Rimac Automobili’s first production model and the world’s first electric hypercar – the Concept_One – is a part of a new hypercar exhibit at the world-famous Petersen Automotive Museum in California. Joined by game-changing icons like the Bugatti Veyron and Koenigsegg Agera RS, it’s an exploration of the recent phenomenon of cars with such other-worldly performance that they go beyond the realm of the supercar, and into the hyper.

The new ‘Hypercars: The Allure of the Extreme’ exhibit opened on December 4^th, designed to showcase what hypercars stand for and why they continue to captivate the global automotive community. It’s just one part of the Museum, which is described as “the world’s greatest automotive museum”, housing one of the largest collections ever assembled, from all-time classics to modern-day racing cars and cutting-edge electric vehicles of the future. The Concept_One on display is in fact the very first production example ever produced, owned by Mr. Paul Runge based in the US, who wished to give the public a chance to see the hypercar in the metal.

The Concept_One was Mate Rimac’s first car built from the ground up and was designed to showcase the potential of electric technology in the world of automotive performance. Born out of Rimac’s dedication to pushing the boundaries of technology and electric powertrains, the Concept_One was not only intended to transform the performance EV platform but to prove that an electric powertrain can make a car faster, but also more exciting, too.

Revealed to the world in production form in 2016, the Concept_One was based upon entirely new powertrain systems and an original platform developed in-house by Rimac. Powered by four magnetic electric motors – one for each wheel – with a total output of 900 kW/1224hp and 1600Nm of torque from 8450 battery cells, the Concept_One was soon recognized as one of the fastest road cars, at the time beating many hypercars off-the-line. It’s capable of accelerating from standstill to 100 km/h (62mph) in just 2.5 seconds, to 200 km/h (124mph) in 6, and to 300 km/h (186mph) in 14 seconds.

The Concept_One also helped to lay the foundations for Rimac Automobili’s latest all-electric hypercar, the Nevera. Although not a single component was carried over from Concept_One, the experience helped the Rimac Automobili team to create evolutions of some of Concept_One’s technologies, including Rimac All-Wheel Torque Vectoring, and a quad-motor powertrain fed by a 120kWh battery. Rimac’s next generation, Nevera, is the most technologically advanced hypercar in the world and the fastest accelerating production car, launched by its 1,914hp motors to 300km/h (186mph) in 9.3 seconds – nearly a full five seconds faster than Concept_One.

Mate Rimac, CEO and founder of Rimac Automobili, adds: “With the Concept_One, we didn’t want to simply create an electric version of existing hypercars. We wanted to create the hypercar of the 21st century. To have it stand wheel-to-wheel with other iconic hypercars in one of the most prestigious automotive museums in the world is a real honour for us. And, with only eight built, this exhibit will provide visitors with a rare glimpse of the car that so much of our knowledge and technology is built upon. The Concept_One is an absolutely crucial part of Rimac Automobili history and – while we’ve come so far since – we’ll always look back at Concept_One proud of the electric revolution we helped to kickstart.”

The words “rugged” and “smartphone” usually do not go well together. This is because most rugged smartphones you see on the market are bulky and brick-like with low-end features. But, Nokia is changing all of that with the new XR20. This thing is not only rugged but also comes with very good specs and features to boot.

The Nokia XR20 comes with a 6.67-inch touchscreen display on the front with a resolution of 1080-by-2400 pixels. The display also offers an aspect ratio of 20:9. Under the hood, the Nokia XR20 rocks a 2GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 processor that features 4 cores clocked at 2GHz and 4 cores clocked at 2GHz.

You also get 6GB of RAM and 128GB of built-in storage. The phone itself runs on the Android 11 operating system under the Android One program. The phone is powered by a 4630mAh battery. That’s not all – the XR20 also comes with a bunch of features that are hard to find on rugged devices. For one, the Nokia XR20 supports wireless charging, as well as Quick Charge 4.0 fast charging!

In terms of look and feel, the phone is a bit bigger than regular phones that comes with a 6-inch plus display. However, it is quite easy to hold in one hand and use. The back of the phone has a textured finish that helps with the grip when holding the XR20. On the front, the display is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus.

The phone is also protected by IP68 dust and water resistance, for a worry-free user experience. There’s also a rubberised strip that runs along the edges of the phone to protect the screen from drops or bumps. On the left edge, you get a Google Assitant shortcut button – it’s a bit large for my liking because I kept pressing it by accident, every time I wanted to put the phone into my pant’s pocket.

On the right edge, you get the volume rockers and the power button which also doubles up as a fingerprint reader. The phone also offers face unlock feature for added security. On the top edge, you get a programmable emergency key in red colour, and a dual SIM slot. One of the slots can also be used to bump the internal storage to up to 512GB using a microSD card.

On the bottom edge, you get a speaker grille, a noise-canceling microphone, a 3.5mm audio jack (yes!), and a USB-C charging port. As far as the cameras are concerned, the Nokia XR20 on the rear packs a dual-camera setup featuring a 48-megapixel primary camera, and a 13-megapixel camera. The rear camera setup also has autofocus. You also get an 8-megapixel front camera for all your selfies.

Connectivity options on the Nokia XR20 include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/Yes, GPS, Bluetooth v5.10, NFC, USB Type-C, 3G, 4G and 5G support. Sensors on the phone include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, compass/ magnetometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, and fingerprint sensor.

The Snapdragon 480 used on the Nokia XR20 is usually used on mid-range devices. Having said that, however, the overall performance of the Nokia XR20 is quite good – we did not find any lags or stutters when using the device. Swiping across multiple open app windows was quite smooth and gaming on the device was also pretty good.

Camera functionality is quite good, too. Under good lighting conditions, the phone was able to take some very good shots. Under low light conditions, the XR20 did struggle sometimes. The phone also comes with a Night Mode which did a decent job at clicking pictures under low light conditions.

HMD Global also promises 3 years’ worth of software upgrades and 4 years of security upgrades with the Nokia XR20. That makes it a worthwhile investment if you are looking for a smartphone that can go on and on for years. For a price of AED 1849, the Nokia XR20 may seem a bit expensive, considering there are better alternatives available on the market if you are looking for a smartphone.

However, if you are on the market for a smartphone that offers good overall features and at the same time is also rugged, Nokia XR20 comes across as a value for money device.

Price: AED 1849

Dynabook Europe GmbH has announced an update to its dynaEdge AR (Assisted Reality) solution with the launch of the dynaEdge DE200, the next generation of its high-performance Windows 10/11 Pro mobile edge computing device. The edge computing market has accelerated substantially over the past year, driven by factors including Covid-19, and as a result over half (52%) of IT decision-makers regard purchasing decisions around edge computing to be more important now than pre-pandemic. At the same time, most employees (70%) believe that AR will cause either slight or significant disruption to their industry.

It is perceived as the most disruptive emerging technology, ahead of AI, the IoT, and cybersecurity (GlobalData). This in turn is driving innovation and adoption around edge infrastructure, with IDC projecting an 800% increase in the number of apps at the edge by 2024. The new dynaEdge AR solution is designed to provide lightweight, hands-free functionality for mobile working, and improve efficiency, connectivity, and security for the enterprise in today’s constantly evolving working environments. It accelerates diagnostic and repair scenarios, information sharing and collaboration, information capture, and data processing – even in the most remote locations. 

The new enhancements – including 4G LTE, latest 11^th Gen Intel Core Processors, and Edge AI – enable full mobility while maintaining security for the corporate environment with the device’s secure operating system: 

• Faster connection with 4G LTE integration: Wherever there’s a 4G signal, the worker can be connected – without tethering to a phone or relying on a WiFi signal. 
• Smart vision with Edge AI: Edge AI Engine improves camera visuals with image stabilisation, brightness compensation, and object tracking. It also enables the processing of video streams to be completed before the recipient receives visuals. Furthermore, the AI engine processes the camera stream to the DE200 and runs the software as a virtual camera. Edge AI can be incorporated into customers’ own developed software solutions.   
• Improved charging and battery life: Offers up to 6.5 hours of battery life and includes a universal Type C charging connector which can be extended with an optional power bank, enabling front-line workers to achieve all-day operation.
• Advanced power: Provides enhanced power and full performance through a choice of the latest 11th Gen Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 processors. 
• Maximum endpoint security: Running on Windows 10/11 Pro, the dynaEdge DE200 supports Active Directory, in conjunction with two-factor authentication including PIN and fingerprint to secure end-user data. On-device data classification can be used to determine, how data is shared, addressing a major concern for many industries.  

dynaEdge AR was developed for industries with a strong focus on the frontline and field-based workers, including manufacturing, inspection, logistics, maintenance, emergency services,  healthcare, and education. Now with 4G LTE integration, the solution provides a significant opportunity to drive digital transformation in even more remote working environments such as first responders, field service, visitor attractions, and national parks. 

“Over the last 20 months, mobile edge computing and smart glasses solutions have become integral to many industries,” said Damian Jaume, President, Dynabook Europe GmbH. “Indeed, our latest research has found that 63% of IT decision-makers plan to deploy smart glasses in their organisation over the course of the next three years, suggesting that widespread adoption will continue to rise. Work trends are evolving rapidly, and the latest dynaEdge AR solution is evidence that we understand what our customers need to operate in a hybrid working world.”

The new dynaEdge AR solution includes a host of accessories, including various mounting options for the AR100 wearable device, plus different carry cases, shoulder sling, and holster options for the DE200. The new dynaEdge AR is available now across the Middle East and Africa (pending certification).