The Chinese governmental business registration agency, QCC, has recently updated its database in January 2022, and a reporter from ITHome has noticed that Xiaomi recently invested in a small tech startup called Ultraception that focuses on UWB technology.

From the database, it is known that Ultraception was established in 2019, registered under its CEO Dong Zongyu, and the company is currently worth 6.5 million in shares after Xiaomi had purchased shares of the company. From its company description, the company also dabbles in the data server business, the semiconductor business and in the telecommunications business as well. 

Ultra-Wide Band technology, also commonly referred to as UWB in the industry, is a radio-based communication technology for short-range use and fast and stable transmission of data. It is set to replace the infrared light sensors found inside of our technology today because UWB technology consumes less energy compared to infrared technology.

Although UWB technology has been with humanity since the early 1990s, it was until the 2020s when the technology was readily available to the general public with the technology incorporated into our smartphones, smart home and trackers. Most notably, the Samsung SmartTag Plus and Apple Airtags were launched in 2021 with UWB technology on board to enable more accurate tracking in a more power-efficient manner, since these devices are not meant to be plugged into a power outlet daily.

As for details of how Xiaomi may use this UWB technology for its products in the future, Xiaomi demonstrated that it will use UWB technology for controlling its smart home devices. With help from software calculation algorithms, Xiaomi had achieved centimeter-level positioning and ±3° angle measurement accuracy using UWB technology.

Xiaomi says that this Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology gives smartphone and smart devices spatial perception capabilities, similar to something like Indoor GPS. With this technology, the user can just point the smartphone to any device and a control card for the same will automatically pop up on the screen.

As of now, only the Xiaomi Mix 4 supports the UWB technology but hopefully, with the latest update on Xiaomi investing more into UWB technology, we hope Xiaomi brings this technology to more of its devices in the future.

RELATED:

• Xiaomi Debuts “Pure Mode” on its MIUI in China, similar to “Security Check” Found on ColorOS
• Xiaomi’s latest Mi Mix 4 teasers point to a UWB tech & UD camera; Tempered glass leaks
• Xiaomi demonstrates Ultra Wide Band technology for controlling smart home devices

(Via)

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Drones usually utilise waypoint GPS to orient themselves which helps keep them stable while in flight, allowing pilots to hover and to make sure they don’t fly above the 400-foot ceiling required by regulators in countries like the US. Also unmanned droneds rely on GPS network for navigation. But GPS network may experience some down time for several reasons. Thus, in areas where there is no GPS, Israeli startup Sightec has come out with a technology which could help in navigation.

The company disclosed (via) today that it has been able to deploy the technology to fly a civilian drone to its destination in an area without GPS. The feat, a “worldwide first”, was carried out in a flight to an area beyond the experimenters’ line of sight, using computer vision and artificial intelligence technologies.

Sightec CEO roy Samuel sees the success of the test as an important milestone towards the approval of drone delivery operations in Israel. The test flight was actually a demonstration meant for the drone delivery pilot program operated by Israel’s Ministry of Transport (MOT), Ayalon Highways, the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI), and Israel Innovation Authority, for testing and demonstrating drone technologies in managed airspace.

Sightec developed a software, dubbed NavSight, that can be deployed on any off-the shelf drone that has a camera onboard. The software utilses the cameras as smart affordable sensors that enable the drone to “see and understand its surroundings” like the human pilot by using video processing technology to help the drone identify its location in real-time.

How it works is that the route is pre-programmed into the drone before the flight with the intent to use GPS. But if GPS fails, the camera turns on automatically and acts as a sensor. In this way, the drone is able to visualize its surroundings in real-time, matching what it sees with a map and pinpoint its own location, both in day and night missions. The technology is able to detect and classify ground and aerial objects, as well as perform 3D mapping, to fully understand its environment. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is then able either to land safely in emergency mode or get to its final location without the use of the GPS or a human pilot.

RELATED;

• Sony Airpeak drone designed for filmmaking showcased at CES 2021
• LS-MIN Mini Drone Quadcopter available for just $20.99 at Banggood
• DJI FPV Combo drone appears in unboxing video ahead of launch; full specs leaked too

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Imagine what would it mean if there was a device that would help you locate friends when going for hiking, hunting, skiing or just decided to go play paintball or any other outdoor activity. Well, you should stop imagining as such a device is already possible and it’s called XQUAD. The XQUAD helps you track up to 30 people at the same time and send messages to them without the need of cellular coverage or a phone.

Unlike other one-on-one GPS trackers, XQUAD has implemented the U-Blox platform and collecting each one of the members’ real-time location information allows you to put everyone in a more comprehensive radar map so that you know who is close to you when you need help, and who is falling behind.

The device can message whoever you need to message without the need for a smartphone and most importantly, without any fees. In addition, you can set up a safe zone when you’ve finally found a place to pitch your camp.

Just set the zone and stay alert when someone crosses the line. Safe Zone will also move along with the leader, if someone falls behind or moving too fast ahead, an alarm will be triggered to notify everyone in the group.

The XQUAD has already reached its funding goal on Indiegogo and the campaign will go on for another 2 weeks so you have time to check it out and back the project. According to the information provided, it is in production as we speak and should be delivered soon. To find out all the information, visit the campaign page.

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It is still a couple of months before Disney releases a new episode of Star Wars saga but Star wars themed products are already making the rounds. Popular watch maker, Garmin has launched a couple of Star Wars-themed smartwatches dubbed Legacy Saga Series.

The new Legacy Saga series is a collection of Star Wars-themed smartwatches which features some customisations that Star Wars fans may find appealing. Even the Garmin Connect app is influenced by the charactes in order to give Star Wars fans a unique experience. The series contains two smartwatches inspired by Rey and Darth Vader. The smartwatches come with engraved slogans and the bezels are designed with character insignias that pay tribute to the two Star Wars characters.

EDITOR’S PICK: Top Upcoming Smartphones of October 2019

The Rey Special Edition smartwatch is equipped with a premium Jedi-inspired white leather strap (There is also an extra white silicone band insid ethe box). The Jedi insignia is also engraved on the silver bezel. The wearable device includes character-themed watch faces, goal animations, and a Jedi-themed Garmin Connect app experience that offers users exclusive visuals and badges, Rey-inspired avatars and more. The watch is said to offer up to seven days of battery life when in smartwatch mode.

On the other hand, the Darth Vader Speacial edition uses a premium-looking black leather strap with Sith-red stitching and textured gray nubuck leather interior (there is also an extra black strap in the box). The bezel is textured with details inspired by Vader’s TIE Advanced X1 cockpit and the “Rule the galaxy” quote. You also get character-themed watch faces and exclusive content. However, the battery life on this model is notched up a bit higher to 8 days.

Both smartwatches aso come with GPS and are presently available for $400.

UP NEXT: Pete Lau teases the OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition

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The latest rugged model from Ulefone, Armor 6E, is already in the market for some time now and has won the buyers’ preference for its great performance in outdoor performance and durability. The Armor 6E has gained up to 98% of good reputation from the users since it has been launched. You have already seen several videos about its performance and durability but today Ulefone released another one demonstrating the positioning performance of the device compared with iPhone XS. Let’s have a look.

As shown in the video, the 2km distance covered by the runner along the seaside was accurately recorded by the Armor 6E while the iPhone XS deviated from the original route. This means that in this case, the Armor 6E performed better than the $1000 opponent. The Armor 6E comes equipped with GPS, Glonass, and Beidou navigation system, offering wider and stable satellite signal reception, accurate positioning and navigation routes, making a perfect assistant when you get lost outdoors and want to find the right way.

Besides the excellent navigation capabilities, Armor 6E also comes with powerful specs like the 6.2″ FHD+ display covered with Gorilla Glass 5, Helio P70 SoC backed by 4GB/64GB memory configuration, 16MP/2MP dual rear camera setup, and an 8MP selfie shooter. In addition, there is a 5000mAh battery, face and fingerprint unlock, NFC with Google Pay support, global network coverage, and Android 9 Pie OS.

Until July 17th, Ulefone Armor 6E is on promotion over at Aliexpress costing just $197.49, a very low price for its specs. You can grab yours here.

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The Global Positioning System will witness “GPS Week Rollover Event” starting April 6th. US government owned 31 GPS satellites will see a date counter reset which could impact several smart devices globally. Similar to Y2K, the issue is related to dates.

Unlike Gregorian calendar, where we use days, months and years date format, these GPS satellites use 10 bits to count the week number. In a single run, GPS stores and count up to 1024 weeks (~19.7 years) before resetting and starting again from zero. Well, the reset time is on April 6th, and it should’ve taken place by now.

The counter reset could trouble the devices using GPS services. The impact is not only limited to smartphones, tablets, TVs or cars, but it can also disturb scientific instruments, power grids, and other essential systems.

According to the US Department of Homeland and Security guidance report, the GPS rollover event may affect the reported UTC reliability. Devices with updated firmware won’t be affected, but those machines running with outdated software will undoubtedly cause some trouble. The devices with I-GPS-200 should not be adversely affected.

The agency reveals,”However, tests of some GPS devices revealed that not all manufacturer implementations correctly handle the April 6, 2019 WN rollover. Additionally, some manufacturer implementations interpret the WN parameter relative to a date other than January 5, 1980. These devices should not be affected by the WN rollover on April 6, 2019 but may experience a similar rollover event at a future date.”

• Read More: Xiaomi’s ZMI Travel Assistant Z1 launched with voice translation, GPS, 4G, WiFi, and big battery

Most of the GPS manufacturers are aware of the issue and will ensure smooth GPS rollover globally.

(via)

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Xiaomi’s Mi band and the Mi Band 2 were manufactured for Xiaomi by Huami which is now an independent company of its own with Xiaomi owning some stakes in the outfit. Huami has gone on to popularise the Amazfit brand, making in-roads into the U.S and other regions. Back home, the smart wearable maker has also been selling its line of smart wearable. Huami recently launched a new fitness band and is now set to launch another smart band with a long lasting battery.

The gadget is likely a Huami smart band youth edition and according to a Weibo post by the company’s CEO, the smart band will offer up to a month of use without the need to charge the wearable. The smart band is also teased as coming with GPS feature and with some level of durability. 

Read More: Huami, Mi Band 2 Maker, Launches Own Amazfit Fitness band with IP67 Certification

Other details of the smart band are still sketchy but the device will be officially launched on July 4 at 19.00 CST. The smart band seems to have gone on presale on the Amazfit official flagship store on Jingdong (JD.com) upon deposit of 1 Yuan.

(source)

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True to their words, Huami officially launched their Amazfit smartwatch today. The watch which has a built-in GPS, a pedometer, a real time heart rate monitor, also displays weather information and is priced at 799 Yuan ($120).

The Amazfit watch has a 1.34” diameter, a 22 mm quick-release replaceable sweat-proof strap, a scratch-resistant ceramic bezel, IP67 certification, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 512MB RAM, 4GB RAM, Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, and WiFi. The display which has a 320 x 300 resolution uses a reflective screen to increase legibility outdoors. There is also an app where users can monitor the readings of the watch.

Huami has designed the watch to be able to store up to 500 songs which you can listen to via a pair of Bluetooth earphones, so you don’t have to take your phone along for a run. They also have a partnership with Watercress FM to provide music streaming.

The watch will also be able to carry out basic smartwatch functions such as call and SMS notifications and have support for Alipay.

Huami says the 280mAh battery will last for 11.6 days if you use it just as a plain watch but normal usage (30 minutes run + 200 push messages) will get you 5 days of life. However turning GPS and heart rate monitoring on will get you 35 hours of battery life.

Full Specifications of Huami Amazfit Sports Smartwatch

• 1.34” 320 x 300 reflective screen
• 22mm replaceable straps
• 4GB ROM
• 512MB RAM
• 1.2GHz dual-core processor
• BLE 4.0 + WiFi
• GPS + GLONASS
• PPG heart rate monitor
• IP67
• 53.7 grams
• 280mAh battery

Availability

There is no news on the watch having other colours but users can change the watch face to suit their preference. The Huami Smartwatch will officially go on sale tomorrow.

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Huami’s smartwatch details have been revealed by Huami CEO Huang Wang on Weibo.

Mr Wang disclosed via a Weibo post that the smartwatch will be a complete sports watch with GPS and heart rate monitor and also a very long lasting battery power. According to Wang, the battery still lasted for very long, even after turning on the GPS and heart rate monitor.

Previously, Wang had leaked information about the smartwatch having a water resistant covering and that the smartwatch band can be easily replaced with any standard 22mm third-party watch straps, because of its quick release design that means no tool will be required to remove the straps.

Also, like we mentioned earlier, the smartwatch will not bear the Xiaomi or Mi trademark in its name but Huami’s own brand name.

Related: First Xiaomi Smartwatch Sketch Leaked: Check it out!

In addition, Huami’s CEO had previously revealed that the person in charge of manufacturing the watch ROM was a former Google employee and was involved in the development of the Android TV, Android Home, Android Auto and other projects but joined Huami last year.

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GPS is one of most important feature on smartphone, you will never lost with your phone. The Google Map and other navigation softwares always provide direction service on your phone. The GPS features also is available at most cheap China phones which built-in MediaTek(MTK) processor. The GPS chip is integrated to their main processor. EPO (Extended Prediction Orbit) is one of MTK’s innovative proprietary off-line server based A-GPS technology. It supports up to 30 days satellite orbit prediction, which can be used to greatly enhance user experience by improving GPS Time To First Fix (TTFF).

Most users of China phone are comfused that how to setup GPS on their smartphone. Here is the guide base on HDC Galaxy S3 plus phone.

1. Access Setting > Location services, select most checkbox to make EPO working.

2. Access EPO settings:

If you select Auto download, the phone will download file when your phone connected with internet. You can can download the EPO file by click Download button.

When you finished all these setting, you can use GPS features on your phone.

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