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Tu e sd a y, Ja n u a ry 7 , 2 0 1 4 C o n su m e r Ele c tro n ic D a ily N e ws PLANES, TRAINS, AUTOMOBILES AND MHL By Dr. Judy Chen, President, MHL, LLC It was recently reported that mobile devices now outnumber humans in the U.S. Today's consumers want access to their content anytime, anywhere, and want their smartphones to seamlessly connect to other devices and displays. Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) is a connectivity interface that allows consumers to stream HD video and surround-sound audio from smartphones, tablets and sticks to larger displays, all while charging the device. MHL products include smartphones, tablets, DTVs, TV accessories, Blu-ray Disc™ players, audio/video (AV) receivers, monitors, projectors, adapters, automotive accessories, cables and more. The MHL ecosystem now has an installed base of more than 400 million products. One area that has a lot of potential for MHL is planes, trains and automobiles. Test Driving New Technologies Product design cycles of embedded solutions in the car are much longer than smartphone design cycles. Due to the vastly disparate life cycle and development times of smartphones (nine months development with a less than 18 month life cycle) and car infotainment systems (more than three year development, with a more than 10 year life cycle), the infotainment system constantly faces the risk of being obsolete by the time it reaches the market. MHL changes the equation by enabling the connection of the smartphone to the car. Now, drivers can access their smartphone applications on their automotive infotainment systems while charging their smartphones and not having to worry about a drained phone battery at the end of the trip. INTRODUCING NEW HP CAR CAMCORDER F310 The recent influx of car camcorders into the electronics marketplace gives consumers an enhanced opportunity to verify that life is filled with interesting and unexpected events. Day to day interactions are underscored by a "see it," "save it" and "share it" mentality whereby life's every moment is recorded for any number of reasons. Whether images are captured to savor a moment or recorded to illustrate an event, timeliness, accuracy and authenticity are critical elements for telling the story. As a result, the Car Camcorder f310 by HP will be as neces- sary as car keys when you leave home. Marketed by VistaQuest Corporation, Woodland Hills, Calif., the HP Car Camcorder f310 is a compact unit with full HD1080p and a wide-angle lens to capture alluring details of a road trip or important interactions with other vehicles. For instance, if the camera is jarred, its built-in, 3-axis force sensor automatically records and saves the relevant video images in a file folder. This unique camera verifies the details that sometimes get lost in a he-said, she-said collision scenario. Of course, the f310 AMBARELLA DEMONSTRATES WEARABLE CAMERA REFERENCE DESIGN Ambarella, Inc., a developer of lowpower, HD video compression and image processing semiconductors, has announced that it is exploring with Google a new class of wearable cameras for the Helpouts application and service. The two companies will jointly demonstrate the wearable camera reference design during International CES. Polar (Cont'd. from p. 1) encouraging women, families and schools to make activity in everyday life a priority. As part of her partnership with Polar, the leader in heart rate monitoring and fitness assessment technologies, Shannon will be participating in speaking sessions on this topic at this year's CES and will also be available for autograph signing at the show. In addition to helping women make their health a priority, Shannon has a mission to help reduce childhood obesity through physical activity and education. Helpouts is a new way to share knowledge and expertise over live video. It's easy to use and incorporates scheduling and payments to allow instructors to monetize services. Ambarella-based wearable cameras with Helpouts will enable instructors to see live video from the trainee's perspective, or vice versa, supporting Through Polar technology, she has seen firsthand how heart rate training creates a whole new level of motivation for students and teachers. Instead of getting down if they aren't the strongest or first picked in a sport, students can focus on individual intensity levels during exercise and work toward personalized targets. They see how many calories they've burned and learn fitness skills that transcend any one sport. Teachers are also better equipped to assess and coach students on a more customized level, based on individual effort, not just natural athletic ability. Utilize map services and GPS technologies already in most smartphones, stream music stored on your smartphone from Pandora or Google Music, even watch Netflix or locally stored movies on the rear seat displays at up to 1080p. Spreading the Wings of In-Flight Entertainment Imagine a world where passengers can connect their smartphones to airplane seatbacks to access movies and play games on a bigger screen, all while charging their device. Thanks to the Federal Aviation Administration, by the end of the year consumers should be able to use Bluetooth devices in flight. Instead of squinting at a smartphone to play a game, why not get more mileage out of the device by pairing a wireless controller to an MHL phone and mirroring the game to the seatback display? Using MHL cables instead of the existing wiring found on planes could save engi- 31 neers 25kg per 1000 feet of cable, allowing for fuel savings, fewer engineering challenges and ultimately cheaper transportation costs. Choo-Choo-Choose the Way You Work While mostly popular in Europe, TV screens fitted to the backs of each seat can now be found in some high-speed trains. If these screens came equipped with MHL, road warriors would no longer have to place their bulky laptops on tray tables to work. They would simply connect a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to their phone to work in an entirely new way. Commutes could be much more productive. Where will MHL take you? Visit us at South Hall, booth 25910. Visit MHL at booth 25910. For more information, visit www.meetmhl.com, call 408-962-4280 or email info@meetmhl.com. comes with a built-in GPS tracking system that records location information within the video. Furthermore, motion sensor mode makes the f310 a valuable security system. The big view of the 130degree wide-angle lens produces crisp, clear details with vivid colors. The SDHC card class 4+ and 32GB of capacity allows for maximum storage opportunities within a compact unit. A flexible mounting bracket easily and quickly adjusts for placement in a variety of locations in the car. The car power adapter coupled with USB and video cables make this car camcorder ready in a flash. Many countries require such cam- eras in their automobiles. In the United States and other countries, car camcorders are a major factor in providing security solutions for transport companies serving government, private and commercial businesses. The mere presence of the car camcorder sharpens awareness of an environment and serves to thwart fraud and violence. These factors make car camcorders an important consideration for managers focusing on business efficiency and security. interactive teaching of sports, fitness, art, cooking, engineering or any other hands-on activity. Ambarella's new reference design enables small form factor wearable cameras that allow users complete mobility during a Helpouts session. The camera can record full-HD video while simultaneously streaming live video wirelessly to the Google Helpouts server via a smartphone or Wi-Fi access point. Utilizing Ambarella's A7LW camera SoC, the camera stabilizes video even when users are in motion. It provides excellent image quality in low light conditions, while its low power operation enables long battery life. "Helpouts allow people to get expert advice in real time over video," said Udi Manber, Vice President of Engineering at Google. "With easy-to-use wearable cameras, the other person sees what you see, and the interaction becomes efficient and simple." "We are delighted to be working with Google and look forward to enabling Helpouts on our new wearable camera platform," said Fermi Wang, CEO of Ambarella. "The result will be a new class of camera that enables teachers and trainees to interact in an entirely new way." Childhood obesity has more than quadrupled in the last 25 years. With an estimated one-third of all children in the United States being overweight, Shannon's efforts continue to bring awareness to the disease and help encourage children to be more physically active and gain greater nutritional knowledge. During her keynote address at this year's FitnessTech Summit, Shannon will share how she utilizes wearable technology as a busy, working mom to help her stay fit and active, and how this same technology is helping children across the nation find a love of physical activity. She will share how her passion for health and wellness helped her to become an Olympic gold medalist, encouraged her through her battle with cancer and helps her every day as a mom. On Tuesday, January 7, there will be a "Balancing Act" session from 3:303:55pm in North Hall, room N250. On Wednesday, January 8, there will be an autograph signing from 10:30am-12 pm and from 2-3pm in Polar booth 25727. Visit VistaQuest at booth 6721. For more information, email cliffmontg@aol.com. For more information, visit www.polar.com or stop by booth 25727 in South Hall 2.