January 5, 2012 at 11:47Amy Webb: In 2012, issues of data processing, mobile payments and identification will become especially relevant
- Transfer
Editor’s Note: We end 2011 with a survey of the most sensible experts in journalism. Today we publish a forecast by Amy Webb , head of the Webbmedia Group digital ideas and strategy agency, about what the leading technology trends will be in 2012.
Information is everywhere, but in 2012 we will be especially puzzled by its processing. Every day we collect data on our activity using BodyMedia bracelets and synchronize biometric data with our Android phone. Hacker journalists are transforming huge amounts of data so that their colleagues can use numbers in their materials. Hypercreative design teams like JESS3turn data into pictures that are understandable to ordinary people. The amount of data on health care, government actions, locations, business, research, and transportation that can be analyzed cannot be described. You can study them and get an assessment of efficiency, reasonableness and productivity. In 2012, we look forward to the emergence of a number of initiatives that will help us solve the problem of processing and analyzing large volumes of data.
The company Oblong Industries recently presented its spatial operating environment of the G-speak , which is the result of thirty years of research at MIT and uses object recognition. You may already have seen the results of Oblong in the movie Minority Report . G-speak combines "gestural input / output, recombinant networking ( recombinant networking ) and the environment as a screen ( real-world pixels) ”, Merging the person and the interface together. Perhaps in 2012 you don’t buy G-speak in your living room, but definitely wait for the appearance of object recognition technology in mobile applications and devices. High-quality sensors, improved cameras and amazing databases allow you to take a picture and instantly get information about the person sitting opposite you on the subway, the ingredients of your dish on a plate, or even the designer who created your girlfriend’s new shoes.
In 2011, we saw many new graphical interfaces. The New York Times showed us its “magic mirror”, which uses Microsoft Kinect for face recognition, and then turns into an assistant built into the bathroom mirror . He can advise what shirt to wear, with which tie, look for something on the net, find out the weather forecast, read the mail, find out the dosage of the medicine you have been prescribed. Japanese tablet maker Wacom launches Inkling, allowing artists to use a special pen and clip with a sensor for drawing on any surface. Connect the sensor to the computer, and everything drawn can be imported into almost any graphics editor. Next year, we are waiting for the appearance of new interactive surfaces and new tools for working with them.
Simple aggregation (even with the possibility of personal settings) no longer solves the problem of information overload . In 2010, Flipboard and the new edition of Pulse appeared , which are applications for more convenient visual selection of content. And now we see how systems of semantic selection and recommendations of content are embedded in sites and applications. For example, Scoop.it , Twylah, and Storyful play on this field .. In late 2011, Google launched the thematic aggregator Currents (during development it was called Propeller). No matter how many news agencies squeamish that regular feeds bring neither traffic nor benefit to readers, this new filtered form of content delivery has been amazingly successful. The combined efforts of people and companies has an amazing effect on data structuring, and constantly updated thematic collections help consumers make informed choices in the overall flow of information. Wait for new types of thematic filtering in 2012, no matter what name it gets.
Every day we upload millions of photos to social networks, along with accompanying them with additional data about who is shown in the photo, where it was taken, and even what equipment. Along with marking services in visiting places, which increasingly reflect the physical movement in the space of us and our satellites, smart search tools have appeared that easily reveal our real name, age and interests from a photograph of a person taken from the phone. While some advanced users express concerns about maintaining the secrecy of their personal lives, young users of social networks more and more want to share everything with everyone. Facebook continues to frequently update the terms of use of its services, but most users do not know what kind of personal information Facebook shares with the world.
It may seem that men dominate in the IT world, but many development projects, innovations and startups are run by smart, creative, rarely falling into view, but very professionally working women. Associations like TEDxWomen and Change the Ratio are committed to drawing attention to women's successes and highlighting existing gender inequalities. In 2012, we expect more women to receive funding, make presentations, give interviews to major media outlets, participate in the jury and receive recognition for their contribution to technology and more.
In 2011, ethical issues were raised more than once in major technology and journalism companies. Blogger Michael Arrington has opened a venture capital fund with a capital of $ 20 million, which he plans to invest in companies that TechCrunch writes about on his blog . The Tumblr microblogging platform , especially popular in the fashion industry, was disgraced when it became known that the costs of 16 bloggers sent to cover Fashion Week were covered by the organizers of the event. For coverage of private events, Tumblr took $ 350,000 from each brand. For this, brands are guaranteed to receive product placementin blogger posts. The “What's Hot?” Series on CBSNews.com tweeted that Steve Jobs passed away long before it really happened, and then elegantly apologized: “Sorry! Information about the death of Steve Jobs is not confirmed by anything. We wish you health! ” As the media landscape changes, editors, developers, marketers, sellers and producers of content of all stripes need to critically evaluate their activities and discuss the appropriateness of certain measures. In 2012, their main goal will be ... transparency?
The Arab Revolution of 2011 was made possible by the presence of Facebook, Twitter, SMS and BlackBerry. The ease of use of social networks, coupled with widespread cheap mobile devices, has given power to those who previously did not possess it at all. Next year, thanks to the success of civil movements in the Middle East, an increasing number of citizen groups will use mobile phones and social networks to accelerate revolutionary processes around the world.
An increasing number of people are watching TV while using some kind of device - a mobile phone, tablet or laptop. Last year, we saw an increase in video broadcasting, not limited to a set-top box. Flingo - a platform developed for two years by the team of creators of Bittorrent - allows viewers to "throw" each other the contents of their screens. Denso is an iPhone / iPad / Android application that allows users to save content to their account and then stream it to almost any device. In 2012, we will see a massive spread of such a phenomenon as co-examination, as well as the means and methods that make it possible, developed by independent developers, sellers, the media and political groups.
At the end of 2011, YouTube updated not only its appearance, but also plans for making money. According to a new idea, YouTube will broadcast individually customizable channels and other specially selected content. Next year, expect YouTube to launch Google TV-based channels for gamers and programmers. Set-top boxes with Internet access and the new YouTube approach have good potential to shift the attention of ordinary TV viewers to new forms of digital content delivery.
We are already observing the work of the largest broadcasters and the media in preparation for the 2012 presidential campaign ( in the United States, and not in Russia - approx. Translator ). Get ready to use your mobile device or laptop to verify your campaign promises and candidates' statements literally on the fly. Synchronize with live broadcasts of the largest media companies covering the elections. Facebook and Twitter browsing will be ubiquitous.
ABBYY was shocked by many, releasing an iPhone text recognition application in 2011 for just 99 cents. Having received the name "Text Decoder" (in English TextGrabber), it allows you to take a photo picture, recognize the text on it, import it into a document, which can then be edited, copied and even translated. Amazon already allows users to take pictures of any product and automatically check whether it is sold on their website. In the coming months, new services will appear for scanning and text recognition.
With the advent of Siri, iOS 5 applications can now take into account a variety of contexts such as location, interests, intentions, schedules, friends, history, likes, and more, which can be taken into account when preparing content and answering user questions. Siri analyzes natural speech, so the user can simply say on their phone: “Find a table for dinner for four . ” In response, Siri will determine a list of potentially suitable restaurants, offer to send the other three friends an invitation taking into account employment based on the analysis of their calendars, and reserve a table through the OpenTable service . Although Siri has 40 years of research at DARPA and the work of several universities ( Carnegie Mellon , Stanford), we expect that in 2012 other similar applications will appear on the market.
Square - an white, square-shaped iPhone-connected credit card reader - is used by thousands of small businesses. Their new service - Card Case - allows users to check in at schools using their phone, and then pay with a plastic card, while using the Square Register ipad app instead . Google Wallet allows you to leave plastic cards at home and pay with your mobile device at a real cash desk. Silicon Valley startup Naratte is developing Zoosh technology, which uses ultrasound to make payments, it works even on the simplest phones. So in 2012 we expect more mobile payments.
When Google launched its social network Plus, it got into the news partly due to the fact that when registering it required to indicate its real name and data. At that point, Google argued that people were more prudent when using their real name. It even got to the point that Plus began to be called a digital identity service. Many are now wondering how and where Google will use these digital passports. Meanwhile, US police began to use MORIS , an application that takes a picture on an iPhone and allows a police officer to identify a person by the iris of the eye. In Brazil, police are trying on glasses with biometric cameras that can scan 45,000 control points on the face and make real-time database queries.
Apple bought the Siri iPhone app, which can recognize individual voices and display contextual information depending on the user. In 2012, our fingerprints may begin to mean no more than our eyes, faces, or logins.
Big data processing
Information is everywhere, but in 2012 we will be especially puzzled by its processing. Every day we collect data on our activity using BodyMedia bracelets and synchronize biometric data with our Android phone. Hacker journalists are transforming huge amounts of data so that their colleagues can use numbers in their materials. Hypercreative design teams like JESS3turn data into pictures that are understandable to ordinary people. The amount of data on health care, government actions, locations, business, research, and transportation that can be analyzed cannot be described. You can study them and get an assessment of efficiency, reasonableness and productivity. In 2012, we look forward to the emergence of a number of initiatives that will help us solve the problem of processing and analyzing large volumes of data.
Object Recognition
The company Oblong Industries recently presented its spatial operating environment of the G-speak , which is the result of thirty years of research at MIT and uses object recognition. You may already have seen the results of Oblong in the movie Minority Report . G-speak combines "gestural input / output, recombinant networking ( recombinant networking ) and the environment as a screen ( real-world pixels) ”, Merging the person and the interface together. Perhaps in 2012 you don’t buy G-speak in your living room, but definitely wait for the appearance of object recognition technology in mobile applications and devices. High-quality sensors, improved cameras and amazing databases allow you to take a picture and instantly get information about the person sitting opposite you on the subway, the ingredients of your dish on a plate, or even the designer who created your girlfriend’s new shoes.
Graphical interfaces
In 2011, we saw many new graphical interfaces. The New York Times showed us its “magic mirror”, which uses Microsoft Kinect for face recognition, and then turns into an assistant built into the bathroom mirror . He can advise what shirt to wear, with which tie, look for something on the net, find out the weather forecast, read the mail, find out the dosage of the medicine you have been prescribed. Japanese tablet maker Wacom launches Inkling, allowing artists to use a special pen and clip with a sensor for drawing on any surface. Connect the sensor to the computer, and everything drawn can be imported into almost any graphics editor. Next year, we are waiting for the appearance of new interactive surfaces and new tools for working with them.
Thematic Filtering
Simple aggregation (even with the possibility of personal settings) no longer solves the problem of information overload . In 2010, Flipboard and the new edition of Pulse appeared , which are applications for more convenient visual selection of content. And now we see how systems of semantic selection and recommendations of content are embedded in sites and applications. For example, Scoop.it , Twylah, and Storyful play on this field .. In late 2011, Google launched the thematic aggregator Currents (during development it was called Propeller). No matter how many news agencies squeamish that regular feeds bring neither traffic nor benefit to readers, this new filtered form of content delivery has been amazingly successful. The combined efforts of people and companies has an amazing effect on data structuring, and constantly updated thematic collections help consumers make informed choices in the overall flow of information. Wait for new types of thematic filtering in 2012, no matter what name it gets.
Maintaining privacy
Every day we upload millions of photos to social networks, along with accompanying them with additional data about who is shown in the photo, where it was taken, and even what equipment. Along with marking services in visiting places, which increasingly reflect the physical movement in the space of us and our satellites, smart search tools have appeared that easily reveal our real name, age and interests from a photograph of a person taken from the phone. While some advanced users express concerns about maintaining the secrecy of their personal lives, young users of social networks more and more want to share everything with everyone. Facebook continues to frequently update the terms of use of its services, but most users do not know what kind of personal information Facebook shares with the world.
Women's issue
It may seem that men dominate in the IT world, but many development projects, innovations and startups are run by smart, creative, rarely falling into view, but very professionally working women. Associations like TEDxWomen and Change the Ratio are committed to drawing attention to women's successes and highlighting existing gender inequalities. In 2012, we expect more women to receive funding, make presentations, give interviews to major media outlets, participate in the jury and receive recognition for their contribution to technology and more.
Ethics and Digital Content Issues
In 2011, ethical issues were raised more than once in major technology and journalism companies. Blogger Michael Arrington has opened a venture capital fund with a capital of $ 20 million, which he plans to invest in companies that TechCrunch writes about on his blog . The Tumblr microblogging platform , especially popular in the fashion industry, was disgraced when it became known that the costs of 16 bloggers sent to cover Fashion Week were covered by the organizers of the event. For coverage of private events, Tumblr took $ 350,000 from each brand. For this, brands are guaranteed to receive product placementin blogger posts. The “What's Hot?” Series on CBSNews.com tweeted that Steve Jobs passed away long before it really happened, and then elegantly apologized: “Sorry! Information about the death of Steve Jobs is not confirmed by anything. We wish you health! ” As the media landscape changes, editors, developers, marketers, sellers and producers of content of all stripes need to critically evaluate their activities and discuss the appropriateness of certain measures. In 2012, their main goal will be ... transparency?
Technology is the engine of revolution
The Arab Revolution of 2011 was made possible by the presence of Facebook, Twitter, SMS and BlackBerry. The ease of use of social networks, coupled with widespread cheap mobile devices, has given power to those who previously did not possess it at all. Next year, thanks to the success of civil movements in the Middle East, an increasing number of citizen groups will use mobile phones and social networks to accelerate revolutionary processes around the world.
Lookout / Social TV platform
An increasing number of people are watching TV while using some kind of device - a mobile phone, tablet or laptop. Last year, we saw an increase in video broadcasting, not limited to a set-top box. Flingo - a platform developed for two years by the team of creators of Bittorrent - allows viewers to "throw" each other the contents of their screens. Denso is an iPhone / iPad / Android application that allows users to save content to their account and then stream it to almost any device. In 2012, we will see a massive spread of such a phenomenon as co-examination, as well as the means and methods that make it possible, developed by independent developers, sellers, the media and political groups.
YouTube Network
At the end of 2011, YouTube updated not only its appearance, but also plans for making money. According to a new idea, YouTube will broadcast individually customizable channels and other specially selected content. Next year, expect YouTube to launch Google TV-based channels for gamers and programmers. Set-top boxes with Internet access and the new YouTube approach have good potential to shift the attention of ordinary TV viewers to new forms of digital content delivery.
Election coverage
We are already observing the work of the largest broadcasters and the media in preparation for the 2012 presidential campaign ( in the United States, and not in Russia - approx. Translator ). Get ready to use your mobile device or laptop to verify your campaign promises and candidates' statements literally on the fly. Synchronize with live broadcasts of the largest media companies covering the elections. Facebook and Twitter browsing will be ubiquitous.
Mobile scanning and text recognition
ABBYY was shocked by many, releasing an iPhone text recognition application in 2011 for just 99 cents. Having received the name "Text Decoder" (in English TextGrabber), it allows you to take a photo picture, recognize the text on it, import it into a document, which can then be edited, copied and even translated. Amazon already allows users to take pictures of any product and automatically check whether it is sold on their website. In the coming months, new services will appear for scanning and text recognition.
Context-sensitive mobile apps
With the advent of Siri, iOS 5 applications can now take into account a variety of contexts such as location, interests, intentions, schedules, friends, history, likes, and more, which can be taken into account when preparing content and answering user questions. Siri analyzes natural speech, so the user can simply say on their phone: “Find a table for dinner for four . ” In response, Siri will determine a list of potentially suitable restaurants, offer to send the other three friends an invitation taking into account employment based on the analysis of their calendars, and reserve a table through the OpenTable service . Although Siri has 40 years of research at DARPA and the work of several universities ( Carnegie Mellon , Stanford), we expect that in 2012 other similar applications will appear on the market.
Mobile payments
Square - an white, square-shaped iPhone-connected credit card reader - is used by thousands of small businesses. Their new service - Card Case - allows users to check in at schools using their phone, and then pay with a plastic card, while using the Square Register ipad app instead . Google Wallet allows you to leave plastic cards at home and pay with your mobile device at a real cash desk. Silicon Valley startup Naratte is developing Zoosh technology, which uses ultrasound to make payments, it works even on the simplest phones. So in 2012 we expect more mobile payments.
Digital Identification
When Google launched its social network Plus, it got into the news partly due to the fact that when registering it required to indicate its real name and data. At that point, Google argued that people were more prudent when using their real name. It even got to the point that Plus began to be called a digital identity service. Many are now wondering how and where Google will use these digital passports. Meanwhile, US police began to use MORIS , an application that takes a picture on an iPhone and allows a police officer to identify a person by the iris of the eye. In Brazil, police are trying on glasses with biometric cameras that can scan 45,000 control points on the face and make real-time database queries.
Apple bought the Siri iPhone app, which can recognize individual voices and display contextual information depending on the user. In 2012, our fingerprints may begin to mean no more than our eyes, faces, or logins.