The handelot times January 2018 Happy New Year 2018 The Old Hand Najibs Corner Spain Italy Trip 2018 handelot Statistics Sum Up of the Zempire Event 2 THE HANDELOT TIMES- the online Newsletter The tech industry is changing quickly and we want to keep you up to date with the latest news. We are developing ourselves by opening up to new innovations in IT. We are growing and keeping a reliable source of B2B information from all over the world. With The Handelot Times, we will bring you more information about market trends, share cutting-edge ideas, and bring our world together with yours. Handelot.com- 10 years on the market The handelot Times: Design: Adam Mieloszynski Copywriter: Brendan James Copywriter: HANDELOT AMBASSADOR Kazi Najib Ashraf Copywriter: The Old Hand Associates of the organisation: Taha Tuzuner - Business Consultant Team Leader 
Dima Malovanyi - Business Consultant
 Team Leader Alicja Lipka - Business Consultant 
Omar Benabdellah - Business Consultant Koushik Deka– Business Consultant 
Jon Rodriguez - Business Consultant
 Mariusz Sobczynski - Business Consultant
 Iryna Mats – Customer Service/Sales Assistant
/ Administration Katarzyna Mroczkowska – Customer Service Paulina Franikowska - Franikowska Julita Lech - Customer Service
 Basak Senturk – Customer Service 
Afiana Yuliasari - Customer Service
 Team Leader Elzbieta Kajdzik – Customer Service Daria Tymofeieva - Customer Service
 Olha Golovata - Administration Agnieszka Pulawska – CFO Valentyn Petruchek – Head of Development Cesar Gonzalez Patryk Skowron Advertising: For quotations please email times@handelot.com or call us at +48717152600. 3 1. Cover 2. Intro 3. Index 4 | Corporate News 5 | Conferences 2017-18 6 | Handelot Glossary Part 2 7 | Yukatel - Pioneer in Dropshipping 8-9 | The Zempire Event 2017 sponsored by handelot 10 | Digital Smile- Your business Partner in Need 11 | Phone Batteries 12-13 | Najibs Corner - VIP interview 14-15 | Najibs Corner - Mr. Salar interview 16 | Best movers on handelot.com 17 | Glo Marketing- The LCD Screens Specialist 18-19 | The old hand Can We Really Join The Party 20-21 | VIP Gold members 22 | VIP Stamps 23 | Christmas Holiday- New Year Greetings 24-25 | Top Devices 2017-18 26 | End of year Spain Italy Trip 2017 November and December 27 | Logistics and Services on handelot 28-29 | Top Mobile Companies 2017-18 30 | Snowden Data Gathering 31 | Pricelist handelot 32-33 | Best Video Games 2017-18 34 | Lens Camera 35 | XTG - Smoke from a Drop Shipper 36 | New Games January & February 37 | H-Asia official meizu distributor 38 | RationalFX 4 Corporate News During a recent event in Vietnam, Samsung confirmed their newly-unveiled Galaxy A8 will go on sale January 6. The A8 boasts digital stabilization and a dual-selfie camera – a first for Samsung. It will also be the first phone outside the S-series to sport Samsung’s Infinity Display. Before the holidays, Huawei also unveiled its budget-friendly Honor 9 Lite devices, which come in 3 and 4 GB RAM variants with storage of 32 and 64 GB. China saw the release of the phone in late December, though Russia, India, and UK will get the phone soon. Apple is said to be releasing the second edition of their AirPods for the latter half of 2018. The new wireless earbuds could include wireless charging and fitness tracking for health-conscious consumers. Although the Nokia 7 is currently exclusive to China, Romanian retailer Quickmobile decided to offer the device via unofficial import for around €325. The 4 GB version will be available for dispatch on January 10. In other unofficial release news, The Samsung Galaxy J2 (2018) isn’t yet released, but accessories for it are up on Samsung’s site – complete with several images of the phone. Google's Nest division has brought on board a new Director of Security and Privacy in Adrian Ludwig, who had previously been working as director of Android security. Ludwig has been replaced at Android by Dave Kleidermacher, who was BlackBerry’s Chief Security Officer. The OnePlus 3/3T and OnePlus 5 Oreo updates have been pulled by the company following user complaints. The Chinese company has provided a heads-up saying the global roll-out has been canceled due to bugs in the software. Sharp’s newest smartphone, the Aquos S3, will be released on January 16, supposedly equipped with a fingerprint scanner on the rear. Similarly, Chinese manufacturer Vivo has signaled that they plan to include a scanner that lies beneath the touchscreen. LG has announced the world's first 88-inch 8K OLED display. The display is all set to be featured at CES 2018 in Las Vegas later this month. According to Indian consumers, the final Android Oreo update is already actively rolling out to their Xiaomi Mi A1 devices. 5. BEST OF 2017: CONFERENCES We here at the Handelot Times have, in past issues, speculated on the viability of the tech conference as necessary for success in trading as we go forward into the future. For now, they are the best way for people with careers in tech to expand their network, share ideas, and develop professionally. Here’s what we found most interesting from the year in conferences all over the globe. ‘ROUND THE WORLD WE GO... Out in Las Vegas, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) saw some interesting developments by Samsung. As if they don’t already make every electronic device known to man, they are also attempting to grow closer to Google by dreaming up their own version of the Chromebook! Developments in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) at CES left much to be desired. Augmented World Expo (AWE) in Los Angeles was the place to be for those interested in next-gen gaming systems and wearable technology. Intriguing innovations include the Digibit, a crowdfunded project designed to turn the human body into a game controller, and IdentiToy, a sort of VR extension for Legos. AWE is planning a TEDx-style expansion into markets around the world including Mexico City, Rome, and Dubai. Elsewhere, CeBIT in Hannover, Germany showcased new products related to telecommunications and some technological novelties – including new, supposedly-VR workstations from Fujitsu that makes one question if they understand how VR works – but for the most part it was dedicated to discussing ideas ideas of digital security and administration. THE AWARD FOR WEIRDEST TECH GOES TO… Don’t get it mistaken: these conferences really do give an opportunity for some of the next great innovations to be previewed. Some point toward the future. Others, though, dig a hole in the ground to lay itself to rest, such as the Kerastase Hair Coach that was unveiled at CES – a “smart” hairbrush that endeavors to teach you how exactly to brush your hair and recommends hair products to use based on the weather on a particular day. If that’s not enough to make you giggle, smart underwear was also on show at the same conference, designed to protect your private areas from radiation by wireless signals. Traders will likely not be importing many crates of these wonders. IN 2018? TechCrunch indicates that CES 2018 – to be held the second week of January and thus setting the tone for the tech year – could be in somewhat of a holding phase this year as more and more companies trot out smart-home systems for showcase. However, VR/AR platforms could have their own moment to make up for their poor showing last year, with Google’s Daydream project being especially anticipated. AWE’s aforementioned expansion plans have no current timetable, but regardless of that they’ll be back in Santa Clara, California for the 2018 edition on May 30th. And CeBIT is the most reliable of them all, expanding to five days to take place at its ancestral Hannover Fairgrounds home from June 11-15. It’s difficult to say, as of press time, what exactly one can expect from conferences later in the year. However, another reason these mass meetings may be waning in influence is because the Apples, Huaweis and Samsungs of the world increasingly prefer to unveil their own devices at their own events on their own terms. Therefore, the vacuum is filled, on one hand, by upstarts and third-party developers looking to supplement the advancements made by big firms, and on the other hand, other curious innovations...such as smart underwear. The conference as a way for introducing products may not be long for this world. 6. [International Hubs There are hubs all around the globe important to traders, but these few are crucial for international trading. Hong Kong – the main route to Shenzhen and very important for the Chinese market. Most trading companies have a presence here. Singapore – important for Southeast Asian and Australian markets. Dubai – very important hub for all Middle Eastern and African markets. Most companies have their headquarters here. Ceuta – a key hub situated between Europe and Africa. Miami – the gateway to Latin and Central America (better known as Latam) New York – Apple’s largest center and key for USA-bound shipments. Graded Business & Habits Phones and other secondhand electronic devices are being resold in a parallel separate market. The market is not as clear, and this is why margins are higher than in the New Product business. We have: - Used and Tested - Used and Untested - Beyond Economic Repair (BER) - Used with gradings (A, B, C, D) - Refurbished with gradings (A, B, C, D) Grading types and criteria depends on the country and company. Different companies have different grading systems. This is why there is a lot of confusion in this segment of the market. IMPORTANT! The PO has to have the description of each part of the phone (e.g. cover, camera). It has happened in the past that these details were not included, and shipments arrived with a camera different than the OEM indicated. Companies usually have an in-house service center. Compared to the New Phone business, usually you have a 5-day warranty for used devices, which means that once you get the shipment from your supplier, it goes through the office. The in-house service center separates the good units from the bad ones. After a few days the faulty stock is sent back. In the New Phone business, a one-year warranty applies. 7. Yukatel - Pioneer in Dropshipping 8-9Z Empire Investments – Electronics Networking Convention “Partners In Excellence” 2017 Partners In Excellence, organized by Z Empire Investments took place on the 13th-16th of November in Limassol, Cyprus. The 5* resort exclusively booked for the convention accommodated the key decision makers of some of the biggest companies of the electronics industry from all over the world! With esteemed sponsors such as Electroholic, Infoworx, G&S Vision, Handelot, Interken Freighters, DTC Mobiles, Total Import Solutions and AZ Logistics the convention successfully gathered the leaders of our industry in a ground breaking convention for the elite. The delegates ranged from manufacturers, distributors, retailers, online retailers, re sellers, operators and traders – covering in this way all aspects of the electronics industry and enabling the delegates to have more focused and to-the-point networking, as per: Forbes KZ “The whole organization of the event is very beautiful, people are very hospitable here and they know what they are doing.” InfoQuest Technologies (400 million turnover) “The business that came here knows what it wants to buy, and knows what it wants to sell. All the meetings that took place here are very interesting, and I deduced the motto of this event for myself - this is the focus on the result.” Gersim Impex (one of the biggest Samsung Distributor) “ One of the best events in my life, because of the quality of the people, I was in Cebit, Barcelona, Dubai and many other events where I had to meet a lot of people and wasted my time, this time I didn’t waste my time .. I hope Z Empire Investments organizes this event two times a year ” Exertis UK ( one of the biggest distributor in UK) “As Exertis we saw an excellent benefit from attending, solidarity of existing relationships and the opening of new ones is greatly underestimated in the professional world and your forum allowed us to do this in abundance. To be honest I have not attended such a well-constructed and well put together event in my professional life. For your next event I would recommend this to any business’ or partner of ours and would put it down as a MUST NOT MISS forum. I personally will be representing Exertis again next year and hopefully we can contribute in a greater capacity.” Z Empire Investments is already planning the “Partners In Excellence 2018” electronics networking convention, which will exceed the first in quality, focus and activities as their only competition is the one with their selves. Dates and place will soon be announced on the Z Empire Investments website as well, stay tuned so you don’t miss out . (www.zempire.solutions) 10. Digital Smile- Your business Partner in Need 11. WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH PHONE BATTERIES? Researchers for Samsung’s Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) have made a breakthrough in the development of graphene-based fast charging batteries. Not only would the charging time drastically shortened thanks to the technology, but the capacity of the batteries would be significantly increased. Samsung announced that the charging time would be reduced to one fifth of its current length – from 60 minutes to just 12 minutes. The capacity would also be increased by 45 percent. All of these breakthroughs are possible through the use of a brand new technology: graphene balls. It appears that the company has succeeded in developing a mechanism that synthesizes silicon dioxide to form three-dimensional popcorn-like balls. These balls are then attached to the anode or cathode of a lithium-ion battery, which would suppress adverse side reactions and increase the conductivity, SAIT experts reported in a journal article in Nature Communication. If this development sounds only experimental in nature, Engadget points out that the production process is simpler than many might think. Samsung has figured out how to coat the electrodes using Nobilta milling in a way that's reasonably fast and accurate. The process, they say "would not require a substantial change" to current manufacturing techniques for advanced lithium-ion batteries like the ones used in EVs. Furthermore, the researchers report that batteries based on the new technology can be used without problems at temperatures of around 60 degrees Celsius, below the 70-degree threshold needed for the operation of electric cars. Thus, the graphene technology would be revolutionary for everyday devices such as smartphones, upcoming technological staples of life like the electric car, and perhaps ones we can’t even conceive of yet. Samsung has, predictably, applied for a patent for the batteries in South Korea and the US. Dates for production and commercialization of the batteries have not yet been divulged. 12-13. Najibs Corner Mr. Salar najim interview q&A The leading Mobile Trading and Distribution company in the UAE, Euro Telecom & Al Watani are a reference for the market with a thorough channel and market reach. I had a pleasure to have a candid chat with the CEO and Chairman of the Group, Mr. Salar Najim to gather his thoughts on the present state of the market and the future as well. A Mechanical Engineering by training, he runs the company in a professional and structured approach, something of a unique trait in the Middle East Mobile Trading environment. Najib: Let’s discuss a bit on your background and business ventures. Salar Najim: I completed my Mechanical Engineering program from the US and came back to the UAE to join in the family business. We had an Ice Cream Factory and after returning I established a plastic manufacturing facility in 1992. The factory produces packaging material for the retail, Industrial and food Industry. I had a knack for doing the work on my own and had the first machinery installed myself. The business has grown from strength to strength and from 2 machines we have a total of 70 machines at the facility with a great growth potential. This setup also provides livelihood to more than 120 people, given that we had 3 employees when we had started. We are thankful to the great vision of Dubai to have provided this opportunity to the Entrepreneurial community that has helped us to grow YoY. Najib: Your family background has been business I suppose. Salar Najim: Yes, my family had been trading Timber and Metal in Iraq from the 1950’s and then moved to Dubai in 1982 to start the manufacturing. We are privileged to have the whole family being educated and trained in the US from top Institutions. Najib: From manufacturing to Mobile Trading, lets hear how this transition came along. Salar Najim: It’s an interesting story, I had sent a container of Plastic material to Sweden and the customer couldn’t pay me due to some reason, in turn he paid me in the form of Ericsson batteries. The speed at which the batteries were sold was amazing and we recovered three times the cost of the container from this one deal. The cost of the plastic container had been 40,000$ and we sold batteries for a whopping 120,000$. This was a clear sign for us to enter this dynamic business vertical. During those days in Dubai, Ameer Mirzai, Golden Motors, Advanced Technology and Ramses were among the top players. Those had been the initial days of mobile trading with great margins and ROI. Najib: Did you shift totally to Mobile Trade? Salar Najim: No, this was an additional vertical to our business and our plastic business as mentioned earlier is still flourishing. The profit margins in mobile business and the pace had prompted us to take on this vertical. We had established our offices in Gargash Center. Trading stock was primarily procured from Europe (Germany and Spain being the main sources). Juma Al Majed and Emirates Computers were among the top names in Distribution those days in the UAE. Najib: What regions have you been focusing on trading? How had been the business in those days. Salar Najim: Top regions for us had been the Gulf, Saudi, Kuwait, Africa, Russia and Turkey. I remember Alcatel One Touch Easy used to sell in containers and the brands of yesterday exist no more, but these were the legends of the time. The challenge those days was not sales rather there wasn’t enough stock available to cater to the market. We used to have people waiting in lines to get a hold of their allocation. The business used to be clean with mostly cash transactions without any shady trades. Most of the car accessory tradesmen ventured into mobile business as a natural transition. Najib: Lets talk a bit about the Legend, Nokia. Salar Najim: Yes, it was huge and as you mentioned legendary. An organization with a Euro Centric outlook but an extremely aggressive approach to the market; they just did everything right no matter which segment they took over. A tall leader like Ericsson could not manage the tide of Nokia although both companies had in depth research facilities both in the handset and network business. Nokia, however had the pulse of the market and knew exactly which buttons to push. With the unbelievable demand on every vertical Nokia kept wiping out every competitor that came in its way. With ease of use, youth focus and brand push, it became a household name and a force to be reckon with. I still remember the first smart phone the 9000 Communicator that was way ahead of any competition. It was a company that listened to the market and to its customers and acted upon it. Najib: Take us through the Nokia relationship with your company. Salar Najim: Thuraya had been launched in Iraq in 2002 and GSM in 2004; We had started the same year with the 3310 still in a huge demand and a front runner for the company. The model was affordable, the ease of use, sturdy design and features made it the hot favorite for the market. It was extremely difficult to get the Nokia distribution and we strived hard and then proved ourselves to be the right partner for the company. From Baghdad we went across North and South of the country with Service Centers, Showrooms and Distribution facilities. Nokia had a whopping market share of 90% during those days and it was literally unstoppable. There were other partners appointed by Nokia those days but in the end our demanding work paid off leaving us as the only player. Iraq did have a very small share of Ericsson, Motorola and Samsung during those days as well. Najib: What went wrong with Nokia in your opinion. Salar Najim: It was truly unfortunate that towards the later part they lost their eye off the ball and stopped following the market trends. We had informed them clearly to let go off Symbian and rather than taking in on the band wagon of Android they jumped over to Windows, from the frying pan into the fire. I can confidently claim that most of the established traders can attribute their wealth to the trade they had with Nokia, this was a company that wanted their partners to be profitable at all cost. Unfortunately, a fall in some regions from 90-0% had been a loss unheard of and this is a result of getting oblivious to the market trends. Today the youth have no recollection of the Nokia brand and for them Apple and Samsung are the trendsetters. Similar fate was in store for Blackberry with the advent of Whatsapp, the move from hardware to the complete eco system. Najib: What’s the current state of brands? Salar Najim: Apple would still dominate the game at least for another few years as they have perfected the whole chain from new to CPO to the pre-owned and consumers are hooked on to the eco system as well. Off course Samsung is at a class of its own and a true leader in Android that would stay as the main operating system for the foreseeable future, at this stage they are doing everything right. Huawei’s pricing and positioning is great, and they would soon be moving into the 20% share bracket globally very soon. Oppo and Xiomi are the upcoming brands to watch and they are penetrating the market at an accelerated pace. For the rest of the brands I guess this is a challenging time to keep up with the spending power of the top players. 14. Best movers on handelot.com handelot worldwide splitdown in Regions: Africa 1% Asia 12% Australia 1% Easter europe 25% Middle East 17% Americas 12% western europe 32% Best movers on handelot January 2018 - Mobility 1.Samsung 1523 trades 2. Apple 1100 trades 3. Xiaomi 383 trades 4. Samsung LCD 250 trades 5. Nokia 141 trades 6. LG 102 trades 7. Motorola 89 trades 8. Blackberry 74 trades 9. Sony 72 trades 10.Lenovo 61 trades Best movers on handelot January 2018 – Inhome 1. Sony 100 trades 2. Samsung 80 Trades 3. LG 80 trades 4. Nintendo 35 trades 5. Microsoft 34 Trades 6. GoPro 29 trades 7. Nikon 15trades 8. Fuji 12 trades 9. Panasonic 11 trades 10. Phillips 4trades 16-17. VIP Gold members MOBILITY PLATFORM: ABC Data S.A. Bluefin Century s.r.o. NEW BM Electronics FZCO Cell-Tel MIDDLE EAST LLC Central point Europe s.r.o. Central point Europe s.r.o. NEW Domo Trading Limited Eurostar Global Electronics Ltd GERSIM IMPEX Jupiter GSM Komputronik S.A. LANDOTECH MOBILE SP Z.O.O NOVAPHONE sp. z.o.o S.K PPA International AG Q-CONN GmbH SELTE SPA SG SPA Sound Business Tekpoint GmbH Time In Home, LDA XTG sp. z o.o. Yukatel GmbH ZEROTTANTUNO SRL ------------------ INHOME PLATFORM: Domo Trading Limited Intrade d.o.o. Q-CONN GmbH SELTE SPA Time In Home, LDA 18-19 The old hand Can We Really Join The Party Can We Really Join The Party ? After spending days truffling and rooting around like an old wild hog looking for that gold in the ground, the one that will fill your belly with food and your body with contentment, did you ever see the end but couldn’t reach the finish line because you just didn’t have enough fuel in the tank? What I am referring to is finance and trading. Good traders end up going it alone, tempted by the dream of a good life with a Ferrari and a house in the sun. Occasionally with financial backing and many times without, traders will set out on a journey of discovery to build and create their own nirvana. Good traders are always over trading and under funded. A trader’s gift is his ability to root out that all-important deal. The only things a trader possesses and the only things he feels that he owns are his hard earned contacts, his relationship with such and the information he gathers on a daily basis. Often traders find themselves in a position where placed in their lap is the largest most profitable deal that they have ever seen but they just can’t reach it, they can see it but they cant touch it or own it. This is because they don’t have the finance to purchase the stock. What happens then? A trader will either look for finance from outside of the business, angel investment, hard to come by, or introduce the supplier to the buyer and then receive a commission for that introduction from either party. If a trader introduces a supplier to a buyer then it is very likely that he will only ever get paid once and that been on the first transaction, if he even gets paid at all. He can never go back and drink from that same watering hole, in essence he has given away his business in its entirety. During the course of my time in the business, which is 27 years, I have lost count of the times I have introduced the buyer to the supplier and never received a single cent for that introduction. The lost revenue was one thing to have to contend with. The personal feeling of betrayal and devastation it left inside my soul was a totally different experience. As a trader I am sure you can relate to this. To acquire finance to trade technology from the mainstream lenders is virtually impossible. Their lending criteria will not cover a trading transaction and will be viewed by them as far too risky or dangerous to lend against. If a trader is selling to a corporate buyer and that buyer attains the necessary status required through credit insurance with a company like Euler Hermes then it is possible to get the sales end of the deal factored and credit insured. This is called supply chain finance and is better achieved by specialised lenders above mainstream banking. The lender lends against the buyer and not the supplier and this gives the security of the transaction for the lender. It is complicated, time consuming, expensive and involves a lot of hidden charges from the lender to the borrower. The system relies very heavily on the value of the transaction against the buyers credit status, more importantly the buyers confirmed status to cover the lending value. The lender utilises specialist companies like Experian and Dunn & Bradstreet to confirm the buyer’s ability to cover the value of the borrowing and companies like Euler Hermes to credit insure the buyer. Only last week I ran a company through a check with a specialised lender with the intention of invoice factoring that company through supply chain finance. Now I don’t consider myself to be rocket scientist but from the birth of this company I do know their history and I would not be exaggerating if I stated that having existed for over 20 years they are probably one of the largest trading companies in the world with over 200 employees. The lender came back to me and stated that they would not lend more than 10% invoice value against this company. This company purchases in excess of 20,000 Smartphone’s weekly. On the other end of the scale I ran a much smaller company through the necessary check, again a company that I have dealt with for over 20 years and again knowing the full history of that company, they came back with a 250K facility. It just didn’t add up! The lenders are only as good as the information they gather and receive. Its obvious to me the information they gather and receive is incorrect. With reference to finance on the purchase end of a transaction there is little hope for a trader and as far as I am aware there are no lenders within this arena, unless off course the trader can achieve a relevant assessment to the financial value of the borrowing. If I had the loot in the first place to fund the deal then why would I be asking you for it Mr Banker? To finance the complete transaction without the ability to purchase the product then the factoring of the buyer is irrelevant. Due to the nature of the trading business, the majority of traders and trading companies do not lie within the boundaries of normal commerce and cannot be accredited within the current mainstream lending criteria’s. We lie outside of the boundaries of normality. It has never been my wish to sit within the boundaries of normality however sometimes I suppose it does have its uses. In 2016 1.6Billion Smartphone’s were distributed worldwide and 30% of this value passed through the parallel markets, that’s over 500 million mobile phones, equivalent to a turnover in excess of over 450Billion USD. There exist over 50,000 technology traders worldwide of which a large percentage of these traders are under funded and over trading. They also have very limited if any access to external mainstream borrowing to enable growth. I spent the early years of my life raised on a farm. We would prepare the land, plant the seeds and watch the harvest grow, harvest the crop and then sell the crop to make a profit. It appears to me that there is a desert plateau within our business, there lies little access to liquid to allow organic growth, no rain for the harvest. With 450Billion USD of existing annual sales taking place in the parallel markets of Smartphone trading how much larger could we increase that revenue if smaller traders could readily access the rain or the liquid finance that would enable growth? As I watch the world ticking by I can see a distinct separation and increasing margin between what I would call ‘The Haves” and The Have-nots” Interestingly I can also see accumulating year after year within the circles of The Haves amassing an excess of available liquid cash. Now we all know that a man by the nature of his desire can never be too rich, it would be an interesting exercise to engage the two parties within a trading dynamic. The financial institutions of the world are missing a trick, they neither understand our business or they fear it, uncertainly and fear are the two factors that prevent investment and are normally derived through lack of information due to ignorance. Do you think it is possible to educate these institutions or is there another way to create and utilise the rainfall? Keep The Faith The Old Hand Blog: theoldhand.wordpress.com 20. VIP Stamps 21. Christmas Holiday- New Year Greetings 22-23. Top Devices 2017-18 BEST OF 2017: MOBILE DEVICES Let’s be honest: reading about the latest devices and getting excited by their technical specifications is never boring. And 2017 was not a boring year by any metric. These are the devices that had us ooh-ing and ahh-ing in 2017. SAMSUNG AND APPLE ARE STILL LOCKED IN BATTLE… In March, the Galaxy S8 dropped to much fanfare. Samsung upped the ante with the height of its aspect ratio, giving the S8 the largest screen-to-device ratio of any major phone manufacturer while still packing the thing with enough pixels to keep any set of eyes fixated on it. And of course, it would be terrible not to mention that all of this screen sexiness is protected by Gorilla Glass straight out of the box! The one area it seems to have a weakness is the fact that it lacks a dual camera. Which is where Apple picks up. Though both of their new devices don’t sport the resolution of the Galaxy S8 (along with a continued resistance to memory expansion and an allergy to headphone jacks), Apple is one of the firms leading the charge for rear dual-camera setups that allow for higher aperture and resolution and enhanced image-capturing abilities. Once again it seems like Samsung has the upper hand over Apple in the device game, but it all depends on whether you’re a watcher (in which case you’d be happy with a Galaxy S8) or a creator (as an iPhone would be a good fit for you). Apple fans, don’t fret. Recent news out of the United States Supreme Court suggests that the unending court battle between Samsung and Apple could see a large sum of money move Apple’s way for legal damages wrought by Samsung. So there’s that. …BUT WILL A NEW CHALLENGER EMERGE? Elsewhere in this issue of the Handelot Times you’ll read that Chinese brands now account for nearly half of all mobile brands found on the global market. It’s thanks to devices like Huawei’s P10, boasting a Leica-made 12/20 MP (color/monochrome respectively) camera that photography enthusiasts have gone nuts for. The Mi 6 by Xiaomi is another reason that they are shipping so much to meet demand. With the smooth performance of the Snapdragon 835 and ceramic casing with gold accents, the Mi 6 is an object to be coveted. Vivo has begun including 24 MP cameras in its devices, while Oppo is aiming for bezel-less design for their phones. All of this makes for very exciting news as we wait to see if these shipment trends continue and consumers increasingly switch to Chinese brands. IN 2018? Are Samsung and Apple going to give up and go home? Probably not. The former will likely double down as the Galaxy S9 (along with its Note counterpart) is in the pipeline, which is rumored to have a camera that can shoot up to one thousand frames per second. Apple will also be back with its iPhone 9. Or X2. Or both – it is not entirely clear how the company will proceed with its naming conventions from here. And of course, Huawei will drop its P11, which you can read more about in this issue. However, other companies are catching up: Techradar reports that LG is springing for the OLED screen on its devices as Apple did in 2017. Google will supposedly keep pushing its Pixel series on the world, as the tech giant has three codenamed phones in development as of the time of writing, although speculative details were scant. Finally, Nokia is primed to make a comeback with its Nokia 9, and it’s pulling out all the stops. The device is expected to feature a Carl Zeiss camera, a QHD OLED screen and a water resistant casing. Expected to be released in early 2018, it could signal a triumphant return to the mobile game for the former king of the industry. 24. End of year Spain Italy Trip 2017 November and December 25. Logistics and Services on handelot VIP Plus AIR EXPRESS POLAND Sp. z o.o. Wroclaw, Poland • AZ LOGISTIC Dubai, United Arab Emirates New • M.T.S. Trasporti e Servizi Logistici Casnate con Bernate (Como), Italy • Michael Kyprianou Malta Ltd. Imsida, Malta • ORBIT LOGISTICS FZCO, Dubai, UAE VIP Captains Freight Services Dubai, United Arab Emirates Dignis trade, Vilnius, Lithuania • DREAM CARGO SERVICES SRL BUCHAREST, Romania • Globo Swiss Sped Sagl Lugano, Switzerland • PL-Logistics Sp. z o.o. Warsaw, Poland • Prima Air Sea s.r.o. Prague 6, Czech Republic • Union Logistics Fze Dubai, United Arab Emirates New • Universal Freight (HK) LTD Hong Kong, Hong Kong 26-27. Top Mobile Companies 2017-18 BEST OF 2017: COMPANIES The playing field of mobile manufacturers is shifting. 2017 saw an expanding presence of Asia-based brands not only in their own markets, but region- and world-wide. If you’re a fan of brands such as Huawei and Xiaomi, then this holiday season brings you very good tidings. Here’s what you need to know about the realm of mobile manufacturers as we head into 2018. THERE ARE TWO ELEPHANTS IN THE ROOM... At the risk of having overstated how much things have changed, please be reassured that Samsung and Apple are still the top mobile phone manufacturers on earth. And they are at war. For years, the mobile giants have been taking each other to court all over the world for all kinds of reasons, from patent infringements to countersuits seeking to get money for legal damages, to retrials of those very same countersuits. Silly? Yes. In fact, it was only in November that the United States Supreme Court rejected the latest Samsung appeal over a patent infringement case in which a lower court ruled in favor of Apple. Is it finally all over? Maybe...but probably not. 2017, as with any other year, saw Apple and Samsung drop two highly-anticipated devices in its smartphone lines respectively. A key difference emerges here; David Nield of T3.com points out that, although they released updates of their iWatch and iPad, and with the performance results of the new HomePod speaker system still waiting to be seen, their hopes for success rested on the iPhone X (and to a lesser extent, the iPhone 8/8 Plus. Meanwhile, Samsung has come out across the board with updates to the Galaxy S and the Galaxy Note, not to mention its other home electronics such as smart televisions, appliances and smart home kits that, together with its mobile products, try to create an immersive experience. As expected upon the release of the devices, the clamor reached a fever pitch and the talk, hype, and speculation was non-stop as always. ...BUT THEY’RE NOT THE ONLY ONES So loud, in fact, that it would have caused you to miss the news that Huawei is challenging Apple for the second-biggest mobile phone manufacturer on Earth. 2017 was the quiet beginning of a revolution in the mobile phone industry – not only did Huawei make a significant impact, but shipments from Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo made aggressive leaps in that market in a way that the two mobile giants simply did not, per research from Counterpoint. Perhaps all the legal wrangling in court between Samsung and Apple cause them to take their eyes off the ball. Moreover, Counterpoint also reports that Chinese brands are now accounting for nearly half of the world’s smartphone shipments. One-third of shipments from Chinese brands are now to overseas markets, with India and South East Asia being key markets and Huawei performing especially strong in emerging markets. Most curious is the fact that this growth is coming at a time when Samsung and Apple’s growth is slowing and even reversing in the Chinese market. Watch the aforementioned brands closely – one or more of them could be primed for a worldwide break in 2018. IN 2018? Trying to forecast how these trends will continue is a tricky conceit. As you, the eager trader might realize, it depends mainly on the strength of the devices that are forthcoming (which you can read about throughout this issue). But we at Handelot know you’ll be following the latest news every step of the way as we do, and we know you’ll be ready to strike when the iron is hot. For a trader, it’s a very good time to be alive. 28. Snowden Data Gathering As you, the reader, have read in this issue, the world of technology is excites all of us greatly. The size and velocity with which new mobile technology is dreamt up, designed, manufactured and released is overwhelming, and it makes even the crankiest hermit have an appreciation for gadgets. As we unwrap our presents during these holidays, customise our newest Galaxy or iPhone, learn how to use their respective facial recognition technologies, and use them to blare music out of our iHome, Alexa, or other smart speaker systems, we have to come to terms with the possibility that these technologies could be used to intrude on our private lives. That’s what Edward Snowden says, anyway. The world-renowned whistleblower warned against use of face or voice recognition for reasons detrimental to our interests. He explained on Twitter that while Apple, for example, designed their products well and praised the ability to disable the FaceID in an emergency situation, the overall concept of normalizing facial scanning in this manner decreases security as it is a technology that is certain to be abused. Furthermore, as Snowden recently said at the JBFOne conference in Germany, little features that are advertised to make life convenient, such as Google Home and Alexa’s ability to save voice commands, give companies another advantage in using smart speakers to gather data because it’s easier to give consent. And as long as there are no laws to protect consumers, the data gathering will rage on. It’s understandable that companies have a job to do by making sure people know about specific products in as many ways as possible. It makes sense that new technology provides new avenues for advertising. The companies who make these technologies also benefit from this advertising. However, the question must be asked: do companies have the right to advertise at the expense of their potential customers? 29. Pricelist handelot 30-31 Best Video Games 2017-18 BEST OF 2017: VIDEO GAMES Perhaps the segment of the tech market with the vastest array of possibilities for changing the way we interact with the world, video games are no longer the domain of the lazy child or the introverted teenager. The ones who grew up playing Final Fantasy and Resident Evil are now the ones actively evolving the idea of what a video game is supposed to be, especially with the advent of virtual reality (VR) platforms. Here is a list of the biggest developments from 2017, and what we can expect to see going forward into 2018. CONSOLES: THE DOMAIN OF VERSATILITY In some aspects, the scene remains similar to what it was fifteen years ago. If you want the best graphics, go Microsoft Xbox; if you want the best selection of games, go Sony PlayStation. And of course, the more things change, the more they stay the same: Nintendo is still the most innovative manufacturer of consoles, proving it once again with the 2017 release of their Switch platform. Switch not only allows for the enjoyment of gaming on a home entertainment system by way of a docking device, but for a seamless transition to mobile gaming with the use of detachable “JoyCon” side controls. In spite of the fact that the Switch’s predecessor, the Wii U, experimented with hybrid mobile/home gaming and sold poorly, the Japanese game giant doubled down on the concept, adopting for a more inclusive approach in their marketing to adult audiences as well as kids, and cooperation with game developers large and small. The result was the fastest selling home gaming console since the company began producing video games over forty years ago. WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN... Both video games and the concept of how we play them are evolving, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a craving for retro gaming in the market. In addition to the wildly successful Switch, Nintendo has spent the last couple of years thrilling the market with “classic” versions of their NES and Super Nintendo systems. These consoles, rather than requiring the use of cartridges, are pre-loaded with dozens of classic games originally ported to their respective platforms. Nintendo has been playing a precarious game with respect to making these products available, taking a start-stop approach to production. 2.3 million units of the NES Classic were originally made available November 2016 to April 2017 before Nintendo announced it was ceasing production. CEO Reggie Fils-Aime pledge to re-release the NES Classic in 2018 while still continuing to produce the Super Nintendo Classic. Now that’s how you build hype and sell a product. ...BUT WHAT’S NEW POINTS TOWARD THE FUTURE VR gaming is very young, developing markets, but they are capturing the imaginations and the desires of the people at an accelerating rate. Manufacturers of different gaming platforms are taking note of this, from Sony for consoles to Samsung for mobile devices to PC-based platforms like the high-end HTC Vive, and it seems like everyone is making a mad dash to cash in on this emerging trend. However, it seems safe to say that the crowdfunded Oculus Rift is, as of this moment, the go-to VR platform for consumers – it’s more wallet friendly than its nearest competitor, the aforementioned Vive, while somehow providing a satisfying headset-controller-audio package according to MakeUseOf.com. However, Ars Technica counters that the Vive has better quality games that are tailor-made for the VR experience. Still, MakeUseOf argues that games on both platforms still lack the smoothness and fluidity that console-based games have developed, and that VR platforms still have some catching up to do. In any event, this market will undoubtedly grow in 2018 and beyond. What we’re witnessing now is the birth of a brand new era of gaming IN 2018? Loyal readers of the Handelot Times will remember that we reported on Atari’s re-entry into the console market with its NES Classic-inspired Ataribox, which is currently projected for a spring release. How it will fare is anybody’s guess, as its release has already been delayed (supposedly because the company is perfecting the gaming process), thus stifling the hype. Furthermore, because of the different graphics and eras that the original Nintendo and Atari systems operated in, they offer somewhat different retro gaming experiences. With their rudimentary graphics, it remains to be seen what Atari can offer nostalgic gamers that currently available plug-and-play systems cannot. With regard to the current generation of gaming consoles, the world is patiently awaiting the release of the PlayStation 5. Having just released the PlayStation 4 Pro model, it’s not clear that Sony is ready to drop the next evolution of the console on the world’s head just yet. Having said this, the company might be pushed by the release of Microsoft’s Xbox One X, which like the PS4 Pro, supports 4K – the highest television-based image resolution available. However, these consoles don’t support 4K natively, which is where the next generation consoles will have to go to make a real impact. If the PS5 is delayed beyond 2018, it’s because Sony’s technological capabilities have hit a temporary ceiling for tradition consoles. However, if the company puts all its chips on developing its own VR platform (currently available), we could see a shift in priorities that would make the PS5 an afterthought. 32. 16 Lens Camera MAYBE IT’S TIME FOR THE 16-LENS ERA CAMERA INSTEAD? Forget three lenses! If you want a phone that takes the best picture possible, whether you’re a novice shutterbug or have a penchant for perfect pictures, maybe you don’t really need a phone at all. What you really need is an easy-to-carry digital camera with 81 (yes, eighty-one!) megapixels. A camera with incredible detail in zoom mode, even at 100% crop. A camera...with sixteen lenses. In 2015, tech startup Light announced the design and future production of the L16, the pocket-sized, futuristic weapon-looking device pictured to the side, which can do all of the above-mentioned things. As we mentioned, Huawei is attempting to break ground by including three lenses on the rear of a phone, which is a feat in its own right. The L16, a device that runs on android and contains substantially fewer knobs and buttons than a traditional SLR, is of another species, another galaxy, another dimension in what it’s trying to do. The device works by taking several images of varying apertures (from 35-120mm; all of them are 13MP) and “stitching” them together to create a composite mega-image. Early demo images have been stunning and eye-catching. However, the knock on this thing is that it’s slow in processing and stitching the image together, at least according to early reviews. In spite of this, Petapixel reports in its comprehensive review that Light has released multiple updates of its Android-based Lumen software that has cut that time down. Additionally, discrepancies in quality occur at areas of composite images where the stitching takes place, understandable with the different focuses needed from the different lenses. This piece of news is only damning if you require a brand new company with a trailblazing vision of future photography to get it all right on the first try. Maybe you shouldn’t rush to order the L16 in its first incarnation. The asking price is close to $2000 and there are still kinks to work out in its execution. But Light wants to do more: five-lens setups on smartphones and iPad-sized micro lenses are a couple of possible directions. Could Light become the next Leica and join forces with a giant like Apple, an upstart like Vivo, or an unknown future competitor? Or might it strike out on its own and change the way we currently think about smartphones? About the very concept of photography? Of sight? Though smartphones leap ahead in their technological abilities every single year, photographic technology – aside from multiple lens setups and augmented reality, which are more functions of the smartphones themselves than actual cameras – develops somewhat more slowly. With the L16, Light had made itself a company to watch, and might just change the game entirely. 33. XTG - Smoke from a Drop Shipper 34. New Games January & February January • Furi (Switch) – January 11 • Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition (PC, PS4) – January 16 • Forged Battalion – Steam Early Access launch (PC) – January 16 • Hyper Universe (PC) – January 17 • Kirby: Battle Royale (3DS) – January 19 • Lost Sphear (PC, PS4, Switch) – January 23 • The Inpatient (PSVR) – January 23 • Monster Hunter World (PS4, Xbox One) – January 26 • Dragon Ball FighterZ (PC, PS4, Xbox One) – January 26 • Dissidia Final Fantasy NT (PS4) – January 30 • Call of Duty: WW2 – The Resistance DLC pack (PS4) [30 days early] – January 30 • Celeste (PC, Switch, PS4) – January The Escapists 2 (Switch) - January 11 Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory (PS4, Vita) – January 19 Lost Sphear (Switch, PS4, PC) – January 23 The Inpatient (PSVR) - January 23 The Seven Deadly Sins: Knights of Britannia (PS4) – January 25 DISSIDIA Final Fantasy NT (PS4) – January 30 February • UFC 3 (PS4, Xbox One) – February 2 • Shadow of the Colossus (PS4) – February 6 NA / February 7 EU • Civilization 6: Rise and Fall (PC) – February 8 • Owlboy (PS4, Xbox One, Switch) – February 13 • Kingdom Come: Deliverance (PC, PS4, Xbox One) – February 13 • Dynasty Warriors 9 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) – February 13 • Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology (3DS) – February 13 NA / February 16 EU • Secret of Mana remake (PC, PS4, Vita) – February 15 • Bayonetta 1 & 2 (Switch) – February 16 • Metal Gear Survive (PC, PS4, Xbox One) – February 20 US / February 22 EU • Payday 2 (Switch) – February 23 EU / February 27 NA • The Fall Part 2: Unbound (PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One) – February Dragon Quest Builders (Switch) - February 9 Kingdom Come: Deliverance (PC, PS4, Xbox One) – February 13 Owlboy (Switch, PS4, Xbox One) – February 13 Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology (3DS) – February 13 Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 Plus (Switch) - February 22 35. H-Asia official meizu distributor 36. Handelot FZC E LOB office no E-42G-12 Hamriyah Freezone Sharjah United arabic emirates PO BOX 53224 Poland HECC Sp. z o.o. A. Ostrowskiego 30/ 327 53-238 Wroclaw NIP: 8971756584 www.handelot.com