The same technology used in self-driving cars is being touted as a potential high-tech solution to the US border wall conundrum -- with some added benefits.
At least one startup at the Consumer Electronics show is showcasing how Lidar, a laser-based detection system widely used in autonomous vehicles, could be deployed along the US-Mexico border at a far lower cost than a physical wall or fence, and with fewer environmental impacts.
Quanergy Systems, among a handful of tech firms working on Lidar border security, is showing to CES attendees its technology being deployed in pilot projects on the India-Pakistan frontier as well as a small section of the southern US border.
"We offer a solution that is more capable than a physical wall," said Louay Eldada, chief executive and co-founder of the Silicon Valley startup.
"It can see day and night in any weather and can automatically track intruders, and give the GPS coordinates in real time to patrol officers."
Eldada said such a system would cost "about two to three percent" of the price of a physical barrier for the entire US-Mexico border.
This was on my black box short list. The time frame seemed right, and the kind of device seemed to match what Mulligan was talking about in the spring.
Code dug out by a tipster confirms that Facebook is developing a speech recognition tool named Aloha. The code further confirms the name for Facebook's smart speaker in development.
Facebook is reportedly working on its own speech recognition technology called 'Aloha'. More information about Facebook’s ongoing efforts to develop a smart speaker with a display and a dedicated speech recognition tool has been outed by TechCrunch via frequent tipster and mobile researcher Jane Manchun Wong.
Digging into the code of the Facebook and Messenger Android apps, Manchun found references to ‘Aloha’, a speech recognition tool which will help users dictate messages in Messenger as well as operate other Facebook services. Facebook is aiming this tool for its apps as well as external hardware, most likely, the rumoured Portal smart speaker that the company is said to be developing.
Dubbed ‘Aloha Voice Testing’ the feature is said to facilitate speech-to-text-to-speech conversion, allowing Messenger users more ways to interact with each other on the platform. The code found by Manchun shows a prototype of Aloha’s user interface in use on Messenger. A blue volume indicator can be seen in the form of a bar as words are dictated to Aloha and typed out in Messenger. This transcription tool can ease Messenger usage for older people and those with disabilities.
Saw whole augmented reality area. Some of the devices are cool, but the displays are dismal next to the capabilities of Microvision. Some have resolution, but none have field of view. Decent picture with 10degree field of view on a heavy headset isn't much to get excited about. The Vuzix Blade is a cool device --- the display is decent for what it is, but it seems more like an enhanced google glass. Very small, but decent display with very limited field of view. More a wearable HUD than "Augmented Reality."
Everything else I tried had limited field of view. Saw MicroVision in the SanBot, which they say is selling well, and the projector is a very popular feature. More attention for Moviphone.... MoviPhone 1 Time Magazine
One of the absolute joys about CES is discovering a random jewel among the hundreds of exhibition booths. That's the case with the company Wireless Mobi Solution (WMS) from San Diego. Its jewel: a midrange Android phone with a built-in HD projector.
The phone is called the Moviphone and as the name so rudimentarily suggests, it's all about movies. And what better way to watch a movie than projecting it onto a wall as big as you can? The 50-lumen projector supports a 720p HD image that can be projected up 100 inches in size.
The Moviphone is being trialled at CES this year and includes a unique feature. Included in the phone – meaning it is not a peripheral – is a 720p HD projector. On the move and want to watch a movie with big screen frills? The Pico projector can display a movie up to 100 inches in size.
The phone also comes packed with a 16-megapixel camera, Android 7.0 Nougat and a fingerprint scanner. Don't worry too much about that stuff though, the reason to buy this phone is definitely the projector. It will cost you $599 (£440 in the UK, but it is rarely a straight conversion).
I looked for A-Su at the Haier booth. They were scheduled to be there. (The PicoP equipped R2D2 was there, but wasn't shown.) I was there several times trying to find it. I originally found the R2D2 under a cloth (and then disappeared) ... I got close, but missed it.
I admit it, I wasn't expecting this watch to wow me like it did. I knew I was about to see a "wearable projector" as I headed into the press conference held in a little side room at the Venetian at #CES2016. So I figured it just shined the time on your hand—impressive but not earth shattering. Then the folks at ASU used their Cast One watch to throw a five-foot 720p video up onto the wall.
It actually worked pretty well, instantly marking it as one of the coolest demos I'd see at the show.This promotional video gives you an idea of what I saw in that dark room.
Since it was a press conference, they went on to say that it does everything in the world a watch could possibly do and all other previous attempts at wrist-borne tech are crap by comparison. Notwithstanding all the marketing hyperbole, it does look like it'd incorporate tons of innovative and practical features.
The big caveat is that it'd have to strike a pristine balance—for instance, between having enough processor speed and battery life to do what it needs to for long enough to make it worth it. (Would you actually watch full movies or just use it as a slick tool for extending your phone's screen in quick little bursts?) A-Su Site 1 (Best one)
Commented Link (Good one)This article claims the projector is from STM. The specs for the STM device are significantly inferior to the MVIS picop. This is a space that deserves to be watched. Inferior competition won't hurt us a bit.
As usual Sony will be holding its press conference at CES but hasn't gone and splurged details of the new products in advance.
This leaves us to speculate and the invitation is the only thing we really have to go on for 2016 announcements. As you can see it features a wide range of products including a VR headset, camera, smartphone and a TV.
Based on this, and previous press conferences, Sony will give updates across a number of product categories. TVs are pretty much a certainty and we think wearable tech will also play a large part but the big question on many lips is will Sony announce a new Xperia smartphone, primarily the Xperia Z6.
There are some radical rumours suggesting that Sony will announced a total of five Xperia Z6 models as early as CES 2016. Others state that there will be just two models. We highly doubt that the firm will make any comment on the Xperia Z6 range at CES with the Z5 phones still freshly on the market and the firm moving to a less regular upgrade cycle.
Sony's press conference is scheduled for 5 January 17:00-17:45 PT.
Samsung is one of those companies to watch. The number of rumors swirling around this release date has reached the point where it's pretty apparent that something is cooking with Samsung. There are three events where we can expect them to do something interesting in the next five months: CES, The Samsung Unpacked event in February, and the Mobile World Congress in March.
Reliable phone leaker Evan Blass, @evleaks on Twitter has suggested that AT&T is already testing two new Samsung phones with the model numbers SM-G930A and SM-G935A which will likely turn out to be the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. One potential theory is that Samsung will launch the S7 range at CES and keep the prestigious MWC slot for an entirely new kind of handset. A teaser campaign earlier this year hinted at a bendable phone, so there’s a chance that Samsung will try to launch something entirely new, while having the S7 as a backup.
Everyone wants a larger screen on their mobile device. So far it's been screen size vs. how much device you're willing to carry.
This company has come up with a folding screen. An interesting idea for a mobile device, but I'm pretty sure that this will be impractical and disappointing next to a phone with image by PicoP.
Roam's flagship product is a universal computing device, known as the Roam Freedom, which is still at the prototype phase. Mr Kantor however said he has high hopes of creating a new brand category, having worked on the device with a small team for four years.
He said the Freedom is an amalgamation of a smartphone, tablet, laptop and desktop computer. The size of a standard smartphone, it packs 128GB of solid-state internal storage space and has multiple processors. The 5.5-inch cell phone has three screens, which can be unfolded to form a 10-inch tablet; it also has an inbuilt laser to project a full size keyboard onto any surface, meaning it could feasibly serve as a full PC, and can run Windows 10 natively.
"Personally I would love to get it to CES [in Las Vegas in January], but obviously building the foundation of a strong company here comes first, so realistically it will be a bit later next year," Mr Kantor said. "Once we can build some traction and brand awareness, I think we will have a better chance of taking on that new segment."
The manufacture of the company's products is a global operation, with most components made under detailed instructions in China. Mr Kantor said much of the company's revenue growth was also likely to also come across Asia and in other emerging markets.
We know Microvision's technology has reached the point where it it marketable. We know that SONY is a partner. We know that at least one other supply chain exists or is being created. The big questions we have are -- how will adoption of this new technology proceed? We can tell that streaming content is being adopted at a rapid rate (read the article!) But when it comes to consumption of that streaming content, SCREEN SIZE is terribly important. Enter Microvision, with a very portable -- very large screen. The Future is very bright.
It was a big night for Amazon and Netflix at the Golden Globes Awards, winning in 3 major categories and marking another milestone for online TV production. At the end of CES, new studies presented the latest facts and figures about the TV industry and about OTT consumption in particular. Facebook and Twitter each took steps to enhance their video production capabilities. Here’s a look at what was buzzing in the TV industry this week.
CES ended in Las Vegas in the weekend, displaying the latest innovations in consumer electronics. A few studies and surveys looking at the TV industry were presented during the show – here are some of the highlights:
The Consumer Electronics Association released two studies examining, separately, OTT and 4K TV’s consumption. The studies suggest that while television remains viewers’ primary way to consume video content, the number of viewers watching video content via streaming (63 per cent) is gaining on those who watch through a traditional service provider (68 per cent). In addition, viewers care more about screen size than portability when watching streamed content at home: 52 per cent watch streaming video content on a TV, and about one-third watch on mobile.
Looking at these trends, analyst Colin Dixon explains why operators should embrace a service combining traditional pay TV with delivery of service elements over IP. “Operators face a stark reality: connected the television or face a steady slide toward irrelevance…There are many benefits to moving to a connected pay TV platform: modernizing the experience, keep pace with Internet competition, co-opt partner online independent efforts, and the Internet of Things”.
.....Facebook is now believed to handle more than 1 billion video views on a daily basis. In a post on the company page, Facebook said that since last year, video posts per user are up 75 per cent around the world, and 94 per cent in the U.S.
.....It’s also been reported that Twitter is a few weeks away from unveiling its first native video feature which will allow users to shoot, edit and post video directly – and increase engagement and user numbers.
....TechCrunch noted that the Golden Globe wins add even more credibility to Netflix and Amazon, as their online shows’ exclusivity puts added pressure on consumers to sign up for either streaming service. “This year’s Golden Globe wins are not just a win for Amazon and Netflix, but for all online streaming”, wrote TechCrunch.
While at CES, I was able to meet a friend who manages corporate incentive programs. They have catalogs of various products that employees can choose from as part of their annual bonus.
We had lunch and caught up on all the various parts of life - kids, work, time & whether or not I miss the bitter cold of Minnesota.
I then took him to see the Celluon product with MVIS inside.
His reaction was immediate and clear: "I want to be able to offer this to my customers this year!" I have forwarded his contact information to Celluon
This thing was awesome. It needs a picop, and it's really cool just as it is. You can't get the 3D effect from the video, but when you look at it in person, the picture goes 3D because it scans your face and knows where your eyes are. If they could duplicate that with the PicoP picture... we'll never see the kids again.
I was dubious when I picked it up, and started giggling when I did... it's so cool it makes me wish I played those kinds of games.
Very long day and quite tired. The scale of the show is staggering. You walk across a room that is bigger than a football field, and think you've gotten to the end, and it opens up into another room just that big.... and again. I looked at the Celluon booth three times today. The conditions for showing the projector weren't optimal. The area was quite bright. If they made the picture really big (say projector five feet from the screen, it was a little dim, but still sufficient for their guy to be playing video games on it.) The projector that was closer, making a 24-28" screen looked absolutely beautiful and clear even in the bright light. People with "buyer" tags on their ID were there on a couple of occasions having long discussions with the head guy at the booth. I didn't have an opportunity to talk to him. I spent the day looking at the ecosystem and opportunities for PicoP. About 70% of what was there used screens in some capacity.... that's our niche. (don't over think it, PicoP is a display -- a portable big screen with a very small, energy efficient form factor.) Battery power: DON'T worry about better batteries or batteries being a hurdle to PicoP adoption. There was an acre of different companies with portable backup power solutions. Extra batteries, wireless charging -- there was even a camp stove that recharges portable devices. Competition: There are a lot of projectors out there. (only a few laser projectors -- the others have a very large form factor, they're not portable.) Most of the small projectors out there are DLP, with LED lamps, and virtually all of those that I saw had fans and were plugged in, all were larger than Picopro. There will always be competition, but I think Microvision is well ahead of the competition -- for the applications they're targeting. Themes where we can be great -- where will PicoP be synergistic & where can markets be targeted? I asked various presenters during the day "would this be easier to sell, could you sell more with an embedded projector?" -- answer was always yes. 1) supplementary sound. Many companies offer a variety of solutions for additional sound for portable devices. These can go hand in hand with pico projection. One of the best I saw was from Onanoff. They have a device they call the "sound cover." It's the best accessory sound device that had a portable form factor. Small enough to put in a pocket (or use an an accessory cover for Picopro) and it was able to be LOUD. Another company offers directional speakers I didn't get to see them, but they sound very intriguing. -- that one is http://www.akoustic-arts.com 2) Gaming I saw many companies that offer various gaming accessories where PicoP would fit well. One of the coolest gaming devices is the Snail, which is a gaming device that is also a cellphone, and just looking at the screen it's 3D (really cool) putting a picop in that -- if they could make it duplicate the 3d effect would be positively stunning. (we'd never see the kids again.) 3) Multi-tasking with PC More companies than I thought were offering various stands and clamps so people can be multi-screening a lot of the time. I could see PicoP performing this function without clamping a phone to your computer screen, or using a boom-arm to make an iPad hover in front of your face. 4) Displays for cameras and other "image capture" devices. We've seen projectors on Sony cameras. There are a LOT of cameras out there, and being able to show what you just shot with one, whether it's a handy video camera, or any still image camera -- including a GoPro or GoPro like device will be wanted by the users. (Incidentally, there's huge competition for GoPro out there!!! And a lot of their competition looks really good.... Sony for example has a similar camera that records in 4K) Additionally here, there were microscope, telescope and infrared camera companies. In each case, a large projected image could add a significant and interesting benefit, and add a lot of value for users. 5) Devices that gather and manipulate content -- but then rely on a screen. There's more here than can be fully discussed, but think video conferencing, streaming devices, android os devices that get plugged into televisions, or tiny self-contained PC computers. The environment for PicoP to be wildly successful is there. Everyone wants bigger screens, and everyone wants to carry their screen along with them....
Craziness. CES is gigantic. To look at everything would take months. It covers all kinds of electric gadgetry, from toothbrushes, toy airplanes, robots, wearable stuff etc. Very impressive. Once I found the building it took me two hours to find the Celluon booth. I had the booth number, but the numbering arrangement for booths at CES is almost random. Representatives there were showing the projector to enthusiastic viewers. The picture is fantastic, and in a room, the speakers are good. (not booming sound, but you could watch TV or football with it easily.) I witnessed a buyer getting a taste of it.... it's going to rock folks, and this is just the beginning. I was talking a bit to the apparent rookie of that crew, and it was clearly a new device to him. The more experienced members of the crew were busy with people who and badges that said "buyer" so I left them alone. I will visit Celluon again tomorrow.
Full Article @ SA -- Chris Katje Readers of my work should be familiar with my love for Microvision and its patented projection technology. While the company itself may not have a prominent position at the CES this week, its technology definitely will.
Cellulon, a leader in mobile technology, will be showing off its new smartphone sized PicoPro and PicoAir, two portable projectors utilizing Microvision's technology. The devices will range in price from $299 to $450 and have a continuous battery life of 2.5 to 3.5 hours. Later this year, the two devices will be sold through Cellulon and also through several North American retailers.
Along with the for sure appearance via Cellulon, there are rumors the partnership with Sony could finally be revealed as Sony will have prominent display at CES and introduce several new items. I wrote about the work with Sony in my last article and continue to think that this relationship is the key driver for Microvision going forward.
Another reason to love Microvision at CES is the expo's love for the connected car. Set to be a common theme at the event, Microvision has a partnershipwith Ford and is working with other automobile manufacturers for its HUD(heads up display) technology that transfers images onto the windshield. Ford will give several keynote speeches and could put Microvision in the spotlight.
...cars are among the main attractions at the International CES that opens Jan. 6 featuring vehicles with touchscreen dashboards and others controlled by smartwatches. Fields is making a triumphant return as Ford’s chief executive officer, where he’ll deliver a speech about the dawn of the connected-car era. Daimler AG CEO Dieter Zetsche will be there, too, discussing the latest concept of a self-driving Mercedes-Benz. They join a record 10 automakers showing their wares on an exhibit space the size of three football fields.
“CES has become a major launch point for a lot of the big automakers,” said Mark Boyadjis, technology analyst for researcher IHS in Minnetonka, Minnesota. “CES is a way for them to get on a global stage for technology.”
Photographer: Jeff Kowalsky/Bloomberg
Mark Fields, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ford Motor Co.
Industry Trend
Ford is not alone. This year, Volkswagen AG makes its debut at the show that also includes Toyota Motor Corp. (7203), General Motors Co., Hyundai Motor Co., Mazda Motor Corp., Audi, BMW and FCA US LLC, formerly known as Chrysler Group LLC.
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s BMW, in its second year at CES, has a sprawling exhibit that includes a fleet of more than 100 cars and covers 57,475 square feet (5,300 square meters) of space just outside the Las Vegas Convention Center. Visteon Corp. (VC), a supplier of technology to car cockpits, doubled the size of its display, a gleaming silver and orange structure that houses three demonstrator vehicles and four private offices.
The amount of exhibit space at CES dedicated to car technologies has almost doubled over the last five years to 165,000 square feet, according to Tara Dunion, a spokeswoman for the show.
“When you look at who’s coming, with Mark Fields and Dieter Zetsche and all of us, it has become an auto show,” Tim Leuliette, Visteon’s CEO, said in an interview. “It’s reflective of the vehicle becoming a mobile device. Welcome to the new world.”
Competing on Computing
Drivers are demanding their cars keep them constantly connected like a smartphone on wheels. In-vehicle technology is the top selling point for 39 percent of car buyers, more than twice the 14 percent who care most about horsepower and handling, according to a survey last year from the Accenture consulting firm.The number of cars connected to the Internet worldwide will grow more than fourfold to 152 million by 2020 from 36 million today, according to IHS.
Traditional Tech
Even traditional technology exhibitors are getting on the automotive bandwagon. Nvidia Corp. (NVDA), a Santa Clara, California-based chipmaker for video games and personal computers, has converted three-quarters of its stand this year to automotive, including displaying a new roadster and an electric supercar.
“Two years ago, our booth would have been filled with PCs and people playing video games,” said Danny Shapiro, senior director of Nvidia’s automotive business unit, which supplies processors to Audi, BMW and Tesla Motors Inc. “This year we made a strategic decision to shift the focus of the booth on automotive and de-prioritize some of the other things.”
It’s a shift driven by dollars. The Consumer Electronics Association forecasts factory-installed vehicle technologies will increase 3 percent in 2015 to $11.3 billion. Nearly one-third of U.S. households now own a vehicle equipped with an electronic infotainment system, according to CEA.
Many of those systems get their start in Vegas. CES, despite its setting on the Vegas Strip, has less glitz and more substance than typical auto shows, said Visteon’s Leuliette, who is booked solid with prospect meetings next week.
“The Detroit auto show is a social event,” Leuliette said. “We’re making decisions in Vegas.”
Closed-Door Meetings
Typical of high rollers in Vegas, the big deals go down in private hotel suites far from the convention floor. In those closed-door meetings, technology suppliers show off their most futuristic wares to automakers intent on keeping the deals secret until the high-tech feature is ready for the road.
To contact the reporter on this story: Keith Naughton in Dearborn, Michigan, atknaughton3@bloomberg.net
