Monday, More Links

I’ve been sick so, here comes another link post. Find the comments if you feel so inclined.

Google, Redesigned

The Verge has an interesting retrospective on how Google has been gradually redesigning its interfaces since Larry Page took over as CEO. This has been happening almost organically, and if I hadn’t bothered to stop and think about it, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. Taken as a whole effort, it’s an impressive accomplishment.

The as Yet, Unrecognized Potential of NFC

Fast Company has a piece on NFC that reminded me of NFC, and yes I meant that. NFC remains an untapped technology, largely because there’s so much it can do. Oh, and it’s not on the iPhone yet.

When the Nexus S launched years ago, I remember thinking that the inclusion of an NFC radio would spur development in that area, and I was stoked to try out Google Wallet, which was the first app I had seen that used NFC on the S. The only advancement I can think of in the years that have elapsed is the ability to transfer videos on the Galaxy S III, funny commercial, but no mention of the technology behind it.

I was surprised recently when Noel (@noelportugal) cited NFC as the only reason he would consider a move to Android from his iPhone. So, he must have some ideas in mind.

Socializing the Finance Department

My pal David Haimes (@dhaimes) wrote a guest post over on the Oracle Applications blog about the possibly surprising notion that the Finance department is a social organization. Number-crunching is inherently social, deal with it, but seriously, if you get a chance to see David at Collaborate or OpenWorld, check out his sessions. He has interesting ideas.

Pebble Smartwatches Begin Shipping

I don’t wear a watch, so I missed the whole Pebble thing, but several people in UX, I think Utlan (@ultan) was the first, clued me in to the Pebble. They started shipping last week, and Engadget has a review. The functionality seems a bit limited for now, but there’s definitely potential.

I am interested to see how this paradigm plays out, i.e. the smartphone as a hub for delivering information to other devices on your person. It’s very similar to the iPad as a home automation center, and now that the Nike FuelBand has an open API, it looks like 2013 will spawn a lot of wearable innovation, as the phone stays in your pocket or bag.

ADF on a Raspi

And finally, Chris Muir (@chriscmuir) has ADF running on his Raspi. First!

That’s it for now.