Sunday Evening Chat: The State of Google

[pc747]

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Every now and then I look at the state of Google as far as their projects and properties. Being one who has been excited about Google Fiber, I at times forget that Google's main source of revenue has always been advertisements. So I was not surprised to hear that they use their properties to further strengthen their ad revenue base (Google testing new Fiber TV ad-targeting method based on viewing history 9to5Google). With all that Google is involved in from tv, software, appliances, thermostats, televisions, chromebooks, auto, fiber, and wireless networks, Google literally have the means to do what they sought which was have the ability to bring advertisement in every aspect of a potential buyer's life. With that power, Google has built an empire based on how to further spread information for companies. Are you ok with seeing ads almost everywhere or have you become so used to seeing it that they are oblivious to you?

Have we reached the limit for smartphone tech? I look at where we are at with smartphones and can not help to wonder if we reached the limit with smartphone tech. What horizon do you see left as far as cellular technology (other than a LTE phone that can go 3 days on a single charge)?

 

[creaky]

The thing I'm most interested in is Project Ara. That is revolutionary smartphone tech.

 

[grenefroggie]

I think we still have a long way to go in terms of how we interact with our smartphones. Watches are a step in the direction I am thinking. But I would like my speech to my smartphone to be flawless. I talk in to the BT earpiece and the phone understands me perfectly. I would like to be able to say: Ok Google, set an appointment for December 1, 2015, 10am, Oil change. Add note, the car shop on 6th street.

It will take a while, and we are close, but I don't want to have to touch the phone to make sure it is accurate.

 

[Vulcan1600]

I don't think we've reached a stalemate at all with smartphones. Look where we were 6 years ago when the OG Droid came out to what we have now....night and day. 6 years from now we'll look back and say....man that Note 4 sure is old technology, they must have been living in the age of the dinosaur. Technology changed so quickly from 2009 to now that we just expect radical changes with every phone that comes out I guess.

 

[Jeffrey]

Google is in a position to turn any product or service into a winner at will. That's the power they have.
Gut tells me that when they are fully intrenched in providing Fibre, they will become a major mobile network provider.

 

[grenefroggie]

Google is already on the way to becoming a mobile network provider now. As they expand their fiber broadband service they can build their own backbone network along the way, and with that, can lay the ground for their cellular network as well.

With Sprint and T-Mobile working with Google to start their own MVNO, it won't be too long before they either launch their own wireless network or just plain buy out T-Mobile.

 

[cr6]

Personally I'm not a fan of ads. I block them on both my pc and phone and I hit the mute button when they come on tv. I also have no problem waiting a year to watch a popular show until it comes out on Netflix or DVD just so I don't have to deal with commercials.

As for smartphone tech, I'd say yes and no. The way we use our smartphones hasn't really changed since smartphones arrived. They've gotten faster and more refined, but we all basically do the exact same things we've been doing since they came out. We talk, we text, we surf the net, take pictures and watch/listen to media etc. Nothing has changed there and I don't see these basic actions (or the way we do them) changing for awhile. Manufacturers will simply continue to refine what we already have.... at least until holographic displays/devices arrive onto the scene. So in a way I'd say yes, we've reached our limit.
Even when holographic devices arrive, we'll still be using them to do the exact same functions we've always done....communicate, surf the web, view & manage our media and entertainment.
Until then, manufacturers will continue to refine what we already have.

S5 tap'n

 

[94lt1]

I personally think that smartphone tech will evolve to contact lenses being able to be used for input.. And that tech alone, will further many different types of tech... Just my opinion.. As for when we'll see this?? Idk.. If I've thought of it.. I'm sure someone alot smarter that I am, has..

 

[cr6]

I'll stick with the holographic thing. Apple, Microsoft, Google and Samsung are already working on them.....It's just a matter of time.
Prolly another 5 years until brain implants arrive where you simply "think" what needs to be done and BAM! instant email sent through the cloud.

S5 tap'n

 

[Vepaot]

Smart phone technology has a lot of progress to be made still. There's the obvious problem of battery usage and trying to cram down personal computer chips to a size small enough to fit in your pocket and not burn your leg...

But there are way other creative fields they can get into. Grenefroggie was spot on about voice commands and personal assistants, which leads into my idea of motion controls with audio ques similar to Xbox's Kinect platform. Which could branch off to to a point where they start putting retinal scanners and eye motion tracking cameras in phones so you can type by simply looking at keys and blinking. Or even some of the far out sci-fi stuff that phones were alleged to have a couple years back. Features such as the laser projected keyboards so you can type on any flat, hard surface.

One of the features I'm really looking forward to seeing in the future is augmented reality. Cardboard really got the concept out there to people of how useful your pocket computer can be for creating virtual worlds, but I think that's simply evolving their own systems like Google Glass, to be something more along the lines of Microsoft's Hololens.

The times are interesting and someday we'll be just like the elderly of today that talk about seeing everything evolve. From watching tiny little TVs that were in black and white, to watching the first lunar mission, witnessing the dawn of the worldwide communications infrastructure we abuse to look up cat videos, etc.