Let's Talk Tech
No shots of the phone, but a quick, driving montage of photos. Photos of hip people doing hip things. It’s always fun diving into some wild speculation (just seems to be the day for it), so what do you think Samsung is trying to tell us about their new flagship device? Any clues?
For one, I’m pretty sure they’re going to brag about their camera…
By now you’ve probably heard the news. Facebook has gobbled up WhatsApp for $19 Billion dollars. It would seem in the aftermath of failing to buy SnapChat, FB is betting even bigger on messaging. Gotta respect that chutzpah, I love seeing a player at the table double down.
But why?
The pundits and analysts are having a field day with predictions and “inside scoops”. I think it’s funny that many are simply looking at numbers and technology.
“If SnapChat continues to add users at the rate it currently is, this could advantageous for Facebook paradigm shifting synergy shareholders proactive engagement with target demographics and influencers blah blah blah…”
On a quick tangent, why do analysts always try and predict the market as if it were to stay exactly the way it is today with no evolution or change? I digress.
Now here’s the fun part. I can’t claim to understand why FB valued this start up so highly. It can’t be the technology. The FB messenger and Skype integration work well. WhatsApp really doesn’t bring much to the table here.
There’s a psychology behind this purchase which makes some sense. I think people are starting to guard and filter more of what they’ll say publicly on FB. Chat is more intimate, and FB will have access to the juicer communications users engage in. WhatsApp is a terrific replacement for text messaging, and often the service is used for that kind of personal messaging. As FB is a service which exists to profit off of user data, the more access it gets, the more effective it can be in that mission.
Also, the age of an audience for WhatsApp makes it desirable. Facebook is getting older. It only makes sense that at some point Zuckerberg would want to diversify. Beginning with Instagram, and moving into future services I’m sure, building a mini empire of apps NOT called Facebook helps take some of the pressure off of the flagship product, keep it from getting bogged down trying to compete with every fad that hits the ecosystem.
But is that worth $19 Billion?
And here’s where I get stumped again. That’s a LOT of green to make up a return on your investment. So I’ll ask you all, where do you think FB makes money on this deal? Where do you see this investment paying off? I’m not impressed with the analysts on this one, I think you’ll be more fun.
Nokia has updated Verizon’s Windows Phone, moving from the 928 to a name, the Lumia Icon. I had to shoot this from my hotel room at SMW 2014, so pardon the drab surface, but let’s take a quick look at Nokia’s latest offering for Big Red!
Since 2004, V-Moda has been offering up high quality audio solutions with stylish design. The Crossfade M-100’s follow in this tradition, and come with the handy trick of modular cabling, making them one of the more flexible solutions on the market. Let’s take a look!
V-Moda Crossfade M-100, BoomPro, and CoilPro on Amazon.
V-Moda Site
So this might be the most boring screenshot I’ve ever posted on SGG, but if you’re playing with a Toq, there’s a lot of potential for excitement.
The Toq is my personal favorite smartwatch, but it’s been difficult to recommend people pick one up, as the selection of applets is fairly limited. That changed yesterday!
A new update was pushed to the Toq adding a menu option called “More Applets”, and within that menu you’ll be able to see which apps on your phone are compatible with your Toq. Right now that number is zero, but Qualcomm has also finally released their SDK. Now app developers will have the tools to properly develop services for this wearable.
It’s been an exciting ride. Only a week ago, we got an unlocked accelerometer that most of us didn’t know was even built into the watch. Hopefully we’ll see new services pop up quickly!
Qualcomm Toq SDK Press Release
Related:
Toq unboxing, setup, and first impressions!
Toq Update – six day battery life!
Within a day of each other, complimentary stories about Google and IBM hit the net.
Google is working on plans to improve their fiber offerings from 1Gbps to 10Gbps, meaning their uploads and downloads would be 200 and 2000 times faster than what I currently have access to in Los Angeles. We can also easily estimate that the service would be cheaper than the top tier broadband in So-Cal. Originally their plan was to roll out 10Gbps connections over the next decade, but in light of 4K video services popping up to supply people native resolution content for their new TV’s, they’ve shortened that window to three years. The internet is going to need bigger pipes to handle future services.
And if you think Google’s data sounds audacious, IBM has even bigger goals in their sites. Continue reading “Google and IBM want to make the internet a LOT faster, but will consumers ever get the upgrades?”
Back from the Chapter 11 ashes, JK Imaging is reviving the Kodak brand, and iterating quickly on a variety of different photography solutions.
The AZ522 is their flagship point and shoot, utilizing a crazy optical zoom. Is that long zoom enough to compete in a world of terrific smartphone cameras? Let’s take a look!
Related:
Photo Samples from the PIXPRO AZ522
Not a lot to this post. If you dig DE LA SOUL (and you don’t already own their entire catalog), they’re hooking you up today only!
Head over to www.WeAreDELASOUL.com and sign up for the mailing list. About an hour later you’ll have a link in your email to download the albums you want. It’s a fun way to spike some conversation in anticipation of their upcoming album You’re Welcome, which we’re still waiting on a release date.
Enjoy!