The Tech Landscape #114 📻
The CRM114 Discriminator is a software filtering system which catches email spam with almost 99.9% accuracy. The name comes from a fictional piece of radio equipment in Stanley Kubrick’s film, Dr Strangelove, and was also referenced in Back to the Future.
Quite the bag of allsorts today, and not too many stories which is good because it’s late and I’m tired and I still have to find the fact about 114 that you just read, which usually takes me half an hour. There, a bit of behind-the-scenes for you.
Assistants & Voice
Google Assistant can now read and reply to messages from third-party apps including WhatsApp, Telegram, and Slack.
androidpolice.com/2019/08/02/google-assistant-read-reply-messages-whatsapp-telegram-slack/
Alexa users can vary the speed at which their device talks. Slower speeds are better for cognitively-paired users, while faster speeds are better for vision-impaired.
theverge.com/2019/8/7/20757749/amazon-alexa-talk-faster-slower-speed-echo
Social
Facebook is to more clearly assert its ownership of Instagram and WhatsApp by rebranding both as ‘… from Facebook’ in the App Store and Play Store.
thenextweb.com/insider/2019/08/04/instagram-and-whatsapp-get-a-from-facebook-stamp-to-remind-you-whos-boss/
WeChat added shoppable ads to its Moments feature (like the News Feed). Previously, Moments ads could only link to events and similar.
jingdaily.com/wechat-links-e-commerce-capability-with-moment-ads/
Travel
Google Maps got updated with a new tab to show your trip reservations, searchable location history, and ‘Live View’ augmented reality walking directions.
blog.google/products/maps/take-your-next-destination-google-maps/
Google’s travel tools can now show typical and historical flight prices (in the US), proactive ‘next steps’ after booking flights, and neighbourhood recommendations and reviews for hotels.
blog.google/products/flights-hotels/best-prices-for-your-trips/
Everything Else
Google Images will now show price, availability, and reviews of shoppable items in results. Images is going after the same inspiration-purchase market as Pinterest (and, to a degree, Instagram).
blog.google/products/search/pick-idea-and-make-it-happen-google-images/
Instagram is reportedly working on replacing its own Direct messaging system to make it compatible with Messenger. This makes sense on a technical level and for small businesses, and also makes Facebook a little harder to break up.
bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-07/instagram-s-chat-product-to-be-rebuilt-on-facebook-technology
Apple’s new credit card started rolling out to a small group of users in the US, with a general release expected later in the month. If you’ve used Monzo or any similar new bank you’ll be familiar with how the Apple card works, but it’s like magic to Americans, apparently.
theverge.com/2019/8/6/20756048/apple-card-availability-sign-up-cancel-apr-iphone-goldman-sachs
Google Search will soon show podcast episodes in search results, using automated transcription to find the best episode match. It’s rolling out in the US now.
blog.google/products/search/press-play-find-and-listen-podcast-episodes-search/
Huawei announced its own operating system, HarmonyOS (HongmengOS in China). It will run across all device forms from phones to IoT, and is Android-compatible—although the company says it has no plans to abandon Android at the moment.
theverge.com/2019/8/9/20798251/huawei-harmonyos-hongmengos-smartphones-internet-of-things-operating-system-android
Valve’s Steam Link Anywhere, which streams PC games to smartphones, is now publicly available on Android.
androidpolice.com/2019/08/07/steam-link-out-of-beta/