Mobile-related technologies for the past week, in 3 (or almost) words: Android In The Line Of Fire, Need More Room, Augmented Reality

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THE WEEK IN 3 WORDS

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SEASON #02 – WEEK #44

3. ANDROID IN THE LINE OF FIRE
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Google is facing several investigation cases in Europe, for threatening
competitions with unfair practices.
Amongst those cases, Android is being probed against a potential
“Trojan Horse” threat, as Google rivals complain. More precisely,
Android is considered being used by Google to collect personal
information in order to both promote its own services (applications)
and take full control over mobile advertising.
This is the beginning of a long-term process, because, as the European
Competition Commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, stated*: “(...) it will
take some time because it’s analysis and data comparison etc., which
is challenging”.
(*): http://blogs.wsj.com/brussels/2015/10/26/eu-antitrust-chief-vestager-speaks-about-google-and-other-key-cases/

5. NEED MORE ROOM?
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There seems to be a problem of storage on your smartphone...
The number of applications that proposes to tackle the issue of the device storage being
closed to full is growing in the app stores: Lean, Ice Cream and Room for More, for the latest
ones. Google Photo is of course another option for making space on your smartphone by
moving photos to the cloud.
The reasons for those new applications are quite simple:
● The storage capacity of smartphones (especially for the iPhones, that cannot be upgraded w/
external memory card) is too small compared to the heavy usage that is being made of those
devices (taking pictures, video or storing lots of data for dozens of apps).
● The cost for default online storage proposed by phone makers (again, especially for the iCloud
coming w/ iPhones) is quite expensive
From a more global standpoint, remote online storage is a good answer to the storage capacity
issue, but what about privacy and securing personal data? With the rise of deep learning and
capacity of using it to qualify content of pictures and probably soon video, advertisers (and
governments!) will get pretty interested in the content shared on such apps...

7. AUGMENTED REALITY
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Augmented Reality is trendy. The proof? Zuckenberg confirmed Facebook is actively
working on finding ways to make the social network augment its users’ reality. But if
Virtual Reality (through the acquisition of Occulus) has already proven use cases,
Augmented Reality is a bit more complicated, according to Facebook.
Some new applications makers’ opinions may contradict Facebook point of view. Indeed,
Binocular, an application that won a prize at Cannes Lions festival, is proposing a way for
users to test jewelry in Augmented Reality: the front camera is recognizing faces and
augments them with earrings, for example, so that users can immediately check if what
they chose really suit them.
Another company, Modsy, is doing some kind of AR as well. Users take pictures of their
home, fill a quick form and Modsy sends them back proposal of interior design to
enlighten their house.
The truth about the maturity of AR is probably lying between Facebook opinion and such
concrete initiatives, but it’s definitely not far from being a very concrete topic.