Mar
12
2010

Google May Stop Censoring Search Results In China This Month [Google]

Brought to you by Gizmodo, BestModo

Written by John Sisler in: Gizmodo |

Feb
15
2010

Windows Phone 7 Interface: Microsoft Has Out-Appled Apple [UI Design]

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I’m sorry, Cupertino, but Microsoft has nailed it. Windows Phone 7 feels like an iPhone from the future. The UI has the simplicity and elegance of Apple’s industrial design, while the iPhone’s UI still feels like a colorized Palm Pilot.

That doesn’t mean that the Windows Phone 7’s user experience would be better than Apple’s. The two user interface concepts—data-centric vs function-centric—are very different, and the former is quite a radical departure from what people is used to.

With the iPhone, Apple put together an extremely simple modal interface that works, one that people of all ages and backgrounds understand right away: “This is a device that adopts different functions and gives me access to different kinds of information depending on the icon I click on.”

It’s pretty simple idea, which made it a raging success. In fact, that success is the reason why this model is Apple’s bet not only for mobile phones, but for the future of computing. It is also the reason why the Androids, Palms, and Blackberries of this world are following them.

Clean slate

Microsoft’s approach is completely different. Instead of becoming another me-too cellphone, like Android and the rest, the Windows Phone 7 team came up their own vision of what the cellphone should be. In the process, they have created a beautiful user interface in which the data is at the center of user interaction. Not the apps—specific functions—but the information itself. At some points, in fact, it feels like the information is the interface itself.

Out of the box, this information is organized into areas called hubs, which follow the user’s areas of interest. Accessible through live tiles in the home screen, the Me (the user), people, pictures and video, music, and games—plus the omnipresent search—hubs give views into several data sources, connecting and presenting them into an interweaved panoramic stream. These hubs dig heavily into many databases, both locally and into the cloud.

Rather than accessing an app to get contact information and make a call to a person, open another app to get her Twitter updates, and then another app to get her Facebook updates, and another for her latest mails to you, and yet another one to watch her photos, the Windows Phone’s people hub offers a seamless view into all of it, presented in a very simple and logical way. On a function-centric model like the iPhone, when the user thinks “I want to make a call”, he puts the device in “calling mode” by clicking on an app, selects a contact, and calls. When the user thinks “What’s up with John Smith?” he puts the device in Facebook or Twitter or Mail mode, and so on.

Microsoft has organized the hubs into panoramas, by stitching groups of information as columns of a single landscape screen—bigger than the phone’s display—that can be scrolled with your finger. The solution—tied together with minimalist interface aesthetics and animations that are inviting, elegant, and never superfluous—works great.

What about other applications?

Instinctively, I like Microsoft’s approach to organizing the core of our digital lives—people+social+multimedia+communication all merged into the hubs. I like it better than the “it’s a phone, it’s a mail program, it’s a browser, it’s an iPod” Apple approach. It’s less rigid than the iPhone or Android’s model, offering a richer experience, inviting to explore, and offering data from many points of view in a quick, clearly organized way. It also seems more human, and that’s certainly something Apple—or their followers—have to worry about.

Does that mean that function-centric models are worse? Like I said before, not necessarily. Especially because the information-centric panoramas don’t fit every single task people expect their iPhones to perform now. And when I say every single task, I really mean the two gazillion apps populating the Apple store. Microsoft could dress the hub experience in any way they want, but if their devices don’t offer a rich application market, they will fail the same way the current competition is failing against Apple.

Fortunately for Microsoft, the Windows Phone model is not only information-centric, but also function-centric. According to Joe Belfiore, gran jefe of the Microsoft’s Windows Phone Program, applications are not required to plug into the hub metaphor or the panorama user interface. When the development toolkit comes out in a month, they would encouraging applications just like the ones you have in the iPhone today. In other words, Microsoft understands that one approach is as important as the other.

They are just hoping that their hubs would be a better, funner, more intuitive way to access and cultivate our digital lives, which is mainly what most consumers want to do nowadays. Looking at what they have shown today, I think they are definitely in the right track. But like the Zune HD, it just may be too late.

Written by John Sisler in: Gizmodo |

Feb
15
2010

Most iPad Books Expected to Have FairPlay DRM [Apple]

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It feels a bit obvious that Apple would want to include some sort of DRM on iPad books purchased through the iTunes store. The interesting bit is that it appears that publishers will have the option of choosing whether to use Apple’s FairPlay DRM technology or to keep their ebooks DRM-free. [Apple Insider]

Written by John Sisler in: Gizmodo |

Feb
15
2010

OmniVision’s 5-Megapixel Sensor Shoots RAW on Cellphones [Parts]

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This is OmniVision’s newest 1/4-inch, 5 megapixel RAW sensor. It’s tiny, has low light sensitivity, captures 720p video at 60 fps or 1080p at 30 fps, and shoots in RAW. The best part? It could be in cellphones soon.

Now if only phones had lenses which would truly take advantage of sensors like this. [PR Newswire via Engadget]

Written by John Sisler in: Gizmodo |

Feb
15
2010

Gadget Deals of the Day [Dealzmodo]

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Our good friends at BorrowLenses.com are rewarding you all with a nice discount this President’s Day. Our favorite Hackintosh is up for grabs, check out some great HDTVs and a nice toothpaste freebie to (hopefully) cure your halitosis.

Top Deals:
• 10.1″ Dell Mini 10v Netbook for $249.99 plus free shipping (normally $299.99).
• 46″ Panasonic VIERA TC-P46S1 1080p Plasma HDTV for $798 with free shipping (normally $845 – use coupon code BONUSBUY).
• Sample Aloe Sense Toothpaste for $0 (use this form).

Gizmodo Reader Special:
• All Gizmodo readers get 15% off borrowlenses.com. (Use code: giz15)

Gaming:
• Xbox 360 Elite 120GB console + FREE controller for $299.99 plus $10 shipping (normally $338).
• PSP Go Gaming Console for $199.99 plus free shipping (normally $235).
• Two Wii Remotes and Wii MotionPlus Bundle + $15 Gift Card for $99.99 with free shipping (normally $114.98)
• Aliens vs. Predator (360, PS3) for $54.99 with free shipping (normally $59.99 – use coupon code HUNTER)

Home Entertainment:

Personal Portables and Peripherals:
• 10-MP Nikon CoolPix S90 Digital Camera for $377 with free 4GB SD Memory Card (normally $399.95 – use coupon code LOGICBUY10)
• Logitech Rechargeable Speaker S315i for iPod/iPhone for $59.99 with free shipping (normally $87.99 – use this form)
• Monster Beats Tour High-Resolution In-eear Headphones for $119 with free shipping (normally $149 – use coupon code LS0251N)
• Nokia N97 Mini Smartphone (unlocked) for $379.99 with free shipping (normally $470)
• Garmin nuvi 205W Portable GPS Navigation (4.3in) for $89.99 (normally $129).
• TomTom EASE 3.5-inch GPS with Text-to-Speech for $101.96 plus free shipping (normally $120).
• Pentax K-x 12.4 MP Digital SLR w/ 18-55mm Lens for $468.95 plus free shipping (normally $499).
• Canon PowerShot SD970IS 12MP Digital Camera for $229 plus free shipping (normally $279 – use coupon code R0DNH3$TP78HB9).
• Canon FS200 Flash Memory Digital Camcorder for $210 with free shipping (normally $249).

Hobomodo:
• Kotex Samples for $0 (use this form).
• Power Workout Mix from Biggest Loser & Subway for $0 (use this form and coupon code:SW107).
• Sample Aloe Sense Toothpaste for $0 (use this form).
• 2 Breathe Right Samples for $0 (use this form).
• Animated Wallpaper Maker 2.0.1 Download for $0 (use this form).

If a deal looks too good to be true, investigate the store and see if it’s a good, reputable place to buy. Safe shopping!

[Thanks TechDealDigger, Dealzon, Logic Buy, GamerHotline, Cheap College Gamers, CheapStingyBargains and TechBargains.]

Written by John Sisler in: Gizmodo |

Feb
15
2010

17 Clever Tricks of Scale [Photography]

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For this week’s Shooting Challenge, we asked you to abuse the principles of perspective to confound our sense of scale. The results are as charming as they are clever…or someone took out a second mortgage on that giant Aibo.

Second Runner Up

Taken with my Sony a350 Sony DT18-70 lens @ 20mm; f/9; 1/160sec; ISO100. Picture of Randy’s Donuts in Inglewood, California. Took the picture w/ my friend Rafael Ortega he held the cup as I pretended to dunk the donut. Rafael bought coffee from Randy’s ,but the cup was too blank so after a couple of takes he decided to draw “Coffee” on it.
- Luis Marroquin

First Runner Up

I was aware of this optical phenomenon, but never really thought of it in relation to photography. Without an assistant to call for, I had to trust my remote once more. So here’s me (duck) peeking out of a cup, and a towering 70-200mmL (f/4 non-IS) lens with another duck on top.
Gear used: Canon EOS 450D, Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM, Manfrotto 190XproB tripod RC-1 IR remote. f/22 (max), 1/10s, ISO 200.
- Staff Anthomen

Winner

Meet my dog Arti(ficial). He likes humans (bones), pissing on big trees and having sex with trucks. He reads Gizmodo all day and tried to escape from me two times to become Rosa´s new pet. Too bad his battery drains and needs his own nuclear plant…
Canon Eos 500D / Canon 18-55mm lens @ 28. 1/50 sec. / F 25 / Iso 1600 / Monochrome.
Lightroom for brightness adjustment / Photoshop for crop.
- Bobo the Teddy

Thanks for all of the entries. And as usual, here’s the full gallery of participants:

Written by John Sisler in: Gizmodo |

Feb
15
2010

Street Fighter IV on iPhone Brings New Definition to Sore Thumbs [IPhone]

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At first glance, Street Fighter IV on the iPhone—coming this March—looks absolutely gorgeous. But it’s most likely what you don’t see that’s really the problem.

While Capcom built the iPhone’s SFIV from original SFIV assets to create one of the most beautiful iPhone games yet, the virtual controls look like to be layered right on top of the two fighters, making all the character artistry in the world a moot point*. I’m one for authenticity where it works, but maybe reconfiguring the layout so that healthbars took up the bottom of the screen would have been a safer call.

But a redesign isn’t necessary. Capcom can just rename iPhone SFIV as Hadouken Thumb War, take my money and call it a day. [IGN via Kotaku]

It should be mentioned, however, that the Bluetooth-enabled head-to-heads sound fantastic.

Written by John Sisler in: Gizmodo |

Feb
15
2010

Windows Phone 7 Series Hands-On Pics and Video [Windows Phone 7]

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Windows Phone 7 snuck up on the world today, but having played with it, I’ll tell you Microsoft is putting all it’s muscle behind this. No matter who you root for, to be anything short of impressed is stupid.

How does it feel? Nothing like an iPhone, for starters. The slippery, rotate-y screens may take a little getting used to, but they feel right. Microsoft deliberately wanted to get away from icons and this notion that all behaviors get the same size button on the home screen, and you definitely get more of a sense of priorities here: Entertainment, social networking, photo sharing—those matter, and oh yeah, here’s a phone if you need a call, and here’s a browser if you need that too.

It’s hard to tell from looking at this stuff, but much of it is customizable, including almost everything on that home screen. Don’t let the uniformity of design language fool you, there will be a lot you can do to differentiate from other people.

As you can see, the fluidity of the “panorama” navigation is here—when you enter a hub, you get those little teasers to the right, showing you want you’ll get if you flip one screen over.

Though details are scarce in these early days, the device here is built “to spec,” so probably running 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. I can tell you that everything ran smoothly. This is obviously too early to make any technical statements, but it really was impressive, and where there are a few hiccups, it’s hard to say whether it was human error or a glitch, but we’ll leave it be for now. This is just demo software.

On to the screenshots—click here if thumbs haven’t loaded, or if you just hate gallery format:

As you can see from the screenshots above, most hubs are fleshed out, though we couldn’t have a look at Marketplace. Some of the shots here are “in between” shots, that moment between tapping a start screen element and the whole hub springing in behind it. There is also one shot of the slide transition from sleep screen—which has a lot of great heads-up information—to the start screen.

There aren’t a ton of answers yet, but what we do know you can find above or in Matt’s piece: Windows Phone 7: Everything Is Different Now

[Windows Phone 7 on Gizmodo]

Written by John Sisler in: Gizmodo |

Feb
15
2010

Is There App Multitasking in Windows Phone 7? (Hint: It’s a Lot Like the iPhone) [Windows Phone 7]

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Multitasking’s been a bugaboo for the iPhone since like forever, which Droid and the Pre have gleefully exploited. But what about Windows Phone 7? Well, it sounds like it multitasks in the same sense that the iPhone does.

We asked Joe Belfiore, the director of Windows Phone, what’s up with multitasking, and here’s what he told us:

“The core operating system is a modern multitasking operating system. If you play music for example, the music will play back as you navigate around the experience…if you’re using email, we have great support for push email and that happens in the background.

For third party applications—we’ll get into a lot more detail on this in MIX—but we have a few ways we’re going to make sure that third parties can bring their value to the user even when the app is not running. Live tiles are an example. Data feeds in the hubs are another example for some apps.”

That sounds to us a lot like how the iPhone multitasks. That is, select processes, like push email, the browser and music can run in the background, but it sounds like third-party multitasking in the same sense as Android isn’t part of the program. (Of course, Microsoft could blow us all away at MIX with insane multitasking, but the caginess here is telling.) Still, the compromise in WP7 sounds like a happier medium, at any rate: Piping data into its hubs and live tiles, where you can see info from multiple apps, sounds like it could work really well, since you’re able to get the data marrow out without cracking the bone. We’ll see. [Windows Phone 7 @ Giz]

Written by John Sisler in: Gizmodo |

Feb
15
2010

iMac Still Works After Being on Fire [Apple]

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Anders Norman’s home burned down recently. He lost everything he owns. Except for his iMac. That still works despite looking like a burnt marshmallow.

Norman describes the events best—even if this is a poor translation from the Swedish:

Unfortunately, the whole house and all things in there completely destroyed, so even the iMac. What’s funny is that it is still in operation. While damaged from smoke and dust and partially melted, but yet, however in operation.

After I plugged in the burned power cord and wiped off the worst dust from the screen I pressed the melted start button. Imagine my surprise when the startup sound sings from the speakers! The screen turns on and the machine connects to the wireless network.

The mouse works flawlessly and the scroll wheel as well. Firefox starts and I take up the article from the local magazine about the fire … Fantastic!

On Friday I bought a new iMac at the Apple Store here in Umeå, which I now rejoice.

I realize that I should be more focused on the fact that this man lost so much due to the fire, but I just can’t stop thinking about s’mores. [Feber via TUAW]

Written by John Sisler in: Gizmodo |

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John Sisler

SEO and other stuff

Google May Stop Censoring Search Results In China This Month [Google]

Windows Phone 7 Interface: Microsoft Has Out-Appled Apple [UI Design]

Clean slate

What about other applications?

Most iPad Books Expected to Have FairPlay DRM [Apple]

OmniVision’s 5-Megapixel Sensor Shoots RAW on Cellphones [Parts]

Gadget Deals of the Day [Dealzmodo]

17 Clever Tricks of Scale [Photography]

Second Runner Up

First Runner Up

Winner

Street Fighter IV on iPhone Brings New Definition to Sore Thumbs [IPhone]

Windows Phone 7 Series Hands-On Pics and Video [Windows Phone 7]

Is There App Multitasking in Windows Phone 7? (Hint: It’s a Lot Like the iPhone) [Windows Phone 7]

iMac Still Works After Being on Fire [Apple]

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