Microsoft is launching its first XBox One system update today, less than a month after the console’s release on November 22. This patch comes in response to a number of glitches found early on, and is said to be the first in a long series of updates set to come early in 2014. This update also updates the exciting TV feature of the One, which should become a progressively larger part of the XBox ecosystem over time. This update showcases the console’s automatic update process, and devices that are on standby will likely get the patch without owners intervening at all. All system owners not on standby today will be required to install the update after the grace period ends on Thursday, December 12.
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Chromecast Now Supports Vevo, Songza, Others
Google’s Chromecast over-the-top smart TV solution has been gaining popularity since its release, but the limited stable of apps from familiar online content providers has been preventing a mass user-base from developing. Today Google announced the device’s support for 10 new third-party apps from companies like Vevo, Songza, and Plex. Plex is especially interesting, as it is quite popular with home theater enthusiasts, and thus could bring the Chromecast into more critical media serving applications. Be on the lookout for more Chromecast apps in coming months from similar vendors, because this is certainly not the last drop of apps for the device.
NimbleTV Launches In NYC
Today NimbleTV opened its streaming cable service to anybody in the NYC metro area after a year’s worth of private beta. In direct contrast to Aereo, who is running against the grain with cable providers, NimbleTV can be thought of as an over-the-top cable connection; users are required to authenticate their existing cable package, and thereafter NimbleTV will let users watch TV anywhere, across multiple devices – that is, on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. Whereas many services now let you stream after authenticating your subscription through a third party, this is a one-time deal that lets you permanently stream your whole cable package anywhere. It’s not earth-shattering, but affords great functionality to those who want their cable unbundled from the box.
Leap Motion Hardware Integration Coming By Q3 2014
Leap Motion is planning to integrate its technology into various pieces of hardware – namely smartphones, tablets, and laptops – by Q3 of next year. According to company executives, there have been extensive challenges getting the product ready for prime-time, but most of those have been overcome at this point. This is evidenced by the HP deal announced just a few days ago, which would see leap’s products integrated with HP’s hardware. It could mean gesture control goes mainstream within the next calendar year – it all depends on how the public takes to the technology.
Target Announces Pinterest-Based Online Storefront
Called the “Target Awesome Shop,” Target’s new e-commerce storefront is powered by Pinterest. Refreshed daily, it’s an amalgamation of pins from Target’s own online store and users on the social networks, showcasing user’s favorite pieces and driving engagement. The idea is to create a curated experience with data from trending products that combines analytics and data from social networks, as well as the Target site itself, to create a best of both world scenario. It’s worth keeping an eye on, particularly to see whether the social network, for all of its plaudits, can actually increase sales figures.
Google Turns Google+ Content Into +Post Ads
Google debuted a new type of monetization for Google+ with +Post ads, which lets companies turn Google+ posts into display ads. It would let even the most basic status updates be converted into ads, much like how companies use Facebook status updates as advertisements. The big difference is that companies can, with one click, run their status updates across Google’s 2 million site Display Network. In other words, most of the standard Internet browsing space could be fodder for corporate social statuses. It’s a bold, yet simple next step for Google, in its continued efforts to lure companies and users away from Facebook.
Smart Notifications Boost ABC News On Mobile
The stakes are raised with push notifications. Tailored and timely, they can be a powerful driver to get users to reengage. Used haphazardly and they can be more obtrusive than a spam folder. Recently, ABC News has become savvy with their push strategy, however, letting users customize their notifications based on the stories they “star.” Understanding what topics interest users provides ABC with insight into the content and frequency of notifications. Politically-active users, for instance, want very niche messaging while celebrity followers will benefit from a higher volume. Thus far, the alerts have lead to mobile accounting for greater than 80% of the total views for some news stories.
Ninja Sphere Is Yet Another Home Automation Hub
The automated home trend continues to burgeon, and a new automation hub called the Ninja Sphere is another new player in the developing space. This iteration works through bluetooth tags, so you receive alerts when anything you’ve tagged moves unusually. In response, users can tell the Sphere to take a snapshot of the situation, or of course call the police. It also does all the usual things we’ve come to expect from these devices: control heat and lighting, integrate notifications across different platforms and methods, and learn users’ habits over time. It’s just more evidence that the home of the future is, in reality, not very far off anymore, and is a noteworthy trend.
Facebook: Soon With Commercials?
Facebook is ready to bring auto-playing videos to your mobile news feed in a bid to make videos a more attractive option for users. Videos will auto play without sound while in the context of the feed, but a simple tap will expand the video to full screen and unmute the audio. This a proposed solution to the problem that Facebook’s video platform is ineffective from the mobile creation environment all the way to playback, and could bring far more videos to your news feed in the near future. If that happens, that could also mean video ads blending into the news feed in the same way. Video ads are a potentially lucrative source of revenue for Facebook, with estimates placing the cost of distributing a 15 second video for one day on the platform between $1 million and $2.4 million.
Study: Instagram Is Best Business Social Media
According to a new study from marketing analytics service SumAll, Instagram is the most effective social network for driving engagement and sales figures. SumAll’s work looked at unpaid and organic Instagram traffic over an 11 month period, and concluded that US businesses that used Instagram saw revenue increases between 1.5% and 3.5% – while their UK partners experienced a 3.6% revenue boost. Nonetheless, SumAll also cautioned that businesses saw diminishing returns on platforms that they over-targetted. It’s up to each business to determine its requisite middle ground.
