Tesco’s now looking to offload its mobile business
With a £6 billion loss hanging over its head, Tesco has taken steps to help plug its financial leaks. This involved the sale of its Blinkbox streaming properties, including Movies, Music and Books, but it appeared that one of its more successful businesses, Tesco Mobile, would survive the cull. According to the Financial Times, even the MVNO is now on the chopping block, after the supermarket giant began talks with bankers about putting the carrier up for sale.
It’s a curious decision, given that Tesco Mobile is one of the biggest operators outside of the four main providers. The 50/50 venture with O2 generates £100m a year for Tesco, helped by low-cost tariffs and 250 specialised mobile stores it operates within branches. Given that companies like Sky and Carphone Warehouse are launching their own networks, Tesco might be looking to get out while the going is good — it certainly can’t afford to lose any more money while its other businesses are performing so poorly.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
Source: Financial Times
Students design a facial recognition cane for blind people
Facial recognition technology has many use cases, but none nearly as significant as this next one might be. A group of students at Birmingham City University are developing a smart cane, dubbed XploR, which uses a combination of hardware and software to help the visually impaired easily identity family and friends. The device is powered by a smartphone’s face recognition features, GPS and Bluetooth, allowing blind people who use it to detect faces up to roughly 33ft away. If the cane does recognize someone, it then sends a vibrating signal to the person and guides them via an ear piece — for reference, the images of loved ones can be stored on an SD card.
“My grandfather is blind and I know how useful this device could be for him,” XploR developer Steve Adigbo told Phys.org. “The smart cane incorporates facial recognition technology to alert the user when they are approaching a relative or friend. There’s nothing else out there like this at the moment.” Right now, the team is still researching what else is essential for cane users, like how light or easy to use it needs to be. And the plan is to test it later this year at the Beacon Centre for the Blind in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, where they will be showing off the training and security aspects of the device.
[Image credit: Getty Images/Vetta]
Filed under: Misc, Peripherals
Source: Phys.org
ResearchKit App Drawing Return Visits at Rates Rivaling Games and Social Media Apps [iOS Blog]
LifeMap Solutions, co-creators of the ResearchKit Asthma Health app [Direct Link], yesterday published a blog post detailing the success of the first few weeks of the app’s lifespan and how it has engaged its users in return visits as much as some social media and gaming apps on iOS.
In the official ResearchKit blog post, LifeMap Solutions details the preliminary findings of the Asthma Health app, which aims to attain greater insight into the disease and subsequently attempt to help users become more educated on the issues at hand.
The developers were initially worried about the tricky e-consent process every user must go through when first launching the app, with secondary concerns wondering if users would find the experience as “sticky” and addictive as other apps they use daily. Asthma Health’s usage data showcased not only willingness to give e-consent, but a high engagement rate in returning to the app throughout the week.
But the gamble paid off. Based on preliminary data for the Asthma Health app, over half of our users not only complete the e-consent process, they also come back the very next day to use the app. This is a very high rate of return for any app, let alone a health-related app.
Excitingly, results have shown that users are as engaged (or more!) with Asthma Health as they are with games and social networks. Our working theory is that Asthma Health users are motivated by the goal of supporting research that helps the entire patient community. We plan to test this theory more extensively in the near future.
LifeMap Solutions discovered that the research-based app showcased data very similar to everyday social media apps, with users responding especially high to push notifications reminding them to revisit the app.
The developers also saw particularly high involvement in the app on Mondays, corresponding to a weekly push notification automated to hit early each week. As the developers said, even though overall engagement decreases, “The spikes in app usage are consistent with the type of behavior we see in mobile apps more broadly: users respond dramatically to regular reminders.”
Asthma Health’s engagement rate over the course of its first few weeks.
Apple first announced ResearchKit at its “Spring Forward” media event on March 9, the Asthma Health app one of four experiences to launch supporting the platform. The mobile open source framework allowed for thousands to sign up for those initial four launch apps, far more than any location-based study could ever have hoped for.
With the official release of the full ResearchKit suite earlier in April, now even more developers can capture the features of the iPhone’s sensors such as the accelerometer, gyroscope, microphone and GPS to create medical research experiences and conduct studies like LifeMap Solutions and its partner Mount Sinai have done with Asthma Health.
This is what Samsung’s Gear VR for the Galaxy S6 is like
If you just got yourself a Samsung Galaxy S6 (or its curvier sibling, the S6 Edge) and you happen to be a fan of VR, well good news: the latest Gear VR for the Galaxy S6 is now officially on sale. It’s still in limited rollout but it should be in your local Best Buy starting today for around $199, with availability expanding quickly to even more places. Introduced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the new headset is not only designed for Samsung’s new phones, but also features a number of improvements over the original Gear VR for the Note 4. We had a chance to take a brief spin with the new hardware a few days ago, tried out a few new made-for-VR games and also talked to Max Cohen, VP of mobile at Oculus, for more on Gear VR’s future.
Not much has changed with the Gear VR from our hands-on in March, but we’ll offer a brief recap of the hardware anyway. In comparison with the original, the new headset is definitely smaller and lighter, which befits the S6’s more petite stature. The straps have also been redesigned for better weight balance and there’s now additional padding on the rear strap for a slightly more comfortable fit. And unlike the original, the new headgear has a USB port so you can charge the S6 while it’s nestled in. The focus ring adjustment now goes further in both directions plus there’s mechanical fan to cool you down. From my experience wearing the device, I can also say the picture quality is excellent — really sharp images with hardly any screendoor effect at all.
Now on to the game demos. Cohen had me try out three new made-for-VR games that he thought would best represent the range of VR games that are now available for the Gear VR — remember that you can now purchase and download these games from a paid app store. The first is a unique party game called Keep Talking and No One Explodes developed by Steel Crate Games. The person who’s wearing the headset would be tasked with diffusing a bomb, while other people in the same room would instruct them on how to do so by using an instruction manual.
I played a brief stint of the game with a couple of colleagues at our San Francisco office, and it was a lot of fun, albeit stressful. I had to describe what I saw in each bomb module and then my co-workers would reference a rather thick user manual, ask me questions and talk me through what I needed to do while the clock was ticking. It reminded me a lot of Spaceteam or other collaborative games where players had to help each other, except in this case, I was the only one at the controls. Cohen says that this is a good example of a game that wouldn’t work too well outside of VR, since it would spoil the fun if everyone else could see what you’re seeing.
The next game I tried is Herobound: Spirit Champion, which is actually a sequel to Herobound: First Steps, a game that Oculus made last year. Developed by Gunfire Games, Herobound is essentially a Zelda-type adventure game where you fight enemies and complete puzzles and missions. Unlike the earlier game, I had to use a Bluetooth controller in order to move the character around and swing a sword. That said, I could still do things like look at a target in order to aim an arrow at it, which is something I wouldn’t be able to do outside of VR.
Last but certainly not least is a game called Omega Agent by Fireproof Studios, which is the same outfit behind The Room and The Room 2, a couple of excellent puzzle games for Android and iOS. Omega Agent is basically a secret agent jetpack game where, you guessed it, you get to fly a jetpack and shoot at targets. If that sounds ridiculously fun, well, it is. The visuals are fairly simple cartoony graphics but the sensation of flying around a city with a jetpack is . Cohen recommended that I sit on a swivel chair and turn on a “Swivel Chair” mode in settings (Yes, that’s a real option) where the jetpack turns as you turn in order to reduce motion sickness. But, perhaps due to the somewhat low-res graphics, I still felt pretty dizzy afterwards.
“We believe in designed-for-VR games,” says Cohen of the games I tried. Both Omega Agent and Herobound are available now (the former is $9.99 while the latter is free) while the Keep Talking game’s pricing and release date are still to be determined. “VR builds more of an emotional connection than traditional media. You’re more connected to the character. You get more a sense that you’re there, more interaction,” he says of the experience. “Initial titles were existing IP properties that were kinda mapped over. But the platform is maturing at this point,” he says, adding that there’s a bunch more content now on the app store even though it’s only been out for a few months.
As for the hardware itself, Cohen says that it’s still technically an Innovator Edition, but that doesn’t mean it’s not consumer-ready. “[The Innovator Edition] label shows we still have work to do, but right now it’s not nearly as much work compared to awhile back.” Indeed, from the hardware perspective, Cohen says that they feel very good about the quality. The software is also starting to get there. “During the Gear VR for Note 4 timeline, a lot of the messaging was that the device was great but Oculus was telling you not to buy it. That’s not the message here for the S6.”
But that doesn’t mean you should toss out the old Gear VR either. “Because the software gets updated, the Note 4 gets all the benefits that the S6 has as well.” Some of those benefits include updates to Oculus Cinema, the ability to stream 360 photos and more. “The difference between this Gear VR and the one for the Note is not night and day. I wouldn’t throw my Note away in the trash.”
Indeed, Cohen offered a hint that we could be expecting even more out of the Gear VR team in the near future. “We’re going to make VR accessible to a very large market,” he says. “Our eyes are towards the fall. It’s when we think consumer VR will really take off for mobile.” While he wouldn’t offer specifics, I have to assume there’ll probably a new Samsung handset coming out later this year, along with possibly a new headset as well.
I also asked Cohen if progress on the Gear VR would affect anything over on the Rift side of things (which, incidentally, should finally roll out to consumers in early 2016). “We’ve learned a lot about what people want,” he says. “How do people navigate, how do they purchase apps, do they want to purchase in VR or on their phones … We’re learning a lot on how to make the Rift experience better.” Additionally, he says that a lot of the content on Gear VR can be ported over to the Rift and vice versa.
As far as non-gaming uses go, Cohen told us that Oculus has been experimenting with social cinema, or the ability to watch movies together even though you and your friends are spread out around the world. “I personally think social interaction is one of the most compelling usecases for VR,” says Cohen. “Watching a movie together, going through photos, watching cat videos … Having that emotional connection and presence as if they’re there with you. I think that’s what’s going to drive VR usage.” Indeed, the potential for social VR is one of the reasons Facebook was so interested in Oculus, and it’s also a key reason as to why Oculus agreed to be a part of Facebook.
However, the team’s main focus is still games. “I take it with me when I travel,” says Cohen, adding that he sometimes wears it on the plane. “It lets you escape the confines of your economy class seat and feel like you’re in a huge space.” He did offer a warning if you plan on doing this though. “Just remember that you’re wearing a headset and not to whack the person next to you.”
For even further impressions of the latest Gear VR for the Galaxy S6, stay tuned for our full review.
Man who put Windows 95 on Android Wear ups ante by doing the same with 1987’s Apple Macintosh II
Who needs an Apple Watch when you can rock Apple’s Macintosh II OS from 1987? While it may seem like an impossibility, the man behind putting Windows 95 on Android Wear is at it again, this time, with the Apple OS. That’s right Corbin Davenport, put the 1987 OS on a Samsung Gear Live and while it may be quite tiny on the small screen, it’s fully functional.
In the under 2-minute video Davenport runs through the OS on the Wear device and shows just how functional it actually is. The buttons in the OS are still quite difficult to navigate but regardless, it’s fun to see just what we can do with these tiny computers. We have the video for you below. Enjoy!
Click here to view the embedded video.
source: Popular Mechanic
Come comment on this article: Man who put Windows 95 on Android Wear ups ante by doing the same with 1987’s Apple Macintosh II
This is what Samsung’s Gear VR for the Galaxy S6 is like
If you just got yourself a Samsung Galaxy S6 (or its curvier sibling, the S6 Edge) and you happen to be a fan of VR, well good news: the latest Gear VR for the Galaxy S6 is now officially on sale. It’s still in limited rollout but it should be in your local Best Buy starting today for around $199, with availability expanding quickly to even more places. Introduced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the new headset is not only designed for Samsung’s new phones, but also features a number of improvements over the original Gear VR for the Note 4. We had a chance to take a brief spin with the new hardware a few days ago, tried out a few new made-for-VR games and also talked to Max Cohen, VP of mobile at Oculus, for more on Gear VR’s future.
Not much has changed with the Gear VR from our hands-on in March, but we’ll offer a brief recap of the hardware anyway. In comparison with the original, the new headset is definitely smaller and lighter, which befits the S6’s more petite stature. The straps have also been redesigned for better weight balance and there’s now additional padding on the rear strap for a slightly more comfortable fit. And unlike the original, the new headgear has a USB port so you can charge the S6 while it’s nestled in. The focus ring adjustment now goes further in both directions plus there’s mechanical fan to cool you down. From my experience wearing the device, I can also say the picture quality is excellent — really sharp images with hardly any screendoor effect at all.
Now on to the game demos. Cohen had me try out three new made-for-VR games that he thought would best represent the range of VR games that are now available for the Gear VR — remember that you can now purchase and download these games from a paid app store. The first is a unique party game called Keep Talking and No One Explodes developed by Steel Crate Games. The person who’s wearing the headset would be tasked with diffusing a bomb, while other people in the same room would instruct them on how to do so by using an instruction manual.
I played a brief stint of the game with a couple of colleagues at our San Francisco office, and it was a lot of fun, albeit stressful. I had to describe what I saw in each bomb module and then my co-workers would reference a rather thick user manual, ask me questions and talk me through what I needed to do while the clock was ticking. It reminded me a lot of Spaceteam or other collaborative games where players had to help each other, except in this case, I was the only one at the controls. Cohen says that this is a good example of a game that wouldn’t work too well outside of VR, since it would spoil the fun if everyone else could see what you’re seeing.
The next game I tried is Herobound: Spirit Champion, which is actually a sequel to Herobound: First Steps, a game that Oculus made last year. Developed by Gunfire Games, Herobound is essentially a Zelda-type adventure game where you fight enemies and complete puzzles and missions. Unlike the earlier game, I had to use a Bluetooth controller in order to move the character around and swing a sword. That said, I could still do things like look at a target in order to aim an arrow at it, which is something I wouldn’t be able to do outside of VR.
Last but certainly not least is a game called Omega Agent by Fireproof Studios, which is the same outfit behind The Room and The Room 2, a couple of excellent puzzle games for Android and iOS. Omega Agent is basically a secret agent jetpack game where, you guessed it, you get to fly a jetpack and shoot at targets. If that sounds ridiculously fun, well, it is. The visuals are fairly simple cartoony graphics but the sensation of flying around a city with a jetpack is . Cohen recommended that I sit on a swivel chair and turn on a “Swivel Chair” mode in settings (Yes, that’s a real option) where the jetpack turns as you turn in order to reduce motion sickness. But, perhaps due to the somewhat low-res graphics, I still felt pretty dizzy afterwards.
“We believe in designed-for-VR games,” says Cohen of the games I tried. Both Omega Agent and Herobound are available now (the former is $9.99 while the latter is free) while the Keep Talking game’s pricing and release date are still to be determined. “VR builds more of an emotional connection than traditional media. You’re more connected to the character. You get more a sense that you’re there, more interaction,” he says of the experience. “Initial titles were existing IP properties that were kinda mapped over. But the platform is maturing at this point,” he says, adding that there’s a bunch more content now on the app store even though it’s only been out for a few months.
As for the hardware itself, Cohen says that it’s still technically an Innovator Edition, but that doesn’t mean it’s not consumer-ready. “[The Innovator Edition] label shows we still have work to do, but right now it’s not nearly as much work compared to awhile back.” Indeed, from the hardware perspective, Cohen says that they feel very good about the quality. The software is also starting to get there. “During the Gear VR for Note 4 timeline, a lot of the messaging was that the device was great but Oculus was telling you not to buy it. That’s not the message here for the S6.”
But that doesn’t mean you should toss out the old Gear VR either. “Because the software gets updated, the Note 4 gets all the benefits that the S6 has as well.” Some of those benefits include updates to Oculus Cinema, the ability to stream 360 photos and more. “The difference between this Gear VR and the one for the Note is not night and day. I wouldn’t throw my Note away in the trash.”
Indeed, Cohen offered a hint that we could be expecting even more out of the Gear VR team in the near future. “We’re going to make VR accessible to a very large market,” he says. “Our eyes are towards the fall. It’s when we think consumer VR will really take off for mobile.” While he wouldn’t offer specifics, I have to assume there’ll probably a new Samsung handset coming out later this year, along with possibly a new headset as well.
I also asked Cohen if progress on the Gear VR would affect anything over on the Rift side of things (which, incidentally, should finally roll out to consumers in early 2016). “We’ve learned a lot about what people want,” he says. “How do people navigate, how do they purchase apps, do they want to purchase in VR or on their phones … We’re learning a lot on how to make the Rift experience better.” Additionally, he says that a lot of the content on Gear VR can be ported over to the Rift and vice versa.
As far as non-gaming uses go, Cohen told us that Oculus has been experimenting with social cinema, or the ability to watch movies together even though you and your friends are spread out around the world. “I personally think social interaction is one of the most compelling usecases for VR,” says Cohen. “Watching a movie together, going through photos, watching cat videos … Having that emotional connection and presence as if they’re there with you. I think that’s what’s going to drive VR usage.” Indeed, the potential for social VR is one of the reasons Facebook was so interested in Oculus, and it’s also a key reason as to why Oculus agreed to be a part of Facebook.
However, the team’s main focus is still games. “I take it with me when I travel,” says Cohen, adding that he sometimes wears it on the plane. “It lets you escape the confines of your economy class seat and feel like you’re in a huge space.” He did offer a warning if you plan on doing this though. “Just remember that you’re wearing a headset and not to whack the person next to you.”
For even further impressions of the latest Gear VR for the Galaxy S6, stay tuned for our full review.
Samsung’s Gear VR for Galaxy S6 is out today for $199
If you just got yourself a Samsung Galaxy S6 (or its curvier sibling, the S6 Edge) and you happen to be a fan of VR, well good news: the latest Gear VR for the Galaxy S6 is now officially on sale. It’s still in limited rollout but it should be in your local Best Buy starting today for around $199, with availability expanding quickly to even more places. Introduced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the new headset is not only designed for Samsung’s new phones, but also features a number of improvements over the original Gear VR for the Note 4. We had a chance to take a brief spin with the new hardware a few days ago, tried out a few new made-for-VR games and also talked to Max Cohen, VP of mobile at Oculus, for more on Gear VR’s future.
Not much has changed with the Gear VR from our hands-on in March, but we’ll offer a brief recap of the hardware anyway. In comparison with the original, the new headset is definitely smaller and lighter, which befits the S6’s more petite stature. The straps have also been redesigned for better weight balance and there’s now additional padding on the rear strap for a slightly more comfortable fit. And unlike the original, the new headgear has a USB port so you can charge the S6 while it’s nestled in. The focus ring adjustment now goes further in both directions plus there’s mechanical fan to cool you down. From my experience wearing the device, I can also say the picture quality is excellent — really sharp images with hardly any screendoor effect at all.
Now on to the game demos. Cohen had me try out three new made-for-VR games that he thought would best represent the range of VR games that are now available for the Gear VR — remember that you can now purchase and download these games from a paid app store. The first is a unique party game called Keep Talking and No One Explodes developed by Steel Crate Games. The person who’s wearing the headset would be tasked with diffusing a bomb, while other people in the same room would instruct them on how to do so by using an instruction manual.
I played a brief stint of the game with a couple of colleagues at our San Francisco office, and it was a lot of fun, albeit stressful. I had to describe what I saw in each bomb module and then my co-workers would reference a rather thick user manual, ask me questions and talk me through what I needed to do while the clock was ticking. It reminded me a lot of Spaceteam or other collaborative games where players had to help each other, except in this case, I was the only one at the controls. Cohen says that this is a good example of a game that wouldn’t work too well outside of VR, since it would spoil the fun if everyone else could see what you’re seeing.
The next game I tried is Herobound: Spirit Champion, which is actually a sequel to Herobound: First Steps, a game that Oculus made last year. Developed by Gunfire Games, Herobound is essentially a Zelda-type adventure game where you fight enemies and complete puzzles and missions. Unlike the earlier game, I had to use a Bluetooth controller in order to move the character around and swing a sword. That said, I could still do things like look at a target in order to aim an arrow at it, which is something I wouldn’t be able to do outside of VR.
Last but certainly not least is a game called Omega Agent by Fireproof Studios, which is the same outfit behind The Room and The Room 2, a couple of excellent puzzle games for Android and iOS. Omega Agent is basically a secret agent jetpack game where, you guessed it, you get to fly a jetpack and shoot at targets. If that sounds ridiculously fun, well, it is. The visuals are fairly simple cartoony graphics but the sensation of flying around a city with a jetpack is . Cohen recommended that I sit on a swivel chair and turn on a “Swivel Chair” mode in settings (Yes, that’s a real option) where the jetpack turns as you turn in order to reduce motion sickness. But, perhaps due to the somewhat low-res graphics, I still felt pretty dizzy afterwards.
“We believe in designed-for-VR games,” says Cohen of the games I tried. Both Omega Agent and Herobound are available now (the former is $9.99 while the latter is free) while the Keep Talking game’s pricing and release date are still to be determined. “VR builds more of an emotional connection than traditional media. You’re more connected to the character. You get more a sense that you’re there, more interaction,” he says of the experience. “Initial titles were existing IP properties that were kinda mapped over. But the platform is maturing at this point,” he says, adding that there’s a bunch more content now on the app store even though it’s only been out for a few months.
As for the hardware itself, Cohen says that it’s still technically an Innovator Edition, but that doesn’t mean it’s not consumer-ready. “[The Innovator Edition] label shows we still have work to do, but right now it’s not nearly as much work compared to awhile back.” Indeed, from the hardware perspective, Cohen says that they feel very good about the quality. The software is also starting to get there. “During the Gear VR for Note 4 timeline, a lot of the messaging was that the device was great but Oculus was telling you not to buy it. That’s not the message here for the S6.”
But that doesn’t mean you should toss out the old Gear VR either. “Because the software gets updated, the Note 4 gets all the benefits that the S6 has as well.” Some of those benefits include updates to Oculus Cinema, the ability to stream 360 photos and more. “The difference between this Gear VR and the one for the Note is not night and day. I wouldn’t throw my Note away in the trash.”
Indeed, Cohen offered a hint that we could be expecting even more out of the Gear VR team in the near future. “We’re going to make VR accessible to a very large market,” he says. “Our eyes are towards the fall. It’s when we think consumer VR will really take off for mobile.” While he wouldn’t offer specifics, I have to assume there’ll probably a new Samsung handset coming out later this year, along with possibly a new headset as well.
I also asked Cohen if progress on the Gear VR would affect anything over on the Rift side of things (which, incidentally, should finally roll out to consumers in early 2016). “We’ve learned a lot about what people want,” he says. “How do people navigate, how do they purchase apps, do they want to purchase in VR or on their phones … We’re learning a lot on how to make the Rift experience better.” Additionally, he says that a lot of the content on Gear VR can be ported over to the Rift and vice versa.
As far as non-gaming uses go, Cohen told us that Oculus has been experimenting with social cinema, or the ability to watch movies together even though you and your friends are spread out around the world. “I personally think social interaction is one of the most compelling usecases for VR,” says Cohen. “Watching a movie together, going through photos, watching cat videos … Having that emotional connection and presence as if they’re there with you. I think that’s what’s going to drive VR usage.” Indeed, the potential for social VR is one of the reasons Facebook was so interested in Oculus, and it’s also a key reason as to why Oculus agreed to be a part of Facebook.
However, the team’s main focus is still games. “I take it with me when I travel,” says Cohen, adding that he sometimes wears it on the plane. “It lets you escape the confines of your economy class seat and feel like you’re in a huge space.” He did offer a warning if you plan on doing this though. “Just remember that you’re wearing a headset and not to whack the person next to you.”
For even further impressions of the latest Gear VR for the Galaxy S6, stay tuned for our full review.
FCC tea leaves suggest LG G4 release on Sprint, Verizon getting close
A couple new entries in the FCC database for LG devices suggests the LG G4 has cleared regulatory approval on the way to market from Verizon and Sprint. The new entries are for devices with model numbers VS986 and LS991, although the entries do not mention “LG G4″ specifically as the phone model. However, sources note that the LG G3 on Verizon has the model number VS985 and on Sprint it gets model number LS990. So the new devices have had their model number increased by one relative to the LG G3, which suggests the new devices are the LG G4 for each of the carriers.
Neither carrier has released information about availability of the LG G4. However, sources think Sprint will hit the market in June and they do have a pre-registration page already setup. Meanwhile, no date has been set for Verizon
source: FCC (Verizon), FCC (Sprint)
via: G for Games
Come comment on this article: FCC tea leaves suggest LG G4 release on Sprint, Verizon getting close
Google adds food delivery option to search results
Google voice search has evolved considerably over the last year or so, bringing cards that describe illnesses, cards for different types of drinks, and most recently adding voice command support for an increasing number of third party apps. Now Google is aiming to make it easier than ever to order takeout.
To use the feature you’ll need to perform a search for a restaurant that offers deliveries, you’ll then see an option under the restaurant listing that reads “Place an Order”. Clicking on this will let you pick to use one of six different delivery services: Seamless, Grubhub, Eat24, Delivery.com, BeyondMenu, or MyPizza.com. While supporting just six services (initially in the US only) makes this option pretty limited, the good news is that Google says it plans to roll out support for more services, and perhaps even more countries, in the future.
What do you think of this latest feature, something you could see yourself using? What other new Google search options would you like to see Google add in the future? Let us know in the comments.
Dual-mode wireless charging is just the stopgap on the road to resonance
It’s hard to believe that Qi inductive wireless charging was first demonstrated in an Android smartphone back at MWC more than four years ago. This year the Samsung Galaxy S6 has brought us support for not one, but two wireless charging standards, namely PMA and WPC’s Qi.
Although multi-mode devices are something we’re likely to see much more of in the future, they don’t necessarily solve the fundamental problem with inductive charging – there’s simply very little extra utility in a wireless charging dock compared with a simple USB cable.
Wireless power is heading towards resonance and multi-mode devices will facilitate the transition
As we’ve discussed before, resonant charging, such as the Rezence standard being put forward by A4WP, is a much more promising technology from the point of us consumers. It allows for the charging of multiple different devices at once, at greater distances, without having the hassle of lining up the device and charging stations perfectly.
Depth is also an important but often overlooked point here. Although we’re still only taking centimetres and not meters, the extra range offered by resonance allows manufacturers to discreetly embed charging stations inside desks or car compartments, rather than having to rely on direct surface contact, mats or docks.
This picture perfectly sums up why there’s a lack of enthusiasm for current wireless charging products.
I much prefer the idea of leaving my various gadgets on a night-stand with an embedded charger and waking up to find them full of juice. No docks, no cables, just convenience. Unfortunately, we’re caught in a bit of a chicken and egg scenario before we can get there, with device manufacturers holding back support because of a lack of accessories and a lack of devices preventing the accessory market from growing. A reverse scenario continues to lend support to the Qi status-quo.
Multi-mode in the here and now
This is where multi-mode products become a really important part of the market, as this type of technology should help smooth out a transition from induction to resonance, by supporting both existing and future standards.
For example, NuCurrent, which designs antennas for wireless power devices, has been collaborating with Broadcom to develop a single antenna board that works with A4WP, PMA, and Qi standards, and can even support NFC on the same PCB if need be. Last June the company partnered with Gill Electronics to provide the resonators for the first A4WP Rezence certified products from furniture manufacturers such as OFS Brands, Kimball Office and National Office. Although we have already heard about Qi enabled furniture from IKEA and Starbucks PMA charging hotspots, support for all three big standards in one transmitter is a bigger deal in the long game.
Automotive and home support for wireless standards is key, as customers look for a more elegant solutions to charging mats and docks. However, short range inductive implementations aren’t the most discreet, as you can see, but resonance can be hidden under the surface.
Importantly, there aren’t huge additional costs, either financial or in terms of space, in providing a multi-mode solution. This means that companies should be able to cheaply hedge their bets against whichever standard ends up as the most popular. Although this probably won’t apply to wearables, due to the limited space.
“Multi-mode is a band aid until there is resonance-style technology that is ready to be the standard” – NuCurrent CEO Jacob Babcock
The Galaxy S6 is the first multi-mode mobile device but it only supports the two main inductive standards. However, remember that MediaTek has a multi-mode wireless charging chip for all three standards and NuCurrent’s business relationship with Molex could also provide embedded solutions for gadgets. We’re still waiting on the first A4WP resonance standard-compliant smartphone, tablets and wearables, but these are finally expected to hit the market sometime in the second half of the year.
Development of smaller integrated parts clearly takes some time, but by focusing on ensuring support in accessories, automotive and furniture first, A4WP could have a significant presence by the time the embedded technology hits the market. Especially as multi-mode support becomes more commonplace and manufacturers look to hedge their bets against whichever standard will prevail.
Another looming standards battle
Keen-eyed followers of wireless power may remember a few Qi Resonance demos from a while back, which aimed to show that the company’s existing products are already compatible with resonance charging technologies.
The WPC is working on its own resonance standard and is clearly under increasing pressure from A4WP, but the early demos perhaps don’t do the technology justice. Inductive and resonance are two halves of the same idea, but there are a few points worth clarifying about Qi’s demo implementations.
A4WP’s Rezence (left) and Qi’s resonance demo (right) may look similar, but there are subtle design and specification differences between the two.
We’ll avoid too much technical stuff, sufficient to say that Qi’s relatively low operating frequency (110 to 205 kHz) does not allow for the same peak potential efficient power transfer over longer distances as the higher frequency 6.78MHz A4WP standard. Though A4WP doesn’t specify a distance for its technology, we’re typically looking at supplying power up to 5cm with Rezence. The Qi resonance demo showed an operating distance of just 2.8cm. Accurately tuned high frequency resonant circuits are more difficult to design, but the potential for higher power and efficiency over distance is greater.
A proper, efficient Qi Resonance standard is going to take some time to complete
Similarly, the Quality (Q) factor of the coil is also important, as higher Q coils designed for high frequency transitions can also be built smaller and thinner, which helps avoid issues with heat. Remember, highly tuned resonant circuits are specifically designed to transfer more power over a greater distance, so the entire system needs to be designed around handling this power and heat efficiently. It’s not just about tuning the frequency.
In other words, it’s not just a simple case of tuning a signal to increase the distance, the system has to be built around the right coil (antenna) for the job. Therefore, Qi technology, as it stands, is not particularly well suited for efficient resonant power transfer, despite demos showing that it at least works. The underlying specifications will likely change in a future Qi revision, which directly addresses resonance charging.
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At the moment, there is no defined Qi Resonance standard, as the group continues to refine its resonance technology. Importantly, this means that accessory manufacturers cannot begin implementing multi-mode products that are guaranteed to be compatible with future Qi products. Furthermore, it’s not clear if existing Qi products will be compatible, or at least fully efficient, with whatever the Qi Resonance standard ends up looking like.
This leaves A4WP with a considerable head start over Qi in the resonance space, somewhere in the region of 18-24 months’ worth of development. A4WP gadgets should arrive on the market later this year and it’s likely that smartphone manufacturers will be keen to be one of the first to support it. By the time Qi Resonant electronics hit the market, resonance might be old news. Of course, Qi already has some serious industry connections with manufacturers, so it may be able to move into resonance a little quicker once its standard is finalized.
And the winner is …
I’m happy to call inductive charging old news. It’s had years to capture consumer imagination, but has failed to produce a really compelling product range. Resonance is more promising, although it still has to pass the ultimate test when technology lands in the hands of consumers.
I’m convinced that wireless power is heading towards resonance in the medium term, and multi-mode devices will facilitate the transition. Whether Qi Resonance, A4WP or some newly merged group will end up as the prevailing standard remains to be seen, and ultimately it will depend on which standard device manufacturers choose to back. Until a winner is crowned, we’re likely to see more device and accessory support for a full range of standards and technologies.
AIVAnet 