Ford’s foldable e-bike pedals itself when your heart rate goes up
At CES in January, Ford threw down its “Smart Mobility Plan” to make transport easier using a combination of cars and electric bikes. Today at MWC, it just revealed the actual “bike” part of that with its “Handle on Mobility” experiment consisting of two employee-designed e-bike prototypes and an app. The foldable MoDe:Me for commuters was built in conjunction with Dahon, while the bigger MoDe:Pro — built by an in-house team — is aimed at bike couriers and delivery services. Both come with 200-watt motors and 9-amp-hour batteries that deliver pedal-aided speeds of up to 25 km/h (16 mph). Ford also revealed its iPhone 6-compatible MoDe:Link app that lets you use a combination of cars, trains and e-bikes to commute.
The app is only available on iOS for now, it appears. After you enter your destination, it uses “multimodal” navigation to plan your trip using vehicle, public transportation and bike routes. You can filter by toll or parking cost and the amount of time you want to bike and/or drive. From there, handle-bar grip vibrations notify you to turn, and the app even activates the bike’s turn signals automatically.
The bikes can also notify you of overtaking vehicles by vibrating both handlebars thanks to a rear-facing ultrasonic sensor. At the same time, the MoDe:Link app flashes the bike’s lights to alert drivers. As for the motors, the electric pedal assist level can be auto-adjusted based on your heart rate, letting you take a break if needed. The whole thing is compatible with Ford’s voice-connected BlackBerry-powered Sync system, of course.
Ford has tested e-bikes before, and hasn’t said when, or if, it’ll turn the concepts into reality. However, it’s currently running 25 experiments across the world, including the Handle on Mobility tests, as part of its Smart Mobility project. It also has Info Cycle tests in Palo Alto and Europe to determine how bikes can aid urban transportation. The automaker said the aim is to “connect all of these transport options together… to (help commuters) seamlessly move between cars, buses, trains and e-bikes and react to changing traffic situations.” For more, check the video below.
Aaron Souppouris contributed to this report.
Filed under: Transportation
Source: Ford
Vodafone deal makes Dropbox a part of your smartphone backups
Dropbox just scored a huge deal that will not only put its cloud storage in front of a lot of people, but help you safeguard your smartphone’s data. The company has forged a partnership with Vodafone that both gives the carrier’s Android and iPhone users 25GB of free space for a year and integrates Dropbox into Vodafone’s new Backup+ service. Rather than depend on a specialized backup space, you simply save your valuable files to Dropbox — you can restore content on other devices and share it with friends without having to use two services or limit the kind of data you protect. The Backup+ app will be available as soon as the end of March, although the service itself will take a few months to reach “most” Vodafone areas.
Filed under: Cellphones, Storage, Internet, Mobile
Source: Dropbox Blog, Vodafone
ISIS threatens Twitter employees after account was blocked
Middle Eastern terror group ISIS has apparently threatened the lives of Twitter’s employees, as well as that of its chairman, Jack Dorsey. The threat was reportedly made as a response to the service’s policy of blocking accounts that directly encourage acts of violence or illegal activities such as terrorism. BuzzFeed has translated portions of the message, part of which reads “when our lions come and take your breath, you will never come back to life.”
As TechCrunch comments, it seems odd that Twitter alone would be threatened, when other sites like Facebook and YouTube have similarly deleted material. Because the document was uploaded to anonymous sharing site JustPaste, it’s not entirely clear if the message originally came from the group’s leadership. As far as Twitter is concerned, however, it is taking the threats seriously and is now working with local law enforcement.
Filed under: Internet
Via: TechCrunch, BuzzFeed
Source: JustPaste
Sony announces 64-bit, waterproof Xperia M4 Aqua
Along side Sony’s announcement of the Xperia Z4 Tablet, the Japanese tech giant has launched an all new, waterproof, 64-bit mid-range Xperia M4 Aqua.
The Sony Xperia M4 Aqua follows the recent announcements of the Xperia E4 and E4g with the Xperia M4 Aqua adding to Sony’s somewhat sparse low to mid range offerings. Something we debated was necessary for Sony to find major success in the mobile market during our Friday Debate Podcast.
The highlight of the specs list for the Xperia M4 Aqua is the inclusion of the 64-bit Snapdragon 615 SoC. This is a quad-core processor with four of those awesome Cortex A53 cores in it. Two of said A53s clock in at 1.7GHz, for the heavy lifting, while the other two come in at a more modest 1.0GHZ to keep the lights on.
Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Specificiations
| Processor | Snapdragon 615 64-bit with Adreno 405 GPU |
| Display | 5-inch 1280×720 |
| Operating System | Android 5.0 Lollipop |
| Camera | 13MP rear, 5MP front |
| Memory and Storage | 2GB RAM and 8GB/16GB internal storage. Expandable up to 32GB microSD |
| Battery | 2,400mAh |
With specs like these, it may come as a surprise that Sony claims up to 2 days of battery life. Before we second guess them, let’s remember their success with the Xperia Z3 for battery life.
Waterproofing on the Xperia M4 Aqua comes in as IP65 certified, good for a shallow dunk for a half hour. IP68 dust protection is very handy as well. Risking a 5-inch display at 720p is adequate, but may not satisfy users that have become accustomed HD and beyond displays. Perhaps the anticipated price of 299 euros is low enough to forgive the display.
Sony is not yet announcing global availability dates or pricing just yet, we can only hope this modest 13MP camera packing, Android 5.0 Lollipop powered device reaches enough users to help Sony out of their current slump.
Head on over to the Sony website for more details, then stay tuned for more info on the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua, other Sony announcements and all things MWC 2015.
Are you in the market for a mid range Sony smartphone with waterproofing?
The HP Spectre x360 convertible laptop is simply gorgeous
Announced yesterday at MWC 2015 was the HP Spectre x360, the latest in HP’s line of high-end high-design Spectre portables. The previous Spectres have been very nice machines, but the x360 might just take the cake.
The Spectre x360 sports, as the name might imply, a 360° hinge mechanism that allows you to pivot the screen all the way around and close it onto the backside to use it as a tablet — a tablet that just so happens to have a 13.3-inch display (in 1080p or QHD) and a high-powered Intel Core i-series processor.
Hands-on with Microsoft’s latest phablet, the Lumia 640 XL
Alongside the Lumia 640, Microsoft also announced a phablet version for those with large hands (or a thing for big phones), the Lumia 640 XL. The company kindly took a few minutes at Mobile World Congree to walk us through the new Windows Phone and you’re able to relive all the action in the above video.
Sony’s waterproof M4 Aqua comes with a 5-inch HD display, 64-bit Octa-Core processor and runs Lollipop
Carrying on from unveiling the Xperia Z4 tablet at the MWC in Barcelona, Sony has taken the covers off of its Xperia M4 Aqua, a smartphone that offers front and rear cameras that are more than handy, along with OmniBalance design and a 64-bit Qualcomm processor. We have the specifications, gallery, video and press release after the break.
As you can see from the pictures, Sony’s M4 Aqua looks remarkably like its bigger sibling, the Xperia Z3, and that is no bad thing. The M4 Aqua is a mid-range device, with a Snapdragon 615 Octa-core processor and 2GB of RAM underneath the OmniBalance exterior design. Yes, you read that correctly, a mid-range handset with 2GB of RAM. Coupled with Sony’s minimalist approach to customising its user interface, the M4 Aqua should be pretty slick to handle. The 2,400 battery is enough to get the phone through 2 days of use according to Sony, although Stamina Mode is included in case you really need to eek out the power.
Along with the usual IP65 and IP68 certification (waterproof and dust-tight), that Sony is renowned for, the M4 Aqua also boasts a naked USB port. This means that there is one less cap to worry about losing or damaging. It should be noted though, that this does not mean you can charge the phone while it is submerged.
The M4 Aqua carries two good cameras; a 13MP rear-facing camera with flash and also the 5MP front camera that has an extra wide angle lens for taking those selfie pictures.
Specifications:
- 5-inch HD IPS display with 1280 x 720 resolution
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 Octa-core 64-bit processor (Quad-core 1.5GHz + Quad-core 1GHz)
- Adreno 405 GPU
- 2GB RAM
- 8/16GB internal storage
- MicroSD card support (up to 32GB)
- 13MP Rear camera with flash with image stabiliser
- 5MP Front camera with wide angle lens
- A-GPS/ Bluetooth/ NFC/ WiFi/ USB 2.0
- Dimensions: 145.5 x 72.6 x 7.3mm
- Weight: 140grams
- 2,400mAh battery
- Android 5.0 Lollipop
The M4 Aqua runs Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box, which is something that every Android manufacturer should be striving for when releasing a new smartphone in 2015. Sony says that the M4 Aqua will be released worldwide this spring, with a price tag of €299 ($335). Don’t forget that you can catch the rest of our Mobile World Congress coverage right here.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Full Press Release:
Barcelona, Mobile World Congress, 2nd March 2015 – Sony Mobile Communications (“Sony Mobile”) today refocused its mid-range device strategy with the introduction of Xperia™ M4 Aqua – a smartphone bringing Sony’s leadership in camera, design, battery and performance to an accessible price point.
“Xperia M4 Aqua represents our renewed mid-range focus – with no compromises” said Dennis van Schie, Senior Vice President, Head of Sales and Marketing at Sony Mobile Communications. “Offering the most popular standout features made famous by our Xperia Z Series; camera capability, two-day battery life and waterproofing – Xperia M4 Aqua brings a proposition and price, products in this section of the market simply cannot match.”
Just point and shoot – great pictures without the effort
Xperia M4 Aqua’s impressive 13MP rear camera is powered by Sony’s Exmor RS™ mobile sensor with a large F2.0 aperture, and ISO 3200 sensitivity. It’s powerful digital compact camera technology – and intelligent Superior Auto Mode simplifies your interactions, automatically sensing up to 52 different scenarios, for vivid shots in low-light or strong backlight every time.
Just as with the rear, the 5MP selfie camera has a super wide-angle lens with an 88° field of view, so no-one’s left out of shot – and Portrait Retouch allows you to add fun finishing refinements. The popular selfie editing feature sits alongside Sony’s full suite of preloaded Xperia Camera apps, including other favourites; Sound Photo for adding a short clips to your pictures and Movie Creator, which automatically converts your pictures and videos into snappy thirty second vignette clips – which makes collecting memories or sharing on social media, super quick and easy.
Designed for the way you live – subtlety in hardware and interface design, with Android 5.0 Lollipop
Crafted from the ground up, Xperia M4 Aqua has understated premium looks – a tempered glass display, with the svelte 136g waterproof (IP65/8 rated) body reengineered for cap-less microUSB charging, offering flexible usage wherever you are.
Xperia M4 Aqua will be available in classic White and Black, but also fresh Coral and Silver3 . Sony’s adopted the same subtle principles in its take on Android 5.0 Lollipop’s material design, in keeping with that distinctive minimalist approach to user interface, interactions and native apps.
Xperia M4 Aqua will come with the new look Xperia Lounge Silver, bringing apps, software updates, entertainment, bespoke offers and tips delivered throughout the product lifecycle. As part of this, you’ll be able to enjoy bonus film clips and television episodes4 through the Privilege Plus Movies app.
Do and accomplish more, for longer – Sony’s first octa-core 64-bit smartphone, featuring the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 615 processor with integrated 4G LTE connectivity and up to two-day battery life
Whilst some might need to use their smartphone for short bursts on long days, you don’t have to, with Xperia M4 Aqua’s two-day battery life, eliminating the need for regular charging. If that isn’t enough, activate Battery STAMINA Mode to optimize how your battery is used and Ultra STAMINA Mode to keep your phone running on its core functions for a week.
Supporting this optimal balance of performance and power is a Qualcomm® SnapdragonTM 615 processor6 featuring octa-core 64-bit CPUs, advanced multimedia processing and an integrated 4G LTE modem. Thanks to the Snapdragon 615 processor, you can enjoy seamless access to your Xperia Lounge content and experience the fastest news and information download, find your way using maps, check and send email, send pictures to friends and family in seconds and make the most of lag-free online music and video streaming on the go.
Xperia M4 Aqua will launch in 80 countries worldwide, across more than 100 carrier partners for around 299 EUR, from Spring 2015.
Come comment on this article: Sony’s waterproof M4 Aqua comes with a 5-inch HD display, 64-bit Octa-Core processor and runs Lollipop
Sony’s Xperia Z4 Tablet comes with a 2K display and Snapdragon 810 processor
Today is the second day of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and after HTC and Samsung hogged the limelight yesterday, Sony has unveiled the Xperia Z4 tablet that boasts a 2K display and is only 6.1mm thick. We have the specifications, video, a gallery of images as well as the full press release just after the break.
Specifications
- 10.1-inch TRILUMINOS display with 2K resolution (2560 x 1600)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 2GHz Octa-Core 64-bit processor
- Adreno 430 GPU
- 3GB RAM
- 32GB internal storage
- MicroSD card support
- 8.1MP Rear camera
- 5.1MP Wide angle front-facing camera
- Front-facing Stereo speakers
- Sony Remote Play
- A-GPS/Bluetooth/USB 2.0/WiFi
- Waterproof and dust tight (IP65/IP68)
- Dimensions: 167 x 254 x 6.1mm
- Weight: WiFi – 389grams/ LTE 393grams
- Android 5.0 Lollipop
As expected, the Xperia Z4 tablet is running the latest silicon, in the form of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 processor with Sony claiming up to 17 hours worth of video playback. Sony also says that the 10.1-inch 2K display is one of the brightest on offer. Coupled with the stereo front speakers, I can imagine the Xperia Z4 being great for watching videos. One of the main talking points is the thinness of the tablet, having been whittled down to just 6.1mm. As is now customary with a Sony device, the Xperia Z4 tablet is waterproof and dust-tight (IP65/IP68) and looks pretty good design-wise.
The Sony Xperia Z4 runs Android 5.0 Lollipop right from the start and can be had in WiFi or LTE models. There’s no word on pricing as yet, although Sony has stated that the Xperia Z4 tablet is launching globally in June this year. We have more images below in the gallery, as well as Sony’s promotional video and press release. Don’t forget you can catch the rest of our MWC coverage right here.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Full Press Release:
Barcelona, 2nd March 2014 – Sony Mobile Communications (“Sony Mobile”) today announced the world’s lightest and slimmest 10” tablet2 – Xperia™ Z4 Tablet. Delivering a best in class entertainment experience thanks to the world’s brightest 10.1 inch 2K display of the leading tablets1 and long battery life (up to 17 hours of video playback), the beautifully crafted Xperia Z4 Tablet is an impressively powerful Android tablet that delivers all the portable performance you need for an entertaining and busy lifestyle.
“Building on the success of its predecessor, we wanted to take all of the qualities that consumers loved most in Xperia Z2 Tablet and enhance them for Z4 Tablet,” says Dennis van Schie, SVP of Sales & Marketing at Sony Mobile. “Consumers appreciate innovation most when it can bring real value to their lives, so we have carefully crafted and considered every aspect of Z4 Tablet to meet even the most demanding lifestyle. Sleek and lightweight, yet incredibly powerful, with standout entertainment and smart productivity features, Xperia Z4 Tablet is an extraordinary tablet that fits perfectly into your day-to-day life.”
Enhanced entertainment experiences, wherever you are Xperia Z4 Tablet boasts best-in-class Sony technologies and experiences to ensure you enjoy unrivalled entertainment on the go, with no compromises. Featuring the world’s brightest 10.1 inch 2K display of the leading tablets1 , Z4 Tablet delivers a superb viewing experience, even outdoors in direct sunlight, allowing you to enjoy your favourite movies and most memorable video clips in crystal clear clarity, wherever you want.
Great picture quality demands great audio to match, so Xperia Z4 Tablet includes powerful front stereo speakers for an immersive surround sound effect. When you’re on the go and plug in your headphones, Xperia Z4 Tablet senses the type and style of headset, automatically adjusting the settings accordingly for optimum sound.
Sony’s leading audio technologies ensure you never miss a beat. High-Res Audio reproduces high frequency sound in amazing detail for a studio quality experience. DSEE HXTM processing upscales the audio fidelity of tracks to near High-Res Audio quality. Xperia Z4 Tablet supports digital noise cancelling for those times when you need to block out background noise. And for high quality wireless music listening, Sony’s new LDACTM codec transmits data three times more efficiently than Bluetooth.
Xperia Z4 Tablet comes loaded with a 8MP main camera, featuring Sony’s leading technologies for great shots in all lights, and a high quality 5.1MP wide-angle front camera, great for selfies and video calls, that ensures you stay in shot.
Keep playing your favourite PlayStation® 4 games wherever you are in the home with PS4™ Remote Play3 . Simply connect your Xperia Z4 Tablet to your PS4 via home Wi-Fi and use the DUALSHOCK®4 Wireless Controller to ensure you never miss a minute of the action – whatever room you are in.
And to keep you entertained, all Xperia Z4 Tablet users will benefit from access to Xperia Lounge Gold – delivering the world of Sony entertainment at your fingertips. Get access to exclusive competitions and offers; be among the first to try out new apps; and enjoy the latest movies, TV episodes and music included with your device.
High speed and performance
Xperia Z4 Tablet comes packed with the ultra fast Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 810 octa-core 64 bit processor5 , so you can browse faster and get the optimal graphics experience on a stunning 2K display. Whether using Wi-Fi or 4G LTE, multi-tasking on the move is made easy – download email attachments in seconds and enjoy video streaming with no delays or unwanted buffering. And with 32GB internal memory, there is plenty of storage space for those all important files.
Whether for work or play, Xperia Z4 Tablet offers powerful performance that goes the distance. Its stamina is sure to impress with up to 17 hours of video playback, you can travel half way around the world watching movies on a single battery charge. Get even more out of the 6,000mAH battery with Sony’s Battery STAMINA Mode, which turns off background functions when you’re not using them to help extend your battery life, so you can comfortably spend the day emailing, browsing the web and running as many apps as you want with no need to worry about losing battery power.
Superior security and productivity
Escape the office and take your business on the move with the lightweight BKB50 Bluetooth Keyboard featuring a dedicated slot for Xperia Z4 Tablet and docking detection, sleek ergonomics with 0-130 degree tilt for adjustable comfort, efficient text input and laptop style touchpad. Additionally Xperia Z4 Tablet also features printer and projector outputs to complete the ultimate laptop-style experience. Use with the slim and light SCR32 perfect fit cover with two variable angles for comfortable typing or viewing on your tablet. Work from anywhere with the advanced Xperia Email, Calendar and Contacts apps, which can be synced using Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync® (EAS) and use your favourite business apps from the Android community.
Xperia Z4 Tablet features proven device security mechanisms to keep your confidential data secure, with adherence to acclaimed and effective Internet, VPN and WiFi security protocols. To complete your road warrior set up, the BSP60smart speaker with one-touch connectivity is the ideal portable companion for making conference calls, getting information and receiving phone notifications, all with the use of voice commands, helping you multi-task with ease.
Slim, sleek and supremely lightweight design
Expertly designed with true Sony craftsmanship and attention to detail, Xperia Z4 Tablet is the world’s slimmest and lightest 10” tablet1 . At just 6.1mm slim and weighing less than 393g (389g Wi-Fi / 393g LTE), Xperia Z4 Tablet is incredibly light and portable, making it easy to carry comfortably with you all day and slip into your bag with ease. Crafted with premium stainless steel metal corners and mineral glass, Xperia Z4 Tablet looks as good as it performs.
Xperia Z4 Tablet’s IP68 waterproof and dust-tight4 rating ensures reassuring durability making it ideal for everyday use in all conditions – whether caught out in the rain between meetings or lounging by the pool. As a further design refinement, the USB connector is capless – making it both quick and convenient to connect and charge your device.
Xperia Z4 Tablet will launch globally, in 4G LTE and Wi-Fi variants, from June 2015.
Come comment on this article: Sony’s Xperia Z4 Tablet comes with a 2K display and Snapdragon 810 processor
Sony’s new Xperia Z4 Tablet delivers raw power in a crazy slim body
It’s not really a surprise, following the leak from last week, but Sony just introduced the latest version of the sexy 10.1-inch Xperia Tablet at MWC 2015.
We were hoping for a new version of the Xperia Z flagship smartphone from Sony, but what we got instead might make up for that: the new Xperia Z4 Tablet is thinner, lighter, has a higher resolution screen, and packs more power.
In terms of design, the Xperia Z4 Tablet looks a lot like its smaller sibling, the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, released last year at IFA. The same design language featuring rounded edges is used to great success on the 10.1 model, and amazingly Sony managed to make the Z4 Tablet even slimmer, at 6.1 millimeters (compared to 6.4 millimeters on the previous generation). The device weighs just 389 grams, which is pretty impressive for this class. And yes, the device is still water resistant, with a dual IP65 and IP68 rating.
The thinner body doesn’t bring a decrease in battery capacity – the Z4 Tablet features a 6,000 mAh unit, the same as on the Z2. The screen is now Quad HD, which is a welcome change, but that may take a slight hit on battery life, unless Sony found a way to mitigate the issue.
The Xperia Z4 Tablet is the first slate to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, featuring four fast cores and four power-saving cores arranged in a big.LITTLE configuration, as well as an Adreno 430 GPU. There’s 3GB of RAM, 16GB or 32GB of storage, and microSD support. The main camera has been switched to an 8MP sensor, down from 13MP on the previous gen.
Sony seems to have lost confidence in its mobile business, with all options being on the table right now, including selling the entire unit. Even if the future of the Xperia series is in question, we’re happy to see Sony putting its best foot forward when it comes to tablets. The Z4 Tablet looks like an amazing choice for anyone interested in a 10-inch tablet, and we can’t wait to put it through its paces. My colleagues are fondling its slim lines as I’m writing this post, so stay tuned for a hands-on later today.
Jolla takes on Android with a promise not to sell your data
When Jolla launched its tablet on Indiegogo, it was an instant success. Today that tablet is being shown to the media for the first time at MWC. But, that’s not all that the plucky mobile start-up has to reveal. With the new tablet comes the second version of Jolla’s Sailfish OS. Version 2.0 not only brings some features you’d expect (like easy scaling between phones and tablets — to accommodate its new hardware) but also some new, bigger picture additions like support for Intel’s Atom x3 chipset, a new push to into licensing with OEM hardware, and a couple of direct swipes at Android, and how it gathers your data.
At MWC, Marc Dillon, the company’s Head of Software, made it clear that Android is too dominant, and requires that all its partners invest heavily in the software’s ecosystem. Jolla, on the other hand, wants to work more closely with hardware manufacturers to accommodate their requirements (and not ask that it bends to theirs). Perhaps Dillon’s more damning attack on Android was on the topic of security, claiming that Google’s OS was “designed to collect data from its users” with the explicit motive of selling it. “We are not going to sell user data” was Dillon’s emphatic response. If there had been a table in front of him, he would have slammed his fist on it.
In a related theme, Sailfish 2.0’s other big push is security. Jolla is working with SSH Communications Security to develop of version of the operating system robust enough for use by government agencies, or the user who wants added layers of privacy. Conceptually, this would be similar to Knox from Samsung. This would make Sailfish the first European-based mobile software suitable for use (it hopes) by official agencies.
What about regular folk like you and me? Well there are software tweaks in v2.0 that should make our lives easier, too. The latest Sailfish comes with new user interface gestures and notifications that should be easier to get along with than what we saw last time we tried it. Jolla’s so keen to simplify its OS experience that it’s done away with the power button (double tap to wake, basically), and there are no on screen buttons at all, with gestures filling those roles. In reality, this means a thumb-swipe will take you home, and swipe up from the bottom for apps — a similar way to how BlackBerry’s PlayBook handled such things. Will security, more hardware support and a promise of not selling your data be enough? We’ll have to wait for a chance to get to know the OS better, but with our first time with the tablet being today, and the product shipping in Q2 this year, it shouldn’t be too long to find out.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile
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