What Facebook has in store for us in the near future

MANILA, Philippines – Where is Facebook going and how does it intend to bring its users with it?

During the first day of the annual F8 conference on Tuesday, April 12, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg got the ball rolling by providing a peek at the company’s 10-year roadmap.

The goal, Zuckerberg said, is to “give everyone the power to share anything with anyone.” Noting that around 4 billion people aren’t on the Internet, the 31-year-old said, “we need to change this.”

How does Facbeook intend to make worldwide Internet integration a reality? The plan ranges from “making data cheaper to building new technologies.”

Here’s a quick rundown of the new features and services that the Facebook team has been working on to help reach their goal:

Messenger’s chat bots

A big upgrade is coming to Facebook’s Messenger app, initially launched in 2014 and then followed by a slew of updates. Brands will now be able to develop chat bots within the Messenger app to aid with follower interaction.

These chat bots would allow users to interact with a brand or service. For example, users can take advantage of a CNN chat bot to get an overview of the world’s latest news.

By interacting with these bots, users will also be able to order from businesses. No more having to pick up the phone to place an order; it can all be done with one tap of a finger.

Surround 360 camera

Another big reveal was Facebook’s new virtual reality camera rig. Boasting 17 camera lenses that capture 360-degree video with up to a whopping 8K resolution, Zuckerberg hopes to create a new way of making videos for virtual reality use.

As The Verge noted in its report, the rig “includes 14 wide-angle cameras bolted onto the flying saucer, plus one fish-eye camera on top and two more on the bottom. This allows the device to capture the surroundings without showing the pole holding up the camera,” which is one of the currently existing problems VR shooters have.

Live API

The Facebook team has quite a treat in store for those who love using Facebook Live: developers will soon be able to stream Live videos using non-smartphone devices and other apps.

So soon that Rappler, during its f8 viewing party in partnership with Facebook and Kickstart in Manila on April 13, used a multi-camera setup on Facebook Live.

Check out Rappler’s coverage of the f8 Manila viewing party:

The Facebook Live API will allow third parties, whether it’s a drone with a camera or a news organization’s video rig, to integrate Facebook Live streaming capabilities into broadcasts.

Say goodbye to shaky and granulated Live videos shot via low-resolution phones; a new era of better quality Facebook Live videos has now hit Timelines everywhere.

Aquila

What’s Facebook’s answer to the problem of 4 billion people around the world still not having access to the Internet? Aquila. It’s a solar powered plane designed to beam down Internet from the sky.

Quote & Save buttons

Another treat Facebook has for its users is the ability to quote lines and save data (links, photos, and the like) from outside a Facebook page.

For users who have taken a liking to the new save-for-later feature, this will allow them to save articles and photos and place them into Facebook’s saved items page from a number of outside sites.

Which of these are you most excited to try out?

F8 is Facebook’s annual conference for developers and entrepreneurs who rely on its services. It’s also an avenue for the company to share with its audience new products and upgrades to its services.

This year’s conference is happening from April 12 to 13 at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, California. – Rappler.com