Category: Gadgets

According to HTC China’s President, VR is going to last longer than the smartphone cycle.

Virtual reality (VR) is going to dominate smartphones within four years, says Alvin Graylin, president of HTC China. Speaking at Mobile World Congress Shanghai, Graylin said that VR is the upcoming disruptor that will dominate mobile phones. It took smarpthones five years to surpass the total unit sales of PC and now he predicts VR will do the same to Smartphones in four years.

“VR is going to take over, and I predict it will last longer than nine years,” Graylin stated. “It’s going to replace every screen, and users will enjoy a different way to experience things like live events.”

HTC plans to invest billions in the future of VR.

HTC, the Taiwanese consumer electronics company, recently launched a consortium that brings together 28 of the world’s biggest VC (venture capital) firms. This consortium is dedicated to investing $10 billion in the future of virtual reality.

Graylin said at the Mobile World Congress that the VR VC Alliance will not only invest in a VR future but also set the direction for where this immersive technology is headed. “Think about what $10 billion can do for this industry,” he stated.

Graylin boasts that HTC’s virtual reality hardware is far superior to its competition.

HTC has put a great deal of time, effort and money into its VR headset Vive. Graylin said that compared to the VR hardware of other companies like Oculus, Samsung and Sony, Vive is way ahead of the game in terms of providing both a higher quality experience and having far more content.

Currently, Vive already has over 300 titles and Graylin said that this is like to become a “four-digit number very soon.” The executive expressed that the success of VR also depends on great content.

HTC launched its $100 million Vive X fund program two months ago. The program is designed to jump-start development. According to Graylin, the company has already received 1,200 applications from companies across the globe. Half of the companies are from China.

As for its plans to spin off its virtual reality group, an independent company was recently approved by the HTC board to operate the Vive business.

The New York Stock Exchange may be 224 years old, but it is now using 21st century technology.

The rules for NYSE mobile phone use have now changed. Brokers can use their personal mobile devices on the trading floor in Manhattan. This decision is a significant one and is meant to address a problematic issue.

The decision was made following a hectic day last Friday when a communications breakdown occurred.

That day, the results of the Brexit were announced, and the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. The landline service to brokers failed. That said, not all brokers had NYSE mobile phone approval. The brokers were not allowed to use their mobile devices without that specific authorization. Following that communications disaster, personal mobile phones can now be used.

This NYSE mobile phone decision may be a temporary one, according to a regulatory filing.

A statement from the NYSE read “Communications with customers is a vital part of a floor broker’s role.” It also added “Brokers who do not have exchange authorized and provided portable phones should be permitted to use personal cell phone devices, in lieu of the non-operational wired phone lines.”

This indicates that the authorized mobile devices and provided portable phones are the preferred methods. However, should those become non-functional or unavailable, then personal mobile phones become an allowable alternative. It is also the only option for many brokers at the moment as the outage was a lengthy one.

At the time of the writing of this article, the NYSE was still working with its phone carrier. The hope was that the floor brokers’ telephones would be working again soon. The outage that brought about this change in NYSE mobile phone regulations did not impact the “designated market makers.” They are the overseers of the floor for stock trades.

Should this regulation remain as a kind of back-up plan for brokers it could help to avoid the type of communication struggle they faced last Friday. Many consider this move to use personal mobile phones a step in the right direction to catch the New York Stock Exchange up to the current century.