***Does Yelp suck?***
Does it? Well, that is what a room full of foodies, restaurateurs and a posse of indignant “social media” hacks all wanted to know. During a controversial debate, Yelp reviewers were roundly criticized for focusing on specific minutia, rather than fact. Others said they found Yelpers to be loud, crude and biased with many a dull axe to grind.
***Google admits Buzz mistake***
Red-faced product manager Todd Jackson admitted that Google had “misstepped” by launching its Buzz social networking service too “broadly and promiscuously.” However, a contrite Jackson promised that the oversized search behemoth would try to avoid any such screw ups in the future by pre-testing new features instead of releasing them all at once.
***Digg this!***
There was lots of buzz today about the new Digg redesign which is expected to feature faster, “instant” Digging and one-click submissions. The upgraded service will also boast customized home pages and allow users to Digg without logging in.
Well, I certainly can’t wait to “digg” in! What do you think?
***Life is just one big game***
Programmer/Journalist Andy Baio of Waxy.org and Kickstarter wooed hung-over audiences with the notion that games have begun to “bleed” into real life. According to Baio, various industries – like the car industry for instance – have already begun leveraging games as psychological motivators, with both the Ford Fusion and Honda Insight sporting dashboard graphics that keep track of efficient driving with scenes of growing leaves.
***Facebook wants cross-platform apps***
Do you like plowing fields in Farmville? Do you want more minerals to mine and wood to chop? Well, you might not have to wait all that long, at least according to Facebook’s Gareth Davis. He explained that FB was using its connect platform to encourage the development of social apps and games across multiple platforms. Even Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo appear to have jumped on the fast-moving platform, with a number of Connect-enabled console games expected to hit the market soon.
***Foursquare raises money for Haitian earthquake victims***
Geo-location service Foursquare has raised over $15,000 to assist the victims of the massive Haitian earthquake. Conference attendees helped generate the funds simply by checking in with Foursquare at various locations around Austin.
***Proud pirate walks the plank at SXSW***
Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde told the masses gathered at SXSW that the industry was in dire need of new business models and smaller music companies. Sunde – who appeared via video conference – also noted that the “rock star dream” of making millions was dead and buried.
***Are web-based hacks killing The New York Times?***
The newspaper business is certainly changing, but could web-based reporters eventually replace the old Gray Lady herself? Not according to NewYorkology’s Amy Langfield, who insists bloggers simply don’t have the backing and wherewithal to tackle “in-depth” reporting. By contrast, Reason’s Greg Beatto believes crowdsourced investigative journalism may very well be capable of stepping in and seizing the initiative from traditional print papers.
***Hubble 3D blasts off at SXSW***
NASA’s epic space documentary Hubble 3D has launched at SXSW. The IMAX movie, narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, allows movie-goers to journey through distant galaxies and experience the grandeur of space by accompanying space-walking astronauts as they attempt the most difficult and important tasks in NASA’s history.
***Augmented Reality and the future of the Web***
A lively SXSW panel dealing with the future of the Internet discussed the possible uses of augmented reality (AR), in which information from the Web would be overlaid on objects in the real world.
For example, Metaio’s Junaio projects data graphics and text over various objects and scenes captured by smartphone cameras. With Junaio, users can find subway stops, train schedules and even bars.
Future iterations of AR apps are expected to include even more sophisticated 3D objects and advanced social networking integration.
