Mobile web browsing overtakes desktop browsing for the first time
Not really surprising – but now it’s official. Browsing on smartphones and tablets now accounts for 51.3% of worldwide web browsing (StatCounter). However, in Australia, desktop accounts for 55.1% of browsing; 58% in the US and 55.6% in the UK. This will only decrease. Mobile-friendly websites are now essential and Google recently made a change making mobile search potentially more up to date than desktop.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/02/mobile-web-browsing-desktop-smartphones-tablets
Google’s desktop search could be out of date
Google has now begun to push mobile search and desktop searches could end up slightly out of date compared to mobile searches. Google is splitting its search index into 2 versions – a rapidly updated mobile version and a separate search for the desktop.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/oct/14/google-desktop-search-out-of-date-mobile
Nielsen Digital Landscape Report
Monthly summaries of Australian online behaviour. Latest report September. 19.8 million people actively surfing, with ages 50+ having the largest percentage online (30.27%). Top 10 brands: 1. Google 2. Facebook 3. YouTube 4. MSN/Bing/Skype 5. Apple 6. eBay 7. Microsoft 8. Yahoo7 9. Wikipedia 10. Instagram. Top brands for streaming: 1. YouTube 2. Facebook 3. Vevo 4. News.com.au (9.ABC). Men outnumber women for streaming: 7.35 million men vs 6.34 million women.
file:///H:/Downloads/Digital%20Landscape%20September%202016.pdf
http://digitalmeasurement.nielsen.com/digitalmedialandscape/surfing_report.html
American Academy of Pediatrics lifts ‘No screens under 2’ rule
Last month the 1999 rule was lifted. The focus has shifted from what is on the screen to who else is in the room. For babies under 18 mths, no screens are best – except for live video chat. From 15 mths to 2 yrs, children may learn new words from educational media, but only if parents are watching alongside them. Treating videos or apps like a picture book is best. Preschoolers aged 2 to 5 have the ability to transfer knowledge from screens to the real world.
Hour of Code 5 December
ABC and Code Club Aust. have set a challenge for students to make their own video game using Scratch.
http://splash.abc.net.au/res/nl/20161118/STEM_news/STEM_news_20161118.html
60 min. tutorials for all ages: https://code.org/learn
Zuckerberg to invest $4bn in health
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his pediatrician wife Priscilla Chan will invest nearly $AU4 billion over the next 10 years to build technology that can speed up research on disease. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative LLC will initially create the Biohub research lab in San Francisco, which will create tools for researchers such as a cell atlas (a map of the different human cell types). Other tools could include a chip to diagnose disease and using machine learning to analyse large databases of cancer genomes. Zuckerberg and Chan have promised to give away 99% of their wealth over their lifetimes via their Initiative – one of the world’s largest philanthropic initiatives. They have also created Chan Zuckerberg Science.
Google Play Music
Music streaming, as with movie/TV streaming, is the most popular way of listening to music. Google Play Music is now smarter and easier to use. It uses machine learning and a diverse range of datasets connected to your Google account – search history, maps, YouTube etc – to personalise your music. It then mixes in signals like location, activity, and the weather along with hand-picked playlists to give you music that you like. Started last week in 62 countries for Android, iOS and the web. Workout music as you enter the gym; a sunset soundtrack at dusk….
https://blog.google/products/google-play/introducing-the-new-google-play-music/
Google self-driving car project
Monthly report Oct 2016. 24 Lexus SUVs on the road along with 34 prototype vehicles. Over 2.23 million miles driven in autonomous mode and Google cars are experts at 3-point turns.
Failed Google projects
Google has been involved in a host of projects – not all of them successful. These projects may soon cease development: Project Wing (delivery drones); Verily smart lenses (measure diabetic glucose levels via eye tears); Google Glass (sales were stopped in 2015 and social media data erased). Autonomous cars may not be available till 2025.
Google to ban fake news sites from ads
Advertising tools will be closed to websites that promote fake news. Fake news easily goes viral.
http://www.theverge.com/2016/11/14/13630722/google-fake-news-advertising-ban-2016-us-election