Facebook commenced its F8 developer conference in San Jose on 18th of April. It was attended by Facebook dignitaries such as CEO Mark Zuckerberg VP of Platform & Marketplace Deb Liu, VP of Product Partnerships Ime Archibong, VP of Messaging Product David Marcus, Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer, and Head of Social VR Rachel Franklin.
Here are the highlights of the first day from the event:
Oculus Rift: Facebook announced the beta version of Facebook Spaces for Oculus Rift VR. The aim of Spaces is to allow users to be virtually with friends and family, having a good time as if in real life. The core is a little different from what a VR device generally offers, i.e. a gaming experience.
Camera Effects: Moving from VR to AR. Facebook’s camera effects platform primarily focus on Augmented reality, allowing users to build anything from simple frames to masks.
Messenger: Since its launch, the Facebook messenger has not only gained importance for developers, but also for businesses and brands.
Developer Circles: This is`a new program launched to create locally-organized communities primarily for developers. It educates and provides a forum for discussion and knowledge sharing around topics.
Facebook Analytics: Facebook announced new capabilities and enhancing existing features like Automated insights that use advanced machine learning. The analytics solution brings out valuable insights from analytics that allows users to take action faster
Identity Tools: The improvements to Facebook Login and Account Kit allows businesses to connect with people on a global scale, across more surfaces, using Facebook, phone number or email in a more efficient manner.
Games: The event also introduced rich gameplay features to provide developers with more control of the gaming experiences that they build.
Surround 360 Cameras Family – Facebook CTO Michael Schroepfer announced two new 360 camera designs. The new x24 and its smaller counterpart, x6, create some of the most immersive and engaging content ever shot for VR.
Apart from these innovations, Facebook also announced about the advancements it is doing in the field of AR and AI to provide real life like social experience on the Internet. You can read more at Facebook Blog.
