Top 5 Latest Auto Manufacturing Trends by Jessika Toothman

Stepping into place for the first time on the moving assembly line at Henry Ford's Model T factory probably didn't give factory workers shivers of momentous awe in 1913. It probably just felt like coming into work. But momentous awe would not have been amiss; after all, Ford's process revolutionized manufacturing in almost every industrial sector, and car manufacturers in particular have never looked back.

The assembly line required less-skilled workers, while also making them vastly more productive. Cars were cheaper and faster to make, pushing their price tags down into a range more consumers could muster. Uniformed production was another big part of the new process. Previously, Ford's factory had offered cars customized according to individual consumer's wishes -- not anymore. Standardization meant even greater efficiency and more time saved. All in all, Ford's innovative revamp brought production time down to a mere 93 minutes per car [source: Haven]. Cars sped out of showrooms at an astounding pace, and the company seemed unstoppable.

Fast-forward to 2009, and overall the situation is still looking tolerable for Ford Motor Company. Sure, the economy has been beating up on the Big Three without mercy for the past several years now, but Ford is weathering the storm most successfully. Unlike his counterparts at Chrysler and General Motors, Ford president and CEO Alan Mulally (who took the helm in 2006) turned down federal aid. He's now working diligently to stabilize the company, and forecasts a return to profitability by 2011 

Mulally has also pushed for efforts to streamline production and bring the company back to its core products, while pressing for cars that are smaller and more energy-efficient. Reminiscent of Henry Ford's drive for perfection, Mulally has Ford Motor Company pointed down the path to recovery. In this article we'll take a closer look at how car companies around the world also try to manufacture cars as cheaply and efficiently as possible, from prototyping all the way to the end of the production line.

EU, South Korea join forces to develop 5G technology

The European Union and South Korea are expected to unveil a new partnership today which focuses on the development of 5G networks.

According to draft documents viewed by the Wall Street Journal, South Korea and the European Union will set up a joint research group for 5G system development, the creation of technology standards and radio frequency preparation to ensure 5G technology can be accommodated in the future.

The joining of forces will be overseen by two major groups: Europe's 5G PPP and the South Korean 5G Forum. Overall, the group's target is to play a dominant role in setting a "global consensus" and vision by the end of next year.

According to the EU, while one hour of high-definition footage can be downloaded on 4G networks in approximately six minutes, 5G technology would cut this time down to only six seconds or less. It is hoped that speeds of up to 1Gbps can be achieved, and mobile 3D images, Ultra-HD, hologram transmission and "cutting edge" social networking services will be supported.

A report released by network monitor OpenSignal suggested that as of February 2014, there are 76 countries with LTE currently active -- but coverage and user experience varies. South Korea -- which has a mobile penetration rate of over 100 percent -- is the best performer, with the average user experiencing LTE 91 percent of the time. The EU is no longer a top dog in terms of communications technology, and 4G is patchy at best across the bloc. Unless the EU catches up, economic growth is likely to suffer, something EU businesses have criticized for years.

In January, the South Korean government said it plans to be the first entity to introduce 5G networking technology to the masses, and hopes the technology will be ready for launch by December 2020. Local firms, including the country's three major telecommunications firms and technology giants such as Samsung and LG have long been in talks with the government, and $1.49 billion in total is expected to be invested within 5G through 2020.

The plans announced earlier this year also stipulate partnerships with the U.S., China and Europe in order to establish standards and avoid future patent disputes.

In 2013, South Korean technology giant Samsung claimed it has made breakthroughs in the development of next-generation networking technology, and was able to transmit data at a speed of 1Gps through the 28 gigahertz (GHz) band. 

Android TV Details Leak out ahead ofGoogle I/O

This afternoon, GigaOm has outed the Android TV. They have all kinds of details on the Android TV which is supposed to be announced at Google I/O next month. As a reminder, Google I/O takes place on June 25-26th. Google has tried their hand at Google TV and the living room many times already. 

There was the Google TV venture, then Nexus Q and Chromecast. The only product that really took off was Chromecast, and it’s pretty amazing actually. Now we’re hearing that the Android team has been working on their version of Google TV, dubbed Android TV.

Android TV’s main focus is on gaming, aside from content discovery and watching content. Basically it’s going to be going head-to-head with the Fire TV which Amazon announced a few months ago. Hopefully Google has learned from Ouya’s mistakes with their console over the past year or so. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for a worthy competitor from Google for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, etc. Android TV is going to be really slim and light-weight, it’s not meant to compete with Chromecast, but provide a bigger and better experience, for those that want more out of a set-top box than the Chromecast provides.

This is going to be very interesting to see, especially in how it compares to the competition. Knowing Google, it’ll probably be priced pretty cheap. Probably around the same price as the Fire TV from Amazon. Which I think would make it a really big seller, not to mention all the Google Play Services being available on the Android TV compared to the other set top boxes out there.

How many of you are interested in the Android TV from the Android team? We should learn more at Google I/O including an official announcement. Be sure to let us know in the comments down below.

OnePlus One will have 3GB of RAM and a 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 processor

OnePlus revealed new details about its
much-hyped One smartphone (which
will be officially announced later this
month, on April 23).
One of the things that we didn’t know
about the OnePlus One was the amount
of RAM that it would feature. Today,
however, the CEO of OnePlus
confirmed that the handset will have
3GB of RAM - which should be enough
for any tasks that you’ll throw at it.
The company’s CEO also re-confirmed
that the upcoming smartphone would
use a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon
801 SoC. It will be the 8974-AC model
that’s clocked at 2.45 GHz. As you may
know, this is the same SoC that’s
used by Samsung for its new Galaxy S5
flagship (not in all versions, though).
OnePlus is planning to release its One
in various markets around the world -
hopefully not long after announcing it.
The smartphone will be sold unlocked
for less than $400 (or €350 in
Europe). It will run a customized
variant of CyanogenMod 11, also
offering a 5.5-inch 1080p display, a
13MP rear camera made by Sony, and a
3,100 mAh battery.
OnePlus hasn’t revealed any images of
the new handset yet, but we know
that the device should have a premium
build quality.
source: OnePlusforum