Snapchat unveil video shooting sunglasses and rebrands as Snap Inc
The social media app giants over at Snapchat have ventured into product design by launching a pair sunglasses that also take videos. The product, which feels for all the love in the world like an affordable, and slightly less cool version of the much-maligned Google Glass, is a pair of sunglasses with an in-built wireless video camera, which is capable of shooting short films in a circular, 115-degree format. This unique format supposedly hopes to accurately capture “The human perspective,” and will play full screen on any device with the full field of view. The glasses, which need to be charged once a day, will be available in three different colours and will be able to transfer recorded clips directly to the app via bluetooth or wi-fi. Accompanying the product launch is a name change for the company, which will see it become Snap Inc, with the new accessory necessitating a name change, as Snapchat is no longer the company's sole product. The company has not yet announced the launch of other physical products, but has said that the new name structure will allow them to “Continue making great new products.” So whatever could be next?
The Oculus Rift finally comes to the UK
The Oculus Rift VR headset finally launched in the UK this week at a number of retail stores across the country. The basic pack is available for £549, and comes with the headset, a sensor, a remote and an Xbox One wireless controller. Also included is VR platform game Lucky’s Tale, various 3D 360 degree videos and VR movies, and access to the Oculus Store. The set can now be purchased at John Lewis, Curry’s PCWorld, Game Digital and Harrods. It can also be bought online from Amazon. Oculus Rift is also going to be taking over retail stores across the UK with demo presentations over the next month, where visitors will be able to try out games and films on the headset before they buy. The Oculus Touch controllers, which will allow greater control and more natural use of the hands during VR experiences, are due to launch in October. Oculus VR is yet to reveal a price, though a store display in Game allegedly proposed the price of £190 for a pair. For those who don't have a spare £700, the more affordable PS VR kit is set to drop next month, though Sony has announced a more expensive and powerful Playstation 4 console, named the “Playstation Pro,” would be needed to make the most out of the set.
START VR partners with Nokia to showcase OZO VR Camera in Australia
In more VR news, the Sydney, Australia-based virtual reality studio Start VR, has announced a partnership with Nokia, making the studio one of the first in the Australasia region to showcase the OZO camera; a groundbreaking stereoscopic virtual reality camera for professional content production. This partnership will usher in new productions at Start VR, which will be among the first to benefit from the camera’s capabilities, including spherical and stereoscopic video capture with spatial audio array. The OZO extricates itself from competitors through its ability to produce VR live streams, which no other virtual reality camera has been able to accomplish yet. The camera features real-time VR preview, 3D audio support that syncs with 360-degree video capturing, full compatibility with professional workflows and multiple head-mounted displays, and the ability to reduce post-production time, complexity and cost. Exact pricing, however, has yet to be announced.
Walkbase launched Internet of Things platform for retail through IBM THINK Marketing
Walkbase has announced the availability of the Walkbase IoT Platform for Retail on IBM’s THINK Marketing, a site designed to deliver marketing news, thought leadership, education and SaaS solutions to marketers, developers and entrepreneurs. With the new Walkbase IoT platform, retailers will be able to gain rich insights on customer behaviour patterns and loyalty in brick and mortar stores, and use this data to measure marketing effectiveness and store performance. IBM THINK Marketing is a new digital site for marketing professionals, which leverages IBM Watson's cognitive computing capabilities to match marketing thought leadership and news, with learning and SaaS solutions from IBM and IBM Business Partners. Relying on Watson APIs such as Alchemy, Concept Insights and Conversation, Watson will ingest thousands of pieces of IBM and third-party content to conduct a semantic analysis and will recommend relevant content. The next step for Watson will be to learn the individual visitor’s interactions and deliver content recommendations personalised to their business needs.
Linkedin reveals website redesign
The Linkedin social media platform will soon roll out a redesign of its desktop version in a bid to make the site more intuitive. The redesign aims to bring the desktop website closer to the style of the mobile app, which was redesigned in December last year. Linkedin’s new website was unveiled at an event in San Francisco. The new design hopes to be cleaner, simpler and more intuitive, and has many features similar to less business-orientated social media platforms such as Facebook. The updated homepage sees more emphasis on the news feed, which takes up a central column, and encourages users to post more, with a more prominent box at the top of the page where users can write a status or post an article. There is also a new messaging feature. In a similar style to Facebook Messenger, message windows now pop up at the bottom of the screen, providing a quicker way for people to communicate. The new messaging platform has a smart chat bot integrated into it, which will be able to compare users’ calendars and help them schedule meetings by suggesting times and places. Linkedin has also launched its own learning platform, Linkedin Learning, which lets users search for and access relevant training courses. It has not yet confirmed exactly when the new site and Linkedin Learning it will roll out for members but says it will be soon, and will begin towards the end of the year.
The Scrip from New Deal Design brings a tactile edge to digital payments
The San Francisco studio New Deal Design has created a small, copper-coloured device that allows users to make purchases by swiping its textured surface, as a modern replacement for cash. Scrip is a conceptual handheld metal token that could be used to make digital payments. The studio, which is led by Gadi Amit (designer of the widely popular Fitbit activity tracker) created the device with the intention of bringing back an element of tactility to digital payments. The (at this point purely speculative) device features a tactile surface made up of tiny diamond-shaped sections that rise and fall during use. Users would transfer money onto the device, and make swiping movements designed to mimic the handing over of cash to pay for items. Other possible transactions would also include the withdrawal of funds from banks, currency exchange in foreign countries and passing money between individuals. The device would use Bluetooth to authenticate the user's identity, by pairing with their mobile device. Once activated, an illuminated display at the top of the rounded token would show their balance. During payment, the amount of each 'bill' would form a pattern across the surface, and the shopper would be required to literally 'push' the money into the till by swiping their thumb up the device. It's definitely a neat concept, and will be popular with those of us who feel contact-less digital payments are making it harder to keep track of our expenditure, but it also seems like a pretty elaborate fix for a very minor first world problem.
Getty Images launches free plugin for Adobe Creative Cloud
Getty Images has announced the launch of a new plugin for Adobe Creative Cloud (Adobe CC), giving creatives access to over 140 million images and vectors within an easy-to-use workflow. With the new plugin, the core functionality of the Getty Images platform is integrated into the Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign workflow, allowing creatives to easily search, license and use the world’s best imagery without leaving their design tools. Available for free to Getty Images customers, the plugin offers a vast selection of royalty free imagery, expertly curated creative imagery from the Prestige collection, and entertainment events it covers each year, as well as the world’s deepest digital archive of historic photography. As someone who uses both Adobe and Getty Images on a regular basis, I'm expecting it to seriously enhance my own workflow, but I have been burned before.
IKEA introduce smart lighting range
IKEA recently announced its innovative Smart Lighting collection, which will allow people to adapt their lights between cold and warm lighting through a remote control in their home. The Smart Lighting range is part of IKEA’s long-term commitment to their home tech innovation initiative, “Home Smart.” It has been developed after research showed that small changes in lighting can have a great impact on people’s well-being and intellectual abilities, with cold lighting suited for learning and warm for relaxing. The collection will be introduced to UK stores and online in April 2017, and includes LED bulbs, lighting panels and doors, which are all controlled through a remote control by the homeowner. The range is a plug and play solution, meaning that there is no need for hardwiring as customers can simply switch their traditional lightbulbs with a TRÄDFRI LED bulb to enable them to adjust their lighting. Since the technology developed for switching between light tones and dimming is found inside the bulb itself, TRÄDFRI can be used in any lamp with the standard socket sizes. The launch is IKEA’s first step in smart lighting and second step in IKEA “Home Smart,” which began with the launch of wireless charging products for mobile phones last year. Are average consumers finally ready to smarten up their homes? I'm honestly not sure we're quite there yet, but if any brand can get the ball rolling, it's IKEA.
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and struggling musician from Kidderminster in the UK.