14 DAY TRIAL // Facebook's F8 Developer Conference keynote just wrapped up, and here are some of this year's highlights, all summarized in an easy-to-digest list.
The keynote started with Mark Zuckerberg giving the mandatory "vision" speech. Facebook's CEO shared his plans for Facebook's future by revealing the "10 Year Roadmap."
As Zuckerberg currently sees it, Facebook's future is firmly implanted in VR/AR (Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality), AI (Artificial Intelligence), and Connectivity.
The last item on the list refers to the company's plans in providing free Internet access, either through its Free Basics plan, classic telecommunications infrastructure, drones, satellites, and even lasers (yes, lasers!).
Facebook's big announcement: Bots for the Messenger Platform
Facebook's CEO then announced a new feature for the company's Messenger Platform that will help developers build AI-driven chatbots for business.
"I've never met anyone that likes calling a business, and no one wants to install a new app for every service or business they want to interact with," said Zuckerberg. "We think you should be able to message a business in the same way you message a friend," Mark also added, describing how and why the company built the Facebook Messenger Platform.
After the evening's big announcement, Facebook's developers also unveiled a new type of hardware camera, developed in-house, for capturing 360-degree videos. The company plans to open source its firmware and upload it on GitHub this summer.
Save to Facebook, Account Kit, and Live API
Another new product is a "Save to Facebook" button, which will send content from anywhere on the Internet to your "Saved for later" section on the main Facebook portal.
Additionally, Facebook is also opening up a new product called the Live API, which developers can use to create apps that take advantage of Facebook's new live video streaming feature that was added to its Android and iOS mobile apps a few days ago.
Facebook also announced Quote Sharing, a new feature for its mobile apps that simplifies how people share quotes they find around the Web or in apps with their friends on Facebook.
The Free Basics Simulator & Demographic Insights is also another tool launched this year at F8. this is a basic simulator for Free Basics low bandwidth Internet connections that will alllow developers to create or optimize their apps for lower Internet connection speeds.
Last but not least, Facebook also announced Account Kit, a managed identity service in the tune of OpenID, that will allow Facebook to manage a central identity for you when you log on other sites.
You can (re)watch the Facebook F8 Developer Conference keynote below.
