Corning Gorilla Glass 5 could help your phone survive a five-foot fall

Smartphone displays are incredibly fragile. Some of us (or maybe a lot of us) have learned this the hard way. Corning is hoping to ease a bit the paranoia you feel when you drop your phone with the latest version of Gorilla Glass that’s heading to the market.

Previously, Gorilla Glass 4 promised an 80 percent survival rate for devices dropped from a height of one meter, which meant having the phone fall from around your waist. Now, Gorilla Glass 5 promises that 80 percent survival rate from a height of 1.6 meters, which is like having the phone in front of your face. Corning said the Gorilla Glass 5 is already in production and shipping to device makers. We should expect (or hope) upcoming devices are adopting this new tech.

Source: Corning | Via: Gizmodo

SlideShow: Amazon.ca's Holiday Showcase Event

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Amazon.ca showed off various product categories in Toronto today as curated examples of what they believe to be great gift ideas for the holiday season. Here are some picks from the event in various categories. The selection ran the gamut from various educational toys, home appliances and cookware, tools, pet supplies and even a rechargeable electric Razor scooter. Sadly, there was no mention of the Amazon Echo line of voice-powered A.I. devices coming to Canada.

I also got to see the new lineup of Kindle eReaders including the impressive new Oasis and the premium Voyage which features a leather case which doubles as a rechargeable battery. Amazon.ca is well primed to offer subscribers a range of gift ideas come December.

RECO is Indigo's new curated book recommendation app on iOS

RECO, the first iOS mobile application that provides users with access to a  global community of friends and influencers to  discover, share, capture, and discuss books through an easy-to-use and beautifully designed mobile experience.  RECO’s book recommendations are curated and shared by a trusted community of friends and experts rather than through the impersonal suggestions of an algorithm, as is widely used by other services.

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Meet Mercedes-Benz’s semi-autonomous bus

While there are ride-hailing apps and self-driving cars, there is still a need for public transport, especially since these can fit more people in. But there’s also a need for it to evolve and that’s what Mercedes-Benz is trying to do with the semi-autonomous Future Bus program. It follows a route from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport to the town of Haarlem, which is a route that has a number of bends, traffic lights, and tunnels. The Future Bus was able to navigate this route of over 20 kilometers. It has a top speed of 70km/h and promises to drive gently and smoothly so it’ll still be a safe ride for standing passengers. Yes, it still has a human driver ready to take over in case of an emergency. But Mercedes-Benz believes the technology called CityPilot in the Future Bus makes the ride both safe and efficient.

CityPilot technology is adapted from the software they use for their autonomous trucks made under the Daimler name. The bus can detect objects on the road and bus stops. And it can connect to the city’s infrastructure network so it can get information like when traffic lights will change as well as collect data for the city using its cameras to see things like road wear and tear. Inside of the bus gets so tech upgrades too as there are things like wireless charging spots in them.

Source: Daimler