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The futures of Facebook and Google are embedded in these two images

robinsloan.com

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Re: The futures of Facebook and Google are embedded in these two images

#81

Post by toemetoch »

grandalf wrote: post #52
fuzzythinker wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are thinking of today's Glass. In 2-3 iterations, the camera will be so small and embedded in the frame that it won't be noticeable.

A camera that takes images comparable to a picture taken on a current iPhone? For every frame (such as in a video) the amount of work involved to reduce boredom increases. Raw video of people's lives is utterly, unimaginably boring, even if the person is a celebrity. Still photos work b/c they capture a whole moment, with just enough detail to inspire the imagination and to ground the imaginings in reality. My person…

It's not the device, it's the applications people will crave. Think about these apps for your glasses:

- adBlocker to remove ads from your view

- first person shooter missions with google maps integration. All you need is an empty cow-pasture.

- architects/renovators guiding people through their new/renovated house before the contract' signed.

- ...

You're suffering from a serious lack of realism if you discard them based on the camera quality. The iPhone drove R&D for cameras we have now, same will happen for these gizmos.

Edit: The only real opposition I see is another wave of reports on the impact of having a non-stop wireless RF device next to your skull.

Re: The futures of Facebook and Google are embedded in these two images

#82

Post by gouranga »

ihuman wrote: post #17
gouranga wrote: post #10

That google glass picture scares the fuck out of me. It instantly devalues humanity and values voyeurism and narcissism over family. If this becomes the norm, I'm going all Luddite. I think it will also become: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma8NbpCvSwo

How does Google Glass have anything to do taking picture of yourself, or the pain of others (or am I looking at the wrong definition)?

It doesn't. Watch this, or read the description if you can't get it where you are:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mirror_%28TV_series%29#3....

Re: The futures of Facebook and Google are embedded in these two images

#83

Post by Steko »

Ultimately he's making a pretty big claim about Google's future here that isn't grounded in reality. This is the same sort of talk that crowned Microsoft the tablet king over a decade ago while reality waited for Apple to actually build a consumer viable version.

Whether it's the usual suspects like Google, MS and Apple who we know are already spending R&D here or a new entrant like Instagram which came out of nowhere with a handful of user friendly features, or some China anointed alternative it should be obvious that it's way to early to start counting chickens.

Re: The futures of Facebook and Google are embedded in these two images

#84

Post by nkwiatek »

dvdhsu wrote: post #59
taligent wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being able to connect with people from around the world and share content is not a big waste to society.

> Being able to connect with people from around the world and share content is not a big waste to society. That's correct. However, the ability to "connect with people from around the world and share content" is, as your parent post notes, is Facebook's "core" functionality. What does Facebook have to show for the engineers they've hired this year, engineers they've hired last year? Are read receipts on Facebook chat…

Do you really think it's appropriate to compare a 2-days-to-make chat feature with self-driving vehicles and clothes with computers in them?

Re: The futures of Facebook and Google are embedded in these two images

#85

Post by tomkarlo »

grandalf wrote: post #52
fuzzythinker wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are thinking of today's Glass. In 2-3 iterations, the camera will be so small and embedded in the frame that it won't be noticeable.

A camera that takes images comparable to a picture taken on a current iPhone? For every frame (such as in a video) the amount of work involved to reduce boredom increases. Raw video of people's lives is utterly, unimaginably boring, even if the person is a celebrity. Still photos work b/c they capture a whole moment, with just enough detail to inspire the imagination and to ground the imaginings in reality. My person…

That may be the first time I've ever heard anyone wax nostalgic for the Blackberry camera. Wonder if there's already an iPhone app for that.

Re: The futures of Facebook and Google are embedded in these two images

#86

Post by zeroonetwothree »

swalsh wrote: post #49
gcb wrote: post #12

Glass will be google's newton pad. a new world promise, but in reality totally uncool and only used by a few san francisco hippies-yuppies. And then forgotten. With a chance of a decade later becoming a game changer.

Sir I challenge you to a bet, $100 to our respective favorite charities. In my opinion Google Glass is set to be a game changer from the start. I wager that when google glass is launched, it will be a cultural icon no more than 1.5 years later. It's clear WHY google needs glass. Owning the channel between my eyes and the world is a huge potential pot of money. Targeted ads have a lot of potential to disrupt the ad sp…

What does "cultural icon" mean? Is the Segway a cultural icon even though only ~30,000 of them exist? Pretty much everyone knows what it is but most people have not benefited from them. I would be willing to take this bet if we determine some objective criteria.

Re: The futures of Facebook and Google are embedded in these two images

#87

Post by ajross »

qq66 wrote: post #74
ajross wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But they were connecting people years ago. Facebook, from the perspective of their core features, has gotten only incrementally better over the last 5-6 years. And in doing so they've sucked up a huge chunk of talent. Google over the same period has produced a huge amount of stuff, some of it (gmail, android) wildly successful. Hell, Google has even cloned facebook itself (and from a technical perspective, arguably,…

The biggest technical achievement of Facebook has been scaling Facebook. They've solved a lot of difficult technical problems to do so. And News Feed, Connect, and Open Graph are all huge steps forward in Facebook's ambition, although the third-party ecosystem still leaves something to be desired. Thank god that Facebook killed Evite, but now I'm hoping for someone/something to kill Washington Post Social Reader.

But again, Google did all that stuff too (almost 1:1, even -- remember that G+ is a facebook clone). And somehow they also found time to make self driving cars, a first tier mobile operating system, ChromsOS, a Dropbox clone, these ridiculous glasses, etc...

Facebook just looks pretty lame in comparison, sorry.

Re: The futures of Facebook and Google are embedded in these two images

#88

Post by pstuart »

gcb wrote: post #71
Splines wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you make wearing a headpiece cool? I wear glasses and imagine some teeny tiny thing embedded in one of the arms. What could 20/20 people do that would be socially acceptable? Maybe a bluetooth headset looking thing?

Marketing. apple made walkmans cool again. After the 80s. with marketing alone.

marketing alone? yeah, right.

edit: Adding a hard drive, making it easier to use than the competition, itunes store, app store. None of that had anything to do with it?

Re: The futures of Facebook and Google are embedded in these two images

#89

Post by StavrosK »

51Cards wrote: post #51
ajross wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a lot of truth to this (though I'm generally a big skeptic when people talk about "research" in the abstract; and I remain genunienly "WTF are they thinking!?" about Glass). Google tries stuff, fails a lot, and stumbles on as many successes as they engineer. Facebook has executed really well on their core stuff, but... what else? I mean, they've been on a huge hiring binge now for four years. What do they hav…

The one little thought I would add to that is that when Google first started working on a self driving car everyone went "WTF is a search company doing..". Now, X years later... it's a different story. People have started to really think about self-driving vehicles and autonomous travel. I don't see Glass at this point... but I didn't see practical self driving cars 6 years ago either, let alone states licensing them…

Google isn't a search company, it's an AI/ML company.

Re: The futures of Facebook and Google are embedded in these two images

#90

Post by robinsloan »

Steko wrote: post #83

Ultimately he's making a pretty big claim about Google's future here that isn't grounded in reality. This is the same sort of talk that crowned Microsoft the tablet king over a decade ago while reality waited for Apple to actually build a consumer viable version . Whether it's the usual suspects like Google, MS and Apple who we know are already spending R&D here or a new entrant like Instagram which came out of nowhe…

Author here: You're right that it's a big claim, and I think it requires a lot of imagination & even some suspension of disbelief. It's safer to be skeptical.

But specifically re: competition of all shapes & sizes, I do think that two of Google's long-term investments give it a pretty strong position:

1. Google Maps & Street View, which together comprise an amazingly detailed model of the real world. There are alternatives like OpenStreetMap of course, but there's a lot more going on in those products than just navigation.

2. The technology embedded in the self-driving car. I mean, a system that can interpret a live feed of the chaotic world around it and make important decisions based on what it sees? It doesn't feel to me like you can Instagram your way into that capability. (But, I don't know: maybe it's more commodified than I realize.)

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