smartphones - eriinfo

Africa

Africa: No, Helping Strangers Use Their Smartphones Will Not Expose You to ‘Ai Biometric Identity Fraud’

eriinfo.com3 days ago012 mins

No, helping strangers use their smartphones will not expose you to ‘AI biometric identity fraud’ IN SHORT: Warnings that strangers asking for help using a smartphone may actually be scammers conducting “AI biometric identity fraud” are just scaremongering. Even if well-intentioned, these warnings misrepresent how biometric security and impersonation scams actually work. “STOP HELPING STRANGERS…

Tim Cook flags memory crunch as AI chips starve smartphones

eriinfo.com3 weeks ago07 mins

Apple CEO Tim Cook. Carlos Barria/Reuters Apple has warned that rising memory chip prices have started to pressure profitability in the current quarter, echoing warnings from South Korean chip makers that are diverting production toward higher-margin memory chips that support AI workloads. “We do continue to see market pricing for memory increasing significantly,” Apple CEO…

Reports of the smartphone’s impending death are greatly exaggerated

eriinfo.com4 weeks ago07 mins

Will AI devices, like the ones under development by former Apple design chief Jony Ive at OpenAI, displace smartphones in the coming years as the primary way people interact with technology and the internet? It’s an intriguing question, and it’s an area where companies like OpenAI and Meta Platforms are making huge bets – billions…

Premium smartphones drive Apple’s sales growth

eriinfo.com1 month ago07 mins

Premium smartphone demand lifted Apple to market leadership in 2025. Global smartphone shipments grew 2% year-on-year (YOY) in 2025, driven by increasing premium phone demand and improving momentum in key emerging markets, according to preliminary estimates from Counterpoint’s market monitor. According to the report, the market sustained its growth momentum throughout 2025, primarily driven by…

Google-GS1 collab brings medical product info to smartphones

eriinfo.com3 months ago06 mins

Through a new collaboration between GS1 Global, the global organisation behind the barcode, and Google, healthcare professionals and their patients can access medical product information with their smartphones. Paving the way for broader digital access to trusted medical product information, this new capability enables access via Google Lens. Image credit: GS1 The collaboration with Google’s…

Africa

Africa: GSMA Pushes $40 Smartphones to Close Africa’s Digital Gap

eriinfo.com3 months ago04 mins

Across Africa, more than 600 million people live within reach of mobile broadband but remain offline. The reason is not network coverage, according to GSMA Africa head Angela Wamola as quoted by TechCabal, but the high cost of smartphones. For many households, an entry-level device still consumes a large share of monthly income. To address…

Africa

Africa: Tax-Free Entry Level Smartphones in Africa – a Policy Lever for Digital Inclusion or a Fiscal Tightrope?

eriinfo.com3 months ago07 mins

At the recent Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Kigali, a bold proposal took centre stage: African telecom operators and government leaders called for the removal of import duties and VAT on smartphones priced under $100. This clarion call came with the aim to accelerate internet access, digital skills, and participation in the digital economy for…

Qualcomm buying Arduino in push beyond smartphones

eriinfo.com5 months ago03 mins

Qualcomm on Tuesday said it has acquired Arduino, an Italian not-for-profit firm that makes hardware and software for developing prototypes of robots and other electronic gadgets. San Diego-based Qualcomm is a major supplier of chips at the heart of mobile phones but has been expanding into other fields such as connected vehicles, wireless earphones, laptop…

Why 2026 is shaping up to be a big year in smartphones

eriinfo.com5 months ago08 mins

Smartphone buyers eyeing this year’s upgrades may want to pause. A quiet but profound shift is looming in chip manufacturing: the move to 2-nanometre process technology. And next year’s flagship devices from Apple, Samsung and Honor could be the first to showcase it. For users, that could mean real gains in performance. More importantly, we…

MTN launches rent-to-own smartphones for prepaid users

eriinfo.com7 months ago05 mins

MTN’s mobile money business in South Africa, known as MoMo, said on Thursday that it will make 4G and 5G smartphones available on credit to prepaid customers – without the need for background credit checks. The “Handset Rent-to-Own” solution is aimed at getting millions of South Africans, many of whom still rely on outdated feature…