Weekend In Tech Trends

Tech Trends- May 7-8

3D smartphones, Apple HomeKit update, voice recognition passwords and more in this week’s Weekend in Tech Trends.

Tech Trends 1) The HoloFlex gives us a glimpse into the future

Researchers at Queen’s University’s Human Media Lab have created what they call the world’s first flexible holographic smartphone called the HoloFlex. The HoloFlex is capable of creating 3D holographic images that can be seen without glasses.
“HoloFlex offers a completely new way of interacting with your smartphone,” writes Dr. Vertegaal, one of the researchers involved with the project. “It allows for glasses-free interactions with 3D video and images in a way that does not encumber the user.”
“When bending the display users literally pop out of the screen and can even look around each other, with their faces rendered correctly from any angle to any onlooker,” says Dr. Vertegaal.
While the HoloFlex is still a prototype, it features the technology that we’ve always wanted. Check out the video below to see it in action.

Source: Mashable

Tech Trends 2) iOS 10 could feature a key update to Apple Homekit

While the IoT and IoT devices are awesome, sometimes using these devices can become a bit of a burden with the need to use so many different apps. MacRumors discovered a review from an Apple employee that says that an Homekit update in iOS 10 could feature an app that would allow you to control all your devices from one app.
This update is extremely necessary and we are hopeful that it becomes a reality. The key to the IoT’s success will rely on ease of use across many devices. A central command station built into the iPhone would be a tremendous help.

Tech Trends 3) YouTube shows why they are more relevant than TV

YouTube wants advertisers to know that marketing dollars are better spent with them than with more traditional mediums. At the annual Brandcast party that YouTube puts on, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki made a bold statement.
“Today, I’m happy to announce that on mobile alone YouTube now reaches more 18–49-year-olds than any network — broadcast or cable. In fact, we reach more 18–49-year-olds during primetime than the top 10 TV shows combined,” she said, citing data from a Nielsen study of US viewers commissioned by Google. “At a time when TV networks are losing audiences, YouTube is growing in every region and across every screen.”
This shows the power YouTube has and that it could one day be the death of the traditional TV networks. If you are a marketer, YouTube may want to be the place where you’re spending your dollars.

Tech Trends 4) Sesame uses your voice as a password to make Alexa more secure

One of the concerns with Amazon’s Alexa having capabilities to order things with your money is fraudulent transactions. A group of people at TechCrunch’s Hackathon has found a way to use your voice as your password when using Alexa.
To use Sesame, the users would go to the web based app and say a phrase like “Venmo Joe $10”. Alexa would then ask for your passphrase in which you would reply “my password is my voice” and then Alexa compares that to the pre recorded phrase and verifies your identity.
Sesame was built at TechCrunch’s Disrupt NY Hackathon by Shanto Goswami, Kunal Batra, and Ryan Neff, who all met for the first time at the event. Check out the video below to see it in action.

Source: TechCrunch