The M&G’s Faranaaz Parker rounds up five quirky things you may have missed over the last week.
Not quite the Gmail killer
After much speculation, Facebook’s big announcement about the release of its new communications tool Facebook Messages was somewhat of a let down.
Many tech watchers were awaiting the coming of the supposed “Gmail killer” with something akin to schadenfreude. Either Facebook or Google were about to get slapped with a very large trout.
But it wasn’t to be. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in fact stated bluntly that Facebook Messages “is not an email killer”. Instead, Messages is meant to be a faster, more informal system that incorporates text messages, instant messaging and email.
Zuckerberg admits that it is unlikely people will wake up tomorrow and abandon their existing email accounts. It’s clear the company is targeting its predominantly young and casual user base with the offering.
Messages has some glaring usability issues which will need to ironed out later. For example, it doesn’t allow subject lines and you can’t order your email into different folders. Instead messages are prioritized according to social relationships.
For the moment Facebook Messages is available by invite only. Many will be hoping to get a glimpse of the new system but the hype seems largely to have died down.
Crocs makes a comeback
If you thought those plastic clogs were out for good think again. Apparently Crocs are on the comeback trail.
The company saw a meteoric rise in 2007, when stock prices rose to over $75 a share. But the next year saw an almighty backlash and stocks plummeted to less than 80c (US) a share. Now it’s trying to rebrand itself with a massive new range that includes trainers, pumps and high heels.
The company looks set to turn a profit for the first time in years and is working hard to move beyond the iconic clog. In fact, in an interview with a Forbes reporter the company’s vice-president of global marketing seemed to be avoiding the very term.
Love ’em or hate ’em, prepare for the return of the Crocs. At the very least, it will be a small win for greenies; they are after all recyclable.
Multitasking not so easy for your brain
If, like me, you’re bad with faces, don’t beat yourself up too badly. New Scientist reports that a new hypothesis suggests that your “learning to read competes with face recognition ability”.
Both reading and facial recognition are processed in the same part of the brain and researchers have found that when subjects were shown faces, those who could read had less activity in that part of the brain than those who couldn’t read. Scientists think this is because people now use the part of the brain that evolved for object recognition to process written words.
So if you find yourself staring blankly at someone who obviously knows who you are, perhaps try blaming your first grade teacher.
The evolution of home entertainment
Two stories came out of Fast Company last week that seemed to herald the end of traditional home entertainment. The first found that Xbox users spend only 60% of their time on Microsoft’s online service, Xbox Live, engaged in gameplay. The rest of their time is spent streaming movies or music and on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Meanwhile the second story referenced a study which found that iPad users and people who intend to buy iPads are more likely to give up their subscriptions to satellite TV channels. The implication is that these users would instead watch their favourite TV shows via video streaming.
To me this paints a wonderfully futuristic picture of the household of the future. Each family member has their own portable tablet for private viewing and access to the internet while a communal entertainment room features a console that allows access to the internet as well as streaming entertainment and gaming. As for live TV, best leave that to the public broadcaster.
Microsoft wants to keep Kinect for gamers
Microsoft’s revolutionary new gaming peripheral, the Kinext, was hacked just days after being launched.
The hacker walked away with a $3Â 000 bounty, courtesy of electronics company Adafruit Industries. The hacker created a set of drivers which make it possible to use the motion sensitive camera and voice-recognition system with a Linux laptop.
According to the BBC, Adafruit is hoping the system can be used in robotics or as a way to interact with art installations.
Although Microsoft has toned down its rhetoric on the issue (it’s no longer speaking about working with law enforcement officials), it still insists that the Kinect will be best used for gaming on its console, the Xbox 360. It seems Microsoft it still not focused on the big picture.
Faranaaz’s interests span science, technology and development. Read her weekly wrap every weekend on the M&G and follow her on Twitter here