Amazon's future could be acquisition...

Well, it's a gloomy Monday but don't let the weather keep you down. It just means some makeoli and Korean seafood pancakes are waiting for you somewhere. ;-)

Last week most of us witnessed Amazon's unveiling of the new Prime Delivery drones. Bezos says the service will be running in 4-5 years, despite the challenges and many skeptic reviewers it is entirely possible that will happen. The doubters claim three major issues: vandalism, safety, and theft. 

The real BIG THREE challenges have nothing to do with these challenges (which anyone with a mild imagination can figure out how to solve). Rolling out a drone delivery network takes... well, first a (1) NETWORK! Creating any kind of network, software or hardware, is not small task and requires lot's of really smart and creative folks from all levels of abstraction to get down. The next REALLY BIG challenge is the (2) OS. What will run these systems? Android? Not likely. Which leads me to the FINAL BIG challenge, the (3) battery. Even if you manage to get the right network, and the right OS... you still need a battery -- of course, if you read my email about Graphene you might not consider this to great a challenge!

Enter... the entrepreneur. 

Matternet is an awesome startup that will be either the next big platform or, at the very least, a significant acquisition down the road. Backed by Andreesen Horowitz (two guys who have a knack for early-stage investing I'd say) the company is rolling out it's network where the walled gardens have the North can happily get involved... Africa. How do you convince an unwilling populace to adopt the technology? Make it about helping people (since it is ultimately anyway!). How do you get your medicine in 30min instead of 5 days? Drones. 

The company was founded way back in 2011, and has since developed it's first drone which can carry a small package. Their ultimate goal is to deploy delivery drones which can carry up to 1000kg. 

Enjoy... and BTW if you're from Seoul watch the video for a neat surprise. 

https://mttr.net

Favorite News - March, 2013

I tweet a lot of news as I ride the subway to and from work every day. It’s a fun way to share what I’m reading and keep a public record of the fact that I do in fact read the news! Taking time to look back at all that’s happened in the past month is a unique kind of meditation, reminding me how interesting life can be.

Yahoo goes Euro

Yahoo is claiming a stake in Europe, wow. While the company announced last year they would close their Seoul office, in 2013 it looks like Yahoo is back in expansion mode. This month has been huge, with the tear-jerking story of a $30M acquisition of a British teen’s news service and serious rumors that Yahoo “wants to buy as much as 75%” of Dailymotion --so, I didn’t know it was French either, but it is. So Ms. Mayer is hoping the pond? Perhaps.

Google sells a premium notebook... PIXEL

Okay, so here is the article: PIXEL ROX.

First, allow me to say that Samsung’s Chromebook was awesome and I really wanted one. However, that low-ball price of $250.00 makes the Pixel seem outrageously expensive.

That said the Pixel is amazing. Believe me, I’ve used it and it is a beautifully crafted machine. It is a little heavy, but that mass somehow makes it feel worthy of the price. The price comes with some premium hardware too including a Gorillla Glass-cover screen that is (I quote The Verge, but also agree) the “best laptop screen I’ve ever seen.”

Google Pixel is my new favorite notebook and I can’t wait to buy one. One of the best points in The Verge review is how the unique size of the screen is perfect for reading web-pages. Anyone who spend a lot of time reading and working online (yours truly) will notice, so cool they pointed it out.

RIP RSS

Google will kill Reader. This has been a huge deal for so many people, and I totally get that. Though, so much has been written about the downside that the upside was overlooked (at least for a while). Services like Feedly, my next favorite thing after Pulse, have received an enormous boost. That’s great news for developers interested in the space who want to try to build something new. In case you missed them, here is a list of Reader alternatives: LINK.

The drones have arrived

I am a huge believer in drone-tech, but there are some incredible risks associated with its proliferation. This month we saw one of those risks first-hand, and got an early glimpse at how the government will respond. On March 5th, a quadrocopter was spotted “buzzing” a plane on descent at JFK International. Clearly there could have been an accident, and these types of accidents or near-accidents will be increasingly frequent.

Chris Anderson of Wired Magazine wrote a brilliant report a while back on the near reality of a drone-world. As of September, 2013 there may be as many as 50,000 buzzing the friendly skies.

Second-Screens Rule

Business Insider released some incredible data about tablet use while watching TV. Did you know that 85% of tablet owners are using their tablets while watching TV? Holy Smokes! Or so I thought, until I thought about my own TV watching habits (though I rarely watch TV).

As tablet use increases, no doubt overall TV consumption will decrease. But programs or networks that can effectively integrate with tablets will survive in-style. In fact, integrating with “second-screens” may be the only future for TV.