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  • Schneider Electric Unveils Rack Mounted Cooling Solution

    Schneider Electric Unveils Rack Mounted Cooling Solution

    Schneider Electric has announced the release of the Uniflair Rack Mounted Cooling Solution, specifically aimed at edge computing and micro data centers.

    The solution is aimed at freeing up floor space by using the bottom of an IT rack. This makes it ideal for applications, such as on-premise processing, where space is at a premium.

    “Simply put, our new vendor-neutral, rack mounted cooling solution is right-sized for edge micro data centers and provides the right answer for cooling today’s critical edge technology,” said Maurizio Frizziero, Director of Cooling, Schneider Electric. “It offers more cooling in less space and simplifies management and maintenance, making it ideal for industries like retail, finance, health care, light manufacturing, and education.”

    As 5G technology boosts edge computing, on or near-premise data processing will become far more important for a variety of technologies, such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, self-driving cars and more. Solutions such as Uniflair will become an increasingly critical component, helping ensure the success of those technologies.

  • Tesla Scouting Central U.S. For Cybertruck Gigafactory

    Tesla Scouting Central U.S. For Cybertruck Gigafactory

    Tesla is scouting locations in the Central U.S. for a site to build a Cybertruck Gigafactory.

    The Cybertruck is Tesla’s latest model, and the company’s attempt to upend the truck market. The Cybertruck has a futuristic design to compliment its name, and looks straight out of a dystopian movie. With three different models and priced to compete with Ford’s F-150, not to mention the attention the truck has already garnered, Tesla will likely have its hands full keeping up with demand.

    Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk tweeted the company is looking for a suitable location for its new factory.

    Scouting locations for Cybertruck Gigafactory. Will be central USA.

    — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 3/10/20

    It’s likely the company will have no shortage of good options and locations lined up vying for the new facility.

  • Space Lettuce Is As Good As Earth Lettuce

    Space Lettuce Is As Good As Earth Lettuce

    Good news for the U.S. Space Force: Personnel will still be able to get a healthy helping of veggies, as space lettuce is as nutritious as Earth lettuce.

    According to New Scientist, researchers tested three batches of red lettuce grown on the International Space Station (ISS). The lettuce was grown between 2014 and 2016, and was compared to batches grown on Earth under comparable environmental conditions.

    There were more microorganisms on the space lettuce than the Earth lettuce, although this was not unexpected. “Astronauts have their own microflora and then there are just things that live in the environment of a space station,” said Gioia Massa, one of the researchers.

    The nutritional value of the space lettuce was very similar to Earth lettuce, according to Massa. “We were a little surprised by these results as we thought the nutrient levels in the plants may accumulate differently while in flight.”

    The researchers are now trying additional vegetables, such as cabbage and kale. The findings should be a boon for the burgeoning space industry, and especially for long-term space travel, as it opens the possibility of producing space-grown nutritious food.

  • Panasonic Ending Involvement In Tesla’s New York Solar Factory

    Panasonic Ending Involvement In Tesla’s New York Solar Factory

    Panasonic has announced it is winding down its involvement in Tesla’s solar factory in Buffalo, NY as there are increasing signs of a detonating partnership.

    “Panasonic Corporation will begin to wind down U.S. production of photovoltaic cells and modules at Gigafactory New York in Buffalo, NY, in line with the global solar strategy led by its Life Solutions Company,” the company said in a statement. “By the end of May 2020, Panasonic will cease U.S. solar manufacturing operations and is scheduled to exit the facility by the end of September 2020.

    “Panasonic is supporting Tesla in its efforts to identify and hire qualified applicants from Panasonic’s impacted workforce. Tesla plans to hire qualified applicants to new positions needed to support its solar and energy manufacturing operations in Buffalo.”

    The move comes as Panasonic is working to divest itself of some of its less profitable businesses and streamline its operations. There seems to be indication the two companies’ partnership is fraying, as U.S. News & World Report points out that Tesla is looking to diversify its battery supplies to include batteries from South Korea’s LG Chem Ltd and China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd.

    In its own statement, Panasonic downplayed any issues with its partnership with Tesla, pointing out that the two companies are continuing to work together at Tesla’s Nevada facilities.

    “This decision will have no impact on Panasonic and Tesla’s strong partnership in Nevada. The two companies will continue their industry-leading electric vehicle battery work taking place at Tesla’s Gigafactory outside of Reno, NV.”

  • Hyundai Signs Deal With Canoo For All-Electric Vehicle Platform

    Hyundai Signs Deal With Canoo For All-Electric Vehicle Platform

    Hyundai has signed a deal with electric vehicle startup Canoo to co-develop a platform that will serve as the basis for the automaker’s electric vehicle endeavors.

    The two companies will use Canoo’s existing electric skateboard—the platform upon which an electric vehicle is built, housing the batteries and electric motors—as the basis for a platform the automaker can use for both Hyundai and Kia models. One of the selling points of Canoo’s skateboard is that, in addition to housing the critical components, it is designed around functional integration. In other words, each component fulfills as many functions as possible. This significantly cuts down on the complexity of the skateboard, while also reducing size, weight and cost. Fewer components also mean more cabin space.

    Hyundai had previously committed to investing $87 billion over the next five years to help foster and lay the groundwork for future growth. The deal with Canoo is a big part of that.

    “We were highly impressed by the speed and efficiency in which Canoo developed their innovative EV architecture, making them the perfect engineering partner for us as we transition to become a frontrunner in the future mobility industry,” said Albert Biermann, Head of Research & Development, Hyundai Motor Group. “We will collaborate with Canoo engineers to develop a cost-effective Hyundai platform concept that is autonomous ready and suitable for mass adoption.”

    With automakers racing to move to electric vehicles, Hyundai’s announcement is welcome news from a company that has built a reputation on building quality vehicles at an affordable price point. Hopefully that reputation carries over to their electric vehicles, thanks in no small part to the benefits of Canoo’s skateboard.

  • Tesla Has Significant Battery Tech Advantage

    Tesla Has Significant Battery Tech Advantage

    Citing Cairn Energy Research Advisors, CNBC is reporting that Tesla has a significant advantage in electric battery technology.

    The electric vehicle pioneer is facing more and more competition from startups and established rivals. Rivian has made headlines as a more traditional-looking electric vehicle manufacturer, while Ford has also had its fair share of news for an all-electric Mustang Mach-E and upcoming F-150. GM, Toyota, Subaru and others are all planning to roll out all-electric lineups, with Subaru committed to producing only electric vehicles by the mid-2030s.

    According to Sam Jaffe, managing director of Cairn Energy Research Advisors, despite the competition, Tesla still has a major advantage in the battery tech it uses. While most automakers use battery packs that have pouch or prismatic cells, “Tesla is the only automaker to use cylindrical battery cells in its battery packs.” In the last four years, the cost of cylindrical cell battery packs has dropped over $100 per kilowatt hour (kWh), hitting $158.27 per kWh last year. In contrast, the cost of the competition’s battery packs is still running over $200 per kWh.

    While a difference of less than $50 per kWh may not seem like a lot, as manufacturers ramp up production and begin mass-producing electric vehicles, that expense will add up quickly. In addition, Jaffa says Tesla also has an advantage not only in its more advanced cylindrical battery cells, but also in its battery management system.

    “Tesla has really revolutionized that part of the battery pack and made it much more sophisticated, and it gives them the competitive advantage,” said Jaffe, according to CNBC.

  • Verizon CEO: 5G and Cloud Computing Combination ‘Is So Transformative’

    Verizon CEO: 5G and Cloud Computing Combination ‘Is So Transformative’

    In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg talked about Verizon’s recent cloud partnership with Amazon, as well as the transformative effects 5G will bring, especially when paired with cloud computing.

    On Cloud Computer Partnership With Amazon

    “It is extremely exciting…we spent almost one and a half years with Amazon to do this. So—just to understand what we’re doing with Amazon—we’re bringing the cloud service out to the edge, together with 5G, in order to give super low latency, enormous throughput for applications being developed by developers.”

    “This cannot be done. This is the first time in the world where actually we have seen that partnership. Amazon couldn’t have done it by themselves, because they don’t have wireless 5G. Verizon couldn’t have done it by itself, because we are not in cloud service, we don’t have cloud software. The combination of us can create something that is so transformative that, today you basically as a developer you can click on our first 5G edge site in Chicago and start developing an application for 5G with low latency, enormous throughput.”

    “Of course…we’re one site right now. Think of us when we have hundreds of them, maybe thousands of them, over time….We can then give 5G experiences of low latency….Autonomous cars, real-time AR/VR, artificial intelligence, all of that can be at the edge.”

    “And we’re just seeing the start of it, so that’s why we’re so excited about this partnership and what we launched 3rd of December last year.”

    On How 5G Differs From Previous Generations

    “Remember, when the design of 5G was done, the idea was this is wireless technology for industries and society….It was of course thought that consumers would get the benefit, but from the beginning was: How can you take away all the cables in the world and have the same performance as you had with cable, being much more agile, having new ways of doing it? That was the idea.

    “When I think about 5G, 4G has basically two capabilities: speed and throughput. The phone is better every time you get a new generation. In 5G, eight currencies: battery optimizations, low latency. I mean, just one of the currencies, today I can connect 100,000 devices per square kilometer, tomorrow I can do 1,000,000. There’s never going to be 1,000,000 people on a square kilometer, so it’s done for devices talking to devices, optimizing flows for industries.

    “So where are we? I mean, the plan was actually to come out 2020. We came out 2018. I think we’re ahead of the game, but still, from a consumer market, we’re just now starting to massively come into it. As we have said, this year we’re going to launch 20 5G phones….We think that our 5G is so different from others, because the performance on our millimeter wave 5G is just extraordinary. Today I get 2 gigabit per second in my phone! If you have a 4G phone, which you probably have over there, you probably have 40 to 50 megabits per second on Verizon, which is the best network in the country. And here we’re getting 2 gig. You cannot even imagine how much faster that is.”

     

  • California DMV Grants Uber Permit to Test Self-Driving Cars

    California DMV Grants Uber Permit to Test Self-Driving Cars

    The California DMV has granted Uber a permit to test its vehicles on California roads, according to The Mercury News.

    Self-driving cars are increasingly seen as a way for Uber to deal with regulation that threatens how it does business. In Germany, the company was recently banned from transporting customers using rental vehicles after previously being blocked from matching riders with drivers using their own vehicles. In California, Uber is facing additional challenges as a result of Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) that changes the status of contractors to that of employees, requiring companies like Uber to offer additional benefits and thereby driving up costs.

    Self-driving cars would solve these and other problems and potentially streamline long-term costs for Uber. The company has previously tested self-driving vehicles, with a car the company was testing notoriously striking and killing a pedestrian in Arizona.

    The Mercury News is reporting that “the DMV said that it granted the permit to Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group after the company ‘fulfilled all the requirements to receive a permit to test autonomous vehicles in California with a safety driver behind the wheel.’ The DMV also said that Uber presented documentation that showed changes it made to its autonomous vehicle testing program and testing guidelines.”

    There is no timetable for the cars to see widespread use, with Uber indicating it is in no hurry to deploy the vehicles.

  • Report: Potential Tesla Valuation of $2.7 Trillion by 2024

    Report: Potential Tesla Valuation of $2.7 Trillion by 2024

    “We just put out our latest research on Tesla,” says Ark Investment analyst Tasha Keeney. “We think over the next five years our expected value for the stock is $7,000 per share.”  Tesla’s current share price is roughly $735 equating to a market cap of $132.4 billion. A $7,000 per share price would increase their current value tenfold. And that’s just Ark’s “expected” valuation. Ark’s bullish valuation is $15,000 a share, a $2.7 trillion market cap. 

    Keeney says it’s because Tesla is a leader in electric autonomous vehicles. “That’s the future of the auto market. What we’ve seen over the past year is that traditional autos have really struggled to produce EVs that are on par with Tesla’s cars and its data library. In terms of autonomous driving, it is really just running away from the competition.” 

    Source: Ark Investment

    Ark Investment analyst Tasha Keeney further explained their bullish prediction for Tesla:

    Tesla Has a Massive Advantage With Their Machine Learning Algorithms

    In electric vehicles, Tesla is the leader and that’s because they’re writing down the battery cost decline curve. At Arc Invest we’ve actually done a lot of work using Wright’s Law to predict the future declines of batteries. Basically, for every cumulative doubling in production, you get a corresponding reduction in cost. We actually think that Tesla’s gross margins could go from say around 20 percent today, if you take out credits, to up to 40 in the best-case scenario. They also have not lost share in the electric vehicle market.

    They’re sitting right around an 18 percent share. We think that they’re at least three years ahead of other automakers on a battery efficiency standpoint. That’s dollar per range that you get out of the car. Then on autonomous driving, they’re the only automaker that’s collecting data from their vehicles. This gives them a massive advantage in terms of training their machine learning algorithms to get the car to drive. 

    Our Case Is Really Driven By Autonomous Driving

    We’ve devised a probability matrix where we’ve looked at the past year. We’ve seen what Tesla’s done in Shanghai and It’s amazing. They’ve built the factory in less than a year, and they’re right now shipping cars. Tesla’s shown that they can scale in a capital-efficient manner. We look at a few key variables. We look at capital efficiency, gross margins based on our Wright’s Law work, and autonomous driving. We set probabilities to each of those that help us arrive at that $7,000 mark. 

    Our bulk case is really driven by autonomous driving. This could be a huge opportunity for Tesla. It’s going to totally transform the business model if they pull it off. They’re going to get software like margins in a market that we think could be worth trillions of dollars globally. 

    Tesla’s In a Great Position To Be the Leader of the Future

    Tesla’s been misinterpreted for a long time. One, on the autonomous driving front. You can’t value it like a traditional automaker because the future of the auto industry is changing. Electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles are going to make this a more consolidated market. A lot of automakers are going to go out of business and Tesla’s really in a great position to take advantage and be the leader of the future.

    So again, if you look at autonomous driving that means software like multiples because we think they’ll get software like margins off of that business.

    Report: Potential Tesla Valuation of $2.7 Trillion by 2024
  • GM Went to Far With Three-Cylinder Cars In China

    GM Went to Far With Three-Cylinder Cars In China

    Reuters is reporting that GM is backing off its attempt to only offer three-cylinder versions of some vehicles in China after facing backlash.

    China is known for having some of the strictest emissions and fuel efficiency regulations in the world. As a result, manufacturers have begun offering three-cylinder cars in that market, which are both cleaner and more fuel efficient. GM, rather than giving customers the option as BMW and Honda did, discontinued four-cylinder versions in favor of three on many of the models it sells in China.

    The move did not go over well, and was a likely contributor to the company’s sliding sales. According to Reuters, “many Chinese consumers, however, perceive cars with three-cylinder engines as noisier and prone to vibrating.” As a result, GM has started offering four-cylinder options once again.

    GM’s troubles illustrate the balancing act many corporations must perform to meet regulatory goals while, at the same time, maintaining the level of performance customers have come to expect.

  • Apple Widened Its Tablet Lead in 2019

    Apple Widened Its Tablet Lead in 2019

    IDC’s year-end report on the tablet market shows good news for Apple and, to a lesser extent, Amazon—and bad news for pretty much everyone else.

    According to IDC’s research, Apple widened its market share lead over the course of 2019, going from 29.6% in 2018 to 34.6% in 2019. In particular, the 10.2-inch iPad was a big hit, accounting for 65% of the company’s tablet sales.

    Amazon also had a decent year. Although the company posted a 29% decrease in 4Q19 shipments, compared with Q418, Amazon saw an overall increase of 9.9% market share for the year in total, compared with 2018.

    In contrast, Samsung, Huawei, Lenovo and others all saw declines in the their market share. Even the segment in general saw an overall decline of 1.5%, making Apple and Amazon’s positive results all the more impressive.

  • Verizon 5G Roll Out Marches On, Hits 34 Cities

    Verizon 5G Roll Out Marches On, Hits 34 Cities

    Verizon has now hit 34 cities with its 5G roll out, adding Cincinnati, Little Rock and Kansas City, according to a company press release.

    Verizon made headlines at the end of last year for meeting, and surpassing, its goal of rolling out 5G in 30 cities by year end. By the end of 2019, it had reached 31 cities. In the first month of 2020, the company has now hit 34.

    Because Verizon is focusing on high-band, mmWave 5G, the new service does not cover all areas of the cities. While mmWave is the fastest flavor of 5G, with speeds measured in gigabits, it has very limited range and building penetration. As a result, only parts of the new cities have coverage.

    Cincinnati’s coverage is “concentrated in parts of Downtown, Mt. Adams, West End, Evanston, Walnut Hills, Corryville, Clifton, Price Hill, Over-The-Rhine, Mt Auburn, Avondale, Newport (KY), Dayton (KY), Bellevue (KY) near landmarks such as: Great American Ballpark, Duke Energy Convention Center, Serpentine Wall, City Hall, Xavier University, Cincinnati Zoo, Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati Christian University and Newport Waterfront (KY).”

    In Kansas City, service is based “in parts of Downtown, Midtown-Westport, Plaza Midtown, Olathe and near landmarks such as: The Garment District, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Rockhurst University as well as inside and around the professional football stadium.”

    In Little Rock, service is “concentrated in parts of Midtown, University District, Birchwood, Otter Creek and near landmarks such as: UAMS College of Medicine, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Rock Creek Square Plaza Shopping Center, and Outlets of Little Rock.”

    Once customers move outside of 5G range, their devices will automatically transition back to 4G LTE. Even with the geographically-limited rollout, however, Verizon’s 5G will bring a welcome performance boost to customers, as well as help ease the strain on their 4G network in heavily populated areas.

  • UK-US ‘Special Relationship’ Tested As Boris Johnson Faces Rebellion Over Huawei Decision

    UK-US ‘Special Relationship’ Tested As Boris Johnson Faces Rebellion Over Huawei Decision

    The UK decided Tuesday to allow Huawei to have a limited role in building the country’s 5G network. The decision has strained relations with the U.S. and sparked a rebellion within Boris Johnson’s own party, according to CNBC and The Guardian.

    The U.S. has been playing full-court press in its efforts to pressure the UK to ban Huawei from involvement in building out the country’s network. U.S. officials have even gone so far as to consider measures that would limit intel sharing with countries that use Huawei, something that would have profound implications for the relationship the two countries enjoy.

    In the wake of the UK’s decision, according to CNBC, Senator Ben Sasse said: “Here’s the sad truth: our special relationship is less special now that the U.K. has embraced the surveillance state commies at Huawei.”

    Meanwhile, according to The Guardian, it’s not just American politicians who are upset with the decision. Members of Boris Johnson’s own party are pushing for the government to commit to a three year window, by the end of which Huawei will be pushed out of British networks.

    “A group of anti-Huawei Tories want an assurance that the government will work towards reducing the Chinese company’s influence in UK infrastructure to zero, ultimately stripping it out of the 4G network as well,” says The Guardian.

    “Their argument is that any provider deemed high-risk by the intelligence services should be phased out of the supply chain, although Britain’s spy agencies say that any security risk from Huawei can be managed.”

    The ongoing saga demonstrates what’s at stake—far beyond wireless speeds and cell subscribers—as 5G rolls out around the world.

  • Verizon and Honeywell Partner to Deliver Smart Utilities

    Verizon and Honeywell Partner to Deliver Smart Utilities

    Verizon has announced a partnership with Honeywell “to help utilities speed up and simplify the deployment of new communication-enabled, intelligent sensors and controls for the smart electric grid.”

    Honeywell is one of the leading makers of building control systems, with their equipment powering some 10 million buildings. In recent years, the company has been pushing into Internet of Things (IoT) territory, working to deliver smart building and utilities technology. The partnership with Verizon is a significant step in that direction, providing the telecommunications component the company needs.

    “Working with Honeywell on these next-generation solutions will enable the reliability and scalability of the communications needed to deliver smart metering, manage distributed energy resources, conserve water, and make the digital world work better for utilities and consumers,” said Jay Olearain, director, Enterprise Products and IoT at Verizon. “Our Connected Utilities solutions bring connectivity and computing capabilities to all kinds of IoT devices, helping companies like Honeywell grow their leadership positions in the utilities space and expand their business models into new market opportunities.”

    Verizon says its edge computing will help Honeywell integrate artificial intelligence and machine learning into meters. This will open a whole new world of opportunities for utilities to better manage the grid and energy demands moving forward.

    “The Honeywell portfolio of utility applications and analytics expands with the new capabilities of wireless IoT,” said Ann Perreault, director, Connected Utilities, Honeywell Smart Energy. “By taking advantage of an already built, cellular infrastructure, our utility customers can more quickly deploy new capabilities based on interoperable communications, allowing them to facilitate innovation. This means that it is easier and more cost effective for utilities to apply analytics to plan for energy demand and to integrate emerging new technologies including micro-renewable generation, electric vehicles, battery storage and semi-autonomous control into the next evolution of the grid.”

    The partnership will initially involve Verizon’s LTE, but the companies are exploring the benefits 5G can bring to the table as it becomes more widely available.

  • FCC Frees Up 3.5GHz Mid-Band For Wireless Use

    FCC Frees Up 3.5GHz Mid-Band For Wireless Use

    The Federal Communications Commission has authorized the commercial use of the mid-range 3.5GHz spectrum, according to a press release by the CBRS Alliance.

    The 3.5GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum is being marketed under the name OnGo. Up until this ruling, the spectrum was reserved exclusively for the Department of Defense (DoD) and used extensively by the Navy.

    OnGo is a pivotal piece of the U.S. 5G rollout, as it sits squarely in what is considered mid-band spectrum. Low-band spectrum, such as that being heavily deployed by T-Mobile, has the advantage of offering long range and excellent building penetration, but offers only marginally faster speeds than 4G LTE. High-band, mmWave spectrum offers speeds measured in gigabits but has extremely poor range and penetration. This is what Verizon has primarily invested in.

    Mid-range spectrum, such as OnGo, can be used to improve speed and signal strength, first on 4G and then on 5G. The spectrum will effectively help bridge the gap between the long-range but slower low-band and the high-speed, mmWave spectrum.

    According to the press release, “consumers now have access to improved wireless connectivity through OnGo-compatible mobile devices, including the Google Pixel 4, Motorola’s 5G Moto Mod, Samsung Galaxy S10, Apple iPhone 11, LG G8 ThinQ, and OnePlus 7 Pro, all of which are on the market today. The OnGo ecosystem is vast and opens a brand-new market for wireless communications and 5G services in the United States, touching rural broadband via fixed wireless providers (WISPs), enterprise IT, hospitality, retail, real estate, industrial IoT, and transportation, among other sectors.”

    Because of OnGo’s previous status as protected spectrum, it can still be used by the DoD in times of emergency.

    “To ensure that the DoD has continued access to the band, Environmental Sensing Capability (ESC) networks have been deployed along the U.S. coast. The ESC networks operated by CommScope, Federated Wireless, and Google inform the SAS administrators to activate a protection zone and dynamically reassign users in the area to other parts of the band, thus protecting the incumbent’s use of the spectrum while maximizing availability of CBRS spectrum across coastal areas.”

    The FCC’s decision is good news for consumers and businesses alike and will open up a wide range of wireless opportunities.

  • Rivian’s Electric Vehicles Will Cost Less Than Predicted

    Rivian’s Electric Vehicles Will Cost Less Than Predicted

    In what is good news for electric vehicle fans, Rivian has announced that it’s upcoming vehicles will be priced less than originally expected, according to Reuters.

    Rivan announced in December that it had secured an addition $1.3 billion in funding. Although the automaker has not yet produced any vehicles, its technology will be used by Ford in its electric vehicles and the company will also create 100,000 electric vans for Amazon.

    One of the appealing elements of Rivian’s designs is a more traditional aesthetic, unlike Tesla’s Cybertruck that looks like it’s straight our of a dystopian science fiction movie. For customers excited about Rivan’s upcoming truck and SUV, there’s more good news than just the vehicles’ looks.

    According to Reuters, “Rivian on Saturday displayed its pickup truck and SUV at an event in San Francisco’s Bay Area and said that when their prices are unveiled soon they will be lower than has been previously announced.”

    It’s possible the move may be due to the number of pre-orders the company has received. While founder and chief executive R.J. Scaringe didn’t say how many individuals had paid the $1,000 pre-order deposit, he did say the reaction had been “really positive.”

  • Apple Introduces ‘Apple Watch Connected’ Gym Partnership

    Apple Introduces ‘Apple Watch Connected’ Gym Partnership

    CNBC is reporting that Apple has unveiled a new gym initiative called “Apple Watch Connected.”

    At the time of launch, four gyms have joined the program, including Basecamp Fitness, Orange Theory, YMCA and Crunch Fitness, although that number will likely grow quickly since its free for gyms to participate. Participating gyms must offer four tiers to qualify:

    • The gym has to provide iOS and Apple Watch apps for members to login at the gym, see classes and track their fitness.
    • The gym has to provide a way for Apple Watch owners to earn some kind of credit or reward, such as a way to earn money off of their bill if they work out a certain amount.
    • The gym must accept Apple Pay.
    • With few exceptions, gyms must support GymKit on cardio machines. This allows the machines to provide a wealth of information to Apple Watch, more than it might be able to get on its own, about the type and intensity of a workout.

    As CNBC points out, there’s a big benefit to gyms, as Apple Watch integration will likely lead to lower membership turnover.

  • Microsoft Shows How Dual-Screen Apps Should Look

    Microsoft Shows How Dual-Screen Apps Should Look

    Microsoft unveiled two dual-screen devices in October: the Windows-powered Surface Neo and the Android-powered Surface Duo. Although the devices won’t be available until “Holiday 2020,” the company has released SDKs and guidelines on how apps for the two devices should look and function.

    Microsoft made the announcement in a company blog post:

    “We are happy to announce the availability of the preview SDK for Microsoft Surface Duo, and availability in the coming weeks for the preview SDK for Windows 10. We are also excited to announce new web standards proposals to enable dual-screen experiences for websites and PWAs on both Android and Windows 10X. These new web standards proposals will provide you with the capabilities and tools you need for dual-screen devices.”

    Image Source: Microsoft - The Android Emulator with a preview Surface Duo image
    Image Source: Microsoft – The Android Emulator with a preview Surface Duo image

     

    With the announcement, it’s clear Microsoft is going all-in on dual-screens devices. The company is working to make sure its own apps, such as the Edge web browser, offer an experience that takes full advantage of the dual-screen form factor.

    The company hopes developers will work hard to do the same.

    “Dual-screen devices creates an opportunity for your apps to delight people in a new and innovative way. To help you get started, we are providing you with basic support checklists for touch and pen and drag and drop and initial app pattern ideas to ensure your apps work great on dual-screen devices.”

    Image Source: Microsoft - Microsoft Emulator showing Windows 10X
    Image Source: Microsoft – Microsoft Emulator showing Windows 10X

    There’s no doubt that Microsoft has an innovative and refreshing take on foldable devices. Hopefully, armed with these guidelines and SDKs, developers will be able to usher in a whole new generation of mobile productivity.

  • Cars Will Be The Most Relevant Internet Devices, Says Volkswagen CEO

    Cars Will Be The Most Relevant Internet Devices, Says Volkswagen CEO

    “My view is that cars are becoming the most relevant units on the internet, says Volkswagen CEO Herber Diess. “Cars are becoming devices. They are fully connected. Data streams into the car and out of the car will be much higher than with smartphones. So the car gets a new role in the internet ecosystem. We have to adapt to that.”

    Herbert Diess, CEO of Volkswagen, discusses how cars will be the most relevant devices on the internet in an interview with CNBC International at Davos 2020:

    Cars Are Becoming Internet Devices

    My view is that cars are becoming the most relevant units on the internet. Cars are becoming devices. They are fully connected. Data streams into the car and out of the car will be much higher than with smartphones. So the car gets a new role in the internet ecosystem. We have to adapt to that. From a traditional car manufacturer to become a tech company, it’s quite a long way to go but we are on the way.  It will be a huge transition.

    I think it’s great to have a good competition (regarding Tesla building a plant in Germany). We think that Tesla plays a very important role in the transition because they are paving the way. They’re probably running higher risks than we can from the traditional industry but they’re paving the way. They show that electric vehicles are working and that the fully connected car is the right solution. So we appreciate Tesla’s success.

    Cars Will Be The Most Relevant Internet Devices, Says Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess
  • Senate Committee Addresses 5G ‘Tower Climber’ Shortage

    Senate Committee Addresses 5G ‘Tower Climber’ Shortage

    There have been many things that have slowed 5G adoption: competing types of 5G, available spectrum, security concerns over Chinese vendors and more. One of the biggest issues, however, may be surprise to some. Evidently, there is a serious shortage of “tower climbers” available, according to VentureBeat.

    Tower climbers are the term for individuals who climb cell phone towers to install new equipment or maintain existing components. The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation heard testimony from various witnesses “that there aren’t enough workers to actually build the 5G infrastructure U.S. citizens are expecting over the next decade.”

    FCC commissioner Brandan Carr said the industry needs “20,000 additional tower climbers and telecom techs to complete the U.S. 5G buildout.” The agency is planning to address the shortage by offering 12-week training programs that will be available at technical schools and community colleges. Earnings potential—for a job that does not require a four-year degree—is more than $70,000 a year.

    With that kind of opportunity, it’s a safe bet the FCC will have no trouble coming up with 20,000 climbers.

  • Nokia CEO Predicts 5G Maturity In 2021

    Nokia CEO Predicts 5G Maturity In 2021

    In an interview with Bloomberg, Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri discussed 5G, including his belief the market will reach maturity in 2021.

    Suri was first asked when he expected 5G to make a meaningful impact on Nokia’s numbers.

    “It will start to happen in the next couple of years,” Suri said. “It’s already starting to happen, where we’ve been rolling out 5G in the U.S., in South Korea; Japan is next, many Nordic countries. A little bit in China has begun, and then Middle East and so on.

    “So I think market maturity, at the scale of many countries running at the same time—including Europe—will likely be in ‘21, although 2020 is also a big deal.”

    When he was asked about the challenges he saw in growing the 5G market, Suri was equally bullish, pointing to the tremendous opportunity for consumers and businesses alike.

    “There are plenty of opportunities because, one, we think 5G is about a number of things. It’s about low latency, it’s about a thousand times more capacity, super fast speed. But it’s not only for consumers. It’s also for industries, so a number of verticals will benefit from rolling out 5G. And not just 5G—actually you can do a number of things with 4G.”

    Chinese vendors, such as Huawei, have been in the news over security concerns, with some countries and experts believing they provide a way for Beijing to spy on governments and corporations. Suri said that policy makers will need to make the big decisions about what vendors to include or exclude, and that Nokia is simply focused on providing the best technology.

    “On our part, we just want to make sure we have the most competitive technology. And we have an end-to-end portfolio, like you said, because 5G isn’t just about radio. 5G is about a virtual circle of multiple elements of the network: backhaul, transport, software, applications, fixed wireless access, fixed lines and 5G radio as well—and of course the core network. So we want to be able to benefit from that end-to-end strategy and end-to-end portfolio that we have.”

    In spite of the challenges with 5G roll outs, Suri says the technology is being adopted much faster than 4G.

    “In fact, I would say our experience in early networks is that adoption of 5G is four times faster than the adoption we saw in 4G.”