Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Age of Context


Robert Scoble's talk on the Age of Context at the Google Developer Group Silicon Valley.

talk by Robert Scoble

Age of Context: Mobile, Sensors, Data & Future of Privacy
book by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel

The five forces changing the mobile landscape are sensors, wearables, location, privacy and data.

Sensors today are found in everything from clothing to automobiles. Wearables allow us to take computers with us without the detriment of holding while also giving them access to data only found when we have something always on. Location is giving these computers and the big data assets everything we do down to one-and-a-half meters. Data is taking all of this information and compiling it to be used together and return usable metrics.

The idea lacking from these five forces is context.

This context means highly personalized products. You will be tracked, but catered to. Google Now tracks your movement, your email, your calendar to show where you are going and what you will do. This will lead to new anticipatory services and products. Programs like Google Now will evolve and be joined by deeper and more complex programs that utilize this massed quantity of data.

Programs like these will be able to see everything, but this won't be a bad thing. Uber and GE use industrial internet to track you and enable more personalized services. Why wait for a taxi when you know exactly where it is and they know exactly where to pick you up?

Context will give much deeper insights into customers. Pinpoint marketing will allow vendors to know what you want so they can show you the products that will work best for you. With the change from mass market to pinpointed personalized people will most likely see less ads but all will be relevant.

The mobile revolution is here and the context is defining what all of this loose information is. From Nest, that allows you realtime information about your smoke detector and thermostat, to smart bluetooth beacons used to locate your keys.