Missing Posts?

Are you concerned that you missed a blog post this week? Don't be. We have been so busy covering CES that we may have mssed a post (or two).

But we'll catch up... we promise

Qualcomm

    

Snapdragon is the heart of the chips Qualcomm provides OEM's to create leading edge products. Keith Kressin, Senior Vice President for Product Development, reviewed the speed with which technology has improved communication among people. Adding communication among things is the next revolution. Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips have enabled the Internet of Things.

    

This year's release of the Snapdragon 835 chip removes about a third of the real estate occupied by its predecessor. This means less heat, more room for other components. In addition:

*improved battery life  adds 2.5 hours of talk time per phone charge

*immersion means faster, blurless video rendering and 3-D directional audio

*capture means a better camera is possible. The manufacturer chooses which features this power will incorporate

*connectivity at fiber optic speeds gives the same uninterrupted experience found at the most desirable wired setting

*built in security keeps it all working seamlessly

*machine learning enables ongoing individualizations and improvement

What's next?

Raj Talluri, Qualcomm Senior Vice President for Product Management, noted that mobile devices are in a unique position to manage the Internet of Things. One example is AR/VR glasses, in which  the Snapdragon chip is so light that it can be included in fashionable glasses. The same features of size and reliability are reflected by Qualcomm's inclusion in 80% of wearables.

Patrick Little, Qualcomm Senior Vice President for Automotive Development, is excited to be working with several auto manufacturers to address carbon pollution and also to enable autonomous vehicles. Integrated Snapdragon 820A chips promise a seamless user experience, where entering a vehicle does not mean any change in behavior. Sensors will quickly adapt to the environment and select the best response. Coming to a vehicle in your near future, cellular V2X (vehicle to anything) will enable communication with any device. For example, your car will note that someone with her face buried in her phone stepped off a curb half a block away.

HDMI

By Bayle Emlein

The HDMI Forum mission is to develop interoperability of connection among companies. Forum members are divided into two groups: development and marketing. Any company is invited to join and there are many global players on the 86 member list.

    

The HDMI 2.1 offers higher resolution and faster refresh rates. This means better audio as well as video in terms of both image quality as well as smooth rendering at gaming speeds. 48G cable supports higher bandwidth.

    

HDMI does not announce the product developments made by companies using HDMI specifications. That's up to the manufacturer.

    

For geek details, go to www.hdmiforum.org.

GO NV

By Bayle Emlein

Las Vegas, NV, is many things, many of which can stay in Vegas. A few need to be noted world wide. Las Vegas is proud to operate public facilities 100% on renewable energy. This in one of the fastest growing cities in the country.

    

At the same time that the population is growing, Las Vegas hosts a number of visitors equivalent to a Super Bowl. Weekly. If you've ever tried to get a taxi during CES, you'll have no problem believing that. Las Vegas envisions itself as a leader in moving people safely and efficiently. The Nevada Center for Advanced Mobility is focusing on local--neighborhood--transportation, the daily going to and fro of life. In addition to Nevada, Michigan, Colorado, and Utah--and the national government of the UK--are proactively exploring implementation of autonomous public transportation with the goals of improving safety, convenience, and the variety of people (the young, the elderly, folks with disabilities) who can travel independently.

     

Local Motors is changing the paradigm by co-creating the notion of locally sourcing local transportation. This starts with considering the input of all relevant parties, not necessarily incorporating every guess or trying to do more of the same. More traffic is not better, more careless driving is not better.

    

Low speed autonomous vehicles are in operation today. Almost half the parts are manufactured locally using 3-D printing. No more long-distance shipping of parts and vehicles, with the cost and environmental overhead. The nature of vehicle manufacture and distribution will change as radically as the change from horses to horsepower. Just as that revolution opened transportation to more people in unforeseen ways, autonomous vehicles will change who can get around independently and how. Automobile, truck, bus, and train: forms, creation, and usage will all be dramatically different in the very near future. Regulation and insurance are just two of the sectors that must readjust.

    

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calculates that 94% of traffic accidents in the US are caused by driver error. A well-designed autonomous system would not eliminate all accidents, but it would make a statistically significant difference.  In response NHTSA has changed focus from reaction problems already noted to proactive policy and enforcement to ensure the safety of the American public. Yes, NHTSA.gov is actively seeking public input.

    

Lyft is partnering with GM to promote the demise of the private automobile. Founder Tim Burr predicts that within 5 years most trips in the US will not be person-operated. No more auto related expenses or traffic hassles. No license needed.

Press Day Number 1 at CES

Today is the first Press Day at CES in Las Vegas. I got a good night’s sleep in the Luxor Hotel, which is right next door to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center where Press Day will be held.

Stay tuned to this blog for news as it occurs for the next few days!!

Flight to LAS

Once again we're on our way to The City of Lost Wages (better known as Las Vegas) for our annual CES trip. I know, it's a hard life but someone has to do it. An editor"s work is never done.

Over the years CES has gone by quite a few names, most recently it's just CES. Before that it was the International CES and before that it was the Consumer Electronics Show. It's kind of like our blog, the MCC. Before that it was the Monthly Computer Chronicle and before that the PHL HUB PCUG (short for the Philadelphia HUB PC User Group). MCC is much easier to remember!

As a perfect example of how things change over time, I'm writing this on my cell phone, an LG G Flex. In the almost 25 years I've been going to Vegas for trade shows I've used many different devices to write my columns. Various laptops of course, a slew of WinCE devices (Windows CE, gone and probably best forgotten), several PDAs and now cell phones. Times change and we need to change too. I wonder what I'll be using in five years?

Cheero Power Plus

By Robert Sanborn

Back in October last year, I wrote about a portable power pack that quickly ended up in my travel bag, see the review here. It was the Cheero and they have just sent me the newest Power Plus 3. Outwardly, it has a similar but smaller shape as the prior one I wrote about but internally, the differences are terrific. If you are doing any traveling at all, you will find having something like this indispensable as my last trip to China, while staying powered up in the hotels is pretty simple these days, it is while traveling around, it gets truly difficult and having something to keep the phones, tablets, and cameras going is truly needed.

As you can see from the images below, the new Cheero is about a third the size and shape to the prior model with just one obvious difference in how the two USB ports are set on the top of the unit. This model is actually less power than the other at 10,300 mAh but enough to power several devices for a day out touring. Another thing that sets it apart is the USB ports are autosensing so that if you need to plug in something that can handle the higher voltage like an iPad or fast charging phone, it will handle it no matter which port you use. It comes with a USB to Micro USB cable for charging the device but as you can see in the image, I am using my really cool and fast Xcyte cable to charge it but if you want to cut down on cable clutter, any Android charging cable will work.

The LED lights are also quite informative. If all four lights are on, you have at least 76% of the battery capacity available; three lights 51% or more; two lights 26% or more; and one light lit is 6% or more. If the one light is blinking, there is less than 5% capacity left. When charging the Cheero, the lights will stay on in reverse order till it is fully charged and the lights flash to indicate the amount of charging done and how much is left. All four solid on indicate fully charged. The power button on the unit is for two purposes. One is to tell you what the level of charge is left in the device and the second is to start the charging of your phone when you plug it in. When the charging of your phone or device is complete, the Cheero powers itself off and it has several protective features like the auto shutoff, short circuit protection, and overheating detection.

It is a perfect size for traveling being smaller than its sister unit. If you are worried about carrying it on a plan, not to worry, it has a rating of 36.2 Watt-hours; well under the limit of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). see thier battery page. The packaging from my sample came from Japan and it was in a pretty cool all plastic case with insert. If you have a choice, I would prefer the white unit as it will be much easier to spot in the bottom of the gadget bag. The original Cheero 13400mAh unit is still listed on Amazon but is currently unavailable. This new model, the Cheero Power Plus 3 is model CHE-072 and should be available soon. Highly recommended.