Internet communications threaten mobile networks

Recent research has found that mobile networks may be losing £8.8bn to social networking applications. Popular messaging apps such as Whatsapp and Blackberry Messenger could be proving very costly to networks. Ovum, the organisation which conducted the research, monitored how smartphone users used their messaging apps, which also included Facebook Chat. As well as common apps used in the UK, they also studied popular messaging apps from other countries, like MXit, used in South Africa. Ovum suggested networks work together to counter the threat from internet-based communications. Experts also believe the way networks charge their customers can protect them from potential losses. Social networking apps use internet connections rather than the more traditional text messaging system which is more expensive. The apps, however, are not free to use. They use mobile data which can cost users money, and therefore provides additional income for networks. The research suggested networks work with app developers by providing them with information about app users. Mobile networks which sell the handsets can control which apps are loaded onto the handsets before sale. Another research group, Enders, believe this isn’t the full picture. They claim people use these apps to avoid texting people on international networks, rather than sending an email. Users wouldn’t have spent money on communication regardless of their method of choice. Some research suggests only 4% of users send messages using Whatsapp in a given month whilst a YouGov poll found that 81% of mobile users still believed text messages were the main method to use for messaging contacts.

Microsoft demonstrates vocal translator

Experimental programs that use speech recognition to perform real-time language translations have been kicking around for years now, but Microsoft took the idea to a new level at its TechFest 2012 event. Like other translators, the software developed by Microsoft Research allows you to talk to it in your native tongue and send it out the speaker of a device as another language — Spanish, French, Chinese, or such. What comes out of that speaker, though, isn’t the ersatz speech of a computer robot, but an ersatz approximation of what you sound like. What’s more, the software will create a 3D image of your head that makes it look as if you’re speaking the translation. Called Monolingual TTS, the system currently has 26 languages in its repertoire. Acquainting the system with a voice does take more time than it does in your typical speech recognition program — about an hour of training Monolingual TTS in your vocal tones. If the application can be stuffed into a smartphone, it would be a boon to international travelers. Language training is also a good fit for the technology. Microsoft’s vision in the translation space is broader than what has been produced by its rivals. It wants to use lifelike virtual avatars that not only mimic your looks but also your voice and the movements of your lips when you speak. The results produced from that vision can be impressive, but they can be creepy, too. Google, which has a widely-used online text-based translator, has also been delving into speech-based translation. Google’s approach is to enable you to speak into a device in your native tongue and have the device turn your speech into the language you want and send it out its speaker in a synthetic voice. The person you’re speaking to can then answer you in their native language, which your device will translate into your language.

Cars and phones getting connected

It has been said cars are becoming more like smartphones. But what if your car became so integrated with a phone that the two worked as one? That’s the goal of some major automakers, and one in particular has recently announced new technological advancements in this regard. Mercedes-Benz is integrating the Apple iPhone into new A-Class automobiles. With the addition of the “Digital DriveStyle App” and Drive Kit Plus for the Apple iPhone, A-Class cars will use the iPhone to access content, and even Apple’s iPhone-based assistant Siri is along for the ride. The technology will allow iPhone content to be displayed on the vehicle’s dashboard screen, and drivers can control the phone using the controller on the center armrest. But drivers can also use Siri while in the vehicle. As with most automakers, Mercedes-Benz also has driver safety on its mind. The user interface is designed to be easy to use, with transparent symbols illuminated in red to create three-dimensionally arranged navigation levels. The automaker says this allows the driver to move intuitively between the different functions. And by enlarging the iPhone content and displaying it on the in-vehicle screen, Mercedes says it’s less likely to be distracting. In addition to bringing smartphones into the car, automakers are also bringing apps into the driving experience. Ford has said it’s working on a software platform called OpenXC that would make it easier to add apps to vehicles. OpenXC is an open-source hardware and software platform developed by Ford Research and Innovation and Bug Labs. It’s designed to allow for open-source application development, essentially making the car available for app creation in the same way as smartphones.