Byte Size Weekly #8

This week in tech: Netflix invests in original content, delivery drones fly in Australia, and Alphabet brings Toronto into the Smart City movement

Netflix commits to $8 billion to new content

Netflix plans to make its library contain 50% original content by 2018

• Majority of $8 billion will fund production of 30 new anime series and 80 new original films
• With quality content being locked up by major producers such as Disney and HBO, Netflix is future-proofing itself against additional content owners pulling their content away from Netflix onto their own platforms
• Netflix is placing a major bet on anime, partnering with Japanese producers to court younger viewers

Google X finds new testing ground for drone delivery

Project Wing expands to burrito delivery in Australia

• The Google X project partnered with a Mexican burrito chain and a pharmacy chain to test delivery of third-party products to individual homes
• Sensors on drones will gather data from drones maneuvering around obstacles
• This initiative brings Wing closer to perfecting its unmanned traffic management system, developed in conjunction with NASA, the FAA, and others in the drone and aviation industry

Alphabet reaches deal to transform Toronto

Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs plans to build Smart City infrastructure near downtown core

• 800 acres of land on the shores of Lake Ontario will be transformed into an “internet city” complete with wifi hubs and other smart city innovations
• The venture, dubbed Sidewalk Toronto, will act as a testing ground for large scale and high impact tech innovations such as self-driving cars, public wifi, and new health care delivery solutions
• The $1 billion project has secured a $50 million commitment from Sidewalk Labs and is currently in the community outreach stage, addressing concerns of residents through the convening of town halls