Episode 55 – Pokemon Go Prospects, Facebook Live Video

Our News Roundup this week covers Amazon's Prime Day, Twitter's recent deals and experiments around professionally produced live video, and Microsoft's announcement of Surface as a Service. Our Question of the Week is "What do the economics of the mobile gaming industry tell us about the future of Pokemon Go?" The game has burst dramatically onto the scene, and already provided a nice boost for Nintendo's share price, but past experience suggests massive hits can be short-lived in the mobile gaming market. We discuss the potential hurdles and challenges for the game, and for Nintendo as it finally embraces the mobile gaming market. We also talk about the implications for augmented reality. Our third segment is about Facebook Live Video and how it's been used in recent weeks for some harrowing footage very different from what it was originally conceived to do, and in contrast to the type of live video Twitter is now pursuing. We talk about the responsibilities that come with such power for Facebook, and the benefits to society from the increased openness the technology brings. As usual, we wrap up with our Weekly Pick, which is an app recommendation from Aaron. We'll be taking a two-week break while Jan is on vacation, but we'll be back the first week of August. In the meantime, related links and all past episodes are available at podcast.beyonddevic.es.