We may be on the cusp of a new, simpler world. From the current era of “peak complexity”, this new era will produce a step-change in society. It builds a platform for growth while empowering the developing world to leapfrog the competition. At Huawei’s Mobile Broadband event last month, I saw what a 5G future […]
Twenty-sixteen was a pivotal year for African tech. The continent’s IT scene attracted major investment, produced its first $1 billion startup, launched a national drone delivery program, and drew one of Silicon Valley’s biggest icons to tour its innovation hubs. This from a region that only a decade ago generated almost no Google News hits […]
An Illinois law is proving a thorn in Facebook’s side as a class action lawsuit, alleging mishandling of biometric information, moves toward trial. The latest developments in the case have the social network objecting against releasing or even admitting the existence of all manner of data, but the plaintiffs aren’t taking “objection” for an answer. […]
The direction you look could one day control your VR or mobile experience thanks to Facebook and Oculus’ latest buy, The Eye Tribe. Oculus confirms to me that this is an official acquisition. The startup has developed a $99 eye tracking device developer kits for computers, and software that can bring gaze-based interfaces to smartphones […]
While president-elect Donald Trump is working hard to stop China from becoming a global superpower, China hasn’t slowed its digital hegemony in Southeast Asia — and in Southeast Asia, China means Alibaba (of course). After identifying Southeast Asia as being on the cusp of an eCommerce golden age, Jack Ma and his team swooped in […]
We are entering an era when our digital lives spill out uncontrollably into our “real” lives. Whether or not you believe these two are separate, I would wager that the mass of humanity still sees a wall between Facebook and talking face-to-face at a PTA meeting. But a few people don’t. It’s these people – […]
Facebook is turning its public figures-only Mentions app into a handheld video studio with a slew of new Live broadcasting features rolling out the next few weeks. Mentions on iOS and Android will let broadcasters control brightness and mirroring through an adjustments tray, add category tags, set up comment blocklists, trim their video replays and see their […]
Facebook released its latest transparency report today, detailing government requests for user data for the first half of 2016. According to the report, government requests for account data increased by 27 percent globally as compared with the last half of 2015. The number of requests grew from 46,710 to 59,229, Facebook said. The majority of […]
Facebook removed content from social justice activist and co-founder of Safety Pin Box Leslie Mac, and banned her from the social network. The ban was originally in effect for 24 hours. Update: As of 11:50 a.m. PT, Facebook has restored the content and reinstated Mac’s abilities to use the social network.* “A member of our team […]
Nearby Friends didn’t turn into the Foursquare-killer it could have been, but Facebook is still trying to help people meet up in person… with a few changes. Facebook has removed the precise location-sharing feature from Nearby Friends, which now only lets you opt-in to broadcasting your approximate distance from friends and current neighborhood. Unmapped Previously, […]