“Connected cars” can benefit car owners in a lot of ways, but in fact, connection can be a double-edged sword. As reported in the New York Times, many subprime borrowers must have their car outfitted with a so-called starter interrupt device. By simply clicking a mouse or tapping a smartphone, lenders can remotely disable the ignition and retain the ultimate control. Moreover, by using the GPS technology on the devices, the lenders can also track the cars’ location and movements. This has led to the subprime boom in car loans, as it offer the lenders more control over their vehicles. It will be interesting to see if such a trend will spread to other businesses dealing with connected devices.
Category: Percolate
Why Pandora Is Vying For Connected Cars
Pandora is aiming to reach “on-the-road” consumers with targeted audio advertising. It has reportedly been working on an improved car radio console that would help with its presence in connected cars. The Internet-based music streaming service itself will be installed in one-third of all new cars shipped this year, so it makes sense for them to try and get a jump-start.
Amazon Launches #AmazonWishList To Further Social Media Integration
Amazon is once again turning to Twitter to further the reach of its ecommerce empire. Now simply by replying with #AmazonWishList to any tweet that contains an Amazon product link, U.S. users can save linked products to their Wish List. This move follows the #AmazonCart, a similar initiative launched back in May that lets users add products to their Amazon shopping cart without leaving Twitter, now a vital cog in the global e-commerce.
Wink Aims To Unite Smart Home Appliances
With plenty of connected home appliance currently on the market, competing IoT connectivity standards hurt their further popularization. Wink is a small New York startup with products—a hub box, a mountable control center, and a corresponding app—that aim to fix the fragmented home automation and tie together devices across competing standards: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Zigbee. It is not the first company to attempt doing so, but what makes Wink stand out is the wide array of big-name partnerships that includes Honeywell, GE, and Philips.
UPS To Offer 3D-Printing Service Nationwide
Following the success of its 3D-printing pilot program that launched in 6 locations last year, UPS is now expanding 3D-printing service to 100 stores nationwide. With the 3D Printing Industry enjoying a healthy 21% growth last year, it makes sense for UPS to expand their partnership with Stratasys to further capitalize on the growing market, meeting the demands of small businesses and DIY enthusiasts across the States.
Why Netflix Shows Are The New Indie Movies
Is Netflix is the new Miramax? The same audacious, innovative energy that gave rise to the indie-film movement in the 90’s has now migrated to OTT original programming, with shows like Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black and Amazon’s upcoming Transparent featuring the kind of daring, envelope-pushing content that would be tough to picture on basic cable, let alone the broadcast networks. That, combined with the broad-appealing, mainstream TV and movie content the OTT services carry, will no doubt continue to change the TV industry in this post-DVR era.
To learn more about the upcoming changes in the TV industry, check out our latest white paper on OTT services.
3 Reasons Healthcare Could Favor Google Over Apple (And 1 Reason Patients Might Not)
With its grand entry into the healthcare industry, Apple looks to leverage its enormous consumer brand popularity and loyalty into building a centralized “data hub” for healthcare. But its primary competitor Google, with its own Android healthcare apps, could eat into Apple’s share with its popular apps, enterprise-friendly approach, and budget-conscious pricing.
As valid as these reasons are, there is one factor that cannot be ignored: data security and privacy. Google has long been known for monetizing whatever data it can obtain. Apple, on the other hand, has recently updated its privacy policy, emphasizing that it is “not in the business of collecting data” for marketing purposes. Not only does this make iOS easier to comply with health privacy laws than Android, it also helps put patients and healthcare practitioners at ease.
New Developments in VR
Oculus announced earlier this week that an updated Oculus Share marketplace, coming later this fall, will allow developers to distribute their virtual reality (VR) apps, as well as let users browse the platform to download VR games and entertainment experiences without taking off the headset. By doing so, Oculus is aiming to build an ecosystem to support its mobile and PC-based VR headsets.
Moreover, the Facebook-owned company also announced a new prototype for its VR headset, named Crescent Bay. With new 360-degree tracking, integrated headphones, and lightened weight, the new prototype marks another step towards the consumer version of its VR headset. With indie challengers like Totem claiming to offer better VR experiences, Oculus is doing all it can to stay ahead.
AT&T’s New Bundle Deal Hint At Future of Online Services
Mobile and Internet service provider AT&T has announced that its new Internet plan will come with access to HBO Go and a free subscription to Amazon Prime, which also includes over-the-top (OTT) services. As TV becomes something we watch on the Internet and online video becomes something we watch on our TVs, the line between who makes and who delivers video content has become further blurred. To learn more about how such blurred line is impacting the TV industry, check out our OTT-focused white paper.
Square Attempts To Fend Off Apple Pay With New App Cash
In its latest attempts to fend off the forthcoming Apple Pay, Square introduced a new Cash App that allows people to text or email money without setting up a Square account. The recipient doesn’t need the app to get a notification, although they do need to submit their banking information for the transfer to work. Overall, it appears to be more user-friendly than other payment apps like PayPal or Venmo, but it seems doubtful that it will prevent Apply Pay from taking over the mobile payment market.
