Facebook’s Instant Articles
Facebook is taking another step towards taking over the internet, by introducing Instant Articles, where content creators can host stories directly on the social media site.
The Menlo Park, CA-based company is building upon the growing trend of consumers getting news from Facebook by introducing a quicker and easier option for news firms to tailor content to Facebook users on mobile phones.
“We think the most important thing here is speed,” Chris Cox, Facebook’s chief product officer told the BBC. “The obvious lesson we keep on learning is that on a mobile phone, the most important thing is immediacy.”
Some of the organizations on board include household names like National Geographic, the New York Times, Buzzfeed, the Guardian, and the BBC – users of the social media behemoth will now be able to access news content from these sources instantly, rather than following links to individual sites.
The move will further transform how people, especially a younger audience, will access their news.
The Microsoft HoloLens stress test
The world is waiting eagerly for the Microsoft HoloLens.The augmented reality headset, although not quite offering eh same experience as virtual reality, is expected to be a major competitor to the likes of Oculus VR and other VR headsets.
Oculus VR finally gave anxious consumers a timeline to expect its ‘Rift’ headset, within the first three months of 2016. HTC’s helmet Vive and PlayStation’s Morpheus, both set to be released next year as well, are helping a relatively new market to quickly become a saturated one.
Microsoft has now filed a patent on a new feature on the HoloLens, which does not yet have a release date. The device will respond to users’ stress levels by tracking various bodily functions like heart rate and sweat production.
“An augmented reality help system would determine that the user is experiencing a stress response and present help content to the user via the head-mounted display device,” said the U.S. patent application.
Minecraft’s milestone
Minecraft, the top selling PC game of all time, has reached another remarkable milestone this week. The hugely popular videogame is now the most watched game on YouTube. Minecraft beat the likes of Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty to the top spot. Video sharing YouTube has also claimed that “minecraft” is the second most searched term on the platform, behind the word “music,”.
The game offers a virtual world, resembling online lego, where users can acquire raw materials such as dirt, rock, and lava and use them to build shelters, forge weapons to fight enemies, and most enticing, engage in a range of creative and personalized endeavors.