Mobile phone warning signs take to the road

A new deterrent sign is to be trialled in an attempt to caution motorists who are using their phones whilst driving.

A roadside system that detects if a mobile phone is in use in a passing vehicle is being piloted in a UK first.

Despite being unable to pick up whether the driver is using the phone, it is hoped it will act as a deterrent to people making calls behind the wheel.

The technology picks up the phone signal in the vehicle and activates a roadside warning sign of a mobile with a red line through it.

Being initially tested in Norfolk, the system cannot record footage.

However, it is designed to pick up whether the phone is being used hands-free or via a vehicle's Bluetooth system and as a result will not trigger the sign.

Chris Spinks, of Westcotec the firm behind it and former head of roads policing in Norfolk, said: "So many people, by force of habit, can't resist using their phone.

"The system cannot differentiate between a driver and the passengers on a bus, for example, but this goes some way towards remotely warning drivers that they can be detected using their phone."

The signs are in place in four locations in Norfolk before being moved on to new sites within the county in a month's time.

How does the system work?

Using a directional antenna, the detector picks up radio waves emitted from a phone handset, and measures the signal strength and length of activation.

When a signal is detected of a duration and signal strength sufficient to activate the system, the detector triggers the sign.

The detector is able to distinguish Bluetooth connections which, when picked up, will prevent the trigger activation.

Peter Williams, RAC road safety spokesperson, said: "While this new signage is no replacement for a uniformed police officer catching someone in the act, it could be enough to make some drivers think twice - and that has to be a positive step forward.

"So ironically, just as technology has enabled the problem of drivers using mobile phones illegally, it can also be a big part of the solution in getting people to stop."

Statistics from the devices will be shared with Norfolk Police, the county council said.

The council said that enabling the system to record specific number plates could be a "future development" with it.

Insp Jonathan Chapman, of Norfolk Roads Policing unit, said: "Any scheme which prevents this kind of behaviour is welcomed.

"Using a mobile phone at the wheel is one of the fatal four road offences which can have devastating consequences if it causes a fatal or serious collision."

Mobile phone thief caught within hours in Dubai

An African man, who stole a mobile phone from a shop while posing as buyer, was nabbed by the Dubai Police within hours of the incident, while he was eyeing his next target. The mobile thief was referred to the Dubai Public Prosecution. 

On being informed that there had been a theft in a mobile shop on Al Mutaina Road, the cops leapt into action and rushed to the site. They found a swelling crowd outside the shop.

The complainant told the police that a Nigerian man entered his shop and asked him for a mobile phone. He got him distracted by requesting him to show more handsets. During the process, he stole a mobile phone worth Dh2,500. The complainant said it was only after the suspect left the shop that he discovered the theft.

Police sounded an alert to other mobile phone shops after the incident and issued description of the suspect. The same day around midnight, the African was spotted roaming outside some mobile phone shops. The cops were informed, who reached the place immediately and arrested him.

Why Just Having Your Phone Near You Messes With Your Brain

Arianna Huffington and her team at wellness company Thrive Global might’ve been onto something when they put a $100 mini “Phone Bed” up for sale designed to separate people from their devices while they sleep.
                                                 

A recent study by researchers from the University of Texas at Austin, the University of California, San Diego and Disney Research sought to determine how just having your smartphone near you, even if you aren’t looking at it or using it, can affect you cognitively.

The researchers asked some participants to turn off their phone’s sound and vibration notifications, and some to power off their phones. They then divided the participants, asking some to place their phones in front of them, face-down, others to stow their phones in their pockets or bags and others yet to keep them in another room during the experiments. The participants who performed best on the tasks were of the latter group, followed by the ones who stowed their devices. The worst performers were the ones whose phones were on their desks during the tasks.

As for why this happens, the researchers explain that “humans learn to automatically pay attention to things that are habitually relevant to them, even when they are focused on a different task.” This is why your ears perk up when you hear someone say your name across the room, for example, even while you’re in the middle of a conversation with someone else. When you try to ignore the pull of your smartphone, you’re expending effort to suppress this urge, which is a distraction that makes you think less effectively.

There’s plenty of anecdotal and scientific evidence to prove that smartphones are detrimental to our health and well being. They’re anxiety inducing, cause car accidents and distract us from work and social bonding. But that doesn’t mean they’re inherently bad. Smartphones, of course, add efficiency, convenience and connectivity to our lives.

The first Android Go phone is here

Last spring, Google said it was taking another shot at reworking Android to keep it running fast and smooth on lower-end devices. The initiative was called Android Go, and the very first phone running it — technically, “Android Oreo (Go Edition)” — is being announced today by Alcatel. It’s called the Alcatel 1X, and, well, it’s not all that much to get excited about.
                                                 

That’s partly because the 1X is a low-end phone, which means it has to impress on value rather than specs and flourishes. But it’s also because, in our initial hands on with the phone, the operating system didn’t run all that smoothly, despite Google’s optimizations. Stay tuned as we’ll have more impressions on Android Go throughout the week, but Alcatel hasn’t given us a thrilling first look.

The first unit of the 1X that I tried out was so sluggish as to feel broken. The app drawer stuttered every time it was flung open, the camera couldn’t hold an image, and I somehow watched the dialer render from low to high res after it opened. I didn’t know that was possible.

I tried out a second unit of the 1X just to see if all was the same, and for some reason, that unit was working much better, despite there being no apparent hardware differences — there was still stuttering all over the interface, but the phone was at least fairly quick about getting through it. The experience wasn’t exactly good, but it at least didn’t feel broken.

Sleepless kids linked to night time mobile phone use

Parents should consider setting clear boundaries for their teenager’s mobile phone use — especially at bedtime — to give their child the best start to the new school year, a WA expert says.
                                                   

Former schoolteacher Lynette Vernon, a lead researcher with Murdoch University’s school of psychology and exercise science, said teachers were increasingly dealing with tired students in the classroom.

Dr Vernon’s world-first study as part of her PhD found late-night phone use was directly linked to problems with coping skills, depressed moods, lower self-esteem and aggressiveness in students.

Dr Vernon said with school holidays winding down, it was an ideal time for parents to discuss with their child how they were using their device and rules they could put in place.

“I would negotiate, it shouldn’t come to 10 o’clock at night and the phone goes off and they are not knowing why,” she said. “If they are teenagers in particular it will end up causing a lot of friction. It is best to have a conversation around the table about everyone’s digital media use and think about good habits to get a good night’s sleep as you get back to school.”

Dr Vernon said an option was to ban devices from bedrooms.

An Australian Psychological Society survey late last year found teenagers spent 3.3 hours a day on social media, with some logging on to their favourite sites as many as 50 times a day.

It found almost 80 per cent of Australian teenagers had “high mobile phone involvement” which involves using a phone for no particular purpose or being unable to reduce use.

Dr Vernon said parents could gauge if mobile phone and social media use was becoming problematic by asking their child questions, including whether they became moody or irritable when they could not have access.

Apple tells iPhone users why their older phones are slowing down

Apple tells iPhone users why their older phones are slowing down Apple tells iPhone users why their older phones are slowing down 
                                                   

Apple is explaining publicly why some people might notice their iPhones slowing down.

The company confirmed on Wednesday that it has algorithms in place to help keep an iPhone running at optimal performance -- preventing it from shutting down entirely -- if there is an older battery inside that can't keep up with the required power.

Apple was responding to a backlash after reports on Reddit suggested that the company was purposefully lowering the clock speeds, or how fast the phone's processor runs, after a few years of use.

"Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices," Apple explained to CNBC. "Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components."

Apple said it introduced a feature last year for the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to "smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions."

TechCrunch first reported on Apple's response.

Apple said that feature has been extended to the IPhone 7 and will be added to "other products in the future."

Apple had to release an update for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s last year after users reported that their phones were shutting down unexpectedly, even if the phone still showed there was juice in the battery.

The best smartphones and Android phones for any budget

You check your phone a dozen times a day. At least. It’s how you talk to your loved ones, devour box-sets, buy groceries, keep up with the world and even browse for next season’s wardrobe. In short, you don’t want to be stuck with a dud phone. These are the best mobile phones you can buy right now.
                                         

WIRED Recommends is your definitive guide to the best technology. Click here for more no-nonsense buying guides.

WIRED Recommends: Samsung Galaxy Note 8

Pros: Superb hardware
Cons: High price

Samsung has made phone buying easy for those who like Android and have a lot of money to spend. It may cost almost £900, roughly double the price of the original Note from 2011, but the Galaxy Note 8 is an almost faultless phone.

Its screen is a mammoth 6.3 inches across, but as the Note 8 has an ultra-widescreen display and almost no bulk around it, it’s surprisingly easy to handle. Apple’s iPhone 8 Plus is almost 4mm wider, despite its smaller 5.5-inch screen.

Like previous Note phones, a smart stylus turns the screen into a miniature graphics tablet. It may be the best feature you almost never use, but is just not found elsewhere.

The Note 8 also has one of the most versatile cameras going. There are two sensors on the rear, for lossless 2x zoom, and great optical image stabilisation in both lenses maintains good image quality even at night.

Best mid-range smartphone: Honor 9

Pros: Great value, advanced features
Cons: Little wrong with it at the price

Apple and Samsung smashed through the smartphone price ceiling in 2017. The Honor 9 is a reminder that spending £1,000 on a phone is completely unnecessary for most people.

At £390, it crams-in a rather unlikely amount of tech, beating what Samsung, LG and even the Moto series offer at the price. That includes a high-end CPU, 64GB of storage and a great 5.2-inch screen.

A dual rear camera also has a crack at the 2x lossless zooming the iPhone 7 Plus made mainstream in 2016. It’s not quite as effective, but at half the price we’re lucky to get such features at all. An ultra-shiny glass and metal finish completes the Honor 9’s successful impersonation of a £500-plus phone.

Its main issue is the OnePlus 5. While more expensive, that phone has a slightly better camera and a larger screen.