Each week Zone’s Letty Key handpicks and shares the five best stories on new digital trends, experiences and technologies…
1. Uber and Lyft hit road block in NYC
New York City is proposing a cap on the number of cars that ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft can have on the streets. But the companies are fighting back, using in-app messaging and direct customer data (they say it’s in line with service terms but it sounds dubious) to drum up support from users, asking them to contact their local councillor and oppose the legislation.
Uber has had similar struggles in other areas, but this takes the idea of customer loyalty to the extreme and mixes it with the kind of campaigning you would expect from a charity. It’s interesting to see this kind of digital communication called upon, underpinned by a belief that consumers will rise to defend services they use heavily.
2. Privacy is the fabric of social media
Fabric automatically records your location data and photos, creating a timeline of everything you’ve done. But bear with me, it’s not as scary as it sounds. While this can be shared with others it is private by default, something that the company proudly touts as a point of difference from established players like Facebook.
The aim is to become a search engine for your memories, with users able to pull up specific moments of their digital lives using search terms. This proposition is quite compelling, but of equal interest is the dark social aspect. It is social by choice but personal by nature and could tap into the “finsta” market due to the privacy it offers.
3. If the key fits…
Password managers could soon be a thing of the past if Google has anything to do with it. Employees of the tech giant are now using internally developed hardware security keys to verify their identity, and the product is set to become available to the public soon.
Having a physical key may feel decidedly un-digital, but Google says that reports of phishing incidents have plummeted to zero since the switch. This is more a case of something physical working in perfect harmony with digital, and while many pursue a frictionless experience, sometimes friction serves an important purpose.
4. Bringing digital detail to retail
M&S has launched a Data Academy, where more than 1,000 staff will receive digital training to give them a theoretical grounding in topics such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. It’s open to anyone in any function of the business and represents the retailer’s biggest digital investment in its employees to date.
Digital literacy isn’t just how to use a computer at one end of the scale, or how to carry out complicated software engineering at the other — it also involves a grounded understanding of the concepts behind the digital world in which we live and work. And knowing that your organisation considers it important that you know this — even if it doesn’t tie directly in to your day-to-day work — seems pretty motivating.
5. Modern machines make a mark on history
Intel is showcasing its latest drone tech and AI analysis software by repairing a wall. But when you’re responsible for restoring a Unesco World Heritage Site that is nearly three times the length of Britain, it’s fair to say this is no ordinary wall.
The team have taken thousands of pictures of the Great Wall of China to detect damage, create a 3D model and produce a restoration plan. It’s an inspiring insight into how these products can be creatively used to solve problems and a great example of creating a human interest story with the potential to engage a non-technical audience, building positive brand associations in the process.
