The Tech Landscape #147 đź—ş
This is issue 147 of The Tech Landscape, a weekly collection of news about consumer digital technology. Stories are selected by me, Peter Gasston, with a little insight and opinion where appropriate.
147 is the maximum break in snooker. The first (official) 147 scored in a professional tournament was in 1982; since then there have been 155 more, with over half coming in the last ten years.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to feed back on the end-of-month experiment I sent last week; apologies if I haven’t replied to anyone yet. One thing I probably didn’t make clear: the weeklies aren’t going away. If I do go ahead with the monthlies, they would be a supplement, not a replacement.
XR
Niantic has acquired 6D.ai, a startup that builds 3D mapping technology for AR. 6D.ai’s technology will be integrated with Niantic’s Real World platform. The mirrorworld is coming.
medium.com/6d-ai/6d-ai-joins-niantic-making-a-major-step-toward-building-the-ar-cloud-1594be62e85f
Facebook announced an exclusivity deal with UK manufacturer Plessey to use its MicroLED displays “in future AR/VR products”. As if we needed more evidence, AR glasses are coming.
tech.fb.com/working-with-plessey-on-ar-vr-research/
Mozilla will launch an experimental implementation of Web Monetisation in its Firefox Reality browser, providing a finance mechanism for AR & VR creators. As we move towards the next great technology platform, it would be great if the whole thing wasn’t dependent on advertising.
hacks.mozilla.org/2020/03/web-monetization-coil-and-firefox-reality/
Messaging
Facebook launched Messenger for MacOS and Windows. It’s a timely release as the current global quarantine means more people using video calling to keep in touch with their friends and family, leading to the unexpected sell-out of its Portal video calling device (see last week’s newsletter).
about.fb.com/news/2020/04/messenger-desktop-app/
Skype added Meet Now, a feature which lets people join calls without requiring a Skype account. It looks like a response to the success of Zoom, which has seen up to 30x downloads in the past few weeks.
twitter.com/Skype/status/1246105178727743489
Video
YouTube is planning to launch Shorts, a new short video format, according to a report in The Information. This is broadly seen as a move to stop losing creators to newer rival platforms like TikTok.
9to5google.com/2020/04/01/youtube-shorts-tiktok/
Apple will no longer take a 30% cut through its App Store of movie downloads and rentals from third-party providers, as long as those apps meet certain requirements of promoting Apple’s own core services. Amazon Prime Video is the first and most obvious provider to join the program.
theverge.com/2020/4/1/21203630/apple-amazon-prime-video-ios-app-store-cut-exempt-program-deal
Games
Amazon is planning to take its biggest step into gaming with the release of a cloud gaming platform currently codenamed Project Tempo, according to a report in the New York Times. As well as owning Twitch, the largest live streaming platform, Amazon already has its own development studio, which is planning to release its first major title soon.
nytimes.com/2020/04/02/technology/amazon-making-video-games.html
Google Play Games has added social profiles, so you can see your friends’ progress and the games they’re playing.
androidpolice.com/2020/04/03/google-play-games-friend-list-play-with-others-compare-achievements/
Everything Else
Snapchat launched App Stories, a software toolkit that lets people post their Snapchat Stories to other apps. It lets other apps have their own version of the Stories format without requiring they build and maintain the infrastructure for it.
techcrunch.com/2020/03/31/snapchat-app-stories/