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Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

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Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#261

Post by Bedon292 »

TuringNYC wrote: post #254

Not sure how common this is, but everyone at both school and work these days shifts seamlessly from mobile to dekstop and back. This has been one of the main reasons we tend to use WhatsApp and Slack, even for corporate communications as silly as that sounds -- because you can type long messages on it on the keyboard/desktop but also have access to it on the go. What I don't understand is -- given Allo had a blank sl…

Definitely doesn't make sense. I use hangouts constantly. It is my default app for SMS and chatting with family. I like having one consistent thread between different desktop devices, as well as mobile. Yes Slack has replaced it for work, but that's no good for family, at least not mine. Until this has desktop support there is no reason for me to buy in. Why not have (one of) the most important feature of hangouts (and all of the other competitors) on these new apps?

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#262

Post by jug »

hbharadwaj wrote: post #248
chias wrote: post #81

I really wish they wouldn't overload terms that they themselves invented. In Chrome, "incognito" means we don't save your local history, but it does not add to the transport security. Here, "incognito" means you've got end-to-end encryption (and presumably also doesn't save local history). Why on earth would you re-use the same term when naming two things with similar (thus easily confused) consumer-visible attribute…

I read this and then I read this - Google backs off on previously announced Allo privacy feature ( http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/21/12994362/allo-privacy-mess... ) Performance for privacy - LOL

I would have shrugged if the performance over privacy idea had to do with just some random app, but this is a messaging app where privacy will for many reasons be paramount. :S

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#263

Post by bane »

rayiner wrote: post #252
barkingdog wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those portfolios are not even remotely compatible. Hangouts is the only viable product there. Meanwhile, all of Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and FB are each very strong products with extremely, almost worrisomely strong network effects. Clusterfuck is a bit vague and maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but you've got to admit that it's truly hard to think of Google as a company that makes best-in-class consumer softwar…

Google never was a company that made best in class consumer software products. Search (maybe Maps?) is the only thing it's ever excelled at.

I would argue it's advertising delivery.

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#264

Post by icebraining »

blunte wrote: post #253
icebraining wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How did that strategy work for Buzz, Wave, Lively, Jaiku, Meebo and Talk? Their strategy seems to be throwing stuff at the wall and trying to get something to stick.

It does indeed appear to be their strategy; although it seems to work well enough for them. It's just a bit frustrating for users who periodically lose an app they came to depend on.

Does it work for them, though? I don't remember their successful products arising from this process; they never had a bunch of email services before Gmail, nor multiple mobile OSs before Android, nor different browsers before Chrome, etc. The closest might be Google Video before YouTube, but it wasn't really the same kind of product.

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#265

Post by paulryanrogers »

danohu wrote: post #256
whack wrote: post #249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There was a NYtimes article a few years ago, which I thought perfectly captured the fundamental difference between Apple and Google's product planning process. Apple runs on Intelligent Design. You have a room full of geniuses who decide what to build, make sure it fits perfectly into their overall product portfolio with minimal overlap or cannibalization, spend years in a dark secret room building it until it's perf…

The Google approach would be great, if they just separated it from the Google brand. Like, when Unilever launch a new detergent, they give it a totally separate brand. If it fails, they drop it quietly, and if it succeeds they can roll it out worldwide. I wish Google would do the same. Launch this as 'allo', with the fact that it's from alphabet buried in the small print. Once it's been doing well for a couple of yea…

Without brand it's hard to stand out in the crowded messaging space.

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#266

Post by sbarre »

ryandvm wrote: post #255
jotux wrote: post #72

So now google has Voice, Messenger, Hangouts, Allo, and Duo all with overlapping functionality? I wish they would just focus on making Hangouts work really well.

Google really has nailed usability with Duo. It's clean and fast and easy to use. The potential is there. If I was optimistic, I'd say their strategy will be to force their way into the market by integrating it into the OS via Contacts or maybe even lower. Of course Hangouts had potential too. And then Slack came along and ate their lunch on the business side. It's really kind of ridiculous that every single organiza…

Huh.. I had never looked at Duo and I scrolled down the landing page and saw "Preview incoming video calls before accepting them" and now I want FaceTime and Skype to immediately integrate that..

That's a killer feature..

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#267

Post by prawn »

dx034 wrote: post #130
prawn wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Inbox does this too and in my brief experience so far, it's been accurate. I remember hearing about Amazon pre-emptively shipping goods to warehouses based on expected demand. If algorithms can anticipate our responses and our shopping, what will be left in the end?

I think it's a big difference to Amazon. They just forecast that in a given city x people will likely buy a certain product, so they already ship it there and only have to attach labels when it's ordered. Google tries to exactly forecast what you will want to respond to a picture, which sounds a lot harder.

Not commenting so much on the difficulty or differences as much as on the ability of software/analysis to anticipate us, gradually doing what makes us us. With my buying history, analysis could do a reasonable job of choosing and buying my future clothes. Spotify suggests decent music based on what I've previously liked. With relevant data, a service could feed me satisfying food I liked.

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#268

Post by sbarre »

rajeshp1986 wrote: post #107
jotux wrote: post #72

So now google has Voice, Messenger, Hangouts, Allo, and Duo all with overlapping functionality? I wish they would just focus on making Hangouts work really well.

In the end, I see all these apps dying. Even hangouts is crappy. They don't have a native mac client. Hangouts was a decent chat app they had. I wish they promoted hangouts as cross platform and as a competitor to both whatsapp and skype.

It's not a perfect solution but you can log into your Hangouts account on OS X's Messages app, so you can largely combine iMessage and Hangouts on your desktop in one app if you use both.

I'm often surprised how many people don't know that Messages semi-supports Hangouts (not implying that you don't)..

Obviously things like video chat don't work, so it's more like what Google Talk used to be, but it's better than keeping 2 apps open.

Re: Say hello to Google Allo: a smarter messaging app

#270

Post by pjmlp »

matt4077 wrote: post #230
pjmlp wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who validates that that statement is indeed true, we in our naivety should just plain believe it?

As much as people like a good conspiracy, that would be a pretty pointless one. There are tens of thousands people at google who could look at the source code, many of them with a left-wing/civil liberties attitude. To get all of them to stay silent, and to evade analysis of the binary is, if not impossible, simply not worth whatever they could get out of reading my messages (esp. considering their uninterrupted stre…

Yeah right.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/21/12994362/allo-privacy-mess...

"Allo messages will still be encrypted between the device and Google servers, and stored on servers using encryption that leaves the messages accessible to Google’s algorithms."

[....]

"The decision will also have significant consequences for law enforcement access to Allo messages. By default, Allo messages will now be accessible to lawful warrant requests, the same as message data in Gmail and Hangouts and location data collected by Android. "

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