ForbesOnTech

Lenovo Joins Google's Project Tango, Are Lenovo Made Lexus Phones and Tablets in the works?

An announcement in June by Lenovo that it would support and was working with Google on its Project Tango technology may turn out to be a watershed moment for both companies.

Google’s project Tango is still under development but is expected to be used in Smart phones, tablets and other intelligent devices to locate themselves within a space
( "Spatial Computinmg" Tango is non GPS, and uses machine vision to identify and delineate boundaries.

The partnership between the two companies was announced earlier this year at a consumer electronics trade show in Las Vegas.

Lenovo’s has announced it would use Google Project Tango Spatial learning technology on a forthcoming smart phone called the Phab 2, an over-sized phone Lenovo expects to deliver later this summer.

 

Project Tango technology technologies running on phones ore tablets that dive VR displays could  reduce potential  risks of VR helmeted warriors slaying imaginary gorgons and colliding with walls or other fixtures.

Lenovo’s implementation of machine vision on Android mart phones could also give the PC maker the inside tract to getting contracts to be the next manufacturer of Google Nexus house branded smart phones and tablets.

Lenovo has yet to grab much market share for US smart phones, although  its phones are commonly used in Asia where inexpensive unlocked versions of their phones have garnered reputations for high definition displays, durability long battery life and other features.—Jim Forbes on 22 June 2016.

Fugoo Tough Bluetooth Speaker, Incredible Audio Quality, Days-long battery life and Sturdy as a Tank

 

the Fugo Tough is rugged, easy to use, has extraordinary battery life and tonal quality.

The audio experience of my portable computers and more recently my cell phone have always been important parts of my user experience.

Until recently however, if I wanted to listen to music while I yank weeds or buried seedlings in my garden or putted around town on my three wheel Piaggio MP3 scooter, I had to use earbuds, which, for me, is a less than satisfactory experience.I’ve gone through countless sets of earbuds in the last 18 months, So I jumped at the chance to review Fugoo’s Tough bluetooth speaker.

TO set the stage: I've used four sets of Bluetooth speakers but come away feeling that their manufacturers spent too much time and effort focusing on bass notes and not enough time and effort on delivering mid tone audio, battery life.or the second most common use of an external Bluetooth speaker; a desktop or home teleconferencing tool.

At one point last month I was so annoyed with a Bluetooth speaker  that I turned it into a looping fastball  headed down my the road up my mountain.

I've been amazed by everything about this new six- speaker audio appliance. beginning with its stellar audio quality and happily becoming the beneficiary of its amazing battery life.

And that’s just for starters. I've used and discarded several  Bluetooth speakers because they were hard to use or had an anemic battery life.but most commonly I've discarded those speakers because the manufacturers confuse boom box bass with or more more important audio fidelity .

There’s no shortage of mass market bluetooth external speakers but the Fugoo Tough is way different. Although it lives up to its Tough name, it has a heart of gold, can roar like a lion but has a user interface that’s tame as a kitten.

The Fugo Tough isn't a featherweight audio appliance. it’s a hefty trapezoid that stays put, no matter how loud you pump up the volume. Most of this systems weight comes from its multiple omni directional speakers.  Rather than use off the shelf foreign circuits, Fugoo speakers use high efficiency custom circuits and this speakers’ power comes from a single 16550 Lithium ion battery,  which is about the same size as a conventional AAA battery.

After charging overnight. Setup was a snap, i turned  it on and it quickly sought out and paired with my ZMax ZTX phablet which runs Android 4.4. I've had some difficulty pairing and maintaining connectivity on other  Bluetooth external  speakers with previous smartphones running earlier versions of Android. But what I really like about the Fugoo Tough is how easy it was to pair it and begin playing my 1.5 GB of music, while  I worked in my just watered garden or while I was zipping around town on my somewhat whimsical three-wheel Piaggio 500cc motor scooter.

I do have one very small criticism with this Fugoo speaker:, the power switch is recessed in the top left side corner of the speaker case, and I have large hands ( I wear a size 16 ring) so it took me a couple of seconds to make tactile contact with power switch. SinceI seem to have incorporated music into my gardening hobby, the waterproof Fugoo Tough goes out to the garden with me.

And what about using the Fugo Tough for hands free phone calls? the audio is crisp and clean, there’s enough volume to fill small conference room or home office and its microphone is sensitive enough to make my shouting unneeded.

What about its battery life? So far, it’s  been playing for 21-plus hours without needing to be recharged.

Supplied to me for this review by its manufacturer the Fugoo Tough costs  $229, the which is higher than most Bluetooth speakers. but if you want a portable speaker than can stand up to the sun,surf, sand, or water, the Fugoo Tough is the Bluetooth speaker you should rush out and buy.

I’d say more, but the road and my music are in harmony now, so I’m going to fire up my scooter and head out to the coast, listenin’ to John Stewart, Allman and Doobie Brothers and smilin’--Jim Forbes on March 28, 2015

 

WHy a Phablet Works For Me: Middle aged Eyes, Enough Memory for my Music and Special Applications Are Reasons Enough

My transition from a conventional smartphone to a phablet has been much easier than I expected. I jumped form factors willingly. I haven’t dropped my new phone once and because I wear shirts with big pockets, it’s been a great fit for how use a smartphone. Right up front I have to admit that I have middle-aged eyes, so the large screen on my phablet has made it easier for me to deal with email on my phone. But most of all, I rely on text messaging-- my plan includes unlimited texting as a basic feature. more than at any time in the past. Using my phone for Internet related things has also skyrocketed. Checking to make sure 4G is commonly available in your hometown is something I recommend to anyone who is considering the jump from a conventional smartphone to a phablet. The availability of 4G cell technology was a major reason I switched from my previous carrier, AT&T, to T-Mobile. the entry price for my phablet-- about $220-- was just as important. My previous carrier offered offered a Galaxy Tab 3 that I could buy and use for email for only $10 more a month. If I wanted “to use it for voice, I could install an application that was similar to Skype,” the helpful salesman said right before I walked out the door.Carrying two phone just seems stupid-- although I have kept my old Nexus 5, in case I need access to another phone in a hurry. If you’re someone who is intellectually tied to a smartphone that can easily fit in the vest pocket of an Armani tuxedo, or a Chanel opera clutch, then a phablet probably isn't for you. Also if you’re tied to an activity tracker that works with the iPhone implanted in the right  buttocks pocket of your stylish trousers or jeans, a phablet may not be for you, just yet.

I made the switch because my ZTE Zmax phablet came standard with about 11GB of memory and I had grown tired of running out of memory or using obscure hacked memory management applications on my previous phone. My phablets bread and butter features make it possible to run sophisticated agricultural

and fishing applications that make my leisure time more fulfilling. the one downside to all smartphones and phablets is this: manufacturers use mechanical vibrators that are woefully anemic. But the major upside i’ve found in my move to a phablet is I’ve been able to forget worrying about battery life and I no longer carry an emergency power supply in the side pocket of my book bag. looking at my day to day usage, I love the reliable bluetooth transceivers that are used in almost all phablets-- because they  works in my Kia hamster van, which has a notoriously finicky blue tooth circuit, and because its standard memory configuration lets me install my GBs of Doobies, Allmans and John Stewart music without ever worrying about running out of memory. Would I do I switch back to an Android or iOS smartphone? No way.--Jim Forbes,February 20,2015.

Welcome to the 21st Century: I'm Smitten by a T-mobile ZMAX Phablet.

I recently switched cell service providers. celebrating the occasion by treating myself to my first large screen Android smart phone-- aka, my first “phablet.”

 

I am glad I waited to get a phablet. When I first started pricing the devics and comparing service contracts and features I quickly realized that a phablet would  cost about $100 a month. for service.

Wow, was I ever wrong.

Some of the reasons I left my previous carrier included my desire to lower my monthly comm bills and because they really didn’t offer a true” phablet.” in my price range

Which is why I found myself at a local T-Mobile store looking at an approximate  $225 (out the door)ZTE Zmax house brand Android smartphone with a six-inch (measured diagonally) screen.

My phablet has changed how I use a smartphone. First, I send a lot more text messages than I ever did on previous phones.Second: I’m much more likely to use my phone to connect to the Internet.

A big reason why I didn’t use my previous phone’s Internet capabilities is simple: Displayed information on itsf ive-inch-inch screen taxed my middle-age eyesight.

With a bigger screen, I immediately found myself installing and using more applications. but I still don’t like using my phone for email, except for cursory glances.

I have a simple rule for my family and close friends, ‘if you need to reach me, text me.”

I can always call them later and most often I can answer their questions by texting.

I loved the increased memory of phablets;My Zmax has 11. 64GB of storage versus 8GB on my previous phone.More system memory means I can install and use more applications.

Some of the applications I use are pretty obscure. I love a fishing app that uses my phone’s GPs reporting capability to provide me with tide and solumnar  (moon and sun phases) data.I don’t consider myself a “technical fisherman”“ but i’m approaching that rubicon because of my smart phone.

Agrivi is nother go-to app that makes managing my fsll things agricultural more enjoyable and productive.i I was first heard of Agrivi while visiting Cal Poly Pomona ( an ag and engineering college here in Southern California.)

Agrivi lets its users tap into “best agricultural practices” this app lets me track my plants and trees crops on the go.I really like a feature in Agrivi that works with three and seven day weather forecasts and multi-year weather records.

Weather and field monitoring are critical to growing avocados and peaches here in San Diego County and until I encountered this app i’d never seen or used a smartphone program that has Agrivis capabilities.

Most of the other applications on my phablet are pedestrian customer loyalty or shopping apps. the most important of these is the What’s App messaging platform

User messaging apps could force smartphone makers -- or Google-- to offer larger screen data input keyboards. Their absence  as a native feature in Android Kit Kat is a serious shortcoming.

Mandatory disclosure: I have large hands, wear a size 16 man’s’ ring. and am handicapped because of a stroke that wiped out the fine motor control on my left side-- I am “deeply embedded” left handed so I can not switch my dominant handedness.

I do have a major criticism of today’s smartphones that carries over specifically to phablets, Despite better battery life and oversized cases the  “VIbrate on ring” feature is too anemic. Manufacturers,I believe absolutely have to make this feature more powerful, and thus more useful.

Until this feature is improved,I’m resorting to a wearable $30 bluetooth wearable dongle called “Ditto” that vibrates when my phone rings, or when I get out of range of my phone’s bluetooth transceiver.

Although my ZTE Zmax is built like a Panzer, , I opted for the $10 a month replacement insurance.

I have been very surprised by the  battery life of this phablet. I’m able to go three days without recharging, despite more internet use than “I've ever experienced on a a smartphone. the battery life of the  ZTX  phablet is, much longer than other smart phones I’ve owned by a long shot and Adroid Kit Kat’s power management software is a big reason why I no longer worry about battery life, or carry a fully charged power pack in my book bag..

The Phablet form factor has  changed how I use and rely on a cell phone, which I’ll circle back on in a future post. For now, I’m a true believer in phablet computing, a dream I thought I wouldn’t live to become mainstream in my life. More on phun phablet computing in subsequent posts. Jim Forbes on 02/23/2015

 

Buckling in For the First Leg of my Adventures with Phablets.

I’m flying a coach seat on the direct flight to a new platform, Phablet computing.

“Im a big believer in the old infantry maxim of “never run when you can walk, never sit when you can lay down and always keep the load you have to hump to the lightest weight you need to carry out a mission.”

I booked my seat on the phablet flight about two months ago when I realized my book bag with its ultrabook, battery chargers, and cell phone weighed about 10 pounds. While at the conference, I noticed other writer/reporters using tablets with bluetooth keyboards.

The only bad thing about the experience at the conference was a spotty WiFi network, and its inconsistent speed and spotty connectivity made  using Google’s cloud applications problematic.

I made up my mind on the spot that I wanted to try using a tablet for basic functions.

But, I wanted to use my tablet for phone calls.as well as simple notetaking and updating my acccounts on social media sites.

My first phablet is a Samsung galaxy 3, and I love its battery life and all around utility.I use it for texting, much of my email and have installed Google Hangouts as well as Skype for voice communications. It doesn’t live in my shirt pocket, but it’s ringtones are loud enough if I'm carrying it in my jacket pocket.

It's the utility of phablets that makes me a believer. And it's Google’s cloud-base applications that make the new platform a viable option in my life. I can see this is going to be a long technological love affair , although when my current cell carrier contract expires I’ll go with a provider that offers unlimited data, voice and texts for a fixed monthly rate of less than $70 a month.

I’d like to stay with Samsung hardware, because My experience is that their handsets and tablets are affordable,  Panzer tough and not the least bit temperamental.

I’ve looked at other phablet platforms including an unlocked Nexus 5 but for now i’m happily married to Samsung.

I still have my old cell phone and my phablet is married to that phone plan.

The one downside I've experienced is not watchingm y data usage on my phablet.

i’m not ashamed to admit I’m thrifty and the idea of an excess data charge forcing me to dig deeper to pay my cell bill is an issue. As a sidenote, the one application I wish for is a graphic display of my data usage overlaid on my monthly plan limit.

The accoutrements associated with my experiment were on hand here in my office: a bluetooth speaker microphone that has the volume needed to overcome my service-with-USMC-artillery deafness, and a bluetooth keyboard I've had for a year.

Battery life on my first phablet and bluetooth accessories has never  been an issue.I use them for days without worrying about running out of power.

 

I am a creature of habit. I prefer to write  long form compositions on my beloved Acer S7 ultrabook and I don’t consider its three pound travel weight onerous.

 

Overall,I’m impressed and excited about my introduction to phablet computing.I can see pretty clearly that my aging eyes could force me to adopt a platform with a larger, high resolution, screen, but for now the new device is a tongue and groove fit for a highly mobile device that I use when I’m on the go and need to quickly take notes or update social media sites.

Seat Backs to the original up and locked position, the first leg of my phablet flight is about to land.--jim Forbes on 2/26/2014.