Future

If you’ve been keeping up with the JavaScripts, chances are you’ve heard snatches of excitement about the latest and greatest in web technology, WebAssembly. WebAssembly is a binary executable for the web that promises near-native performance for web applications. This means that graphics heavy applications like Photoshop, and AutoCAD can now be run in the browser without the need for clunky third party plugins like Silverlight, Flash and Java Applets. Web Assembly effectively removes the notion that JavaScript is the de-facto assembly language of the Web and opens the door for other languages like C, and C++ to run on the web. ...

In the last few years, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), also known as cross reality or XR, have developed far beyond the niche realms of the gaming industry. There are now compelling use cases for using XR for building applications focused on education (Aurasma, Math Alive), home improvement (Wayfair, Ikea Place) and even beauty (Meitu) that are accessible to the masses. Despite its growth in popularity, many XR applications today often require the installation of a separate mobile application. Snapchat lenses, and Instagram face filters for instance require using these applications to get the full XR experience. The reason developers lean on mobile when building XR is largely because mobile gives them more fine tuned control of native input controls compared to the web. To address this current handicap and to better bridge the gap between the virtual world and the web, browser vendors have teamed up to work on a XR focused web API termed WebXR. ...

One of the most memorable cinematic portrayals of a voice recognition system is Hal 9000, the seemingly omniscient computer from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Hal captured our collective imaginations and opened our eyes to the possible future of a voice based human-computer interaction. Since the movie’s release in 1966, the landscape of voice recognition systems have changed drastically. According a study done by Adobe Analytics over 32% of US consumers own a smart speaker and that number is expected to increase nearly twofold by the end of the year. The emergence of integrated digital assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Google Home has also meant that voice is now being used beyond just playing music and checking the weather forecast. With the increased reliance on voice as a medium of interacting with the web, designers and developers are now faced with a new challenge: designing interfaces optimized for voice-based interactions. ...