70 Issue 1191
Mobile
Rest In Show
Ian McGurren looks over some of the
alternative highlights of MWC 2016Ianisaprofessional
ITanalyst,asemi-
professionalwriter
andaprettyamateur
electronicmusician.
Helikesgadgetryand
lovesmakinggadgets
dothingstheywere
neverdesignedtodo
I
t's the last of the big trade
shows and, yes, we got the
expected big announcements
from the big companies about
their big phones, but what of the
more unexpected highlights?
Once one of the world's
biggest PC manufactures, HP,
like other similar companies,
has seen its market share eaten
away by the emergence of
smartphones and tablets. It's
tried its hand at both in the
past, but that hasn't been met
with anything like the same
success it had with PCs in the
enterprise sector. But it's not
stopped it trying, and with
phones now becoming powerful
enough to be considered
personal computers, it has
returned to the phone market:
not withWindows Mobile
but withWindows Phone
10 and, importantly, with its
interpretation of Continuum, the
technology that turns a phone
into a PC. The device – the
Elite X3 – is a very well made
6” smartphone which, like the
Lumia 950, can be docked on
a monitor (or custom 'laptop'
type screen and keyboard) and
run what is basicallyWindows- It's good to see Continuum
getting some more support,
because while it might not be
the future in the consumer
world, it's ideal for enterprise.
Slightly more unusual is the
hot product from boot and
heavy machinery manufacturer
CAT. I say hot; it's more a
product that can detect if
something is hot or, indeed cold,
as it's aregular smartphone
with a thermal camera. CAT
has released mobiles before,
albeit mostly no frills but with
extreme protection forrougher
workplaces – think ifWickes
made phones. Here the same
level of protection is present,
but the thermal camera is a first,
and on a consumer device it's
quite a clever USP. CAT say it'll
be very useful for the building
trade (find wires, hot pipes and
so), and could even be helpful
for farmers with animals.
Talking of which, it was cows
that were the focus of attention
for Fujitsu's latest product for the
Internet of Things. Humans have
been happily tracking themselves
for ages now, andrecently
we've been able to see a bit
more than just our location and
distance. So what's to stop the
same technology being used on
other creatures with legs? Using
Microsoft's Azure cloud service,
farmers are able to not only keep
a real-time eye on their herd, but
also on other aspects that will
help understand when to milk
them, and even where some may
be in their estrus period, meaning
possible controlled insemination to
promote higher conception rates.
There's a sentence you didn't
think you'dread in Micro Mart.
And before you say it, no the
trackers aren't made by Moov...Finally from milk to er, milk
teeth? Sorry, not the best link.
In the past, you may have seen
the rather fancy toothbrushes
from Oral B that hook up with
your phone via Bluetooth, giving
you a countdown and such to
promote the best oral heath. At
MWC, Oral B showed its latest
range, which now has the ability
to determine the amount of the
mouth that's had a proper clean,
and show you where you've
missed out. It also gives visual
feedback of pressure (too much
pressure is one of the causes of
receding or damaged gums), as
well as the standard countdown.
There's also some social aspect,
but really, people post enough
waffle on social media without
elaborating on their twice-daily
brushing efforts.
For the visual feedback, you'll
need to have your phone in
eyesight too, but if your oral
health is important enough
to you to spend £150 or so
on an electric toothbrush and
also take your phone into the
bathroom with you, then this
is pretty much the only product
for you.70 Issue 1404