Welcome to this weeks edition of our Dreamers Digital Digest. This week we have stories from; Tesla, Nintendo, Facebook, Google and Kodak. Enjoy!
Self-driving car by Tesla to use “Tesla Network”
According to Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, it has been (link: https://electrek.co/2016/10/19/teslas-new-self-driving-car-can-only-make-you-money-on-the-ride-sharing-tesla-network-not-uber-or-lyft/ text: revealed) that Tesla will be working on a taxi service to compete with current companies Uber and Lyft. With the introduction of its ‘enhanced autopilot’ feature and self-driving hardware, the new service is rumoured to be called the ‘Tesla Network’. There is also information about how the cars can be used for car sharing but “revenue purposes will only be permissible on the the Tesla Network.”
Facebook bots trending fake news
Ever since Facebook got rid of its human editors, there has been a surge in fake news stories trending on the social media site. With various (link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/10/12/facebook-has-repeatedly-trended-fake-news-since-firing-its-human-editors/ text: incidents throughout the weeks), The Intersect ran an experiment where they viewed Facebook data every hour to check what topics were trending. They found that a number of stories were fake and inaccurate proving that sometimes things are best run by humans and not bots.
Google to begin switching desktop index to mobile first index
Google is (link: http://www.thesempost.com/google-switching-mobile-first-index-desktop/ text: rumoured to be switching to mobile first index) within search results. Previously, Google has set desktop to its primary indexing but is now changing to mobile first due to the huge popularity in mobile searches over the past few years. With the mobile search share rising considerable and continuing to rise, the move from Google is not surprising.
Nintendo releases new console called Switch
Nintendo have (link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/10/20/nintendo-switch-new-console-previously-known-as-nx-finally-revea/ text: released its new console), Switch, with hopes that it will revitalise the company’s fortunes. The dual portable and home device will be released March next year with the console being able to be connected to a television with Wii like controllers or the ability to play on the go like the Gameboy. With the flexibility of the console, Nintendo hope that will give developers more flexibility when it comes to developing games.
Kodak releases new phone for photography fans
Camera company Kodak have (link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/10/20/kodak-ektra-is-the-ultimate-phone-for-camera-obsessives/ text: released a new smartphone) with a focus on the camera to be aimed at photography fanatics. The handset, called Ektra, is to go on sale this year and will focus on being aimed at camera obsessives instead of competing with the likes of Apple, Google and Sansung. The aim of the phone is to ensure photographers and aspiring photographers who own DSLRs and other camera’s are ready to take a shot wherever they are, on the move.
Apple to hold new Mac event
After years of Mac enthusiasts waiting patiently, Apple has sent out (link: http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/19/13333830/apple-event-october-27-invite text: invites titled ‘Hello Again’) for an event on the 27th October. Apple famously introduced the Mac back in 1984 with the word ‘Hello’ causing speculation that the event will be about the Mac and updates. With rumours circulating the tech world, people are hoping to see new MacBook Pros, iMac desktops and MacBook Airs being released.
Twitter overrun by bots during Presidential debate
A(link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37684418 text: study shows) that there has been a significant surge in automated tweets in favour of Trump compared to tweets supporting Hillary during the first Presidential debate. Around 4 times as many tweets were made by bots causing concern that these tweets had the capacity to “manipulate public opinion” and do not portray a correct view which could “muddy political issues”. There is no suggestion as to whether the bots have been created by either Presidential campaign group. Keep an eye out on our blog where we will be looking into how both Presidential candidates have used digital marketing within their campaigns.
Our developers visit the Canvas Conference
Yesterday our brilliant developers here at Superdream, went to the (link: http://canvasconference.co.uk/ text: Canvas Conference) in Birmingham where they got some tasty insights into the world of digital products and a range of insider stories. With speakers from top companies such as Netflix, Facebook, SkyScanner Slack and Deliveroo, the team learnt about how the companies utilise data and A/B testing to improve the business as well as testing certain hypotheses. Our team will be writing a blog post on their learnings, so make sure you come back and have a read!
Join us next week for more digital news.