Apple & Android Websites Not Mobile Optimized
This is just plain old weird.
Apple.com via a mobile browser:
Seriously? Apple.com isn’t mobile optimized? The “design meets technology to form magical blah blah blah, and birthed the mobile web into existence,” company never bothered to optimize their own website?
Note to Apple fanboys & girls: That “apps downloaded” ticker doesn’t count as mobile optimized. It’s lazy, and ironically self-celebratory.
Android.com via a mobile browser:
And Google isn’t off the hook on this either. “Mobile first,” Google never bothered to create a mobile-friendly version of their mobile operating system’s website? This is pathetic.
Us.Blackberry.com via a mobile browser:
You already know where this is going…
I can’t even get annoyed by this because I would have been honestly surprised if RIM got something right in 2012.
Windows Phone 7′s website via a mobile browser:
Surprise! It is mobile optimized…
… But only if you’re viewing the website in landscape. Switch to portrait and it’s improperly formatted.
This is so very Microsoft.
Wrap-up
It shouldn’t be too much to ask the companies leading the mobile revolution to properly optimize their websites’ for mobile. It’s not like they have a lack of capable design or development talent.
The Rules of Mobile App Design (Presentation Slides)
Last week I had the honor of presenting to the NJ Mobile Meetup group. NJ Mobile is a collection of about 300 mobile technology enthusiasts that I co-organize. While I’ve been one of the groups organizers for quite some time, this was the first time that I actually spoke at an event. Much to my delight the presentation, which was partially based on my blog post The Rules of Mobile App Design, was very well-received.
My goal was to record the presentation and slides and post a video, but I’ve been experiences some technical difficulties of the crashing variety whenever I try to record my screen and voice at the same time. So here are the slides, and I hope to add the full video presentation soon:
Rules_of_Mobile_App_Design (PDF)
BlackBerry Deserves Compensation for its Failure
RIM, the makes of BlackBerry are quickly approaching a financial free-fall.
They have been unable to adapt their products to properly compete with the Android and iPhone. Even the US Government is starting to adopt the iPhone (and the US Government is insanely slow to change).
As a result, BlackBerry is fast approaching the point of no return, if they haven’t already reached it. They are screwed.
Their business model was disrupted by two companies who previously represented no threat. They are losing money, and will continue to lose more in the future. As a consequence Apple and Google should be forced to pay RIM enough money annually to keep the company financially solvent.
If the news, record, movie and print industries are entitled to compensation for dying business models, RIM should be too.
State of the Tablet Market (March 2011)
iPad
Steve Jobs took center stage at the Apple iPad Event and presented the iPad 2 to the world.
Specs
The iPad 2 is evolution, not a revolution like it’s predecessor, but it’s clearly the 800 lbs gorilla of the tablet market.
They gave the iPad a specs boost to rival the top tablets being released by Motorola, HP & RIM. They also kept the price low and beat the competition; which is unusual for Apple.
Cover (not a case)
One of the new features that Apple revealed was a nifty magnetic cover that unlocks the device when you open it. The cover also allegedly cleans the screen.
The cover is cool, but at $40 for a plastic cover, and $70 for a leather cover, the prices are fairly insane. The profit margins on those covers must be outrageous.
iMovie & GarageBand Apps
The standout of today’s press event were the iMovie & GarageBand apps. They look gorgeous and functional.
My biggest complaint about the iPad and tablets in general is that they are terrible for content creation. If you want to code or write, the damn things are basically useless. However if you play to the hardware’s strengths and turn it into a movie and music creation platform, you might be able to make some really cool things with them.
I had an iPad from work, and it didn’t do much for me. For the first time I’m thinking about buying a tablet of my own specifically because of these two apps.
Android
I really like Android phones, but looking at the current and upcoming batches of Android tablets nothing is really blowing me away.
The Motorola Xoom is competitive with the iPad on specs, and Android Honeycomb is nice, but the app market isn’t there for Android tablets, and the Xoom is way too expensive when compared with the refined experience that Apple is offering.
Motorola seems like it is trying to make the Xoom a premium product, but I think it’s generally unwise to attempt to out-premium Apple. It’s a losing battle.
Everything Else
The HP Touchpad and Blackberry Playbook have some cool features, but they are too late to the market. They may rival their competitors with a few features, but I doubt they will introduce anything so magical as to even dent Apple’s tablet dominance.
Bottom-line
If you really want a tablet now (or in the next six months), the iPad 2 is the way to go.
If you’re willing to wait a while, I bet there will be some sick Android tablets available around Christmas.
If you wait a year (maybe less?), the iPad 3 is already rumored as a full revolution of the tablet market.
Password Protect Your Mobile Phone
I know, it’s a annoying to enter a password every time you want to access your smart phone, but believe me, you need to do it.
Your mobile is a window into your life…
If you have an iPhone, Android, Blackberry, or Windows Phone 7 device, your phone gives you unlimited access to your email, twitter, blog, Facebook, bank account, and just about any other information that you can access online. The big difference is that most phone apps also store your passwords. Plus you carry your phone everywhere, and it’s small enough to lose fairly easily.
If anyone gets their hands on your phone, and it isn’t password protected, they will be free to do just about anything with your online identity, and that will really ruin your day.
Identity thieves and vicious teenagers will have a field day with an unprotected phone.
Practice safe computing with proper security.
(Photo by David Spira)
The Rules Mobile App Design
Over and over I have the same conversations about the principles and difficulties of mobile design. Here are a few simple rules to keep in mind:
Focus your app
The best apps do one thing really well.
Let me repeat that.
The best apps do one thing really well.
Mobile devices don’t have a lot of screen space, and you can’t really do more than one task at a time on them. If you peruse the iTunes or Android App Stores and look at the top rated applications in each category you will notice a trend. The 4.5 & 5 star apps tend to be laser focused on doing one thing incredibly well. This isn’t by accident.
Start with one OS
Developing great mobile apps is neither cheap nor easy.
Simultaneously developing a great mobile application for iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry is a monumental undertaking. Each of these platforms has different strengths and weaknesses which complicates simultaneous development.
Pick a single operating system. If you must do two at once, go with iPhone and iPad, at least they run on the same operating system.
Unless you are targeting a very specific audience that primarily uses Blackberry, don’t bother with it at all.
Money & time
As I said before developing great mobile apps is neither cheap nor easy.
Designing a great app takes a lot of thought and planning.
Developing a great app takes a lot of work.
Don’t expect this to happen overnight or on a shoestring budget.
If you want to do this inexpensively, you’re probably going to have to learn how to code.
Wrap-up
A well-executed app can be an awesome thing.
Great apps can build business, solve problems or be plain old fun.
Just remember that they don’t appear out of thin air.
(Image: PickMore)
Can You Hear the Bell Toll For Blackberry?
Bank of America and Citigroup are testing iPhones for corporate use according to Bloomberg.
In my experience, financial institutions are among the most stodgy when it comes to adopting new technology for internal use. At this point, Blackberry’s bread and butter are gigantic corporations who are unwilling to try new things. If huge banks start making the switch, then Blackberry is in deep trouble.
(Via Bloomberg Businessweek)
