Trends in China, Verizon Playing Catch Up, and VR Still Hasn’t Arrived Yet — The Weekly Roundup
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1) Trends in China & Lessons from WeChat
“I argue that WeChat is currently offering what has been promised by complete IoT solutions and, more specifically, virtual assistants. Even though the App Store is dominated by a handful of apps (Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram), we don’t have the same kind of seamless integration as WeChat. To a certain extent, this was the goal of virtual assistants, backed by new, AI-driven voice-interfaces.
Amazon wanted Alexa to be the hub where users go to order a taxi, schedule deliveries, and share social content. Google wants the same thing with Google Home, and so does Apple with Siri and Facebook with M.
Frictionless computing driven, by chat bots and voice interfaces, is beginning to unbundle apps and shape new behaviors in ecommerce, but we have a long way to go before it offers the same level of experience as WeChat.”
Yitaek Hwang tells us what we can learn from WeChat’s domination in China as we push out more virtual assistants and transition into an AI-first society.
2) Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning
“I think of the relationship between AI and IoT much like the relationship between the human brain and body.
Our bodies collect sensory input such as sight, sound, and touch. Our brains take that data and makes sense of it, turning light into recognizable objects and turning sounds into understandable speech. Our brains then make decisions, sending signals back out to the body to command movements like picking up an object or speaking.
All of the connected sensors that make up the Internet of Things are like our bodies, they provide the raw data of what’s going on in the world. Artificial intelligence is like our brain, making sense of that data and deciding what actions to perform. And the connected devices of IoT are again like our bodies, carrying out physical actions or communicating to others.”
Calum McClelland explains the difference between Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning then tells us why they’re all absolutely essential to the Internet of Things.
3) Verizon Now Playing Catch Up
“Porting ratio, the number of customers switching between the two carriers, increased dramatically, indicating that ‘Verizon’s perceived network advantage is no longer strong enough to keep its best customers on unattractive rate plans.’ Piecyk’s analysis is consistent with the brand value perception between the four major carriers as reported by Ted Marzilli from BrandIndex.com.
Clearly, Verizon felt like they had to respond to T-Mobile going from a ‘cheap price and terrible coverage’ company to one dethroning Verizon at its own game. While 5G is still several years away, whoever owns the market for 4G LTE will have an advantage when the eventual switch happens.”
Yitaek Hwang analyzes Verizon’s recent moves and crystal-balls what promises to be a heated race in the cellular IoT space.
4) 28 Free Internet of Things Classes You Can Take Right Now
“There’s no denying the Internet of Things (IoT) is on the rise. With the market predicted to reach $1.7 trillion by 2020, I would say now is a pretty good time to get started. Whether you’re interested in specialization or education, I’ve compiled a list of the best free and paid classes to help you on your way.”
For engineers or for entrepreneurs. For software or for hardware. Hannah White has you covered with any course you might need for IoT.
5) VR Hasn’t Really Arrived Yet
“Newell said that while hardware improvements will come in the next two years — particularly in the field of head-mounted displays — price decreases aren’t likely as VR is largely aimed at a niche market of gamers with powerful PCs. Pleasing the hardcore gamers might be a stretch goal at the moment. You can read the harsh review of the Oculus Rift CV1 on All For The Code or quote Newell in describing Vive, the most expensive device on the market, ‘barely capable of doing a marginally adequate job of delivering a VR experience.’”
Despite all the hype about Virtual Reality, Yitaek Hwang gives us good reason to think that VR might be a complete failure.
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