Facebook’s Crazy 360 Degree Camera; New Kindle Out; Apple Owns Teens
Posted: April 13, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 20 months standby, Amazon, Apple, F8, Facebook, iOS, Kindle, Oasis, Surround 360, Teens, Wearables Leave a commentAt F8, Facebook revealed the “Surround 360”, a 17-lens 3D VR camera yesterday that looks like a UFO on a stick and requires almost no post-production work. They won’t make or be selling the Surround 360. Techcrunch.com says that later this summer Facebook will put the hardware designs and video stitching algorithms on Github. All the parts can by bought online for $30,000.
As expected, Amazon has launched a brighter, smaller, thinner Kindle Oasis for $290, with a leather case increasing battery life to 20 months standby time, It has a funky bump on one side Amazon says helps make it easier to hold with one hand like a book. Theverge.com says it’s available for pre-order today, and ships April 27th.
For decades, it’s been a marketing truism that if you get buyers when they’re teens, you can often keep them for life. Apple seems to be doing this…they did it with the original Macs in schools, and now with iOS and wearables. According to a Piper Jaffray survey picked up by appleinsider.com, only 12% of teens had a smartwatch. Of those, 71% were Apple’s. 69% of teens owned an iPhone, and 64% an iPad. The iPad percentage is up slightly…analyst Gene Munster says probably with the introduction of the 9.7 inch iPad Pro that can use a Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil. Parents…keep your wallet handy!
HTC 10 Pre-Orders Start Now; Facebook Announces Chatbots at F8 Conference
Posted: April 12, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Chatbots, F8, Facebook, HTC, HTC 10, Messenger, Quick Charge, Tweeter, Woofer Leave a commentAs we reported last week, HTC has dropped the new model 10. It comes with 4GB of RAM and a 5.2-inch 2K display packs 564 pixels per inch behind layered Gorilla Glass. And the fingerprint sensor unlocks the phone in 0.2 seconds. HTC claims the 3,000mAh battery provides 2 days of use, and can charge up to 50 percent in 30 minutes with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 through the new USB-C port. According to geekwire.com, it has a separate tweeter and woofer, on the top-front and bottom respectively, each have their own amp. The camera also got a bump. A new 12MP sensor has improved low-light performance thanks to the bigger “Ultra Pixels.”
Pre-orders start today, April 12, with an expected ship date of early May. The unlocked device will go for $699.
Today at the Facebook Developer Conference…F8…the social media giant officially announced it was adding the rumored chatbots to the Messenger app. Gizmodo.com says the bots can book a hotel, order a meal, find a restaurant, hail a cab, and do much more through text chatting. They also will be a lifeline to smaller businesses who have been depending on sketchy websites and 800 phone numbers. They can basically operate as an app within an app. Facebook’s F8 Conference continues this week…more to come, no doubt.
Galaxy S7 Is a Hit Compared to the S6; Facebook Adds Video Search
Posted: April 8, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Facebook, Galaxy S7, Live Videos, S7 Edge, Samsung, Video search engine Leave a commentAfter just a month, the new Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are handily outselling their S6 predecessors year over year. In fact, 9to5google.com says sales are up 25% overall, and 30% in the US. The company had a shortage of screens for the curved Edge model, but that’s not the case this year, and they say it is now accounting for 47% of S7 sales.
Facebook is pulling out all stops to get users to watch original videos. Earlier this week, they launched the dedicated video browsing hub, and now have announced a video search engine. According to techcrunch.com, they are also now baking Live videos into Trending Topics on the home page. Facebook is trying to use live video to reverse a trend of less original sharing. Apparently, only 57% of weekly users post on a given week, and only 39% post original content. We all know a few people who re-post a couple dozen memes a day, though!
Facebook’s New Dedicated Video Tab; Huawei Shows New Dual Lens Leica Branded Cam in Latest Phone
Posted: April 6, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Dual lens camera, Facebook, Huawei, Leica, Live Video, Messenger, Samsung Leave a commentIn an update, Facebook has replaced the Messenger tab that was front and center at the bottom of the app with the live video tab. Theverge.com reports that the tab has different sections for broadcasts happening around the world and broadcasts by your friends and the pages you follow. You can also search for videos by topic. Facebook says the tab is rolling out initially to “a very small percentage” of users. If you like Periscope, you’ll find that they have borrowed features shamelessly from them.
Speaking of cameras and video, Huawei has showed off its latest flagship smartphones. The P9 has a 5.2 inch screen and the P9 Plus a 5.5 inch one. Both feature a Leica branded dual lens camera. TechCrunch.com notes that Huawei says the cam is co-engineered with the famous optics maker, so don’t expect actual Leica lenses! The dual lens rollout now gets the drop on Apple by almost 6 months. Huawei is the 3rd largest smartphone maker by global market share, behind Samsung and Apple. The setup is supposed to give better color and clarity, and allow refocusing after the fact as the old Lytro camera. They also have a ‘Leica film mode,’ which mimics 3 old film processing styles…for those that like to kick a smartphone camera old school.
Facebook Messenger Getting In-Store Purchasing and ‘Secret Conversations’; Kuvee Making a ‘Keurig for Wine’
Posted: March 29, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Facebook, In-store purchases, Keurig for wine, Kuvee, Messenger, Secret conversations Leave a commentFacebook is looking to roll out new features for its Messenger app. Thenextweb.com reports that someone has spotted code in the iPhone version that points to in-store payment for goods and services. There are also references to secret conversations…but it’s not clear if they would be encrypted, or it’s just a way to hide conversations on a smart device using the app.
Here’s a concept that grabbed my attention immediately…a Keurig for wine. According to engadget.com, Kuvee plans to roll one out by October. The prototype looks like a large square bottle with a touch screen on one side. Spun metal canisters of wine go inside, and it pours the selected wine, but keeps air out of the refill canister. Wine supposedly lasts a month! It will be $200, and only available initially in California and Massachusetts. Also, they will have 50 varieties of wine at launch, but you can only use their choices they sell in the canisters.
Updated iPad Air May be Another iPad Pro; Facebook Rolls Out Live Video to Android
Posted: February 26, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, Apple, Apple Pencil, Facebook, Facebook Live Video, iOS, iPad Air, iPad Pro Leave a commentApple may not be launching a freshened 9.7 inch iPad Air in March…it may be an iPad Pro. Appleinsider.com picked up a rumor that the smaller sized Pro will have Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard support, complementing it’s larger 13 and 15 inch models. There may also be a 9.7 inch Air version, without Smart Connector and Apple Pencil support, and Apple may make the iPad Mini a version of the Air. The 9.7 inch Pro will reportedly have a rear camera flash and quad speakers…it should be rolled out March 15th.
Android phones should be seeing live video streaming via Facebook in the next week. Theverge.com says the rollout will start in the US, as it did with the iOS version, then expand to other countries within weeks. Facebook claims that people watch live video 3 times longer than video posted that was pre-recorded.
The Two Biggest Carriers Now Testing Blazing Fast 5G; Facebook Testing SMS Integration With Messenger on Android
Posted: February 12, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 5G, Android, AT&T, Facebook, LTE, Messenger, Multiple Accounts, SMS, Verizon Leave a commentLast year, Verizon began testing its 5G network, and now AT&T has said they have as well. According to 9to5mac.com, AT&T expects speeds of 10-100 times faster than today’s LTE. Verizon has estimated their 5G system will be 30-50 times faster. AT&T says at 1 gigabit per second, you will be able to download a TV show in less than 3 seconds! Because standards have to be agreed upon, full 5G won’t hit until 2020, but some carriers are planning to offer at least some service by next year.
Facebook is testing out bringing back SMS message support to Messenger for Android. They had dropped such support in 2013 due to lack of use, but now think it will take off. Venturebeat.com says they are also adding multiple account support. Facebook says this will allow family members and friends to access their individual accounts from a shared phone, or a person to use their personal and business page accounts from the same device. For now, both SMS and multiple account access are only out on Android in the US.
iPhone and Others May Get Sony Dual-Lens Cameras; Google Baking VR Into Android
Posted: February 9, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, Apple, Cardboard, Facebook, iPhone 7, KGI Securities, Oculus, Sansung, Sony, Virtual Reality, VR Leave a commentWe’ve reported earlier that Apple was testing a dual lens camera for the iPhone 7. Highly reliable KGI Securities says the top iPhone 7 will get the next gen camera, which will have dramatically improved image quality and optical zoom, plus other features. Now, macdailynews.com says a Sony report confirms that their dual lens camera system will be out in iPhone and 3 other unnamed smartphones, and they expect it to be widespread by 2017. Other vendors, including the one that supplies 60% of iPhone camera lenses, have sent dual lens camera samples to Apple. It isn’t much of a reach to think that Samsung is one of the 3 makers besides Apple that will bow these vastly improved cameras.
Facebook has Oculus, and we know Apple has a division working on virtual reality. Google has had a VR division too, and now comes word that they…as Apple…are working on more than just a Rift or Gear-like VR headset. Google is reportedly working on Android VR. According to 9to5google.com, Google plans to bake VR software right into Android….where the current Cardboard is just an app. This means latency would be decreased, and users could spend significantly more time in VR without getting queasy. It looks like they and Apple are working towards eventually making VR essentially an operating system. Google may show off it’s latest VR for Android at Google I/O in May.
Facebook Killing Medical Pot Pages; Apple Patents Way to Share Touch ID
Posted: February 4, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Facebook, Friends Day, iPad, iPhone, Medical Marijuana, Pot, Touch ID Leave a commentFacebook is deleting pages for medical marijuana dispensaries in New Jersey and other states where they’re legal. Businessinsider.com says a dispensary got a popup on login that said ‘We remove any promotion or encouragement of drug use.’ On Facebook’s ad policy page, it does day the site also won’t allow ads that ‘promote the sale of prescription pharmaceuticals.’ Ironic that this story is out on Facebook’s 12th birthday, when they’re offering up cheery ‘Friends Day’ videos to users.
According to 9to5mac.com, Apple has a patent for additional functionality for the Touch ID home button…allowing different actions for different fingerprints. The patent application is mind numbingly technical, but looks like a way to give temporary access to an iPhone or iPad with only specific apps available….useful for letting kids use your device. The function would also limit the time the guest could use the iPhone or iPad. No word on when, or if, Apple will actually bake this feature in.
Amazon Rolling Own in Air Cargo; Messenger Fastest Growing App
Posted: December 18, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Air Cargo, Amazon, Apple Music, Boeing, Facebook, FedEx, Logistics, Messenger, Moments, Nielsen, Post Office, UPS Leave a comment
In a move that should strike terror in the hearts…or at least indigestion in the bellies…of competitors, Amazon is talking to Boeing about acquiring 20 767 freighter jets. Geekwire.com reports that as of last month, some unknown firm, now presumed to be Amazon, was flying 4 cargo flights a day out of Ohio’s Wilmington Air Park…which was a DHL facility until 2008. They were bound for Allentown, PA, Ontario CA, Tampa, and Oakland…all close to Amazon distribution centers. DHL previously had 7500 employees at the air park. Earlier this month, Amazon bought thousands of truck trailers. They are getting ready to disrupt shipping and logistics….look out FedEX, UPS, and Post Office.
A lot of people questioned Facebook calving off Messenger into a separate app, bout according to Nielsen research picked up by techcrunch.com, it was a brilliant move. Facebook remains the top app of 2015, but Messenger is now the fastest growing app installed on smartphones. It’s not up as much as last year, when Facebook split it off and growth was 242%, but still up 31% from 2014. Now, Facebook has broken off its private photo-sharing feature into the Moments app. The second fastest growing app was Apple Music, at 26% increase year over year.
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