Headline January 14, 2017/ ''' *LIFE*- & -*TECH* '''

''' *LIFE*- & -*TECH* '''

AND THEN,  OVER ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL YEARS,   at the World Students Society, Twitter-!E-WOW!  -the Ecosystem 2011:

Just About Never, and I mean, *just about never*,  did I ever find Students: Merium, Rabo, Haleema, Dee, Saima, Hussain, Ali, Eman, and  Aqsa  hold anything nearer to their  *hearts and ears*,  than a cellphone.

On and in my very best sly, I would always ask in semi-seriousness if they knew or cared enough to know the actual  price and value  of their smartphone rush. No, they didn't!

SUNGAI LIAT :  Deep beneath the murky ocean,  Paci   breathes through a thin plastic tube, as he dredges the seabed for  *TIN*   a vital component inside  smartphones  and tablets   that's brought  riches and ruin to his island home.

1/3rd, Yes, one third, of the world's Tin  comes from the  Indonesian islands of  Bangka and Belitung, where thousands risk their lives daily, risk very serious injuries and death in these very mines.

Demand for the metal ore  has soared and soared even in recent years, driven by an unending and voracious consumer appetite for the latest electronic gadgets.

In Bangka, the result has been  a  free-for-all     -both inland and now offshore.  Many miners are unlicensed,  sailing out  in  repurposed  fishing boats in the hope of finding new deposits with little experience and no protection.

Paci earns US$ 15 for a day's work beneath the seas. Clad in googles and a swimming cap, he rakes a powerful hose across the sea floor, sending violent torrents of mineral rich sand shooting to the surface. 

Half of all mined  Tin  is transformed into solder for the electronics industry, data from industry group  ITRI shows,  making the brands behind the best selling  laptops  and flat screen Televisions a powerful force in the global market.

Ten major tech manufacturers including Apple, Samsung, Microsoft and Sony are members of the Tin working group, which has pledged to support less harmful mining practices on Bangka.

*It's all about the Tin, Tin, Tin*.    

THE CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW this year in  Las Vegas showcases some amazing improvements to small screen technology:

South Korean consumer electronics giant  Samsung  unveiled a new 75in 

QLED TV model at its press gathering in this year's  Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas-

Featuring television built with  'Quantum Dot'   technology along with a company-first  gaming laptop.

''Despite some challenges, we've made big strides in 2016, gaining market share in TV's home appliances, wearables and  smartphones ,''  said Samsung' Electronics  America chief operating officer,  Tim Baxter:

''We're delivering on our vision of the future.''

Samsung ramped up its smart TV platform with an offering tailored for sports lovers, and added a new entertainment application as well as showed off a new television built with:

''Quantum Dot'' technology.

Samsung and its rivals touched on hot themes at this year's show -including robots, appliances equipped with  artificial intelligence, and self-driving car technology.

*A surprise star of the presentation was a strikingly thin  LG Signature OLED  'wallpaper' thin, flat-screen television simply branded W.

The super high-tech definition TV measured just  2.57mm  thick in 65in screen model. LG boasted that a larger screen model garnered a CES Best of Innovation Award.

''Why the ''W'?''  LG Electronics US marketing vice president David VanderWaal asked rhetorically during the presentation.

''Wallpaper, Window, !WOW!,'' he said.

The screens are designed to affix the walls with magnetic brackets, protruding less than 4mm.

Sony: Japanese consumer electronics and entertainment titan used CES to introduce a stunning  A1E series Bravia OLED television in a shift to  image technology

''It renders every detail of an image, Sony Corporation  chief executive Kazuo Hirai said of the new flagship TV at the company's booth on the CES show floor.

''You will see more than you ever thought possible in  the display.''

Sony eliminated speakers from the A1E   series, creating rich sound by making the screen vibrate and it also built into the screen's  Google's Android TV software   for accessing Internet content.

Hirai promised a rising sea of  4K resolution content for high-definition screens.

China's fast growing Television maker TCL unveiled a new  Roku-enabled TV models heading for North America, boasting improved high-definition imagery and enhanced audio.

''We are here today because we are investing in the future of technology, specifically smart TVs,'' TCL marketing executive Ranjit Gopi said during a press briefing.

''We are, as of 2016, one of the fastest growing brands in the world.'' TCL partners include internet powerhouse Google and its Android TV offering.

TCL is investing some  $7.7 billion in high-quality television screens and is aiming to make the world's slimmest curved television, according to Gopi.

He introduced a flagship  'X'  series television that will launch first in China and then be rolled out elsewhere.

Sales of television globally have been slipping, a seeming result of viewers turning to  smartphones, tablets, and computers for video, according to Steve Koening, senior director of market research at the US Consumer Technology Association trade group behind CES.

Koenig forecast that US$ 105 billion will be spent this year on televisions, down from US$ 108 billion last year.

However, those who buy televisions are expected to prefer, 4K high-definition models, with a number of those screens sold jumping to nearly 82 million this year compared with just shy of 53 million last year according to Koenig.

With respectful dedication to all the Technology companies, Manufacturers, Students. Professors and Teachers of the world. See Ya all on !WOW!   -the World Students Society and Twitter-!E-WOW!  -the Ecosystem 2011:

''' New-Gaming '''

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless