Technology – Page 108 – Product Management Confabulation

January 7, 2020

Arduino launches a new modular platform for IoT development

Arduino, the open-source hardware platform, today announced the launch of a new low-code platform and modular hardware system for IoT development. The idea here is to give small and medium businesses the tools to develop IoT solutions without having to invest in specialized engineering resources.

The new hardware, dubbed the Arduino Portenta H7, features everything you’d need to get started with building an IoT hardware platform, including a crypto-authentication chip and communications modules for WiFi, Bluetooth Low Energy and LTE, as well as Narrowband IoT. Powered by 32-bit Arm microcontrollers, either the Cortex-M7 or M4, these low-power modules are meant for designing industrial applications, as well as edge processing solutions and robotics applications. It’ll run Arm’s Mbed OS and support Arduino code, as well as Python and Javascript applications.

“SMBs with industrial requirements require simplified development through secure development tools, software and hardware to economically realize their IoT use cases,” said Charlene Marini, the VP of strategy for Arm’s IoT Services Group. “The combination of Mbed OS with Cortex-M IP in the new Arduino Portenta Family will enable Arduino’s millions of developers to securely and easily develop and deploy IoT devices from prototypes through to production.”

The new H7 module is now available to beta testers, with general availability slated for February 2020.

January 7, 2020

Sony just announced a car

Today at CES 2020, Sony unveiled a car. I’m surprised too. There are very few details about the Sony Vision-S sedan at this time. We’ll get more once we can see it on the show floor.

According to the press account, Sony partnered with industry leaders to build this prototype, including Bosch, Continental, Genetex, Nvidia, Magna, and Nvidia.

This car is a bit surprising but fits within Sony’s current strategy. Over the last generation, Sony started building and selling key technologies as a supplier. Sony camera sensors are found in many leading smartphones, including the latest iPhone Pro. But before it hits the iPhone, Sony has long produced its own smartphone with similar smartphone sensors.

Expect a similar play with the Vision-S sedan. This concept vehicle is clearly designed to help Sony sell components. Sony doesn’t want to get into auto manufacturing. I think. We’re asking Sony a bunch of questions and will relay the answers.

January 6, 2020

Qualcomm promises better voice calls over Bluetooth with aptX Voice

Chances are, you phone and carrier now support HD voice quality for those few times you still make a call. Those calls sound significantly better than regular calls, but if you’re using a Bluetooth headset to make those calls, you don’t get any of the benefits of HD voice because those devices don’t support that codec. Now, with aptX Voice, an evolution of its existing aptX codec, Qualcomm wants to bring high-quality calls to your Bluetooth devices, too.

With aptX Voice, devices will get 32kHz samples audio with a flat 16kHz frequency response quality as part of the Bluetooth Handsfree Profile that accessories use to connect to your phone. That makes for greater call quality, even when somebody is using a speakerphone or talking quietly.

“aptX technology revolutionized the Bluetooth stereo listening experience by bringing unprecedented wireless audio quality, and aptX Voice is set to do the same for voice calls,” said James Chapman, the vice president and general manager for Voice, Music and Wearables at Qualcomm . “As consumers increasingly use wireless headsets and earbuds for making and receiving calls, aptX Voice is the answer to ensuring higher clarity and quality of call experience.”

AptX Voice is now available on the Snapdragon 865 and 765 mobile platforms and will become available for accessories based on Qualcomm’s upcoming range of Bluetooth Audio SoC that will launch in 2020. Until then, you’ll just have to speak a little bit louder.

January 6, 2020

Qualcomm launches a car-to-cloud service for over-the-air updates and telemetrics

Qualcomm today announced its Car-to-Cloud service, which does exactly what the name implies: it helps car companies connect their cars to their clouds. It’s the companies first product that integrates its automotive cockpit platform and Snapdragon automotive platforms with 4G and 5G support.

The platform will help automakers keep their cars up to date and allow them to update their infotainment platforms over the air. In addition, they can also use the service to gather vehicle and usage analytics, which Qualcomm argues will allow them to unlock new revenue streams as it allows carmakers to market pay-as-you-go services and unlockable features to their drivers.

As car ownership is changing, so are the drivers’ expectations. Having an updatable infotainment system is pretty standard on new cars these days, but those updates usually happen over WiFi (or at the dealership). Qualcomm argues that this service helps to make cars future proof and will lead to faster deployment timeframes for updates, as well as more cost-efficient operations. It also notes that this technology will provide for new connected services and better on-demand services for car sharing as Car as a Service companies.

For drivers, it’ll lead to more personalized experiences, which today are normal in the high-end market but only slowly trickling down to more affordable cars. But Qualcomm is definitely also pushing the fact that this will allow car companies to sell bundled content, apps and services to drivers, creating new revenue streams for them.

“The Qualcomm Car-to-CloudService, when combined with our Snapdragon Automotive 4G and 5G Platforms, and our Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platforms, empowers automakers and tier-1 suppliers to address new expectations of the modern and discerning car owner who is used to flexible and continuously updating technologies, while also unlocking new features capabilities over the course of a vehicle’s lifetime,” said Nakul Duggal, senior vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies.

January 6, 2020

Nvidia’s new 360Hz G-Sync displays are tailor-made for esports

Nvidia has developed new technology that enables 360Hz refresh rates on PC displays, achieving unprecedented responsiveness that’s perfectly suited to esports, where any advances in terms of refresh speeds can translate to improved performance during play.

Nvidia’s new G-sync tech that delivers the 360Hz refresh speeds will be coming to market first through a partnership with Asus, via the Asus ROG Swift 360 monitor that’s debuting at this week’s annual CES show in Las Vegas. It works in combination with Nvidia’s RTX line of GPUs, and will provide refresh rates that translate to less than 3 milliseconds of input latency, all available on a 24.5-inch, fully 1080p HD gaming panel.

Nvidia’s G-Sync tech debuted in 2013, and works by introducing Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) that syncs up the refresh rate of the display (provided it’s G-sync certified) with the GPU’s frame rate, so that you get optimized performance. Since its debut, Nvidia has been especially focused on optimizing G-Sync and its features for use by esports players and professionals, to ensure best possible reaction times in genres like shooters where every millisecond counts when it comes to aiming at and actually hitting your target.

The Asus ROG Swift 360 monitor will be coming out sometime “later this year,” and pricing isn’t yet available but you can bet it’ll be more than your average gaming monitor, given its advanced performance features and esports target market.