Radcomm Weekly Tech Roundup 07/03/2018

Welcome to the Radcomm UK’s Weekly Tech Roundup. Here, you will find the latest and greatest tech stories all in one convenient spot; ensuring you are kept up to date with current events. If you wish to join our mailing list, feel free to drop us an email at sales@radcommuk.co.uk and we’ll sign you up straight away. Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for news updates and exclusive online deals.

1. Cyber Security, Big Data, and AI top technologies for Healthcare Firms: Infosys report

Cybersecurity, Big Data analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are among the top technologies employed by healthcare and life sciences firms across the world according to a report by global software. 

‘Cybersecurity (77 percent), Big Data analytics (72 percent) and AI (59 percent) are the three digital technologies most utilised by healthcare firms currently,’ Infosys said in its report titled ‘Digital Outlook for Healthcare and Life Sciences Industry’.

TheNewsMinute reported that the survey had included companies from seven different countries across the world, however, Infosys have not named the countries and companies who participated in the survey.

The survey was designed to identify tech trends in the healthcare industry and to evaluate ways in which this technology has improved their operations. Big Data proved to be surprisingly beneficial for the healthcare companies surveyed, and has been utilised for predicting risk and onset of health problems.

‘What surprised us, though, was that most customers have done the front-end to improve experience to counter the newer players that are coming to eat their lunch, but very few have made the attempt to create rapid innovation cycles, powered by data insights and reimagining the core,’ Ravi Kumar S, deputy chief operating officer at Infosys, said. Kumar said they expected some industry segments like retail, which had embraced digital in a big way, would have done this, but they didn’t realise that it was largely focused on the front end.

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‘We knew that some industries have typically lagged, but even some of the advanced industries still have to catch up,’ he said. IT companies have said there is a growing opportunity to stitch the customer-experience front-end with the large, traditional applications at the backend. Deals are getting larger, with pilot projects turning into full-fledged deals. The report showed companies are investing in a wide range of offerings — retail in augmented reality, automotive in connected cars and utilities looking at tech for omnichannel customer experience.

2. Nokia’s 8110 makes a comeback

Following the successful relaunch of the Nokia 3310 last year, attendees at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona were given another blast from Nokia’s past; a refurbished Nokia 8110, which is set to launch this year. (Yes you can play Snake on it.) 

The mobile gained a cult-like following after it’s successful cameo appearance in the 1999 film The Matrix. However, the original Nokia 8110 was actually launched three years prior to its big break on screen, back in 1996.

Iconic.

‘This is a return to the glory years of Nokia,’ said Ian Fogg, senior analyst at IHS Markit.

‘But it also includes all the new technology.’

The 22-year-old-phone has been handed some decent upgrades to bring the mobile device into 2018. The new 8110 will come with 4G, a handful of apps such as Google Maps, Facebook, and Twitter (and yes Snake is on there). However, in order to keep costs down; the mobile will sport a fairly basic operating system, and users won’t be able to download other popular apps. As a result, the handset can be purchased for a modest €79 (approximately £70.46).  The 8110 can last for 25 days in standby mode.

Fogg attributes the recent rise in popularity of ‘basic phones’ to their reliability, and their ability to run long times on a single charge.

Nokia had previously been the world’s largest manufacturer of mobile phones, however, the firm struggled to adapt throughout the Smartphone Revolution; and consequently fell behind current market leaders Apple and Samsung.

3. Drone-tracking system facilitates delivery via air for the UK

Developments in creating an automated drone-tracking system could facilitate commercial operators to fly unmanned drones allowing for greater distances to be covered. 

As it stands, owners are currently required to keep drones in their own line of site (unless they have been given special permission otherwise).

With the aim of launching a fully automated delivery service in 2019/2020; the system is currently being co-developed by the air traffic control service Nats alongside start-up company Altitude Angel.

Drones are strictly restricted to lower-level airspaces, and under the proposed plans this would remain the same. This (in theory) will prevent drones from crashing into each other as well as any other manned aircraft (all of which are already tracked.

‘This technology will enable us to be able to create a single picture so we can see where everyone is intending to fly and where they are already flying,’ the head of drones at Nats, Andrew Sage, told the BBC.

‘Altitude Angel has a lot of expertise in data management that we don’t have within Nats… and we are deploying that technology so we can react more quickly.’

Sage added that these new developments will aid in tackling the number of close misses between drones and planes which have been on the rise.

4. Poachers targeted by AI

Google has teamed up with the Zoological Society of London to help detect poachers and to recognise animals through artificial intelligence. 

Currently; millions of images which are captured through heat or motion detection cameras have to be manually processed. However, that is set to change through the efforts of Google and the Zoological Society of London; who are currently deloping an algorithm specifically designed for this task.

Google’s algorithm is capable of recognising animals and distinguishing between different types. This works off a database filled with previous examples. According to Sy News, approximately a million and a half images were used in the development of this model.

‘Machine learning has the potential to really speed up our analysis of these images to help species identification,’ says Sophie Maxwell, Conservation Technology Lead at ZSL.

‘It also helps us to detect poachers in the field. We can download the algorithms to sit on the cameras themselves so that they can detect humans in the images in real time, and raise alerts of those in protected areas so that we can respond to these threats.’

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Google’s algorithm is set to detect poachers. Poachers; you have been warned.

However, this algorithm isn’t without its flaws. Subtle variations are able to trick even the most advanced and sophisticated algorithms. In December, a team from MIT tricked Google’s algorithm into thinking that a photo of skiers was a dog. These are known as ‘adversarial examples’ and wouldn’t pose an issue if the decision was left to be made by a human.

However, the accuracy levels look set to consistently improve in the future according to Matt McNeil; Head of Google Cloud Customer Engineering.

‘As you start creating more extensive models which are trained on much larger datasets they start becoming much more resilient to changes in pixels. Being able to be more accurate really.’

‘I think there is an aspect which is simply related to the quantity and the depth of training.’

This highlights just one of many ways that machine learning is being groomed to take on new challenges in the future.

5. Amazon’s top-selling Drones: 2018

Every week, we’ll take a look at the highest trending products on the net, to let you know the hottest gizmos and gadgets out there. This week, we’ll be taking a look at the top 5 Drones on Amazon, highlighting the model, the price, and the people’s verdict.

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See below for the top 5 most sold Drones currently on Amazon including features, price, rating and a hand-picked review from the Radcomm UK team.

5. EACHINE E010 Mini Quadcopter Drone for Kids (Green)

Price: £16.69

Rating: 4 Stars

360 DEGREE ROLLING: The simple flying of WSAD is to boring, but the new 3D rolling special effects surprise all the people to makes it possible for excellent performance of flips and rolls by simple push of the button. It is very easy to use even for the beginner.

  • [MORE FEATURES]: E010 mini drone can be said that it has all features of 4CH 6Axis quadcopter,2.4G remote control technology,High/Low speed-shift, 360 degree rolling and One key course reverysal, so it is a flying explorer who dares to roll.
  • [2.4GHz REMOTE CONTROL]: Based on 2.4 GHz remote control technology, so the mini quadcopter can be controlled more precisely, its remote control system is simple to set up and fly, making it ideal for beginners.
  • [360 DEGREE ROLLING]: The simple flying of WSAD is to boring, and the new 3D rolling special effects surprise all the people, making the rc helicopter possible for excellent performance of flips and rolls.
  • [ONE-KEY RETURN]: With built-in positioning system, the drone quadcopter can auto locate the remote control, just press the one key return button, rc drone will automatically come back to you.
  • [SERVICE GUARANTEE]: Please note EACHINE only sells BRAND NEW products. If you found that the box tape was teared down or some accessories was missing in package when you received the item, please don’t worry, we have tested our product before shipment in order to ensure the products are in good condition. If you have any problem about product, please do not hesitate to contact us, we will try our best to help.

Radcomm’s top review – Laurie Park

Having heard about drones I had to try one. An Eachine.

4. PTL® Radio Remote Control RC Helicopter

Price: £12.99

Rating: 3.5 Stars

If you’ve flown any of our other helicopters you’ll know what a dream these are to fly and its ready to go right out of the box! The Hornet co axial rotor 3.5 channel remote control helicopter with Winch is great for both beginners and experience pilots. This super fun infrared RC helicopter is extremely stable due to its built in gyro, just watch it hover in mid-air! Equipped with a 4-in-1 infrared receiver (Gyro, ESC, Mixer, Receiver), the indoor helicopter can move in 6 directions. A crash-resistant alloy frame and light plastic fuselage make the RC helicopter sturdy and durable.

This awesome Hornet remote control helicopter boasts a flying range of up to 10 feet. Sporting a front led search light the indoor gyro helicopter is great for flying in the dark. Overall, this is one of the most fun remote control helicopters and unbeatable value for money!

This is a top remote control helicopter for kids, so don’t hesitate to buy yours now and watch their faces light up with joy!
  • PERFECT HELICOPTER FOR BEGINNERS & PROS – Playtech Logic PL342 (aka V388) Hornet full function 3.5 channel gyro helicopter with simple controls and demo mode is perfect for beginners, whilst the multi-speed functions and precise winch loading aspect challenge the more experienced pilot. Hike up the difficulty level with more complex winch loading tasks
  • READY TO RUN WITH 3 CHANNELS FOR HEAD TO HEAD RACING FUN this steady, durable mini rc helicopter has increased distance/range from previous models and is easily controlled from up to 10 feet (3m) away. It comes with 3 selectable control channels for head-to-head racing fun for kids. The built in rechargeable battery gives 7-9 minutes flight time and can be charged via its USB cable or through the transmitter. Recharge your gyro helicopter anywhere!
  • STABLE INDOOR & OUTDOOR RC HELICOPTER – the PL342 (aka V388) Hornet RC helicopter is light and small enough to be flown indoors while leaving your furniture intact! Meanwhile the surprisingly powerful motor and gyro enable this great mini RC helicopter to cope with a slight breeze outdoors – even with a full winch.
  • WINCH LOADING & SEARCH LIGHT – more than just the usual fast, agile and aerobatic indoor RC helicopter, the PL342 (aka V388) Hornet’s winch loading function gives both beginner and experienced pilots hours of entertainment shipping all-sorts of cargo around. Too lazy to get your mobile phone from the other side of the room? This could be a tricky one, but doable if the phone is small enough to fit! The helicopter winch is capable of a surprisingly heavy load.
  • THE PERFECT GIFT for boys and girls (great for bigger boys like Dad too!), the PL342 (aka V388) Hornet indoor remote control helicopter is a great all year round remote control toy with a crash proof alloy frame. Measuring in at 22cm long it’s larger than many similar mini RC helicopters with the great extra feature of its own winch loader. Everything you need is included. Just charge and go! (WINCH COLOUR: RED/YELLOW – COLOUR SUPPLIED MAY VARY.)

Radcomm’s top review – Ferny4

3. Hensych® Aluminum Remote Controller Antenna Signal Booster Range Extender for DJI MAVIC PRO / DJI SPARK/DJI MAVIC AIR

Price: £9.29

Rating : 4.5 Stars

  • Using imported specular aluminum sheets, high reflectance 95% with stronger signal.
  • Foldable, convenient to carry. Aluminum Remote Controller Antenna Signal Booster Range Extender for DJI MAVIC PRO.
  • Mould technology, precise trepanning, easy to install.
  • Glue the aluminum sheet completely to the shell, won’t fall off.
  • Package include: 1X signal booster for mavic.( Remote control is not include)

Radcomm’s top review – Col

2. EACHINE E010 Mini Quadcopter Drone for Kids (Red)

Price: £16.69

Rating: 4 Stars

  • [MORE FEATURES]: E010 mini drone can be said that it has all features of 4CH 6Axis quadcopter,2.4G remote control technology,High/Low speed-shift, 360 degree rolling and One key course reverysal, so it is a flying explorer who dares to roll.
  • [2.4GHz REMOTE CONTROL]: Based on 2.4 GHz remote control technology, so the mini quadcopter can be controlled more precisely, its remote control system is simple to set up and fly, making it ideal for beginners.
  • [360 DEGREE ROLLING]: The simple flying of WSAD is to boring, and the new 3D rolling special effects surprise all the people, making the rc helicopter possible for excellent performance of flips and rolls.
  • [ONE-KEY RETURN]: With built-in positioning system, the drone quadcopter can auto locate the remote control, just press the one key return button, rc drone will automatically come back to you.
  • [SERVICE GUARANTEE]: Please note EACHINE only sells BRAND NEW products. If you found that the box tape was teared down or some accessories was missing in package when you received the item, please don’t worry, we have tested our product before shipment in order to ensure the products are in good condition. If you have any problem about product, please do not hesitate to contact us, we will try our best to help.

Radcomm’s top review – MM

1. DROCON Cyclone X708W Drone with HD Camera

 

Price: £39.99

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Just plug your Fire TV Stick into an HDTV and start streaming in minutes. Use the included Alexa Voice Remote to search across apps and find the best way to watch. The Fire TV Stick has the fastest Wi-Fi and most accurate voice search of any streaming media stick. Shows start faster and stream more smoothly than ever before.

  • HIGH-QUALITY DRONE GREAT FOR BEGINNERS: Equipped with REAL-TIME WI-FI transmission and 720p camera,Great choice for starting their journey with drone flying. It’s made of premium materials and comes at a fantastic price.
  • ONE-KEY RETURN FOR EASY CONTROL: Never lose your drone again! The one-key return feature of this drone ensures you never have to worry about losing this drone. Wherever you are flying, hit the one-key return button and it will return straight to you.
  • REAL-TIME WI-FI TRANSMISSION WITH 720P Camera: Take things to new highs and enjoy a live video feed in high-definition straight to your mobile device with the all new FPV Wi-Fi feature.
  • TWIN-SPEED MODES: Whether you’re already skilled or a first time flier, there is a speed that will suit you. Plus, the unique streamlined-shaped body structure improves aerodynamics, thus reducing air resistance and makes landing operation more stable.
  • NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT LOSING IT: Thanks to the headless mode, control of this drone is easy and you do not need to worry about the direction of the drone when flying it. You’ll have total control for a straightforward flying experience.

Radcomm’s top review – S Wareham