Charles & Rob Do Some Thinking

For me there are two potential companies that are poised to become the platform of choice - Apple (they have the device reach and complete control of their OS), and PayPal (they have the user database and trust). Either way a cash-free society is still some way off.

Let's just stop it.

Facebook has the reach (combining their Instagram and WhatsApp audiences too), but in terms of features they are way behind. Snapchat has the young audience, and if they continue to roll out the right features they could be the winners.

Maybe we should be looking to the past for the next innovation...

http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/e-innovation/schoolchildren-bbc-microbit-computer-coding-188261 This week 1 million school kids will be receiving their own micro:bit. It'll teach them the basics of coding, as well as problem solving and procedural thinking. I learnt to code on a bbc micro in the 80's, so I can't help but get excited by this. 

Borrowing its look from Google Now, an app that works like an Android app for iOS might be a winner.

What their longterm plan for this is I’m not sure but I like their ambition. Being known as playful innovators in a crowded market seems to give them an edge, or at least a point of difference.

And reading about it, it sounds really cool. But its also pretty clear that they've post rationalised a user need. Is that OK? Shouldn't we always start with a user need? I guess, potentially, not. Dreaming is a huge part of innovation and should be encouraged. We should dream more, make sense of them and write them down - then share those dreams and make them happen. We may even dream the next Augmented Reality or Pebble watch. Although were just as likely to invent the next chocolate teapot. 

http://www.techinsider.io/sean-parker-streaming-rental-startup-the-screening-room-2016-3 A potential reinvention of the movie viewing process. DVD sales are down, video streaming subscribers are up. So the only real way movie studios can grow their revenue (beyond making amazing films) would come with an idea like this. Really expensive, but reformulates the idea of a new release film. Some movies you'll obviously feel the need to see in a large cinema. But the convenience of watching in the comforts of your own home is something to say.

Taking into account the environmental impact of travel, it wouldn't be so much of a stretch to consider that in 50 years time actual travel would be reserved for the elite, and the rest of us would have to make do with a replica version.

An interesting update coming for Instagram: http://www.wired.com/2016/03/instagram-will-soon-show-thinks-want-see/ A lot of uproar about this because while it's an algorithm that is supposed to bring the most "relevant" content to the top... people are up in arms because your timeline about to not be in chronological order.

I was chatting to some friends who live out of town about Uber. They've used it a few times, but are not reliant (yet). It seemed to me the only reason Uber hadn't taken over in their town was scale. And so if Uber (and Lyft and any others) are struggling to scale, I'd presume it would be organising infrastructure (getting cars and drivers on the road, essentially). But what does this mean about security? Are the background checks and tests stringent enough? I've read a couple of horror stories recently - is it all about to blow up? I feel like we've wholeheartedly put our trust in a company we hadn't heard of a year ago...

http://hypebeast.com/2016/3/pay-amazon-selfie Amazon continuing to be inventive (and practical), while also nodding to today's modern consumer in how they're evolving the buying process. With all the talk around security these days it's actually quite smart that facial recognition is becoming an authenticator to purchase. (What I'm not saying here though is Amazon is the best platform for Honda. I don't think a person is going to buy a new car using a selfie).

Read this article this morning:http://techcrunch.com/2016/03/13/how-emerging-tech-can-solve-ad-desensitization/?ncid=rss Quite generic start (all about consumers getting snow blind to ads) but then started to make some good points about new tech. As haptic feedback gets better, VR becomes more common place, and we start to see new tech reproduce smelling sensations, how to we engage people with what our brands can offer? Can ads be experienced in different ways? Would anyone want to 'experience' an ad in the future? (Maybe. If we don't tell them its an ad)

http://www.theverge.com/2016/3/13/11215454/sony-interactive-projector-future-lab-sxsw-2016/in/10980317