Land Rover Announces Plans For Their Own Smartphone

Think of Android and you might think of brands like LG or Samsung, but it seems that everyone wants a slice of that Android pie because according to a report from Pocket-lint, it seems that the carmaker Land Rover will also be throwing their hat into the Android ring by announcing plans for their own smartphone.

Note that Land Rover themselves won't be building the actual device. If anything it just sounds like they'll be lending their name and their input, and they will actually be teaming up with British company Bullitt who will be building the handset for them. For those unfamiliar, Bullitt has in the past helped companies like Caterpillar build smartphones, so this should give you an idea of what to expect from them.

Unfortunately at the moment it is anyone's guess to what kind of specs we might be looking at, but like we said, Bullitt has built phones for companies like Caterpillar, and given Land Rover's reputation for creating vehicles that are meant to be tough/rugged, chances are we could be looking at a handset designed to withstand the elements.

There is also no official word on a release date, but Pocket-lint has speculated that we could be looking at an early 2017 release.

Filed in Cellphones >Transportation. Read more about Android and land rover.

Source: Land Rover Announces Plans For Their Own Smartphone

Nintendo to launch two new smartphone apps

Nintendo needs to make sure NX has games ready for launch and beyond, especially because Wii U owners had to suffer bad software droughts early in the system's lifecycle.

Fans have been waiting for the Legend of Zelda Wii U for the longest time and they will not be happy when they know that the game will not be released on both the Wii U and the new Nintendo NX. The system launched with 32 games in North America on November 18, 2012 - four were published by Nintendo. They tried selling the Wii U at a loss, and, despite some of the company's best-loved games yet appearing on the system, the system couldn't live up to the sales requirements necessary to make up for that loss.

The NX is planned for a March 2017 release. The company's current home console, the Wii U, has not been as successful as its 100 million-selling predecessor. This news confirmed rumours that a Codename NX port of the game is also in development. Since then, during a recent investor briefing, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima was asked whether the new hardware would sell at a loss, similar to what happened with the WiiU. It may break even or even generate a small profit on the hardware, but Nintendo will not choose a price point that incurs a loss. In fact, the article is pining for possibly new titles to be developed before the Nintendo Wii U stops production. As with most of Nintendo's hardware, it won't be sold as a loss leader.

"The machine sold just over 12m units". Since you took over, Mr. Kimishima, both Miitomo and now NX will miss the year-end, which gives the impression that Nintendo's way of thinking about the future has changed quite a bit. The Nintendo website indicated that the title will get the same release date.

Japanese games maker Nintendo is continuing its foray into the mobile app market with two new smartphone games that will available later this year.

Source: Nintendo to launch two new smartphone apps

Samsung to Release New Galaxy J Device Again

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 fans were very eager to receive the Android Marshmallow OTA to their devices but after a little time has passed they're not so happy anymore. In addition to that, the device is powered with 4GB of RAM, which will make the device to perform without any sort of lag. Now the smartphone has arrived with further carriers, and we have details of the Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) AT&T and Verizon pricing. And while the Galaxy S7 is IP68-rated for resistance to dust and water, the Galaxy S7 Active's rugged design should help it to withstand drops and other abuse better than the Galaxy S7's glass and metal body. But a Samsung spokesperson informed us that the company is going to launch two new phones at the event. The first on the list is its variant of the Galaxy S5, which is now receiving the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow update. Meanwhile, to compensate for the monster specs, the Galaxy Note 6 is also expected to come out with a massive 4,200 mAh battery capacity, with at least 48 hours of battery life in between full charges. The cheaper version may share some of those specs, but it apparently offers a lower resolution 5.8-inch 1080p display instead. The storage is equally impressive too with a massive 256GB storage base offering that could house tremendous amount of files and downloads.

So what can we expect from the Galaxy Note 6 when it is released, and indeed when will it hit the stores?

Considering this is true then this shall be the pioneer Active series to have the fingerprint feature. The target market for this phone is for those looking to upgrade from an even more basic smartphone but doesn't want to go into a more complicated device.

In the first place, Samsung has already added its own version of multi-window support to the Galaxy S7, which is something Nexus users won't get until Android N comes out later this year.

Source: Samsung to Release New Galaxy J Device Again

Holographic, Flexible Smartphone — HML Unveils HoloFlex

Maybe not the first thing - but it was clearly high on the list of the Human Media Lab researchers who developed the HoloFlex.

On Thursday, HML unveiled a first-of-its-kind, flexible, holographic smartphone called HoloFlex. The centrepiece of the phone is its Full HD (1920x1080) resolution display. The OLED display it uses is completely flexible, allowing the phone to be bent and warped, introducing an additional element of interaction. It's essentially an amped up version of the 3D displays and flexible phones we've already seen. These actions can be detected by software, allowing users to control their device using physical gestures.

There are several useful use cases for bendable holographic technology. According to the researchers, "using the touchscreen, a user can swipe to manipulate objects in the x and y axes, while squeezing the display to move objects along the z-axis".

"In a game such as Angry Birds, for example, users would be able to bend the side of the display to pull the elastic rubber band that propels the bird", according to a news release.

"By employing a depth camera, users can also perform holographic video conferences with one another", said Dr. Vertegaal. "When the bird flies across the screen, the holographic display makes the bird literally pop out of the screen in the third dimension".

Though the HoloFlex images appear a bit crude as they have a resolution of just 160 x 104 pixels as of now but the technology is sure to usher in a new wave of holographic smartphones in near future. The prototype handset demonstrated by the team is based on aging hardware that would be upgraded in a production handset.

As for other specs, the phone runs a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, 2GB of memory, and Android 5.1.

Research for the HoloFlex was supported by Immersion Canada Inc. and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The leading event focuses on human-computer interaction methods.

SEE PICS: Preity Zinta spotted with husband Gene Goodenough in MumbaiPreity Zinta was seen at the Mumbai airport a short while ago, along with her husband Gene Goodenough and his parents. Reportedly the Goodenough family is in India to throw a grand reception for their friends.

Source: Holographic, Flexible Smartphone — HML Unveils HoloFlex

Your Next Smartphone Might Be Flexible And Holographic

Trending News: Is This The Future Of Smartphones? Why Is This Important?

Because we've been waiting for a major leap in smartphone technology — could this be it?

Long Story Short

Due to its thousands of fisheye lenses, the HoloFlex smartphone can project 3D images that are visible from any angle. It also can bend and flex, which not only adds durability, but gives you a third dimension so you can interact with it through its apps. Unfortunately though, HoloFlex isn't yet ready for consumers and probably won't be for a while. 

Long Story

No need to worry about #BendGate with this phone — unlike the iPhone 6 Plus, the HoloFlex is built to bend. And it's not just a neat feature that'll allow you to slot your phone more easily into your skinny jeans. When using apps on the smartphone prototype (it runs on Android), HoloFlex acknowledges you're bending it. So let's say you're playing Angry Birds — you can launch that son of a with a quick tilt of the wrist. 

Even cooler, the HoloFlex, invented by a team of researchers at Queen's University's Human Media Lab in Australia, claims to have built the first fully holographic screen. The screen is composed of 16,000 tiny fisheye lenses that disperse light in all directions, so you can project 3D images to anyone looking at the screen without the need of an aide like 3D glasses or headgear.

Another cool feature of the 3D screen is that you can chit chat with your mom in full 3D video conferences.

"By employing a depth camera, users can also perform holographic video conferences with one another", Dr. Roel Vertegaal, director of the Human Media Lab and professor of HCI at Queen's University's School of Computing in a press release. "When bending the display users literally pop out of the screen and can even look around each other, with their faces rendered correctly from any angle to any onlooker".

Considering that smartphones haven't been changing too much — a little faster here, a little waterproof there — could flexibility and holographic screens present the future for smartphones?

Probably not anytime soon, since the display turns into a 160 x 104 pixel display after going through the lenses — far from the beautifully vivid screens we see on smartphones now, as pointed out by The Verge.  

Still, these are some pretty neat features we'd gladly accept if they're added to the latest and greatest. 

Check out a full breakdown of HoloFlex in the video below:

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By the time this technology is ready for mass consumption will smartphones be a thing of the past? 

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Kids will be launching things at their teachers in class using their smartphone as a slingshot. 

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Flexible and even foldable smartphones could be coming sooner rather than later. Samsung could have one in store for us as soon as 2017, according to USA Today. 

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Source: Your Next Smartphone Might Be Flexible And Holographic

Cellebrite's Mobile Lifecycle Supports Release of the New HTC 10 From Day One

PETAH TIKVAH, ISRAEL(Marketwired - May 6, 2016) - Cellebrite, the leading developer and provider of Mobile Lifecycle solutions, today announces that it is supporting the launch of the new HTC 10 by offering fast, secure in-store content transfer for new owners of the industry's latest smartphone.

Via Cellebrite's in-store platforms, retail associates will be able to transfer a customer's content from their old device to their new HTC handset, as well as wiping all content from their previous mobile, all within a few minutes after purchasing the phone. As part of the device lifecycle, operators and retailers will also be able to provide diagnostics and software updates for the new device.

The new handset, which launched today, is one of some 7,000 mobile devices which Cellebrite can provide point-of-sale transfer solutions for. Cellebrite technology empowers retail associates to deliver fast, consistent service across more than 150,000 retail service points globally.

Miki Hakak, Vice President Business Development, Mobile Lifecycle at Cellebrite, comments: "We are dedicated to making mobile device care easier and more efficient for operators and retailers, including equipping sales associates with the tools they need to support new HTC owners from day one."

The new device will also be supported by Cellebrite's Hybrid Content Transfer whereby productivity essentials, such as contacts are immediately transferred at the point of sale, while the more time-intensive task of moving large volumes of multimedia data is subsequently completed via Cellebrite's self-service mobile app. This allows retail sales associates to meet each customer's needs and effectively manage in-store traffic, especially during peak periods expected around the launch of the new HTC device.

Hakak adds: "Cellebrite leverages its deep partnerships with multiple mobile ecosystem players, including operators, retailers and device manufacturers to ensure sales associates are ready to provide a high level of service for new device owners from day one. Furthermore, we integrate certified device manufacturers' technology to ensure the fastest resolution to customer requests, regardless of the device make or model."

About Cellebrite

Cellebrite is a world leader in providing Operators, Retailers and Aftermarket Service (AMS) Providers, with advanced mobile lifecycle solutions to enhance the customer experience, increase revenue, improve satisfaction, and reduce cost. With delivery channels in-store, on-device, and over the web, mobile retailers can take advantage of Cellebrite's full suite of mobile lifecycle solutions: diagnostics, phone-to-phone content transfer, backup, restore and wipe, automated phone buyback, and application and content delivery. In addition, Cellebrite offers retailers monitoring, statistics and analysis of all activities. Cellebrite's global leadership is demonstrated through its deployment of over 150,000 units at more than 200 mobile operators and retailers globally, representing well over 100,000 stores handling hundreds of millions of transactions per year.

Founded in 1999, Cellebrite is a subsidiary of the Sun Corporation, a publicly traded Japanese company (6736/JQ).

Source: Cellebrite's Mobile Lifecycle Supports Release of the New HTC 10 From Day One

Smartphone app for monitoring heart palpitations is comparable to 14-day event monitor

A smartphone app that tracks palpitations in heart patients provides comparable performance to the 14-day event monitors that are the current standard of care, according to a University at Buffalo study presented May 4th at the annual Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) meeting in San Francisco.

Throughout the two-week study, 32 patients who had had some symptoms of cardiac arrhythmias, were required to use both methods to record when they were having palpitations.

The UB researchers found that the AliveCor Heart Monitor smartphone app correctly recorded 91 percent of total arrhythmic events experienced by patients versus 87.5 percent recorded by the event monitors.

"We showed that we can do as well with the app as with the event monitors," said senior author Anne B. Curtis, MD, the Charles and Mary Bauer Chair and Professor of Medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. "The app is easier for patients to use and much more acceptable to them."

Patients were far more likely to be compliant with the smartphone app, the study found, with 94 percent of patients complying with the smartphone app versus just 58 percent with the event monitor.

Conducted by cardiologists in the Department of Medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the research was presented in a featured poster session at the HRS meeting.

"The point of the study was to determine whether any smartphone app could be good enough to replace what we normally use now, which is a 14-30 day event monitor," said Curtis, who is also chief executive officer of UBMD Internal Medicine.

She described the drawbacks to the event monitors that cardiac patients have to wear for anywhere from two to four weeks.

"The event monitors require electrocardiographic electrodes to be attached to the patient's skin, which can be irritating," she said. "Then the patient has to wear the device that is attached to the electrodes, which is somewhat cumbersome, and most patients do not like to wear it in public. Hence, compliance is often poor."

With the event monitor, a patient experiencing palpitations must press a button to note they are having symptoms and then indicate what type of symptom it is either on a paper log or by inputting the information onto the monitor.

With the smartphone app, the patient experiencing palpitations puts a finger from each hand onto the surface of an electrode attached to a smartphone case. The data can then be uploaded to the AliveCor server through a secure, HIPAA-compliant transmission.

Story Source:

The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University at Buffalo. The original item was written by Ellen Goldbaum. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Source: Smartphone app for monitoring heart palpitations is comparable to 14-day event monitor