Stop diluting my mobile experience
When the iPhone first came out it was a game changer; we could finally have a real full web experience from a small hand held device and it was pure awesomeness. Others quickly followed suit with big players like Android and Blackberry using the same WebKit browser engine used on iOS devices to power their devices too. Then the iPad and other tablets came out giving us an even larger mobile experience that has trimmed time spent on traditional desktop computers substantially. Somewhere along the way some people have forgotten how amazing this breakthrough really was by taking our incredible mobile experience and substantially dumbing it down. Not everyone has got it wrong though, in fact some are delivering incredible mobile experiences, but for the rest, it’s time to stop serving less to mobile users.
My newest website
Over the past few months I have been working on a new project. I really wanted to try something different, something I personally enjoy. I find writing about anything you are not actually passionate about can be a real drag, so with that in mind, I picked a topic I knew I could write well for, get excited about and stay motivated for. With that said it’s time to reveal my newest website ThemePassion.
15 Awesome web design & development sites you should know about
This is a small list of invaluable websites I use to further my knowledge of everything web and to help out with inspiration, tools, resources and tutorials. It’s a list not aimed at any one facet of web design and development, but the many facets and processes that make a website possible.
It is becoming more and more important to at least have a basic understanding of all the information that goes into making a fantastic website. Knowing limitations and pushing those limits makes web design and development fun, interesting, and challenging. If you work in this field you probably already know that web work is all about constantly learning new technologies, tools, tips and tricks.
Redesign of ianhoar.com
Welcome to redesign three of my blogs history, I hope you like it. Everything has been redesigned, styled and coded from the ground up. The reasons for this new layout were to bring the site up to date, make it more user friendly and make it pop a little more. I think I have achieved my goals, although as any designer will tell you, it’s hard not to nitpick your own work to death. There gets a point in the design cycle where you have to start coding otherwise you would end up scraping your new design all together and starting a new one.
Why Flash sites usually suck
I’m seeing much less full on flash sites than I used too, but I seem to be seeing more flash portfolios. If your only goal is to be a Flash developer than that’s fine, but if you want to be seen as a web designer / developer and your site is 100% Flash, you’re probably not going to impress anyone.
Why Flash sucks — most of the time
Flash usually sucks because it is used in places where it’s not needed, breaks usability basics, or tries to deliver a rich media experience to people who don’t care. Lets face it, most of us are not coming to a site to see Flash animations, flashy enter pages and load dialogues; sure this was impressive 5 to 8 years ago, but most of us are over it now. I remember animating menus, playing with collision and elastic algorithms I found on the web and drooling at the newest Flash in the Can awards which are still pretty impressive. It was really cool and fun, and there are a lot of places where this will still fly if done right, your website may not be one of them.
Sony’s new all in one desktop, the JS1
Earlier this week I saw several articles on Sony’s new all in one desktop, and it really stood out. Sony’s new JS1 all in one desktop looks sweet, at least in the pictures. There is also a sister laptop, the NS1, but it’s the desktop that really made me drool.
The future of electronic paper – a flawed vision?
Electronic paper, and e-book Readers are all based on a pretty cool technology that is truly something you have to see to believe. E Ink is the brand name manufactured by E Ink Corporation and it really does look like paper. The first time you see it you realize that it has a completely different feel to it than your standard LCD display. You can check out an E Ink display at the Sony store or anywhere that sells E Ink based readers.
Lately E Ink has been getting a lot of press. Earlier this month Esquire showed off the worlds first ever E Ink magazine cover. This brought visions of the science fiction film Minority Report to many people and an environmental disaster in the making for others. There are also many e-readers being released with iRex to introduce a 10.2-inch E Ink reader next week. Although I love the technology, I think the current vision of E Ink by the press and blog sphere is somewhat flawed.
Facebook was redesigned and you don’t like it – Get over it!
Lets face it, most of us hate change, even if it is for the better or in the form of progress. You hear it all the time with technology, “Oh who really needs that”, or “The Internet is a fad”. Sometimes it’s something smaller like oh… I don’t know… “I hate the new Facebook design!“.
Google Android, HTC, and custom user interfaces
Reports around the web are claiming that HTC is still on target for a Google Android based phone by Q4 of this year. It may however take some time for the carriers to get them out once they become available as they will likely want to add their own ugly branding blemishes to whatever cool interface the phones come with. HTC is said to have its own UI which will be different from the Google default UI. They did a great job on the HTC Touch Diamond interface, unfortunately reviews have stated that it is slow and only skin deep. With Android they have full access to the UI and the ability to make any changes they like.
Openmoko Neo FreeRunner
Wow, a lot of smart phone news lately. Yesterday another really interesting phone was released called the Neo FreeRunner for use with Openmoko. The actual phone is made by First International Computer a Taiwanese computer and components manufacturer. The Openmoko project was started by the founders of FIC. The about section of the site describes the project as:
Openmoko is open.
Open to life, desire, function, and simple beauty. Never closed, perfect, or complete. An empty vessel, ready to be filled with your ideas.
