Author: Jake

Even though I’m more than content with the Chromecast, the Amazon Fire TV caught my eye for a very simple reason: Amazon Prime content. I’ve been buying digital content from Amazon since they launched their MP3 Store, the first place to buy music without any DRM, back in 2007, and Amazon is the only place… Read More

Noel (@noelportugal) chatted with the Bionym guys at SXSW earlier this year, and I know I speak for all of us here in the ‘Lab when I say I’m very stoked to get my Nymi and start playing with it. Check out Techcrunch’s writeup and demo video. Since I can’t embed TC’s video for some… Read More

I’m finally harvesting my open browser tabs, sharing some of the cool stuff that has been patiently waiting to be shared with you, gentle reader. Chrome Remote Desktop for Android Chrome Remote Desktop has been quietly awesome for a few years, and Google recently extended it to Android. So now, I can troubleshoot my parents’ computer… Read More

On this team, we all carry Android devices, lots of them, including phones. Even Noel (@noelportugal) has finally been converted. Everyone on the team, minus me, is an Android developer, and as they build for new devices like Google Glass and the upcoming Android Wear watches, the ability to project screen images becomes more essential. Case… Read More

Maker Faire Bay Area (@makerfaire) is coming up quickly, May 17 and 18, and we’re excited to be participating. Here’s the backstory on why. Ultan (@ultan) and Justin (@kestelyn) spoke at Maker Faire 2012 (video), and the Java (@java) team is a major sponsor of the Maker Faire. Unfortunately for him, Ultan won’t be around to attend, so when… Read More

It’s been a busy month around these parts. Noel (@noelportugal) and I went to the Netherlands, specifically Amsterdam, Utrect, and Nieuwegein, to visit AMIS and show some of the cool stuff Applications UX has been doing. By all accounts the event was a massive success with something like 450 people visiting AMIS during the day to visit.… Read More

After years of hounding from me, Noel (@noelportugal) made the jump to Android usage and development about a year ago. He started with a Nexus 7, the first generation one, but it wasn’t until he got a phone, the Moto X, that the transformation was complete. So now, Noel is mixed ecosystem guy. We’ve had… Read More

Editor’s note: Another cross-post from VoX, this one from Julian Orr. User experience works best when you understand your users. So, help us understand you and your mobile strategy by completing this painless and fun questionnaire. What is your perspective on enterprise mobility? Tell us! By Julian Orr, Oracle Applications User Experience Is there a… Read More

About a month ago, I walked off a plane into the terminal at SJC. As I hiked that long walk to the exit, I heard a familiar and annoying sound, the Emergency Alert System sound. The sound was muffled, and it took me a few more steps to realize it was my own phone bleating… Read More

Editor’s note: Here’s a cross-post from VoX by Friend of the ‘Lab, Kathy Miedema, about a Raspberry Pi Hackday Noel (@noelportugal) organized and ran a couple weeks ago. The basic idea was to get developers up and running on the Pi quickly and have some fun. Enjoy. New Oracle developers get a taste of Raspberry… Read More

Last year in the Fall, Anthony (@anthonyslai) and Noel (@noelportugal) wanted to get some experience with their new Leap Motion gestural controllers. So, naturally, they decided to use the Leap to control the OWI 535 robot arm via its USB interface. Shortly after they finished that, they began to complain that the OWI 535 wasn’t good enough. They conspired… Read More

So, it’s all David (@dhaimes) all week, or something, because here comes another post about him. This time, it’s his walking meetings that caught my eye, quite literally. I was sitting in the lobby of the Oracle Convention Center in January during the IOUC Summit, looking out the window at the 70-degree day, and David… Read More

Sometimes, I get to share something awesome. A post about how Oracle Social Network can be used by Oracle ERP Cloud users happens to be something awesome. Let me explain. Despite assumptions to the contrary, accounting is a very collaborative exercise in many enterprises. Ultan (@ultan) does a great job explaining why in his post… Read More

Noel (@noelportugal) and I will be heading to the Netherlands in March for a special event at AMIS. On March 18, AMIS will be hosting an OAUX (or Oracle Applications User Experience if you’re not into the whole brevity thing) Expo. The purpose of an expo, the brainchild of Misha (@mishavaughan), is to provide a… Read More

For some reason, Noel (@noelportugal) posted a picture of his IoT gadget inventory. Click to embiggen.

So, I got some home automation for Christmas, a Nest Thermostat and a Roomba. How about you? Nest Thermostat I’ve been eagerly following the Nest since its inception, and I finally pulled the trigger, right before Google bought them. I’m not entirely sure why I liked the hockey puck so much. It’s a beautiful little… Read More

Lots of news coming out of Applications UX lately, so thought I’d share it here. Over at Misha’s (@mishavaughan) Voice of User Experience blog, you can read about Simplified UI for Oracle Human Capital Management Cloud and Simplified UI for Oracle Sales Cloud. Both versions went live in September when Oracle Cloud Applications, Release 7 was… Read More

I’m cleaning up all the open tabs for the holidays, so here are some nuggets I found that may or may not be interesting. Enjoy. Turkey Tweeter Hinkmond Wong of the Java Embedded Technology team did a fun Thanksgiving project, a Turkey that tweets as it cooks. It’s time for the Internet of Things (ioT)… Read More

Since Google announced the Chromecast earlier this year, I’ve been stoked to see how it developed. The little device has a ton of potential, and even though Google has been a little slow to push its adoption, even slowing down the efforts of some curious developers, they do seem committed to the device. I preordered… Read More

The holiday season is in full swing now, and I’ll bet a lot of people out there will be getting some form of wearable device as a gift. Wearables is a pretty broad category, that seems to be right at the cusp of mainstream adoption. For now, it includes smartwatches, augmented reality on your face,… Read More