Facebook’s Libra currency unraveling
The Libra Association, featuring 28 companies supporting Facebook’s third-party currency, has been under attach since it was announced. PayPal announced that it was pulling out of the association and Visa and MasterCard are reconsidering their involvement. CNBC
dis-rup-shun: The Libra Association is a fascinating idea, as a widely backed alternative currency would likely be less open to political manipulation and might be a vehicle to accelerate a real free market global economy. Big Tech is on trial in Washington, and the last partner you want to have, if you are seeking to escape Congressional insight, is Facebook. Sorry Facebook, you need to mend some fences and build some bridges before challenging global governments with your own monetary instruments.
New Google shopping feature provides daily price updates
Over the weekend, Google added a new feature that enables shoppers to watch pricing of a product from all online sources daily, and receive a report each day on any price changes. CNBC
dis-rup-shun: Google has gained a shopping advantage over Amazon and could potentially steer shoppers away from Amazon if a competitor offers a better price. Meanwhile, Google will be tracking the sites shoppers visit and building algorithms to determine from which one people purchased. The company could potentially lure shoppers to its own shopping sites and drop prices on select products for interested shoppers. Could this be the beginning of custom pricing for individuals, based on a number of factors? Google certainly has the potential to sell the data to retailers who wish to provide specials on certain products in exchange for volume.
30 best video games of the decade
CNET ranks the 30 best video games of this decade — one which has seen drastic tech innovation, including graphic processors (GPUs), fast connectivity for multi-players, maturing of a new generation of consoles, and all you can eat gaming subscription services. CNET’s top 5 titles are:
- Breath of the Wild
- Dark Souls
- Minecraft
- Portal 2
- Red Dead Redemption
dis-rup-shun: Apple’s game service seeks to make everyone a gamer, or at least a casual gamer, with thousands of titles available for a single monthly price, and the ability to play across platforms. What you started on the smartphone on the train during your commute can be continued on the office PC during break time. The risky business of investing millions in a game title and hoping it will be a hit may change with subscription services, enabling a title to be instantly distributed to a large audience.
Microsoft files patent for virtual reality mat
A new patent filed by Microsoft envisions a mat or carpet that is sensitized and connected to virtual reality devices, including smartphones and computers. With the mat, one might receive tactile feedback as you move around the room, providing haptic feedback to your feet. Gizmodo
dis-rup-shun: Adding the floor to the experience is a logical extension of VR, but it seems like VR is going the way of 3D TV — plenty of offerings but not much consumer excitement. For hard core gamers, VR experiences are amazing, but the mass market consumer is yet to get excited about wearing glasses or headsets that take them completely out of real reality. Microsoft was also a leader in surface computing (the plane, not the PC/tablet device), that would turn any surface, like a table or counter top, into a computer but that technology has yet to become mainstream.