Tag: microsoft

Bing takes on augmented reality

| December 18, 2012

Augmented RealityBing working on developing new augmented reality platforms

Microsoft’s search division Bing has been hard at work developing an augmented reality platform and applications that could gain traction with consumers. Microsoft has been showing a great deal of support in augmented reality recently. The company has plans to incorporate the technology into its next generation gaming platform, tentatively dubbed the Xbox 720. Bing is another sector in which Microsoft is looking to flex its developing augmented reality muscles.

AR team aims to develop new technologies

Bing has established an augmented reality team, which has been tasked with building a platform that acts as a place for users to find information in a natural way. The augmented reality team is working on camera tracking, visual and audio recognition, optical character tracking, translation, and vision-based technologies. These technologies will be used in mobile applications as well as the basic structure of the Bing search engine and its various services, such as Bing Maps.

Google may finally see some competition in the search space

Though Google continues to dominate the online search engine space, Bing is becoming a more popular platform. If augmented reality can be successful introduced, Google may have its first real competitor in the search sector. Bing is basing its augmented reality efforts around “naturalism,” that is, Bing aims to present its augmented reality services in a way that seem wholly natural to consumers. The user interface of the applications and platforms Bing is working on will be intuitive to consumers, no matter what their experience with augmented reality may be.

Companies have yet to show they can deliver with augmented reality

Bing’s augmented reality endeavors may find significant success if its applications and new augmented reality platform can appeal to consumers. Many consumers have already shown interest in the technology because of its dynamic nature, but there are few augmented reality platforms available from major companies like Microsoft and Google. Whether these companies can successfully develop platforms that can attract and keep consumers engaged has yet to be seen.

Mobile commerce hits a wall in India

| December 13, 2012

 

India Mobile CommerceMobile commerce may be facing serious challenges in India

Mobile commerce may be a rapidly growing phenomenon, but it if facing hard times in India, which could be a sign of things to come in the future for the rest of the global market. Mobile commerce is a relatively simple concept: Consumers using their mobile devices to purchase products and shop both online and in-store. This concept has won the adoration of consumers around the world, but its simplicity belies the complications that are associated with running a mobile commerce business.

Problems in India may foreshadow future challenges

In India, mobile commerce has hit a sheer drop-off, in terms of adoption and support. While consumers are still showing a great deal of interest in mobile commerce, this interest largely revolves around well established e-commerce gateways that most consumers already have extensive experience with. Most major retailers offer some form of mobile commerce service to consumers, and this is not necessarily good news for smaller ventures.

Data shows mobile commerce start-ups have high mortality rate

According to data from Microsoft’s India Accelerator Program, which provide services to technology start-ups throughout India, some 379 new technology product start-ups launched in the country before October of this year. Of these, 193 were e-commerce firms that specialized in some aspect of mobile commerce. Approximately 87 of these firms no longer exist, either because they have been absorbed by larger companies or they simply could not find traction with consumers. Investors becoming leery of the prospects of mobile commerce is cited as a major reason why these firms have faced failure.

Investors leery of supporting new start-ups

Investors are beginning to show hesitance when it comes to mobile commerce. Start-ups entering the mobile commerce field often make promises that are difficult to keep and investors backing companies that end  up failing face significant financial losses. If start-ups cannot compete with major companies like Google, which has established a strong presence in mobile commerce, they are not likely to find the traction they need to be successful, thus leading investors to question the prospects of supporting mobile commerce ventures.