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Technology reviews and opinions
Rant time.
I work at a Fortune 200 company and like most large enterprises we also use Microsoft Office. As a business productivity suite I think it's the best out there, no matter what the open source hippies might say, but when it comes to development with these products, I really get my panties in a twist.
Everyone has beat the IE horse to death, so I won't go there, but today I was augmenting a vendor software package to send automated emails out to end-users. We like to brand our communications, even to our internal customers, so producing quality communication is...
I published my first app in the iPhone App Store a little while back, here are a few loose thoughts on the matter:
Approval process takes too long. It took a week to get initially approved for my app and an update I put in for took about the same. It's a very discouraging process to have to go through. It'd really be nice if the initial approval took a week and you get a pass on updates. I know that opens them up for abuse, but couldn't I just sign one of those 'on my honor'...
WIRED magazine came out with a new digital magazine on iPad last week with much fanfare. I purchased the app myself and thoroughly enjoyed it, but there were some who criticized the inclusion of advertisements. Economics aside, advertisements can have a lot of intrinsic historical value as well. Quite by accident I discovered this will perusing the archives of Popular Science, hosted by Google.
There's a good chuckle to be had in this Canon PalmPrinter, from a 1980 issue:
It's interesting to note that the emphasis of the ad is on its size. As a single function device,...
Print media is in trouble. I see it in the eyes of solicitors trying to get me to subscribe to the paper. Their selling point completely rests on coupons you can get in the Sunday paper. Never mind the great stories, sleuthing, or anything else related to the content. It’s all about the coupons. I get nearly all my news online (even local news) for free, so I need to get a newspaper subscription for the coupons? I can get those online, too. So when WIRED released a promo video showing off what they had in mind for a tablet...
After two weeks of an iPad, the honeymoon of sorts is starting to wear off, but I can still say that the device is very much worth it. One of the biggest uses I get out of it, reading, has not been largely delivered by Apple. It's not that I don't read on my iPad, because I do, but iBooks has largely left me unfulfilled when it comes to purchasing books.
For me, books are forever. You buy one, read it, and then stick it on your shelf. It stays there until the moment strikes your fancy to read it again....
If you've been following my Twitter account it should be very obvious that I purchased an iPad yesterday. The buying experience was pretty smooth despite the huge crowds that had turned out. I got there only about an hour and fifteen minutes before the 5pm release time and there weren't more than a dozen or so people waiting. There were quite a few people that had arrived after me, however. Many people walked by and asked me what we were in line for. One person asked if the new iPhone had come out, but I...
Earlier this month I wrote about my 1st generation iPod Touch getting the shaft in regards to iPhone OS 4, but today I understand (to a degree) why that is. Take a look at the following chart:
Ouch. I suppose that it doesn't make much sense from a business perspective to support a device that doesn't have very much market share when compared to its newer, nimbler siblings. It doesn't make it any less irritating that I won't be supported, but at least I can understand some of the why.
Source: AdMob Mobile Metrics
I was able to get into the Apple store this morning using a secret technique to beat the crowds, just so I didn't have to wait in line for eternity. I've been using this iPad for a little while now and can say that I am both impressed and underwhelmed at the same time. The device is attractive, no doubt, and is very responsive, but some of the apps just straight up suck--especially the double pixeled ones. I'll post a photo later, but the apps designed for iPhone just look absolutely horrid on the higher resolution display, and I'm...
Really interesting short video from Wired, showing off some user interface designs for iPad-centric content. While the demos appear to be running on Adobe Air (as in, not capable of running on the iPad), the concept is powerful and compelling. The sound bite of the video:
"We also think it's an opportunity to reset the economics. For the first time people may value this experience so much that they'll pay for it."
Wow, isn't that what creating a product is all about? Hope the music, movie, and even traditional print industries are taking note, because Wired has figured it out.
People are quick to throw stones at something they have never experienced. With the iPad I'm going to leave the rocks on the ground and take what I've seen at face value. Many have mocked its lack of certain features and 'simplicity'. It's not so much about simplicity, as it is another aspect of that. Maybe it's because I write software for a living, but I like to pay attention to the user experience of what other people write.
As many of you know, people don't like to think. It's not because they're...
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