Features

Launched globally last week and brimming with cutting edge technology, the latest Audi A8 throws down the gauntlet to its almost exclusively German competitors. The fourth incarnation of Audi’s full-size luxury flagship, the 2018 A8 is a stately and statuesque design that builds on its predecessors’ futuristic appeal, four-wheel-drive dynamics and tastefully plush interiors. 

The focus is firmly on high tech and mild hybrid systems and gadgetry, and its pièce de résistance is its first ever production car level three self-driving ability, on a scale of just five levels.

 Stately and statuesque

 Exuding a distinct and substantial presence, the new A8’s focal design point is its vast, tall, wide, seemingly rapacious and now hexagonal single-frame grille. With extensive use of chrome, the grille is flanked by slim, furrowed and bisected LED and laser headlights, and chromed side intakes.

Chiselled and sculpted, the A8’s surfacing features sharp ridges and great attention to detail. At the rear, full-length light and chrome strips link the rear lights. However, this makes it somewhat colour-sensitive, with dark blue, as tested, best complementing this particular design element.

From profile, the A8’s flowing roofline is almost coupe-like, while its level waistline and proportions lend it a grounded and road-hugging stance alluding to its Quattro four-wheel-drive, and allow for good visibility. Slightly longer, taller and narrower but with more rakish roofline than its predecessor, the new A8, however, deliver improved cabin space, and particularly improved rear headroom. 

Built on a light and stiff mixed compound construction incorporating aluminium, steel, carbon-fibre and magnesium, the new A8 is 24 per cent more rigid, which translates into improved ride, handling and safety benefits.

 Versatile V6

 Initially available in 55 TFSI guise with turbocharged 3-litre V6 engine, the entry-level A8 range soon expands to include more powerful twin-turbo 4-litre V8 and 6-litre W12 petrol versions, and a full hybrid model.

Developing 335BHP at a 5000-6400 plateau and muscular 368lb/ft throughout a broad 1370-4500rpm mid-range peak, the 55 TFSI is a brisk and confident performer, irrespective of upcoming variants. With quick-spooling turbocharger and four-wheel-drive traction, it is quick to launch from standstill, cracking the 0-100km/h benchmark in just 5.6-seconds, and capable of a 250km/h top speed.

Pulling hard throughout a versatile mid-range and urgent at top end, the 55 TFSI delivers smooth, refined and progressive performance. Designed as a mild hybrid from ground up, all A8s feature a 48V battery and electric system, which charges through regenerative braking.

Not part of the A8’s driveline, its 48V system does however run various ancillary systems and allows the car to coast briefly between 55-160km/h with engine off, and for the stop/start system to operate from 22km/h. Consequently fuel consumption is reduced by 0.7l/100km to achieve comparatively frugal 7.8l/100km combined consumption.

Adaptive and adroit

 Driving all four wheels through an 8-speed automatic gearbox, shifts are slick and responsive, with shorter lower gears for performance and taller top gears for refinement and efficiency.

Meanwhile, the A8’s Quattro system delivers sure-footed handling and reassuring road-holding through winding routes, and can redistribute power between front and rear, as necessary for agility and traction.

An optional rear sport differential can also enhance agility and road-holding. Underneath, the A8 rides on sophisticated five-link suspension with standard adaptive air suspension, improved from its predecessor for better ride comfort and handling.

Planted, stable and settled at speed, the A8 is a natural continent-cruncher that is committed and reassuring through fast sweeping bends.

Meanwhile, adaptive air suspension fluently responds to textural changes and remains buttoned down over crests and dips. Supple and smooth is comfort mode, the A8’s suspension becomes taut and delivers good cornering body control in dynamic mode. Through narrow and winding mountain routes on the outskirts of Valencia, Spain, the V6-powered standard wheelbase A8 was more agile than expected and seemed to shrink around the driver, and provided tidy and precise turn-in.

 Autonomy and ambiance

The A8 can also be optioned with electromechanical suspension, which features an electric motor powered by its 48V system at each corner to individually control each wheel to respond to — and soon even predict — road texture changes. Also operated through the zFAS computer and series of sensors, cameras and radars are the A8’s extensive driver-assistance systems, and Audi AI self driving function. Set to be rolled out in individual markets according to prevailing legal situations, the A8’s self driving function is activated through the Traffic Jam Pilot system.

Different from previous systems, the A8 self-driving mode doesn’t require constant monitoring and can stop, start, steer and brake up to 60km/h under the right circumstances, while remote auto parking is also available. Meanwhile, the A8’s cabin features extensive use of fine leathers, suedes, metals, open pore wood, soft textures and tasteful hues.

Spacious, comfortably accommodating and with excellent seat adjustability, it features a clean, focused and horizontal layout. Seamlessly incorporating a configurable digital instrument panel, 10-1-inch infotainment screen and touch buttons and surfaces, the A8’s interfaces even features analogue simulation with haptic feedback.

 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

 Engine: 3-litre, turbocharged, in-line V6-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 84.5 x 89mm

Compression ratio: 11.2:1

Valve-train: 32-valve, DOHC, direct injection

Gearbox: 8-speed automatic, four-wheel-drive

Ratios: 1st 4.714; 2nd 3.143; 3rd 2.106; 4th 1.667; 5th 1285; 6th 1.0; 7th 0.839; 8th 0.667

Reverse/final drive: 3.317/3.076

Drive-line: self-locking centre differential, optional limited-slip rear-differential

Power distribution, F/R: 40 per cent/60 per cent

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 335 (340) [250] @5000-6400rpm

Specific power: 111.8BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 174.5BHP/tonne (unladen)

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 368.8 (500) @1370-4500rpm

Specific torque: 166.9Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 260.4Nm/tonne (unladen)

0-100km/h: 5.6-seconds

Top speed: 250km/h (electronically governed)

Fuel consumption, urban/extra-urban/combined: 10.3-/6.4-/7.8-litres/100km 

CO2 emissions, combined: 178g/km

Fuel capacity: 72-litres

Length: 5172mm

Width: 1945mm

Height: 1473mm

Wheelbase: 2998mm

Track, F/R: 1644/1633mm

Approach/departure angles: 14°/13.7°

Aerodynamic drag co-efficient: 0.27

Luggage volume: 505-litres

Unladen/kerb weight: 1920/1995kg

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Turning Circle: 12.5-metres

Suspension: Five-link, adaptive air dampers

Brakes: Ventilated & perforated discs

Tyres: 265/40R20

Older women on a so-called Paleolithic diet – which tries to mimic the diet of cavemen living in the stone age — may be more likely to develop iodine deficiency than their counterparts who do not eat this way, a small Swedish experiment suggests. 

The Paleo diet is rich in lean meats, fish and seafood, fruits, vegetables, eggs and nuts. It excludes things like dairy, grains, sugar and salt. 

For the experiment, researchers enrolled 70 overweight or obese older women. They randomly assigned 35 of the women to follow a Paleo diet, with 30 per cent of their calories coming from protein, 40 per cent from fats and 30 per cent from carbohydrates. 

The other 35 women were instructed to follow a diet based on Nordic recommendations, which aimed for 15 per cent of calories from protein, 25 to 30 per cent from fats and 55 to 60 per cent from carbohydrates. 

After two years, the women in the Paleo group had lost more weight — but they were also more likely to develop mild iodine deficiency, the study found. 

Iodine deficiency, one of the most common nutritional disorders worldwide, can contribute to thyroid and metabolic problems. 

“The Paleo diet eliminates the major sources of dietary iodine in the typical diet today [i.e., iodised salt],” said Dr Margo Denke, a former professor of medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas who was not involved in the study. 

Besides table salt, people may get iodine from salt used in baking, as well as from dairy products, Denke said by e-mail. Seafood and seaweed contain iodine but people tend not to eat these foods as often as milk and cereal, she added. 

“Our diet today contains many ‘extras’ that don’t provide for our daily needs [excess sugars, excess calories], and it is this excess that has driven some of the attractiveness of the Paleo diet — let’s get rid of all of the stuff and go back to our roots,” Denke said. 

“However attractive this type of reduction thinking is, one must also acknowledge that there are aspects of our diet today that are improvements on ‘the diet from mother nature’,” Denke noted. “Our diet today includes fortified foods that reduce the chances of a micronutrient deficiency.” 

At the start of the study, all of the women had similar iodine levels. 

After six months, iodine levels remained more or less constant for women on the Nordic diet but dropped for women on the Paleo diet, researchers report in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 

Thyroid hormone levels, which depend on iodine, were mostly similar between the two groups at the end of the study. 

One limitation of the study is its small size, and another is the high number of women who dropped out of the experiment. Just 49 out of the 70 initial participants followed the diet and nutrition education programmes laid out for them at the start of the study and completed the experiment. 

Even so, the study builds on previous research suggesting that people who remain on a Paleo diet over the long term may suffer from iodine deficiency, said Thomas Marwick, director of Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne. 

“The effects were rather minor — thyroid hormone levels seem ok but might be expected to fall as deficiency becomes more severe,” Marwick, who was not involved in the study, said by e-mail. 

The body needs iodine to make thyroid hormone, and adults with too little thyroid hormone can develop a slowed metabolism, Marwick said. 

A Paleo diet can work for weight loss, helping some people lose about 5 per cent of their weight in one month, Marwick noted. 

Tunisia: An Arab Anomaly

Safwan M. Masri

New York: Columbia University Press, 2017

Pp. 378

In this book, Safwan Masri of Columbia University’s Global Centres addresses a question that many have puzzled over, namely, why the popular uprising in Tunisia, and it alone of all the Arab uprisings, resulted in a peaceful transition to a functioning democracy. “Tunisia: An Arab Anomaly” is compelling reading because the author takes one along on his literal and figurative journey into Tunisia’s past and present to find out what makes it exceptional. 

Though presented as the product of a personal quest rather than an academic treatise, the book is well-documented and enriched with insights gleaned in “hundreds of hours of interviews with dozens of experts, leaders, activists, and ordinary citizens—framing things analytically, and at times counterintuitively, to help connect dots and make sense of an emergent peaceful and largely liberal democracy in a sea of turmoil”. (p. 20)

Masri suggests a number of factors to explain why the Tunisian experience differs from the discouraging, if not catastrophic, situation prevailing in most Arab countries today. Tunisia has a small, relatively homogeneous population, and lacks sectarian tensions. It is a historical entity with borders that predate colonialism. Its minor geopolitical importance has made it less subject to foreign interference and thus less in need of a large military. Moreover, Tunisia cannot be viewed exclusively as an Arab country due to its strong Mediterranean and European orientation.

An even more influential factor is Tunisia’s robust civil society dating back to the strong labour movement that coalesced during the French colonisation. While the problem of other Arab uprisings was the lack of a leadership capable of filling the power vacuum that arose after the fall of the regime, the Tunisian Quartet, the four civic organisations honoured with the 2015 Nobel Prize, especially the UGTT labour federation, was able to assume this role and navigate the country through several ensuing crises. 

“Yet, perhaps no ingredient has been as decisive as Tunisia’s remarkable culture of reform, which dates back to the 19th century and is rooted in a progressive and adaptive brand of Islam”. (p. 27) 

Though Masri thinks other Arab countries can learn much from the Tunisian experience, he does not think they can replicate it in the absence of continuous, deep-rooted reform and the mindset this engenders. To demonstrate his point, Masri undertakes a review of Tunisian history covering many topics from ancient Carthage to the independence struggle, the causes of the 2011 uprising, political Islam and today’s unresolved problems. The chapters covering the intellectual and political debates of each stage make for fascinating reading. While Ibn Khaldun is perhaps the most famous of Tunisian thinkers, Masri introduces us to many others.

However, the main focus is on education and especially the secular reforms of Tunisia’s first president, Habib Bourguiba, and their decisive impact on Tunisia’s trajectory, as well as their historical antecedents. Here, Masri’s comparison with Turkey is instructive: “while Ataturk rejected Islam altogether and fought against religion, Bourguiba maintained a delicate balance—arguing from within Islam for moderation”. (p. 236)

Beginning almost immediately after the country’s independence in 1956, steps were taken to make modern, secular education, once the domain of the elite, into the norm. In addition to teaching sciences, public education emphasised the humanities and liberal arts, including philosophy — “a subject that was, and is, absent from the curriculum elsewhere in the Arab world” (p. 255).

This promoted critical and analytical thinking, and tolerance of difference which accumulated over the years, preparing Tunisians to engage in the democratic process. Rather than investing hugely in the military, Tunisia invested in education, which sometimes received as much as one-third of the state budget. Masri concludes that “it is the power of education that has defined Tunisia”. (p. 293)

There is a tendency to explain Tunisia’s progressive policies by French influence, and certainly that had an influence, especially in education, but Masri’s historical survey also points to indigenous roots. Carthage had a constitution in the 5th century BC, while, ironically, Tunisia’s 1861 constitution was suspended at the behest of the French colonial authorities. Tunisia’s laws concerning women’s rights, known as the most progressive in the Arab world, also have a long history: By the 8th century, Kairouan had “a legal code that was centuries ahead of its time in terms of granting women rights in matters of marriage and divorce”. (p. 114) 

While written in a personal manner, Masri generally maintains a balance between passion for his subject and objectivity. His arguments for Tunisia’s exceptionalism are convincing except for his tendency to downplay its Arab identity, although much of his historical narrative actually demonstrates its many commonalities with other Arab countries. This might be connected to Masri’s unconcealed distain for Arab nationalism. While regimes have committed many abuses in its name, it seems rather ahistorical to write off Arab nationalism as only a story of military dictatorship and stagnation.

Sally Bland

BUSAN, South Korea — Virtual Reality (VR) will change the face of cinema in the next decade — but only if content keeps up with the advances in technology, industry experts at the Busan International Film Festival predict. 

VR is already being heavily promoted by the tech giants, with Facebook and Microsoft launching new headsets they hope will ensure the format goes mainstream. 

Studios and film-makers are also poised to capitalise, as cinema industry reports estimate VR could generate as much as $75 billion a year in revenues by 2021. 

Earlier this year, the IMAX chain opened its first VR cinema in Los Angeles, while the leading film festivals — including Cannes, Venice, and Tribeca — now have sections dedicated to recognising ground-breaking work in the medium. 

“Facebook and Apple are pouring billions of dollars into this industry and these hardware developments are key but it will all come down to content and we are excited by the way that is developing,” explained Korean-American filmmaker Eugene Chung, whose production “Arden’s Wake” won the Best Virtual Reality award at Venice in September. 

Chung insisted the format is going to shift public perception and expectations of cinema.

“We’re really building the future,” he said. 

But revolutions in cinema do not always play out; despite their early hype, 3D movies have struggled to rival traditional film consumption. 

IMAX has scaled back its 3D screenings, while box office figures in the US show declining audience interest, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.

But proponents of VR insist this time, it is different, and the format is likely to succeed because it fully immerses viewers in the imaginary environment. 

BIFF programmer Park Jin, who organised the event’s VR section, which comprises more than 30 features, documentaries and animations, described VR as the “future of cinema”. 

‘A strange game’

In Busan there has been a huge buzz around the VR programme, with constant queues to experience what is on offer — both individual booths and a cinema are showcasing films. 

“It feels a bit strange at first, a bit like a game, but once I got used to the equipment it was quite exciting,” said 60-year-old Kim Young-min, who had come to BIFF to take in a retrospective of legendary Korean actor Shin Seong-il, but had been lured over to the VR show by her daughter.

Experts say therein lies the catch — the “computer game” feel to some shows can be a little off-putting.

“We need to find some emotion and how to engage the viewer in that,” said filmmaker Che Min-hyuk, a producer at the VR Lab run by Korean media industry giants CJ.

“As filmmakers with VR we still don’t really know how far it will take us and the audience.”

Chung conceded the industry needs to tread carefully — going to the movies will not be the same social experience if everyone is in their own world wearing headsets.

“We think the impact of this medium is going to be incredibly powerful,” he said, admitting that it would be a voyage into the unknown in terms of social impact. 

“There’s a first spaceship factor. When video games came out I think we as a society underestimated their impact so there are definitely things we need to look out for in VR in the coming years.”

But film giants are embracing the challenge. 

At the Cannes festival this year Oscar-winner Alejandro G. Inarritu showcased his VR production “Meat and Sand”, while Warner Bros created a trailer in the format to promote Stephen King adaptation “It”.

Dreamscape Immersion, whose investors include Steven Spielberg, 21st Century Fox, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, last month signed a deal with AMC Entertainment, the world’s largest theatre chain, to rollout “Virtual Reality Multiplexes” where members explore storylines in virtual worlds and interact with other people’s avatars.

Director Jerome Blanquet, whose film “Alteration” won an award at the Tribeca Film Festival, said: “VR is like a dream. You can walk, you can fly, you can do anything.”

Frail patients are more likely to have serious complications after elective outpatient surgery than people who are healthier and stronger, a recent study suggests. 

Much of the previous research linking physical frailty to worse surgical outcomes has been based on what happens when people have major elective or emergency operations in a hospital, researchers note in JAMA Surgery. 

For the current study, researchers examined data on almost 141,000 adults who had some common elective procedures that do not require hospital admission, such as hernia repairs, breast surgery and thyroid procedures. 

While less than 1 per cent of these patients experienced serious complications, the odds were twice as high for people with two or three traits associated with frailty, the study found. This level of frailty was also associated with 70 per cent higher odds of any complications, including minor issues. 

“The results of our study show that patient frailty should be considered as a risk factor for complications even in these common and seemingly `low risk’ outpatient procedures,” said lead study author Dr Carolyn Seib of the University of California, San Francisco. 

Frailty is a measure of decreased physiological function that can involve problems like weakness, exhaustion, slow walking speed or low activity levels. Even though frailty is often considered a hallmark of aging, patient age isn’t necessarily a good indicator of whether they may have traits that contribute to frailty. 

Researchers looked for a history of several traits associated with frailty including: diabetes, impaired functional status, pneumonia or chronic lung disorder, congestive heart failure, heart attack, certain heart procedures, blood pressure medications, valve disease and stroke. 

In addition, researchers accounted for age as well as other factors that can influence surgery outcomes such as sex, race and ethnicity, weight and other medical problems. 

Overall, about 2,500 people experienced any type of complications within 30 days after surgery and roughly 970 individuals had serious complications, the study found. 

Complications included pneumonia, unplanned insertion of a breathing tube or ventilator, cardiac arrest or heart attack, stroke or coma, kidney failure, bleeding and infections. 

Based on the results, researchers conclude that accounting for frailty can provide a better picture of surgical risk than only relying on patient age. 

A separate study in JAMA Surgery, however, found that new surgeons and doctors may overestimate the risks patients can face with surgery. 

This study examined data from online simulated scenarios to assess patient risk completed by 76 general surgery residents, or doctors in training, and 76 internal medicine residents. 

They had to determine the chances that a patient would die or have complications like pneumonia, surgical site infections or heart problems after operations. 

Here, too, researchers focused on some common operations like hernia repairs, bowel surgery and breast operations. 

Overall, the general surgery and internal medicine residents overestimated the risk of complications by approximately 26 per cent to 33 per cent, with wide variation as a group, the study found. 

Even though both groups of residents were similarly inaccurate, surgical residents were much more confident in their assessments than the internal medicine group. 

“What surprised me is that surgeons are not necessarily better at predicting risk than internal medicine doctors,” said senior study author Dr Kevin Pei of Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. “The take-home message here is that both internists and surgeons should be involved in the counselling of patients.” 

The findings do not necessarily mean that every patient needs a second opinion on the risks associated with surgery, however, said Rajesh Aggarwal, author of an accompanying editorial and a researcher at Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health in Philadelphia. 

“Instead of focusing on second opinions, which are usually to get a second surgeon to confirm or refute the decision of the first surgeon, I believe that we need to propagate the notion of care teams in the emergency room for complex emergent patients,” Aggarwal said by e-mail. 

“This would enable clinicians with expertise not only in surgery, but also in internal medicine, anaesthesia, critical care, palliative care, social care and so on to come together in a rapid coherent manner to advise each other, but more importantly to provide a personalised approach to the patient and their family regarding care.”

There is little doubt that today the connection to the web is the key question. It is consumers’ main concern and what matters most whatever you may be doing with your computer, smartphone or tablet. All other aspects of the technology have been relegated to second place.

The tax authority in Jordan has just announced that “as of 1 January 2018, [it] will not accept any income or sales tax returns manually. All taxpayers should obtain a username and a password for the online portal where all returns should be submitted” says a statement by the PriceWaterhouseCooper office in Jordan.

This is but one more example that illustrates how everything has to be done online. The number of services available this way is flabbergasting and new ones, new ideas emerge every day. GPS navigation used to be a fancy thing in the country. Now it is very common. When someone wants to give you directions to a place to go to for the first time, they just send you the location PIN to your smartphone via one of the countless services or applications available. And of course Uber and Careem taxis would simply not exist without GPS navigation.

Whatsapp started as a nice replacement for personal text chatting and messaging. Today the application is used even by businesses to instantly exchange documents and other critical information. It presents a few advantages over good old e-mail: you have immediate feedback and know if and when your recipient had actually received the message. It is also not prone to spamming and presents a high level of security. Along with Facebook Messenger, it is believed that more than 65 billion messages are exchanged each day on the world this way. This alone shows the importance of the connection to the Internet.

Cloud storage, cloud processing, online shopping (think Ali Baba and Amazon…), music streaming, online banking, airline reservation, social networking, and so forth, what would we do, what can we do without the connection to the network? Schools, universities, they all depend on the network.

The complexity of the gigantic web comes with its load of issues. Hacking, cybercrime of all kinds, disruptions, outages, errors, slowness and the like — we just have to learn to live with them. Not forgetting the constant change, and the fact that those of us who may not be particularly technically-minded suffer more when they have to learn new ways of new online apps. Learning to use an offline programme comes with much less stress than an online one. Pretty soon all offline applications will be a thing of the past.

The load on the big computers servers that run the web is beyond imagination. At this point it is incredible that it is still working at all, that is has not collapsed. The extraordinary achievement is done behind the scenes and remains hidden from the eyes of the public, but scientifically speaking it is as impressive as man landing on distant planets if not more.

The number of consumers in Jordan who have given up watching satellite TV programmes and have turned to on-demand video streaming services via Internet (IP TV), such as Netflix for movies or beIN for sport events, has risen drastically since early 2016. Suffice it to see the number of digital IP set-top boxes sold.

Last week a friend called asking for help with Skype. He was complaining that Microsoft, who bought Skype out from the eponymous Scandinavian company that started it back in 2003, had changed the interface and much of the screens and menus design. He was completely lost: “why do they have to keep changing what we had hard time learning?” Apple and Samsung, for instance, keep releasing new smartphone models faster than the population can cope with.

Until circa 2010 it was still possible to debate over whether to be connected or not, whether it was safe enough. Today the debate, the discussion are over. Whatever issues there may be here we just have to deal with them, to adjust, but we stay connected, all the time, at any price.

Acknowledging the irreversible trend, local Internet service providers are doing one thing right and another wrong. On one hand they are providing the population with constantly faster Internet, and on the other they seem unable to increase the uptime, which is a non-negligible aspect of the technology.

Indeed, if speed matters, uptime is an even more critical factor. Any disconnection is unbearable today, even if a few minutes, even at 4:00am. In the luckiest, well-served areas in Amman, there is still an average one-hour Internet outage per month, whatever the service provider. In other areas of the city or of the country it is worse. This is not good enough and must be improved. Internet connectivity is as crucial as electricity itself, simply.

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany — The frontlines of the battle for smartphone dominance over the coming years have grown clearer after Chinese technology firm Huawei presented an AI-powered phone designed to go head-to-head with Samsung and Apple.

Features needed to propel a device into the top end are growing increasingly complex and expensive to develop, meaning only the companies with the deepest expertise and pockets can hope to compete.

On the outside, the differences between phones from the world’s three biggest smartphone makers are small: they boast a screen stretching from edge to edge, dual cameras for high-quality photos and big batteries.

Under the hood, the investments Samsung, Apple and Huawei have made into technology at the heart of the devices is what they hope will set them apart.

Both US giant Apple and Chinese firm Huawei have bet on artificial intelligence capabilities designed to take some of the load off users’ shoulders, showcasing them in their phones’ cameras at glossy launch events.

Announcing its iPhone X last month, Apple showed off unlocking the device by recognising the owner’s face.

Huawei on Monday demonstrated its newest smartphone Mate 10 recognising when it was pointed at a plate of food, a vase of flowers or a family pet and adjusting its camera settings automatically.

Systems like these are based on so-called “machine learning” — meaning that rather than a human programmer working out from scratch how to recognise a face, for example, a piece of software teaches itself to identify patterns by sifting through mountains of data.

Huawei said it had trained its camera on 100 million photos to achieve its speedy image recognition, and also showcased the Mate 10’s power for language translation or housekeeping tasks like organising files.

Both Apple and Huawei have built specialist machine learning capabilities into the processors that power their phones, which could give third-party app developers all over the world the chance to think up new uses for the technique.

“AI is no longer a virtual concept but something that intertwines with our daily life,” Huawei consumer devices chief Richard Yu said Monday, promising “a new era of intelligent smartphones”.

High-stakes game

The latest round of the smartphone wars also showcases just how huge the investments needed to compete for a podium position have become.

“Alongside Samsung and Apple, Huawei’s growing technology capabilities threaten to place market leadership beyond the financial resources” of smaller firms, said Ian Fogg, mobile and telecoms industry expert at research firm IHS Markit.

In 2016, the Chinese group reported 76.4 billion yuan ($11.6 billion; 9.8 billion euros) of spending on research and development, with its massive telecoms infrastructure business helping fuel its drive for handset dominance.

South Korea’s Samsung Electronics reported spending 14.8 trillion won ($13.1 billion), while Apple forked out just over $10 billion.

But however much cash firms fling at flashy features, in the end their success will rest on the devices’ reception by the general public — and the armies of programmers writing the apps that will run on the phones.

‘Open ecosystem’

“Huawei’s challenge is how to maximise the use of its AI chip given it does not develop or control the smartphone operating system its devices use, Android, unlike Apple,” IHS’ Fogg said.

Apple tightly controls its whole devices, from hardware through the operating system to third-party apps, meaning developers know exactly what they can expect when programming for the iPhone.

Google’s Android system is more open, but the operating system is used on thousands of phone models from different manufacturers, all with widely varying specifications.

Android app makers may fear it is not worth their time to write specialist AI-enabled software for Huawei’s device alone, missing out on hundreds of millions of other potential customers in the Android universe.

Huawei is aware of the risk, Yu told AFP.

Seeking to ward off the danger, the Shenzhen-based firm has made its phone compatible with AI toolkits from Facebook and Google, making it easier for programmers to tap into its processor’s special powers.

“Apple, their system is their system. It’s always been like that. We’re trying to do an open eco-system,” Yu said.

NEW YORK — It is 5pm, otherwise known as rush hour in Manhattan. Julia Lyons, 31, finishes work and heads straight for her daily dose of peace and quiet — half an hour at meditation studio “Mndfl”.

Since April 2016, when she discovered the then-brand new studio, the investment bank employee has abandoned yoga and embraced meditation. 

“I have been meditating pretty regularly — probably five times a week, 30-minute sessions,” says Lyons, sipping a cup of tea on the studio’s sofa.

“I just need a moment to chill out. This city — you are always running place to place and there are not a lot of quiet spaces,” she explains. 

“I think it’s made me a lot happier and also just helped me make better decisions, more thoughtful decisions.”

Practiced by millions around the world, meditation promotes mental well-being through concentration, breathing techniques and self-awareness.

For a long time, those singing its praises were intellectuals, celebrities or people dedicated to spirituality. 

Its popularity in the West is owed in part to the Beatles, who promoted the practice on their return from India in the late 1960s.

But these days, meditation can be found in all areas of life — from hospitals exploring its benefits for patients with serious illnesses, to schools who recommend it for children and television shows.

The craze is a result of many factors — waning attendance at places of worship, lives spent submerged in smartphones, not to mention neuroscientists’ confirmation of the benefits.

As a result, demand is spreading across American cities — perhaps a natural continuation of the yoga craze, which firmly embedded the search for nirvana in the health and well-being industry.

$10 for half-an-hour

Lodro Rinzler, Mndfl’s 34-year-old “chief spiritual officer”, opened his first studio in Greenwich Village at the end of 2015, and now owns two others in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Elsewhere in the US, studios can be found in Los Angeles, Miami, Washington and Boston.

Introduced to meditation as a child by his parents, who converted to Buddhism in the 1970s, he says business “is going well”.

“The people who come here are really a cross section of all New Yorkers,” he explains.

“If the common denominator is, ‘I am really stressed out, I need to know how to deal with my mind’ — that’s basically everyone.”

Rinzler refuses to talk money, revealing only that classes are often full — and the 75 numbered pads in his studios have been reserved online 70,000 times in just 18 months.

The reason for success? A model offering a well-rounded introduction to this ancient practice for a reasonable price.

For years, Rinzler explains, Buddhist centres only offered long introductions — sessions of several hours, or even seminars lasting a number of days and costing up to several thousand dollars.

With classes priced at just $10 for half-an-hour, and options for unlimited subscriptions, new studios in New York or Los Angeles hope to capture a wider audience.

Their model is similar to gyms, but with “zen” in abundance — including dimmed lights, plant walls, and unlimited organic tea.

CEOs join,
employees follow

Companies are also reaping meditation’s benefits. More and more organisations in Silicon Valley and other sectors are introducing employees to the practice, convinced of the long-term benefits for the workforce.

Emily Fletcher, an ex-actress who has taught meditation since 2012, launched a special programme for companies 18 months ago.

Starting from 150 students in the first year, she now has over 7,000 — and hopes to reach tens of thousands more with online courses, including in medium-sized cities such as Cleveland, Ohio or Tallahassee, Florida.

“The most common way that I find myself teaching at companies is I teach the CEOs to meditate, and they start to benefit and they bring me on to do a talk with the company,” Fletcher, CEO of Ziva Meditation, says.

Employees take part on a voluntary basis, mostly “for some selfish reasons”, the 38-year-old explains.

“Either they want to speak better, please their boss, want to make more money or have better sex...”

But Fletcher insists she has no issue with people starting out of self-interest.

“If you actually practice you will start enjoying your life more, your brain will function better, your body will feel better, you get sick less often,” she says.

“Those altruistic things will happen as a result of the practice anyway.”

Mobile meditation

Another aspect of the industry gaining traction is meditation apps. 

One of the most popular, Headspace, had already been downloaded more than 11 million times in the spring — and boasts over 400,000 paying users.

But meditation’s newfound popularity is of such high intensity, neither Rinzler nor Fletcher is concerned about competing studios popping up over time.

“I am sure they are going to be exactly like yoga studios, you are going to find them on every block...” Rinzler predicts.

“If you look at it as a business, there is competition,” Fletcher reflects, adding, “if you see it as a mission, there are colleagues”.

“There are not too many teachers when it comes to teaching 4 billion people in my lifetime!”

WASHINGTON — Comedy horror slasher “Happy Death Day” had an excuse to celebrate last weekend as it stormed straight to the top of the North American box office, according to industry figures released on Monday.

With takings of $26 million according to Exhibitor Relations, it comfortably knocked last week’s leader — the long-awaited “Blade Runner” sequel — into second place.

Starring Jessica Rothe, Universal’s “Happy Death Day” follows a college student who repeatedly relives the day she was murdered until she discovers who killed her.

“Blade Runner: 2049” continued what has been seen as a disappointing run — halving last weekend’s earnings with takings of $15.5 million. 

The highly anticipated sci-fi reboot features Ryan Gosling as a new Los Angeles Police Department “blade runner” charged with killing bioengineered androids known as “replicants”.

After uncovering a secret that threatens society, he embarks on a search for Harrison Ford’s character, a former blade runner who disappeared 30 years ago.

Sitting in third place was STX Entertainment’s “The Foreigner”, starring Jackie Chan as a Vietnam War special forces operator turned London businessman, who seeks revenge after his daughter is killed in a terrorist attack. 

Based on the 1992 novel “The Chinaman” by Stephen Leather, the action thriller took a modest $13.1 million.

Meanwhile, freaky horror sensation “It” — starring Bill Skarsgard as a creepy clown — slipped into fourth in its sixth week in theaters. 

With receipts dropping by over a third from last weekend to $6 million, the popularity of the box office smash based on a cult Stephen King novel — total earnings $314.9 million — seems to be gradually easing.

After spending its first weekend in second place, Fox’s “The Mountain Between Us” fell to fifth, with $5.8 million.

Starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba, the feature tells the story of a surgeon (Elba) and a journalist (Winslet), who fall in love as they fight to survive following a plane crash on a snowy Utah mountain range.

Rounding out the top 10 were “American Made” ($5.5 million), “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” ($5.4 million), “The Lego Ninjago Movie” ($4.3 million), “My Little Pony: The Movie” ($4.1 million) and “Victoria and Abdul” ($3 million).