Archive for May, 2009
Verified Applications on Facebook — Recommendations from Sandra Liu Huang on Vimeo.
I’m definitely feeling Facebook’s new application directory and Verified Apps program. The new directory allows users to search for apps by several new categories, as well as the ability to browse off-site FB Connect applications, desktop applications, and iPhone apps. The new Verified Apps program are apps that Facebook favors or as Facebook describes it “apps that embody Facebook’s core principles”. These Verified Apps are given priority in the prominent “Applications You May Like” section, which is sure to drive quite a bit of traffic for app developers. Verified Apps also will get a nice green checkmark next to their respective apps star rating which could also drive greater adoption.
There’s been great anticipation around Stephen Wolfram’s ambitious project to create a comprehensive “computational knowledge engine.” The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University recently hosted a sneak preview of the Wolfram|Alpha system, and a discussion of its underlying technology and implications. Participants included Wolfram|Alpha founder Stephen Wolfram and Professor of Law Jonathan Zittrain. Stephen Wolfram is the creator of Mathematica, the author of A New Kind of Science, and now the creator of Wolfram|Alpha. He is the founder and CEO of Wolfram Research.
Conceptually and in a perfect world it all makes sense, but from a usability standpoint, it’s just not where it should be. Anyway, here’s a link to a not so positive review of Wolfram|Alpha:
Like Google, Only Much, Much Worse.
Here’s another freebie social media ‘listening’ tool. It’s called spy and it was created by Ben Hedrington and it’s built on the Google App engine. Users can spy / listen in on the social media conversations they’re interested in. Spy joins a list of other freebie social media ‘listening’ tools like perspctv and Twitalyzer. Bundle these tools together with Alexa.org, Tweetdeck, and Seesmic and you might just have yourself a “poor-man’s” version of a social media listening/monitoring platform.
I met Gary a few months ago when he came by the R/GA offices to chat about everything from Wine Library TV to the NY Jets to social media. I was impressed right away and a believer in his philosophy regarding social media. Of all the social media ‘experts’ out there, Gary is not just talking the talk, but walking it everyday as he leverages and practices social media in his many on-going business ventures, specifically Wine Library TV. In this video, Gary openly and poignantly talks about how so many brands and companies still miss telling authentic stories via social media because of their entrenched old-guard PR/Marketing teams that still try to control every last detail of a brand’s public messaging. Well, some of the old-guard may still resist, but they must take notice that the PR, advertising, and marketing industries are all undergoing a paradigm shift now that is happening fast and furious. The transformation may not happen overnight, but it will happen soon enough as social media will force ALL brands to be more transparent and authentic with their day-to-day messaging.
[Description copied verbatim from the site]
Paperbeatsinternet.com is an ‘analog’ social networking site co-developed by Grand Creative and Graham Roumieu for the New Directions in Pictorial Design class at the Ontario College of Art and Design, Spring 2009. The site is a digital home for entries that focus on exploring the use and relation between hand-rendered type and images. The work is a dialogue between students and invited guest contributors with professional backgrounds in design, illustration, fine art, writing, and other disciplines.
Find images for comps, inspiration, or research. Created by Ryan Teuscher, Compfight is a visual Flickr search tool that displays searched photos based on tags or text. Users can also search for creative commons pictures that can be used on their blogs. The user interface is simple, intuitive, and fast-loading. Compfight is not affiliated with flickr™ but makes good use of the flickr™ API. Designers should definitely add it to their bag of tricks.
PhoneGap looks really exciting and it just jumped to the top of my to-do-list for next weekend. PhoneGap is an open source development tool for building fast and easy mobile apps with JavaScript. If you’re a web developer who wants to build mobile applications in HTML and JavaScript while still taking advantage of the core features in the iPhone, Android and Blackberry SDKs, then PhoneGap is for you. As quoted from the PhoneGap website, “The web is moving off the desktop and into the pockets of people all over the world. Phones are the new window to the internet and, currently, they are second class. PhoneGap aims to move your device to a nice first class window. With a foot rest. Maybe a pillow.”
Fiat’s new eco:Drive technology is the world’s first in-car USB device system that allows drivers to see how much CO2 their driving produces and then shows them how to reduce their emissions. Before each drive, users simply insert a USB flash drive into any eco:Drive enabled Fiat car. Once the user starts to drive, the eco:Drive system will monitor and gather data such as acceleration, deceleration, gear changes and overall speed. The data captured during the drive on the USB flash drive can then be transferred on-line where Fiat can then analyze and chart the data to show users how to adjust their driving to improve fuel consumption, reduce CO2 emissions, and save money. The eco:Village online community is also available to let drivers connect and compare their driving routines and improvements with other drivers. Props to the folks over at TrendCentral for giving me the heads up on this fascinating development.
