Just when you thought that it was safe to go back into the waters of the Internet to surf again, Facebook has announced plans for a virtual reality app called augmented reality.
As if there are not enough people in the world addicted to Facebook and who seem to spend all night and day on the social network. You know the type. People who assume that you already know everything that is happening to them in their lives when you run into them on the street, “What, didn’t you see my Facebook posts? They always say.
Will you offer us a hand? Every gift, regardless of size, fuels our future.
Your critical contribution enables us to maintain our independence from shareholders or wealthy owners, allowing us to keep up reporting without bias. It means we can continue to make Jewish Business News available to everyone.
You can support us for as little as $1 via PayPal at office@jewishbusinessnews.com.
Thank you.
So imagine someday soon when you will not just have to settle for a 2 dimensional interface when looking at your friend’s pictures and posting on Facebook. Soon we will all be able to tune out of the real world around us and just wear our virtual reality goggles to watch holographic videos of our friends.
Won’t that be much better than having to actually talk to people in person?
Facebook’s head of product development Chris Cox said at the Recode’s Code Media conference, “What you’re doing when you’re using Facebook, you’re just sending around little bits of experience. You’re just sending a photo, you’re sending a video, you’re sending a piece of text, you’re sending an idea, you’re sending a thought.”
He added, “”We’re working on apps for VR.”
Facebook recently acquired Oculus which develops headsets for a bundle of money. So the idea will be to combine that tech with the social network. As Mark Zuckerberg said when Facebook bought Oculus, “Imagine sharing not just moments with your friends online, but entire experiences and adventures, ”
But do not expect a new virtual Facebook anytime soon as Cox said, “We’re a long way away from everyone having those headsets.”
Cox also discussed improving how people get their news through mobile devices. “Reading news on a smartphone is still a really bad experience most of the time, ” he said.
“We don’t want to devour and suck in the Internet, ” Cox added. “It’s not what people are asking for, frankly. It’s about how to deliver a really good news experience on smart phones.”
“The philosophy that we have is that people should get the content that matters to them the most. Most of that on Facebook will be connecting with friends and family. If we’re not doing a good job at that, we’re failing.”
