| I was warned.
"My kids have it," our friends said. "It's only a matter of time before your kids get it."
The warnings sounded a lot like the "crud" alerts I got when my two kids were in grade school - a heads-up that the flu or some other nasty virus was about to invade.
But this was different, something more mysterious and frightening... "You will call one of your kids and leave a message to call back, just like you've done a thousand times. Except this time there is no call back. So you call again - and several more times after that. And then it happens. You get a two-word message: 'Text me.'"
"It's all over at that point," I was told. "You will never talk to your kids again on the phone."
Well, it wasn't quite that bad. But, I'm still in awe of how young people prefer to communicate by poking away at a keypad, rather than simply talking.
The Mobile Experience
I've become a part-time texter myself, but I don't send messages in the messaging service favored by my children. I don't even know what alternative messaging service they use. And I don't believe it makes me a terrible father that I haven't learned how my kids message.
There is a generational divide. And it's a pretty big one, of which I'm a proud participant. I'm on one side. My children on the other.
But that's nothing compared to the one between my kids and their kids. It's going to be a doozy!
I suspect Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, agrees with me...
The Future of Computing
This week, he made some predictions.
First, he said there will be many more people on the Internet. True, but boring. So let me add: not only on the Internet, but on the Internet through smartphones. About 2 billion people today have smartphones. In five more years, that number will be 3.5 billion to 4 billion (or four-fifths of the globe's adult population).
Zuckerberg also said we'll be more likely to message through photos (like Instagram) or SMS (short messaging service) than the old Web interfaces (like Gmail or Hotmail). True and well underway, as I point out above.
But his third prediction is particularly interesting and deserves our attention. He says that the future of computing is "augmented reality." In his words, "distraction-free, heads-up communication"... which means not looking at or using a mobile phone... or any other handheld device.
It's going to be something completely different, says Zuckerberg. "It'll look like normal glasses (so it won't look weird like some of the stuff that exists today). And you'll just be able to have context with what's going on around you in the world and communicate with people and not have to disrupt your conversations by looking down."
WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instachat, mobile Facebook, Pinterest, WeChat, Twitter - most, if not all, of the apps and platforms we're using today will be ancient history.
In 10 to 15 years, I suspect Google's search engine will still be a big player, but will it be as dominant as it is today?
If its top-notch search algorithms are replaced by equally top-notch artificial-intelligence technology, sure, it could happen. But that remains to be seen.
How about operating systems? Most of the popular apps today run on both Apple and Android. Operating systems will still be around, but I doubt they'll determine who wins the augmented-reality communications space.
Thinking outside the box, could a next-generation platform be built around your smart thermostat (like Nest)? Or around an evolved Facebook? Why not a Google artificial-intelligence-backed platform? Or an IBM Watson-inspired platform? Then there's Uber's network. Could it be used to connect everything we need and use on a daily basis?
However communications technology evolves, many startup companies are certain to play a leading role. The ones that can help a tech giant like Facebook or Google gain a competitive edge will be eagerly "sought and bought."
One of the startups I believe has the goods to help a giant tech company dominate the next computing epoch is Data RPM. This company boasts a natural-language interface that it says is superior to Watson's.
It automatically translates a natural-language question into an SQL query and delivers the data-rich answer mostly through visuals. Data RPM raised over $5 million in a Series A round last March. InterWest Partners and CIT GAP Funds were the two main investors.
Another intriguing startup is four-month-old MetaMind. It claims to process images and text better than any other available technology by using deep learning. Google, Microsoft and Facebook have already made several acquisitions in the field of deep learning.
(By the way, deep learning is a rapidly growing branch of artificial intelligence. It comprises a set of techniques that don't require domain experts to program knowledge into algorithms. Instead, these techniques can learn by observing data.)
In its initial funding round, Salesforce Chief Executive Marc Benioff and Khosla Ventures invested $8 million.
I'm also intrigued by VocalZoom because it has the potential to significantly advance speech recognition. We'll have to be able to talk to our wearable device of the future in crowded and noisy rooms. And even whisper to it when the occasion warrants.
VocalZoom's microphone has an optic sensor that measures the vibrations from the throat and face of the speaker and converts that data into a clean audio signal devoid of ambient noise. VocalZoom just raised over $2.25 million in a Series C funding hosted by OurCrowd.
Navdy has some intriguing technology. It offers a Head-Up Display (HUD) for drivers. The HUD projects information that seems to float six feet in front of you. It responds to voice and gestures (swipe left to answer a call or right to dismiss an untimely notification) that could be integrated into a "distraction-free, heads-up communication." Navdy raised $6.5 million in a seed round this past March. (My Co-Founder Adam Sharp was an investor, by the way.)
The next epoch of computing is just around the corner. The stakes are high. Corporate giants understand the huge stakes involved. They're already jostling for position. Competition will get only fiercer.
And startups will play a critical role in who wins and who loses. It's a trend we'll be following closely in the next few years. So stay tuned...
Good investing,
Andy Gordon
Founder, Early Investing
A Note From Eric: A version of this story previously appeared in Early Investing, a terrific online publication devoted to startup investing. You can check it out here: Early Investing. |
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