The Tech Landscape #195 š
Google watches you sleep, Telegram is the new Clubhouse, and Play Store cuts its commission: this is issue 195 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.
This week Gucci launched a pair of digital-only shoes. The Virtual 25 cost Ā£11.99 and you can wear them in your social photos, in VR Chat, and Roblox. This might sound weird to you, but to a generation raised on AR and gaming skins, this isnāt an unusual new behaviour at all.
I wrote a blog post talking about this in a bit more detail: Gucci Goes Digital. (The post is doing well on LinkedIn, of all places, so if you wouldnāt mind giving it a Like or whatever Iād really appreciate it.)
Anyway, letās get on with the newsletter. Hope youāre well! Hang on in there.
Top Stories
Google announced an updated Nest Hub smart display, with a new Sleep Sensing feature. The new Nest Hub uses a SOLI radar chip to detect movement, the microphone to detect snoring and coughs, and monitors the light and temperature of your room, to provide a daily sleep activity report when you wake. This is seriously going to test some boundaries of trust; Iām genuinely surprised that it hasnāt already lead to ācreepy Big Brother over-reachā stories.
blog.google/products/google-nest/new-nest-hub-soli/
Smart Home
Telegram, the messaging app, expanded its Voice Chat feature to public channels and removed the limit on the number of participants. The move essentially makes it into a Clubhouse rival. Like Twitter Spaces, Telegram channels have a social graph built in; so if the voice chat feature is so easily copiable, what makes Clubhouse unique?
telegram.org/blog/voice-chats-on-steroids
Audio Social
Googleās Play Store halved its revenue cut for apps earning up to $1m in digital sales. It follows a similar move by Apple late last year, but whereas in Appleās version apps earning over $1m will pay 30% on all revenue, in Googleās the 15% always applies to the first $1m. Google says that 99% of developers which make digital sales will pay half of what they did beforeāmeaning āwhalesā (like Epic Games) will still make up the bulk of revenue.
android-developers.googleblog.com/2021/03/boosting-dev-success.html
Apps
XR Controllers
Sony showed off the new controllers for its next-gen VR system, coming in the next few years. The controllers use adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, and finger touch detection combined with standard analogue sticks and buttons.
blog.playstation.com/2021/03/18/next-gen-vr-on-ps5-the-new-controller/
Facebook revealed a prototype controller for AR and VR which detects motor neuron activity through a wristband. Itās not certain that this will come to market, and almost certainly not in this form, but using micro-gestures rather than waving hands around for a camera to track seems like an approach worth exploring.
tech.fb.com/inside-facebook-reality-labs-wrist-based-interaction-for-the-next-computing-platform/
Instagram for Kids
Instagram is introducing tools to better protect people aged under 18. They include an automated system to detect the age of users (even if they lie about their age) and a block on adults sending DMs to anyone under 18 unless theyāve opted to Follow them. Fewer young teen accounts will be suggested to adults in search results.
about.fb.com/news/2021/03/continuing-to-make-instagram-safer-for-the-youngest-members-of-our-community/
Instagram is working on a version of the app for kids aged under 13. The news was confirmed by Facebook after an internal memo leaked. Itās still unclear what the app will involved, but its likely to have parental controls and content filters.
buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/facebook-instagram-for-children-under-13
Everything Else
Snap Inc bought Fit Analytics, a company which (among other features) uses your smartphone camera to measure your body for more accurate clothes sizing. Snap, through Bitmoji and Snapchat, is increasingly working with fashion brands, and with its full-body detection capability it offers some tantalising opportunities in digital fashion.
techcrunch.com/2021/03/17/snap-is-taking-a-significant-step-into-fashion-e-commerce-with-its-acquisition-of-fit-analytics/
Camera
Samsungās latest Galaxy A series budget smartphones have Snap AR lenses built into the camera. Switching the camera into Fun Mode gives access to the lenses; Iām guessing this uses Snapās Camera Kit.
news.samsung.com/global/the-galaxy-a52-a52-5g-and-a72-make-innovation-accessible-to-all
Camera
Facebook unveiled a short demo of its new avatars for its VR world, Horizon. It uses face and hand detection with rigged, animated models to make more active, believable figures.
roadtovr.com/facebook-horizon-avatar-2021-quest/
XR
Facebook will launch a new platform for independent writers, with email newsletters integrating with Pages and Groups to foster a community. Itās an obvious response to the success of Substack. The feature will launch in the US first, with a group of selected writers.
facebook.com/formedia/supporting-independent-voices
Social
Facebook is making changes to how it recommends Groups to people, with the intention of avoiding pushing harmful content at them. Civic, political, and newly-created Groups will no longer appear in recommendations, and Groups which persistently violate rules will also be recommended a lot less. Grouping people around their interests is generally a good thing, but there is a risk that people can be recommended Groups which have the potential to radicalise.
about.fb.com/news/2021/03/changes-to-keep-facebook-groups-safe/
Social
The Chrome browser now supports Live Caption, which generates subtitles for any audio or video content. The feature, which is already available on Android, is a big win for making the web more available to people with hearing impairments.
blog.google/products/chrome/live-caption-chrome/
Accessibility
Pinterest is expanding its skin tone search filter to more countries. It lets users refine the results of beauty-related searches to better match their own toneāa nice example of inclusive design.
newsroom.pinterest.com/en/post/pinterest-expands-the-skin-tone-range-feature-to-more-countries
Search
Google released the second preview version of Android 12. Itās largely an iteration of the previous release without major new features; highlights include a new API to keep an app active when a companion wearable is nearby, and some effects and filters for better app visuals.
android-developers.googleblog.com/2021/03/android-12-developer-preview-2.html
Operating Systems
YouTube added a new feature called Checks, which will scan uploaded content for copyrighted material before it goes live. Currently, creators who have material flagged as infringing copyright can lose their ability to monetise through ads without realising, so this should help avoid that.
support.google.com/youtube/thread/102365314
Video
Developers using Instagramās Graph API now have access to IGTV media and metrics. It makes it easier for IGTV creators to create their own third-party tools for publishing and managing their profile.
developers.facebook.com/blog/post/2021/03/15/igtv-media-mmetrics-instagram-graph-api/
Social
Googleās Area 120 incubator launched Threadit, a browser tool for asynchronous video messages. Itās intended to improve team communication and remove the tyranny of constant video calls.
blog.google/technology/area-120/how-we-built-new-tool-without-ever-meeting-person/
Messaging
The UK held its latest auction of 5G spectrum for mobile carriers. On offer this time were lower (for longer distances, especially useful in rural areas) and higher (short range, high speed) frequency spectrum ranges. It means that over the next few years more people will get access to 5G, and more will get access to the speeds that the adverts promise.
theregister.com/2021/03/17/ofcom_second_5g_spectrum/
Telecoms
Stat of the Week
Twitch and Facebook Gaming saw an 80% year-on-year increase in viewing hours in February. One of the āwinnersā of the pandemic lockdowns has been livestreaming, and livestreamed gaming in particular.
blog.streamelements.com/state-of-the-stream-for-february-2021-8ba9fcdb9c69
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