Marketing Technology 5

Marketing Technology Stories you might have missed

MT5 Edition: #44

Stories This Week: It’s all Google this week. So much news out of the I/O conference that I had to do dedicate all 5 stories to Google news.

1. You Will Want Google Goggles

[MIT] Article makes a case for why people might actually want to wear augmented reality glasses and wearable computers.

My Take: I chose this story because it came out in advance of Google fantastic sky diving demonstration. I’m of two minds on wearable computers. The seem ahead of their time, but if done right they could have a huge impact on our lives. The example that comes to my mind is mountain biking. Normally I need to stop and check the trail map to decide which direction to turn. Imagine getting turn by turn directions projected into your glasses helping you keep going without stopping. Point is, will these ever become something more than a geeky fascination?

2. Google+ gets new History API for third-party app and site integration

[TheVerge] Google is continuing to open up to integrate with other platforms.

My Take: If you’re a faithful reader, you know my main criticism of Google+ is that it was too closed off. Too hard to share content to from other apps through normal sharing functions. Recently Google+ announced integration with flipboard. This week it announced in the ability to share, or perhaps better said import, activity from Twitter and Facebook to Google+. It’s a step in the right direction.

3. Google Now: search based on time and location

[TheVerge] As part of its Android Jelly Bean update, Google has just announced Google Now — a card-based search interface that takes your location and the time into effect to give you more useful information. Google Now works by using your search history, calendar, and location to help make search more relevant.

My Take: Some may call this creepy. I get it. What it really surfaces is how much search companies know about you. I guess you could look at this in a different light, now you can use the information for your benefit.

4. Facebook Does More To Make Google Plus Viable Than Google Ever Could

[BundlePost] This story points out that Facebooks continued abuse of user privacy is the only thing making Google+ attractive.

My Take: I included this story because it’s a realistic view of where Google+ is. Beyond the hype, Google+ is largely ignored – even by early adopters. Although I’m spending more time there. It’s still a great social networking platform.