Smartphone-Driven Cars Come Closer to Reality: Researchers

In the process of developing a technology that will enable smartphones to drive cars are scientists from Australia.

Researchers have said that they will be road testing a vehicle which uses a phone's satellite navigation technology and camera to drive along the street within a year.

Shoppers can Negotiate a Better Deal Thanks to Smartphones
It has emerged that smartphones have become the latest weapon for shoppers to carry out price checks in store to help them negotiate a better deal.

"When I get into the car I simply place my mobile phone in the dashboard, facing the camera out to the front," Sky News quoted Dr Jun Jo from Griffith University on Australia's Gold Coast, as saying.

"All the sensors around the car will start communicating with my phone," he said.

Jo and his team have built a prototype car which they are using for testing the software.

Smartphones and E-books Now Replacing Pencils and Paper in Schools
A Kansas State University education technology expert revealed that a large number of schools are including technology in their teaching methods in order to help improve student learning.

The vehicle has an onboard computer, radar system and sensors that communicate with the phone.

The researchers believe that one day people will not own individual cars but will use communal vehicles just when they need them, slotting their phones in the dashboard with all the information the car needed for the journey.

Facilitation Of Cyber-bullying Among Teens By Smartphones
An Australian psychologist says that with the rise of smartphones, parents are finding it difficult to monitor teenagers' use of technology, driving the latest wave of cyber-bullying.

"We believe cars will become shared properties rather than individual belongings. Sharing cars will reduce lots of expenditure and solve a lot of traffic congestion in the middle of cities.

"My smartphone could reserve a car near my house and, then when I leave home, I place my mobile phone in the dashboard and my smartphone actually knows where to go and what is my preferred driving style.

Social Media, Computer Games Gaining Popularity Due to Smartphones
More and more people, especially among the younger generation, are accessing social media and computer games thanks to the widespread use of smartphones, a new survey reveals.

"Then when I get out of the car the phone will fix payment for the time I spent in it and for the fuel consumed," he said.

The race is on to develop driverless, or autonomous, vehicles with many motor manufacturers investing in research.

In the US, Google has just been issued with the first licence for an autonomous car in Nevada. A Toyota Prius has been fitted with the company's driverless technology.

Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and General Motors are just some of the companies testing driverless car systems.

Source-ANI