six-inch screen is an LCD panel with a WQHD+ resolution and two eight-megapixel ‘selfie’ cameras on the top bezel. On the back is a 16-megapixel camera paired with a 12-megapixel one, as well as a fi ngerprint sensor.

Internally, the device is packed with a Snapdragon 845 chipset, 6GB of RAM, 64/128GB of storage and a 3,420mAh battery. According to notorious device leaker, Evan Bass, the product will be on the market by May.

HTC will also to launch two budget phones, likely called Desire 12 and Desire 12 Plus. Both are thought to boast an 18:9 aspect ratio screen and a Mediatek processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and a 13/5-megapixel camera combo.

The bill, please

Barclaycard has developed a technology enabling restaurant-goers to pay for their meals via a new payments app. ‘Dine & Dash’ allows users to bypass the traditional bill-paying process by tapping a piece of hardware dubbed ‘the totem’ to check in at their table and settle up using a smartphone once they are done. Diners will also be able to order their food through the technology and effectively avoid any interaction with restaurant staff (bar the waiter bringing their food!).

Research carried out by Barclaycard revealed the longest wait time to receive and pay the bill in restaurants is 19 minutes. Already over half (55%) of its respondents predict a future where the physical bill no longer exists.

Going solo

Apple is planning to replace the Intel processors it currently uses inside its computers with in-house ARM-based chips. The initiative championing the shift is reportedly known internally as ‘Kalamata’ and is currently in developmental stages. According to Tech Republic, Apple already ships iMacs and MacBooks with ARM co-processors. The T1 co-processor was introduced to fully manage the Touch bar in the 2016 and 2017 models of MacBook Pro, as well as act as an intermediary between the microphone and webcam to prevent hackers from accessing that hardware

Analysis: A game on two halves? Mark Israney, partner, Propus Partners LLP

Anticipation of a new generation of smartphone design was dialled up a notch this month as an analyst from Bank of America Merrill Lynch reportedly suggested that Apple may have joined the race to launch a foldable handset.

With Samsung, Huawei and LG all either rumoured or confirmed to be developing their own versions, it seems to be only a matter of time before such devices hit the market. Of course, possible designs for these phones are, and will continue to be, closely guarded so we may still have a couple of years to wait until we know exactly what the future has in store.

However, given the competitive nature of the gambling industry, as well as the likely R&D effort so far, it does seem fair to assume these handsets won’t just be gimmicks and could offer a solution to a problem that many mobile-dominated industries face.

Mobile streaming is designed for stream quality over low latency; in fact, it is possible that future desktop players will adopt this model. But mobile streaming latency of at least five or six seconds is a problem, with scoreboards displaying scoring messages – or tell-tale price changes – seconds before events take place on video.

For this reason, data overlays on top of the video player cannot effectively be used, especially given that latency varies by handset and connection, meaning deliberate data display ‘lags’ will affect users differently.

A foldable, book-style handset on which streaming video, data visualisations, market navigation, betslip and cash-out prompts can be spread across the ‘fold’, allowing punters to see or browse what he or she wants, could dramatically improve this experience.

‘Pop-up’ markets such as ‘Will there be a wicket in the next over?’, ‘Will the penalty be scored?’ or ‘Will the VAR review be upheld?’ could gain in popularity through mobile, and thus contribute to the bottom line. As ever, the early movers in developing and adapting products to suit new devices will be well positioned for what, in this case, could be substantial benefits.

Barclaycard has developed a technology for restaurant-goers to bypass the traditional bill-paying process

Tech world:

Police in the Xinjiang province of China are trialling wearable devices to be able to recognise faces and vehicle registrations. The AI-powered smart glasses have been developed by Beijing-based tech company LLVision and have an integrated facial recognition system to analyse faces and run them against a database of potential criminals.

The country has made a marked surveillance push in recent months as President Xi Jinping has eradicated presidential term limits. China’s continued clamp-down on social media and heavy-handed surveillance enforcement has also seen the country invest in public CCTV cameras that also use facial recognition to compare blacklisted individuals.

Crypto no more

Google has enforced a ban on ads for all virtual currencies and related technologies as part of a wider clampdown on unregulated financial products. The ad ban includes bitcoin, ICOs, wallets and exchanges as the tech firm seeks to tackle scams against potential investors.

The move follows a similar decision by Facebook, which banned all marketing on crypto in January. The ban will come into force in June and include ads for skins betting in esports. In a corporate blog post, Google said improving its ad experience was a top priority for the firm. According to the Guardian, Google ads account for up to 85% of its parent company’s revenues.

Prime content

Amazon has released documents internally suggesting its Prime Originals TV shows accounted for up to a quarter of its Prime subscriptions from the end of 2014 to 2017. According to Reuters, Amazon spends $5bn a year on developing original and licensed video content as it strives to compete with the likes of Netflix.

Documents seen by Reuters also revealed Prime Video had a total viewership of approximately 26 million. In comparison, data by Statista reported Netflix subscribers surpassed 100 million in Q2 2017.

According to the Amazon documents, the first season of the original series The Man in the High Castle amassed eight million US viewers in early 2017. The programme cost $72m in production and marketing and attracted 1.15 million new subscribers worldwide based on Amazon’s accounting, the documents showed.

In the past, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has suggested the streaming side of the business was used to cross-sell customers to the eCommerce site. In 2016, Bezos told an LA tech conference higher quality video content was boosting customer conversion and film and TV subscribers renewed their subscriptions at higher rates.

Breaking the (block)chain

Barclays is the first global bank to enter the crypto fray by signing exchange operator Coinbase as a customer. UK-based Coinbase users will have their virtual funds held in a Barclays customer account, Coinbase UK chief executive Zeeshan Feroz has said.

The Financial Times reports the deal will simplify the process of deposits and withdrawals for Coinbase’s UK customers, who have previously had their transactions processed through an Estonian bank.

Feroz said the firm had consulted dozens of banks before striking a deal with Barclays. The agreement comes as Coinbase is awarded an emoney licence by the FCA, (Financial Conduct Authority) which enables it to passport its services into Europe.

Amazon documents revealed Prime Video had amassed a viewership of 26 million in 2017. It also attributed almost a quarter of its overall Prime subscriptions to its original TV series