4 Features Missing From Android Auto

4 Features Missing From Android Auto

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Google introduced Android Auto back to Google I / O 2014, but this product first appeared in real cars only in May 2015, when Hyundai added this OS to the Sonata model.

If you look at the Android Auto of 2015 and compare it to the current version, you will see very little difference – Google is slowly developing this platform, very rarely adding new features and improvements to it. On the other hand, this indicates that work on the system is underway, but at the same time, most users are badly missing some of the functions. Today, let’s talk about the four most missing.

Accessory Support

In your car, for certain, there are buttons that can control Android Auto. But what if you could add more? However, for the time being, car owners have to resort all the time to use the touch screen, hoping that in new car models designers will add more buttons and switches that can interact with Android Auto.

If third-party manufacturers of accessories could produce their own gadgets and accessories, then consumers would be able to place additional controls wherever they like. Technically, you do not need anything supernatural, just a Bluetooth accessory.

Better Integration Into Vehicles

For navigation inside Android Auto, touch buttons are used at the bottom of the screen – phone, home screen, navigation and so on.

A significant part of the right half of the screen eats up a tab that could display information about the car. But in reality, it can not, since the launch of Android Auto in this section is only the function of switching to the standard multimedia system of your car.

And with 100% probability on the central panel of your car already has a separate physical button for the same switching, which automatically makes this functionality of Android Auto absolutely useless.

It would be much more logical and convenient to view on this tab information about fuel consumption, tire pressure, the need for servicing and other similar things. Yes, the usability of Android Auto is far from ideal, but let’s face it: 95% of the automakers own multimedia systems that even cannot be compared to the product from Google.

Using your phone as a keyboard

In most cases, text input by voice is a very convenient solution – but obviously not when you are offered a normal set using the touchscreen of a car. Google has already added the ability to manage Auto via a smartphone, so why not let the driver enter the desired data (messages, destinations, search in the library, etc.) using a smartphone display?

Yes, most likely, for safety reasons, developers would make this option active only at the time when the car is in place (for example, in a traffic jam or on a parking), but this method would still increase the accuracy and speed of text input.

Better Music Support

Android Auto can turn on the music you want by voice request. But the implementation of this feature is bad since the first versions of Android Auto.

The voice recognition engine does not always understand complex words and also responds to words that occur in the search query, which serve to activate certain functions (for example, “CALL on me” or “OPEN your eyes”).

Surely you already might have thought that Google cares about you and does not want you to type in the car. Generally, Google does not want you to type in a moving car.

In Maps, this scenario is played out as follows: you stand still, enter the location you are interested in, and when you move, the keyboard is removed from the screen. Google, why not to do the same in music apps?

Consumer Electronics Show Things

Consumer Electronics Show Things

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In Las Vegas, the Consumer Electronics Show was held, where they showed a lot of strange concepts and theoretical innovations that promise to turn the world around: socks for diabetics, a refrigerator from Samsung with a pleasant name Family Hub, and Nissan even brought the renewed electric car Leaf, which is the same, as old Leaf, but a little better.

I collected a number of things that attracted my attention. I want to note that each of them received the official award of CES 2018 in one or another category.

Ockel Sirius A (Pro)

Specifications:

  • Operating system: Windows 10 Professional
  • Processor: Intel Atom x7-Z8750, graphics Intel HD Graphics 405 (support 4K 3840 x 2160 px @ 30Hz)
  • Memory: 4/8 GB LPDDR3, 64/128 GB eMMC flash
  • Screen: 6 inches, Full HD multi-touch panel
  • Ports: 2 pcs. USB 3.0 (5V / 3A), USB Type-C 3.0 (5V / 2.5A), HDMI, Display port, RJ-45 (10/100 / 1000MBit), microSDXC, 3.5mm connector
  • Data transfer: Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, dual band, Bluetooth 4.2
  • Camera: 5 MP Full HD (1080p @ 30fps)
  • Battery: 3500 mAh, adapter DC 12.5W (5V / 2.5A) (up to 3.5 hours of video viewing)
  • Sensors: fingerprint scanner, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer
  • Other: stereo speakers, stereo microphone
  • Dimensions: 85.5 x 160 x 8.6 – 21.4 mm, 334 grams

Ockel produces funny mini-computers. Startup received an award in the category “Computers and Components”.

In fact, this tablet with an ideal set of ports and connectors. Like any self-respecting start-up, Ockel sells its technical innovation on the crowdfunding site. And since the company has a whole line of such mini-computers, we can say that the idea caught the people.

Wallet Card

Let me introduce you, Wallet Card – the first bank card on batteries.

The main idea is that many bank cards can be put on this Wallet Card, thus freeing up the place in the wallet. The card has a display and buttons, with which you can just select the desired card. The display will show the card number, date and CVV code.

The card is stronger than ordinary bank cards, it bends, and it is not afraid of water (it can be washed in a washing machine).

Soon enough everyone will have one carrier for which bank cards, loyalty programs, travel cards and so on will be recorded.

Logitech Craft

Logitech has released a keyboard that is likely to appeal to designers and illustrators. Outwardly, this is an absolutely ordinary keyboard, perhaps a little more stylish than yours. In the left corner is an input dial, which allows you to point out colors, scale, and to navigate through the document.

Light L16 Camera

The L16 camera requires an ecstatic sigh, even if you are absolutely indifferent to photographic equipment.

Firstly, there are as many as 16 lenses, and secondly, the device weighs almost half a kilogram (435 grams) and resembles the base Kindle from Amazon (165 x 84.5 x 24.05 mm) in size.

The L16 camera is more about advanced photo processing algorithms than hardware and lenses. When shooting 10 of 16 lenses make a photo, but with a different focal length (from 28 to 150 mm), and the software already processes and collects all photos in one photo of increased clarity and resolution.

The manufacturer says about the final resolution of the combined photo at 52 MP.

The camera has only built-in 256 GB of memory, flash drives are not supported. There is no connector for an external flash. But there is a 5-inch touchscreen and autofocus on the touch.

Here’s an example of a photo.

Mars Headphones

In October 2017 Google demonstrated a new generation of Google Pixel Buds headphones. In addition to the main function – playing music, headphones in tandem with the phone could translate your speech into other languages.

Mars headphones promise a new level, a live communication with instant translation. Each one inserts into his ear the headset, and then you can just talk, your interlocutor will hear a translation in his earpiece.

English, Spanish, Korean, and most importantly, Chinese languages are already supported.

And, of course, headphones know how to play music, they even have the function of noise reduction. The manufacturer promises about 3 hours of work.

Ocean-bound Plastics: Breaking cycles

This is not so much an innovation as a caring attitude to nature, because, according to a study on the Scientific American website, about 86 million tons of plastic waste is floating in the ocean. And every year this number increases by another 8 million tons of garbage. Actually, 90% of the debris in the ocean is plastic. At the same time, this is mainly small debris, pieces of plastic do not exceed 5 mm. And this is a serious problem for both the planet and ordinary people because according to statistics, we absorb up to 11,000 plastic debris per year through seafood.

On the one hand, Dell’s contribution is scanty. During the year, the company assembled and reworked, launching the Dell XPS models only 8 tons. By 2025, the manufacturer wants to increase the collection to 80 tons, but it’s still a drop in the ocean. On the other hand, it is an attempt to draw attention to the problem.

 

Cool Things of December

Cool Things of December

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December is one of the most beautiful months of the year: the atmosphere of the holiday is in the air, on the street, the snow is finally beginning to fall and not melt, and all companies are trying to put on the market interesting proposals to tempt customers. In this issue – laptops, phones, tips on how to wash properly and what fashion accessory to give your woman.

LG gram 14

Firstly, the laptop is almost weightless – only 970 grams, it seems like a fuzz. Secondly, it’s battery life. According to PCMag tests, the laptop gives out about 16 hours of work. Thirdly, these are technical characteristics and a set of ports. There are 2 USB 3.0, USB Type-C and there is an adapter to the Ethernet port, a slot for microSD, HDMI.

Hardware: the seventh generation of the processor from Intel (i5, i7), from 8 GB of RAM, SSD up to 512 GB. Graphics Intel HD Graphics 620. Full HD screen resolution. This is a touchscreen LCD IPS, enclosed in a very thin frame. And the keyboard has a highlight.

The technical characteristics can be nagged, but look at the battery life and weight. And if after that all the questions have not disappeared by themselves, then keep for dessert – this laptop can be dropped.

Of course, there are disadvantages. The keyboard is pressed when typing. LG says that this is a deliberate technical solution so that the laptop is better experienced squeezing and falling. But what they can not explain in any way, is the brightness of the screen.  In a room with a laptop, there are no problems, but I suspect that in the sun it will be quite faded.

HTC U11+

Once we started talking about LG, it’s impossible not to mention HTC. Not so long ago we witnessed a drama when Google neglected HTC and chose LG as the manufacturer for Pixel 2. For HTC, of course, it was insulting. But HTC decided not to lose heart, but to release their version of Pixel. And they called this splendor U11+.

The appearance of the smartphone is good, and compared to Pixel from Google – and even more so. There are no questions on hardware: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 CPU, 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB of memory + slot for microSD, a camera with increased pixel size and HDR Boost. Finally, front and back of the phone are covered by the fifth generation Gorilla Glass and protected by the IP68 standard.

The second trump card, which is not in Google Pixel, is stereo speakers. HTC called them simply “Boom sound”. And this name is great. A typical smartphone sounds 68-70 dB, here – 90.5 dB. For example, a freight railway car at full speed produces 90 decibels. So the smartphone has really boom sound. It can easily replace a portable audio speaker. At the moment it is the loudest phone on the market.

The phone out of the box works on the eighth Android. Oh, yes, it also has a translucent back cover that looks cool.

Samsung Galaxy A8

The smartphone has excellent technical characteristics, there is protection IP68, Samsung Pay with MST technology, when you can pay at any terminal, good battery life and for some reason a dual front camera. And here is FM-radio, Always-On display and premium design of the older S-series.

You can treat Samsung as you like, but the appearance of the latest “galaxies” is strikingly different from most devices. In my opinion, now in the market only the S8 and the iPhone X in terms of design look in a new way. When you look at these devices it seems that they are from the future.

Kodak Mini Shot

Reading the comments, I already realized that the blog gathered only professionals taking pictures on their smartphones better than Larry Woodman in the best years. However, perhaps you just want to have fun and take joyful moments of life.

I liked the solution from Kodak.

Kodak Mini Shot is a simple, but very funny camera. It has an autofocus, gamma and white balance, and exposure. Also, it has Bluetooth and a small LCD-screen (1.7 inches).

Bluetooth is needed to send a picture to the phone, to edit, apply filters, and make labels. The edited photo is sent back and printed. Another application can be used as a remote control for the camera. The pictures have the size of a bank card.

Photographic paper is very pleasant to the touch, not afraid of water, and there are no fingerprints on it.

Dolce & Gabbana “All I Need is Love & Wi-Fi”

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have made a fun bag that intelligibly explains that modern girls need to have love and Wi-Fi for happiness.

And the second point, in my opinion, is even more important than the first, because who needs this love, if you can not tell about it in social networks and put a lot of photos with bouquets, restaurants and cute romantic hashtags in Instagram. The bag is very beautiful and stylish. Your woman will look like a queen.

Nebia SPA

In translation from the Italian “Nebbia” means fog. And this is the main feature of the shower head. There are so microscopic holes that instead of jets you are enveloped by a cloud of water dust. Thanks to this technology, the skin rehydration process takes place. The Nebia shower covers an area 10 times larger than the usual one, that is, it immediately becomes wet, and consequently, even cleaner, even in the most inaccessible places, while saving water is 70%.