Zone’s Ross Basham handpicks and shares the five best stories on digital trends, experiences and technologies…
1. Microsoft success hinges on foldable future
When Samsung launched the Galaxy Fold in April it had a fairly significant problem — the bendy screen kept breaking. And the hastily redesigned reboot is also receiving some nightmare reviews — “Don’t buy it”, for example. So it’s no surprise to see Microsoft launching foldable devices that don’t have all-in-one bendable screens.
The Surface Neo is a tablet with two screens that open up to a 13in display (with a split in the middle), while the Surface Duo is a smaller smartphone that runs Android. But, given that it’s less than ideal for watching TV, is there really a market for split screens? And with the Duo only having a basic front-facing camera, will anyone choose it over similarly priced rivals that take incredible photos? Time will tell…
2. Uber to let worried riders record audio
Uber is testing a new way to make riders feel safer by allowing them to record audio of their trip if the driver is making them feel uncomfortable. The feature, which is yet to be officially announced, would supposedly have a direct link with Uber’s emergency support team, who could immediately send assistance if necessary.
It’s part of Uber’s Safety Toolkit, which includes other features such as ‘Share My Trip’, and is likely in response to the widespread criticism Uber has faced for its approach to dealing with assault complaints. Only last week Uber was given a mere two-month extension on its probation from Transport for London, so it’s clear the company is still struggling to improve its tarnished reputation.
3. ECJ ruling signals end of pre-ticked cookies
Europe’s top court has ruled that pre-ticked consent boxes for cookies are not legally valid. Instead, users must actively opt in to have each company track them across the web. This ruling has huge connotations for sites which, post-GDPR, have relied on users just clicking OK to pre-ticked cookies just to make the banner go away.
Now users will have to actually tick each box, which is a major problem for the thousands of adtech companies that don’t have any public profile. And, speaking as a punter, I will always choose the path of least resistance in order to get to the content I want to see — whether that means yes or no to cookies.
4. Why collaboration is key to great CX
Companies can only deliver what the customer wants and needs if the whole organisation is aligned. That was one of the key messages delivered by the CX50 — the list of the UK’s top 50 customer experience professionals published by Zone in partnership with our parent company, Cognizant, and Marketing Week.
The CX50 inductees were honoured at a dinner in London this week, and this Marketing Week article talks to members including Giffgaff’s chief commercial director, Kim Faura, and Specsavers’ commercial trading director, Chris Carter, about the importance of constant collaboration.
5. Speed tappers catching up with typists
It’s perhaps not surprising given how much time we spend on our smartphones, but a test has found that people can type nearly as fast on a screen as they can on a keyboard. More than 37,000 volunteers from 160 countries took a speed and accuracy test on their phones for the comprehensive study.
People who tapped with a single finger averaged 29 words per minute but the two-thumb approach hit 38 wpm, only 25% slower than the average keyboard operator. Teenagers were the quickest tappers (shocking) while those in their 40s and 50s were slowest. What’s more, autocorrect makes you quicker while word prediction slows you down. If you’ve got 10 minutes, why not give the test a go?
