What a week! Here in the UK we had a mini-heatwave! Which I’ll be honest, was quite nice to sit back in the garden again. Not sure what the weather looks like for the next few weeks.
Either way, I’ll keep bringing my weekly update for you! And this week, it’s about Facebook…
- Facebook and Ray Ban make some Smart moves!
The company has created its first “smart glasses”, with a pair of cameras to take photos and videos, a microphone and speaker to listen to podcasts, and a voice assistant to let you do the whole thing hands-free.
If the whole thing sounds, and looks, familiar, it’s because the concept bears a heavy resemblance to Snapchat’s Spectacles, now in their third generation. It’s not the first time Facebook has been heavily inspired by the younger company, and even the name of the glasses feels sure to rub salt into the wound: they’ve been named Stories, apparently in homage to the social media format invented by the Snapchat founder, Evan Spiegel, and adopted to revolutionary effect by, first, Instagram, then countless other sites on the internet.
There’s one final wrinkle to the pitch: the glasses don’t actually come from Facebook at all. Yup, you got that! Instead, the company is working with Ray-Ban, on whose classic Wayfarer designs the hardware has been modelled, and the device will be branded as a Ray-Ban product first and foremost.
“Our mission is to help build tools that will help people feel connected any time, anywhere,” said Facebook’s Monisha Perkash. “We want to create a sense of social presence, the feeling that you’re right there with another person sharing the same space, regardless of physical distance.”
2. Next up- not tech related but more about inspiration…
Raducanu turned professional in 2018.
She made her WTA Tour main draw debut at the 2021 Nottingham Open, where she gained entry on a wildcard, originally ranked Number 338 in the world.
Fast forward – she got the opportunity to play in Wimbledon – where she pulled out in the 2nd set, fourth round match due to breathing difficulties.
And last night – against all the odds, someone who had to go through the qualifiers – won the US Open!
She is now expected to rise to Number 23 in the world. How phenomenal is this!!! What a great achievement!! The whole – never give up, enjoy the moment… the funniest part here is… she’d book her return flight tickets for a few weeks back because she didn’t think she’d progress as far!!
Well done Emma. Fantastic.
So there you go – today it’s all about Facebook collaborating with Ray Bans, and Emma showing that you should never give up – keep trying and keep pushing. You are in control of your own destiny.