Meerkat v. Periscope, Next Episode

Whoa!  that was fast, just a week after my June 30th blog, Meerkat rolls a major update, addressing key areas that were begging for improvement.  

Their V1.5 release is ambitious and demonstrates: 

1. they get it (or at least they read this blog, haha) and
2. they have a strong ability execute   

Let’s walk through it; then compare to the July 8 release from Periscope. 

CAMEO

As the name suggests, enables the broadcaster add a viewer for a brief appearance in their livestream.  Simply tap on a viewer’s icon from the audience and invite them to cameo.  

• Cameo meerkaters must be invited by and accept the broadcaster's invitation 
• Cameos are one at a time
• Cameo streams display nested inside the host’s livestream 
• Cameo streams last 60 seconds

This is awesome! a creative way to improve Engagement  and even better than my suggestion: allow livestream viewers to leave voice memos (like “love line” call in shows) but why stop there? it’s all about live and video, duh!  

Well played.

FACEBOOK CONNECTION

Connect your Meerkat account to Facebook to “magically” Discover friends and interests.  It’s about time (easy for me to say).  But this had to happen, my #1, NOT-SO-BOLD-PREDICTION from last week.  Time to move on from the Twitter episode; I have 1.44 Billion reasons why.

NO SOCIAL MEDIA, NO PROBLEM!

For those out there without a Twitter or Facebook account… wait... do you even read blogs? was this printed and mailed to you? anyway, now Meerkat accounts can be created with just a phone number, welcome!

MEERKAT LIBRARY 

Livestream videos live on; now Meerkat will host your finished streams so you and others can watch them later.  This is close to my suggestion of a more seamless connection to YouTube, letting Google store the ended streams; perhaps Meerkat learned their lesson from another company, eh hem, tweet, tweet. 

SHARE BEYOND TWITTER

Sharing is seminal for growth and Meerkat now allows notifications of upcoming streams to be shared out to Instagram, Facebook, and Tumblr.  

SEARCH

Meerkat now has search!  previously there was a sad text box masquerading as search; not anymore.  Meerkat. Now. Has. Search.  This is a good start for the Discover use case, but limited to finding friends; still plenty of opportunity for improvement here.  

LEADER BOARD UPDATE

Now there’s both “Past Week” and “All Time” leaders *yawn* but more importantly for Discovery the “Suggested” list helps you find people to follow based on your connections; and thus Meerkat Social Graph begins.

AND IN OTHER NEWS…

Periscope released 1.1.2 with the following, it’s not fair to compare, but let’s do it anyway:

• Profile edits of name, photo, and description
• Blocked comments displayed as such (to the broadcaster)
• Polished the design of “Featured Users” and Broadcast Share” sections

THE BOTTOM LINE

Meerkat won this round.  V1.5 shows great promise, as the team focuses on Discover, Engagement, and Share use case to enhance their ability for grabbing and holding users, well after the initial novelty wears off.  Periscope unfortunately, dropped a point release on the same day; was this a true comparison?  No.  But will the ongoing Twitter management drama weigh down their ability to execute?  because, the ‘kat moves fast and they’ll have to sprint hard to keep up.   

Amazon’s Other Showrooming App

With Amazon Flow, featuring visual search, the world is your showroom, but does it work well as a stand-alone app?

View fullsize

My wife and I bought a house last year and are saving to start a family; so in 2015, it’s less frivolous spending and no impulse buying.

Four months into 2015 and my resolution to be more discerning shopper was relatively still intact.     

That is, before I rediscovered Amazon Flow, which essentially has a “point and impulsive buy” button for everything around me.  Great plans to spend less: blown. up.   

It started with a simple price-check from my pantry; it couldn’t hurt to look, right?:

Coconut Oil:

• Point the App,
• 1-Click Buy,
• Arrives in two days.   

Whoa! way too easy.  A quick lap around my kitchen, pointing the Flow at whatever seemed low: sea salt, cumin seed, green tea, coconut water, almonds: Point the App, 1-Click Buy, 1-Click Buy, 1-Click Buy… viola! our kitchen pantry was transformed into a virtual grocery store and in two days, prime, it would be replenished, thanks to Flow.

THE GOOD.

Amazon is the largest online retailer in the world; their core competency has always been frictionless shopping and Flow follows this arc: 1-click “buy now;” Amazon Prime; subscriptions all orchestrated to quell the tiny voice “do I really need this?” 1-click, boom! too late, arrives in two days.

Twinkling blue stars mean it's working

It Twinkles!

Flow is a barcode reader without the barcodes.  With the camera lens in your phone, Flow uses image recognition to find products; which can be added to your Amazon cart.  You’ll know it’s working when the twinkling blue stars hone in on the product, then add it to your running list; all within seconds.  

Killer App

With Flow, Amazon didn’t just port their website over to an app; they reimagined their core offering as if it were something new; addressing the must have user experience in a smaller screen while concentrating on first class use cases around the native camera for image recognition and search.  Flow is focused, stripped down to the essentials.  Flow is for Hunters, and not Gatherers.  Buyers, not Shoppers.  When we just want to place an order and move on.  

Layout

Released the same year as Snapchat, Flow has a similar camera-as-homescreen, stripped down user interface which gets out of the way of making a purchase.  Every overt interface element is thoughtfully placed to optimize purchase or dismissed to the pulldown list on the righthand side, a.k.a the “gutter.”   

History

If you don’t “buy now,” there’s History, which is an editable list of your previous visual searches.  This is helpful for accessing previously detected products, when they’re no longer in view.  Or, to haunt you until you buy them.  

OPPORTUNITY FOR IMPROVEMENT

I like Flow; I prefer it to the Amazon App, it’s stripped down, un-bloated, devoid of nonessentials.  However, it’s been around since 2011 and hasn’t exactly caught fire.  Last year Flow’s image matching tech was added to the Amazon app so good luck guessing Amazon’s next move.  

In the meantime, I prefer the streamlined version, because I’m a hunter, I know what I want; am in and out, done.  Which is it for you; full version in all its browsing glory or stripped to essentials in Flow?  share your thoughts in the comments.  

Amazon should focus on judiciously added a few features to Flow; but overall keep it lean and clean.  

“Out Of The Box” Detection

Flow should be able to detect products, literally, out of the box.  Image recognition tech is improving, by the quarter, and Flow should keep up with this pace.  To illustrate, take these Ted Baker boots.

I bought them on Amazon and they’re still available, but Flow had no recognition of them.  

I’ve worked with image recognition tech that could match these two images, quickly, with a high degree of accuracy.  So come on Amazon, let’s step it up here.  In fact I should be able to snap a pic with flow and run an image search for similar products - after all Amazon practically invented the collaborative filter (product suggestions based on similarities).    

It would be cool to snap a stealthy pic of, say someone wearing a great jacket across the street, and instantly pull it up with close matches, ready for the Amazon cart.

Buy It Again

What’s keeping Flow from standing on it’s own?  Quite simply, my “go to” list of purchases.  And while the image detection tech is being improved, voice search would be helpful.  But that’s it.  Adding these two features will bring balance to the app; between excess and essential features.  Here’s an enhanced layout, elevating Flow to stand alone.

The enhanced interface moves the text search to the top middle and pulls history out of the gutter onto the left side; with voice search accessible from the pulldown list (which of course is hidden when not in use).  

The History icon opens the same list views but includes an “Orders” view containing all previously purchased items, so I can easily reorder - especially when items are out of sight.  This Order history should pull from my full Amazon purchase history - amazon.com as well.

THE FUTURE

The hybrid, physical storefront with ecommerce fulfillment, has been a “next year” thing for  over 15 years.  With its Flow technology, Amazon skips ahead to fast fulfillment of the world around us; even using the storefronts of others to order their fulfillment.  Sure we can obsess over usability, performance, and design details; but let’s be clear:  It’s an app that will frigg’n take a photo of a product then have it to you in 24 hrs; the future is now.   

THE BOTTOM LINE

Amazon has a good first version product with Flow, but since its 2011 release, they haven’t exactly set the industry ablaze with new features.  Amazon should add some basic features to breakout Flow as truly stand-alone for all ordering use cases; as it has the potential to be better than their “full version” mobile app.  Until then, the hybrid storefront with ecommerce fulfillment is still a year away, for yet another year.     

iTunes Radio “Free” Mobile

iTunes Radio on mobile is a hit: easy to use, great sound quality, and music content on par with Pandora.  But is it enough to pick up the slack from slumping iTunes sales?  

With the February Winter blahs in full swing, my wife and I were jazzed about about popping down to Palm Springs for our friends’ wedding.  Travel, pool, and hotel room time would provide plenty opportunity to give the 18-month-old service from Apple my full attention.  

Overall, it rocked!  iTunes Radio Mobile on my iPhone 6 has all of the features I’ve enjoyed over the past year on my Apple TV version.  I should also mention I have iTunes Match and listen ad-free, iTunes Match costs $24.99 for a year.

THE GOOD.

Thoughtful Design  
I mean, this is Apple we’re talking about.  Is the visual design clean, smart, and ridiculously good looking? of course!  Behold, the iTunes station screen: every UI element has purpose and is given appropriate heft, without trying too hard.  The effect is the essentials stand out; less used elements fade to the background; and ancillary features stow away under the ”i” menu.  

iTunes Radio Station and Info Menu

It’s also cool how Apple pays homage to radios of old, with a smart “Tune This Station” slider which adjusts to Hits, Variety, or Discovery and then matches songs accordingly.      

Sharing is Caring

Hipsters rejoice!  while this isn’t the “mixtape” feature I’ve been clamoring for, it’s still pretty great.  The stations you create need care and feeding to grow into your dependable dance party juggernaut or that perfect smooth jazz station to set the mood with your honey.  Much like Pandora, it learns based on your song voting likes and dislikes; in addition to the  aforementioned “Tuner” to help get the station just right.  

But what makes this noteworthy, is the shared stations continue to morph as you update them; so you’re essentially curating music for your followers.  It’s like a living “mixtape” or your own personal radio station.   The artisanal pickle is so over, a new cottage industry could grow as music trendsetters curate handcrafted music stations for their followers/customers.

Other high notes include:

• two tap song purchase with Touch ID
• the basics: sound quality, music selection, performance
• history lists all songs, organized by device and station
• purchased songs can be played from history
• Siri command to play stations, like, dislike, wish list, and Shazam songs

I’m clearly pleased with iTunes Radio, but is it perfect?  No.  A few features have fallen flat, for example, there’ve been a few glitches with the learning algorithm, not Apple’s forte.

THE OPPORTUNITY FOR IMPROVEMENT.

Let’s just put it out in the open.  For about a year I was a blissful listener, then had an awkward radio moment that just wouldn’t go away.

Glitchy Tuning Algorithm

Holiday Season, 2014.  I created the perfect Christmas Jazz station: festive, smooth, but not too kitschy.  We had been enjoying the station for a few days when, suddenly like a loud drunk at a office party, AC/DC’s “Back In Black” barges in; huh?  Alright, maybe the algorithm had a hiccup, select “Never Play This Song” and all’s well.  No, it kept on happening, two Christmas Jazz songs, then Boston’s “More Than A Feeling” followed by Billy Joel’s “Stranger.”  This was not ready for prime time: namely our holiday house party.  Conspiracy theorists, my wife and I were certain someone was messing with us.  

So that happened.  Maybe there wasn’t a large enough set of songs intersecting at Christmas and Jazz?  Maybe someone really was messing with us.  I still don’t have a definitive answer, but there it is, if anyone from iTunes Radio is reading, there’s a bug.  

Stand Alone Mobile App

iTunes Radio should be pulled from the Apple Music App; let’s make note of a few reasons why:

1. Reduce taps, currently it’s: tap once to open Apple Music App, tap twice to select the iTunes Radio App, tap thrice to select a station.

2. Seamless switching between Music and iTunes Radio Apps, if separated you wouldn’t have to breadcrumb out to switch between the two.  

3. Consistent UI/UX for Android and iOS, if Apple wants to reach across the aisle to Android users, a stand alone app is better suited and will have greater adoption than somehow mixing radio and iTunes together.

iPhone Home with iTunes Radio and Station

Also, the stand alone app wouldn’t have need for the bottom navigation bar, reclaiming space for “Now Playing” song controls, consistent with the more spacious iPad version.

Add Stations To iPhone Home

Shall I keep going?  Okay, I should also be able to add my favorite stations to the home screen.  Sure, playing a station with Siri voice command is great, and I’d argue even better than a station on my iPhone home, but it’s not always situationally appropriate.   For example, I don’t want to be that guy on the bus talking to Siri; even for SF, this is too soon, see “Her,” we're not there yet.   

Select Star To Dislike?

I keep vacillating on the Star.  

• I don’t like the Star: it’s counterintuitive to select a star (the iTunes “like” button) to then select “Never Play This Song” (the iTunes “dislike” button).

• I like the Star: it’s so smart to reuse the space left by not having a Rewind/Back selector; it’s beautifully well balanced, shows restraint, and great spatial economy.

So I’m torn, while it doesn’t make logical sense, it’s not clear where to put the “Never Play This Song” and “Add to iTune Wish List” options.  Do you have any ideas?  let’s see them in the comments.  

FUTURE

Siri voice command is an exciting glimpse to the future, another step closer to zero taps and an app-less interaction with our devices.  But I want more, for example, while listening I want to have Siri create new stations from songs or artists and it would have been nice to listen to iTunes Radio from the plane, which was a tiny one without WiFi.

• “Taste” an album, let me rent the album for 24 hours, the same as movies.  As an incentive the rental fee could go towards the album purchase,

• Listen offline, like podcasts, iTunes Radio should be available offline, snip off 30 minutes increments of songs to download for offline use. It would be played via iTunes Radio, so no rewind; rights agreements with content owners intact.

• Forward a specific song, not the entire station, to someone’s Wish List.  In fact, I should be able to buy a song for a friend.  

Finally, not really a feature, but worth mentioning, iTunes Radio should be available outside US and Australia, Apple Support Page. BTW this table is esthetically atrocious, come on Apple Web Team?!  

THE BOTTOM LINE

iTunes Radio is what I now expect from Apple, it’s beautifully designed and just works.  With Siri voice commands and integration with iTunes the mobile app shows great promise.  And with the addition of music stalwarts, like Dr Dre, Jimmy Iovine, DJ Zane Lowe, to their bullpen I’m expecting even bigger things from the content and overall listening experience.  So for now, enjoy iTunes Radio, but stay tuned for great things to come.