The Tech Landscape #117 💬
Secret agent Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, codenamed OSS 117, appeared in 88 books and 10 films in France. He was created four years before James Bond, 007.
I really thought this week was going to be quiet.
Assistants & Voice
The BBC is working on its own digital assistant, called Beeb. It will work on the BBC’s own products, such as iPlayer, rather than be a general-purpose assistant.
theguardian.com/media/2019/aug/27/bbc-to-launch-alexa-rival-that-will-grasp-regional-accents
Amazon made it easier to connect third-party user accounts to Alexa. Users on iOS with the Alexa app installed now only need a single extra tap to connect to Skills after logging into a user account.
developer.amazon.com/blogs/alexa/post/f8251953-17ab-44df-b504-5af79af9684a/use-app-to-app-account-linking-and-new-skill-activation-api-to-simplify-skill-setup
Samsung is testing its Bixby-powered Galaxy Home Mini smart speaker with a small group in South Korea.
androidpolice.com/2019/08/28/samsung-confirms-existence-of-galaxy-home-mini-solicits-beta-testers-in-korea/
Apple apologised for not telling people that their voice recordings might be heard by humans for training Siri, and made it opt-in by default. This is what all the companies in voice should have done from the start: explain what’s happening, how it benefits users, and allow opt-in.
apple.com/newsroom/2019/08/improving-siris-privacy-protections/
Messaging
Facebook Messenger Platform received its first update in a while, gaining lead generation and appointment booking features announced at f8 earlier this year. It also announced the Discover tab will be phased out. I think this is a good signal that the ‘branded chatbots’ experiment has largely passed, and ‘messaging 2.0’ is about direct business-to-customer communications.
developers.facebook.com/blog/post/v2/2019/08/29/messenger-launches-new-tools-to-drive-more-valuable-conversations-between-people-and-businesses/
Skype gained some new features including media previews and photo albums, as Microsoft continues to develop it as a Slack/Workplace competitor.
blogs.skype.com/news/2019/08/29/new-skype-features-boost-productivity-enrich-chat/
XR
Lens Studio, the tool for creating Snapchat Lenses, had a major update with support for landmark recognition (for example, the Tower of London), new facial templates, skeleton tracking, and hair and make-up try-on effects.
lensstudio.snapchat.com/news/making-ar-has-never-been-easier/
Startup 6D.ai, which plans to build a digital model of the world for use in AR applications, announced its product today with a pricing plan, Android support, and a collaboration with chip maker Qualcomm to share data to dedicated AR headsets.
medium.com/6d-ai/6d-lays-the-foundation-to-build-a-3d-map-of-the-world-d781e3ee095f
North Focals, the AR/HUD glasses, can now receive Android notifications and take action on the ones that allow it. This, to me, confirms that Google Glass was a few years ahead of its time.
9to5google.com/2019/08/29/north-focals-android-notification/
Social
Facebook is experimenting with an ‘Instagram companion’ social network called Threads, that will use phone features to make automated status updates for people marked as Close Friends in Insta.
theverge.com/2019/8/26/20833903/facebook-instagram-threads-messaging-app-close-friends-snapchat
TikTok is experimenting with shoppable videos, using a new feature called Hashtag Challenge Plus. Brands can pay influencers to promote products through hashtag challenges, with the challenge page showing certain products for sale.
techcrunch.com/2019/08/19/tiktoks-new-hashtag-challenge-plus-lets-video-viewers-shop-for-products-in-the-app/
TikTok is reportedly trialling an app-only audience network for advertisers. The trial is currently limited to East Asia and has yet to be officially announced.
adweek.com/programmatic/tiktok-monetize-teenage-fans-advertising/
Transit
Google Maps is to get integrated transit directions, with routes planned using a combination of public transport, biking, and ride-sharing options. Next step, I imagine, is to launch an integrated travel pass, like Citymapper has.
blog.google/products/maps/travel-your-first-and-last-mile-google-maps/
Chinese self-driving car startup Pony.ai has teamed up with Toyota on an autonomous driving project set to start in Beijing and Shanghai in September.
abacusnews.com/start-ups/toyota-teams-chinas-ponyai-self-driving-cars/article/3024582
Didi Chuxing (“China’s Uber”) will launch a self-driving taxi experiment in Shanghai. Cars will be limited to one region, and will have human back-up drivers.
theverge.com/2019/8/30/20840954/china-didi-chuxing-self-driving-car-robot-taxi-launch-experiment-shanghai
Everything Else
Yelp is moving into personalisation, with app users seeing different home screens and search results based on their dietary preferences, tastes, and interests. Previously Yelp recommended solely on customer reviews and ratings.
blog.yelp.com/2019/08/yelp-is-releasing-a-new-personalized-app-experience
The Chinese government will release its own cryptocurrency through banks and financial institutions including tech giants Alibaba and Tencent, according to a report in Forbes.
forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2019/08/27/alibaba-tencent-five-others-to-recieve-first-chinese-government-cryptocurrency/#66c024531a51