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In a surprise bit of weekend news that could have major implications on the smartphone market, Reuters reports that “Google has suspended business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware, software, and technical services except those publicly available via open source licensing.”

Translation: Huawei can no longer implement a full-fledged version of Android on future devices, losing access to Google services and more. Instead, it’ll only be allowed to use the open source components of Android. That means no Google Play Store, no Gmail, no YouTube – at least not without major workarounds.

We have since independently confirmed the Reuters report, as have several other publications. If the breakup is permanent, it could be a major blow to Huawei‘s smartphone business almost everywhere outside China.

The move follows US suspicion of Huawei‘s relationship with Chinese intelligence, including an indictment for stealing US tech and culminating with the Trump administration placing the company on ‘Entity List’ on Wednesday. It’s a trade blacklist that effectively barrs Huawei from doing business with American companies like Qualcomm, Intel, and Google without approval from the US government.

In other words, Google dumping Huawei appears to be a matter of compliance with the Trump blacklist rather than an independent decision to cut ties with the Chinese behemoth. The broad scope of the blacklist means other tech companies are sure to cut ties soon as well – Google is simply the most prominent partner.

When asked about Huawei‘s blacklist status, a Google spokesperson simply replied: “We are complying with the order and reviewing the implications.”

The ban prevents Google from directly working with Huawei on hardware, software, and technical services. This primarily affects future devices, not ones already on the market. Aside from forcing future Huawei devices to use the public (Android Open Source Project) version of Google’s OS, those products won’t be able to access Google apps and services.

Luckily, existing devices don’t need permission from Google to continue to receive app and service updates. However, security updates will be delayed, as Huawei will have to wait for them to become available in AOSP rather sourcing them directly from Google. It’s also unclear whether future Google services will be able to work on existing Huawei devices.

It’s important to note that while Huawei is being prevented from doing business with American companies, the implications are global; Huawei won’t be able to use components and software from American businesses in any market. Google services are typically not available in China, but they’re an essential part of the Android experience virtually everywhere else. Without the Play Store, Huawei sales outside of its homeland could suffer dramatically.

Huawei is unlikely to go down quietly, and it’ll probably challenge its blacklist placement and Android revocation. Moreover, it’s unclear how permanent the ban is intended to be.

Last year, the US blacklisted ZTE for similar reasons – that ban only lasted from April to July. Though the Huawei ban puts pressure on China, preventing US companies from doing business with the world’s second largest smartphone maker will hurt their bottom line too. Trump is meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping in Japan next month; the Huawei ban could be meant as leverage for that encounter.

To think it was less than four years ago that Google and Huawei worked so closely together to bring us the Nexus 6P. We’ll update this post if we learn any more relevant details.

Walmart is hiring robots to replace human tasks that humans didn’t “enjoy doing.” In a bid to save on labor costs, it’s betting on robots to clean floors, sort inventory, and replenish out-of-stock items in its stores, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Walmart has several jobs in mind for the new robots. Robot floor cleaners are coming to 1,500 stores. (The company says that floor scrubbing was previously a task that could take a human worker two to three hours each day to complete.) Walmart is also adding 600 conveyor belts that can sort inventory automatically, and at least 300 bots that can check if shelves are running out of stock after Walmart initially began to test this technology in 2017.

All of this is coming at the cost of human labor. The more robots Walmart hires, the fewer people it needs for each task, and the more money it saves across its 4,600 stores in the US. Walmart says that although it’s cutting down on labor for tasks like flooring cleaning, it is hiring employees to focus on growing its online grocery business. The move also comes after retail companies like Target and Walmart announced slight wage increases for store workers.

Walmart appears to be trying to make its online grocery service competitive to AmazonFresh and Amazon Prime Now’s Whole Foods delivery, both of which are still expanding. It’s part of a long feud between the two retail giants. While the brick-and-mortar Walmart has been pushed to acquire Jet.com and establish more of an online presence, Amazon has added physical stores to its e-commerce offerings and began to follow the playbooks of more traditional brands. Just last week, Amazon announced a new round of price cuts at Whole Foods stores around greens and tropical fruits. The company also reportedly has plans to expand grocery stores in major US cities later this year.

Source: www.theverge.com

Source: theverge.com

Apple’s week of surprise product launches continues with the announcement of the second-generation AirPods, which will include a wireless charging case and a new H1 chip that the company claims offers improved battery life and “Hey, Siri” support to trigger the virtual assistant without pressing a button.

The new wireless charging case works with standard Qi charging, so it should work with nearly every wireless charger out there. Otherwise, both the second-gen AirPods and the case look virtually identical to the first model, except for a small LED light on the wireless charging case to indicate battery life.

Apple says the H1 chip offers a number of benefits over the W1 chip in the last generation. Specifically, there’s up to an extra hour of talk time, which Apple says is a 50 percent increase; connection times are twice as fast when switching between devices; and the aforementioned “Hey, Siri” support — which Apple already offers on newer iPhones, iPads, Macs, and the HomePod — that allows you to ask Siri things hands-free.

Apple will be selling the updated AirPods in two options: with the wireless charging case for $199 or with the standard case for the same $159 price as the previous generation. The company will also sell the wireless charging case separately for existing AirPod owners for $79. That way, users will be able to charge their headphones with a wireless charger without upgrading to the new model.

Notably missing from the announcement is any mention of Apple’s still-missing AirPower wireless charger, which was first announced alongside the iPhone X over a year and a half ago. It was marketed primarily around being able to charge an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods wirelessly at the same time.

Source: theverge.com

Huawei Technologies Co. announced a smartphone that unfolds into a small tablet computer, potentially rendering the need to carry two separate devices obsolete.

The Mate X supports next-generation 5G networks and will cost 2,299 euros ($2,606) when released in the summer. It’s the second folding phone announced by a major manufacturer within a week. Samsung revealed the Galaxy Fold on Wednesday.

“We’ve been working on this folding screen hinge for three years,” Huawei Consumer Group Chief Executive Officer Richard Yu said on stage at MWC Barcelona Sunday. “It’s very expensive, but there’s lots of new technology here.”

The market for smartphones is slowing, and manufacturers are scrambling to find new ways to convince consumers they should upgrade their devices. Next-generation high-speed networks are still a far away from mainstream availability, so device makers are looking at new device form factors to conjure up excitement.

But they come at a cost. Huawei’s 2,299-euro price tag is only slightly steeper than Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, which will cost 2,000 euros when it’s released later this year. With premium mobile phones already costing well over $1,000 a piece, customers have been turning to cheaper alternatives, often made by lesser-known companies.

Huawei has been battling global scrutiny over its telecom equipment, but often overlooked is the company’s rapid growth as a smartphone manufacturer. Last year it surpassed Apple to become the world’s second-largest maker of smartphones, according to data from market research firm IDC.

When folded, the Mate X has a 6.6-inch display, which is just slightly larger than Apple Inc.’s iPhone XS Max. But when opened out, Huawei’s device becomes an 8-inch tablet computer. It runs on Alphabet Inc.-owned Google’s Android operating system.

Thomas Husson, an analyst at Forrester, said the Mate X “shows Huawei is a leader in tech innovation.” But it will be “a few years” before a significant mass of customers get their hands on 5G functionalities and foldable screens, he said.

Source: Bloomberg Technology