Tag: Oculus Rift

The ride-sharing app Uber has developed a new technology that it plans on using to track driver behaviour. Designed to improve passenger safety the technology will specifically monitor if drivers are travelling too fast or braking too harshly. Uber and drivers will receive data about their driving performance, along with safety tips on how they can improve their journey. Partnering with the Governor’s Highway Safety Association and Mothers Against Drunk Driving this announcement shows a true dedication to using cutting edge technology and data to not only improve consumer experience but in the long run, save lives. The shift in ambition demonstrates how important aspects such as efficiency, safety and the environment now are in the automotive industry and their business objectives. With these aspects being increasingly important to consumers we expect to see a rise in automotive businesses focussing their attention on purposeful product development and marketing that not only engages the consumer but benefits their livelihood. Read, learn and share away.

HEADLINES 

• Apple plans to acquire the artist owned streaming service Tidal
• Snapchat announces Chat 2.0, aimed at combining video, audio, stickers and GIFs
• Facebook Messenger for business updates galore (including GIFs, obviously)

 INSIGHTS

• Memes, EU citizens and Canada. What the UK digital fallout from Brexit can tell us?
• Why Facebook algorithm shift toward friend and family content is good news for social video
• How Uber plan to use mobile technology to track employee driving performance

COOL

• Hologram Karaoke is a thing and means you could take the stage with your favourite artist in the future
• Apple patents technology which could prevent people using their iPhones to film at gigs, but have released 4 new emoji packs to make up for it
• Old Spice have launched an 8 bit social game and you’re the star

DEEP READS

• Speaking of social gaming, remember Farmville? How social gaming can suffer from an over-reliance on Facebook
• More Brexit? What we can learn from opposing Brexit social media strategies
• What are the possibilities of Oculus Rift lifting it’s device restrictions

Please do share anything interesting you spot on Twitter with #OMDFWD

Microsoft may have made one of the biggest mistakes in recent memory. No it’s not the Windows 8…but an artificially intelligent chat-bot called Tay. Tay was designed to learn the art of conversation from humans on Twitter, and speak like a teenage girl. Instead Microsoft’s experiment turned into a PR disaster- within hours of being unleashed on Twitter the “innocent teen” bot was transformed into a misogynist and racist (to name a few) entity. With the AI market set to reach $11.1bn by 2024 the next step is teaching AI to play nice and police themselves. Read, learn and share away….!!!

HEADLINES

• Instagram users have spurned the platform’s shift to an algorithmic timeline, and sharper content focus twinned with spend could now be needed for brands
• Tumblr revamps to encourage more interaction and conversations
• Apple Pay is coming to mobile web, very welcome news for mCommerce providers
• Snapchat buys Bitstrips the maker of the cartoon-like Bitmoji
• Google’s AdWords gets a redesign and here’s the first look

INSIGHTS

• We’re more honest with our phones than with our doctors, and how this could help
• Facebook’s Basketball game notched up 300 million plays in its first week suggesting it’s a huge potential avenue for the platform
• An interesting article exploring the issues facing AI after Microsoft’s artificially intelligent chat-bot was closed down for bad behaviour

COOL

• Yes, holoportation is now ‘a thing’ and it’s very sci-fi
• The BBC is handing out microbit computers to 11-12 year olds to encourage children to learn code
• We could be using Facebook Messenger to pay for goods in-store very soon

DEEP READS

• Here’s a full round-up of the first Oculus Rift reviews
• How the death of creative and tech companies can lead to positive cycle
• Top publishers on the platforms that matter to them

A mobile and VR heavy OMD FWD this week! Paid search spend on mobile and tablet overtakes desktop in certain markets, Virtual Reality is being put to good use from curing the fear of heights to  raising money for Charity: Water and Apps prove to have higher conversion rates than mobile web or desktops. Share what you find interesting with #OMDFWD. 

HEADLINES

• Facebook to push Live video to the top of your newsfeed
• Potentially related, Meerkat is pivoting
• Amazon pushing Echo and its Virtual Personal assistant ‘Alexa’, with two new product launches

INSIGHTS

• Insights into the US and UK Paid Search markets.  At the end of Q4 2015, Mobile and Tablet accounted for 53% of all UK Paid Search spend (figure 14)
• 5 ways consumers are connecting to stores with Mobile Shopping
• Apps drive higher conversion rates for retailers than Desktop or Mobile web

 COOL

• Get a box that simulates the weather.  Far cooler than checking a weather app..or looking out of your window
• Samsung using VR to help people conquer their fear of heights
• Your face is your new wallet.  Google exploring ways for you to pay in-store using facial recognition
• Adidas building ‘Hyper local communities’ with Whatsapp and potentially rolling out to other platforms

DEEP READS

• How Google and the charity ‘Water’ are putting VR to good use
• Oculus Rift founder: ‘Facebook as we know it is not the future of virtual reality’
•  The winners and losers of the maturing app store economy

And, finally, if you find normal roller coasters boring…

With the start of the year seeing the annual CES event bring many of the big tech providers together, we saw some less likely candidates take the main stage as our world continues to change. Share anything interesting you spot with #OMDFWD

HEADLINES

• Oculus Rift goes on pre-order for £499 in the UK & $599 in the US, shipping set for March 28^th, with the founder suggesting pre-orders are exceeding expectations
• Apple Music reportedly reaches 10 million paid subscribers in 6 months
• Instagram adds curated content for live events
• The founder of Vine has created a new social app which allows you to share doodles and GIFs, Peach
• Apple buys emotion-reading AI company Emotient

 INSIGHTS

• 10 hidden tricks to get the most out of Facebook Messenger
• 7 must know content marketing trends for 2016
• 14 social media experts tell us what to expect in 2016 after 2015 saw new platforms rise and established ones continue to develop and grow

 COOL

• Need some help sticking to your New Year healthy eating plan? Use this magical gadget to reveal your foods nutritional value or track the contents of your fridge with the latest announcement from Samsung
• After what is said to be the biggest weekend for holiday bookings, consumers will be pleased to hear you can now track how much the sun is effecting you
• Need help with parking, FordPass app helps you find parking spots, you don’t need to drive a Ford car to use the app, set to realise later in 2016

DEEP READS

• Learn all about what Google are gearing up for in 2016
• As media buying gets harder in 2016, marketers & agencies need to grasp tools & tech to keep up with media according to Accenture
• Round up of the best of CES 2016
• A good article exploring 3 key issues which VR technology faces