News
Dubai Roads & Transport Authority Introduces Smart Solutions
A range of innovative digital services now aid mobility and improve efficiency.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has introduced a range of smart technology solutions to automate services and make life easier and more convenient for citizens as the Emirate continues its digital transformation plan leading up to 2025.
Here are some of the services that have been improved using cutting-edge tech:
Smart Kiosks
Citizens can now renew vehicle registrations, pay parking fines, and recharge their nol cards 24/7 at 32 separate smart kiosks featuring biometric login. In total, 28 digital services are available, with payment options including cash, credit cards, and NFC digital wallets.
Taxi App
As well as an hourly rental service, residents and tourists can book taxis and limos 24 hours a day. The new Dubai Taxi Corporation app also features a “Lost and Found” section, along with location sharing, route details, and estimated arrival times.
nol Pay App
An updated version of the nol Pay app can now be used for transport fares, parking, tourist attractions, and even shopping. Instant balance top-ups are available, along with integration of digital IDs for simplified registration.
Driving Licenses
A “Click and Drive” initiative for obtaining driving licenses has digitized the entire admin process, reducing wait times by 75%. The new service even includes a mobile eye-testing facility.
Free Parking Permits
Parking permits are now available digitally and don’t need to be printed or displayed. The service allows users to add up to 5 vehicles, with each activated at a time through the RTA Dubai app.
Unified Booking
The RTA plans to streamline transport bookings and tickets over the next couple of years, unifying regulations across all providers, which currently includes the likes of Careem, Udrive, Uber, ekar, and Hala.
News
Samsung Galaxy Ring Wearable Will Launch In Eight Sizes
A recent Korean report reveals the model numbers of the new health tracking device, as well as details of its key features.
The global launch of the Samsung Galaxy Ring is hotly anticipated, with details about the next-gen wearable gradually emerging since the company’s teaser announcement back in January. Now, a report has also unveiled the model numbers for the device, suggesting it will be available in eight different sizes.
While Samsung has yet to divulge detailed specs and features of the Galaxy Ring, it’s likely to feature an array of health and sleep monitoring functionalities, while boasting a battery life of up to nine days on a single charge.
As per a Galaxy Club report, there are currently eight confirmed variants of the Galaxy Ring: SM-Q500, SM-Q501, SM-Q502, SM-Q505, SM-Q506, SM-Q507, SM-Q508, and SM-Q509.
However, the mystery shrouding two absent model numbers persists, leaving speculation as to whether they signify additional sizes or if Samsung plans to unveil a later ninth variant of the ring, as previously hinted. There’s conjecture that these models may correspond to US ring sizes 5 and above, commencing with the SMQ500, with subsequent numbers potentially indicating larger ring sizes, possibly reaching up to size 13, aligning with model number SM-Q509.
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Recent Korean reports have shed light on how Samsung’s Mobile eXperience division (MX) collaborated with the Home Appliance department to integrate Samsung Food with the Galaxy Ring: Tailored for daily activity tracking, the Galaxy Ring, when paired with Samsung Food and an intelligent Samsung refrigerator featuring AI vision, delivers personalized dietary guidance based on calorie intake and BMI.
Samsung is banking on the user-friendly interface and high durability of the ring to redefine the healthcare wearables landscape. Meanwhile, Apple is also making strides in the development of a smart ring, aimed at monitoring users’ health biometrics discreetly when worn on the finger. According to the Electronic Times report, Apple has been closely monitoring market interest in this more inconspicuous alternative to a traditional watch.