25th March 2016
Why Facebook’s Messenger Bot Store could be the most important launch since the App Store – ‘just because the container is a messenger doesn’t mean that all the apps inside are text-based.” Tomaž Štolfa says there is “unexplored potential in blending conversational interfaces with rich graphical UI elements.”
All of the above is driven by the rise of the ‘Message Bots’ – ‘If the trend in past years has been assistants powered by voice — Siri, Alexa, Cortana — in 2016 the focus is shifting to text. And if the bots come, as industry insiders are betting they will, there will be casualties: with artificial intelligence doing the searching for us, Google may see fewer queries. Our AI-powered assistants will manage more and more of our digital activities, eventually diminishing the importance of individual, siloed apps, and the app stores that sell them.’
This is useful and very nicely designed.- Growthverse – An interactive visualisation of the marketing universe. Have a marketing problem? click here for some solutions.
Mic is a five year old website from NYC that is seeking to become a leading news source created by and for millennials. This sounds cool, but what happens when they all grow up? Could it all go a bit Logan’s Run?
Meet Plag. The new social network that is spreading like a virus – ‘Hundreds of thousands are swapping Twitter for a new social network that shares posts with whoever is closest to them.‘
The awesome and increasing power of the Amazon Web Service platform (AWS) – ….nearly every startup of note to be founded in the last several years has started on AWS or one of its competitors. The true measure of AWS’ impact, though, is the way it transformed the ecosystem around developers,including venture capital.
Get in line for Minecraft’s first live concert – ‘Electronic music artists from the UK and Norway are set to open Norwegian tech festival The Gathering with a live gig that will also be played out inside Minecraft as the real thing happens.’
The increasing power of the podcast. How Mack Weldon doubled underwear sales through podcast advertising. ‘Men don’t feel comfortable talking about their underwear because it’s personal. But men like hearing underwear jokes in podcasts because they are relatable.’
With Skydio , bad drivers can be drone pilots too (video).
And finally, for Easter, a visit to the rather compelling Hydraulic Press Channel on You Tube, and their Easter Egg Special.