What is machine learning?
One area of technology that is helping improve the services that we use on our smartphones, and on the web, is machine learning. Sometimes, the terms machine learning and artificial intelligence get used as synonyms, especially when a big name company wants to talk about its latest innovations, however AI and machine learning are two quite distinct, yet connected, areas of computing.
The goals of AI is to create a machine which can mimic a human mind and to do that it needs learning capabilities. However the goal of AI researchers are quite broad and include not only learning, but also knowledge representation, reasoning, and even things like abstract thinking. Machine learning on the other hand is solely focused on writing software which can learn from past experience.
What you might find most astonishing is that machine learning is actually more closely related to data mining and statistical analysis than AI. Why is that? Well, lets look at what we mean by machine learning.
One of the standard definitions of machine learning, as given by Tom Mitchell – a Professor at the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), is a computer program is said to learn from experience E with respect to some class of tasks T and performance measure P, if its performance at tasks in T, as measured by P, improves with experience E.
A computer program is said to learn from experience E with respect to some class of tasks T and performance measure P, if its performance at tasks in T, as measured by P, improves with experience E.
To put that a bit more simply, if a computer program can improve how it performs a task by using previous experience then you can say it has learned. This is quite different to a program which can perform a task because its programmers have already defined all the parameters and data needed to perform the task. For example, a computer program can play tic-tac-toe (noughts and crosses) because a programmer wrote the code with a built-in winning strategy. However a program that has no pre-defined strategy and only has a set of rules about the legal moves, and what is a winning scenario, will need to learn by repeatedly playing the game until it is able to win.
This doesn’t only apply to games, it also true of programs which perform classification and prediction. Classification is the process whereby a machine can recognize and categorize things from a dataset including from visual data and measurement data. Prediction (known as regression in statistics) is where a machine can guess (predict) the value of something based on previous values. For example, given a set of characteristics about a house, how much is it worth based on previous house sales.
That leads us to another definition of machine learning, it is the extraction of knowledge from data. You have a question you are trying to answer and you think the answer is in the data. That is why machine learning is related to statistics and data mining.
Types of machine learning
Machine learning can be split into three broad categories: Supervised, unsupervised and reinforcement. Let’s look at what they mean:
Supervised learning is where you teach (train) the machine using data which is well labeled. That means that the data is already tagged with the correct answer (outcome). Here is a picture of the letter A. This is the flag for the UK, it has three colors, one of them is red, and so on. The greater the dataset the more the machine can learn about the subject matter. After the machine is trained, it is the given new, previously unseen data, and the learning algorithm then uses the past experience to give a result. That is the letter A, that is the UK flag, and so on.
Unsupervised learning is where the machine is trained using a dataset that doesn’t have any labeling. The learning algorithm is never told what the data represents. Here is a letter, but no other information is given about which letter. Here are the characteristics of a particular flag, but without naming the flag. Unsupervised learning is like listening to a podcast in a foreign language which you don’t understand. You don’t have a dictionary and you don’t have a supervisor (teacher) to tell you about what you are hearing. If you listen to just one podcast it won’t be of much benefit, but if you listen to hundreds of hours of these podcasts your brain will start to form a model about how the language works. You will start to recognize patterns and you will start to expect certain sounds. When you do get hold of a dictionary or a tutor then you will learn the language much quicker.
One of the buzzwords that we hear from companies like Google and Facebook is ‘Neural Net.’
The key thing about unsupervised learning is that once the unlabeled data has been processed it only takes one example of labeled data to make the learning algorithm fully effective. Having processed thousands of images of letters, processing one letter A will instantly label a whole section of the processed data. The advantage is that only a small set of labelled data is needed. Labeled data is harder to create than unlabeled data. In general we all have access to large amounts of unlabeled data, and only small amounts of labeled data.
Reinforcement learning is similar to unsupervised training in that the training data is unlabeled, however when asked a question about the data the outcome will be graded. A good example of this is playing games. If the machine wins the game then the result is trickled back down through the set of moves to reinforce the validity of those moves. Again, this isn’t much use if the computer plays just one or two games. But if it plays thousands, even millions of games then the cumulative effect of reinforcement will create a winning strategy.
How does it work
There are lots of different techniques used by engineers building machine learning systems. As I mentioned before, a large number of them are related to data mining and statistics. For example, if you have a dataset which describes the characteristics of different coins including their weight and diameter then you can employ statistical techniques like the ‘nearest neighbors’ algorithm to classify a previously unseen coin. What the ‘nearest neighbors’ algorithm does it look to see what classification was give to the nearest neighbors and then give the same classification to the new coin. The number of neighbors used to make that decision is referred to as ‘k’, and so the full title for the algorithm is ‘k-nearest neighbors.’
However there are lots of other algorithms that try to do the same thing, but using different methods. Take a look at the following diagram:
The picture on the top left is the data set. The data is classified into two categories, red and blue. The data is hypothetical, however it could represent almost anything: coin weights and diameters, number of petals on a plant and their widths, etc. Clearly there is some definite grouping here. Everything in the upper left belongs to the red category, and the bottom right to blue. However in the middle there is some crossover. If you get a new, previously unseen, sample which fits somewhere in the middle, does it belong to the red category or to blue? The other images show different algorithms and how they attempt to categorize a new sample. If the new sample lands in a white area then it means it can’t be classified using that method. The number on the lower right shows the classification accuracy.
Neural Nets
One of the buzzwords that we hear from companies like Google and Facebook is “Neural Net.” A neural net is a machine learning technique modeled on the way neurons work in the human brain. The idea is that given a number of inputs the neuron will propagate a signal depending on how it interprets the inputs. In machine learning terms this is done with matrix multiplication along with an activation function.
The use of neural networks has increased significantly in recent years and the current trend is to use deep neural networks with several layers of interconnected neurons. During Google I/O 2015, Senior Vice-President of Products, Sundar Pichai, explained how machine learning and deep neural networks are helping Google fulfill its core mission to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” To that end you can ask Google Now things like, “How do you say Kermit the Frog in Spanish.” And because of DNNs, Google is able to do voice recognition, natural language processing, and translation.
Currently Google is using 30 layer neural nets, which is quite impressive. As a result of using DNNs, Google’s error rate for speech recognition has dropped from 23% in 2013 to just 8% in 2015.
Some examples of machine learning
So we know that companies like Google and Facebook use machine learning to help improve their services. So what can be achieved with machine learning? One interesting area is picture annotation. Here the machine is presented with a photograph and asked to describe it. Here are some examples of machine generated annotations:
The first two are quite accurate (although I am not sure there is a sink in the first picture), and the third is interesting in that the computer managed to detect the box of doughnuts, but it misinterpreted the other pastries as a cup of coffee. Of course the algorithm can also get it completely wrong:
Another example is teaching a machine to write. Cleveland Amory, an American author, reporter and commentator, once wrote, “In my day the schools taught two things, love of country and penmanship — now they don’t teach either.” I wonder what he would think about this:
The above handwriting sample was produced by a Recurrent Neural Network. To train the machine its creators asked 221 different writers to use a ‘smart whiteboard’ and to copy out some text. During the writing the position of their pen was tracked using infra-red. This resulted in a set of x and y coordinates which were used for supervised training. As you can see the results are quite impressive. In fact, the machine can actually write in several different styles, and at different levels of untidiness!
Google recently published a paper about using neural networks as a way to model conversations. As part of the experiment the researchers trained the machine using 62 million sentences from movie subtitles. As you can imagine the results are interesting. At one point the machine declares that it isn’t “ashamed of being a philosopher!” While later when asked about discussing morality and ethics it said, “and how i’m not in the mood for a philosophical debate.” So it seems that if you feed a machine a steady diet of Hollywood movie scripts the result is a moody philosopher!
Wrap-up
Unlike many areas of AI research, machine learning isn’t an in tangible target, it is a reality that is already working to improve the services we use. In many ways it is the unsung hero, the uncelebrated star which works in the background trawling through all our data to try and find the answers we are looking for. And like “Deep Thought” from Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, sometimes it is the question we need to understand first, before we can understand the answer!
At just £39, EE’s Rook handset is the UK’s cheapest 4G smartphone
The UK carrier, EE, has released a bunch of own-branded devices in recent months, ranging from the Harrier smartphones and Tab to the 4GEE Action Cam. Not forgetting the Power Bar external chargers that are available for all EE customers. If this isn’t enough, EE has today announced the launch of the Rook, the UK’s lowest priced 4G smartphone.
The Rook is priced at £49 on Pay As You Go for new customers while current EE customers can buy the handset for just £39. Besides 4G connectivity, the Rook offers a surprisingly decent range of specifications.
Specifications:
- Android 5.1 Lollipop
- 4-Inch display with FWVGA resolution
- MediaTek Quad-core processor @ 1GHz, 64-bit
- 1GB RAM
- 8GB Internal storage
- MicroSD card support (up to 32GB)
- 5MP Rear camera
- .3MP Front camera
- 1,500mAh Battery
- 5 Hours talk time
For £39/49, that isn’t a bad phone at all. The Rook isn’t going to challenge the Galaxy S6 or G4 flagship devices, but then it wasn’t designed to. The Rook is a phone with 4G connectivity for those on a budget, possibly a child’s first handset or even a grandparent’s. EE has said that the Rook will be available on both its Pay As You Go plans as well as its corporate accounts. There’s also a 20% discount available on select EE accessories if you purchase a Rook handset. What do you think of the Rook smartphone?
Full Press Release:
EE announces the Rook 4G smartphone
7th July, 2015 – EE, the UK’s most advanced digital communications company, today launched the Rook, the UK’s most affordable new 4G smartphone at just £39 for existing EE customers* and £49 for new EE customers. The Rook is available immediately from EE stores, EE telesales and via the EE online store and will allow a new sector of UK pay as you go customers to enjoy the benefits of superfast 4G.
With 44 per cent of UK pay as you go customers currently spending up to £50 on a handset, the Rook will be the only new handset in this price range to offer a super fast 4G experience – opening double-speed 4G to over 2.5 million UK consumers**.
The Rook runs the latest Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system, and features a 5 megapixel camera, a 4″ high resolution FWVGA display screen and 8GB internal memory, all powered by a fast and energy-efficient 64 bit MediaTek® 1GHz Quad-Core processor enabling faster web browsing, smoother gameplay, quicker multitasking and further improved battery life. The Rook also comes with a 1,500mAh battery, which is good for over five hours of talk time and over 400 hours stand-by-time on a single charge.
Sharon Meadows, Director of Devices at EE, said: “At EE, we believe everyone should have access to 4G and the experiences it offers on the go. The Rook provides a great 4G smartphone at a compelling price – allowing even more people to enjoy the benefits of our superfast mobile network from high-speed web browsing and downloads to gaming and streaming.”
The Rook builds on a range of own branded devices from EE designed to give consumers access to the UK’s fastest network, offering features and specifications traditionally associated with a higher price point.
As well as being on pay as you go, the Rook is available to EE corporate customers – providing a powerful and easily affordable smartphone for customers in medium and large enterprises.
Customers who purchase a Rook handset can also benefit from up to a 20% discount on select EE accessories. Further details on these, as well as more information on the Rook from EE is available at: www.ee.co.uk
Come comment on this article: At just £39, EE’s Rook handset is the UK’s cheapest 4G smartphone
Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge get Android 5.1.1 Lollipop in India
After releasing the latest Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update for Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge users in several countries including the US and UK, Samsung has released the update to users in India. The details of the firmware update for the Galaxy S6 (model number SM-G920I) and Galaxy S6 Edge (SM-G925I) can be seen below:
Galaxy S6 Firmware Details:
- Model: SM-G920I
- Version: Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
- Changelist: 5228538
- Build Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2015 08:28:54 +0000
- Product Code: INS
- PDA: G920IDVU2COF8
- CSC: G920IODD2COF8
Galaxy S6 Edge Firmware details:
- Model: SM-G925I
- Version: Android 5.1.1
- Changelist: 5228538
- Build date: Thu, 25 Jun 2015 08:28:39 +0000
- Product code: INS
- PDA: G925IDVU2COF8
- CSC: G925IODD2COF8
The Android 5.1.1 update brings a host of tweaks, including the ability to finally sort apps by alphabetical order in the app drawer. Also on board is exposure control, support for capturing images in RAW format – although Samsung hasn’t yet enabled the feature in the ROM – and multi user support.
Galaxy S6 / Edge in Video:
.rvs_wrapper
width: 350px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left
float: left;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none
width: 100%;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center
text-align: center;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: none;
display: inline-block;
vertical-align: top;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos:not(.align_none) ul li:nth-child(2n+1)
clear: both;
.rvs_title
font-weight: 600 !important;
margin: 0 !important;
font-size: 24px !important;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right .rvs_title
padding-left: 20px;
.rvs_title a
font-family: ‘Roboto Condensed’;
color: #3a3a3a;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
padding-top: 10px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left.cbc-latest-videos ul li,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 15px 0 0;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 0 0 15px;
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a
font-weight: 400;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a .yt-thumbnail
margin-bottom: 0;
@media only screen and (max-width : 480px)
.rvs_wrapper
width: 100%;
text-align: center;
body .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
display: inline-block;
float: none;
vertical-align: top;
The update also lets you finally remove S Finder and Quick Connect from the notifications drawer, freeing up space in what can become a crowded notification area. Other notable changes in the update include the ability to enable or disable the wallpaper motion effect, new modes in the camera app and other under the hood tweaks and changes.
Interestingly, we’ve been using the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update on the Galaxy S6 Edge and one thing that hasn’t been fixed yet is Lollipop’s aggressive RAM management. As many people have reported, the RAM management on the Galaxy S6 mean many apps are closed in the background and while there were rumours that this would be fixed in the latest update, it hasn’t as yet.
Have you got the update on your phone? What do you think of it? Noticed anything we’ve missed out? Let us know your thoughts below guys and don’t forget to check out the latest Android Authority Podcast where we answer a user question on the 5.1.1 update.
Microsoft re-brands its entertainment apps
As part of the build up to the launch of its latest OS, Microsoft is re-branding its entertainment apps to a more neutral naming scheme.
Gone is the old and confusing Xbox gaming branding for music and videos. I for one approve, I never quite understood why Microsoft was trying to encapsulate its entire media suite under a gaming title.
As part of the change, Xbox Music will be renamed to Groove, because “Groove describes what people feel and do with music,” says Microsoft. Despite the name change, the $9.99 a monthly or $99 yearly subscription for music streaming will remain as it was with Xbox Music, but track purchases will be moving over to Microsoft’s Windows Store. Those with an Xbox Music Pass will automatically be moved over to a Groove Music Pass.
Although the service doesn’t offer free streaming like many of its competitors, Microsoft is planning to update the application with the ability to upload your music collection to OneDrive. Your library will then be available to stream to other Windows devices, Xbox gaming consoles, and even our Android smartphones and tablets in the future.
Xbox Video is also being renamed to a much simpler Movies & TV title. Again functionality remains much the same as before, but Microsoft is adding support for new files formats, such as MKV. Some nifty features include contextual menus for your collections and you can also begin watching content on one devices and then just pick up where you left on another.
Just as with music, film purchases and rentals will be moving over to the Windows Store, so everything will be housed in one convenient location rather than dotted across various applications. Sadly, Movies & TV content doesn’t appear to be heading to Android devices any time soon.
Microsoft is adding the final touches to its store and media applications ahead of the launch of Windows 10 on July 29th, but it remains to be seen if this will help the company compete with some of the established media services already on the market.
Three UK network review (2015): everything you need to know
Three is technically the UK’s second youngest network – having only been formed in 2003 – but considering that the youngest – EE – is made up of the second and third oldest networks – T-Mobile and Orange – many consider Three to be the youngest carrier in the UK. Its age matches its status; while other networks boast vast amounts of capacity at all levels of the spectrum, Three only offers 3G and 4G services, and its 4G network was built with a healthy donation of spectrum from EE following its creation.
Despite being the smallest in the market, Three is owned by one of the world’s largest communications company – Hutchison Whampoa – and its this backing which is allowing it to shake up the market. Let’s take a look at Three UK – the past, present and the future.
Network technology
Three’s network currently uses the following frequencies:
| Frequency | Protocol | Class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800MHz | GSM / GPRS / EDGE | 3G | |
| 800MHz | LTE | 4G | |
Three’s UK network has always been data-focused with the network prioritising the data-capable 3G standard ahead of the voice-focused GSM 2G standard. While other networks offer 2G services as a backup plan, Three’s own network only offers 3G and 4G services but a partnership agreement with EE does mean Three customers can drop to EE 2G coverage when needed.
4G LTE
Three was the last mobile network to offer 4G LTE in the UK and has the smallest capacity, making it susceptible to congestion on the network. The likeliness of congestion is further increased by Three’s primary offering: 4G data at no extra cost.
Top LTE smartphones
.rvs_wrapper
width: 350px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left
float: left;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none
width: 100%;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center
text-align: center;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: none;
display: inline-block;
vertical-align: top;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos:not(.align_none) ul li:nth-child(2n+1)
clear: both;
.rvs_title
font-weight: 600 !important;
margin: 0 !important;
font-size: 24px !important;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right .rvs_title
padding-left: 20px;
.rvs_title a
font-family: ‘Roboto Condensed’;
color: #3a3a3a;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
padding-top: 10px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left.cbc-latest-videos ul li,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 15px 0 0;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 0 0 15px;
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a
font-weight: 400;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a .yt-thumbnail
margin-bottom: 0;
@media only screen and (max-width : 480px)
.rvs_wrapper
width: 100%;
text-align: center;
body .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
display: inline-block;
float: none;
vertical-align: top;
While its rival networks all introduced 4G services at a premium to customers – before almost dropping 3G contracts in their entirety – Three chose to tease its delayed network with a campaign that offers LTE to all customers with no extra premium to pay. Considering that the carrier’s All You Can Eat data proposition had drawn millions of customers looking for unlimited data, the promise of unlimited 4G data – including tethering until the tethering allowances were introduced last year – was enough to draw even more customers to the network.
Its 4G network will operate primarily on the 800MHz spectrum, although this is currently in the process of being rolled out and 4G was switched on using the 1800MHz obtained through the creation of EE. Although limited in capacity, the 800MHz rollout will mean that Three’s indoor 4G coverage is vastly improved; this fact also has telling ramifications for the future of Three, as we’ll touch on later in this review.
Pay Monthly Handsets
Three’s Pay Monthly handset (PAYM) plans offer a range of inclusive allowances, including up to unlimited minutes and unlimited data but the actual plans available and price depends on which handset you opt to go for.
Using the Galaxy S5 as an example, there are thirteen plans available including an unlimited all you can eat minutes, texts and data plan for £44 per month while the Galaxy S6 is only available on four plans, starts at £47.00 per month and costs £56 per month (and £49.00 upfront) for all you can eat minutes, texts and data.
Alongside unlimited 4G data (depending on your plan), the other key perk for Three’s post-paid customers is Feel At Home Roaming (FAH). FAH was the first roaming offer of its kind in the market and allows you to use your inclusive UK minutes, texts and data free of charge in 18 countries around the world.
While Three’s rivals do offer free or subsidised roaming in Europe, Three is the only one to offer completely free roaming outside of Europe, including popular destinations like the USA and Hong Kong. Simply put, Three’s FAH is the best roaming offer in the UK and a key selling point to buying a handset or SIMO from Three UK.
Overall, Three may not offer the bells and whistles that other networks do but what it does do is offer benefits and features its customers actually use. From no worries about going over data allowances to roaming abroad for free, the UK’s smallest network offers one of the biggest and best packages on the market.
Pay Monthly SIM Only
Like every network, Three also offers SIM Only packages for customers who prefer to buy their phones and contracts separately. Almost all of the same packages are available on both 1-month and 12-month contracts, with plans on the latter costing, on average, £3.00 per month less.
Three doesn’t limit its SIM Only plans meaning some SIM Only plans offer All You Can Eat data, although tethering is limited to a maximum of 4GB per month, like Three’s Pay Monthly handset plans. Here’s the current range of available Three SIMO plans:
| Minutes | Texts | Monthly data | 12-month price | 1-month price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 | All-you-can-eat | 500MB | £8.00/m | Not Available |
| 200 | All-you-can-eat | 2GB | £11.00/m | Not Available |
| 200 | All-you-can-eat | All-you-can-eat | £17.00/m | £20.00/m |
| 600 | All-you-can-eat | 1GB | £11.00/m | £14.00/m |
| 600 | All-you-can-eat | 4GB | £16.00/m | £19.00/m |
| 600 | All-you-can-eat | All-you-can-eat | £22.00/m | £25.00/m |
| All-you-can-eat | All-you-can-eat | 4GB | £21.00/m | £24.00/m |
| All-you-can-eat | All-you-can-eat | All-you-can-eat | £27.00/m | £30.00/m |
Pay as You Go Plans
Like many networks, Three splits its Pay As You Go (PAYG) offering into packs, offering different amounts of minutes, texts and data each month. However, to simplify its offering and make things easier for customers to understand, Three’s 3-2-1 package offers easy to understand call charges for customers who go over their allowances or choose not to use a pack.
3-2-1 is Three’s way of not overcharging customers and the carrier has a big point: if a single minute costs a fraction of a penny, why do some networks charge 40 pence per minute on PAYG? To this effect, 3-2-1 means you’ll pay just 3p per minute, 2p per text and 1p per MB of data if you go over your allowances or don’t have an active pack.
Compared to the competition, 3-2-1 is vastly cheaper (others charge up to 40p, 25p and 35p respectively) and a great reason to buy a Three PAYG plan, especially if you use your handset infrequently. Considering than even PAYG customers get access to 4G without charge and your PAYG credit never expires, the case to choose Three on PAYG is certainly large.
If you do choose to go for a Three PAYG pack, you’ll find there’s only two available; as the 3-2-1 offer is such good value for money, it renders most packs useless. The two plans are:
- All In One 10 Add-on: costs £10, lasts 30 days and gives you 100 minutes, 3000 texts and 500MB of data each month.
- All In One 15 Add-on: costs £15, lasts 30 days and gives you 300 minutes, 3000 texts and All-You-Can-Eat data each month.
If you’re undecided about the packs there’s something worth remembering: while customers using 3-2-1 can’t take advantage of FAH, those with a PAYG pack can; this means if you choose a pack and go to any of the included countries, you’ll be able to use your phone abroad without charge just like post-paid customers.
Overall, Three’s PAYG offer is arguably the best on the market, especially as it offers 4G without charge, gives you unlimited data for just £15 per month and lets you use your phone abroad.
Three Perks
For most customers on Three, the inclusive perks are up to unlimited 4G data and free roaming but Three does have a couple of other benefits it offers to customers.
One of the biggest problems with all networks is being able to use your phone when your phone signal is none existent and Three’s InTouch app aims to fix this, letting any Three customer use a Wi-Fi signal to call and text even when there’s no signal. Usage of the InTouch app is free with calls and texts coming out of your existing allowances and if you do go over your allowance, you won’t be charged any more than the standard rates of your plan.
The other perk to buying a phone from Three on PAYM or PAYG is that unlike other networks, Three phones either come unlocked or the network will unlock them for free without making you wait months after purchase. As an example, other networks charge up to £20 and make you wait up to 12 months to unlock your iPhone, Three will unlock it for free the same day you get the handset.
In a market where the majority of carrier revenue comes from add-on services, Three making it easy to use a different SIM in their phones is certainly refreshing. Overall, Three’s perks are similar to Three as a network; customer focused and offering real benefits as opposed to unuseful benefits.
Quad-Play
The drastic increase in demand for data-driven services has meant mobile networks are encroaching on traditional fixed-line service providers to offer their customers TV, broadband and landline services.
Unlike its chief rivals, Three does not offer any quad-play services to its customers nor has it mentioned any current plans to offer quad-play services in the near future. But it’s likely that Three will eventually enter the quad-play market, especially after the major UK shakeup where the network has a lot to gain.
UK Outlook: Who’s Buying Who?
We’ve been teasing the UK shakeup throughout this review and for good reason; in the biggest shakeup of the market for nearly a decade, Three is set to be the network that gains the most.
There are two major deals that will irrevocably change the UK market: the biggest network, EE, is being bought by one of the oldest communications companies in the world, BT, and Three is set to buy O2, and in turn, establish the UK’s largest mobile communications provider.
Image credit: Huffington Post
As mentioned, Three is currently the smallest network in the UK, but is backed by Hutchison Whampoa (HWL), owned by Li Ka Sheng, who happens to be the richest person in Asia with a net worth estimated to be $31.9 billion.
The buyout of O2 for £10.25 billion (approx. $17 billion) will make Three the largest network in the UK with an estimated user base of nearly 40 million active monthly subscribers. As mentioned earlier, Three currently has a subset of 800MHz spectrum with which to deploy indoor 4G coverage and O2 will complement this, offering the largest allowance of 800MHz spectrum in the UK (as part of a deal it made to offer indoor 4G coverage to 97% of the UK by 2017).
It’s still likely to be 12 months before HWL completes the buyout of O2 and there’s very little known about what this will mean for customers but one thing is certain: Three has managed to make a lasting impression as the UK’s smallest network and once it becomes the biggest, it could dominate the industry for years to come.
Final thoughts
Three’s network has certainly undergone major transformations and improvements over the past few years; at first, the company had the worst coverage in the UK but over the past few years, this has changed drastically and the buyout of O2 will change this status forever.
You might like:
.rvs_wrapper
width: 350px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left
float: left;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none
width: 100%;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center
text-align: center;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: none;
display: inline-block;
vertical-align: top;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos:not(.align_none) ul li:nth-child(2n+1)
clear: both;
.rvs_title
font-weight: 600 !important;
margin: 0 !important;
font-size: 24px !important;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right .rvs_title
padding-left: 20px;
.rvs_title a
font-family: ‘Roboto Condensed’;
color: #3a3a3a;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
padding-top: 10px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left.cbc-latest-videos ul li,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 15px 0 0;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 0 0 15px;
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a
font-weight: 400;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a .yt-thumbnail
margin-bottom: 0;
@media only screen and (max-width : 480px)
.rvs_wrapper
width: 100%;
text-align: center;
body .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
display: inline-block;
float: none;
vertical-align: top;
From All You Can Eat data to 4G at no extra cost and Feel At Home roaming, there’s a lot for Three to offer its customers and the buyout of O2 will give it a lot more bargaining power. I’ve personally used Three on and off over the past few years and have noticed the changes the network has undergone, with its network now proving a reliable, if not the fastest network.
As a network, Three ticks all the boxes and has enough unique points to make it an intriguing proposition for all customers. Feel At Home roaming and AYCE data alone are enough reasons to draw two segments of the market and with the additional benefits that O2 has to offer (which we’ll touch on in our O2 review on Thursday), Three is definitely a network to watch.
Are you a Three customer? Let us know your views on Three in the comments and don’t forget to vote in our poll below as well.
Note: you can vote in the polls anonymously.
// <![CDATA[
(function ()
document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]).appendChild(opst);
());
// ]]>
// <![CDATA[
(function () ());
// ]]>
// <![CDATA[
(function () ());
// ]]>
NASA funds low-cost probes and other futuristic space tech
Low-cost probes, an extraterrestrial submarine and spacecraft propelled by electric sails: these are but three of the seven projects moving on to Phase II of NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. All the entries have only just begun development, since the program’s specifically meant for early-stage research projects. NASA believes investing in those is crucial “for advancing new systems concepts and developing requirements for technologies to enable future space exploration missions.”
Here are the seven projects that stood out:
-
Swarm Flyby Gravimetry by Justin Atchison of Johns Hopkins University.
Atchison wants to send a big spacecraft loaded with small, low-cost probes to explore asteroids and other celestial bodies. The probes can figure out an asteroid’s/planet’s/moon’s porosity and gravity strength, among other things. -
3D Photocatalytic Air Processor for Dramatic Reduction of Life Support Mass and Complexity by Bin Chen of University of California Santa Cruz
Chen wants to make an air processor that uses titanium dioxide and high-energy light in space to generate oxygen. -
PERISCOPE: PERIapsis Subsurface Cave Optical Explorer by Jeffrey Nosanov of Nosanov Consulting, LLC
If successfully built, this “cave explorer” tool can shine laser pulses into lunar craters/caves while orbiting the moon and measure the amount of light the cave reflects back. It can then use the data it gathers to create an even more accurate map of the moon. -
Titan Submarine: Exploring the Depths of Kraken Mare by Steven Oleson of NASA Glenn Research Center
Oleson plans to use his grant money to develop a submarine made to explore Kraken Mare, the largest sea on Saturn’s moon Titan. -
SCEPS in Space – Non-Radioisotope Power Systems for Sunless Solar System Exploration Missions by Michael Paul of Pennsylvania State University
This project wants to use Stored Chemical Energy Power Systems, which currently powers torpedoes, as energy sources for landers in places without sunlight. -
Trans-Formers for Lunar Extreme Environments: Ensuring Long-Term Operations in Regions of Darkness and Low Temperatures by Adrian Stoica of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
The Trans-Formers concept aims to use heliostats to shine sunlight into extreme environments like the inside of lunar craters. The idea is use the sunlight they redirect to power robots and other machines working within the environment. -
Heliopause Electrostatic Rapid Transit System (HERTS) by Bruce Wiegmann of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Wiegmann and his team want to create spacecraft propelled by electric sails.
The agency gave all 15 phase I projects $100,000 each, but those who got into phase II can get as much as $500,000 to fund the development of their ideas within the next two years.
[Image credit: L to R, B. Wiegmann/MSFC, A. Stoica/JPL, S. Oleson, J. Atchison]
Filed under: Science
EE’s Rook is a £49 4G smartphone for pay-as-you-go punters
It seems like we can’t get through a single month these days without one UK carrier or another launching an own-brand device. And, since the last device bearing a network provider’s name came from Vodafone, it’s only fitting that its own-brand nemesis EE gets to make the next announcement. So, without further ado, let’s take a gander at the EE Rook, the carrier’s newest home-grown handset aimed specifically at pay-as-you-go (PAYG) punters. Launched today for £49 for new customers and £39 for existing ones, EE calls it “the UK’s lowest priced 4G smartphone.” Technically, that epithet’s correct, though it’s only a lone pound cheaper than Vodafone’s Smart 4 Turbo on PAYG. As EE’s Harrier Mini is available for free on the provider’s lowest-price contracts, it makes sense that the Rook be a PAYG-only affair, but what exactly do you get for that kind of money?
The answer is: not a lot. But, to be fair, you shouldn’t exactly expect a gleaming spec sheet for that kind of dough. To push the boundaries of affordability, EE’s equipped the Rook with a 4-inch, 800 x 480 display, a MediaTek 1GHz quad-core chip, 1GB of RAM, 8 gigs of internal storage (expandable), a 5-megapixel main camera, a 0.3MP front-facer, and a 1,500mAh battery. Oh, and a 4G radio, of course. The Rook is also sweetened with the latest version of Android 5.1 Lollipop, though we’ve no idea how well it runs on the handset’s low-end components.
EE’s Rook isn’t exactly exciting, but we can easily see why a parent would be more than happy to spring for a £39 device for their teenager. And, it’s a interesting change of tactic for EE and the own-brand explosion as a whole. In recent times, EE and Vodafone have both been battling to make to the best devices possible for a reasonable price. The Rook, however, is a slight regression to the old days of pulling something together with both eyes on the price tag.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Source: EE
High-end Huawei Kirin 950 SoC spec sheet leaked
Although perhaps not as well-known as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon or Samsung’s Exynos range of mobile SoCs, Huawei has its own line-up of Kirin processors that it uses in its mobile devices. The datasheet for a new Kirin 950 SoC has leaked online, revealing a next-generation design that rivals the major players.
The Kirin 950 is apparently a 64-bit octa-core design that makes use of four high performance ARM Cortex-A72 cores and four energy efficient Cortex-A53 CPU cores. The high performance CPUs can reach peak clock speeds of 2.4GHz, which is notable higher than the flagship A57 based designs from Samsung and Qualcomm, which typically top out at 2.0GHz.
The 20 percent higher clock is likely partially down to the rumored use of a 16nm manufacturing process. The Cortex-A72 also offers some power savings over the A57, which could be put towards a higher clock speed.
Accompanying the latest ARM CPU cores is an ARM Mali-T880 graphics processing unit. The T-880 is ARM’s latest high performance GPU design, although we know have a number for the core count at the moment. The chip also supports dual-channel LPDDR4 memory with a bandwidth up to 25.6GB/s.
Huawei’s Kirin 950 is also said to support a dedicated Tensilica 4 DSP unit, dual cameras with up to 42MP of resolution, 4K HVEC & VP9 video decoding and encoding, and a i7 co-processor for sensor hub and security processing.
High speed UFS 2.0, eMMC 5.1 and SD 4.1 storage standards are also supported, as are USB 3.0 data transfers. As for network connectivity, the chip will support Category 10 4G LTE data speeds for up to 102Mb/s peak upload and 452Mb/s download. Dual-SIM compatibility is also listed on the spec sheet.
Although still unconfirmed, the Kirin 950 is shaping up to be a cutting edge piece of mobile silicon. It certainly looks to be able to rival SoCs from larger manufacturers and might make whatever future Huawei handset it shows up in a very compelling option for the performance enthusiast.
Sony Mobile CEO: “We will never ever sell or exit from the current mobile business.”
For the better part of the current millennium, Sony has been in a perpetual state of financial turmoil. While some core businesses like gaming are safe and secure, fans need only to look at the VAIO brand to feel a twinge of pain. As far as the mobile market goes, the situation has been far less stable, with reports usually indicating a bleak future. Still, there are many around the world who cherish and respect the Sony brand name, and who covet the flagship Xperia Z series for its solid construction and state-of-the-art camera technology. We have weighed in on the situation before, as well as offered various commentaries on the outlook. In a recent interview with Arabian Business, Sony Mobile’s current CEO, Hiroki Totoki, had a chance to sit down and set the story straight.
What was said…
Sony Mobile’s CEO gave a very candid interview recently.
The report is spans quite a number of topics, including details about the background and initial struggles that Totoki faced upon his promotion by Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai. Most importantly however, it contains a very clear answer to the question that endlessly resurfaces in rumors and reports: “Will Sony bow out of the mobile industry?” The answer is essentially, no. More specifically, Totoki explained that, “Smartphones are completely connected to other devices, also connected to people’s lives — deeply. And the opportunity for diversification is huge. We’re heading to the IoT (Internet of Things) era and have to produce a number of new categories of products in this world, otherwise we could lose out on a very important business domain. In that sense we will never ever sell or exit from the current mobile business.”
We’re heading to the IoT (Internet of Things) era and have to produce a number of new categories of products in this world, otherwise we could lose out on a very important business domain. In that sense we will never ever sell or exit from the current mobile business.”
In reading through the interview, the CEO gives a very candid, honest look at just why the world has essentially written off the future of his division. The issue is largely related to the 2014 “write-off of the goodwill of our impairment asset [from] when we bought back [100% of] Ericsson’s share [in 2012].” He notes that “we had to write it down and it made a substantial loss for the company. [but] this was an accounting loss and did not impact our cash flow. Our cash flow is very healthy. But the accounting loss was so huge — that’s why people have speculated like this.” He also cites the sale of the VAIO brand as another cause for concern, adding that it “led people to think that Sony would exit the smartphone business, as well. But the smartphone business is very different from PCs.”
Does the Sony Smartwarch series still have the capacity to compete with the likes of the LG Watch Urbane or Moto 360?
Also mentioned is the smartwatch segment, where Mr. Totoki explains that “those types of devices, and that side of the industry have become huge…Now we try to develop smart devices that are connected to the smartphone. In the future there will be categories of products that will connect to the network, connect machine to machine, connect machine to human, and connect human to human. That sort of connectivity will expand and we will try to develop even more categories in the future. That’s one major focus for this company. It’s a big future strategy.”
Acknowledging the growing ‘insurrection’ among rival OEMs, the CEO explained that “the smartphone device consists of a battery and a screen and chips. These are the main parts of a smartphone, and people can easily make them now. But it is the user experience that is not the same. Even if the device is the same, the user experience is different. And this is a very important point. People are not buying a smartphone because of the device and the way it looks — they are buying it because of the experience.”
…and what wasn’t.
While the cool, collected confidence that Mr. Totoki seems to exude is certainly a welcome sign of optimism, the challenges that the company faces are quite large, to say the least. While Sony has continued to produce quality hardware that provides excellent value-for-money, the sad reality is that most consumers aren’t using its products. Depending on the region, this may be a result of poor availability (i.e. North America) or else aggressive competition (i.e. China and India). With respect to the U.S. market, take for example the following data:
Not only is Sony absent from the Top 5 OEM listing, but in examining HTC’s marketshare at just 3.8% in February 2015, even were Sony to be #6, the percentage would be arguably a trivial one at best. Still, Sony’s main market is not the USA as evident by the lack of availability of the new Xperia Z3+ (and seemingly all other handsets). The company has decided to release it only on Verizon, and a modified, enhanced version of it no less. Other devices, such as the Xperia M, Xperia T, Xperia E (and so on) are nowhere to be seen leaving more price-conscious customers to gobble up offerings by Huawei, Motorola, or LG. Sony is arguably missing some very big potential here, as its brand name recognition would do wonders against mid-to-low end devices of similar offerings by “lesser” manufacturers.
So what about its home, then? As a Japanese company, Sony should seemingly be doing well in its home territory, yet sales data from December of 2014 indicated that wasn’t the case either:
The caveat again, however, is market penetration: Sony sells a relatively few number of devices in its home country, and they are essentially all top-tier products. As Japan has the third largest economy in the world, consumers aren’t so actively motivated to seek out entry-level smartphones and thus carriers in the Land of the Rising Sun don’t offer them. While it is quite common to see the Sony logo on smartphones while walking around Tokyo or riding a commuter train, by-and-large the lion’s share of sales go to Apple.
This of course leaves the markets of Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, where Sony actively releases many lower-end products that don’t see release in the previous two. India, now considered to be the “new China” as far as market potential goes, has an absolutely stunning number of OEMs competing for a piece of the pie, and as can be seen below, Sony is clearly not one of the major ones:
This is not to say Sony’s future is bleak or insurmountable mind you, rather these charts are simply demonstrating the uphill battle the Japanese OEM faces if it seeks to become a major player in the mobile world. It’s worth pointing out, however, that technically speaking Sony doesn’t need to be in the Top 3 listing to be profitable; there is enough money to be made from selling lower-end hardware to millions upon millions of consumers in China, India, Brazil, Indonesia, and others that it can still do well enough as “just another” OEM. The problem thus, is largely relegated to the pride and prejudice with which consumers view and judge the Sony brand from past experiences.
The ‘taboos’
@roi_rdzdal Hi Roi. The Android 5.0 Lollipop update is only going to be available for the Xperia Z series, we do apologise.
— Sony Xperia (@sonyxperia) March 6, 2015
Another issue not mentioned, but which many Sony fans no doubt feel strongly about, is the seemingly disorganized, disconnected manner in which Sony Mobile operates on a global scale. Since the release of Android Lollipop alone, there has been at least one major PR mishap that spurred outrage among Xperia lovers. When a Tweet appeared (see above) on Sony’s official Xperia stream and informed readers that only the Z series devices would be updated to Android 5.0, commentators were furious to say the least. While this proved to be absolutely false, at the end of the day such a damaging Tweet should never have been posted in the first place.
Then of course, there was the removal of the Xperia Z3 from T-Mobile’s line-up only for it to resurface again without warning, but with a price-cut. The Z3+ however, remains totally absent. It’s difficult to say just what was going on here in truth, as T-Mobile might have mistakenly pulled it (though given the time frame it was unavailable this seems unlikely), Sony might have wanted it removed and had a change of heart, etc. The incident did unfortunately, inadvertently imply that the Uncarrier might have been replacing it with the Z3+ and hence some customers were no doubt disappointed when it was relisted.
Color me bad: the Verizon Xperia Z4v has a gorgeous QHD display to offer its potential purchasers. Those stuck with the “standard” Z3+/Z4 may not be so delighted.
Another questionable PR snafu was this past May when Jonathan Lin, General Manager of Sony Mobile Taiwan, publicly stated the company had no intention of making a QHD smartphone: “At the moment, making the move to 2K technology on 5- to 5.5-inch screens does not seem able to achieve market segmentation, so we have no plans to launch 2K phones [and that it would require] “significant improvements in display quality and digital image processing technology.” While the user benefits of a QHD display may be a topic up for debate, the adamant decision hardly won over any Xperia fans hoping their OEM would make devices on-par with leading competitors. Then, once again, reality proved the admission false as Verizon proceeded to announce the Xperia Z4v which, among several enhancements over the standard Z3+/Z4, includes a QHD display. (We can only guess as to what will pan out with the decision to forgo USB Type-C for the near future.)
Indeed the Z3+/Z4 itself is somewhat of a taboo for Sony, as the company has been on a major PR offensive to explain everything from why it exists period to dealing with the pervasive criticism that the Snapdragon 810 CPU contained inside it causes overheating issues. And then there is the naming issue. The device itself has faced rather sharp criticism from fans and pundits alike due to the perceived shortcomings and questionable nature of its ability to positively affect the company’s bottom line. These stem almost exclusively from its remarkable similarities to the Z3 which came before it. Many fans were expecting something more profound, more unique, and more original, especially amid talk of shifting to a longer release cycle for the Z flagships and the rumors of a truly new flagship device.
On a final note, with respect to the smartwatch market segment, Mr. Totoki was quite eager to mention Sony’s early adoption of the wearable platform, however nothing was said with respect to sales figures. Given that Sony’s offerings are of a decidedly different nature than say, the LG Watch Urbane or even the Moto 360, it remains to be seen just what the next iteration will bring to the table. A lot of developments have happened with Android Wear devices since the launch of the Smartwatch 3, and Sony will need to step up its game if it wants to stand out.
Much to do about something
It’s quite interesting to see what a difference time can make: It seems like only yesterday that Kaz Hirai was waxing poetic about potential alliances in the “highly volatile” mobile business sector and his thoughts on the next three years of business. Said interview prompted more than a few people to start counting down a proverbial “doomsday clock” of sorts until Sony would possibly make such a bold announcement as partnering with another OEM or outright offloading the business unit entirely. And who could forget the talk that started when word spread of the VAIO Corporation’s plans to release a phone and what that might have entailed.
While many of us at Android Authority have shared our thoughts on the decline of Sony Mobile, no one here, or perhaps anywhere for that matter, wants to see Sony fail or falter. The company has produced some of the most iconic, innovative digital devices of the modern age and the world needs it to continue to pave the way forward with new technology and techniques. The recent interview with Sony Mobile’s CEO couldn’t have came at a better time and, while we won’t know for sure what the future holds for the Japanese maker, it’s clear that it has no intention of stepping aside no matter how loud the skeptics are. Here’s to the future.
// <![CDATA[
(function ()
var opst = document.createElement('script');
var os_host = document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https:" : "http:";
opst.type = 'text/javascript';
opst.async = true;
opst.src = os_host + '//' + 'www.opinionstage.com/polls/2281063/embed.js';
(document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] ());
// ]]>
Nest’s home security camera comes to the UK
Last month, Nest unveiled two new products that could make your home a whole lot safer: a revamped Protect smoke alarm and a wireless Nest Cam security camera. Both quickly debuted in the US and now, they’re available in the UK too. The new £159 Nest Cam is clearly inspired by Dropcam — the startup that Nest acquired last year for $555 million. The hardware offers some useful improvements though, such as a magnetic base (with tripod mount) that can be easily attached to most home surfaces. It also shoots in 1080p and uses eight built-in infrared LEDs to record and detect motion after dark. You can check the camera’s live feed from your phone and “soon” Nest will be launching its Aware cloud backup service (£8 per month) so you can review anything from the last 30 days.
The second-gen Protect, meanwhile, is slightly smaller and curvier than its predecessor, with a new “split-spectrum sensor” that better detects both fast and slow-spreading fires. There’s also deeper integration with the Nest companion app, which lets you silence deafening alarms from your phone and test the device’s various speakers and sensors. Just like the previous model, all of this will set you back £89 online and in stores.
Filed under: Household, Google
Source: Nest Cam, Protect (UK)
AIVAnet 
