"With Azure and Silvelight Microsoft has finally got it right!" An interview with Morten Jacobsen and Antonio Revaliente by Larry Gregory, taken on the BizSpark Camp in New York City in late January. We try to explain our product and gives a pretty good pitch of the state of the art development made possible by Silvelight, WCF Ria Services and Azure.
3.16.2010
The Google Phone Is a Total Flop
The Nexus One Is a Total Flop: "
74 days after the iPhone was introduced at $600 a pop (six hundred dollars), one million were sold. The Droid, at $200: 1.05 million. The Nexus One? An estimated 135,000 units. By any measure, that's a total sales flop. More »
3.15.2010
Day 1 estimate: 120,000 iPads sold - Apple 2.0 - Fortune Brainstorm Tech
I´m just so sorry for not being in the US these days. I cannot order my iPads - hulk, hulk:(( (tears flowing...)
Day 1 estimate: 120,000 iPads sold - Apple 2.0 - Fortune Brainstorm Tech
Print a house
If you would like to print a house you can now do it with an "open" 3D printer. The man in this article is using it for building a cathedral!!
Gizmodo: Non-Enclosed 3D Printer Can Build Houses [3D Printing]: "
Normally they're contained in a box, so the fact that this 3D printer isn't confined means it's theoretically capable of building much larger objects that most. In fact, the owner wants to build a cathedral with it. More »
Driven by CAD software installed on a dust-covered computer terminal, the armature moves just millimetres above a pile of sand, expressing a magnesium-based solution from hundreds of nozzles on its lower side. It makes four passes. The layer dries and Enrico Dini recalibrates the armature frame. The system deposits the sand and then inorganic binding ink. The exercise is repeated. The millennia-long process of laying down sedimentary rock is accelerated into a day. A building emerges.
3D printers are still very expensive though, so before you start planning on adding a new extension or granny flat to your house you should definitely weigh up the costs. Having said that, 2010 is apparently going to see the cost lower drasticallyfrom the $15,000 or so that they normally cost, with the MakerBot being the cheapest we've seen so far, at $750. [Blueprint Magazine via MAKE]
3.13.2010
Un abogado pide a Aguirre que declare la siesta Bien de Interés Cultural
Un abogado pide a Aguirre que declare la siesta Bien de Interés Cultural: "Daniel Dorado, un abogado especializado en la protección de animales, presentó esta semana un escrito en las oficinas de Registro de la Comunidad de Madrid en el que solicita que la siesta sea declarada un Bien de Interés Cultural, ya que considera que reúne las mismas condiciones para ello que la fiesta taurina.
La sanidad retrasa pagos hasta 500 dias por falta de presupuesto
Me sorprendio mucho cuando lei que Grecia retrasa pagos a dos años Ahora el Pais informe que España retrasa a 500 dias. Eso es muy mal!!!
3.11.2010
Music by PixieTea, a chinese teenager done, recorded and filmed on iPhone 3GS
This is simply stunning. This girl has done goodsounding music, a good video (just see the kitten play!) an astounishing movie showing how she does the sound. Have a nice time experiencing this:
3.04.2010
Ballmer Explains the Cloud, In 5 Easy Steps
Gizmodo again: "
In his first time speaking at University of Washington—the giant Microsoft-endowed school in the company's backyard—Steve Ballmer explained 'the cloud.'
First, there was a goofy video showing how stoned most UW students are, conducted by a gal with shockingly platinum hair and bronze skin. Then Ballmer says it's something he's betting his company on, and that every company is betting their companies on, and that it's a $3.3 trillion industry. That's pretty serious. Here are his five key principles:
1. 'The Cloud Creates Opportunities and Responsibilities' (In fairness, Ballmer admits it sounds like 'some blah blah blah business term.') What he means is that creators don't have to come from big-ass tech companies to market cool software now. He says 'Apple's done a very nice job' with the App Store, giving opportunities to developers, and that Microsoft is keen on providing those types of opportunities. How do developers who have worked on open-source or freeware apps finally get some money for their creations? (Does this mean Windows Phone 7 will follow a similar developer strategy? Who knows...)
He also says that the cloud is supposed to give more control to users, not just developers. Control over privacy and anonymity, that is. Ballmer doesn't mention too many examples, but cites Facebook—obliquely—as an example of the challenges of cloud-related privacy.
2. 'The Cloud Learns and Helps You Learn, Decide and Take Action' Machine learning is key to cloud strategy. Ballmer says that when you look out at 83 million websites and try to find something simple but hard to search for, like 'What do we as a society spend on healthcare?' you can easily get nothing. 'It's only eight numbers,' Ballmer says, but they're hard to find in one simple little chart. The cloud needs the intelligence to know what people are looking for, and know how to go and find that information on its own, or collaboratively with users.
Here, to drive the point, Ballmer invited a guy from the Bing team to demo Bing Maps' explore feature. It's live, so you can check it out for yourself. Drill down into the University of Washington, if you want a good representation of what they're doing.
3. 'Cloud Enhances Social and Professional Interactions' This Ballmer admits is kind of an obvious notion, as we're already immersed in it, but he says that the innovations here will improve to a point where 'virtual interaction through the cloud is as good as being here today.' He doesn't mean 'as good' in the sense of 'as useful.' He means that one day, an entire auditorium of activity would be able to be captured on 3D video and streamed live anywhere, like Harry Potter diving into a Pensieve. (That'd be my Potter fanboy analogy, not Ballmer's.) He also means, of course, that realtime data collaboration tools will get better and better. He didn't mention that they'd have anything to compete directly with Google Wave, but if they do, hopefully they'll focus on ease of use.
As a near-term social example, he brought a demo of Xbox Live TV, something already launched in England with the Sky Player. Imagine Mystery Science Theater 3000 done with Xbox avatars, under a screen playing a live show. In the Sky example, of course, sports are key. I am thinking there are very few live TV events anymore, but maybe a Lost episode or some (non-Olympic) sporting event would be a good example.
4. The Cloud Wants Smarter Devices This pillar of the Ballmer argument is the one that probably makes the most sense to Giz readers and people who have kept up with Windows Phone 7 (and Pink) news. As a student sitting near me just pointed out, the 'smarter devices' angle is antithetical to what Google and others seem to preach, but Microsoft obviously cares about processing at the consumer end, and they believe that as long as processing is cheaper than bandwidth it makes sense.
Not surprisingly, his demo is Windows Phone 7, so I'll spare you any crappy photo and just link you to our comprehensive coverage.
5. 'The Cloud Drives Servers Advances That Drive the Cloud' We tend to ignore the hardware demands of the cloud, but obviously, Microsoft's server business is a key part of Ballmer's reason for promoting the cloud. He speaks of service issues—systems able to deploy software instantaneously worldwide, without a hassle. "If a machine breaks, that shouldn't be your problem. There shouldn't be people babysitting all these machines." A call for QA, perhaps, and aimed as much internally as it is externally.
An example of the fruits of this is a UW project called Azure Ocean, which is constantly aggregating the world's oceanographic data, expanding constantly with sensor data every day, noting that it must have been a 'very exciting period in the last few weeks' with the earthquake in Chile. No doubt no one will dispute the need for research tools of this scope now.
Ballmer also says that part of this server business is people having their own clouds. Governments and companies want to buy their own systems. Sometimes this is obvious, like for military or strategic purposes, but sometimes it's just a matter of preference, and Ballmer wants people to be able to buy 'refrigerator'-sized water-cooled systems with net connections, if that's their preference.
Ballmer concludes with the sentiment that 'the Cloud fuels Microsoft and Microsoft fuels the cloud.' Take that as you wish.
My own quick take on this is that the cloud is as nebulous as you think, but at least these are areas worth thinking about more. The cloud isn't anything new, but it's taking shape, and clearly in the hands of only a few companies. Google is the biggest, and arguably Microsoft is #2. In other words, we need to listen to Ballmer, cuz he'll be driving it, at least for now.
"
Steve Ballmer Wants to Touch You Through the Cloud [Blockquote]
Gizmodo: "
He is right. The truth is that, like Google and Apple, Microsoft's CEO knows the future is the cloud and mobile computing.
Real Time Google Index
Google is trying some PubSubHubbub to revolutionize its search. Let the publishers push their articles instead of crawling.
ReadWriteWeb start with this: "Google is developing a system that will enable web publishers of any size to automatically submit new content to Google for indexing within seconds of that content being published. Search industry analyst Danny Sullivan told us today that this could be 'the next chapter' for Google.
Last Fall we were told by Google's Brett Slatkin, lead developer on the PubSubHubbub (PuSH) real time syndication protocol, that he hoped Google would some day use PuSH for indexing the web instead of the crawling of links that has been the way search engines have indexed the web for years. Google senior product manager Dylan Casey said yesterday at Sullivan's Search Marketing Expo in Santa Clara, California that the company plans to soon publish a standard way for site owners to participate in a program much like that."
Last Fall we were told by Google's Brett Slatkin, lead developer on the PubSubHubbub (PuSH) real time syndication protocol, that he hoped Google would some day use PuSH for indexing the web instead of the crawling of links that has been the way search engines have indexed the web for years. Google senior product manager Dylan Casey said yesterday at Sullivan's Search Marketing Expo in Santa Clara, California that the company plans to soon publish a standard way for site owners to participate in a program much like that."
3.03.2010
How To Market Your Mobile Application
Smashingmagazine: This article is just to good to let go. I have to blog it!
"
App Store is a competitive environment. Against more than 140,000 apps, all screaming for attention, how do you make sure your app gets its time in the spotlight? What does it take to get good media coverage? How do you get people to talk about your app—and, ideally, how do you get them to buy it and show it to their friends? |
Following the simple rules laid out below, you will increase your chances in the battle for fame and glory. These tips might seem rudimentary or in-your-face obvious, but they are so often neglected in the heat of the moment.
[By the way, did you know we have a brand new free Smashing Email Newsletter? Subscribe now and get fresh short tips and tricks on Tuesdays!]
Be Unique
One of the easiest ways to stand out in the App Store is to create an app that is unique. Sure, that makes sense. Yet still thousands and thousands of apps are uninspired, shovelled out by tired developers looking for a quick buck.
If you want to stick it to the man, make sure that you are either:
- The first developer in your category of product, or
- Reinventing the existing category with something unique.
If you’re just improving something that’s already available, your battle to market it will be uphill.
Spin an Existing Category
At this point in the history of the App Store, very few apps create new categories. So unless you’re sitting on a revolutionary new idea, focus your attention on a unique spin of an existing category. So many things can be re-imagined with little effort. Look at your competitors and flick on your child-like consumer filter. What cool feature for this category is missing? How can you take advantage of the iPhone’s interface, accelerometer, GPS or multi-touch functionality to create a package that delivers a unique experience in this category?
A unique feature will make your app stand a head taller in the crowd and raise eyebrows. And that’s exactly the effect you want if you intend to sell apps in the App Store.
- Think, plan and build with the intention of creating something unique. From the conceptual drafts to the final marketing, keep iterating the unique aspects of your product.
- Ask yourself if you are merely improving on someone else’s idea. If it already exists in the app store, the battle to market it will be uphill.
- Try some shortcuts to create something unique, such as mixing categories; thinking of new ways to use the accelerometer, GPS, proximity sensor and multi-touch gestures; storytelling; etc.
- If you’re competing in a saturated market, do the exact opposite of the leader.
Be Tweetable
Getting people to talk about your app is imperative for success. The more people talk, the more exposure your app will get, which will hopefully translate into sales. If your app is unique, you’re halfway there—people will talk about it just because of its uniqueness. But how do you encourage people to start up conversations about your product?
Learn to Pitch
I’m sure you’ve pitched your app to at least a dozen co-workers and puzzled family members. You know the ins and outs of your elevator speech, the highs and lows, the big sells of your product and the hard-to-understand parts. If you want your app to succeed, you will need to teach that pitch to the rest of the world.
Be Interesting
Make the conversation about your app easy and engaging. Make it so that people want to tweet about it. Tweetability—if no one has yet, I’m trademarking that word—refers to how well a product or message would move on Twitter. The Twitter network, with its millions of users, has a particular personality and disposition. Despite the diversity of people using the service, talking about it like a homogenous mass still makes sense in many ways. Some of the most successful apps are easily shared through social media. Imagine the twittersphere chattering in chipmunk voices, “Hey, guys. Check this out!” Instantly gratifying app + high tweetability = free exposure.
Even if your app isn’t instantly gratifying or playfully humorous, you can still compose a tweet that is highly tweetable. Just think of what you would retweet yourself. How would you sell your app in 140 characters?
- Play to your strengths. Write good copy. And have a solid, useful and attractive landing page.
- Find the human angle. Are there any amusing and beneficial reasons why people would use your app?
- Have a memorable tagline. Sum up your app’s purpose in one line.
"
Read the whole article here!
The Hard and the Soft of the Norwegians
iPhone’s LCD Screen Beats Nexus One’s OLED
“The high-resolution, high-pixel-density OLED display on the Nexus One is beautiful, even stunning on first view, but there are lots of issues, problems and artifacts lurking just below the surface,” said Raymond Soneira, president of DisplayMate, on the company’s blog."
2.28.2010
General Ledger 21 for SQL Azure updated on Codeplex
Now and then, GL21Azure have to be updated. We are now in the last phase of finishing an iPhone client for the invoice part of GL21Azure. During the last half year, small changes did make the core proc, addAccountBook.sql, not so convenient as it should, and a bit dull. Well, the last week I updated it, cleaned it and added functionality, so it now can process both journals, accountbook entries and specfications, with versioning, and it evens updates the tagCloud directly.
I order to prove this, I updated the testGL21NO.sql test with all these different way of handling accounting entries.
State of the internet
Mashable has a nice article and video: "Individual stats like Facebook passing the 400 million usermark, Twitter hitting 50 million tweets per day, and YouTube viewers watching 1 billion videos per day are impressive on their own, but what if we looked at Internet-related stats collectively? Jesse Thomas did just that in his video State of the Internet.
The video — created and animated by Thomas with data from multiple sources — highlights some remarkable figures and visually depicts the Internet as we know it today. It’s a must-watch video for anyone trying to wrap their minds around just how immersed web technologies have become in our everyday lives.You can watch the video below, but we’ve also included some of the most intriguing figures shared in the video:- There are 1.73 billion Internet users worldwide as of September 2009.- There are 1.4 billion e-mail users worldwide, and on average we collectively send 247 billion e-mails per day. Unfortunately 200 billion of those are spam e-mails.- As of December 2009, there are 234 million websites.- Facebook gets 260 billion pageviews per month, which equals 6 million page views per minute and 37.4 trillion pageviews in a year.
It´s time to engage
Social media has democratized influence, forever changing the way businesses communicate with customers and the way customers affect the decisions of their peers. With platforms like Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook, anyone can now find and connect with others who share similar interests, challenges, and beliefs—creating communities that shape and steer the perception of brands. Without engagement in these communities, we miss major opportunities to shape our stories.
However, use of the tools does not guarantee that people will listen. Engagement is shaped by the interpretation of its intentions. In order for social media to mutually benefit you and your influencers and ultimately customers, you must engage them in meaningful and advantageous conversations, empowering them as true participants in your marketing, branding, and service efforts…this is true whether it’s B2B, B2C, government, non profit, education, etc.
Facebook Credits to Fuel Revenue for Social Media Giant
eCredit Daily reports: Facebook Credits may become the de facto currency of the Internet – judging by the pace the social media giant is growing, with 400 million users and some 500,000 applications, particularly games, in some form of testing.
For now, though, Facebook will be content with the “cross-application currency” providing a lucrative stream of income. It has decided that its cut will be 30 percent of revenue from game and applications developers who integrate Facebook Credits into their programs.
The virtual currency is picking up steam on the second-most visited website in the U.S., based on 133.62 million visitors registered last month. Facebook recently added PayPal as an option for users to convert real money into Facebook Credits for gaming apps and to buy virtual goods from the Facebook Gift Shop.
Facebook users can buy the virtual credits with major credit cards or through purchases on their mobile phones using the mobile-payment company Zong. Facebook advertisers can now use PayPal to pay for ads directly or by way of Facebook Credits.
2.27.2010
12 Standard Screen Patterns
By Theresa Neil
As Bill mentioned in an earlier post, we don’t want to limit this blog to just the principles and patterns found in the book. For that you can check out our Explore the Book section. In the spirit of that, I want to share an additional set of principles and patterns I have been using for RIA design. While the book takes a much more consumer web site orientation, these concepts are central to enterprise application and web productivity application design and more broad than those discussed in the book.
This is the first article in a three part series.
Standard Screen Patterns: 12 patterns w/100 examples
Essential Controls: 30 controls for RIA design and development
Components for Commonly Requested Features: 15 patterns and examples"
Verdens beste land å investere i - DN.no
- Det norske aksjemarkedet fremstår som et av de mest spennende i den vestlige verden, med sine naturressurser og eksponering mot en verden som blir stadig mer tørst påenergi og råvarer, skriver Holberg fondene i sin 'Ukens Holberggraf'.
Ti gylne grunner
Bergens-fondet ramser opp ti hovedgrunner som gjør Norge blant de mest spennende investeringene:
1. Stabile politiske forhold med en velutviklet velferdsmodell
2. Høy økonomisk vekst over lang tid
3. Verdens rikeste land
4. Sunne statsfinanser (verdens høyeste kredittverdighet)
5. Åpen økonomi som er godt posisjonert i forhold til globaliseringstrenden og veksten i ”emerging markets”
6. Store naturressurser (olje, gass, vind, fisk og vannkraft)
7. Stor vilje og evne til å ta i bruk ny teknologi
8. Høyt utdanningsnivå skaper høy kompetanse i arbeidsmarkedet
9. Gunstig demografi (mindre ”eldrebølge” enn i mange andre land)
10. Reiseliv og naturopplevelser"
Fuglesang hjelper oss å oppleve naturen - Helge Kvam
2.24.2010
Happy Birthday, Steve Jobs
Here's to the crazy one. The mercurial. The rebel. The market maker. The lucky guy with the new liver. The one who sees things differently. He's not fond of rules and bad typography. And he has no respect for mediocrity.
You can praise him, disagree with him, quote him, disbelieve him, glorify or vilify him. About the only thing you can't do is ignore him. Because this guy created the personal computer market, he introduced the first commercial computer with a graphic user interface, was booted from his own company, then came back, saved it from death, reinvented one of the best operating systems on the planet, reinvented the music player, kicked the record companies on the balls, failed to reinvent TV, reinvented the cellphone OS as we know it, got a cancer that means almost-certain death, recovered, and he's back in business, hopefully for a long time, and trying to change the computing world once again.
He invents. He sometimes has a very bad temper. He healed. He came back. He created again. And he keeps inspiring. Or at least, he inspires me.
Happy 55th birthday, Steve.
Viva la Siesta - Naps Can Seriously Improve All-Day Learning Abilities
Lifehacker: "Taking a 90-minute nap the day of a test or presentation sounds like a ludicrous luxury. But a recent study on the brain's ability to recall facts found that napping at noon could mean a lot more brain power at 6 p.m."
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