Mobile World Congress: 5 buzzwords, an homage to Windows XP and a smartphone snorefest As Mobile World Congress draws to a close in relatively warm Barcelona (13°C - balmy), it's time to tally up on whether it delivered on the hype. The buzz ahead of MWC was that Samsung would launch the Galaxy S9 smartphone, that 5G connectivity would come closer to commercial reality, and that advances in AI and machine …
I wonder if they're talking about something like a line of autonomous cars traveling bumper to bumper at 200 kph. If say a rockslide happens and the lead car has to emergency brake, all the other cars have to do so instantly. I'd rather rely on M2M communication (at a lower frequency band so the lead car's broadcast is heard by all cars at once even if the rear car is around a corner separated by solid rock) than a 5G tower being up and maintaining 1ms latency.
Why do you think there's all the work going on on mesh networking?
One side effect is that mountain roads could become an awful lot safer - once all cars without mesh networking are banned from them - as the mesh will allow cars to "see around the bends". It would also be possible to put radar at dangerous junctions to deal with human drivers who want to run red lights etc., by informing vehicles at risk (and using ANPR to inform Mr. Plod.)
In a 1950s book called Metatopia, the author speculated on a future of self driving vehicles (though they used a very light rail network) in which some of the old roads were reserved for people who wanted to drive. That's been happening for a while with track days. Perhaps that's what will end up happening to most golf courses as climate change and freshwater stress makes them nonviable.
Mesh networks are finicky enough in a static setup, let alone mobile. My car already has LIDAR to reduce collision risk anyway.
And how do mesh networks on vehicles allow you to "see around bends" when the radio signals are basically line of sight? Unless of course you put repeaters on every bend.
There already is radar at many dangerous junctions in a GATSO box, which informs drivers of vehicles at risk by being big and yellow. It can also inform Mr. Plod.
...and as if to just prove my point about mesh networks, the moment I badmouth them, my SkyQ AC mesh network drops (evidently because someone down the road has got a new N router), and I have to power cycle every damn router, repeater and Sky box in the house to get it going again.
"Mesh networks are finicky enough in a static setup, let alone mobile. "
Herr Benz, your vehicle is far too unreliable ever to be a practical form of transport.
The world may have a demand for at most five computers (Watson)
Of course a handheld portable computer is impossible (Raymond Baxter, Tomorrow's World).
Less storage than a Nomad. Lame (Rob Malda on the iPod.)
One side effect is that mountain roads could become an awful lot safer - once all cars without mesh networking are banned from them - as the mesh will allow cars to "see around the bends".
That's an interesting idea. At the moment cars can't see round bends because light travels n straight lines, but if they communicate with radio they'll be able to see round bends because radio waves erm, ah, um.
"Rock is transparent to some frequencies."
It also lacks the ability to warn self-driving cars about its presence on the road after a land slide. Same for the lack of rock (AKA pot holes). So this goal of "ability to see round bends" won't apply to the first car (or maybe 2nd, depending on the system) that blindly speeds along safe in the knowledge there are no meatbags driving and hits it...
Radio most certainly does go around bends, at least at some frequencies. Anyone who is getting cell service but doesn't have line of sight to the tower because there's a hill between them lives that reality. Or receives TV signals via one edge or two edge paths...
Besides, you wouldn't need to go around bends if you are getting messages passed from cars around the bend to cars on the bend to you. You might have a little latency, but so long as you aren't bumper to bumper at 120 mph a few dozen milliseconds of latency isn't a problem.
Whoppy f**king dee.
I had one of these micr SDX cards fail on me a little while ago.
No reason.
No warning.
Not a primary data source, just very convenient for moving it between devices.
This just means a s**t load more data to replace onto a new device. Sort that out first.
I had one of these micr SDX cards fail on me a little while ago.
The exact reason Sandisk is not a popular brand in this family. Their sd cards tend to have some "interesting" failure modes. There is never any gradual deterioration. It just suddenly starts reporting itself as zero GB in size and this is the end of the line. So if I have a choice I will chose Samsung - it has shown itself to be significantly more reliable including working in some of the razzies and bananas I have out in the sticks which remained operational from -27C ambient to +45C. It just kept on ticking.
but yesterday's world was better - for desktop users, anyway.
I'd welcome an XP-like environment for Android, especially if it's 3D Skeuomorphic and *NOT* 2D FLATSO. so much of 'droid is already 2D FLATSO, but it doesn't HAVE to be... starting with non-flat icon design [which I see a lot of] but would need customized controls in lieu of 'flat-looking boxes' that pretend to be buttons [and so on]. but a reasonably clever programmer can make a 3D looking one, using a bitmap (as one example; other methods exist).
now, if native 'droid would just support that better...
My exact thought. Your average clip on a "popular website" of your choosing is between 10MB and 25MB per minute for HD resolutions. 15GB is 600 minutes of HD video compressed to more or less standard web download settings. So this is either 4K or someone not knowing how to formulate a correct ffmpeg incantation.
"It is true that 5G will change everything... kind of. Samsung gave some examples: download a 15GB movie in six seconds on mobile broadband, 1.7Gbps broadband on a train travelling at 100kmph, 1ms latency enabling a self-driving car to stop in time to avoid a collision."
~
No, those are PR. Outside of a femtocell cell in an open plan office, cafe or hotel lobby (WiFi replacement rather than most regular Mobile) it's fantasy unless every other lamp post is a basestation.
unless every other lamp post is a basestation.
It will be a basestation.
Why are you resisting your location, breath rate, heart rate, blood sugar level, adrenalin level and blood pressure to be known in real time citizen? You are clearly a potentially subversive element, the reeducation task force has been dispatched to your location.
I would love to struggle with 4G all the time. An H now and then or 3g with sometimes an E. Sometimes my phone tells me mobile data is on, but there is nothing there. (EE and Samsung I am looking at you) I live in a medium town in the North not rural Devon or Cumbria.
How about we ensure total 4G coverage before rushing to the next "city only" network of speed and battery drain.
And please no more horrible AI assistants, Bixby truly is awful garbage. Why can't they disappear like VR or 3d TV's.
> It is true that 5G will change everything... kind of. Samsung gave some examples: download a 15GB movie in six seconds on mobile broadband,
To what end? it still takes the same amount of time to watch, so why not stream it at 20MB/sec and watch it as it arrives.
And another way to say you can stream a 15GB file in 6 seconds is to say that you can use up your monthly data allowance in 4 seconds. Or if you prefer, fill all the free space on your 32GB smartphone (the one without a microSD slot) in less than 10 seconds.
And as for a 1mS latency? Unless that is guaranteed: end-to-end everywhere AND has a diverse and redundant path for a backup, it is of no use for any sort of safety critical function.
In practical terms, if that is how 5G is to be marketed to users, it is completely useless and offers nothing of any value.
is said to have an external Voice button, similar to the old Psion Series 5 dictate button. I used to use that feature almost more than the keyboard. On Gemini, it is said to activate the voice assistant.
AND THE ASSISTANT CAN'T HEAR YOU WHEN YOU LET GO THE BUTTON!
Functional and secure in one go. Now that IS revolutionary.
I just love the way this Riddiford guy thinks.
Used a Samsung Galaxy phone for years, and could never get used to typing on the screen. Blackberry KeyOne came out, I pounced on it, and I'm loving every minute of it. If it weren't practically new, I'd check this Gemini phone out as well... heck I might take a look anyway.
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