Ford executive says connected cars crucial to solving gridlock

With the number of motorized vehicles in the world forecast to increase from 1 billion now to 2 billion to 4 billion by 2050, there is increased impetus to make vehicles more connected, according to Stephen Odell of Ford Motor. "If we do nothing we could end up with global gridlock," he said this week at a conference in Spain. "Cars are the smartphones of the future," Odell added. "There are many untapped opportunities for mobile to play a role in advanced automated driving." Ford was in the news recently for dropping Microsoft as the technology running its navigation and entertainment systems and choosing QNX which is owned by BlackBerry.

Source: CEA SmartBrief

Nokia approves Nokia X hack that allows it to run Google Android apps and services

It looks like Nokia’s appreciates the hacking being done on its new Nokia X device. xda-developers member Kashamalaga rooted the Nokia X to run most of the key services of Google. Nokia X runs a forked version of Android (much like what Amazon did with its Kindle line) and comes with its own app store. Kashamalaga got the smartphone to run Google Play Store and apps like Google Now, Gmail, Google Maps, and Hangouts.

The Finnish brand doesn’t seem to take offense with what xda-developers did though. They seem pleased with what xda-developers did with the device.

@KashaMalaga This is awesome! Very excited to see progress is being made - we actually really like @xdadevelopers

— Nokia Developer Team (@nokiadeveloper) February 28, 2014

Source: The Verge

Lenovo rumoured to release Windows Phone device this year

Lenovo hasn’t entered the Windows Phone market yet but recent reports claim they plan to release a Windows Phone device this year. Ubergizmo cites WP7Forum.ru reports that Lenovo will break into the Windows mobile market following the Windows Phone 8.1 announcement in April.

The device will reportedly cost around $420 and will be a mid-range device with features such as a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 or 600 processor with a 4.5-inch or 5-inch display. Of course, you have to take these rumours with a grain of salt. But we will keep you posted on any updates.

Wacom to allow cross-platform sharing of handwritten notes

Wacom wants its users to be able to share notes across devices and platforms with its new tool. The Wacom Ink Layer Language or WILL is designed to capture pen stroke coordinates, creator identity, and pressure to allow for the cross-platform sharing. This concept will also work to allow editing by other users. The company will start promoting WILL through the distribution of the SDK to iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac OS platforms, as well as cloud-based platforms and browsers. They hope to gain partners to develop the idea further and make the concept a reality.

Source: Engadget