Toyota's Mirai Aims to Kick Fuel-Cell Tech Into High Gear

Toyota on Monday officially unveiled its fuel cell sedan in an Internet video featuring Toyota Motor Corporation's president and CEO Akio Toyoda. The announcement comes in advance of the Los Angeles Auto Show Nov. 21-30.

The new sedan, dubbed "Mirai" -- which means "future" in Japanese -- can travel up to 300 miles on a single tank of hydrogen, refuel in less than five minutes, and emit only water vapor.

To ensure that its drivers actually can fuel up, Toyota announced that it will collaborate with Air Liquide to develop and supply a phased network of 12 new hydrogen fueling stations in five states in the northeast corridor.

"Toyota's vision of a hydrogen society is not just about building a great car, but ensuring accessible, reliable and convenient refueling for our customers," said Toyota North America Chief Executive Officer Jim Lentz. "I am happy to announce that this vision will expand beyond the borders of California and give customers the opportunity to join the fuel cell movement."

Through this partnership, the 12 fueling stations will be placed strategically throughout the greater New York and Boston areas, in an effort to blanket New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

The Next Prius?

Toyota has been in the driver's seat of the alternative fuel movement in the past, notably with the Prius, which it first introduced in 1997. Just as that car helped pave the way for early gas-electric hybrid automobiles, the Mirai could influence development of fuel-cell vehicles.

"It is another attempt by Toyota to weave a blanket to cover alternatives to fossil fuels," said Justin Cupler, editor in chief of TopSpeed.com.

"Along with the hybrid and electric-powered vehicles, this is another option," he told TechNewsWorld.

"There are many benefits that are both tangible and intangible," noted Phil Gott, senior director of long range planning at IHS Automotive.

"For Toyota, they get credits to offset the emissions from other vehicles," he pointed out.

"They also get kudos and bragging rights, and in people's minds they are affirming their leadership that they got with the Prius," Gott told TechNewsWorld. "Of course, they also get the marketing buzz of being among the first to bring a fuel cell vehicle to market."

The Cost of Driving

While Toyota did not announce the American sticker price of the Mirai, its price in Japan is the equivalent of nearly US$70,000.

However, the target price for the American market could be closer to $50,000, based on some reports. That still could be viewed as a lot of money for a car that is just past the prototype stage.

"The initial cost is going to be an issue, so that could be a big deterrent," said Cupler. "It isn't entirely clear if the car or even its technology will ever take off."

However, Toyota does "intend to produce a large number of these vehicles for the American market," added Gott. "The challenge is [not only] the cost, but also the availability of the refueling stations.

"For this car to be reliable, the customer needs to be close to the hydrogen refueling station," he pointed out. "Right now, those are far and few between."

Clean Energy or Not?

Toyota has been addressing the issue by helping to build out the fuel cell refueling station infrastructure. At present, its new "car of the future" can't make a cross-country trek, but earlier this year the company announced a $7.3 million loan to FirstElement Fuels to support operations and maintenance of 18 stations in California.

With the announcement of the stations in the northeast corridor, the infrastructure is beginning to come together, but another issue still may need to be addressed for fuel cell vehicles to be truly successful in reducing carbon emissions.

"Where does the energy that produces the hydrogen come from?" pondered Gott. "While we can produce electricity -- which is used to make the hydrogen -- from sun and wind, most electricity still comes from coal.

"That electricity from the sun could be used to power a home or an office," he added.

"Instead of supporting clean energy, this technology is now adding a load on that sector and reduces the ability to use the solar energy to offset the demand from a coal plant," Gott argued.

"In other words, the newest sources that require electricity should be attributed to the dirtiest sources of power -- so that means that the hydrogen footprint of these cars is actually dirtier than a car running on gasoline," he maintained.

"We need to be realistic when we call these 'clean energy vehicles' and really need to look at this from well to wheel," Gott said, and understand "where the energy for the hydrogen is coming from."

WhatsApp Battens Down the Hatches

WhatsApp has added end-to-end encryption and enabled it by default in the latest version of its Android messaging application, partner Open Whisper Systems announced Tuesday.

The new feature taps Open Whisper's open source TextSecure encryption protocol to ensure that only a conversation's participants can read the messages they exchange. WhatsApp itself won't be able to decrypt the messages, in other words, even if law enforcement should try to require it.

Encrypted messaging isn't yet available for group chat or media messages within WhatsApp's Android client, but those features are coming next, Open Whisper said, along with support for more client platforms. Key-verification options also will be forthcoming once protocol integrations are completed.

A Rare Quality

Facebook-owned WhatsApp is one of several messaging applications called out in a recent scorecard report from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

The EFF rated the security of more than three dozen such apps on seven different dimensions, including encryption. Also taken into consideration was whether or not the apps' code was audited and open to independent review.

Only six tools scored all seven stars, including ChatSecure, CryptoCat, Signal/Redphone, Silent Phone, Silent Text and Open Whisper's TextSecure app.

WhatsApp, on the other hand, was among those whose lack of end-to-end encryption resulted in a lower ranking. Included in that category were Google, Facebook and Apple's email products, along with Yahoo's Web and mobile chat and Secret.

Lacking encryption altogether were messaging platforms QQ, Mxit and the desktop version of Yahoo Messenger, the EFF found.

One Fell Swoop

"I think it's great news," said Joseph Bonneau, a fellow at both the EFF and Princeton University's Center for Information Technology Policy.

"One of the things we were hoping with the scorecard project is that we'd be able to push others to do the same thing," he told TechNewsWorld.

This one change "basically absolved them from being one of the apps that didn't really provide much security to being one of the most secure mainstream messaging apps out there," Bonneau said.

The Open Source Advantage

WhatsApp's choice of TextSecure was a good one, noted Bonneau.

"TextSecure has really been refined over the years," he said. "It's great to see them using a public application that has earned a lot of confidence and has a lot of strong security features."

The fact that TextSecure is open source is a particularly compelling advantage, Bonneau pointed out. "In practice, it means that any weaknesses are far more likely to be found and fixed. Open source is the way to go."

Billions of Encrypted Messages

Open Whisper Systems has been working with WhatsApp for the past half year or so to implement the new feature in what it called the largest deployment of end-to-end encrypted communication in history.

Billions of encrypted messages now are being exchanged each day through the enhanced service.

Users likely won't even notice that the additional security is there, however.

"It shouldn't affect the user experience at all," Bonneau remarked.

Educating Users

Of course, whether they realize it or not, the app's more than 600 million monthly active users are benefiting from the superior security the TextSecure code provides, Jean Taggart, senior security researcher at Malwarebytes, told TechNewsWorld.

"Implementing the Open Whisper Systems protocol under the hood of a popular messaging platform is a huge improvement," he said.

Looking ahead, moves like this one will begin to make it clear to users that there are "big security differences among messaging platforms," EFF's Bonneau observed. "Hopefully users will start demanding this kind of security." 

Coming soon: ''

Bosses may soon be demanding that employees get on Facebook and do some work. The social media giant is getting ready to roll out a workplace version of its site called "Facebook at Work," insiders tell the Financial Times.

The site—which will compete head-to-head with Google's and Microsoft's workplace products, as well as LinkedIn—will look and function much like Facebook's existing site, the sources say, but will include tools for people to work on things like shared documents and will allow users to keep their personal Facebook profiles completely separate from their professional ones.

The project, inspired by Facebook employees' own use of the site for work purposes, is now in an early pilot program and doesn't currently host ads, according to Mashable.

But will it catch on as the place to have workplace chats? The office version of Facebook could be a hit because it will have the "fastest learning curve ever in the history of enterprise software," writes Erika Morphy at Forbes, but with corporations fearing leaks of sensitive information, the company's "fast-and-loose approach with consumers' privacy may come back to haunt it." (Facebook is also rumored to be planning a move into health care.)

Danger comes in small packages: Securing employees' mobile devices

Whether your company provides workers with mobile devices or allows them to bring their own, you have to be vigilant. If your employees work outside the office with their tablets or smartphones, they’re walking around town with your data in small, easy-to-lose, easy-to-steal containers. Should any of those devices go missing, there’s a lot more at stake than the cost of the hardware.

Following these basic procedures will help keep your company safe from mobile threats.

Insist on mobile antivirus apps
Almost everyone knows that they need an antivirus program for their Windows PC, but few understand the necessity of running a similar tool on their mobile device. According to Symantec's Internet Security Threat Report for 2014, 57 percent of adults didn't even know that such tools existed. But here's the really scary part: Only 44 percent were equally ignorant in 2012. In other words, the average person knows less about mobile security now than they did two years ago.

Android attracts more malware than iOS by a very large margin. According to Kaspersky Lab's Mobile Cyber Threats report, published this October, "98.05% of all existing mobile malware targets the users of Android devices." The ability to download apps from sources other than the office Play Store, and the irregular way updates get pushed to devices make Android a tempting target.

But iPhone and iPad users shouldn't be complacent. iOS has its share of vulnerabilities. What's more, malware that latches onto applications doesn't really care about the operating system; if the OS can support the app, the app can support the malware.

Think data, not device
Losing a smartphone is an inconvenience. Letting the data on it fall into the wrong hands is a disaster. According to Adam Ely, Co-Founder of Bluebox Security, "79% of companies reported a mobile data breach, with the cost of data loss ranging from less than $10K to over $500K per incident." That's a lot more than the cost of a phone.

The first line of defense: Secure the mobile device with a sufficiently complex password. You might also consider other techniques for locking a phone. Add more protection by encrypting company data (a locked phone doesn't help much if the Micro SD card inside is open), and a mobile-to-company-server backup routine.

Use a Virtual Private Network
Criminals don't need to steal a smartphone to read the data flowing from that phone to the Internet.

That's why your company needs to use a VPN to encrypt the data as it journeys between the mobile device and the network. A good VPN provides more than just encrypted data. It can track who's accessing the network, authenticate users, and allow employees to access company applications in the field.

Respect your employees' privacy
If you don't handle your company's BYOD policy properly, your employees may look at you with the same lack of trust that American citizens reserve for the NSA. As Ely explained, "it is important to maintain boundaries between work and personal use on an employee’s personal device. Users are rightfully worried that their privacy will be compromised if they use their personal device for work purposes."

Your BYOD policy must spell out clearly what rights belong to the employee and the company. Prepare a clear statement that defines the circumstances in which the company will open private files. Also, the employee must understand ahead of time that the device may be wiped remotely should it be lost.

Make it easy
If a user must go through eight security steps before they can get to work, they will find a way around those steps. After all, they're being paid to be productive, not to enter multiple passwords and prove that they really are themselves. According to Ely, "No matter how robust a mobile device program is it will not succeed without the support of the end users."

So keep ease of use in mind when designing a secure system. Require fewer passwords, and use automated encryption technologies that don't require many user interactions.

Another way to simplify: Design easy-to-use systems, and help employees when the systems aren't as easy as they should be, and offer convenient options like remote access to help them get fast support from your help desk if they need it. "Support must be a priority," warns Ely. And "focus on product design to minimize issues, prioritize quality testing and populate…support portal with how-to’s and FAQs."

Going mobile has considerable risks and considerable benefits. You need to lower the first so you can make the most of the later.

Big AMD wins: Capcom embraces Mantle, Samsung plans 4K FreeSync monitor line

Graphics technology has been stuck on the 28nm manufacturing process for a full three years now, but that doesn’t mean AMD and Nvidia have been sitting on their proverbial thumbs.

The hardware giants have each been feverishly releasing game-enhancing software over the past couple of years, and at its “Future of Compute” event in Singapore this morning, AMD announced that two major partners are embracing a pair of the company’s technologies: Capcom is on board with Mantle, AMD’s performance-enhancing API technology, while Samsung announced the first 4K monitors with AMD FreeSync support.

The story behind the story: Both Mantle and FreeSync promise to provide a superior gaming experience—at least on AMD hardware—but neither technology is going unchallenged. Microsoft announced the awfully similar DirectX 12 API shortly after Mantle rolled out, while Nvidia offers a competing G-Sync technology of its own for use with GeForce cards. Wooing Capcom and Samsung to Team Red is a big win for AMD.

Oh, and both Mantle and FreeSync require recent AMD Radeon graphics cards to work—of course.

More Mantle
Capcom is working the Mantle API into Panta-Rhei, the gaming engine it originally created for use with next-gen gaming consoles. The only “details” come courtesy of this canned statement by Masaru Ijuin, technical director at Capcom:

“Capcom is evaluating AMD’s Mantle technology to help improve the graphics pipeline, and integrate it into ‘Panta-Rhei’ to provide outstanding benefits and impressive performance for gamers as well as the gaming developers.”

Yawn.

But corporate speak aside, Capcom is the latest in a string of big-name publishers to fiddle with Mantle. Two PC gaming stalwart studios, DICE (maker of Battlefield) and Crytek (Crysis and Far Cry), have pledged support for Mantle in their respective Frostbite 3 and Crytek engines. You can already find Mantle support in Battlefield 4, Thief, Sniper Elite 3, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, and the recently released gems Civilization: Beyond Earth and Dragon Age: Inquisition. Future games with Mantle support scheduled include Star Citizen, Star Wars: Battlefront, Mirror’s Edge 2, and Battlefield: Hardline, along with whatever Capcom’s brewing up.

Moto Hint review: Motorola is bringing sexy Bluetooth headsets back

Bluetooth headsets were never cool, and they’re still not cool, but if you have to absolutely stick something in your ear to make a phone call you should really consider the Moto Hint.

I can’t think of any other device I’ve ever loved sticking in my ear as much as the Hint—I know that sounds weird, but I go out of my way now to make phone calls so that I can use this device. Motorola is on making a comeback in smartphones, but it looks like it’s bringing back the utility of Bluetooth headsets, too. 

Talking to yourself in public is fun

I use my hands when I talk, so holding a phone up to my ear is no fun for me because then I only have one hand to wave around. With the Moto Hint in my ear, however, I have two hands free to wave around, and it makes walking down San Francisco’s Market Street that much more interesting. 

Yes, you will get stares for talking to yourself and gesturing at the air, but it wasn’t too long ago that this was actually the norm.

motohint 2 Florence Ion

The Moto Hint fits easily in your ear. Unless it doesn't.

What’s particularly nice about the Hint is that it doesn’t feel like a protruding robotic arm hanging out from your ear. Rather, it feels like a comfortable ear plug with a heaping of technology embedded inside.

My only issue with the Hint is that if it doesn’t fit in your ear at first, it never will. It didn’t fit very comfortably in my right ear because of the way my ear is shaped, but somehow it fit fine in my left ear. Also, adjusting it to fit inside your ear can be tricky, and there were several instances where I made an accidental phone call while trying to get a good fit.

Use it with the Moto X—or don’t

motohint 4 Florence Ion

The Moto Hint’s proximity detector turns it on immediately once it’s safely nestled inside your ear.

The Moto Hint works with any Bluetooth-capable smartphone—yes, even iPhones. It’s super easy to set up, too: charge it, pop it in your ear, and then the Hint will softly alert you that it’s looking for a Bluetooth-enabled device to connect to. Once it’s paired, it’ll say “Moto Hint connected” in a soft, motherly tone. I was actually a bit taken aback by how easy it was to set up and use.

The Hint is meant to work in sync with Motorola’s latest smartphones. If you own this year’s Moto X, for instance, the Hint will constantly listen for your command word just as the phone would. You can ask it to search Google, play a song, send a message, or do anything else Moto Voice enables you to do without actually having to whip out your phone. Of course, you’ll also have to trust that your phone understands you as you’re dictating a message while also trying to cross a busy city street. 

If you don’t own a Motorola smartphone, that’s fine; it will simply function as a normal Bluetooth earpiece. I used the Hint with an HTC One (M8) most of the time and it worked remarkably well. There were days where I’d use it to call my boyfriend on my walk from the office to the train station and all I had to do to get that started was touch it and ask it to place a call to him. There were other days where I used it in tandem with the Moto 360—I’d shout “OK Google” to place a call and it’d route to the Hint in my ear, with a soft alert that let me know it was doing just that.

The few times anyone had difficult hearing me was when I was in a spotty reception zone. The Hint even worked when I’d hush my voice a bit to make a comment about some weirdo standing behind me in line for the train. When the screeching finally train approached, the Hint even cancelled out the sound of it approaching—at least, that’s what the person on the other line told me.

motohint 5 Florence Ion

The Moto Hint comes with its own little charging pod that doubles as an extra battery pack of sorts.

The smartest element of the Hint is its stylish charging pod. It charges the Hint when tethered, and then doubles as a portable battery back so that you always have juice with you when you need it. The device itself lasts for about three hours of constant talk time, so you’ll want to carry around its portable little charger when you’re out for the day.

Worth the price

motohint 1 Florence Ion

Yep, it’s small. 

You don’t have to settle for an old school, sticks-out-of-your-head Bluetooth headset. Motorola put so much thought into the Hint, from its components to how it looks, that it’s worth considering over those other alternatives. And although it’s $150 for a device with extra features that only work with certain smartphones, it works great and is much better looking than any other Bluetooth headset.