Mobile devices executing applications utilize data services worldwide. An application executing on these mobile devices may be tested using proxy access devices (PADs) located at various points-of-presence (POPs) at different geolocations. A PAD retainer device is used to maintain a plurality of PADs in a high density arrangement while still permitting adequate cooling, wireless connectivity, and physical connectivity to a proxy host device. In one implementation, the PAD retainer device is configured to maintain a predefined physical configuration of the PADs mounted therein, while hot spots of the PADs are exposed to the ambient atmosphere to facilitate heat dissipation.

A method for operating a hybrid electric vehicle and hybrid electric vehicle are provided. The vehicle includes an internal combustion engine and an electric engine, which are operated by an electric controller, and a telecommunication system is communicatively coupled to the electric controller. The method includes determining if a telecommunication session is initiated or ongoing by the telecommunication system based on communication data provided by the telecommunication system to the electric controller. A current driving condition of the vehicle is determined based on driving data obtained by the electric controller to determine if an electric driving mode of the hybrid electric vehicle is feasible for the current driving condition. The hybrid electric vehicle is operated in the electric driving mode during the telecommunication session while the electric driving mode is feasible.

A vehicle cup holder cell phone mount has a base with a downwardly and inwardly tapering surface of rotation around a vertical axis. A pier stands up from a top of the base and a cell phone mounting bracket is pivotally mounted to the pier. The cell phone mounting bracket has adjustable jaws to fit cell phones of varying widths. The jaws always define an opening for a cell phone power/communications cable. One or more of a plurality of shells may be selectively assembled to the base. Each shell has a tapering surface of rotation around the axis. The shells are of different sizes. The user assembles from zero to (n) shells to the base, Russian-doll fashion, so as to optimally fit a particular vehicle cup holder. The user then wedges the assembly into the vehicle cup holder such that compressive force between the outermost tapering surface and the cup holder side wall securely holds the cell phone mount in place in the vehicle cup holder.

Methods and systems for providing standardized mobile device distraction prevention and safety protocols are disclosed. In particular, an embodiment of a method for activating a distraction prevention or safety protocol behavior in a mobile device when the mobile device satisfies a specific condition is disclosed. The method includes discovering one or more protocol activators configured to transmit discovery information associated with a specific condition. The method further includes activating distraction prevention safety protocol behavior in the mobile device based at least in part on the discovery information. In an implementation, the specific condition may be a specified environment itself and or include an event when the mobile device enters a specified environment or a specified sequence of numbers is dialed from the mobile device.

Various embodiments generally relate to systems and methods for creation of voice memos while an electronic device is in a driving mode. In some embodiments, a triggering event can be used to indicate that the electronic device is within a car or about to be within a car and that text communications should be translated (e.g., via an application or a conversion platform) into a voice memo that can be played via a speaker. These triggering events can include a manual selection or an automatic selection based on a set of transition criteria (e.g., electronic device moving above a certain speed, following a roadway, approaching a location in a map of a marked car, etc.).

A phone device monitors an accelerometer while traveling in a vehicle to detect unusually large excursions or sudden changes in acceleration magnitude. When such an excursion is detected, the phone device then compares the excursion with the output of other components in the vehicle that can confirm or dispel a finding that the vehicle has experienced a collision. Once a likely collision has been detected, the phone device goes into an automated assistance mode where the use can be voice prompted as to their condition. If no response is received, the phone device can automatically call emergency services for assistance, providing the present location of the phone device. In less severe incidents, the phone device can automatically offer immediate access to other services, include a towing service, an attorney, an automobile service, among others. The service providers are based on a geo-fenced region in which the phone device is located.

A vehicle safety system operating on a driver's cellphone and comprising selective blocking apparatus, controlled by a processor, for blocking specified functionalities of the cellphone only when the cellphone is in a moving vehicle; and communication functionality operative to receive from a remote server and feed to said processor, updates which determine which specified functionalities to block.

Disclosed embodiments are directed an application program configured to run on a user's mobile device can allow voice-activated call pick-up to the user, without the user having to use his or her hands for picking up the call. For example, the application program can initially be trained to a user's voice command. When an incoming call is received at the mobile device, the user can pick up the call by issuing a voice command. In some embodiments, the application program can determine whether to allow voice-activated pick-up of calls based on data collected from multiple sensors associated with the vehicle, the mobile device, or a remote source.

A vehicle safety reminder mat including a rubber mat having an interior volume. The mat houses a heartbeat sensor. Further, the mat houses a pressure sensor. The sensors are connected to a power source. The power source is capable of being connected to a vehicle cigarette lighter. A wireless transceiver is connected to the heartbeat sensor and the pressure sensor. The wireless transceiver and the power source are located in an external box that is connected to the mat. The mat has a reusable adhesive placed on a backside of the mat. The mat will send a signal to a user when the sensors detect a living being and a user has left the vicinity of the mat.

An approach is provided for mobility-based language model adaptation for navigational speech interfaces. The approach involves receiving a word lattice resulting from a speech recognition process applied on a speech input received from a user via a navigational speech interface. The word lattice includes a respective speech recognition score for each word in the word lattice. The approach further involves adapting a language model comprising a plurality of location entities according to a mobility relevance and a search relevance of the plurality of location entities to the user. In one embodiment, the mobility relevance and the search relevance are determined by computing a probability of the user visiting the location entities associated with said each word after the user queries for said each word. The approach further involves initiating a re-scoring of said each word in the word lattice using the adapted language model to generate a speech recognition output.