Author: Jeff Morgan (Page 58 of 168)

      Magic Mouse Fix brings some ergo to Apple design

      March 13, 2010 /

      Magic Mouse, Fixed.We could go back and forth all day about the ergonomic design of Apple’s Magic Mouse. I wasn’t in love with the thing at first, but after getting used to the different hand position I don’t even think about it. Really, the mouse might promote better hand posture for me because of the size of my hands. For people who want a place to rest their weary palms, though, Will at mmfixed.com has a $10 solution.

      Will formed the silicon pad pictured above after building a few clay prototypes to solve his own ergonomic distress. The “fix” attaches with an integrated suction cup to keep the pad in place. It might not be great for all hand shapes and sizes, but if you’ve been having problems with your Magic Mouse, $10 could save you from pitching that thing. There is one setback – it’s pretty damn ugly. Part of the appeal of Apple products is the design, which this thing pretty much throws out the window. If you aren’t image conscious during your mousing (you know these people exist) I’m sure you’ll be fine.

      Apple, News

      Happy iPad pre-order day

      March 12, 2010 /

      iPad.The Apple Store went down this morning for the iPad pre-order update. It’s back up, giving the world access to the highest profile tablet we’ve yet seen. Apple has imposed a pre-order limit of two per customer, which has me wondering whether the company expects the kind of quantity problems that lead to mad eBay selloffs.

      The store update also revealed pricing on iPad accessories. That nifty little keyboard dock will run $69 while a regular dock is just $29. You can also get the official iPad case for $39. The update also revealed a nice new feature on the iPad – screen orientation lock. It’s a great idea for anyone hoping to use the iPad as an ereader. It allows you to hold the device in any position and maintain the screen. The auto-flip has frustrated me on the iPhone on occasion so its nice to see the problem addressed for a device designed for reading.

      Prices start at $499.00. Will you be getting one?

      Source: Apple Store

      Apple, Computers, Digital Media, ebooks, News

      iPhone sales growth nearly halts

      March 12, 2010 /

      iPhone handset sales.It’s funny how one success story can send the world into a frenzy. The iPhone has been an undisputed success, gobbling up market share by the full percentage point. It’s not unstoppable, though. As the latest comScore stats show, actually, sales growth is nearly nonexistent.

      Let’s start with the good news, though. Apple is sitting at 25% market share – an incredible number for such a young presence in the market. This is the number that had everyone scared. The bad news for Apple is that it has stopped growing. Relative to the market, the last three months have only been up .3% for Apple. Compare that to RIM who’s up 1.7% on its 41.3% market share in October of last year. Android more than doubled in the last three months, granted only from 2.8% to 7.1% but that is still massive growth.

      Part of the problem is no doubt that Apple has conditioned the world to believe every summer will bring a new iPhone. If that’s not the case in 2010, we might see some very stagnant iPhone numbers before year’s end.

      Source: comScore

      iPhone, Mobile, News

      In-flight Wi-Fi becomes more popular, bans certain services

      March 11, 2010 /

      In-flight Wi-Fi.In-flight wi-fi is getting a lot more popular, as in popular enough for mass consumption. Unfortunately, that also means airlines are trying to anticipate all the ways wi-fi can be used for evil as much as it can be used to make money. It’s unfortunate because really they have no idea what they’re doing.

      Take the case of John Battelle, a happy father on a recent United Airlines flight who just wanted to say goodnight to his kids. He jumped on video chat and was promptly approached by a stewardess who told him that in-flight video chat is illegal. Illegal. Why? The terrorists of course. They could use it to coordinate an attack, you know, since video chat is the only way to communicate in-flight. Email definitely wouldn’t work. Neither would AIM. Twitter. Facebook. Ya know, I’ll stop there. No reason to beat this thing into the ground.

      Here’s an excerpt from Battelle’s blog:

      So what’s a curious guy to do? To the Internet! Which is exactly what I did. Responses starting pouring in. Including one from a pal at the State Department, who echoed my basic goal: To use video chat to tuck my kids into bed isn’t a crime. Or at least, shouldn’t be.

      The flight attendant just showed me the United policy manual which prohibits “two way devices” from communicating with the ground. However, the PLANE HAS WIFI. To combat this, not unlike China, United and other airlines have blocked Skype and other known video chat offenders. Apparently, they missed Apple iChat. Oops.

      Oops, indeed. You can bet this will be an ongoing battle between the airlines, our government, and the consumers, most of whom are under the impression that airlines screw them in every way possible.

      Source: Battelle Media

      Mobile

      Reading Material: The iPad rocks for content creators

      March 10, 2010 /

      iPad with iBooks.There’s been a lot of talk about the iPad and its potential to revolutionize the publishing industry. I’ve never really bought it, though I couldn’t always say why. I didn’t think the new form would really encourage publishers to change all that much. Penguin proved me wrong in its discussion of new iPad content, but even Penguin didn’t completely sway me. This article by a book designer named Craig Mod did.

      Craig’s whole point is that the iPad not only offers something new, it offers something very old – the experience of reading an actual book. His position is that the iPad preserves the book by more realistically allowing publishers to port their published form, books, onto a new device. The Kindle could only approximate things with its black and white display. By contrast (wink, wink), the iPad’s full color gives publishers the tools they’ve always had for creating rich content experiences. The arrival of links and what we now consider “content-rich” experiences are just icing on the cake.

      His article offers a long and winding history of designing books and the kind of thought that goes into a reading experience. It’s worth reading for anyone interested in the future of the written word and/or a passion for creating consumable content.

      Source: @craigmod

      Computers, Digital Media, ebooks

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