Generated by All in One SEO v4.9.10, this is an llms.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site. # The AppsLab Stories about Emerging Technologies ## Sitemaps - [XML Sitemap](https://theappslab.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website. ## Posts - [Noel and the AT&T Developer Summit](https://theappslab.com/2013/01/31/noel-and-the-att-developer-summit/) - Noel (@noelportugal) is a bit of a serial hackathon participant, and earlier this month, he attended the AT&T Developer Summit in Las Vegas. The event was actually several competitions, each with a different focus, and unsurprisingly, Noel joined the Arduino hackathon. While browsing MAKE yesterday, I found a full writeup on all the entries in that category, - [Oracle Social Network Business Cards](https://theappslab.com/2012/10/15/oracle-social-network-business-cards/) - Since the Oracle Social Network Developer Challenge I have been pretty pumped about the integration possibilities. After every conference I found myself with a bunch of business cards and no time to formally collect data. Recently I found CardMunch from Linkedin, an app that allows you to snap a picture of the business card and - [Photography Protip #1](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/18/photography-protip-1/) - I love photography. A few days ago I was talking to friend of the lab Tim Hall (aka @oraclebase) and he was telling me how frustrating was to go home after a trip and see some of the generic/boring pictures he took. My advice was to focus on details. AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D. ISO 200, - [OTN Latin America Tour 2012 (North Zone)](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/24/otn-latin-america-tour-2012-north-zone/) - Editor's Note: Here are Noel's (@noelportugal) adventures on the OTN Latin America Tour reposted from the WebCenter (@oraclewebcenter) blog. Enjoy. He then invited me to co-present with him during his sessions at the OTN Latin America Tour 2012. I was only able to attend the first two locations, Cali Colombia and Quito Ecuador. I was - [Google Glass + iBeacons](https://theappslab.com/2014/04/17/google-glass-ibeacons/) - Google Glass plus iBeacons - [How to Make Your Own Raspberry Pi-Powered Smart Target](https://theappslab.com/2012/10/17/how-to-make-your-own-raspberry-pi-powered-smart-target/) - Our maker extraordinaire, Noel (@noelportugal), has posted an Instructables on how he made the Flying Monkey Smart Target we showed at OpenWorld 2012 during the Oracle Social Network Developer Challenge. So if you want to make your very own smart target or are just curious, check it out, and he also produced a short video of - [2014 AT&T Developer Summit Hackathon](https://theappslab.com/2014/01/24/att-developer-summit/) - Hackathons are a great way to stay up to date on the latest technologies as well as for keep your coding chops fresh. At the beginning of this month Anthony Lai, Raymond Xie, Mark Vilrokx (honorary AppsLab member) and I participated in the AT&T Developer Summit Hackathon. The event was held at Palms Casino and Resort in Las Vegas. The Internet of - [WebCenter Rock'em Sock'em Robots](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/16/webcenter-rockem-sockem-robots/) - This year for our Kscope (ODTUG) session Jake and I decided to make things a bit more exciting and show a fun way to use OSN REST API. The attendees played Rock'em Sock'em Robots using their phones. At the end of our session the attendees were given a phone number to text or call to - [Socially Aware Christmas Lights](https://theappslab.com/2012/01/04/socially-aware-christmas-lights/) - The project goal was to synchronize Christmas lights by checking twitter mentions to #cheerlights or and the color desired (red,green,blue,cyan,etc). - [iBeacons or The Physical Web?](https://theappslab.com/2014/10/07/ibeacons-or-the-physical-web/) - For the past year at the AppsLab we have been exploring the possibilities of advanced user interactions using BLE beacons. A couple days ago, Google (unofficially) announced that one of their Chrome teams is working on what I'm calling the gBeacon. They are calling it the Physical Web (http://google.github.io/physical-web/). - [Kicking the Remote Presence Device Tires with Beam](https://theappslab.com/2014/04/23/kicking-the-remote-presence-device-tires-with-beam/) - Remote Presence Devices or RPDs are finally becoming mainstream with products such as the Beam from Suitable Technologies. Today I kicked the tires of one (virtually of course) thanks to friend of the lab Dan Kildahl. I toured the newly renovated marketing offices at Oracle HQ. My first impression was really good. Around family and friends I am - [OTN Latin America Tour 2014 - Mexico](https://theappslab.com/2014/08/13/otn-latin-america-tour-2014-mexico/) - *Look for "Rich UI with Data Visualization Components and JWT UserToken validation extending Oracle Sales Cloud– 1.0.1" These two resources are the result of extensive research done by our whole UX organization and we are happy to share with the Oracle community. Overall it was a great opportunity to reach out to the Latin American - [Asteroid Hackathon - The Winning Team](https://theappslab.com/2014/11/17/asteroid-hackathon-the-winning-team/) - Editorial Note: This is a guest post by friend of the 'Lab and colleague DJ Ursal. Also be sure to check out our Hackathon entry here: EchoUser (@EchoUser), in partnership with SpaceGAMBIT, Maui Makers, the Minor Planet Center, NASA, the SETI Institute, and Further by Design, hosted an Asteroid Hackathon. The event was in response to - [Asteroid Hackathon](https://theappslab.com/2014/11/17/asteroid-hachathon/) - A couple weeks ago Jeremy Ashley (@jrwashley), Bill Kraus, Raymond Xie and I participated in the Asteroid Hackathon hosted by @EchoUser. The main focus was "to engage astronomers, other space nerds, and the general public, with information, not just data." As you might already know, we here at the AppsLab, are big fans of Hackathons as - [ESP8266 - Cheap WiFi for your IoT](https://theappslab.com/2014/10/09/esp8266-cheap-wifi-for-your-iot/) - About a month ago, hackaday.com broke the news of a new Wifi chip called ESP8266 that costs about $5. This wireless system on a chip (SoC) took all the IoT heads (including me) by surprise. Until now if you wanted to integrate wifi to any DIY project you had to use more expensive solutions. To put this into perspective, my first wifi Arduino shield was about $99! - [Musings on Samsung Developer Conference 2014](https://theappslab.com/2014/11/17/musings-on-samsung-developer-conference-2014/) - This year some of us at the AppsLab attended the Samsung Developer Conference aka #SDC2014. Last year it was Samsung's first attempt and we were also there. The quality and caliber of presentations increased tenfold from last year. Frankly, Samsung is doing it really hard to resist to join their ecosystem. Here are some of - [Amazon Echo, The Future or Fad?](https://theappslab.com/2014/12/18/amazon-echo/) - Update: I now "hacked" the API to control Hue Lights and initiate a phone call with Twilio. Check here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r58ERvxT0qM Last November Amazon announced a new kind of device. Part speaker, part personal assistant and it called it Amazon Echo. If you saw the announcement you might have also see their quirky infomercial. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkOCeAtKHIc#t=15 The parodies - [2015 AT&T Developer Summit & Hackathon](https://theappslab.com/2015/01/09/2015-att-developer-summit-hackathon/) - Editor's Note: Noel did it! After competing in 2013 and 2014, he broke through and won a prize at the annual AT&T Developer Summit Hackathon (@attdeveloper). Congrats to the whole team. The whole team minus Anthony who was too sick to enjoy the moment. This year, Anthony (@anthonyslai), Raymond, Osvaldo (@vaini11a), Luis (@lsgaleana), Tony and I - [Amazon Echo Official SDK](https://theappslab.com/2015/05/17/amazon-echo-official-sdk/) - Image from wired.com Back in February I was invited to participate in an pre-beta release of the Amazon Echo SDK. I was under NDA so I couldn't share any of my finding here. But now that NDA has expired and I can share some of the integrations I did with this interesting device. First of all I - [Watch-First Design and Development](https://theappslab.com/2015/05/12/watch-first-design-development/) - So as you might already know, it has been all about THE Watch these past days. So having this new toy in my wrist made me want to explore the possibilities. So I set myself to push my skill boundaries and dove right into WatchKit development. To kick off the wheels I spent this - [IFTTT Easy Button](https://theappslab.com/2015/08/15/ifttt-easy-button/) - The Amazon Dash button, it's all the buzz lately. Regardless whether you think it is the greatest invention or just a passing fad, it is a nice little IoT device. There is already work underway to try and make it work with custom code. There are a couple crowdfunding projects (flic and btn) that are - [Game Mechanics of a Scavenger Hunt](https://theappslab.com/2015/08/07/game-mechanics-of-a-scavenger-hunt/) - This year we organized a scavenger hunt for Kscope15 in collaboration with the ODTUG board and YCC. As we found out, scavenger hunts are a great way to get people to see your content, create buzz and have fun along the way. We also used the scavenger hunt as a platform to try some of the - [Kscope15 Scavenger Hunt](https://theappslab.com/2015/05/29/kscope15-scavenger-hunt/) - Are you attending Kscope15 (#kscope15)? If yes, then you should join the Kscope15 Scavenger Hunt. We have partnered with the Oracle Development Tools User Group (aka @odtug) and created a fun way to get points and win prizes! Why? The Oracle AppsLab (@theappslab) team wanted to find a user-friendly way to start a conversation with the ODTUG membership - [OTN Community Quest](https://theappslab.com/2015/10/24/otn-community-quest/) - After a very successful Scavenger Hunt at Kscope15, we are back with an Oracle OpenWorld and JavaOne edition. This time we partnered with the Oracle Technology Network (@oracleotn) folks to give Oracle OpenWorld (@oracleopenworld) and JavaOne (@javaoneconf) attendees a fun experience, and with even more chances of winning. The OTN Community Quest was designed to be a win-win experience. We - [Reducing User Friction](https://theappslab.com/2015/09/02/reducing-user-friction/) - A few nights ago a Domino's Pizza commercial got my attention. It is called "Sarah Loves Emoji." At the end, the fictional character Sarah finishes by simply saying "only Domino's gets me." The idea of texting an emoji, tweeting, using a Smart TV, or a smartwatch to automagically order pizza fascinates me. What Domino's is attempting to - [IFTTT Maker Channel](https://theappslab.com/2015/08/17/ifttt-maker-channel/) - There seems to be hundred of possible combinations or "recipes." Do you use IFTTT? Do you find it useful? Let me know in the comments. - [See You at SXSW 2016](https://theappslab.com/2016/03/11/see-you-at-sxsw-2016/) - If you happen to be in Austin this weekend for SXSWi, look for Osvaldo (@vaini11a), me (@noelportugal) and friend of the 'Lab Rafa (@rafabelloni). We will be following closely all things UX, IoT, VR, AI. Our schedules are getting full with some great sessions and workshops. Check back in a week or so to read some - [Your UKOUG Apps15 and Tech15 Conference Explorer](https://theappslab.com/2015/11/25/your-conference-explorer/) - Are you attending UKOUG Apps15 (#ukoug_apps15) or Tech15 (#ukoug_tech15)? If so, you are in luck! Once again we will run our ever popular scavenger hunt with a twist. From December 7-9 we will be at the ICC in Birmingham, UK working with the UKOUG team to give you a fun way to explore the conference and win prizes along - [M2M, the Other IoT](https://theappslab.com/2016/01/28/m2m-the-other-iot/) - Before IoT became 'The' buzzword, there was M2M (machine to machine). Some industries still refer to IoT as M2M, but overall the term Internet of Things has become the norm. I like the term M2M because it describes better what IoT is meant to do: Machines talking to other machines. This year our team once - [Kscope16 Scavenger Hunt](https://theappslab.com/2016/06/16/kscope16-scavenger-hunt/) - Are you attending Kscope16? If so, you are in luck, @theappslab team will be back this year (by popular demand) to do a Scavenger Hunt. This year there are even more chances to win, plus check out these prizes: First place: DJI Phantom Drone Second place: Amazon Echo Third place: Raspberry Pi Our first scavenger hunt took place last - [For OpenWorld and JavaOne 2016, An Internet of Things Workshop](https://theappslab.com/2016/09/13/internet-of-things-workshop/) - Want to learn more about the Internet of Things? Are you attending Oracle OpenWorld 2016 or JavaOne 2016? Then you are in luck! Once again we have partnered with the Oracle Technology Network (OTN) team to give OOW16 and JavaOne attendees an IoT hands-on workshop. We will provide a free* IoT Cloud Kit so you can get your feet wet on - [The Future of Work: What does a Smart Office look like today?](https://theappslab.com/2016/06/08/the-future-of-work-what-does-a-smart-office-look-like-today/) - Editor's note: We just returned from Holland last week where we attended AMIS 25, which was a wonderful show. One of the demos we showed was the Smart Office; Noel (@noelportugal) also gave a presentation on it. We've been showing the Smart Office since OOW last year, and it remains one of our most popular demos - [Making an IoT Badge - #badgelife going corporate](https://theappslab.com/2018/10/29/making-an-iot-badge-badgelife-going-corporate/) - Code Card 2018 Editor's note: Noel is the last man standing from the AppsLab to work at Oracle. He created this project while being part of the Oracle Groundbreakers Team. The rest of the original AppsLab team members are now scattered throughout different companies in the tech sector. For years I've been wanting to create something fun - [Developing concept products that embrace emerging technologies](https://theappslab.com/2018/05/31/developing-concept-products-that-embrace-emerging-technologies/) - Editor’s note: For posterity’s sake, I’m reposting some content that we created during our time at Oracle. These statements and views are those of the author and do not reflect those of Oracle’s current user experience organization. Developing concept products that embrace emerging technologies Working with emerging technologies brings unique challenges for developers. There are - [Designing for What’s Not Yet Here](https://theappslab.com/2018/05/30/designing-for-whats-not-yet-here/) - Editor’s note: For posterity’s sake, I’m reposting some content that we created during our time at Oracle. These statements and views are those of the author and do not reflect those of Oracle’s current user experience organization. Designing for What’s Not Yet Here Designing for emerging technologies means seeing how these technologies can help solve - [User Research at the Forefront of Technology](https://theappslab.com/2018/05/29/user-research-at-the-forefront-of-technology/) - Editor’s note: For posterity’s sake, I’m reposting some content that we created during our time at Oracle. These statements and views are those of the author and do not reflect those of Oracle’s current user experience organization. What do you do when you don’t have users yet? Oracle’s approach to researching emerging technologies isn’t really - [Epilogue](https://theappslab.com/2018/04/12/epilogue/) - The AppsLab experiment ended this week as nearly all of us were let go. Noel and I decided to keep this blog running, both as a historical resume of sorts and as a way for all of us who worked in 'Lab over the years to share our ongoing adventures and talk about technology. We - [Playing at work promotes discovery, opens door to innovation](https://theappslab.com/2018/05/28/playing-at-work-promotes-discovery-opens-door-to-innovation/) - Editor’s note: For posterity’s sake, I’m reposting some content that we created during our time at Oracle. These statements and views are those of the author and do not reflect those of Oracle’s current user experience organization. Playing at work promotes discovery, opens door to innovation What if work could also be play? It turns - [Emphasis on emerging technology shapes user experience strategy](https://theappslab.com/2018/05/25/emphasis-on-emerging-technology-shapes-user-experience-strategy/) - Editor's note: For posterity's sake, I'm reposting some content that we created during our time at Oracle. These statements and views are those of the author and do not reflect those of Oracle's current user experience organization. Emphasis on emerging technology shapes user experience strategy The AppsLab, the OAUX emerging technologies team, has a passion - [Exploring AR](https://theappslab.com/2018/03/19/exploring-ar/) - Since back in 2014 when we got the Not-For-Sale developer model of Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition which only works with Samsung Note 4, we started to set our eyes on the development of immersive digital media experience of virtual reality. The original Gear VR in 2014. Feels so ancient :) Along the way, we - [Research on Emerging Tech Like AI, IoT Aims to Make Your Work More Efficient](https://theappslab.com/2018/03/13/research-on-emerging-tech-like-ai-iot-aims-to-make-your-work-more-efficient/) - Cross-posting this bit I wrote for the official Oracle Application User Experience blog, enjoy. Recently, at Oracle CloudWorld in New York, Oracle President Thomas Kurian talked about how emerging technologies can change the way you do your job for the better. Investigating this impact is the primary focus of the AppsLab, the Oracle Applications User Experience (OAUX) Emerging - [Shoe Treads](https://theappslab.com/2018/02/01/shoe-treads/) - In December our team was allowed two weeks to pursue a "passion project". It didn't have be work-related, just something you truly wanted to work on. I chose to design tread patterns on the soles of shoes. I had never given a thought about shoe treads until, a week earlier, a woman on the NodeBox - [Oracle x Girl Geek Dinner definitely does compute](https://theappslab.com/2017/12/12/oracle-x-girl-geek-dinner-definitely-does-compute/) - Oracle hosted its first Girl Geek Dinner last Thursday, December 7, 2017. The dinner was 18 months in the making. With at least 400 women and men in attendance, it is the largest Girl Geek Dinner of the year. https://twitter.com/KavalMaria/status/939160239479209986 The Bay Area chapter of Girl Geek Dinners have been hosted at 100+ Silicon Valley tech - [Alexa Push Notifications via Reminders](https://theappslab.com/2017/12/08/alexa-push-notifications-via-reminders/) - From the first day I got the Amazon Echo in December 2014 I looked for more interesting ways to interact with it. Before the Alexa team released an official API, I came up with a rather creative way to control things . It was not perfect since I had to add things to the "todo" list - [Jeremy on the Role of Emerging Technology](https://theappslab.com/2017/10/16/jeremy-on-the-role-on-emerging-technology/) - Here's a video from our Group Vice President, Jeremy Ashely (@jrwashley) about Emerging Technology and how it should be helping people to use the system. This is a nice, concise description of what we do and why. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sLV2JGQpFg - [IoT Cloud Brewed Beer @ OOW: The Details](https://theappslab.com/2017/10/10/iot-cloud-brewed-beer-oow-the-details/) - Now that Oracle Open World has come and gone, I have some time to go into the details of how this project was conceived and realized, and how it faired at OOW. Let's start with that last one. I guess to no one's surprise, the actual booth with (free!) beer was a crowdpleaser; we blew - [IoT Workshop and Robots](https://theappslab.com/2017/09/28/iot-workshop-and-robots/) - AppsLab has been offering the IoT Workshop since Oracle OpenWorld 2016. And over past one year we have hosted the workshop in 20 cities around world as part of Oracle Code events, plus at Kscope 2017 conference. And if you still managed to miss all the events, Oracle OpenWorld 2017 might be your last chance - [Choropleths](https://theappslab.com/2017/09/27/choropleths/) - In this post I will simultaneously have Fun With Data and Fun With Maps. I will use public APIs to turn my Isle of Alameda into a "choropleth", a map which displays areas that are colored or patterned in relation to data. To do this I will need to find boundaries within Alameda that I - [IoT Cloud Brewed Beer @ OOW](https://theappslab.com/2017/09/25/iot-cloud-brewed-beer-oow/) - For the past few months we have worked together with the Oracle Developer Community and Alpha Acid Brewing on a secret IoT project. Come see (and taste!) it at the Developer Lounge in Moscone West during Oracle Open World. Hope to see you there! Cheers, Mark. Update: Want to learn more? Check out this video - [Oracle Code - Recap](https://theappslab.com/2017/09/14/oracle-code-recap/) - Oracle Code 2017 March 1, San Francisco, USA - August 30, Seoul, South Korea 183 days (exactly 6 months), 20 cities around the world thousands of speakers, OTN staff and local consultants hundreds of thousands of participants and coders That's the Oracle Code 2017 tour, presenting current and upcoming technologies in packed sessions, providing Oracle - [Fun With Maps](https://theappslab.com/2017/08/09/fun-with-maps/) - Maps are one of the oldest and most powerful forms of visualization. Lately I've been learning how to make my own maps using open source data and public APIs. I started by simply plotting locations on a world map. World maps in svg format are readily available on the web. Wikimedia Commons, for example, has - [The Isle of Alameda](https://theappslab.com/2017/09/11/the-isle-of-alameda/) - The best way to learn how to make your own maps is to map someplace familiar. The place I live, Alameda, is an island in the San Francisco Bay, but existing maps don't do it justice. So as part of my Fun With Maps project I set out to disentangle Alameda from the urban sprawl - [Welcome NAO](https://theappslab.com/2017/08/14/welcome-nao/) - On a quiet Thursday morning, I went to our Gadget Lab at Oracle HQ and turned on the light. Inside the comfy egg shell chair sat an NAO robot, waiting for me. NAO inside of egg-shell chair Welcome NAO, our latest team member! NAO is a little adorable humanoid robot created by SoftBank Robotics. It - [Heading ‘into the wild’ for guerilla research on emerging tech](https://theappslab.com/2017/08/07/heading-into-the-wild-for-guerilla-research-on-emerging-tech/) - The OAUX Emerging Technologies team, or The AppsLab, researches technical innovations coming down the pipeline. Part of our goal is to assess the potential of the technology – is it easy to adopt? Are there use cases that might make work easier for enterprise employees to complete their tasks? Our research on emerging technologies finds three ways to - [How do we build for the future?](https://theappslab.com/2017/06/24/how-do-we-build-for-the-future/) - How do we imagine and build a solution for the future that screams, I want to live in a future where this thing exists and is used by people. Recently, the Appslab Team attended the Future Summit SF where we learned how we could better design and build experiences for the future. We saw an - [IoT Workshop Guide - part 1](https://theappslab.com/2016/09/14/iot-workshop-guide-part-1/) - Attention: if you reach this page at Kscope 2017 - IoT Workshop, please follow this link for the updated session content: https://github.com/raymondxie/iotws/wiki AppsLab and OTN will jointly host IoT Workshop at Oracle OpenWorld and JavaOne conference in 2016. We look forward to seeing you at the Workshop. Here is some details about the Workshop with - [Kscope GO and IoT Workshop at Kscope17](https://theappslab.com/2017/06/15/kscope-go-and-iot-workshop-at-kscope17/) - Kscope17 is just around the corner and it is not a secret that we love ODTUG's Kscope since it is a conference geared towards Oracle Developers. This year as we have done in previous years, we worked closely with the conference organizers to bring a unique fun experience. We developed an Augmented Reality game called Kscope GO. - [It's Been 10 Years](https://theappslab.com/2017/06/01/its-been-10-years/) - Ten years ago, Paul posted a brief introduction to our team and our mission. He, Rich and I embarked on this journey in March 2007, soon to be joined by Anthony, and none of expected to be around as a team for more than 18 months max. Photo by Jeremiah Owyang But, here we are a - [Maker Faire 2017](https://theappslab.com/2017/06/01/maker-faire-2017/) - Introduction Another Maker Faire has come and gone, the 12th one already. Unlike last year, Oracle had a booth again at the Maker Faire, staffed by my colleagues and myself throughout the weekend, where we showed of some fun demos. Here are some impressions, both from reactions in our booth and from the grounds. The - [Developer Experience: How Do We Improve](https://theappslab.com/2017/04/05/developer-experience-how-do-we-improve/) - Introduction In the first part of this series I introduced the concept of Developer Experience and why I think it is important that we start investing more into improving the Developer Experience. In this part I will lay down some foundations on how this could be done. The pillars of DX Know your user (i.e. the developer) - [Developer Experience: What and Why](https://theappslab.com/2017/04/04/developer-experience-what-and-why/) - Introduction For the past 2 years I have been trying to raise awareness of the concept of Developer Experience (DX) both inside and outside Oracle. Over the next few days I will release a couple of blog posts delving deeper into this subject. This first post will concentrate on what DX is and why I feel it is - [Who Likes Me?](https://theappslab.com/2017/03/29/who-likes-me/) - In my previous entry, Fun with Facebook, I described how to pull data from Facebook's Graph API Explorer, organize it using NodeBox, and turn it into representations of friends, posts, and the "likes" that connect them. Here is the final result: The final "Who Likes Me?" poster The above image is a snapshot of a - [Fun With Facebook](https://theappslab.com/2017/03/28/fun-with-facebook/) - I am often surprised by which of my Facebook posts are the most liked and by who likes what. I wondered: are there any interesting patterns there? Could I visualize them? My next question (as always) was: could I get the data? Thanks to the rise of the API economy I could. Companies have discovered - [Guest Post: A Leap Motion Review](https://theappslab.com/2013/07/27/guest-post-a-leap-motion-review/) - Editor's note: Today, I present to you a detailed review of the recently released Leap Motion controller from one of my colleagues in Applications User Experience, John Cartan. You can read about John's design work and background on his personal website, which has been live since 1995. John's recent work has focused on design for - [The Narrative Clip](https://theappslab.com/2014/05/28/the-narrative-clip/) - Editor's note: Here's another post from friend of the 'Lab and colleague, John Cartan. When John reached out, offering a review of the Narrative Clip (neé Memento), I jumped at the opportunity to read and publish his thoughts, and not just because I value his insights. When Noel (@noelportugal) and I were in the Netherlands for - [Dear Julia: SmartWatch Habits and Preferences](https://theappslab.com/2015/01/13/dear-julia-smartwatch-habits-and-preferences/) - Julia's recent post about her experiences with the Samsung Gear watches triggered a lively conversation here at the AppsLab. I'm going to share my response here and sprinkle in some of Julia's replies. I'll also make a separate post about the interesting paper she referenced. Dear Julia, You embraced the idea of the smart watch as - [New Adventures in Virtual Reality](https://theappslab.com/2014/12/16/new-adventures-in-virtual-reality/) - Virtual Reality is making a comeback and the Apps Lab is experimenting. There are some interesting enterprise use cases, but significant challenges remain. - [Better Ways to Play and Try](https://theappslab.com/2015/07/28/better-ways-to-play-and-try/) - Fact 1: Dazzling animated displays (sprites, shaders, parallax, 3D) are more plentiful and easier to make than ever before. Fact 2: More natural and expressive forms of input (swiping, pinching, gesturing, talking) are being implemented and enhanced every day. Fact 3: Put these two together and the possible new forms of human computer interaction are - [Dowsing for Smarties](https://theappslab.com/2015/01/21/dowsing-for-smarties/) - Editor's note: John and Noel (@noelportugal) need to chat about Google's Physical Web gBeacons. I have been a tad skeptical about the usefulness of smart watches, but my colleague Julia Blyumen has changed my thinking. In her recent blog post, Julia noted that a smart watch could become both a detector and a universal remote - [Sweet Dreams at the EyeO Festival](https://theappslab.com/2015/06/10/sweet-dreams-at-the-eyeo-festival/) - I often tell people that you need both a left brain and a right brain to be a software designer: a left brain to analyze and understand, a right brain to dream and wonder. The EyeO Festival which Thao and I just attended in Minneapolis, was food for our right brains. EyeO is about the - [NodeBox](https://theappslab.com/2015/08/04/nodebox/) - In my previous post I argued that the hunt is on for a better way to code, a way more suited for a designer’s need to test new interactions. I said I wanted a process less like solving a Rubik's cube and more like throwing a pot. What does this actually mean? "I want to - [Controlling NodeBox from an Apple Watch](https://theappslab.com/2015/08/28/controlling-nodebox-from-an-apple-watch/) - We are always on the hunt for interesting new uses of the Apple Watch, so when my colleague Ben Bendig alerted me to AstroPad’s new iPhone/Apple Watch app, I downloaded it immediately. The app, AstroPad Mini, is intended to let you use your iPhone as a graphics tablet and controls Photoshop nicely right out of - [VR Skeptic: Immersion and Serendipity](https://theappslab.com/2016/01/09/vr-skeptic-immersion-and-serendipity/) - Look, I’m as fond of holodecks and the matrix as the next nerd. I was having queazy VR experiences back in 1994. That’s me just last month strapped into to a cheap plastic viewer, staring boldly into the future. I’ve been thinking and writing about virtual reality for over twenty years now. But are we - [VR Skeptic: Making VR Comfortable with Apple TV](https://theappslab.com/2016/03/22/vr-skeptic-making-vr-comfortable-with-apple-tv/) - We are still in the early days of virtual reality. Just as in the early days of manned flight, this is a time of experimentation. Current VR experiments resemble early manned flight experiments What do we wear on our heads? Helmets? Goggles? Contact lenses? Or do we simply walk into a cave or dome or - [VR Skeptic: 1994](https://theappslab.com/2016/01/09/vr-skeptic-1994/) - Here is a blast from the past: a letter I wrote to some friends back in 1994 about my very first VR experience. VR enjoyed a brief spin as the next big thing that year. Jaron Lanier had been featured in the second issue of Wired magazine and virtual reality arcades began to appear in - [Six Months with the iPad Pro](https://theappslab.com/2016/05/15/six-months-with-the-ipad-pro/) - My first session with the iPad Pro At first I was skeptical. I was perfectly happy with my iPad Air and the Pro seemed too big and too expensive. Six months later I wouldn't dream of going back. The iPad Pro has become my primary computing device. Does the Pro eliminate the need for a - [Ultra Subjective Space](https://theappslab.com/2016/07/14/ultra-subjective-space/) - Architects design space. A building is just a way to create spaces. Information architects at Oracle design relationships with abstract concepts. So far the main way we have to create visible spaces for our users is by projecting pixels onto glass screens. This may change someday. If the promise of virtual reality is ever achieved, - [GDC 2017: A Push toward Ethical & Accessible Alternate Realities](https://theappslab.com/2017/03/21/gdc-2017-a-push-toward-ethical-accessible-alternate-realities/) - Raymond and I were fortunate to attend the Game Developers Conference this year. Compared to the previous year, the crowds were calmer and new sessions and summits were added to accommodate growing interests in VR and UX. This year there seemed to be more focus on delivering (a) Inclusive and Accessible experiences as well as (b) - [Oracle Code Behind the Scenes](https://theappslab.com/2017/03/08/oracle-code-behind-the-scenes/) - The Oracle Code (@oracledevs) event series is going to 20 cities around the world, showcasing many Oracle Cloud Service offerings. Oracle Code coming to a city near you! The event at each city will have keynote sessions from various speakers, demo stations showing many of Oracle's Cloud services, a code lounge for developers to check out some "hardware" linked and - [Find Us at Oracle Code](https://theappslab.com/2017/02/28/find-us-at-oracle-code/) - Oracle Code (@oracledevs) begins tomorrow in San Francisco, and we'll be there. What is Oracle Code? Check out the video, which includes our Gadget Lab at HQ, robot arm demo, VR egg chair and Tony O giving a tour. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3gMnVrOyuU Specifically, Raymond (@yuhuaxie) and Mark (@mvilrokx) will be hosting IoT Workshops like they did during JavaOne and OpenWorld - [IoT Workshop Guide - part 2](https://theappslab.com/2016/09/14/iot-workshop-guide-part-2/) - In last post, we have setup development environment for coding and uploading scratches to NodeMCU, an IoT device. This post, we will upload and run two examples to demonstrate how IoT device sending data into Cloud and receiving commands from Cloud. You can find the source code and MQTT library requirement on github. 4. Architecture Diagram It - [Fun, Games and Work: Telepresence Robots](https://theappslab.com/2016/09/28/fun-games-and-work-telepresence-robots/) - Companies talk about “Gamification,” but the first time I felt like I was playing a game at work was driving our Double telepresence robot around the office floor, rolling down the hallway and poking into cubicles. With a few simple controls—forward, backward, left, and right—it took me back to the D-pad on my NES, trying - [Our Real Time Ambient Display at OpenWorld](https://theappslab.com/2016/09/30/our-real-time-ambient-display-at-openworld/) - One month before we entered the OAUX Exchange tent at OpenWorld, Jake (@jkuramot) challenged us to come up with a visualization "that would ambiently show data about the people in the space." A view of the OAUX Exchange Tent at OpenWorld 2016 Mark (@mvilrokx), Noel (@noelportugal) and I accepted the challenge. Mark put together the - [My Life as a (Telepresence) Robot](https://theappslab.com/2016/10/03/my-life-as-a-telepresence-robot/) - Left: Double 2. Right: Beam We have been quietly observing and evaluating our options before we finally decided to get a telepresence robot. Telepresence technology dates back to 1993 (Human Productivity Lab) and telepresence robots are not completely new. There is a growing array of telepresence robot options (see comparison) and the list is bound to get - [How I Attended Oracle OpenWorld 2016](https://theappslab.com/2016/10/10/how-i-attended-oracle-openworld-2016/) - OK, it wasn't me exactly. It was more like some of my software-based representatives. Hi, I'm Ed (@edhjones). And I'm not one of the AppsLab folks. But I'm always interested in the work they do, so I try to hang out with them whenever we're co-located. I was intrigued then when, a couple of months - [Real Time Ambient Display at OpenWorld: The Hardware](https://theappslab.com/2016/10/19/real-time-ambient-display-at-openworld-the-hardware/) - As John mentioned in his post, one of the projects I worked on for OOW16 was the devices to provide the data to his Ambient Display. Unlike previous years, where we record attendance and then produce a report a few days or weeks after OOW, Jake proposed that we'd somehow visualize the data in real-time and show it - [My First Oracle OpenWorld](https://theappslab.com/2016/10/18/my-first-oracle-openworld/) - This year I had the great opportunity to attend in person Oracle OpenWorld 2016 and JavaOne 2016. Since I was student, I heard how fantastic and big is this conference but you cannot realize it until you are in it. All San Francisco is taken by a bunch of personalities from all companies around the - [Real Time Ambient Display at OpenWorld: The Software (for the Hardware)](https://theappslab.com/2016/10/20/real-time-ambient-display-at-openworld-the-software-for-the-hardware/) - This is part 2 of my blog post series about the Ambient Visualization hardware (part 1). Also, please read John's post on details about the creation of the actual visualization, from concept to build. In the first part, I focused on the hardware, a sonar sensor connected to a NodeMCU. In this second part, the focal - [Mixed Reality Demo - The Physical Parts](https://theappslab.com/2016/10/31/mixed-reality-demo-the-physical-parts/) - I have been always intrigued by the fact that people get deeply attached to the characters in the game (e.g. Second Life), or virtual pets. And with sufficient advancement in technology, the virtual characters may eventually cross the boundary and get attached to real-life people (e.g. Sci-Fi movie such as "Her"). While that is still - [A Personal Assistant Technologies or PAT Hackathon](https://theappslab.com/2016/11/07/a-personal-assistant-technologies-or-pat-hackathon/) - When tech media started proclaiming 2016 as the year of the bots, they seem to have nailed it. At Oracle we have at least three groups working on bots, OAUX included. One of the latest forays into bots was a Personal Assistant Technologies (PAT) hackathon, organized by Laurie Pattison's (@lsptahoe) Apps UX Innovation Events team, open - [Trip to Black (W)holes](https://theappslab.com/2016/11/28/trip-to-black-wholes/) - Last week my kids’ school went on a field trip to the University of Santa Cruz to observe a black hole multimedia exhibition. We were invited there by Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, the astrophysicist and the fellow parent at the school. When Enrico is not busy pushing the frontiers of science (he is partial to violent explosions), - [Color Workshop at the Oracle Maker Faire](https://theappslab.com/2016/12/09/color-workshop-at-the-oracle-maker-faire/) - Workshop preparations For the last 6 years, each Friday, I have been bringing a mobile painting studio to my kids' school. Among other things, we work on what I call “color studies” - a set of formal exercises aimed to sharpen one's sense of color and develop painting skill, just like musical scales, chords and - [Pac-Man on a String](https://theappslab.com/2016/12/08/pac-man-on-a-string/) - Oracle hosted the first-ever company co-sponsored Maker Faire event on November 17, 2016. When I heard of the event, I had something in my mind that I would encourage a group of middle-schoolers to make a game for the event. I have been teaching them occasionally on Arduino, NodeMCU and MQTT concept over some weekends, - [Emotion Recognition at Oracle Maker Faire](https://theappslab.com/2016/12/21/emotion-recognition-at-oracle-maker-faire/) - Emotibot, an emotion sensing robot. A few weeks before the first ever Oracle sponsored Maker Faire, I was experimenting with some of the cognitive (vision) recognition APIs available. Google Vision API, Watson Visual Recognition and Microsoft Computer Vision API are some of the biggest players in this field right now. After testing all of them I found the - [Google Home Notifier (Google Home Push Notifications)](https://theappslab.com/2016/12/23/google-home-notifier/) - Working in an emerging technologies team has a lot of perks. One of them is to kick the tires of technologies that are about to become mainstream. It also has the somewhat fun privilege to gain interwebz bragging rights or the equivalent of the emblematic/annoying "first" comment that plagued the web forums just a few years - [Holiday Project, A DIY CNC Adventure](https://theappslab.com/2017/01/16/holiday-project-a-diy-cnc-adventure/) - This past holiday break, I have mostly stayed in the garage - setting up a CNC machine and cutting all the things that I deemed cuttable by it. Raymond is busy on CNC jobs Owning a CNC machine has been on my list for a long time, it is just out of my price range for a high - [An Oracle Partner Cloud Integration Hackathon in Sydney](https://theappslab.com/2017/01/24/an-oracle-partner-cloud-integration-hackathon-in-sydney/) - At the end of November, Laurie's (@lsptahoe) Apps UX Innovation Events team organized another fabulous hackathon, this time in collaboration with the Oracle Sydney Office. The goal of the hackathon was to integrate several Oracle Cloud Services and hack together an application built on top of those Cloud Services, using a toy or other device. The AppsLab was - [Some Video of Our Exploits](https://theappslab.com/2017/01/25/some-video-of-our-exploits/) - Lots going on here at the 'Lab as always, and now, I have video to prove it. First, a large of our daily routines now involve showing off our demos to visitor to the User Experience Cloud Labs at Oracle HQ. Our demos live in a space we affectionately call the Gadget Lab, and during - [RIP Oracle Connect](https://theappslab.com/2017/02/13/rip-oracle-connect/) - Blogging and long-form content seem so tedious to me nowadays, but if you've read here for a while, you'll recall that I used to post several times a week. One of the reasons I've kept this blog running in the era of ever-shorter content is that it keeps a historical record of this team's work and - [Art of Making](https://theappslab.com/2017/02/24/art-of-making/) - Art of Making I caught up the making virus from our engineers, and, jointly with a fellow parent, volunteered to teach an “Art of Making” seminar at my daughter’s school (my friend’s son came up with the title). Our hope was to bring STEM, art, and design thinking together. (I am supposed to represent art - [Oracle Volunteers and the Daily Minor Planet](https://theappslab.com/2016/08/11/oracle-volunteers-and-the-daily-minor-planet/) - "Supercharged Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks This Month" - as the very first edition of Daily Minor Planet brought us the news on August 4th, 2016. First edition of Daily Minor Planet Daily Minor Planet is a digital newspaper on asteroids and planetary systems. It features an asteroid that might fly by Earth for the day, or - [Selfies. Social. And Style: Smartwatch UX Trends](https://theappslab.com/2016/01/05/selfies-social-and-style-smartwatch-ux-trends/) - From Antiques to Apple “I don’t own a watch myself,” a great parting shot by Kevin of Timepiece Antique Clocks in the Liberties, Dublin. I had popped in one rainy day in November to discover more about clock making and to get an old school perspective on smartwatches. Kevin’s comment made sense. “Why would he - [Pokemon GO || Ramblings from a UX Perspective](https://theappslab.com/2016/07/26/pokemon-go-a-ux-perspective/) - Gym at Oracle HQ is currently being held by Team Valor. The gym switches hands on average 3x a day. Crowd at a park playing Pokemon. Most of us have been here for at least 2 hours. By now, I have played Pokemon GO for 2 weeks and have reached the coveted level 22. Pokemon - [BIAC Connected Communities, Connected Lives Hackathon](https://theappslab.com/2016/07/20/biac-connected-communities-connected-lives-hackathon/) - A couple weeks ago Noel (@noelportugal) and I were invited by the Oracle Apps UX Innovation Labs team to collaborate as technical mentors and judges in BIAC Connected Communities, Connected Lives hackathon. What would be the best place to hold a hackathon? Cancún. Beautiful weather, beautiful beach, Mexican food, what else could I ask for? This hackathon - [The AppsLab’s Latest Inter-State Adventure: A Site Visit to Micros](https://theappslab.com/2016/07/18/the-appslabs-latest-inter-state-adventure-a-site-visit-to-micros/) - Probably the best way to get to know your users is to watch them work, in their typical environment. That, and getting to talk to them right after observing them. It’s from that perspective that you can really see what works, what doesn’t, and what people don’t like. And this is exactly what we want - [Blast from the Past: Gesture-Controlled Robot Arm](https://theappslab.com/2016/07/17/blast-from-the-past-gesture-controlled-robot-arm/) - Hard to believe it's been nearly three years since we debuted the Leap Motion-controlled robot arm. Since then, it's been a mainstay demo for us, combining a bit of fun with the still-emergent interaction mechanism, gesture. Anthony (@anthonyslai) remains the master of the robot arm, and since we lost access to the original video, Noel - [The Nextbit Robin](https://theappslab.com/2016/07/14/the-nextbit-robin/) - For a couple of months, I’ve been using as my main phone the Nextbit Robin. A $299 Android phone that started as a campaign in Kickstarter, and it got 3,611 backers including Jake (@jkuramot). I previously had my Nexus 5, but over the time, Bluetooth stopped working and that was a good excuse to try this phone. - [From BI to AI: Whose Intelligence is Better?](https://theappslab.com/2016/07/12/from-bi-to-ai-whose-intelligence-is-better/) - Numbers are a property of the universe. Once Earthians figured that out, there was no stopping them. They went as far as the Moon. We use numbers in business and life. We measure, we look for oddities, we plan. We think of ourselves as rational. I, for one, like to look at the thermometer before deciding - [ODTUG Kscope16](https://theappslab.com/2016/07/05/odtug-kscope16/) - Just like last year, a few members (@jkuramot, @noelportugal, @YuhuaXie, Tony and myself) of @theappslab attended Kscope16 to run a Scavenger Hunt, speak and enjoy one of the premier events for Oracle developers. It was held in Chicago this time around, and here are my impressions. Lori and Tony Blues Since our Scavenger Hunt was quite a success the previous year, we were asked to run - [Twilio Signal Conference - All about Twilio](https://theappslab.com/2016/06/14/twilio-signal-conference-all-about-twilio/) - This year I attended the Twilio Signal Conference. Same as its first year, it was held in Pier 27, San Francisco. It was a 2-day action-packed conference with a keynote session in the morning and sessions after till 6 pm. The developer experience provided by the conference is superb comparing to a lot of other developer - [Twilio Signal Conference - Sessions](https://theappslab.com/2016/06/14/twilio-signal-conference-sessions/) - Lets dive to the Twilio sessions. The sessions are generally divided in the following 4 tracks: Learn See the latest progress in software and cloud communications, talk shop with Twilio engineers who developed them, and get in to the details on how to use the software. Inspire Hear from industry experts shaping the future of - [Twilio Signal Conference - $Bash night](https://theappslab.com/2016/06/14/twilio-signal-conference-bash-night/) - Twilio Signal Conference ended with an after-party called the $Bash night. Twilio set up booths with geeky games like programming, program debugging, computer building etc.. They also had a foosball table for 16 people. I think it is one of the nicest parties for geeks I attended so far. It was a fun night with - [Maker Faire 2016](https://theappslab.com/2016/05/25/maker-faire-2016/) - Another year, another amazing at the Maker Faire. I’ve attended my fair share of Maker Faires these years, so the pyrotechnic sculptures, 3D printing masterpieces, and handmade artisan marketplaces were of no particular surprise. But somehow, every time I come around to the San Mateo fairgrounds, the Faire can’t help but be so aggressively fresh, crazy, - [Oracle’s Fashion Technology Makers: Soldering, Sewing, and Storytelling](https://theappslab.com/2016/05/24/oracles-fashion-technology-makers-soldering-sewing-and-storytelling/) - Many hands make light (emitting diodes) work. Oracle Applications User Experience (OAUX) gets down to designing fashion technology (#fashtech) solutions in a fun maker event with a serious research and learning intent. OAUX Senior Director and resident part-time fashion blogger, Ultan "Gucci Translated" O’Broin (@ultan), reports from the Redwood City runway. Fashion and Technology: What’s - [Visit Our Gadget Lab Virtually over the Web](https://theappslab.com/2016/03/28/visit-our-gadget-lab-virtually-over-the-web/) - This is 2016, and seems this is the year for VR. Of course, we at the AppsLab can't miss the beat! While Osvaldo (@vaini11a) started to look into Unity based VR capability and prototype, I wanted to take a look into the WebVR based approach. The prospect of delivering VR experience in a browser, and over - [The Digital Hotel Key](https://theappslab.com/2016/05/20/the-digital-hotel-key/) - Generally, I'm not in favor of consolidating important stuff onto my phone, e.g. credit cards, etc. because if I lose my phone, I'll lose all that stuff too. However, I've been waiting to try out a digital hotel key, i.e. using my phone to unlock my hotel room. Only a few hotels and hotel chains have - [Fun Project from Australia, Anki Overdrive Plus Oracle Cloud Services](https://theappslab.com/2016/05/16/fun-project-from-australia-anki-overdrive-plus-oracle-cloud-services/) - Editor's Note: In February while we were in Australia, I had the pleasure to meet Stuart Coggins (@ozcoggs) and Scott Newman (@lamdadsn). They told me about a sweet Anki Overdrive cars plus Oracle Cloud Services hack Stuart and some colleagues did for Pausefest 2016 in Melbourne. Last week, Stuart sent over a more detailed video of the - [The April That Was and Our Plans for May and June](https://theappslab.com/2016/05/13/the-april-that-was-and-our-plans-for-may-and-june/) - Hi there, remember me? Wow, April was a busy month for us, and looking ahead, it's getting busy again. Busy is good, and also good, is the emergence of new voices here at the 'Lab. They've done a great job holding down the fort. Since my last post in late March, you've heard from Raymond - [Samsung Developers Conference 2016: A More Connected Future](https://theappslab.com/2016/05/03/samsung-developers-conference-2016-a-more-connected-future/) - After a whirlwind day at Modern CX, I hurried my way back up to San Francisco for the last day of the Samsung Developers Conference 2016. The morning started out exciting with a giveaway gift of the Samsung Gear 360 Camera. https://twitter.com/iheartthannie/status/726221300444721152 Raymond (@yuhuaxie) took a bunch of photos with it and found it very - [Samsung Developers Conference 2016: A Developer's Perspective](https://theappslab.com/2016/05/06/samsung-developers-conference-2016-a-developers-perspective/) - Last week several of my colleagues and myself had the privilege of attending the Samsung Developers Conference (SDC) in San Francisco. It was the 5th time Samsung organized a developers conference in San Francisco but only the first time I attended, although some in our party were present previous times so I had some idea of what to - [Samsung Developer Conference: VR and More](https://theappslab.com/2016/05/04/samsung-developer-conference-vr-and-more/) - VR was the big thing at the Samsung Developer Conference, and one of the points that got driven across, both in the keynotes and in other talks throughout the day, was that VR is a fundamentally new medium—something we haven’t seen since the motion picture. Injong Rhee, the executive VP of R&D for Software and - [Modern CX 2016](https://theappslab.com/2016/05/01/modern-cx-2016/) - Last week, we were back in Las Vegas again for Oracle Modern Customer Experience Conference! Instead of talking to customers and partners, we had the honor of chatting with UNLV Lee graduate students (@lbsunlv) and getting their feedback on how we envision the future of work, customers experience, marketing and data security. We started off with - [VR Research at OBUG](https://theappslab.com/2016/04/24/vr-research-at-obug/) - As part of our push to do more international research, I hopped over to Europe to show some customers VR and gather their impressions and thoughts on use cases. This time it was at OBUG, the Oracle Benelux User Group, which was held in Arnhem, a refreshing city along the Rhine. Given that VR is - [COLLABORATE16: Bots & Virtual Reality](https://theappslab.com/2016/04/19/collaborate16-bots-virtual-reality/) - Last week, Ben (@goldenmean1618) and I were in Las Vegas for COLLABORATE. We ran two studies which focuses on two trending topics in tech: bots and virtual reality! Bot Focus Group https://twitter.com/theappslab/status/719960373080641536 Our timing for the bot study was perfect! The morning we were to run our focus group on bots in the workplace, Facebook - [SXSWi Recap](https://theappslab.com/2016/03/30/sxswi-recap/) - Austin, beautiful city with a river crossing downtown, music niche, young population, cycling, brisket and the home of SXSW, a big multicultural conference for all tastes; Film, Interactive and Music. This was my first time attending the conference but Noel (@noelportugal), is a year-to-year attendee. It's well known that this conference is not only a - [Have Fun out There](https://theappslab.com/2016/03/25/have-fun-out-there/) - Yesterday, I talked, in part, about how we can, if we choose, work all the time, from the moment we open our eyes, until we close them for sleep. So today's as good a Friday as any to remind you to balance all that work with some fun. We here at the AppsLab are big - [How We Go Through Our Day](https://theappslab.com/2016/03/24/how-we-go-through-our-day/) - Earlier this month, our strategy and roadmap eBook was released. In it, you'll find all the whys, wherefores, whats and hows that drive the Simplicity-Mobility-Extensibility design philosophy we follow for Oracle Cloud Applications. The eBook is free, as in beer, and it's a great resource if you find yourself wondering why we do what we - [GDC 2016 - Part 2: The State of VR](https://theappslab.com/2016/03/23/gdc-2016-part-2-the-state-of-vr/) - VR is big and is going to be really big for the game industry, and you could feel it in the air at the GDC 2016. For the first time, GDC added two days of VR development-focused events and sessions, and most of VR sessions were packed - the lines to the VR sessions were long, even 30 minutes - [GDC 2016 - Part 1: Event and Impression](https://theappslab.com/2016/03/22/gdc-2016-part-1-event-and-impression/) - Tawny (@iheartthannie) and I attended the 30th Edition of GDC - Game Developers Conference. As shown in the Tawny’s daily posts, there were lots of fun events, engaging demos, and interesting sessions, that we simply could not cover them all. With 10 to 30 sessions going on at any time slots, I wished to have - [New Content on Our Oracle.com Page](https://theappslab.com/2016/03/21/new-content-on-our-oracle-com-page/) - Back in September, our little team got a big boost when we launched official content under the official Oracle.com banner. I've been doing this job for various different organizations at Oracle for nine years now, and we've always existed on the fringe. So, having our own home for content within the Oracle.com world is a major - [GDC16 Day 5: The Good, The Bad, The Weird (Last Day)](https://theappslab.com/2016/03/18/gdc16-day-5-the-good-the-bad-the-weird-last-day/) - When I first came to GDC, I didn’t know what to expect. I was delightfully surprised to use my first gender neutral restroom. The restroom had urinals and toilet seats. There was no fuss other than others who were standing to take a picture of the sign above. It felt surreal using the restroom next - [GDC16 Day 4: Demos & Player Motivations](https://theappslab.com/2016/03/17/gdc-day-4-more-fun-user-research-data/) - It’s official. All demos are booked for the week. Anyone not on the list is subjected to the standby line. I was lucky enough to score a 5:30pm demo for Bullet Train at the NVIDIA booth early this morning. When I walked by the line late in the evening, I found out that a lady - [GDC16 Day 1: Daily Round Up](https://theappslab.com/2016/03/14/gdc-day-1-daily-round-up/) - Hello everyone! I wrapped up the first day at the Games Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco! It’s the first Monday after daylight savings so a morning cup of joe in Moscone West was a welcomed sight! First Thoughts Wow! All of the VR sessions were very popular and crowded. In the morning, I was - [GDC16 Day 2: Highlights & Trends](https://theappslab.com/2016/03/15/gdc-day-2-highlights-trends/) - Just like yesterday, the VR sessions were very popular. Even with the change to bigger rooms, lines for popular VR talks would start at least 20 minutes before the session started. The longest line I was in snaked up and down the hallway at least 4 times. The wait was well worth it though! Today - [GDC16 Day 3: Another Day of Fun & Data!](https://theappslab.com/2016/03/16/gdc-day-3-another-day-of-fun-data/) - Early morning view of the GDC16 Expo Hall. The Expo opened today and will be open until the end of Friday! There was a lot to see and do! I managed to explore 1/3 of the space. Walking in, we have the GDC Store to the left and the main floor below the stairs. Upon - [The Anki Overdrive Car Project](https://theappslab.com/2016/03/07/the-anki-overdrive-car-project/) - At the end of 2015, our team was wrapping up projects that would be shown at the main Oracle conference, Oracle OpenWorld. As with every OOW, we like to come up with a fun project that shows attendees our spirit of innovation by building cool projects within Oracle. The team was thinking about building something cool with kids' racetracks. We all were collectively in charge of - [Is the Mi Band the Harbinger of Affordable #fashtech?](https://theappslab.com/2016/03/01/is-the-mi-band-the-harbinger-of-affordable-fashtech/) - So, here's a new thing I've noticed lately, customizable wearables, specifically the Xiaomi Mi Band (#MiBand), which is cheap and completely extensible. This happens to be Ultan's (@ultan) new fitness band of choice, and coincidentally, Christina's (@ChrisKolOrcl) as well. Although both are members of Oracle Applications User Experience (@usableapps), neither knew the other was wearing - [IoT Hackathon: Team Waterlytics' Entry - Part 2/2](https://theappslab.com/2016/02/24/iot-hackathon-team-waterlytics-entry-part-22/) - Editor's note: Our team participated in many of the Summer of Innovation events held by Laurie (@lsptahoe) and her team. Here's Part 2 of Mark's (@mvilrokx) project from the IoT Hackathon held at Oracle HQ, July 30-31. Enjoy. After all the prep work for the IoT hackaton where we agreed on our use case and settled on the hardware we would be - [A Wonderful Week in Australia](https://theappslab.com/2016/02/23/a-wonderful-week-in-australia/) - 2016 has been a whirlwind so far, and February kept up the pace. Here's a quick rundown of what we've been doing. As we did last year, OAUX made a trip to APAC again this year to meet partners, customers and Oracle people, show our Expo of goodies and talk simplicity-mobility-extensibility, Glance, Scan, Commit and our - [Put Glance on It](https://theappslab.com/2016/02/05/put-glance-on-it/) - Because I live in Portland, I'm often asked if "Portlandia" is accurate. It is, mostly, and so it seems appropriate to channel an early episode to talk about Glance, our wearables framework. Actually, Glance has grown beyond wearables to support cars and other devices, the latest of which is Noel's (@noelportugal) gadget du jour, the LaMetric Time (@smartatoms). - [Come Visit the OAUX Gadget Lab](https://theappslab.com/2016/02/04/come-visit-the-oaux-gadget-lab/) - In September 2014, Oracle Applications User Experience (@usableapps) opened a brand new lab that showcases Oracle's Cloud Applications, specifically the many innovations that our organization has made to and around Cloud Applications in the past handful of year. We call it the Cloud User Experience Lab, or affectionately, the Cloud Lab. Our team has several - [The MagicBand](https://theappslab.com/2016/02/03/the-magic-band/) - Editor's note: Here's the first post from our new-ish researcher, Tawny. She joined us back in September, just in time for OpenWorld. After her trip to Disney World, she talked eagerly about the MagicBand experience, and if you read here, you know I'm a fan of Disney's innovative spirit. Enjoy. Planning a Disney World trip - [SafeDrop - Part 2: Function and Benefits](https://theappslab.com/2016/01/25/safedrop-part-2-function-and-benefits/) - SafeDrop is a secure box for receiving a physical package delivery, without the need of recipient to be present. If you recall, it was my team's project at the AT&T Developer Summit Hackathon earlier this month. SafeDrop is implemented with Intel Edison board at its core, coordinating various peripheral devices to produce a secure receiving product, - [My Joyful Consumption of Data](https://theappslab.com/2016/01/21/my-joyful-consumption-of-data/) - I love data, always have. To feed this love and to compile data sets for my quantified self research, I recently added the Netatmo Weather Station to the other nifty devices that monitor and quantify my everyday life, including Fitbit Aria, Automatic and Nest. I've been meaning to restart my fitness data collection too, after spending most of - [Any Port in a Storm: Novel Ways of Interacting with Our Devices](https://theappslab.com/2016/01/20/any-port-in-a-storm-novel-ways-of-interacting-with-our-devices/) - With smartwatches, sometimes your fingers just aren’t good enough for the task at hand. Fortunately, some ingenious users have found a suitable alternative for when those digits just won’t do: their nose. That thing sticking out from your face is enough like a fingertip to act as one in situations where your hands might be - [Seven Days with the Xiaomi Mi Band: A Model of Simple Wearable Tech UX for Business](https://theappslab.com/2016/01/18/seven-days-with-the-xiaomi-mi-band-a-model-of-simple-wearable-tech-ux-for-business/) - Worn Out With Wearables That well-worn maxim about keeping it simple, stupid (KISS) now applies as much to wearable tech (see what I did there?) user experience as it does to mobile or web apps. The challenge is to keep on keeping “it” simple as product managers and nervous C-types push for more bells and - [2016 AT&T Developer Summit Hackathon: SafeDrop](https://theappslab.com/2016/01/15/2016-att-developer-summit-hackathon-safedrop/) - It has become tradition now for us, AppsLab, the OAUX emerging technologies team, that the first thing in a New Year is to fly to Las Vegas, not solely testing our luck on the casino floor (though some guys did get lucky), but also attending to the real business--participating in the AT&T Developer Summit Hackathon to build - [The Time I Ran Out of Gas](https://theappslab.com/2016/01/06/the-time-i-ran-out-of-gas/) - Before Christmas, I ran out of gas for the first time. All things considered, I was very lucky. It was just me in the car, and the engine died in a covered parking structure, in a remote corner with few cars. Plus, it was the middle of the day, during the week before Christmas, so not - [AppsLab Research in 2015](https://theappslab.com/2016/01/04/appslab-research-in-2015/) - As we exit 2015 and enter 2016, I’m reflecting on all that happened in AppsLab and looking forward to the future. Our 2015 research spanned the spectrum - from attitudinal to behavioral, domestic to international, controlled to ad hoc, low to high tech, and many more research tactics. I won’t bore you with stats and - [My Weekend with Apple Watch](https://theappslab.com/2015/05/04/my-weekend-with-apple-watch/) - Editor's note: Here's our first Apple Watch review from Thao (@thaobnguyen), our head of research and design. Look for a companion review taken from Noel (@noelportugal) later this week. Thanks, Apple! I got an Apple Watch (38mm) delivered on Friday, April 24. The Watch packaging, quite different than the Watch Sport packaging. Full disclosure, I’m a - [OpenWorld 2015 Highlights](https://theappslab.com/2015/11/19/openworld-2015-highlights/) - It's been nearly three weeks, and I'm finally getting around to sharing the highlights of our OpenWorld 2015. Enjoy. Keynotes Last year, Steve Miranda showed some of our project work in his keynote. This year, our Glance framework on the Apple Watch, made an appearance in Larry Ellison's first keynote in a video showcasing the evolution - [A Smart Badge for a Smart Office](https://theappslab.com/2015/11/09/a-smart-badge-for-a-smart-office/) - Editor's note: Maybe you got a chance to check out our IoT Smart Office demo at the OAUX Exchange during OpenWorld. If not, don't fret, we'll describe its many cool bits here, beginning with this post from Raymond (@yuhuaxie) on his smart badge build. A Smart Office needs an equally smart badge. We showcased the Smart - [The Glance Framework on Android Auto](https://theappslab.com/2015/10/20/the-glance-framework-on-android-auto/) - A while back, I told you about Glance, a framework for wearables and other devices. Quick history review, Glance was born out of our frustration with rebuilding basic Oracle Cloud Applications notification functionality each time a hot new wearable device dropped, e.g. Google Glass, Pebble, Android Wear, etc. So, by the time the Apple Watch launched, - [Connect All the Things: An IoT Nerf Gun - Part 2: The Software](https://theappslab.com/2015/10/22/connect-all-the-things-an-iot-nerf-gun-part-2-the-software/) - Introduction In the first part of this series, I showed you how to mod a Nerf gun so it can connect to the internet, and you can electronically trigger it. In this second part, I will show you some software I created to actually remotely control the Nerf gun over the internet using various input devices. - [Connect All the Things: An IoT Nerf Gun](https://theappslab.com/2015/10/21/connect-all-the-things-an-iot-nerf-gun/) - Introduction As part of my foray into the Internet of Things (IoT) I was looking for a project I could sink my teeth in because I find it easier to learn something by doing it rather than just reading about it. It just happened to be that at JavaOne this year they will have a - [See the IoT Nerf Gun at JavaOne](https://theappslab.com/2015/10/14/see-the-iot-nerf-gun-at-javaone/) - So, Mark (@mvilrokx) built a internet-connected Nerf gun, so that happened. If you read here, you'll have seen the early stages of the build. Heading into JavaOne (@javaoneconf), where he'll be giving a talk, Mark wanted to build something cool to show. Look for a technical post from him soon. The short version is that he - [Go on a Quest at Oracle OpenWorld and JavaOne](https://theappslab.com/2015/10/13/go-on-a-quest-at-oracle-openworld-and-javaone/) - The Scavenger Hunt we ran at Kscope15 was a huge success. The players had fun, the game was mostly bug-free and our gracious hosts, ODTUG (@odtug), were happy. The Hunt went so well that we've been asked by the OTN (@oracleotn) to run a similar game at this year's Oracle OpenWorld (@oracleopenworld) and JavaOne (@javaoneconf). I can't - [A ShipIt at Oracle’s Mexico Development Center](https://theappslab.com/2015/10/06/a-shipit-at-oracles-mexico-development-center/) - Editor's note: Our team participated in many of the Summer of Innovation events held by Laurie (@lsptahoe) and her team. Here's a report from Luis (@lsgaleana) on the Mexico Development Center (MDC) ShipIt held in mid-August. Enjoy. Oracle Mexico Development Center (MDC) has grown to bring together some 700 employees, and it continues to grow weekly. However, there is - [IoT Hackathon: Team Waterlytics' Entry - Part 1/2](https://theappslab.com/2015/10/05/iot-hackathon-team-waterlytics-entry-part-12/) - Editor's note: Our team participated in many of the Summer of Innovation events held by Laurie (@lsptahoe) and her team. Here's Part 1 of Mark's (@mvilrokx) project from the IoT Hackathon held at Oracle HQ, July 30-31. Enjoy. Last week I participated in the IoT Hackathon at HQ which is part of "The Summer of Innovation," a series of events - [On the Necessity of Flight](https://theappslab.com/2015/10/02/on-the-necessity-of-flight/) - Editor's note: Our team participated in many of the Summer of Innovation events held by Laurie (@lsptahoe) and her team. Here's a recap of the IoT Hackathon held at Oracle HQ, July 30-31. Enjoy. "The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees, The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas..." - [Another Home for Our Stuff](https://theappslab.com/2015/09/29/another-home-for-our-stuff/) - I’m very pleased to announce that our colleague and friend Kathy recently pushed live a page on oracle.com under the OAUX section, dedicated to our Emerging Technologies team and our work. Our new home, circa 2015. Big moment for us. I feel like a made guy. Don't worry. This little blog will continue to be our - [An IoT Hackathon in Utrecht](https://theappslab.com/2015/09/28/an-iot-hackathon-in-utrecht/) - I recently attended a hackaton in Utrecht organized by Laurie Pattison (@lsptahoe) and her team as part of their "Summer of Innovation" series. The theme was Internet of Things (IoT) and this marked the first time that they organized a hackathon specifically for an outside partner, eProseed. All the previous hackathons were internal Oracle events. Initially - [Android Users, You Need Vysor](https://theappslab.com/2015/09/18/android-users-you-need-vysor/) - Despite the amount of iOS and Apple Watch chatter here lately, we still have a dedicated Android user base on the team, including me. If you read here, you'll know that projecting an Android device screen to an audience has always been important for us, and usually we have more than one screen to project. Over - [Celebrating 5 Years in Oracle's Mexico Development Center](https://theappslab.com/2015/09/17/celebrating-5-years-in-oracles-mexico-development-center/) - Editor's note: If you read here, you might recall that we have dos hermanos en Guadalajara, Luis (@lsgaleana) y Osvaldo (@vaini11a). Last month, the Mexico Development Center (MDC) celebrated its fifth anniversary. Here's to many more. Reposted from VoX. By Sarahi Mireles, (@sarahimireles), Oracle Applications User Experience (@usableapps) As you may know, Oracle has a couple - [Reducing Friction with Amazon Prime Now](https://theappslab.com/2015/09/09/reducing-friction-with-amazon-prime-now/) - A couple days after Noel (@noelportugal) wrote about reducing user friction, I got a chance to try one of Amazon's latest friction-reducing services, Amazon Prime Now. The likes of Webvan pioneered grocery delivery back in the dot com days, and fun fact, Amazon owns and continues to operate what is left of Webvan. In those halcyon - [The Basis Peak: Take a #selfie. See How Exercise Changes You](https://theappslab.com/2015/09/07/the-basis-peak-take-a-selfie-see-how-exercise-changes-you/) - Editor's Note: Reposted from Ultan's (@ultan) Tumblr, a great read. Ultan knows his fitness (and fashion), so his rousing endorsement of the Peak is legit. Read my impressions of the Basis Peak for more. Since I wore it last, Basis has updated the watch's firmware to add some pretty cool features. Enjoy. “You’ve been running! Take - [Four Weeks with the Garmin Vivosmart](https://theappslab.com/2015/09/03/four-weeks-with-the-garmin-vivosmart/) - The Year of Data continues for me, and yesterday, I finished a four-week relationship with the Garmin Vivosmart. I use relationship purposefully here because if you use a wearable to track fitness and sleep, you're wearing it a lot, and it actually becomes a little friend (or enemy) that's almost always with you. Wearables are - [OAUX Emerging Technologies in Profit Magazine](https://theappslab.com/2015/09/01/oaux-emerging-technologies-in-profit-magazine/) - The August 2015 edition of Profit Magazine (@OracleProfit) includes a nice piece called "The Explorers" highlighting the work of our team and that of JD Edwards Labs. This article is nice companion piece to our strategic approach to emerging technologies and how we apply the "Glance, Scan, Commit" design philosophy to our work. I'm honored to be quoted in - [Emerging Technologies and the 'Glance, Scan, Commit' Design Philosophy](https://theappslab.com/2015/08/31/emerging-technologies-and-the-glance-scan-commit-design-philosophy/) - Cross-posted from VoX. Behind the Oracle user experience goals of designing for simplicity, mobility, and extensibility is a core design philosophy guiding the Oracle Applications User Experience (OAUX) team’s work in emerging technologies: “Glance, Scan, Commit.” It nicely boils down a mountain of research and a design experience that shapes the concepts you can see from - [Amazon Dash -- It's Dinner Time!](https://theappslab.com/2015/08/28/amazon-dash-its-dinner-time/) - Yesterday I received an Amazon Dash for ordering IZZE juice. I think it is a great device, not that I would order tons of IZZE from Amazon, but at $5 it has wifi module + a micro controller + a LED light + a battery + nice enclosure, and it's usually in deep sleep which - [Intel Compute Stick: Nowhere and Back Again](https://theappslab.com/2015/08/28/intel-compute-stick-nowhere-and-back-again/) - The Intel Compute Stick provides a full desktop experience in an ultra-portable HDMI dongle form factor. It’s like Google Chromecast, but an entire PC instead of just a web browser. I tested both the $150 Windows 8 version and the new $110 Ubuntu version. The Intel Compute Stick (L) alongside an apple product (R). TAP - [New Adventures with Raspberry Pi](https://theappslab.com/2015/08/18/new-adventures-with-raspberry-pi/) - If you read here, you'll recall that Noel (@noelportugal) and I have been supporters of the Raspberry Pi for a long time, Noel on the build side, many, many times, me on the talking-about-how-cool-and-useful-it-is side. And we've been spreading the love through internal hackdays and lots of projects. So, yeah, we love us some Raspi. The little - [Summer Projects and a Celebration](https://theappslab.com/2015/08/27/summer-projects-and-a-celebration/) - If you follow us on Twitter (@theappslab) or on Facebook, you've seen some of the Summer projects coming together. If not, here's a recap of some of the tinkering going on in OAUX Emerging Technologies land. Mark (@mvilrokx) caught the IoT bug from Noel (@noelportugal), and he's been busy destroying and rebuilding a Nerf gun, - [Get a Look at the Future Oracle Cloud User Experience at Oracle OpenWorld 2015](https://theappslab.com/2015/08/18/get-a-look-at-the-future-oracle-cloud-user-experience-at-oracle-openworld-2015/) - Here's the first of many OpenWorld-related posts, this one cross-posted from our colleagues and friends at VoX, the Voice of Experience for Oracle Cloud Applications. Enjoy. Are you all set for Oracle OpenWorld 2015 (@oracleopenworld)? Even if you think you're already booked for the event, you'll want to squeeze in a chance to experience the future of - [What Kids Tell Us about Touch and Voice](https://theappslab.com/2015/08/14/what-kids-tell-us-about-touch-and-voice/) - Recently, my four year-old daughter and her little bestie were fiddling with someone's iPhone. I'm not sure which parent had sacrificed the device for our collective sanity. Anyway, they were talking to Siri. Her bestie was putting Siri through its paces, and my daughter asked for a joke, because that's her main question for Alexa, - [Biohacking, Here Come the Cyborgs](https://theappslab.com/2015/08/11/biohacking-here-come-the-cyborgs/) - For me, 2015 has been the year of the quantified self. I've been tracking my activity using various wearables: Nike+ Fuelband, Basis Peak, Jawbone UP24, Fitbit Surge, and currently, Garmin Vivosmart. I just set up Automatic to track my driving; check out Ben's review for details. I couldn't attend QS15, but luckily, Thao (@thaobnguyen) and Ben went - [Jeremy and Noel Talk IoT at Kscope15](https://theappslab.com/2015/08/10/jeremy-and-noel-talk-iot-at-kscope15/) - By now, you know all about the Scavenger Hunt we ran a Kscope15 in partnership with our good friends at ODTUG and YCC. Noel (@noelportugal) talked about the technical bits in a post last week, and today, ODTUG posted an interview featuring our fearless leader, Jeremy Ashley (@jrwashley), and Noel from the conference wherein they talk about Internet - [Guerrilla Testing at OHUG](https://theappslab.com/2015/08/10/guerrilla-testing-at-ohug/) - The Apple Watch came out, and we had a lot of questions: What do people want to do on it? What do they expect to be able to do on it? What are they worried about? And more importantly, what are they excited about? But we had a problem—we wanted to ask a lot of - [Royal High School Students Visit Oracle](https://theappslab.com/2015/08/06/royal-high-school-students-visit-oracle/) - Last week a group of high school students from Royal High School visited Oracle Headquarters in Redwood Shores, California. Royal High School, a public school in Simi Valley, California, is launching an International Business Pathway program. This program is part of California's Career Pathways Trust (CCPT), which was established in 2013 by the California State Legislature - [Usability of Text Analytics](https://theappslab.com/2015/08/05/usability-of-text-analytics/) - User experience design as a career fell largely on the era of GUI. Thus most people in my profession are visual thinkers if not by birth than by experience. When it comes to presenting information, we think visualization. Times are changing, and with that we are challenged to present information verbally. This is where text - [Four Weeks with Nothing on My Wrist](https://theappslab.com/2015/07/22/four-weeks-with-nothing-on-my-wrist/) - After wearing the Fitbit Surge for seven weeks, I developed an ugly skin rash. So, I took a break and let my skin breathe for a while. I'm all better now, thanks for asking. For most of the year, I've been test-driving various fitness bands and super watches and journaling my impressions here as one man's research. After - [That Time I Killed My Phone](https://theappslab.com/2015/07/21/that-time-i-killed-my-phone/) - I don't particularly like protective cases for phones because they ruin the industrial design aesthetics of the device. Here at the 'Lab, we've had spirited debates about cases or not, dating back the original team and continuing to our current team. I am not careful with phones, and the death of my Nexus 5, which I've - [The Pen is Mightier with the User’s Experience](https://theappslab.com/2015/07/15/the-pen-is-mightier-with-the-users-experience/) - If you’re involved in enterprise user experience (UX) it will come as no surprise that the humble pen and paper remains in widespread use for everyday business. Sales reps, for example, are forever quickly scribbling down opportunity info. HR pros use them widely. Accountants? Check. At most meetings you will find both pen and paper - [On Oracle Corporate Citizenship](https://theappslab.com/2015/07/14/on-oracle-corporate-citizenship/) - Yesterday, our entire organization, Oracle Applications User Experience (@usableapps) got a treat. We learned about Oracle's corporate citizenship from Colleen Cassity, Executive Director of the Oracle Education Foundation (OEF). I'm familiar with Oracle's philanthropic endeavors, but only vaguely so. I've used the corporate giving match, but beyond that, this was all new information. During her presentation, - [More Kscope15 Impressions](https://theappslab.com/2015/07/08/more-kscope15-impressions/) - Kscope15 (#kscope15) was hosted at Diplomat resort along beautiful Hollywood Beach, and the Scavenger Hunt from OAUX AppsLab infused a hint of fun and excitement between the packed, busy, and serious sessions. The Scavenger Hunt was quite a comprehensive system for people to win points in various ways, and keep track of events, points and a leaderboard. And - [Lots of OAUX Updates](https://theappslab.com/2015/07/07/lots-of-oaux-updates/) - While I spent June wrapping up conference season at OHUG and Kscope, Ultan (@ultan), Misha (@mishavaughan) and company (@usableapps) have been busily publishing content. This here is a wrap-up of that content, but let's be honest. If you like OAUX content, you really should follow the official blogs of OAUX: Usable Apps in the Cloud, VoX, user experience assistance: - [Kscope15 Impressions](https://theappslab.com/2015/07/06/kscope15-impressions/) - As per Jake's post, we got to spend a few days in Florida to support the Scavenger Hunt that we created for the Kscope15 conference. Since it ran pretty smoothly, we were able to attend a few sessions and mingle with the attendees and speakers, here are my impressions of the event. This was my - [Seven Weeks with the Fitbit Surge](https://theappslab.com/2015/07/02/seven-weeks-with-the-fitbit-surge/) - As my wearables odyssey continues, it's time to document my time with the Fitbit Surge. I ended up wearing the Surge a lot longer than I'd worn the Nike+ Fuelband, the Basis Peak and the Jawbone UP24 because June was a busy month, and I didn't have time to switch. For comparison's sake, I suggest you read - [Four Weeks and a Day with the Jawbone UP24](https://theappslab.com/2015/05/13/four-weeks-and-a-day-with-the-jawbone-up24/) - After three weeks with the Nike+ Fuelband and four weeks with the Basis Peak, I moved on to the Jawbone UP24. The UP24 has been out for quite a while now. Back in January 2014, Noel (@noelportugal) and Luis (@lsgaleana) did cursory evaluation, and not much has changed in the Jawbone lineup since then. At least, - [The Week That Was Kscope15](https://theappslab.com/2015/06/30/the-week-that-was-kscope15/) - Noel (@noelportugal), Raymond (@yuhuaxie), Mark (@mvilrokx) and I traveled to sunny Hollywood, Florida last week to attend Kscope15 (#kscope15), the annual conference of the Oracle Development Tools User Group (@odtug). Check out some highlights of our week. If you read here, you probably know that this year, Noel had cooked up something new and different - [QS15: Measurement with Meaning](https://theappslab.com/2015/06/28/qs15-measurement-with-meaning/) - Walking into something as a newcomer is always an adventure of reality interacting with expectations. Though I wasn’t quite sure what to expect at the Quantified Self conference, it wasn’t what I expected. But in a good way. Tweet-painting robot at QS15 The conference was structured around three main activities: talks given on the main - [More About Me at QS15](https://theappslab.com/2015/06/27/more-about-me-at-qs15/) - I always thought of myself as a control freak, Type A, self-aware (flaws and all) person but then I attended the Quantified Self Conference last week in San Francisco. Image from QS15 There is so much more one can do to learn about one's self. The possibilities are endless on what I can quantify (measure - [Mid-June Roundup](https://theappslab.com/2015/06/16/mid-june-roundup/) - A busy June is half over now, but we still have miles to go before July. We've been busy, which you know if you read here. Raymond went to Boston. Tony, Thao (@thaobnguyen), Ben and I were in Las Vegas at OHUG 15. John and Thao were in Minneapolis the week before that. Oh, and Anthony was - [A Framework for Wearables, Glance](https://theappslab.com/2015/06/12/a-framework-for-wearables-glance/) - Not long ago, Ultan (@ultan) wrote about our framework for wearable, and other, devices. We're calling it Glance to reflect the OAUX glance-scan-commit design philosophy. Noel (@noelportugal) produced a video highlighting Glance on several smartwatches as well as in the car, on Android Auto. It's pretty sweet. Check it out: Glance has been in the works for more - [Some Wearable Tech Glances Beat Others](https://theappslab.com/2015/06/12/some-wearable-tech-glances-beat-others/) - This idea of the glanceable user experience of wearable technology is now everywhere. They're all at it. Testing out the Apple Watch in Oracle HQ’s Fitness Center spin class. On the road is another matter. There is the OG Misfit Wearables Shine, Apple’s Glances, and of our course the Oracle Applications Cloud User Experience (@usableapps) - [Asteroid Explorer Launched](https://theappslab.com/2015/06/10/asteroid-explorer-launched/) - On Monday, we launched Asteroid Explorer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Jeremy (@jrwashley), DJ, Kris Robison and I attended the launch event, which you can watch here. My part of the presentation begins at 36:36. This event was the culmination of NASA's Asteroid Hackathon event back in October. Remember that? Here's the event abstract: Abstract: In - [Google I/O 2015 & User Experience](https://theappslab.com/2015/06/03/google-io-with-user-experience/) - Google I/O 2015 has just ended. There are lots of aspects regarding to Google I/O. Lets have a taste of it from the user experience perspective. There are lots of features announced in Google I/O, and you may find a lot of focus have been around user experience this year. First, for the pre-show, there were planets and - [Busy Times Are Afoot](https://theappslab.com/2015/05/27/busy-times-are-afoot/) - Lots going on here in AppsLab land and in Oracle Applications User Experience (@usableapps). This here is a recap post. Showing the Oracle Applications User Experience Roadmap to Oracle's Asia Partners At the beginning of May, Anthony (@anthonyslai) and Raymond joined a large contingent of the OAUX team in an two-stop tour of Asia. The - [Nymi Band Impressions](https://theappslab.com/2015/05/26/nymi-band-impressions/) - Editor's note: Here's the first post from Osvaldo Villagrana (@vaini11a), one of our AppsLab Mexico team members. Enjoy. During last week I’ve been playing with Nymi Discovery Kit I got back in our AT&T hackathon participation, and here are my impressions as a developer for Nymi SDK point of view and as a user. For - [IoT Hackathon Field Report: Mexico Edition](https://theappslab.com/2015/05/25/iot-hackathon-field-report-mexico-edition/) - I recently ventured down to Mexico to participate in an Internet of Things (IoT) hackathon organized by Laurie Pattison's (@lsptahoe) Apps UX Innovation Events team with some of my fellow AppsLab members, Luis Galeana, Tony Orciuoli, and Osvaldo Villagrana. Being the lone non-developer, I wasn’t sure how much I would be able to contribute—but I had - [Another Take on Twilio Signal 2015](https://theappslab.com/2015/05/22/another-take-on-twilio-signal-2015/) - Editor's note: Mark (@mvilrokx) and Raymond are at it again. Earlier in the week, they each provided a take on last weekend's Bay Are Maker Faire, and this week, they both attended Twilio's (@twilio) first developer conference, Signal. Mark's take is here; now, it's Raymond's turn. Enjoy. Twilio is no stranger to us at AppsLab. - [Design Time @ Run Time: Apple Watch Put Through Its Paces in Beijing](https://theappslab.com/2015/05/18/design-time-run-time-apple-watch-put-through-its-paces-in-beijing/) - Observations on UX research and road-testing wearable tech in the wild. The vehicle for today’s message is Ultan O’Broin (@usableapps), taking advantage of Oracle Applications User Experience events and outreach to evaluate the fitness and health option on the Apple Watch—and to continue his Fitbit Surge exploration—this time in China. The Watch Ethnography (say what?) - [Twilio Signal Conference 2015](https://theappslab.com/2015/05/22/twilio-signal-conference-2015/) - Editor's note: If you read here, you know we heart Twilio, especially Noel (@noelportugal). Remember the Rock 'em Sock 'em robot build? This week, Twilio (@twilio) held its first Signal conference and Raymond and I were there to see what's new in the world of web enabled communications and the likes. For those of you not - [Another Take on Maker Faire 2015](https://theappslab.com/2015/05/20/another-take-on-maker-faire-2015/) - Editor's note: Here's another Maker Faire 2015 post, this one from Raymond. Check out Mark's (@mvilrokx) recap too for AppsLab completeness. I went to the Maker Faire 2015 Bay Area show over the weekend. A lot of similarity to last year, but a few new things. In place of our spot last year, it was HP-Sprout - [Maker Faire 2015](https://theappslab.com/2015/05/19/maker-faire-2015/) - This weekend the 10th Annual Maker Faire Bay Area took place in my backyard and rather than fighting traffic for 2 days with the +130,000 attendees I decided, as I have for the last 9 years, to join them. Unlike last year, Oracle had no presence at the Maker Faire itself, so I had plenty - [Drone, Data X Conference – Trip Report](https://theappslab.com/2015/05/05/drone-data-x-conference-trip-report/) - Let me start by saying that there were kids in the audience of the Drones, Data X Conference held this past weekend in Santa Cruz, something I have not seen at any other tech conference. I thought it was pretty cool. At the end, I found there was a reason for kids to be there. - [When Less Is More](https://theappslab.com/2015/04/28/when-less-is-more/) - Editor's note: Let's take a break from all the Apple Watch frenzy. Breathe. And now enjoy a post from Julia, interaction designer extraordinaire, about her favorite wearable. She knows her stuff, having lived with a couple of the early smartwatches for long more than a year. Among all the smart watch hype, one smart watch stays on - [More Apple Watch-ness from Oracle Social Network](https://theappslab.com/2015/04/29/more-apple-watch-ness-from-oracle-social-network/) - And now back to the Apple Watch content. If you've read here for a while, you might remember we used to be part of the WebCenter development team, and we worked with Oracle Social Network, affectionately OSN. We even ran a developer challenge for OSN at OpenWorld back in 2012. Yesterday, longtime friend of the - [The Apple Watch Arrives](https://theappslab.com/2015/04/26/the-apple-watch-arrives/) - Ho hum, Apple released a Watch on Friday. I haven't see this kind of nerd frenzy since Google Glass finally reached its first Explorers. The Watch has transcended nerd-only fandom to reach regular people's consciousness too, e.g. when I wore the Basis Peak, several people asked if it was *the* Watch. Well, Noel (@noelportugal) and - [OAUX Emerging Technologies RD&D Strategy](https://theappslab.com/2015/04/16/oaux-emerging-technologies-rdd-strategy/) - Speaking of strategies, Misha (@mishavaughan) asked me to write up an article--not a post, there's a difference--describing how this team goes about its business, i.e. researching, designing and developing solutions for the emerging technologies that will affect our users in the near and not-so-near future. You can, and should, read the resulting article over at the - [Are We Ready for the Apple Watch?](https://theappslab.com/2015/04/13/are-we-ready-for-the-apple-watch/) - So, apparently Apple is launching a watch soon, which has people asking us, i.e. Oracle Applications User Experience (@usableapps), what our strategy is for the watch of watches. If you read here, you probably already know we've been looking at smart watches, super watches, and wearables of all kinds for a few years. So, the strategy is already in - [Cool Machines: RU 800-S Rail Refresher](https://theappslab.com/2015/04/09/cool-machines-ru-800-s-rail-refresher/) - The kid in me loves this behemoth so very much, h/t to Kottke. This rail refresher is a Swietelsky RU 800-S. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02pWbr9bgbA There are lots of videos showing this dream machine at work. - [Four Weeks with the Basis Peak](https://theappslab.com/2015/04/09/four-weeks-with-the-basis-peak/) - Right after I finished wearing the Nike+ Fuelband for three weeks, I moved straight on to another wearable device, the Basis Peak. The Peak falls into a category Ultan (@ultan, @usableapps) calls the "super watch," a term that nicely differentiates watches like the Peak (and the Fitbit Surge) from fitness bands (e.g. Jawbone UP24, Nike+ Fuelband, - [The Fitbit Surge: Watching Where the Super Watch Puck Goes](https://theappslab.com/2015/04/06/the-fitbit-surge-watching-where-the-super-watch-puck-goes/) - Editor's note: Here's a review of the Fitbit Surge from Ultan (@ultan, @usableapps); if anyone can road-test a fitness tracker, it's him. As luck would have it, the Surge is on my list of wearables to test as well. So, watch this space for a comparison review from a much less active person. Enjoy. I’ve upgraded - [Conference Recaps and Such](https://theappslab.com/2015/03/27/conference-recaps-and-such/) - I'm currently in Washington D.C. at Oracle HCM World. It's been a busy conference; on Wednesday, Thao and Ben ran a brainstorming session on wearables as part of the HCM product strategy council's day of activities. Then yesterday, the dynamic duo ran a focus group around emerging technologies and their impact on HCM, specifically wearables and Internet - [OAUX Tidbits](https://theappslab.com/2015/03/18/oaux-tidbits/) - Here come some rapid fire tidbits about upcoming and recently past Oracle Applications User Experience (@usableapps) events. Events of the Near Past Laurie Pattison's (@lsptahoe) team (@InnovateOracle) has been organizing events focused around stimulating and fostering innovation for quite some time now. I've always been a big fan of group-think-and-work exercises, e.g. design jams, hackathons, ShipIts, - [Time to Update the Feed](https://theappslab.com/2015/03/19/time-to-update-the-feed/) - For those of you who enjoy our content via the feed (thank you), I have news. Next week, I'll be changing the feed's name, so if you want to continue to receive AppsLab goodness in your feed reader of choice or in your inbox, you'll need to come back here and subscribe again. Or maybe it's - [Three Weeks with the Nike+ Fuelband SE](https://theappslab.com/2015/03/11/three-weeks-with-the-nike-fuelband-se/) - I don't like wearing stuff on my wrist, but in my ongoing quest to learn more about the wearables our users wear, I have embarked on a journey. For science! And for better living through math, a.k.a. the quantified self. And because I'll be at HCM World later this month talking about wearables, and because wearables - [Development on Windows 8.1 Phone and Tablet](https://theappslab.com/2015/03/09/development-on-windows-8-1-phone-and-tablet/) - This is a follow up to my previous post ("Where are the Mobile Windows Devices?") in which I gave my initial impressions of mobile windows devices. As part of our assessment of these devices we also developed a few apps and this post details how that went. Getting Started Windows Phone 8.1 applications have to - [Where are the Mobile Windows Devices?](https://theappslab.com/2015/03/09/where-are-the-mobile-windows-devices/) - That was one of the questions one of the Oracle's Executives asked when we presented our new Cloud UX Lab. The short answer was that there were none. As far as I am aware, we never did any testing of any of our prototypes and applications on Windows Phones or tablets because, frankly, we thought it didn't - [Automatic: Nice, but Not Necessary](https://theappslab.com/2015/02/20/automatic-nice-but-not-necessary/) - Editor's note: Here's the first post from one of our newish team members, Ben. Ben is a usability engineer with a PhD in Cognitive Psychology, and by his own account, he's also a below average driver. Those two factoids are not necessarily related; I just don't know what his likes and dislikes are so I'm spit-balling. - [Fun with an Android Wear Watch](https://theappslab.com/2015/02/03/fun-with-an-android-wear-watch/) - A couple days ago, I was preparing to show some development work Luis (@lsgaleana) did for Android Wear using the Samsung Gear Live. One of the interesting problems we've encountered lately is projecting our device work onto larger screens to show to an audience. I know, bit of a first world problem, which is why I said - [Stories Are the Best, Plus News on Nest!](https://theappslab.com/2015/01/28/stories-are-the-best-plus-news-on-nest/) - Friend of the 'Lab, Kathy, has been using Storify for a while now to compile easy-to-consume, erm, stories about the exploits of Oracle Applications User Experience (@usableapps). You might remember Storify from past stories such as the In the U.K.: Special events and Apps 14 with UKOUG and Our OpenWorld 2014 Journey. Anyway, Kathy has a new - [BusinessTown](https://theappslab.com/2015/01/23/businesstown/) - Maybe you remember Busytown, Richard Scarry's famous town, from your childhood or from reading it to your kids. Tony Ruth has created the Silicon Valley equivalent, BusinessTown, (h/t The Verge) populated by the archetypes we all know and sometimes love. What do the inhabitants of BusinessTown do? "What Value-Creating Winners Do All Day," natch. Who's up - [Mash up Oracle Cloud Application Web Services with Web APIs and HTML5 APIs](https://theappslab.com/2015/01/22/mash-up-oracle-cloud-application-web-services-with-web-apis-and-html5-apis/) - No more an "honorary" but now a full-blown member of the AppsLab team, I gave a presentation at the Chicago & Dubai Oracle Usability Advisory Board in November on REST and Web APIs and how they can facilitate the transition from on-premise software to cloud-based solutions (the content of which can be fodder for a future post). As we all - [An Interaction Designer's Perspective: Samsung Gear vs. Samsung Gear Live](https://theappslab.com/2015/01/12/an-interaction-designers-perspective-samsung-gear-vs-samsung-gear-live/) - Editor's note: In January of 2014, our team held a wearables summit of sorts, test-driving five popular watches, fitness bands and head-mounted displays to collect experiential evidence of each form factor, initial experience, device software and ecosystem and development capabilities. Julia drew the original Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch, and she's been using it ever since. A few - [Here Are Your First Links of 2015](https://theappslab.com/2015/01/07/here-are-your-first-links-of-2015/) - Our team has been busy since the New Year, competing in the AT&T Developer Summit hackathon, which is Noel's (@noelportugal) Everest, i.e. he tries to climb it every year, see 2013 and 2014. If you follow our Twitter (@theappslab) or Facebook page, you might have seen the teaser. If not, here it is: Image courtesy - [Another Echo Hack from Noel](https://theappslab.com/2015/01/06/another-echo-hack-from-noel/) - Noel (@noelportugal) spent a lot of time during his holidays geeking out with his latest toy, Amazon Echo. Check out his initial review and his lights hack. For a guy whose name means Christmas, seems it was a logical leap to use Alexa to control his Christmas tree lights too. Let's take a minute to shame Noel - [Chromecast Guest Mode Rules](https://theappslab.com/2015/01/05/chromecast-guest-mode-rules/) - If you read here regularly, you'll know I'm a huge fan of the Google Chromecast. It's helped me cut the cable, I gave it as a Christmas gift two years in a row (to different people), I have several in my home, and I carry one in my laptop bag to stream content on the - [Noel's Amazon Echo Hack](https://theappslab.com/2015/01/05/noels-amazon-echo-hack/) - Noel (@noelportugal) is one of a handful of early adopters to get his hands on the Amazon Echo, Amazon's in-home personal assistant, and being the curious, hacker that he is, of course he used an unpublished API to bend Alexa, that's the Echo's personality, to his will. Video, because it happened: And look, Noel's hack got picked - [Our Week at UKOUG](https://theappslab.com/2014/12/26/our-week-at-ukoug/) - Earlier this month, Noel (@noelportugal) and I (@joybot12) represented the AppsLab crew at the UKOUG Apps 14 and Tech 14 conferences in Liverpool. I conducted customer feedback sessions with users who fit the "c-level executive" user profile, to collect feedback on some of our new interactive data visualizations. Unfortunately, I can't share any of these design concepts just - [Magical Links for a Tuesday in December](https://theappslab.com/2014/12/02/magical-links-for-a-tuesday-in-december/) - It's difficult to make a link post seem interesting. Anyway, I have some nuggets from the Applications User Experience desk plus bonus robot video because it's Tuesday. Back to Basics. Helping You Phrase that Alta UI versus UX Question Always entertaining bloke and longtime Friend of the 'Lab, Ultan (@ultan) answers a question we get a - [About Proofs and Stories, in 4 Parts](https://theappslab.com/2014/12/01/about-proofs-and-stories-in-4-parts/) - Editor's note: Here's another new post from a new team member. Shortly after the 'Lab expanded to include research and design, I attended a workshop on visualizations hosted by a couple of our new team members, Joyce, John and Julia. The event was excellent. John and Julia have done an enormous amount of critical thinking - [Happy Thanksgiving](https://theappslab.com/2014/11/26/happy-thanksgiving/) - Editor's note: Here's a first post from one of our new team members, Thao Nguyen (@thaobnguyen), who runs our Emerging Interactions team, the Research and Design part of the R, D & D. That last D is Development if that's unclear. Anyway, like Thao says, Happy Thanksgiving for those who celebrate it, and for those who don't - [Look What We Made](https://theappslab.com/2014/11/20/look-what-we-made/) - As a team-building activity for our newly merged team of research, design and development, someone, who probably wishes to remain nameless, organized a glass mosaic and welding extravaganza at The Crucible in Oakland. We split into two teams, one MIG welding, the other glass breaking, and here's the result. Original image, glass before firing. Finished - [From Concept to Code](https://theappslab.com/2014/11/20/from-concept-to-code/) - Editor's note: Here's a repost of a wonderful write-up of an event we did a couple weeks ago, courtesy of Friend of the 'Lab Karen Scipi (@KarenScipi). What Karen doesn't mention is that she organized, managed and ran the event herself. Additional props to Ultan (@ultan) on the idea side, including the naming, Sandra Lee (@SandraLee0415) - [The Cloud UX Lab](https://theappslab.com/2014/11/10/the-cloud-ux-lab/) - There's a post over on VoX about a OAUX new lab at Oracle HQ, the Cloud UX Lab. Jeremy Ashley, VP, in the new lab, image used with permission. Finished just before OOW in September, this lab is a showcase for OAUX projects, including a few of ours. The lab reminds me of a spacecraft from - [Pseudo-Philosophical Observations on Wearables, Part 1](https://theappslab.com/2014/11/05/pseudo-philosophical-observations-on-wearables-part-1/) - Jawbone announced the Up3 today, reportedly its most advanced fitness tracker to date. As with all fitness trackers, the Up3 has an accelerometer, but it also has sensors for measuring skin and ambient temperature, as well as something called bioimpedence. As these data collected by the Up3 are used by a new feature called Smart Coach. You - [Google Glass, Android Wear, and Apple Watch](https://theappslab.com/2014/10/28/google-glass-android-wear-and-apple-watch/) - I have both the Google Glass and Android Wear (Samsung Gear Live, Moto 360), and often times I wear them together. People always come up with a question: “How do you compare Google Glass and Android watches?” Let me address couple of the view points here. I would like to talk about Apple Watch, but - [Glorious Data Visualizations for Your Friday](https://theappslab.com/2014/10/24/glorious-data-visualizations-for-your-friday/) - If you've read here for more than a hot minute, you'll know that I love me some data visualization. This love affair dates back to when Paul (@ppedrazzi) pointed me to Hans Rosling's (@hansrosling) first TED talk. I'm sure Hans has inspired an enormous city of people by now, judging by the 8 million plus - [Mind Control?](https://theappslab.com/2014/10/13/mind-control/) - Editor's note: Hey look, a new author. Here's the first post from Raymond Xie, who joined us nearly a year ago. You may remember him from such concept demos as geo-fencing or Pebble watchface. Raymond has been busy at work and wants to share the work he did with telekinesis. Or something, you decide. Enjoy. - [Here We Grow Again](https://theappslab.com/2014/10/13/here-we-grow-again/) - Cheesy title aside, the AppsLab (@theappslab) is growing again, and this time, we're branching out into new territory. As part of the Oracle Applications User Experience (@usableapps) team, we regularly work with interaction designers, information architects and researchers, all of whom are pivotal to ensuring that what we build is what users want. Makes sense, right? - [Did You See Our Work in Steve Miranda's Keynote?](https://theappslab.com/2014/10/10/did-you-see-our-work-in-steve-mirandas-keynote/) - Last week at OpenWorld, a few of our projects were featured in Steve Miranda's (@stevenrmiranda) keynote session. Jeremy (@jrwashley) tweeted the evidence. Debra (@debralilley) noticed too. I wasn't able to attend the keynote, so I found out thanks to the Usable Apps (@usableapps) Storify, which chronicled "Our OpenWorld 2014 Journey." And today, I finally got - [Oracle OpenWorld and JavaOne 2014 Cometh](https://theappslab.com/2014/09/22/oracle-openworld-and-javaone-2014-cometh/) - This time next week, we'll be in the thick of the Oracle super-conference, the combination of Oracle OpenWorld and JavaOne. This year, our team and our larger organization, Oracle Applications User Experience, will have precisely a metric ton of activities during the week. For the first time, our team will be doing stuff at JavaOne too. Anthony (@anthonyslai) - [Our Very Own Wearable](https://theappslab.com/2014/09/17/our-very-own-wearable/) - Noel (@noelportugal) and Raymond have been hard at work building a custom wearable, a.k.a. the secret OpenWorld project. The finished product is ready for a closeup. This slideshow requires JavaScript. The components are: AppsLab Slapbands from Amazing Wristbands (@AMZG_Wristbands) LightBlue Beans from Punch Through Design (@punchthrough) 3D-printed cases, designed by Friend of the 'Lab Rob, printed by - [Autonomous Quadcopters Playing Some Catch](https://theappslab.com/2014/09/17/autonomous-quadcopters-playing-some-catch/) - Tony went to a talk by Salim Ismail (@salimismail), the Founding Executive Director of Singularity University recently. He may/may not post his thoughts on the talk, which sounds fascinating, but this video is worth sharing either way, and not just because we have quadcopter fever. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp89tTDxXuI Yeah, that's autonomous flight, So refer to the list of horrifying - [Filler or Curated Content?](https://theappslab.com/2014/09/17/filler-or-curated-content/) - I consider these types of posts to be filler, but I suppose you could look at it as curated content or something highbrow like that. Take your pick. 10 Horrifying Technologies That Should Never Be Allowed I scanned this post first, thought it would be interesting and left it to read later. Then I read it, - [Wearables Should be Stylish](https://theappslab.com/2014/09/09/wearables-should-be-stylish/) - To no one's surprise, Apple announced the Apple Watch today. Very apropos because I just read Sandra Lee's (@SandraLee0415) post over on Usable Apps about fashionable tech, one of Ultan's (@ultan) main talking points about wearables. Ultan, our wearables whisperer, has style and flair; if you've ever met him, you know this. His (and Sandra's) - [Context in UX - What It Is, What It Isn't, and Why It's Important](https://theappslab.com/2014/09/01/context-in-ux-what-it-is-what-it-isnt-and-why-its-important-2/) - Copyright@2012 Bill Kraus, All rights reserved. Our location is relentlessly tracked by our mobile devices. Our online transactions - both business and social - are recorded and stored in the cloud. And reams of biometric data will soon be collected by wearables. Mining this contextual data offers a significant opportunity to enhance the state of - [On Disney Parks, Data Science, Drones and Wearables](https://theappslab.com/2014/09/05/on-disney-parks-data-science-drones-and-wearables/) - As the parent of a toddler, I have no choice but to pay attention to Disney and its myriad of products and services. Case in point, this Summer we took our daughter to Disneyland for the first time, which was a whole thing. Pause to h/t Disneyland expert, Friend of the 'Lab and colleague Kathy for - [Behold: The Simplified UI Rapid Development Kit](https://theappslab.com/2014/09/03/behold-the-simplified-ui-rapid-development-kit/) - Editor's note: The recent release of the Oracle Applications Cloud Simplified User Interface Rapid Development Kit represents the culmination of a lot of hard work from a lot of people. The kit was built, in large part, by Friend of the 'Lab, Rafa Belloni (@rafabelloni), and although I tried to get him to write up some firsthand - [Personal Assistant or Creepy Stalker? The Rise of Cognitive Computing](https://theappslab.com/2014/08/20/12031/) - I just got back to my hotel room after attending the first of a two day Cognitive Computing Forum, a conference running in parallel to the Semantic Technology (SemTech) Business Conference and the NoSQL Conference here in San Jose. Although the forum attracts less attendees and has only a single track, I cannot remember attending - [More First World Problems](https://theappslab.com/2014/08/18/more-first-world-problems/) - I've been traveling a lot lately, which is bad. I've been consuming a lot of in-flight wifi, which is good, because there really should be no place on Earth where I'm unable to work. Plus, it's internets at 35,000 feet. How cool is that? Today, I found myself in the throes of a decidedly first world - [Quadcopters and the Internet of Things](https://theappslab.com/2014/08/17/quadcopters-and-the-internet-of-things/) - Low tech attachment of a 808 keychain camera to the underside of a Syma X1 quadcopter. Editor's note: Hey a new author! Here's the first one, of many I hope, from Bill Kraus, who joined us back in February. Enjoy. One of the best aspects of working in the emerging technologies team here in Oracle's UX Apps group is - [The Secret Project Emerges](https://theappslab.com/2014/08/15/the-secret-project-emerges/) - Noel (@noelportugal) and Raymond have been working on a secret project. Here's the latest: Thanks to AUX colleague and Friend of the 'Lab, Rob Hernandez, for the 3D modeling. So now you know why Noel bought the slap bands, but what goes in the case? If you've been watching, you might know already. LightBlue Beans - [Oracle Voice Debuts on the App Store](https://theappslab.com/2014/08/11/oracle-voice-debuts-on-the-app-store/) - Editor's note: I meant to blog about this today, but looks like my colleagues over at VoX have beat me to it. So, rather than try to do a better job, read do any work at all, I'll just repost it. Free content w00t! Although I no longer carry an iOS device, I've seen Voice - [We Have Slap Bands](https://theappslab.com/2014/08/08/we-have-slap-bands/) - As part of a secret project Noel (@noelportugal) and Raymond are cooking up, Noel ordered some AppsLab-branded slap bands. The bands were produced by Amazing Wristbands (@AMZG_Wristbands), and Noel has nothing but good things to say about them, in case you're looking for your own slap bands. Anyway, I'm sure we'll have some left over after - [A Smart Holster for Law Enforcement](https://theappslab.com/2014/07/24/a-smart-holster-for-law-enforcement/) - So, back in January, Noel (@noelportugal) took a team of developers to the AT&T Developer Summit Hackathon in Las Vegas. Although they didn't win, the built some very cool stuff, combining Google Glass, Philips Hue, Internet of Things, and possibly a kitchen sink in there somewhere, into what can only be described as a smart holster. - [So, a Researcher and Six Developers Join a Coding Challenge](https://theappslab.com/2014/07/16/so-a-researcher-and-six-developers-join-a-hackathon/) - Editor's Note: Hey, a new author! Colleague and Friend of the 'Lab, Joyce Ohgi, a principal usability researcher here at Oracle Applications User Experience, joined several of our guys and tall man, all-around good dude and Friend of the 'Lab, Rafa Belloni (@rafabelloni), to form a super-powered team last week. This is her story, as told from the inside. - [Taleo Interview Evaluations, Part 2](https://theappslab.com/2014/07/03/taleo-interview-evaluations-part-2/) - So, if you read Part 1, you're all up to speed. If not, no worries. You might be a bit lost, but if you care, you can bounce over and come back for the thrilling conclusion. I first showed the Taleo Interview Evaluation Glass app and Android app at a Taleo and HCM Cloud customer expo - [Taleo Interview Evaluations, Part 1](https://theappslab.com/2014/07/02/taleo-interview-evaluations-part-1/) - Time to share a new concept demo, built earlier this Spring by Raymond and Anthony (@anthonyslai), both of whom are ex-Taleo. Back in April, I got my first exposure to Taleo during a sales call. I was there with the AUX contingent, talking about Oracle HCM Cloud Release 8, featuring Simplified UI, our overall design philosophies - [I Guess Wearables Are a Thing](https://theappslab.com/2014/06/20/i-guess-wearables-are-a-thing/) - For what seems like ages, the noise around wearable technology has been building, but until recently, I've been skeptical about widespread adoption. Not anymore, wearables are a thing, even without an Apple device to lead the way. Last week, Noel (@noelportugal) and I attended the annual conference of the Oracle HCM Users Group (@ohugupdates); the - [Fourfecta! Java, IoT, Making and Raspi](https://theappslab.com/2014/06/18/fourfecta-java-iot-making-and-raspi/) - Here comes more Maker content for your reading pleasure, this time it's an OTN piece on Java and the Internet of Things: A Perfect Match: Java and the Internet of Things The piece features lots of Noel (@noelportugal) wisdom, on making, on IoT, on the Raspi and on Java, his own personal fourfecta. If you're scanning - [Find Us at Kscope14 Next Week in Seattle](https://theappslab.com/2014/06/17/find-us-at-kscope14-next-week-in-seattle/) - Kscope14 (#kscope14), the annual conference of the Oracle Development Tools User Group, affectionately ODTUG (@odtug), will happen next week in beautiful Seattle, June 22 to June 26. The good people at ODTUG have graciously invited me back as a speaker for the 2014 vintage, and Anthony (@anthonyslai) will be my wingman for our session, Oracle Cloud - [Maker Movement Fuels the Internet of Things](https://theappslab.com/2014/06/16/maker-movement-fuels-the-internet-of-things/) - The Java Team recently released a short video compiling selected moments from last month's MakerCon and Maker Faire. If you recall, we were lucky to be invited to participate in both events, both of which were tons of fun, enlightening and inspiring. At 0:33 you'll see the some of the guys hamming it up for the - [Google Glass and First World Problems](https://theappslab.com/2014/06/16/google-glass-and-first-world-problems/) - If you have Google Glass, you've probably seen this card a few times. After a while, you begin to expect the card when your right temple starts to get uncomfortably warm. Apparently, Anthony (@anthonyslai), our resident Glass expert and long-time Glass Explorer, has a protip to handle this problem, two cans of cold soda. Ultan's (@ultan) - [The Qualcomm Toq](https://theappslab.com/2014/05/29/the-qualcomm-toq/) - Editor's Note: Here's a post from newish 'Lab member, Tony. Enjoy, and maybe if you're nice in comments, he'll write more. Or not, we won't know until we know. The ideas flying, crawling, walking, and slithering around us in the sunny windy San Francisco Bay setting made for an enjoyable, educational, and truly inspirational experience. - [AppsLab at the Maker Faire](https://theappslab.com/2014/05/19/appslab-at-the-maker-faire/) - Last week was Maker Week for us, and the culmination was the Maker Faire over the weekend. This was my first Maker Faire, and wow was it an absolute blast. I highly recommend taking in one of their events if there's one in your town. Perhaps the best attribute of the Maker Faire is that - [The Misfit Shine](https://theappslab.com/2014/05/27/the-misfit-shine/) - Over the past 12 months, the chatter about wearables (glasses, watches, bands, clothing, material) has become too loud to ignore. It almost seems like manufacturers will force consumers to like wearables, like it or not. There are good uses for wearables, and one of the most common is the fitness tracker. Although I haven't worn one - [Saying Wearables in Spanish](https://theappslab.com/2014/05/23/saying-wearables-in-spanish/) - Friend of the 'Lab, Bob Rhubart (@otnarchbeat) recently recorded a segment with our own Noel (@noelportugal) and Sarahi Mireles (@sarahimireles), a UX developer from our Mexico Development Center. The topic was wearables, but I only know this because they told me. Google Translate wasn't very helpful, unless "Manos libres y vista al frente: Con el - [Whereable is the Killer Wearable Translation Use Case? Glass, Word Lens and UX](https://theappslab.com/2014/05/21/whereable-is-the-killer-wearable-translation-use-cases-glass-word-lens-and-ux/) - Editor's note: Here comes a guest post from our old pal and colleague, Ultan O'Broin (@ultan). You can read more of his thoughts and musing at User Experience Assistance and Not Lost in Translation. Enjoy. Whereable is the Killer Wearable Translation Use Cases? Glass, Word Lens and UX By Ultan O'Broin I just can’t escape the - [Raspi Shutdown Key](https://theappslab.com/2014/05/20/raspi-shutdown-key/) - Noel (@noelportugal) is a clever dude. He's also passionate. If you've ever met him, you already know these things. Although I haven't yet jumped into Raspberry Pi, despite Noel's unbridled passion about the little-computer-that-could, I have captured some metadata about it, just from being around him and his passion. For example, I know the Raspi - [Randomly Humorous Correlations](https://theappslab.com/2014/05/16/randomly-humorous-correlations/) - Love this so much, Tyler Vigen's Spurious Correlations, randomly compares data sets and creates correlations. Frequently, hilarity ensues. Like The Onion, I'm sure its "findings" will be misrepresented as serious news soon. h/t Flowing Data - [Tweets from Jeremy's MakerCon Keynote](https://theappslab.com/2014/05/15/tweets-from-jeremys-makercon-keynote/) - Yesterday, our fearless leader, Jeremy Ashley (@jrwashley), gave a keynote at MakerCon. Unfortunately, I had to miss it, but the guys reported a positive reaction. Noel (@noelportugal) pointed me to tweets for rapid reaction. Here's a sample: Yeah, I cherry-picked, but you can read the reactions yourself if you don't believe me. The keynote was recorded, - [OK Google, Where's My Car?](https://theappslab.com/2014/05/15/ok-google-wheres-my-car/) - Google Now recently added a Parking Location card to help you solve the classic dude-where's-my-car problem. According to The Verge: The company's Google Now assistant will now recognize when you've left a moving vehicle and automatically keep track of your car's last location. There's no magic happening here: Google does all of this using your - [A Week with the Amazon Fire TV](https://theappslab.com/2014/05/14/a-week-with-the-amazon-fire-tv/) - 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 - [The Nymi Nears Production](https://theappslab.com/2014/05/13/the-nymi-nears-production/) - 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 - [Miscellaneous Cool Stuff](https://theappslab.com/2014/05/12/miscellaneous-cool-stuff/) - 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 - [It's Almost Maker Week](https://theappslab.com/2014/05/08/its-almost-maker-week/) - 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 - [Projecting Multiple Android Device Screens](https://theappslab.com/2014/05/09/projecting-multiple-android-device-screens/) - 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 - [What's New with You?](https://theappslab.com/2014/03/26/whats-new-with-you/) - 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. - [Enjoy the Android Apps of AppsLab](https://theappslab.com/2014/03/07/enjoy-the-android-apps-of-appslab/) - 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 - [Take a Mobile Strategy Survey](https://theappslab.com/2014/03/06/take-a-mobile-strategy-survey/) - 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 - [The Catch-22 of Emergency Alerts](https://theappslab.com/2014/03/04/the-catch-22-of-emergency-alerts/) - 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 - [A Raspberry Pi Hackday](https://theappslab.com/2014/02/21/a-raspberry-pi-hackday/) - 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 - [New Robot Arm Hotness](https://theappslab.com/2014/02/19/new-robot-arm-hotness/) - 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 - [Good Idea: Walking Meetings](https://theappslab.com/2014/02/18/good-idea-walking-meetings/) - 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 - [A Man, A Plan, A Collaborative Period Close](https://theappslab.com/2014/02/17/a-man-a-plan-a-collaborative-period-close/) - 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 - [A Roadtrip to Amsterdam](https://theappslab.com/2014/02/04/a-roadtrip-to-amsterdam/) - 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 - [Noel Has a Lot of Toys](https://theappslab.com/2014/01/15/noel-has-a-lot-of-toys/) - For some reason, Noel (@noelportugal) posted a picture of his IoT gadget inventory. Click to embiggen. - [Home Automation for Christmas](https://theappslab.com/2014/01/15/home-automation-for-christmas/) - 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 - [Hot Oracle Applications User Experience News](https://theappslab.com/2013/12/11/hot-oracle-applications-user-experience-news/) - 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 - [Four Months with Chromecast](https://theappslab.com/2013/12/06/four-months-with-chromecast/) - 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 - [Some Random Links](https://theappslab.com/2013/12/06/some-random-links/) - 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) - [Wearables and UX](https://theappslab.com/2013/11/29/wearables-and-ux/) - 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, - [A Few New Concept Demos](https://theappslab.com/2013/11/25/a-few-new-concept-demos/) - Our new team members, Raymond and Tony, have been busy in their short time with us, and they're embracing the AppsLab way. What way is that you ask? Since the beginning, we've always started with an idea and moved quickly to build something conceptual to see how and if the idea works. Connect began life - [The Google Now TV Card](https://theappslab.com/2013/11/25/the-google-now-tv-card/) - A while back, I promised some details on the Google Now TV Card I found accidentally. I was watching TV via an HDTV antenna and happened to pop open Google Now for some reason or another. Now showed me this card: Freaky, right? I dismissed it, but my curiosity was peaked. So, I did some - [Watch Paul on Shark Tank](https://theappslab.com/2013/11/25/watch-paul-on-shark-tank/) - Did you know that Paul (@ppedrazzi) and his lovely wife and children were on Shark Tank? If you hurry, you can watch their episode on Hulu. If you decide to wait, they appear in Season 5 Episode 10. Paul and family are the very first segment, so you won't have to watch the entire episode, - [We've Grown](https://theappslab.com/2013/11/20/weve-grown/) - Busy times lately here at the 'Lab. We've grown from a small band of three to six in the past six weeks. Joining our happy little crew are Osvaldo, whom we were lucky to find on our adventure to Mexico, Raymond, a friend of Anthony's from Taleo, and Tony, whom I've known for many years. - [Connect Flirts with 200,000 Pageviews](https://theappslab.com/2009/05/03/connect-flirts-with-200000-pageviews/) - April was a big month for Connect, if you consider 195,000 pageviews and 11,000 unique visitors big anyway. If you're Facebook or Twitter, that's a slow morning, but for our little network, which has a capped number of possible users somewhere around 80,000, it's gangbusters. Since January, Connect has been growing each month, and I - [Hot Sriracha News](https://theappslab.com/2013/10/29/hot-sriracha-news/) - I love a good pun. This way off-topic, even for me, but I can't pass up not one, but two Sriracha stories. As background, this is Sriracha, beloved by The Oatmeal and multitudes of others, including yours truly. Dare I call it "the Cadillac of hot sauces." First, there's a profile of David Tran, h/t - [The Future and Past Are Google Now](https://theappslab.com/2013/10/15/the-future-and-past-are-google-now/) - I like Google Now, and although it's not a fixture in my daily device life, I it use pretty often, and it just keeps getting smarter and more useful. Case in point, a couple weeks ago, I got my first Activity summary card, or at least, I noticed it for the first time. Pretty interesting - [Some Random Cool Things](https://theappslab.com/2013/10/14/some-random-cool-things/) - For the nostalgic readers out there, I found the install disks for Windows NT 4.0 in my desk last week. I thought it would be fun to spin up a VM for old time's sake, but that idea will take some doing. Stay tuned. If nothing else, I'll keep these as a history lesson to - [On Phablets and Other Observations](https://theappslab.com/2013/10/10/on-phablets-and-other-observations/) - Traveling a lot lately, which means I've had time to sit and observe people in airports. In today's world, this is a great research opportunity for mobile devices. I'm a huge fan of anecdotal evidence, and I like to watch users in the wild to see what devices they use. Numbers can tell you a - [Stephen Hawking's Party for Time Travellers](https://theappslab.com/2013/10/03/stephen-hawkings-party-for-time-travellers/) - This is just plain awesome. From kotte.org: Steven Hawking came up with a simple and clever way of seeing if time travel is possible. On June 28, 2009, he threw a party for time travellers from the future...but didn't advertise it until after the party was already over. Usually, I'd be all over this type of story, - [Hey, A Link Post](https://theappslab.com/2013/10/01/hey-a-link-post/) - For some reason, I'm reminded of a lottery commercial that ran in my hometown in the 80s. The refrain was "Look, there goes another winner," over and over; I guess the subliminal messaging has attached itself to other things in my mind. Anyway, been busy lately, so here's a recap of some stuff that I've - [Internet of Things that Go Really Fast on Water](https://theappslab.com/2013/10/01/internet-of-things-that-go-really-fast-on-water/) - Even though sailing isn't my thing, it was impossible to avoid getting swept up by last week's boat race. Possibly lost in all the drama is the amount of technology these boats and race teams use to help them win. Check out this video that highlights all the technology out on the water and how - [Oracle OpenWorld Google Glass App Is Here](https://theappslab.com/2013/09/22/oracle-openworld-google-glass-app-is-here/) - In the midst of preparing for Oracle OpenWorld, I have spent couple hours building a micro app for our marketing team to keep attendees up-to-date with the latest OOW news and announcements. You may head up to http://oow2013.appspot.com to start using it if you have Glass. I look forward for a fun and exciting week starting today. You - [OpenWorld Developer Challenges ](https://theappslab.com/2013/09/22/openworld-developer-challenges/) - You may have 99 problems, but finding a contest to show off your coding chops during Oracle OpenWorld won't be one of them. You'll have two from which to choose, the Oracle Fusion Cloud Developer Challenge or the Applications Express Developer Challenge. Or hey, why not do both? I guess because of our challenge exploits last year, Noel (@noelportugal) - [Where to Find Some Robot Action](https://theappslab.com/2013/09/20/where-to-find-some-robot-action/) - Sounds like a line from some dystopian future movie, but surprise, it's a real question, i.e. where can I see the fantastic and amazing dueling robot arms? If you're attending Oracle OpenWorld next week, you can find the robotic arms, controlled by the Leap Motion, at the following venues and times: 2013 OPN Exchange & - [Dueling Robots](https://theappslab.com/2013/09/19/dueling-robots/) - I told you, we need more robots. A while back, Misha (@mishavaughan) asked us to build something fun. So, we decided to put our new-ish Leap Motion controllers to good use to control robotic arms, specifically the OWI 535 with the USB interface, because why not. Here you have Anthony (@anthonslai) and Noel (@noelportugal) dueling with - [What We Need Is More Robots](https://theappslab.com/2013/09/10/what-we-need-is-more-robots-2/) - I keep saying this, but if you read here enough, you'll recognize that I tend to repeat myself. Noel (@noelportugal) pointed me to this "60 Minutes" segment from January of this year called "Are robots hurting job growth?" It's an interesting segment to me, mostly because it showcases new (to me) uses for robots in - [Design Round-Up](https://theappslab.com/2013/09/06/design-round-up/) - For those so-inclined, here are some design-related goodies I found recently. Enjoy. Dark Patterns: inside the interfaces designed to trick you This is a great read. We've all run into counter-intuitive features that seem designed to confuse. Although I like to think the best of humanity, in some cases, confusion is intentional, and this post - [Here Come the Smartwatches](https://theappslab.com/2013/09/06/here-come-the-smartwatches/) - This week featured big news for smartwatches with the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Gear, Qualcomm Toq and Sony SmartWatch 2. These watches are all essentially smartphone accessories, but in the event that you want an independently smart timepiece, the Omate TrueSmart Kickstarter project is for you. RWW has dubbed this flood of devices, the - [Planning for OpenWorld? Here's Some Help.](https://theappslab.com/2013/08/26/planning-for-openworld-heres-some-help/) - It's nearly September, and OpenWorld is coming up quickly. If you're attending and are interested in user experience, Misha (@mishavaughan) has a rundown of all the Applications User Experience goings-on during the mega-show. We've got a bunch of sessions, the on-site usability labs, a demopod featuring the simplified UI and mobile goodies, and for those - [Vote for Anthony! And Utlan! And Freedom!](https://theappslab.com/2013/08/23/vote-for-anthony-and-utlan-and-freedom/) - Don't think I've ever used so many exclamation marks, ever. File this one under brand promotion and feel free to ignore. The voting period for SXSW Interactive 2014 has begun and continues through September 6, and we have a session proposal that could use your support. It's called "Take Your Glass to Work," and it builds - [Loving the Chromecast](https://theappslab.com/2013/08/06/loving-the-chromecast/) - Last week, while I was procrastinating about writing up a review of the Leap Motion, the Chromecast arrived. Nothing like a new shiny object to distract me. For the unfamiliar, the Chromecast was announced a couple weeks ago at Google's Android and Chrome OS event. It's a small HDMI dongle that plugs into a TV - [Profit Magazine Showcases the Innovation Challenge in Mexico](https://theappslab.com/2013/08/01/profit-magazine-showcases-the-innovation-challenge-in-mexico/) - Remember when I went to Mexico earlier this year? Remember the innovation challenge that combined Profit Magazine data with Endeca Information Discovery? Well, it wasn't by accident that Profit's archive of articles dating back to 2005 was a component because Profit's editor, Aaron Lazenby (@alazenby) was looking ahead to the August issue of Profit, which focuses - [Here's John on Firmness, Commodity, and Delight](https://theappslab.com/2013/07/31/heres-john-on-firmness-commodity-and-delight/) - Editor's Note: Here's another post from John Cartan, some heavy philosophical musing for your Wednesday. Personally, I cringe when people throw around the word "delight" when talking about software. Usually, it's just noise, considering how low the bar has been, so delight when framed in software terms means a lot less than it does in - [The Story of the Oracle People App](https://theappslab.com/2013/07/24/the-story-of-the-oracle-people-app/) - When we started blogging back in 2007, we had grand visions of this as a place to share our innovative work and insights. That hasn't panned out exactly as we drew it up back then, but there are some stories that stand the test of time. Today, I give you one of them, the story - [It's Monday, and I Have Links](https://theappslab.com/2013/07/15/its-monday-and-i-have-links/) - Happy Monday. Tech that is always listening Fresh on the heels of the news that XBox One will always be listening, comes a rumor that the upcoming Moto X will also have passive listening capabilities. Add this to the long list of technology that feels invasive and creepy for consumers, but will be extremely useful - [A Wednesday Collection](https://theappslab.com/2013/07/10/a-wednesday-collection/) - After Kscope 13 and a week of staycation, I suppose I should get back to blogging. Not really much on my mind lately, so I figured a collection of links would do. You've been quiet lately too. Real comments have been scarce since I moved away from Disqus. I hope those aren't related. Say hi - [The Internet of Things Infographic](https://theappslab.com/2011/07/18/the-internet-of-things-infographic/) - I love the internet of things because it opens up a crazy, Jetsons-esque world where technology helps you every day and actually makes life easier, rather than harder. Although, I'm really kidding myself on that latter point, but a guy can dream, right? So, check out this infographic from Cisco on the internet of things - [The Long Goodbye to Reader](https://theappslab.com/2013/07/01/the-long-goodbye-to-reader/) - Google Reader will be gone when today ends, not sure what time zone Google is using for the apocalypse. Turns out Google Takeout doesn't extract everything you could ever want, so some resourceful folks have whipped up a Python utility that will get everything out of the dying service. Check it out at readerisdead.com. I - [Messing around with Glass and Fusion CRM for Kscope 13](https://theappslab.com/2013/06/20/messing-around-with-glass-and-fusion-crm-for-kscope-13/) - As Anthony (@anthonyslai) mentioned yesterday, we've been experimenting with his new toy, Google Glass. It's our job as a research team to investigate emerging technologies and explore how they might affect the users of Fusion Applications in the near and long-term future. So, don't get ahead of yourself, this is a research project, not product. - [Oracle Fusion Glass App](https://theappslab.com/2013/06/19/oracle-fusion-glass-app/) - Lately, I have been working on a Glass App for Fusion CRM, as a research project for my own personal edification. As developers, the normal way to create a Glass app is to use HTML 5 and JSON to construct the timeline cards. Building on Glass is like building a web application. When going through - [Moving on from My Precious Reader](https://theappslab.com/2013/06/13/moving-on-from-my-precious-reader/) - Google Reader will be gone for good in less than three weeks. Since the announcement, I've continued to use Reader, the denial stage, but this week, I finally decided to investigate replacements. I used this crowdsourced list of alternatives as my starting place. My criteria were: A for-pay service: Not that this is a guarantee - [How Movies Have Shaped UI](https://theappslab.com/2013/06/13/how-movies-have-shaped-ui/) - Last week, in a meeting, we got on the subject of Terminator vision. For the uninitiated, here's what that looked like in Terminator 2: Judgement Day: Image from Orion Pictures, Terminator 2: Judgement Day If you recall, Robocop had a similar overlay readout: Image from Orion Pictures, Robocop So, for about 25 years, Hollywood has - [See You at Kscope 13](https://theappslab.com/2013/06/11/see-you-at-kscope-13/) - Kscope 13 (#kscope13), ODTUG's (@odtug) annual conference begins in less than two weeks. I know, it sneaked up on me too. If you happen to be making the trip to New Orleans for the show, which runs June 23-27, and you feel like getting up early on Monday morning, I'll be speaking with Jeremy Ashley, the head of - [Control Center, So Now You Don't Have to Jailbreak](https://theappslab.com/2013/06/10/control-center-so-now-you-dont-have-to-jailbreak/) - Apple announced a lot today as WWDC began. Chief among the announcements is a long-overdue redesign for iOS, which looks essentially the same in iOS 6 as it did in iPhone OS 1, or whatever they versioned it back in 2007. The redesign is very slick, and as expected by many, focuses on reducing design - [First 3 days as a Glass Explorer (Day 2)](https://theappslab.com/2013/06/04/k/) - Editor’s note: Read Anthony’s (@anthonyslai) full Glass adventure starting with the prologue, the week before, and Day 1 posts. I met with Jake and Noel the next day I got the Glass. To anyone who tried it, everyone seemed to be pleasantly surprised with the current features. At that time, no Twitter and Facebook integration even existed. Just - [Another Go with the Chromebook](https://theappslab.com/2013/06/03/another-go-with-the-chromebook/) - Anthony (@anthonyslai) has been using his Chromebook lately, by necessity, and a combination of recent speculation and my own gut tells me that I should try to work my Chromebook back into the regular rotation. Actually, the speculation isn't recent. Anton Wahlmann predicted a Chrome OS smartphone two years ago; he's just updated his prediction - [First 3 days as a Glass Explorer (Day 1)](https://theappslab.com/2013/05/29/first-3-days-as-a-glass-explorer-day-1/) - Editor’s note: For the full Glass experience, check out Anthony's (@anthonyslai) prologue and week before Glass posts. I was finally able to pick up the Glass the day right before Jake and Noel came to the Bay Area. It was also the Sunday before Google IO. I got out of the Glass garage at Google in 10 - [Reading the Tea Leaves](https://theappslab.com/2013/05/28/reading-the-tea-leaves/) - Anthony (@anthonyslai) has been on a roll lately, and his latest post reminded me to put words behind a hunch I have. When the Chromebook Pixel was announced, a lot of head-scratching ensued. What's the point of a fantastic piece of expensive, high-end hardware that runs an internet-tethered OS like Chrome OS? After all, Chromebooks - [Ubuntu/Chrome OS revisited](https://theappslab.com/2013/05/27/ubuntuchrome-os-revisited/) - Diverting away from Glass a bit. I will update more soon. I became a Mac OS fan when I started using my MBP since 2006. Windows never worked for me, as I am a developer. Microsoft, Just give me a terminal. Cygwin to me is just something used to alleviate the issue, but that does - [First 3 Days as a Glass Explorer (Day -7)](https://theappslab.com/2013/05/24/first-3-days-as-a-glass-explorer-day-7/) - Editor’s note: FYI, here's another post by Anthony (@anthonyslai). If you're interested in his Glass odyssey, make sure to read the prologue. Day -7 My friend got the invitation to pick up her Glass. At that time, I have not got any updates for mine yet. All Glass Explorers can bring a guest to the - [First 3 Days as a Glass Explorer (Prologue)](https://theappslab.com/2013/05/22/first-3-days-as-a-glass-explorer-prologue/) - Editor's note: FYI, this post is by Anthony (@anthonyslai). I have decided to write up some posts for my first couple days' experience with Glass. I am not planning to go deep into the technical details regarding Glass in these posts, but may do so if there are enough interests. Prologue When Google first announced - [Our Glass Overlords Have Arrived](https://theappslab.com/2013/05/15/our-glass-overlords-have-arrived/) - We ran into Floyd (@fteter) last night. His cyborg transformation is complete. Note the serious demeanor, with Glass power comes great responsibility, or something. Backstory, Anthony (@anthonyslai) finally got his Explorer Series Glass unit on Sunday. Funny story, its display had a few dead pixels, three actually. He counted. Google replaced the unit, so all's - [Virtual Sleuthing with GeoGuessr](https://theappslab.com/2013/05/14/virtual-sleuthing-with-geoguessr/) - I don't normally pay much attention to games, but after GeoGuessr showed up in both the Verge and Kottke.org, I took notice. It's a very simple, but difficult game. GeoGuessr drops you into a random place that Google has mapped with Street View, but without any metadata, just the images Google captured. You can navigate around, using - [Thanks for Reading ](https://theappslab.com/2013/05/06/thanks-for-reading-2/) - This blog has been around for six years, and given how varied and banal a lot of what I write is, I'm stunned it's lasted that long. While at Collaborate in April, John (@jpiwowar) mentioned something about the blog that resonated with me. He said he appreciated that I replied to his comments. That struck - [Experimenting on My Family](https://theappslab.com/2013/05/06/experimenting-on-my-family/) - One of the aspects I like about my newish team, Applications User Experience, is access to real research. Through eye-tracking, the usability labs, ethnographic research, focus groups and a host of other tools, AUX collects data from real users to help us understand how to build better software. This is perfect for me, since I've - [WebKey: Manage Your Android Device from a Browser](https://theappslab.com/2013/04/30/webkey-manage-your-android-device-from-a-browser/) - I've been doing more tinkering with my development toy, the Nexus 7, and kudos to Anthony (@anthonyslai) for finding this gem. WebKey is an Android app and accompanying service that allows you to manage your device from a browser. WebKey (Play Store link) isn't new. I found coverage from the Android Police and Lifehacker from a - [PBS Off Book on the Future of Wearable Computing](https://theappslab.com/2013/04/29/pbs-off-book-on-the-future-of-wearable-computing/) - PBS Off Book has a short and interesting look into wearable computing. Check it out, h/t MAKE and Geekosystem: Aside from the recent, top-of-mind examples (Google Glass, Pebble), I'm amazed at how functional smart garments have become. Innovation has been happening in both the fashion and DIY circles, but since I don't pay very close attention to those - [A Week-ish with Facebook Home](https://theappslab.com/2013/04/26/a-week-ish-with-facebook-home/) - When Facebook launched Home earlier this month, it marked the first time in quite a while that I was excited to use Facebook. What excited me wasn't using Facebook per se, but exploring the possibilities of moving beyond the app. Despite only being officially supported for a handful of phones, the Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy - [A Challenge in Mexico](https://theappslab.com/2013/04/17/a-challenge-in-mexico/) - My trip to Guadalajara a month ago was dual-purpose. First, we're hiring there, so we had interviews. Second, we were assisting with a hackathon. Since running the Oracle Social Network Developer Challenge at OpenWorld last Fall, Noel (@noelportugal) and I have become "the hackathon guys," which makes me think of this movie for some reason. - [MultiROM: Must-Have for Nexus 7 Tinkering](https://theappslab.com/2013/04/16/multirom-must-have-for-nexus-7-tinkering/) - I have a new toy, a Nexus 7, which is why I ran across the device offline issue in Android 4.2.2. The N7 ships locked, which seems a bit odd, but no biggie. This will be a development device for me, and once I got it unlocked, the fun began with MultiROM, which allows the - [Android 4.2.2 and the Mystery of Device Offline](https://theappslab.com/2013/04/16/android-4-2-2-and-the-mystery-of-device-offline/) - Here's another installment in the never-ending documentation of stuff for posterity. This chapter concerns a change made to Android 4.2.2 that could cause you some headaches if you're an Android developer, modder or hobbyist. Google added a whitelist for USB debugging in 4.2.2 which adds another layer of security to your phone, so now you - [Google Glass Details Emerge](https://theappslab.com/2013/04/16/google-glass-details-emerge/) - As of last week, Anthony (@anthonyslai) didn't mention that he had received a note yet from Google about the Glass Explorer program unit he had preordered. Even so, he was excited at the prospect of receiving it soon. He'll be even more stoked now that details of the Glass API and device specs are hitting - [Firepad, Stash and Rich](https://theappslab.com/2013/04/16/firepad-stash-and-rich/) - Last week while I was traveling, I was reading a story from Wired about Firepad, a collaborative text editor that can be easily added to any web page to allow, well, collaboration. Think pair programming meets Google Docs. A couple sentences in, I notice a quote from none other than 'Lab alumnus, old friend and - [Notes from Collaborate 13](https://theappslab.com/2013/04/15/notes-from-collaborate-13/) - Last week was a bit of a whirlwind. I spent Sunday through Wednesday in Denver attending Collaborate 13 and then jetted to the Bay Area to speak at a new hire bootcamp on Thursday. As always, Collaborate 13 was a great chance to catch up with people I only see a couple times a year, - [Happy Friday, Here Are Your Links](https://theappslab.com/2013/04/05/happy-friday-here-are-your-links/) - Not that it's a tradition or anything, but here are some links to brighten your Friday. Or whatever day it happens to be when you see them. Google Glass SXSW video Google released the video of their Glass session at SXSW. Noel (@noelportugal) was in the room, and Anthony (@anthonyslai) has an Explorer set on - [Moving Beyond the App](https://theappslab.com/2013/04/04/moving-beyond-the-app/) - Facebook introduced Facebook Home today, and unlike most Facebook news, I'm actually quite interested in this announcement. Setting aside the features, the shift away from apps to focus on a holistic user experience is one that I've been investigating for several months. From the Verge: But from a user experience standpoint, perhaps the most significant - [Find Me at Collaborate](https://theappslab.com/2013/04/04/find-me-at-collaborate/) - I'll be at Collaborate 13 this year. If you read here, you probably know what Collaborate is, but just in case, it's a mega-conference co-organized by three Oracle users groups, the OAUG (@oaug1), IOUG (@ioug) and Quest (@questusergroup). If you're not into acronyms, that's Oracle Applications Users Group and International Oracle Users Group. Oh, and Quest is the international users group for - [Rebuilding My Macbook Pro](https://theappslab.com/2013/04/03/rebuilding-my-macbook-pro/) - I've been quiet here lately. After the trip to Mexico, I took some time off to unwind and enjoy the family unit, and I decided to bite the bullet and do a clean install of OS X as the final attempt to resolve the wifi issues that have plagued me for 18 months. Prior to - [Hola Guadalajara](https://theappslab.com/2013/03/26/hola-guadalajara/) - I'm drinking coffee in a Starbucks next door to an Applebee's. Tough to tell that I'm in Guadalajara, Mexico. The AppsLab reunion tour is here looking for new band members. Did you know that Oracle has a 450-person development center here in GDL? Me neither until I joined Applications UX a few months ago. Mexico - [A Wake for Google Reader](https://theappslab.com/2013/03/14/a-wake-for-google-reader/) - By now, you've probably heard the news that Google will shut down Google Reader in July. This is extremely sad for me, since Reader is an essential tool that I use several times a day to keep up with hundreds of items. I'm not joking or exaggerating; I scan hundreds of items on a (mostly) - [And More OpenWorld](https://theappslab.com/2008/09/24/and-more-openworld/) - Tuesday was a lighter schedule for me, but not without its drama. My geek-speak Unconference session, which continues to bounce around Indian blogs, was at 10 AM, and I arrived in the room 40 minutes in advance, JIC. Good thing because I had forgotten the Mini DVI-VGA adapter for my Macbook. For those who haven't - [Even More Links](https://theappslab.com/2013/03/12/even-more-links/) - News seems to come in inverse proportion to my level of busy, e.g. SXSW is happening now. Noel (@noelportugal) is attending, so here's to hoping he brings back some content. Anyway, here are some stories that have caught my very limited attention lately. Ultan (@ultan) has a nice overview of Endeca Information Discovery, including its origins. - [Putting the Band Back Together](https://theappslab.com/2013/03/11/putting-the-band-back-together/) - I'm happy to welcome Noel (@noelportugal) and Anthony (@anthonyslai) back to the team. This has been in the works for some time now, so it doesn't really feel like news to me. Since I joined Applications User Experience back in November, I've been trying to assemble a crack team to follow emerging technologies and create - [A Casual Study of the Unsubscribe](https://theappslab.com/2013/03/04/a-casual-study-of-the-unsubscribe/) - A few months ago, I decided to change my personal policy on spam. For years, I just ignored spam, mostly because it was easier to delete messages than to follow the unsubscribe instructions on each of them. Given the high profile hacks of the last 12-18 months and the nature of spam lists, i.e. lists - [Found: An NLP Engine, Intent Guide](https://theappslab.com/2013/02/26/found-an-nlp-engine-intent-guide/) - One of the cool things about the last half decade is the influx of people and technology from acquisitions. You'll recall that this team's original incarnation included two PeopleSoft people, Paul (@ppedrazzi) and Rich (@rmanalan). I've found over the years that one cool byproduct of acquisitions is hidden technology gems. You know, projects or products - [Monday News and Nuggets](https://theappslab.com/2013/02/25/monday-news-and-nuggets/) - Interest is temporal, so I knew my case of the blahs about content would quickly resolve, and the Mobile World Congress has certainly helped. So, here are some nuggets I found interesting on a Monday. Mobile News from MWC LG buys webOS from HP, or some of it anyway, for smart TVs and maybe phones, - [New Posts from the Applications UX Team](https://theappslab.com/2013/02/21/new-posts-from-the-applications-ux-team/) - I haven't had much to say here recently, combination of work and general boredom with technology news. However, my colleagues in Applications UX have been blogging. Ultan (@ultan) talks about the Oracle Fusion Applications User Experience Design Patterns and Guidelines in his latest post, which includes knitted aliens, always a plus. These design patterns have been tested - [The Week in Google](https://theappslab.com/2013/02/22/the-week-in-google/) - Google has been in the news a lot this week, releasing the Chromebook Pixel and giving the World a sneak peak at Glass. Couple these with persistent rumors about Google retail stores, and you have an interesting trail of breadcrumbs leading into Google IO. The Pixel is a head-scratcher. The Verge has one of the better - [A Note on Comments](https://theappslab.com/2013/02/15/a-note-on-comments/) - Many years ago, Rich (@rmanalan) and I decided to try out Disqus for comments, and I've been using it here happily since then. Disqus aims to aggregate comments across all blogs and web sites by a) providing an easy way for site owners to add the Disqus commenting plugin and b) allowing commenters to create - [The Macbook Pro Odyssey Continues](https://theappslab.com/2013/02/01/the-macbook-pro-odyssey-continues/) - I may have finally found a janky fix to the lingering and highly irritating wifi issue that has plagued my Macbook Pro since I bought it 18 months ago, fingers crossed. A brief recap of the issue, basically, the wifi connection dies, despite the toolbar icon showing a full strength connection, which is also a - [On Applications User Experience Usability Labs](https://theappslab.com/2013/02/13/on-applications-user-experience-usability-labs/) - Having been at Oracle in Applications development for a really long time, I've heard about the Applications User Experience Usability Labs. In the past, the labs have always been a blindspot for me and a bit of a mystery, but now that I'm a member of Apps UX team, I have the opportunity to see - [Turning on Developer Options in Android 4.2.1](https://theappslab.com/2012/12/07/turning-on-developer-options-in-android-4-2-1/) - I'm positively giddy playing around with the face unlock feature on my new Nexus 4. This was announced for ICS a long time ago, but it never made it to my Nexus S, not sure why. Thanks to Apple, there's a lot of talk about delighting users, and I'm a very jaded user. So, I'm - [Luscious Links and Things](https://theappslab.com/2013/02/05/luscious-links-and-things/) - I found out today that my old pal Noel (@noelportugal) started a blog, focused on Web of Things, erm things, called WOTLabs. One of his first posts is about the Nike+ Fuelband and how to use its API, whose documentation apparently isn't complete just yet. Semi-related, can we standardize on what to call internet-connected objects? - [Another Link Post](https://theappslab.com/2013/01/29/another-link-post/) - I can't seem to find a topic worthy of more than a paragraph, so here's another post of curated links. Could be worse. A P2P Wifi Tethering Market What you say? It's exactly what it sounds like, a community of users allowing others to tether off their connections in exchange for credit to use when - [Monday, More Links](https://theappslab.com/2013/01/28/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 - [Random Links on a Tuesday](https://theappslab.com/2013/01/22/random-links-on-a-tuesday/) - Here comes one of those link posts, comprised of topics that are interesting to me, but not enough to write more than a few words. Facebook launches Graph Search Wired has the full story of how Graph Search came to be. I bemoaned Facebook's lost search opportunity years ago, and apparently, I wasn't alone, given - [Firefox OS Emerges](https://theappslab.com/2013/01/16/firefox-os-emerges/) - Last week at CES, details of Firefox OS, Mozilla's all-web, mobile OS, began to emerge, and wow has it come a long way since that early build of B2G that I fumbled with on the GSM Nexus S Rich (@rmanalan) sent me last year. I've had great hopes for Firefox OS, since it is built - [Making the Web More Readable for People with Dyslexia](https://theappslab.com/2013/01/15/making-the-web-more-readable-for-people-with-dyslexia/) - Editor's note: Here's another post from Mark Vilrokx (@mvilrokx), detailing some hacking he did to help his daughter, who has Dyslexia, read web pages. This is an awesome idea, and I love hacking for good. I'm not alone, e.g. Marco Arment has added OpenDyslexic to Instapaper. We need more of this. Anyway, read on for Mark's story - [Another Nexus 4 Review, Mine](https://theappslab.com/2013/01/08/another-nexus-4-review-mine/) - I've been using a Nexus 4 for a month now as my primary phone, so I figured I'd drop some thoughts. Read on if you like, if not I won't be offended. Why? Since I jumped to Android from iOS in 2010, I've carried the original HTC EVO 4G and the Wimax Nexus S. I've - [Everyone Loves Easter Eggs](https://theappslab.com/2013/01/03/everyone-loves-easter-eggs/) - Over the years, I've put a fair amount of thought into the ways that game mechanics can improve software usability. I'm not alone, since now there's, a name for this process, gamification. The biggest problem designers face when attempting to create engagement through game mechanics is "doing it right," and since each system is different, - [Some Topics for 2013](https://theappslab.com/2013/01/02/some-topics-for-2013/) - Hope you all enjoyed the holidays and closing out 2012. Continuing something I started doing last year, here are some topics I'll be following with interest in 2013. You may notice some are repeats of last year, but that's not to say any have dropped off my radar. I just felt like repeating them for - [Finally Kicking the Tires on Evernote](https://theappslab.com/2012/12/28/finally-kicking-the-tires-on-evernote/) - I joined Evernote back in 2008, but despite recommendations from several smart people, Paul (@ppedrazzi), Rich (@rmanalan), Matt (@topperge) and most recently Jeremy, I never gave it a go. Until today, when I got the crazy idea that Evernote would be a great place to store and search the 5,698 Google Reader shared items I - [Popular Mechanics Gives Real Predictions](https://theappslab.com/2012/12/20/popular-mechanics-gives-real-predictions/) - This time of year, bloggers are guaranteed fodder, posting predictions for the upcoming year and analyzing the past year's predictions. I gave up on that last year and have no plans to do it again. I'm just not smart or industrious enough. Another reason not to, Popular Mechanics has upped the ante by providing 110 - [Smartphone Cases, For or Against?](https://theappslab.com/2012/12/20/smartphone-cases-for-or-against/) - Years ago, I remember a chat Paul (@ppedrazzi), Rich (@rmanalan), Anthony (@anthonyslai) and I had about smartphone cases. I was reminded of that discussion recently on a trip to HQ. For some reason, there was a box full of freebie covers for various devices in the office, and I took this opportunity to quiz my - [Cover Flow Gone from iTunes 11](https://theappslab.com/2012/12/19/cover-flow-gone-from-itunes-11/) - I rarely use iTunes anymore, but after OS X offered up the iTunes 11 update, I figured I take it for a quick spin, given all the coverage I'd read about the drastic redesign. After a few minutes, I noticed something was missing, Cover Flow. Image from Wikimedia As an unabashed design nerd wannabe, this - [Tampering with Siri](https://theappslab.com/2012/12/18/tampering-with-siri/) - Editor’s note: Here's another post from Mark Vilrokx (@mvilrokx) derived from his work on the Voice project. Let's follow Mark as he tampers with Siri and find the comments here or on his original post. A few months ago, just after Siri was released on the world I got the uncontrollable urge to see what Siri could do for me. - [How-To: Increase Your Virtual Disk Size in VirtualBox](https://theappslab.com/2012/12/14/how-to-increase-your-virtual-disk-size-in-virtualbox/) - I would have added this to my Friday aggregate post, but I didn't see it until just now. The ever-helpful Fat Bloke has a post on Growing your VirtualBox Virtual Disk that I highly recommend you Pocket, bookmark or whatever you use to keep useful links handy for later use. I actually went through this - [Friday Flotsam](https://theappslab.com/2012/12/14/friday-flotsam/) - Seems like Friday has become my day to clean up all the open browser tabs I accumulate during the week, add some context and content and, ideally, get your thoughts. Here we go. Mobile OS and the Back Feature The Back button originated in the browser, and it has migrated over to native apps in - [Help Bex Choose a Topic for His Collaborate 2013 Deep Dive](https://theappslab.com/2012/12/13/help-bex-choose-a-topic-for-his-collaborate-2013-deep-dive/) - Friend of the 'Lab Bex Huff (@bex) is running an interesting experiment. He's soliciting ideas for the deep dive he and Bezzotech will be giving at Collaborate 2013, which is April 7-11 in Denver. This session will be on Sunday of the show, hosted by the IOUG's WebCenter Special Interest Group. I like this idea because - [Build Your Own Siri Application . . . in the Browser!](https://theappslab.com/2012/12/13/build-your-own-siri-application-in-the-browser/) - Editor's note: The following post comes from Mark Vilrokx (@mvilrokx), one of my colleagues in Apps UX. Mark has been working on the Voice project that Ultan (@ultan) mentioned in his recap of the OUAB meeting last week, and as part of his work on Voice, Mark has done some serious hacking that I wanted - [Friday Bits and Bytes](https://theappslab.com/2012/12/07/friday-bits-and-bytes/) - Been a while, but frankly, I haven't had much to say lately. So, I rolled a few updates into a single post. Enjoy. Urbanized Over the weekend, I watched "Urbanized," the final installment in Gary Hutswit's design trilogy. If you read here, you'll recall that I thoroughly enjoyed the first two parts, "Objectified" about industrial - [I Guess It's Video Friday](https://theappslab.com/2012/11/30/i-guess-its-video-friday/) - It's Friday, so why not share some video? Doesn't really make sense to me either, but sometimes the words just won't flow. Moving on, here are a couple interesting talks, one official TED, the other a TEDx, i.e. independently-produced. These two speakers are so different, it's actually quite amazing that their ideas and messages actually - [The New Face of Fusion on Android Devices](https://theappslab.com/2012/11/29/the-new-face-of-fusion-on-android-devices/) - Yesterday, I kicked off a personal lark of mine, i.e. running Fuse, the internal codename we use for the new face of Fusion Apps, on various devices. The first edition was a couple of Google devices, a Chromebook and a Google TV. Today's edition is a couple of Android devices, the venerable Motorola Xoom and - [The New Face of Fusion on a Chromebook and on a Google TV](https://theappslab.com/2012/11/28/the-new-face-of-fusion-on-a-chromebook-and-on-a-google-tv/) - Sometimes I get ideas in my head that I can't shake until I execute them, like last week when I suddenly decided I would give Windows 8 another try, after reading Jakob Nielsen's review of the OS. I know, counterintuitive, given the review. Somewhere about halfway through that process, another idea wiggled into my head, - [Some Applications UX Nuggets](https://theappslab.com/2012/11/20/some-applications-ux-nuggets/) - I'm working through a Windows 8 upgrade right now and plan to report back on that after it finishes. In the meantime, I wanted to share some recent newsworthy items from my new team, Applications User Experience. Introducing the New Face of Fusion Applications At OpenWorld 2012, the Apps UX team showed off a new - [Angry Birds All Levels ](https://theappslab.com/2012/11/27/angry-birds-all-levels/) - Evan Roth's Angry Birds All Levels is an art exhibit showing the ink tracings of the finger swipes required to complete all the levels of Angry Birds. From Science Gallery: [Angry Birds All Levels] comments on the rise of casual gaming, identity and our relationship with mobile devices. Consisting of 300 sheets of tracing paper - [Google Adds Reader to Takeout](https://theappslab.com/2012/11/15/google-adds-reader-to-takeout/) - If you've used Google Reader for a long time, like I have, this is huge news. Google adds ability to download Latitude and Google Reader data from Takeout data porting center A year ago, Google revamped Reader's UI and removed the sharing features in favor of G+ sharing. I'd been using Reader shares for several - [On Content Creation](https://theappslab.com/2012/11/14/on-content-creation/) - This comic from Matt Inman, a.k.a. the Oatmeal (@theoatmeal) is delightfully insightful. Some thoughts and musing about making things for the web I toyed with some cool adverbs to add to insightful, e.g. surprisingly, inspiringly, but they all seemed to cheapen his work. So, I chose delightfully because everything is better with a side of - [Little Data](https://theappslab.com/2012/11/09/little-data/) - You're probably familiar with the term big data, which tends to be difficult to define precisely, but always pertains to the analysis of huge data sets. Over beers with my pal Rick (@turoczy) earlier this week, I used the term little data to describe the potential I see for Internet of Things. After some discussion - [Objectified, the Sequel to Helvetica](https://theappslab.com/2012/11/06/objectified-the-sequel-to-helvetica/) - Netflix continues to feed my obsession with documentaries, and I finished "Objectified" over the weekend. Objectified is the second installment in Gary Hutswit's design trilogy, the sequel to "Helvetica" and the prequel to "Urbanized." I really enjoyed Helvetica, and so watching Objectified was an easy call. Objectified focuses on industrial design and includes commentary from - [A Programming Note](https://theappslab.com/2012/11/05/a-programming-note/) - As of today, I've joined Jeremy Ashley's Applications User Experience team. I'm sure many of you are familiar with Apps UX and the work they do, and I'm excited to join the likes of Erika (@erikanollwebb), Misha, Ultan (@ultan) and the many other very smart people that comprise that organization. My role is pretty loosely-defined and will evolve over - [Noel's Halloween 2012 Project, a Magic Mirror](https://theappslab.com/2012/11/02/noels-halloween-2012-project-a-magic-mirror/) - Noel (@noelportugal) shared some high-level details of his Halloween project for this year, as well as video. From chatting with him, I know there's SMS in there somewhere, but I don't know much else. Stay tuned for details. - [More on Macbook Pro Nagging Wifi Issues](https://theappslab.com/2012/10/30/more-on-macbook-pro-nagging-wifi-issues/) - I'm sharing this as a historical record for myself and to help anyone facing the nebulous wifi connectivity issues that have irritated Macbook Pro owners for several years. The short summary of the problem is that since I bought my MBP last year, the wifi has been spotty. With Lion, anything with internet connectivity would - [Friday Links](https://theappslab.com/2012/10/26/friday-links/) - For your reading enjoyment today, over the weekend, or whenever, I give you some tidbits I found on the interwebs. WebCenter goodies To help you plan for mobile development, Friend of the 'Lab John Brunswick (@johnbrunswick) has a detailed roundup of the various options for WebCenter: Mobile Development Platform Strategy Chart – ADF Mobile, WebCenter - [A Collection of Miscellany](https://theappslab.com/2012/10/24/a-collection-of-miscellany/) - After a flood of content after OpenWorld, I decided to take a brief respite here. This post is a collection of miscellany that may or may not interest you. Among other things, I've been tackling the nagging wifi issue my Macbook Pro has. On that front, I decided to call Apple Care to get their - [Raspberry Pi and Java](https://theappslab.com/2012/10/18/raspberry-pi-and-java/) - On the Saturday before OpenWorld, Noel (@noelportugal) attended a Raspberry Pi meetup at Noisebridge. As you may have guessed by now, Noel has become something of an evangelist for the Raspi and like any good maker, wanted to see what others have done with the little powerhouse. On Sunday, he showed me a video of - [Details on the Oracle Social Network + APEX Integration](https://theappslab.com/2012/10/16/details-on-the-oracle-social-network-apex-integration/) - Dimitri Gielis (@dgielis), who, along with Martin D’Souza (@martindsouza), won the Oracle Social Network Developer Challenge we ran at OpenWorld, has detailed the integration he and Martin built between Oracle Social Network and Oracle Applications Express, a.k.a. APEX. Check out his post for more and see his code on GitHub if you're so inclined. After the Challenge ended, - [What I Learned from "Indie Game: The Movie"](https://theappslab.com/2012/10/16/what-i-learned-from-indie-game-the-movie/) - I love watching documentaries, and Netflix feeds that pastime nicely. Over the past few months, "Indie Game: The Movie" has been bouncing around my head. I'd heard of it by way of several blogs I read, and I nearly bought it from iTunes to watch on a plane ride. This weekend, I saw it was - [Oracle Social Network Developer Challenge Winners](https://theappslab.com/2012/10/05/oracle-social-network-developer-challenge-winners/) - Now that OpenWorld 2012 has wrapped, I have time to tell you all about what happened. Maybe you recall that Noel (@noelportugal) and I were running a modified hackathon during the show, the Oracle Social Network Developer Challenge. Without further ado, congratulations to Dimitri Gielis (@dgielis) and Martin Giffy D'Souza (@martindsouza) on their winning entry, an integration - [Oracle Social Network Developer Challenge: Bezzotech](https://theappslab.com/2012/10/12/oracle-social-network-developer-challenge-bezzotech/) - I've covered all the entries we had for the Oracle Social Network Developer Challenge, the winners, Dimitri and Martin, HarQen, TEAM Informatics and John Sim from Fishbowl Solutions, and today, I'm giving you bonus coverage. Friend of the 'Lab, Bex Huff (@bex) from Bezzotech (@bezzotech), had an interesting OpenWorld. He rebounded from an allergic reaction to - [Oracle Social Network Developer Challenge: Fishbowl Solutions](https://theappslab.com/2012/10/11/oracle-social-network-developer-challenge-fishbowl-solutions/) - Today, I give you the final entry in the Oracle Social Network Developer Challenge, held last week during OpenWorld. This one comes from Friend of the 'Lab and Fishbowl Solutions (@fishbowle20) hacker, John Sim (@jrsim_uix), whom you might remember from his XBox Kinect demo at COLLABORATE 12 (presentation slides and abstract) hacks and other exploits with - [Oracle Social Network Developer Challenge: TEAM Informatics](https://theappslab.com/2012/10/10/oracle-social-network-developer-challenge-team-informatics/) - Here comes another Oracle Social Network Developer Challenge entry, this one courtesy of TEAM Informatics (@teaminformatics). As their name suggests, their entry was a true team effort, featuring the work of Jon Chartrand, Deepthi Sanikommu, Dmitry Shtulman, Raghavendra Joshi, and Daniel Stitely with Wayne Boerger doing the presentation honors. Speaking of the presentation, Wayne's laptop wouldn't project - [Oracle Social Network Developer Challenge: HarQen Nodal](https://theappslab.com/2012/10/09/oracle-social-network-developer-challenge-harqen-nodal/) - We wrapped the Oracle Social Network Developer Challenge last week at OpenWorld, and this week, I'll be sharing all the entries. All the teams that entered our challenge did a ton of work and built really interesting integrations with Oracle Social Network, and I want to showcase their hard work and innovative ideas. Today, I - [Oracle Social Network and the Flying Monkey Smart Target](https://theappslab.com/2012/10/08/oracle-social-network-and-the-flying-monkey-smart-target/) - I teased this before OpenWorld, and for those of you who didn't make it to the show or didn't come by the Office Hours to take the Oracle Social Network Technical Tour Noel (@noelportugal) ran, I give you the Flying Monkey Smart Target. In brief, Noel built a target, about two feet tall, which when - [Oracle Social Network Technical Tour](https://theappslab.com/2012/09/26/oracle-social-network-technical-tour/) - Yesterday, I told you about the Oracle Social Network Developer Challenge we'll be hosting at OpenWorld (@oracleopenworld) next week. If you're attending OpenWorld or JavaOne (@javaoneconf) and want to get hands-on experience with Oracle Social Network and show off your coding chops, this is the event for you. Go ahead and register. I'll wait. But wait, - [Oracle Social Network Developer Challenge at OpenWorld 2012](https://theappslab.com/2012/09/25/oracle-social-network-developer-challenge-at-openworld-2012/) - Noel (@noelportugal) and I have been working on something new for OpenWorld (@oracleopenworld) for quite some time, and today, I got the final approvals to go ahead with the Oracle Social Network Developer Challenge. The skinny. The Challenge is a modified hackathon, designed to run during OpenWorld and JavaOne (@javaoneconf), and attendees of both conferences are welcome to join and - [OpenWorld Notes: Social Plaza](https://theappslab.com/2012/09/24/openworld-notes-social-plaza/) - Wow, that sneaked up quickly didn't it? Suddenly, there's less than a week to go before the start of Oracle OpenWorld (@oracleopenworld) and JavaOne (@javaoneconf), the annual mega-conference in San Francisco, September 30 through October 4. I assume many of you will be attending and are furiously pouring over the hundreds of sessions and events - [Oracle ADF Essentials, a Free Version of ADF](https://theappslab.com/2012/09/24/oracle-adf-essentials-a-free-version-of-adf/) - If you're reading this, you probably know that Oracle ADF is. If you don't, ADF stands for Application Development Framework and is a Java development framework for building enterprise applications. If none of that mades sense, you should stop reading, but thanks for coming. Today, Oracle ADF Essentials, a free version ADF released under the - [JavaOne Social Developer Program](https://theappslab.com/2012/09/20/javaone-social-developer-program/) - If you're heading to San Francisco later this month for JavaOne and are interested in learning about building social applications for your enterprise, you should plan to check out the Social Developer Program, organized and hosted by Roland Smart (@rsmartx) who recently joined Oracle after the Involver acquisition. The program runs from 10 AM to 3:30 - [Amy Jo Kim on Happy Habits](https://theappslab.com/2012/09/20/amy-jo-kim-on-happy-habits/) - Amy Jo Kim (@amyjokim), one of my favorite voices in software, not just game, design has emerged from a long hiatus and begun blogging again. All her work is worth studying, but one post in particular, Happy Habits: Engagement Design Meets Positive Psychology, hits home. I've become increasingly disillusioned with social applications, specifically Facebook, and - [Adventures in Apple Land](https://theappslab.com/2012/09/17/adventures-in-apple-land/) - Ever since I got a new Macbook Pro about a year ago, I've had wonky issues with wifi at home. First, they seemed to be related to the dual-band router I also bought last year, but over time, they persisted. I'd lose connectivity and have to reboot the router; that probably wasn't the best solution, - [An OpenWorld Teaser](https://theappslab.com/2012/09/17/an-openworld-teaser/) - I've been mum about our plans for OpenWorld, but that should change this week, fingers crossed. Noel (@noelportugal) posted a picture today, and I figured I'd share it as a teaser for those of you attending the show who might be interested to see what we'll be doing. Photo by Noel Portugal, used w permission - [Time for a New Phone?](https://theappslab.com/2012/09/13/time-for-a-new-phone/) - So, now that Apple has officially announced the iPhone 5, how many of you plan to upgrade? I've been pondering a return to iPhone for more than a year. Getting Ice Cream Sandwich on my Nexus S placated me for a while, but that was a mixed bag for me. Earlier this week, I got - [The WebCenter Customer Spotlight and OpenWorld Approaches](https://theappslab.com/2012/09/12/the-webcenter-customer-spotlight-and-openworld-approaches/) - My fellow WebCenter (@oraclewebcenter) evangelist and friend, Peter Reiser (@peterreiser) has been a very busy dude lately, churning out a new series for the official WebCenter blog, the WebCenter Customer Spotlight. This series is pretty self-explanatory, focused on highlighting WebCenter customers and what each of them is doing with the WebCenter suite of products. Here are - [Even More Internet of Things, SmartThings](https://theappslab.com/2012/09/06/even-more-internet-of-things-smartthings/) - Another day, another Internet of Things, um, thing. This one is SmartThings a Kickstarter, already funded, that aims to make your everyday things smart and collect them into a single platform for monitoring. They also have a maker program for tinkerers like Noel (@noelportugal), a smart move. There aren't a ton of details beyond pretty - [Wondering about the Raspberry Pi](https://theappslab.com/2012/09/05/wondering-about-the-raspberry-pi/) - I know several people, e.g. Noel (@noelportugal) and Ultan (@ultan), who were stoked to receive their Raspberry Pis. For the uninitiated, the Raspberry Pi (@raspberry_pi) is a fully functional ARM GNU/Linux machine for $25, or in longer form: The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card sized computer that plugs into your TV and a keyboard. It’s - [Belkin's WeMo Brings Your Devices Online](https://theappslab.com/2012/09/04/belkins-wemo-brings-your-devices-online/) - I'm a fan of IFTTT, which connects various APIs together to create useful channels that make services coexist better. It's a user-centric approach; of course, reliance on APIs is a slippery slope, but that's another discussion for another day. I'm also a huge fan of anything Internet of Things, so this TUAW post on IFTTT - [NoWait Aims to Replace Restaurant Hockey Pucks](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/31/nowait-aims-to-replace-restaurant-hockey-pucks/) - Here's another use for that rectangle packed with sensors you carry in your pocket or purse, restaurant pager. You know those vibrating hockey-pucks you get at chain restaurants to tell you when they're ready to seat you? Well, now a startup called NoWait is replacing them with an iOS app that the restaurant can use to text - [A Shared Lock](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/30/a-shared-lock/) - How do you solve the problem of locking a gate that many different parties need to open, each with a different schedule and all unaffiliated? With a shared lock of course. This lock on a ranch gate is designed for shared access by independent parties: Seen at ranch gate outside of Lasalle, TX. Removal of any - [The Enormous Potential of Interent of Things ](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/29/the-enormous-potential-of-interent-of-things/) - A quick glance at my router's list of attaches devices shows that my interest in connected devices, a.k.a. the Internet of Things, is work I take home with me. I recently bought a Withings Smart Baby Monitor. I love my Sonos PLAY:3. My wife loves her FitBit Tracker, not itself connected to wifi, but synced wirelessly to - [Teaching to See](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/29/teaching-to-see/) - If you like design, typefaces and understanding why something is visually appealing, do yourself a favor and set aside 40 minutes to watch "Inge Druckrey: Teaching to See." At one point, Inge describes the written letter as "the memory of motion," which caused me to stop and ponder. Writing is, in large part, muscle memory. - [Withings Smart Baby Monitor](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/28/withings-smart-baby-monitor/) - Recently, I bought a Withings (@withings) Smart Baby Monitor. I read about it a while back in TUAW, and I recall reading about their other products, the Wi-Fi Body Scale and Blood Pressure Monitor, all very slick in design and especially iOS-friendly. My daughter has reached that phase where silence portends disaster, so we have - [Some New Technical Content from an Old Friend](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/27/some-new-technical-content-from-an-old-friend/) - After a quiet Summer during which I hear he was busy getting married, Friend of the 'Lab John Sim (@jrsim_uix) of Fishbowl Solutions (@fishbowle20) has unleashed a torrent of good technical posts over on his C4 blog. The four c's are content, context, collaboration and community, if you're wondering about the blog's name. ADF WebCenter - [Settings as a Letter](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/23/settings-as-a-letter/) - Little Big Details (@littlebigdetail) is a Tumblr that highlights small, but meaningful design details in various software from all over the place. This one shows how bud.ge reimagines settings as a letter written by the user to the software. It's both personal in nature and natural in language, very clever. Kudos to bud.ge. I can hear - [What Little Games Do You Play?](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/23/what-little-games-do-you-play/) - Here's another interesting one via Jason Kottke, whose blog you really should read anyway. Thinking about the question, "What games do/did you play?" I'm reminded of how I fill the quiet moments and of how few there are anymore, partly because I'm an adult with a full life, but also because I fill many of - [Delightful: A Typewriter for iPad](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/23/delightful-a-typewriter-for-ipad/) - So this happened, a physical typewriter experience adapted to the iPad, delightfully munging old and new school. Oddly, the user in the video is definitely not a touch-typist. h/t Jason Kottke - [Our Collective 500 Terabyte-a-Day Facebook Addiction](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/23/our-collective-500-terabyte-a-day-facebook-addiction/) - The amount of data Facebook collects from its nearly one billion users is astounding. The highlights from Facebook is collecting your data — 500 terabytes a day — Data | GigaOM: 2.5 billion content items shared per day (status updates + wall posts + photos + videos + comments) 2.7 billion Likes per day 300 million - [A Weird Intertubes Mystery](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/22/a-weird-intertubes-mystery/) - After a few days off, I'm back at the wheel. Logging into the admin panel of this blog, I was greeted with an odd graphic. Initially, I thought traffic had really taken a nose-dive, but that tower was just making our normally small traffic look even smaller. Puzzled at the influx of pageviews, especially on - [How-To: Install Chrome Extensions Manually, the New Way](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/16/how-to-install-chrome-extensions-manually-the-new-way/) - Peter (@peterreiser) alerted me to a new feature of Google Chrome. Starting in Chrome 21, the browser will no longer allow installation of extensions via the .crx file. Instead, you'll get a message that extensions can only be installed from the Chrome Web Store. This is a bummer if you have an extension you built - [You Had Me at Counterintuitive Best Practices](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/15/you-had-me-at-counterintuitive-best-practices/) - I just realized that friend of the 'Lab, John Brunswick (@johnbrunswick) has a webcast tomorrow, an installment in the Oracle Social Business Thought Leader Webcast Series, called 6 Counterintuitive Best Practices for Social Collaboration Adoption. If you're familiar with John and his work, you'll know he's not only an expert, but he's a really nice guy. Check - [Some Early Ideas for Project Glass](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/14/some-early-ideas-for-project-glass/) - I noticed that both posts from earlier today have titles beginning with "some." This was an accident, but now that I've noticed, I must obey. Anyway, while driving a few weeks ago, I was passed by a maniac speeding and weaving between lanes. I use the term maniac as per the late George Carlin's definition - [Some Font Content, You Know You Love It](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/14/some-font-content-you-know-you-love-it/) - I'm a weird font nerd. I notice typefaces, especially when they don't match. I have opinions on serif vs. sans serif, etc. Every so often, I like to share stuff I've found on typefaces for any of you who happen to share my font addictions. Which Are More Legible: Serif or Sans Serif Typefaces? Infographics - [Some Light Testing of Google Now](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/14/some-light-testing-of-google-now/) - Now that I have a phone running Jelly Bean, I can test drive Google Now, which looks insanely cool and super creepy. Google recently announced voice enhancements to its mobile search app that also exist within Google Now that position it to compete with Siri. Check our the detailed review at Ars if you're interested - [Google Now Looks Sweet](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/26/google-now-looks-sweet/) - Paul (@ppedrazzi) is right, Google Now looks insanely cool and borderline creepy and invasive all at once. It only makes sense that the next wave of innovation will be focused on harnessing all the noise created by social tools and intelligently determining what matters most to you. I guess Robert Scoble (@scobleizer) is referring to - [A Case Study Hack](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/08/a-case-study-hack/) - The story of how Mat Honan's accounts were hacked has been floating around for several days now. It's an unfortunate combination of unpreparedness, social engineering, lax personal security and worst of all, lax corporate security. It's definitely worth a read because there are more than likely several parallels from which we can all learn. Mat - [NWOUG 2012 Conference](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/07/nwoug-2012-conference/) - While Noel (@noelportugal) is off exploring South America on the OTN Latin America Tour, I too had a conference, just across the river, the annual conference of the Northwest Oracle Users Group (NWOUG), here in beautiful Portland, Oregon. NWOUG represents Oracle users in Washington and Oregon, with some members hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, Idaho and - [Adventures in Flashing Stock Android](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/03/adventures-in-flashing-stock-android/) - Early last week, I messed around with a GSM Nexus S that Rich (@rmanalan) sent me. It had Firefox OS (a.k.a. Boot to Gecko) on it, but I couldn't get the wifi functioning, making it pretty much a brick. Rather than try to upgrade to the latest Firefox OS, which does look sweet, I decided - [Password Reuse Repercussions](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/02/password-reuse-repercussions/) - The rash of credential and password harvests over the past couple years, the real effects of password reuse are beginning to be felt. The Dropbox Blog: Security update & new features The backstory: News trickled out recently that Dropbox might have been compromised, since people who have single-use email addresses for Dropbox only were getting - [Behold: The Left Turn Arrow](https://theappslab.com/2012/08/01/behold-the-left-turn-arrow/) - A while back, I mused about a couple unexpected innovations around traffic lights. At the time, I assumed traffic lights had reached their design ceiling, but I was ever-so wrong. Maybe I'm oddly in-tune with traffic lights because I've noticed something new on the streets, the flashing yellow left turn arrow. I saw one over the - [Mashup Standards: JSON-P vs. CORS](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/25/mashup-standards-json-p-vs-cors/) - Editor's Note: As promised, we're mixing up the content. Be sure to hit the comments with feedback on this post and/or thoughts on new, different content here. This installment comes from longtime Friend of the 'Lab, Bex Huff (@bex). A little background: In a recent project, I had a client who wanted to resurface Oracle UCM content - [A Quick Test of Firefox OS, a.k.a. Boot to Gecko](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/24/a-quick-test-of-firefox-os-a-k-a-boot-to-gecko/) - When Noel (@noelportugal) and I were at jQuery Conference last month, we had dinner with 'Lab alumnus Rich Manalang (@rmanalan), now a developer advocate at Atlassian. Rich mentioned that he got a Nexus S Boot to Gecko (now Firefox OS) phone from Mozilla at JSConf. I guess he got bored with B2G and wanted to - [New Feed Fodder: What If? from Randall Munroe](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/31/new-feed-fodder-what-if-from-randall-munroe/) - Recently, Randall Munroe, nerd icon and xkcd creator, started What If? a Q&A site of sorts. In his own words: I get a lot of strange hypothetical science questions in my email. People get in debates with their friends - stuff like "what would happen if someone threw a baseball at nearly the speed of light?" or "how many velociraptors - [Google Adds Handwrite for Mobile Search](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/30/google-adds-handwrite-for-mobile-search/) - So, this is interesting; at first, I thought it was April Fools'. Last week, Google introduced Handwrite to make mobile device searches easier. Check out the video: At first blush, this seems like a good exercise in user experience. Stabbing your tiny smart phone keyboard isn't always practical, which is why I frequently use the - [Smart Trashbox Catches Your Trash](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/26/smart-trashbox-catches-your-trash/) - So this happened. A Japanese modder created a trashcan that will move to catch objects you toss in the air. An XBox Kinect is mounted to the wall to scan for moving objects, and when something flies, the can moves to catch it. I still hope to get John Sim (@jrsim_uix) and Noel (@noelportugal) in - [A Minor Programming Note](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/25/a-minor-programming-note/) - Over the years, this blog has been dominated by yours truly. For better or for worse, I account for nearly 90% of the posts here. I'm hoping to change that over the coming months by offering (read begging) some Friends of the 'Lab to let me repost some of their best content here and ideally, - [If You Could Advise Your Future Self . . .](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/23/if-you-could-advise-your-future-self/) - From the what-if department comes an interesting question: what field would you study and pursue if you could travel back in time? Would you follow the same route, make minor changes, or make a radical change? I enjoy technology and building software quite a lot, but over the past half decade or so, I've been - [Buy the Most Useless Box](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/19/buy-the-most-useless-box/) - I'm stoked to report that the Most Useless Machine has been productized and can now be bought, in kit form, from Think Geek. Here it is in action. I wonder how hackable it is . . . Noel (@noelportugal) could do some interesting things with this. Enjoy. - [Sprucing up Our Facebook Page](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/19/sprucing-up-our-facebook-page/) - Did you know we have a Facebook page? Have for a while now. Not that much really happens over there, other than reposting the content you can get here. Well, Noel (@noelportugal) and I hope to change that by uploading content there, e.g. you can watch the Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots video and see Noel's interview - [A One-Minute TED Talk](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/18/a-one-minute-ted-talk/) - I have a huge nerd crush on Hans Rosling (@hansrosling), and this video is epic. I give you the one-minute TED talk (h/t Flowing Data). - [Disconnection Will Be the New Black](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/17/disconnection-will-be-the-new-black/) - Reading The Connected Viewer: More Than 50% Of Cellphone Owners Now Use Their Phones While Watching TV reminded me of a modern problem I've been meaning to discuss, i.e. the value of doing nothing. Specifically, these piece of information rang the bell: 58% of smartphone users said they use their phones to have something to do - [Great Minds Build Robots Controlled by Phone or Something](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/17/great-minds-build-robots-controlled-by-phone-or-something/) - So, this is a happy coincidence. Remember how Noel (@noelportugal) built Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots controlled by phone, specifically using Twilio (@twilio)? Well, apparently, great minds hack alike or something. Jonathan Gottfried (@jonmarkgo) a developer evangelist at Twilio, built a robot controlled by Twilio too, the TwilioBot (h/t TechCrunch). I love this stuff. - [Can We Ever Close the Usability Divide?](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/17/can-we-ever-close-the-usability-divide/) - My wife just bought an app for her iPhone. I asked her if she liked it, and she replied that it looked good, but she was still trying to figure out how to use it. Given how far down the feature set of most apps is distilled, this is a disastrous statement. There should be no figuring - [Sensors and Internet of Things Create Sci-Fi Coolness](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/12/sensors-and-internet-of-things-create-sci-fi-coolness/) - Robert Scoble (@scobleizer) is a gadfly, but he's also smart and dialed into technology and trends. If you can get past the jargon, his long-winded post about Mobile 3.0 and the future of the phone is definitely worth a read. Mobile 3.0 arrives: How Qualcomm just showed us the future of the cell phone (and - [Throwing Money at Mobile](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/12/throwing-money-at-mobile/) - The only reason I clicked through on this post was to see what data were used to support the obvious claim that UX matters to users. UX a 'critical' concern for mobile, enterprises say | ZDNet What I found was a strange mix of statistics. On the one hand: Sixty-four percent of the approximately 200 - [Help Me Plan a Developer Event for OpenWorld](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/11/help-me-plan-a-developer-event-for-openworld/) - It's not to early to start thinking about Oracle OpenWorld 2012 (@oracleopenworld), which will be September 30 through October 4. Actually, if you want to get the Early Bird pricing, you'd better act fast, since it ends this Friday. If you want more, Kellsey has a great rundown of the event and the WebCenter activities. I'll be - [Tourism of the Future?](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/10/tourism-of-the-future/) - Interesting story on how Klagenfurt, Austria is using QR code and NFC-chipped stickers to point people to public domain books. Austrian city builds public library with nothing but QR codes, NFC and stickers -- Engadget I like the idea of using breadcrumbs around a city to point to interesting information for adventurous tourists, like a - [Robots Controlled by Text](https://theappslab.com/2012/07/09/robots-controlled-by-text/) - After a bunch of travel and short hiatus, I'm back in the saddle. In case you were wondering, I had three conferences in a two-week span, GSummit, Kscope 12 and jQuery Conference. Since I got back, I've been taking it easy and manning the grill, as is the custom for Summers in America. Anyway, before - [A Teaser for Our Kscope Session](https://theappslab.com/2012/06/22/a-teaser-for-our-kscope-session/) - If you're attending Kscope (@odtug, #kscope12) next week and don't have plans for Monday at 4:15 PM, plan to be at our session. If you have plans, break them. Noel (@noelportugal) just gave me a live demo of the fun stuff we're going to show. Here's the promo: It's Arduino, meets Oracle Social Network (OSN), meets robot violence, - [Another Touch Interface, Consistency Is Dead](https://theappslab.com/2012/06/19/another-touch-interface-consistency-is-dead/) - Much to no one's surprise, Microsoft debuted two tablets yesterday, both called Surface, both running Windows 8 variants. This announcements enters yet another interface into the touch OS pantheon, which already includes iOS, Android and all its flavors, and Windows Phone 7. There are others for sure, but these main flavors will surely comprise the - [WebCenter Evangelism at Enterprise 2.0](https://theappslab.com/2012/06/18/webcenter-evangelism-at-enterprise-2-0/) - The Enterprise 2.0 conference starts today in beautiful Boston, Massachusetts, and Oracle is a gold sponsor. Two of our merry band of WebCenter evangelists will be there, Christian Finn (@cfinn) and Peter Reiser (@peterreiser). Christian has a busy speaking schedule during the show, and I'm sure Peter will be busy covering the happenings via Twitter - [Home Stretch: GSummit, Kscope and jQuery Con](https://theappslab.com/2012/06/15/home-stretch-gsummit-kscope-and-jquery-con/) - The next couple weeks will be hectic, as I'm attending the GSummit, speaking with Noel (@noelportugal) at Kscope (@odtug, #kscope12) and attending jQCon. Thankfully, I should get a break from travel until the Fall. Here's the skinny on each event, in case you care. GSummit, June 19-21 The G stands for gamification, which may or may - [Inspire Me with Disruptive Technology I Should Follow](https://theappslab.com/2012/06/14/inspire-me-with-disruptive-technology-i-should-follow/) - Over the past month or so, I've been working up a list of projects for the next year to pitch as innovation prototypes that Noel and I would design and build, the ultimate goal being release into core product. You know, that illusive goal that this team has never really been able to achieve, i.e. - [Running EBS? You Better Turn off JRE Auto-Update, Like Now](https://theappslab.com/2012/06/14/running-ebs-you-better-turn-off-jre-auto-update-like-now/) - Thanks to longtime Friend of the 'Lab, Floyd Teter (@fteter) for passing along this urgent bulletin from Steven Chan. If you're using the E-Business Suite (EBS), you'd better turn off the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) Auto-Update feature, like right now. I'll wait. But why, you say? Turns out the JRE could be updated from the - [Software Does Weird Things](https://theappslab.com/2012/06/07/software-does-weird-things/) - Two odd things today that made me lulz to myself. Twitter, allows you to send direct messages to yourself. I found this out accidentally in the Mac client and confirmed it via the web app. See for yourself. Then later in the day, I got an automated report from our internal telecommunications management system that - [Use Ghostery to See and Block Peeping Toms](https://theappslab.com/2012/06/07/use-ghostery-to-see-and-block-peeping-toms/) - Found Ghostery via Bruce Schneier's blog. Ghostery is a browser extension for Firefox and Chrome that tracks all the tracking cookies set by a set in a handy little pop-up dialog. You can also tell Ghostery to block those cookies, which it calls bugs, funny. Check out what nfl.com tracks, as an example: Semi-related, if - [Find out What CMS a Site is Using](https://theappslab.com/2012/06/05/find-out-what-cms-a-site-is-using/) - Friend of the 'Lab John Brunswick (@johnbrunswick) is on a roll this week. After providing a nice collection of WebCenter Sites resources earlier in the week, he posted a neat tool that will tell you what CMS a site is running, as well as what web analytics and social tools. Check it out on his - [Larry Ellison Joins Twitter](https://theappslab.com/2012/06/05/larry-ellison-joins-twitter/) - You may have heard this already, maybe from the D10 coverage or Justin's post or tweets from @oracle. Larry Ellison has joined Twitter; he's @larryellison. No tweets just yet, but tomorrow he'll begin tweeting. I hear his first tweets will be about the cloud announcement. I'm told he'll be doing his own tweeting, at least - [Looking ahead to Innovations that Will Change Our Lives](https://theappslab.com/2012/06/04/looking-ahead-to-innovations-that-will-change-our-lives/) - Check out 32 Innovations that will change our future in the NYT Magazine's Innovation's Issue: 32 Innovations that Will Change Your Tomorrow There's some very cool and some very creepy stuff in there. My personal favorite is A New Firefighter; imagine waving a magic wand to extinguish fire. The magazine also has a great piece - [More WebCenter Sites Resources](https://theappslab.com/2012/05/30/more-webcenter-sites-resources/) - Friend of the 'Lab, John Brunswick (@johnbrunswick) has collected several WebCenter Sites (the product formerly known as FatWire) resources, 10 to be exact. 10 GREAT WEBCENTER SITES RESOURCES (FATWIRE) Among them is Fatcoders, which I've previously covered as well as the official WebCenter (@oraclewebcenter) blog, specifically the content tagged wem. My colleague and ami Noël - [Recap of the Apps UX Gamification Design Jam](https://theappslab.com/2012/05/23/recap-of-the-apps-ux-gamification-design-jam/) - I'm back from the latest leg on my US tour, the Applications UX Gamification Design Jam. If you were following the #gamifyOracle hashtag, you might have seen some of what went on, but for completeness sake, here's my recap. This was an internal-only meeting held by the Applications UX team, bringing together the entire organization of - [On Doing One Thing Well](https://theappslab.com/2012/05/21/on-doing-one-thing-well/) - I keep meaning to write this post every time I go to the ATM. Depending on your bank, you may have used a modernized ATM, e.g. one that has no envelopes for deposits, but instead, scans your checks and cash to determine the amount you're depositing. Pretty good idea, right? Cuts back on the manual - [Finally, a Good Starting Point for Why Software is Hard](https://theappslab.com/2012/05/15/finally-a-good-starting-point-for-why-software-is-hard/) - After a hectic month or so, I'm finally getting around to reading. I've been meaning to share this thoughtful piece from Scott Porad, CTO of Cheezburger (squee!), that does an excellent job encapsulating some reasons why software is so difficult. His main points, or rather, those made by his friend are: 1. Software is entirely - [Next Tour Stop: An Apps UX Design Jam](https://theappslab.com/2012/05/14/next-tour-stop-an-apps-ux-design-jam/) - My US tour continues next week with a stop in the Bay Area to attend a design jam hosted by our Applications User Experience team. The topic is gamification. Insert cringe here. While I loathe the term, the results that game mechanics can produce when applied to non-games are undeniable. Take reputation for example. Everyone - [The US Tour Continues](https://theappslab.com/2012/05/07/the-us-tour-continues/) - The AppsLab US tour will be making another stop in Seattle this week, as I'm heading to the ICMI-ACCE conference to work the exhibit hall floor. For the uninitiated, like me, ICMI stands for International Customer Management Institute, and ACCE, their annual show, stands for Annual Call Center Exhibition. I'll be showing Oracle Social Network - [A WebCenter Sites Resource](https://theappslab.com/2012/05/04/a-webcenter-sites-resource/) - Now that WebCenter Sites 11gR1 is released and available on OTN, you might be to the now-what step. Those familiar with Sites (and FatWire) are probably familiar with the Jump Start Kit (JSK) concept, which is a preconfigured installation of the Content Server, bundled with Apace and Tomcat running on an in-memory db called HyperSQL - [A Story from the Vault](https://theappslab.com/2012/05/02/a-story-from-the-vault/) - Here's a funny anecdote from the past that was brought back to mind last week. A few of us were chatting over dinner about how much we loved TripIt (@tripit), and I remembered a story from the AppsLab vaults. I remain a true believer that we need more dead-simple email (and IM) interfaces into web services, - [Oracle WebCenter Sites 11gR1 Released](https://theappslab.com/2012/05/01/oracle-webcenter-sites-11gr1-released/) - I've been yammering about WebCenter Sites (formerly FatWire) for a while, and today marked its first release under the Oracle banner. Now, thanks to the power of OTN (@oracletechnet), you can kick the tires yourself. Let's back up and talk about what Sites is first. Sites is all about web experience management, specifically through your - [Collaborate 12: The Week That Was](https://theappslab.com/2012/04/27/collaborate-12-the-week-that-was/) - Collaborate 12 (#C12LV) has wrapped, and overall, I really enjoyed the event. I'll lead off with a big thanks to all the organizers from OAUG (@oaug1), IOUG (@ioug) and Quest (@questusergroup), with a special mention for the IOUG WebCenter Special Interest Group (SIG) who made sure we found the right sessions and networked with the right folks. This is a definitely a - [Behold the History of the User-Agent String](https://theappslab.com/2012/04/19/behold-the-history-of-the-user-agent-string/) - Found this while browsing through user agent strings, it was good. History of the browser user-agent string Rejoice. - [Ice Cream Sandwich on My Nexus S](https://theappslab.com/2012/04/17/ice-cream-sandwich-on-my-nexus-s/) - On Friday, my Nexus S finally got its long-awaited Ice Cream Sandwich, i.e. Android 4.0.4, upgrade. One of the reasons I switched to a Nexus phone last year was to get to new versions of Android quickly. Google first showed ICS in October, and they released the upgrade in conjunction with the Galaxy Nexus release - [Collaborate 12 is Just around the Corner](https://theappslab.com/2012/04/12/collaborate-12-is-just-around-the-corner/) - Don't look now, but Collaborate 12 starts less than 10 days from now on April 22 in Las Vegas. Collaborate is the annual user group conference that brings together several of the largest Oracle user group communities, OAUG (@oaug1), IOUG (@ioug) and Quest (@questusergroup). I haven't been to a Collaborate since 2008 in Denver, and this time, I'll be pretty busy, a good thing. - [How-To: Installing JDeveloper on Your Mac](https://theappslab.com/2012/04/12/how-to-installing-jdeveloper-on-your-mac/) - Although some people don't agree, I think there's value in reposting technical tips for a few reasons. First, I post content for my own information and reference. I'm not the only one who does this (e.g. @oraclenerd), and I'm not the only one who finds it useful as a personal history. Second, I find tons - [OTN Content on Your Favorite iOS Device](https://theappslab.com/2012/04/12/otn-content-on-your-favorite-ios-device/) - Good news, for me anyway, Southwest (@southwestair) found and returned my lost iPad. Now that I'm back in the iOS fold, I can start yapping about apps again. So, let's begin. Justin's (@oracletechnet) post about the OTN content in the Oracle iOS app reminded me to check out the recent updates to the Oracle iOS - [Erascan Scans Whiteboards as it Erases](https://theappslab.com/2012/04/09/erascan-scans-whiteboards-as-it-erases/) - So, this is very cool. Erascan (h/t User Illusions) scans and saves content on a whiteboard as it erases, and it can send the scanned images via email wirelessly. Obviously, the whiteboard is a great tool for collaborating in groups, but inevitably, someone has to transcribe the whiteboard's contents, onto paper, into notes or email - [XKCD Umwelt](https://theappslab.com/2012/04/04/xkcd-umwelt/) - I always dread April 1, but there's usually at least one good prank. This year, Randall Munroe's xkcd comic provided an awesome example of something cool. The comic's title, Umwelt, is explained in the alt text. Umwelt is the idea that because their senses pick up on different things, different animals in the same ecosystem - [Finally, A Timeline Picture](https://theappslab.com/2012/03/27/finally-a-timeline-picture/) - For better or worse, we have a Facebook Page. Facebook recently turned on Timeline for Pages, which I enabled, but our page has been naked since then because I couldn't find a suitably cool picture. So, I reached out to friend of the 'Lab, Eddie Awad (@eddieawad) for ideas. Eddie is a shutterbug, and he has - [Playing with WebCenter Sites](https://theappslab.com/2012/03/26/playing-with-webcenter-sites/) - I've been on work hiatus lately, i.e. too busy to write, but I've found some time to write about my new favorite shiny toy, WebCenter Sites. Sites is the new name for what used to be called FatWire, a company Oracle acquired last year. Sites does what's now being called web experience management (WEM), but - [Twitter Buys Posterous, I Go on an Adventure](https://theappslab.com/2012/03/14/twitter-buys-posterous-i-go-on-an-adventure/) - So, news broke recently that Twitter was buying an old favorite of mine, Posterous. For the unfamiliar, Posterous made blogging dead simple by allowing you to post via email; just send a message to the email address they gave you and presto, you just blogged. I've been using it for a while, and I immediately - [A Future-Friendly Web](https://theappslab.com/2012/03/13/a-future-friendly-web/) - A List Apart has a great piece called For a Future-Friendly Web by Brad Frost (@brad_frost) that I highly recommend reading. Some highlights: Over the years, we’ve become the virtual equivalent of hoarders, tacking on content and features without stopping to clean house. As a result, sites and services have become obese and sluggish to adapt - [Windows 8, Sadly Disappointing](https://theappslab.com/2012/03/12/windows-8-sadly-disappointing/) - Last week, I was surprised to read Don Norman's thoughts about Windows 8, and I got excited to test-drive the consumer preview. Norman wrote the book on usability, quite literally, so his opinion matters. He and Jakob Nielsen have previously been critical of touch interfaces, so I had hope that Microsoft had managed to meld the - [I Don't Get the iPad, There I Said It](https://theappslab.com/2012/03/09/i-dont-get-the-ipad-there-i-said-it/) - Back in the roaring 90s, I briefly held a position doing technical diligence for a company that wanted to do investments in startups. It was toward the end of the dot-com Bubble, and everyone wanted to strike it rich, like a VC boss. Startups were printing fake money at the time driven by IPOs, and - [Stoked for Windows 8](https://theappslab.com/2012/03/08/stoked-for-windows-8/) - I was already excited to check out the consumer preview of Windows 8, having briefly test-driven it when it first dropped, but now, I'm really stoked. Why? Because Don Norman likes it. Yup, that Don Norman. Well, Microsoft is back. Windows 8 is brilliant, and its principles have been extended to phones, tablets, laptops, and - [Calculated Errors: The Ink Trap](https://theappslab.com/2012/03/05/calculated-errors-the-ink-trap/) - If you do design of any kind, read this post on ink traps. Calculated Errors - The Ink Trap | Blog | design mind Ink traps refer to printed typeface and are intentionally designed to account for ink soaking into paper over time. The goal is to preserve legibility after the type is applied to - [The Future is Now](https://theappslab.com/2012/02/25/the-future-is-now/) - It's been a long week, and I'm just catching up on some reading. These three items all feel like science fiction come to life, and they all fit into one of my favorite trends to follow, the internet of things. Google to Sell Heads-Up Display Glasses by Year’s End (h/t TNW) This sounds like a cool - [Well Hello There, Oracle Social Network Videos](https://theappslab.com/2012/02/20/well-hello-there-oracle-social-network-videos/) - Remember OpenWorld last year, specifically the keynote announcing Oracle Social Network? Remember how I told you that OSN was part of the WebCenter family? Well, if your interest is still piqued, check out the following videos and get a more detailed preview of OSN. First, check out the OSN Fusion CRM integration: Next, see how OSN manages - [Introducing the Oracle Social Business Thought Leaders Webcast Series](https://theappslab.com/2012/02/20/introducing-the-oracle-social-business-thought-leaders-webcast-series/) - Editor's note: Reposted from the WebCenter (@oraclewebcenter) blog, comes an introduction to our new Oracle Social Business Thought Leaders Webcast Series from Christian Finn (@cfinn), the fearless leader of our WebCenter evangelism team. Read on for details and make sure to attend the first webcast, this Thursday at 10:00am Pacific Time. A few months ago when I joined Oracle, - [Social at Oracle Recap](https://theappslab.com/2012/02/17/social-at-oracle-recap/) - In case you missed it, the WebCenter (@oraclewebcenter) blog has been featuring stories about Social at Oracle this week. These are five stories about how teams at Oracle use social for everyday work stuff; there are more that would be fun to read, and maybe someday, they'll do another week or two. Anyway, here's a - [Why Math and Statistics are Sexy](https://theappslab.com/2012/02/17/why-math-and-statistics-are-sexy/) - Nothing like this headline to grab attention: How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did A very interesting read, if only because it points to a much longer and more detailed piece in the NYT with a much more staid headline, How Companies Learn Your Secrets. I highly recommend reading both, especially - [Password Follies and Also #LFMF](https://theappslab.com/2012/02/15/password-follies-and-also-lfmf/) - So, I lost my iPad a few weeks ago, left it in the seat pocket of an airplane. Yes, stupid Jake is stupid. I don't expect to get it back, although I suppose it was lucky that the plane did not continue on to another destination, effectively lessening the hands into which it could have - [The History of Oracle Connect](https://theappslab.com/2012/02/13/the-history-of-oracle-connect/) - Editor's note: This is cross-posted from the Oracle WebCenter (@oraclewebcenter) blog for posterity. Stay tuned to that channel for more stories about social at Oracle. Peter's (@peterreiser) tribute to SunSpace has inspired me to tell the story of Oracle Connect, Oracle's internal social application. Social enterprise is all rage now, and this trend has grown out of - [Create Different Realities with Content-Aware Fills in Photoshop CS6](https://theappslab.com/2012/02/15/create-different-realities-with-content-aware-fills-in-photoshop-cs6/) - Photoshop is one of those tools that has crept into the vernacular, so even if you've never used it, you probably understand that it alters the reality of photographs. If you have used Photoshop, you understand the full extent to which that's true; Photoshop is truly a dark art, so much so that really awesome - [Software is Hard: Episode 4,901](https://theappslab.com/2012/02/07/software-is-hard-episode-4901/) - I don't care what software you build or how you deploy it, the lessons and pitfalls described by Jason Fried in this post apply to you: SaaS: Change starts easy and then gets really hard Definitely worth a full read, but here's a key nugget: In the traditional software world, new releases were bundled up - [Squid, the Compression Shirt Workout Tracker](https://theappslab.com/2012/02/06/squid-the-compression-shirt-workout-tracker/) - One of my areas to watch for 2012 was Health+Intertubes, and on that note, here comes Squid, the compression shirt that monitors and tracks your workouts. As a side note, compression is how cool people say Spandex. Squid looks a bit bulky, but the data it collects and the technology itself are very impressive. I - [BYOD Is Absolutely Top-Down](https://theappslab.com/2012/02/01/byod-is-absolutely-top-down/) - I'm glad someone finally pointed this out about the BYOD movement: Who Has Apples at Work? In Many Cases, It’s the Bosses (h/t Between the Lines) From my long-past days in IT, I remember the added pressure of supporting executives, regardless of what they were carrying. When it came to support, we jumped, e.g. I once - [Is Siri a Disappointment?](https://theappslab.com/2012/02/01/is-siri-a-disappointment/) - Well, this is interesting: Is it time to say goodbye to Siri? A few months ago, when I finally upgraded my wife's OG iPhone, I initially bought the 4, but settled on the 4S because she thought Siri sounded useful and cool. I told her my opinion, basically that voice was a neat feature that no one - [Trending, Unplugged Vacations](https://theappslab.com/2012/02/01/trending-unplugged-vacations/) - I suspect many people now take workcations, given how common tablets and smartphones are and how easy it has become to do work on the go, and similarly how hard it has become to disconnect from the internets. One trend I wholeheartedly endorse is the rise of the unplugged getaway, which is tougher (and pricier) - [Where's the Halo Exactly?](https://theappslab.com/2012/01/25/wheres-the-halo-exactly/) - Apple's earnings noted a halo effect, a.k.a. as the iPhone as a gateway drug. Enterprise iPhone 4S activations spike, highlight Apple's halo effect | ZDNet Since its release in 2007, the iPhone has served as the perfect gateway drug to other Apple products in the home. Apple is now seeing this among enterprise buyers too. - [Hello There LinkedIn, It's Been a While](https://theappslab.com/2012/01/25/hello-there-linkedin-its-been-a-while/) - Attending an enterprisey conference means exchanging and collecting lots of business cards. I usually carry stickers, but somehow they're not in my laptop bag anymore. Anyway, one guy I met decided to connect to me on LinkedIn, a brilliant reminder of that professional network that I've neglected over the last half decade. I'm really glad - [SunSpace Moves to WebCenter](https://theappslab.com/2012/01/24/sunspace-moves-to-webcenter/) - Over on the WebCenter (@oraclewebcenter) blog, Peter (@peterreiser) has a detailed look at the migration of SunSpace to WebCenter, definitely worth a look if you're interested in what WebCenter can do. He even includes pictures of SunSpace communities on Chris' (@cbales) Spaces iPhone app, which I personally love both as a go-to app and as - [Do More with Oracle WebCenter](https://theappslab.com/2012/01/23/do-more-with-oracle-webcenter/) - Last week, our own Christian Finn (@cfinn) gave a webcast called "Do More with Oracle WebCenter," but if you missed it, don't fret, there's a recording. Check out the recap on the official WebCenter (@oraclewebcenter) blog: Do More with Oracle WebCenter: Expand Beyond Portals - Webcast Q - [WebCenter Resources in the Wild](https://theappslab.com/2012/01/18/webcenter-resources-in-the-wild/) - Aside from the official WebCenter blog (@oraclewebcenter), Peter's blog (@peterreiser) and sometimes Matthias' blog (@mprove), there are a bunch people out there in intertubes land writing about WebCenter. Here are a few good voices I've read recently, along with some that I've been reading for a while in no particular order: Yannick Ongena (@yannick_ongena) Andrejus Baranovskis (@andrejusb) - [Mix So Far](https://theappslab.com/2007/11/30/mix-so-far/) - We just got site analytics installed on Mix. It would have been nice to see the traffic patterns the week of OpenWorld. Sometimes duh stuff like that takes longer than anticipated, but oh well. We're about three weeks in, give or take a holiday, so I figured I'd check out the ideas and share some - [Mix is for Everyone](https://theappslab.com/2007/11/26/mix-is-for-everyone/) - Paul announced our new community, Oracle Mix, during OpenWorld. Rich blogged about the experience he and ThoughtWorks had building Mix in 4-ish weeks. Depending on whom you ask, Mix took anywhere from 6-3 weeks to execute, so it was a classic agile project. Oh yeah, in case you didn't know already, Mix is built in - [Mix, JRuby on Rails, Small Teams, Agile, and it's Effects on the World](https://theappslab.com/2007/11/21/mix-jruby-on-rails-small-teams-agile-and-its-effects-on-the-world/) - A week after going live with Oracle Mix, we've gotten a considerable amount of buzz and interest from every aspect of Mix. Most everyone we've talked with are really happy to see Oracle becoming more transparent. Mix is a huge part of that. There are a lot of tool heads out there who are really - [Let's Mix](https://theappslab.com/2007/11/12/lets-mix/) - Hi all. Remember me? I used to blog here until of course Paul and Jake buried me with a crazy project that seemed impossible. Anyway, now that it's out, I can talk about what I've been working on since all the fun we had with Connect this Summer. So, far the buzz on Oracle Mix - [Connect is Just the Beginning](https://theappslab.com/2007/08/12/connect-is-just-the-beginning/) - Paul and I have blogged about our newly (alpha) launched social network within Oracle, and we have settled on a name, Connect. Anne Truitt Zelenka, who also blogs for Web Worker Daily, wrote about our experiment in her personal blog, although Tim got most of the airtime for his comment turned post. It's OK, he - [Oracle Gets Social](https://theappslab.com/2007/08/07/oracle-gets-social/) - Here on the AppsLab team we have always been big believers in the power of people as a design point in applications. My personal background is in the portal space, and for years we preached people-centric. In those days, it meant a user had a configurable homepage with all the content they cared about in - [Bigger Ideas, Superbig Participation Part 2](https://theappslab.com/2007/08/04/bigger-ideas-superbig-participation-part-2/) - It's been a hectic couple of days. Thursday, I wrote about IdeaFactory, our internal new web think tank idea collector. At the end, I teased the introduction of a new project of ours. Shortly after my post we launched it in alpha, and suffice to say, we opened the floodgates. For now, the project will - [Big Ideas, Bigger Participation](https://theappslab.com/2007/08/02/big-ideas-bigger-participation/) - We debuted the IdeaFactory roughly a month ago, with Justin launching it for us. In that time, we've had: More than 9,000 page views. About 2,000 visits from over 1,000 unique visitors. An average time spent of 12 minutes per visit. An average of more than 4.5 pages viewed per visit. 45% of our visitors - [In Defense of the Logitech Revue Remote](https://theappslab.com/2012/01/13/in-defense-of-the-gtv-remote/) - Here I am defending the Google TV remote again. To be clear, I'm talking about the Logitech Revue remote: The Logitech Revue remote Not the Sony one: The Sony Internet TV remote First off, I have a Logitech Revue, which Google sent me after Google IO 2010. I like the idea of Google TV, and - [The History of SunSpace](https://theappslab.com/2012/01/13/the-history-of-sunspace/) - Peter (@peterreiser), one of my fellow WebCenter evangelists, shares the history of SunSpace, Sun's internal community/Enterprise 2.0/social site, over on his blog. Sun was an early social adopter, and SunSpace was/is a very active community. I first met Peter a shortly after the Sun acquisition was announced. As social community managers, we shared tips and tricks, - [WebCenter Tips and Tricks: Parts 1 and 2](https://theappslab.com/2012/01/11/webcenter-tips-and-tricks-parts-1-and-2/) - Editor's note: New friend of the 'Lab and former Sun guy Matthias Müller-Prove (@mprove) has posted the first two installments of his WebCenter Spaces tips and tricks. He initially posted these internally to Connect, which he uses as his internal blog, an unintentional feature we created a long time ago. Not so long ago, the - [WebCenter Tips and Tricks, Part 3](https://theappslab.com/2012/01/13/webcenter-tips-and-tricks-part-3/) - Editor's note: Here's the third installment of WebCenter tips and tricks from Matthias Müller-Prove (@mprove). Check out the first two here. Tips'n'Tricks for WebCenter #3: How to display custom page titles in Spaces by Matthias Müller-Prove If people don’t know where they are in the web, they tend to get lost in cyberspace. This can be prevented - [A WebCenter VM, Revisited](https://theappslab.com/2012/01/12/a-webcenter-vm-revisited/) - A couple years ago, I took on a geeky project, creating a WebCenter VM. The goal was to get WebCenter running so I could kick the tires and build something. It didn't end well, thanks to a variety of factors, but one good thing that came of the effort was a conversation with Justin (@oracletechnet) - [The Agony of Paying for Apps](https://theappslab.com/2012/01/09/the-agony-of-paying-for-apps/) - Before the New Year, I ran across two separate posts about free apps, and as with many of my posts, this coincidence got me thinking and writing. The first was by Dan Ariely (h/t Slashdot), who writes about economics and stuff, two of my favorite topics. Plus, he referenced a favorite Oatmeal comic of mine, which - [Hello There 2012](https://theappslab.com/2012/01/05/hello-there-2012/) - Traditionally, I do end of the year and prediction posts. This year, I just haven't had the energy, and by now, I've read too many predictions posts (and so have you) to convince anyone that these are my own thoughts. The well is poisoned. Predictions for 2012 tend to fall into either the can't-miss or - [Types of Users Don't Matter, What They Want to Do Does](https://theappslab.com/2012/01/03/types-of-users-dont-matter-what-they-want-to-do-does/) - I heard someone say today that such-and-such function was for a user with no technical competence. This immediately struck me as odd, given that I thought we were talking about the persona often referred to as "the business user," i.e. someone for whom writing code is not a job function that will be using your - [Emerging Market for Orphaned Tablets?](https://theappslab.com/2012/01/03/emerging-market-for-orphaned-tablets/) - Today brought news that RIM is slashing the price of its PlayBook tablet. There's precedent for this move. HP almost immediately slashed the price of its TouchPad after the release did not go well; they did so again in December. December also brought news that Dell was killing off its Streak line of tablets. I have to assume - [On Social Apps, Trying Again](https://theappslab.com/2007/09/28/on-social-apps-trying-again/) - So, Billy and I had a whimsical dust-up over the differences (or lack thereof) between our approaches to the enterprise-ification of New Web. A few other voices chimed in too. Right, wrong, indifferent, it's been a slow week. Mr. Long Tail, Chris Anderson, posted an entry yesterday that hits the core of the differences between - [On Ties ](https://theappslab.com/2007/10/04/on-ties/) - The term social networking, like blog, has a fluffy connotation. Because its adoption began with young people through MySpace, many people assume that social networks are toys and time-sinks. Actually, they are correct on both accounts. However, as working stiffs like yours truly and people who understand us immerse ourselves in social networks, new uses - [Speaking at Kscope 12](https://theappslab.com/2011/12/23/speaking-at-kscope-12/) - I've been accepted to speak at Kscope 12, the big ODTUG (@odtug) user group conference which is in San Antonio, June 24-28. My session is called Extend Oracle WebCenter to Infinity and Beyond, and yes, you can expect lots of Toy Story references. The session is scheduled for Monday, June 25 from 4:15 to 5:15, so - [Seeing Santa Hacks](https://theappslab.com/2011/12/22/seeing-santa-hacks/) - My daughter is about nine months old now, and she's thoroughly enjoying all the hubbub of Christmas. We've taken her to a nearby grower to cut down our tree, to the zoo to see all the lights, and of course, to sit on Santa's lap. That last one was an adventure, one that could have been greatly - [Helvetica, the Documentary](https://theappslab.com/2011/12/19/helvetica-the-documentary/) - I recently finished watching Gary Hustwit's Helvetica. Yes, it's a documentary about the ubiquitous typeface. Pretty sure I heard about it first from Paul (@ppedrazzi), which makes sense, given the content. I like most documentaries, and this one appeals to the wannabe designer and font, erm typeface, nerd in me. It's also an interesting historical study in the - [Clara Shih Joins the Starbucks Board Of Directors](https://theappslab.com/2011/12/15/clara-shih-joins-the-starbucks-board-of-directors/) - If you doubted the power of social, this bit of news might serve as a wake-up call, or it might reenforce your beliefs. Twenty-Nine-Year-Old Hearsay Social CEO Clara Shih Joins Starbucks Board Of Directors | TechCrunch Back in 2007, Clara mashed up Salesforce and Facebook into an unofficial app called Faceforce. Creepy, yes, but very - [Faceforce = Creepiness + Spam](https://theappslab.com/2007/09/19/faceforce-creepiness-spam/) - I'll start by saying what I like about Faceforce, the unofficial mashup between Salesforce.com and Facebook. It's a great example of ad hoc collaboration between two companies in what seems to be an unofficial way. Clara Shih, an AppExchange Product Manager at Salesforce.com and Todd Perry, a software engineer at Facebook, built this integration. It's - [The Scoop on WebCenter Evangelism](https://theappslab.com/2011/12/14/the-scoop-on-webcenter-evangelism/) - Sometimes, I write about work stuff. This is one of those times. You may have seen recently that Noel (@noelportugal) and I joined a brand-spanking, new team called WebCenter evangelism. You might also recall that the team's mission is: . . . to raise the profile of Oracle in all of the markets/conversations in which WebCenter - [The Design of Road Signs](https://theappslab.com/2011/12/12/the-design-of-road-signs/) - Even though I read several design blogs, it's not very often I come across anything about road signs, let alone two different pieces about different influential designers. Today, I did. First, there's this bit on the English pair Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert, who were "the graphic designers standardised the road network, created many of its - [The LunaTik Pen, Stylus and, Well, Pen](https://theappslab.com/2011/12/12/the-lunatik-pen-stylus-and-well-pen/) - Apparently, I'm not alone in thinking that tablets would be a whole lot more usable and useful with a good stylus, and it's always good to have a pen. So, why not combine the two into something awesome? Check out the LunaTik Pen, straight from the minds of the designer who created the TikTok iPod - [NY Times R&D Has a Sci-Fi Mirror Called Reveal](https://theappslab.com/2011/12/08/ny-times-rd-has-a-sci-fi-mirror-called-reveal/) - Check this out, the NY Times Research & Development Lab has a prototype of that smart mirror you see in sci-fi movies like Total Recall and Minority Report. It's called Reveal, and it looks awesome. Reveal Project - Personal Data Mirror from NYT R&D on Vimeo. More importantly, the NY Times has an R&D lab? - [Another Cool Design Tool, UXPin](https://theappslab.com/2011/12/07/another-cool-design-tool-uxpin/) - UXPin (h/t TechCrunch) eases the pain of converting paper prototypes into digital wireframes by making the process as simple as taking and emailing a photo. OK, there are some caveats. First, you'll need to use their paper prototype notebooks, which look to be very nice. They have web app and an iPhone app notebooks. Then, - [Death of an Inbox](https://theappslab.com/2007/07/26/death-of-an-inbox/) - In a comment on my first post about the slow death of email as a communication medium, Julie asked: I guess you are talking about email in the context of personal communication rather than business? What are your thoughts on IM for business use, as a replacement for email? My position is that email is - [Very Cool, Android Design Preview](https://theappslab.com/2011/12/07/very-cool-android-design-preview/) - This is just plain sweet. Check out Android Design Preview (h/t Engadget), a Java utility that allows you to preview your hi-fi Android mockups (or anything on your computer for that matter) live on the device: Sounds like you'll need the Android SDK too to use adb, Android Debug Bridge. Kudos to Roman Nurik (@romannurik) for - [CEO Bans Email, Wins at PR](https://theappslab.com/2011/12/06/ceo-bans-email-wins-at-pr/) - This smacks of a PR play, albeit a successful one. CEO bans email, encourages social networking -- Engadget Even so, I wonder if the results of the experiment will ever see the same level of transparency. I've been among those who proclaim email dead, but over the years, email has become more pervasive, not less. - [Developeronomics](https://theappslab.com/2011/12/06/developeronomics/) - Presented without comment, I give you The Rise of Developeronomics, please forgive the damn interstitial. It's six pages without a full-page version; the tl;dr version is invest in developers, ideally the 10x ones because this is the only investment that will hold value over the next few years. An interesting read for sure. I have some quibbles, - [AppsLab News](https://theappslab.com/2011/12/05/appslab-news/) - 2011 has been a year of change for the 'Lab. We welcomed a new member in May, Noel Portugal (@noelportugal), but then lost Rich (@rmanalan) to Atlassian in August and Anthony (@anthonyslai) to Taleo in September. Uncertainty played a role in each of their departures. For quite some time, the future of this team has - [Three Small and Useful Development Tools for a Monday](https://theappslab.com/2011/12/05/three-small-and-useful-development-tools-for-a-monday/) - Last week, I came across a few development tools that I wanted to share. The first is Mobilizer, recommended to me by a new friend, Noël Jaffré (@noeljaffre) from the Fatwire acquisition. Mobilizer is an Adobe AIR app that lets you preview mobile content from your desktop. Currently, it can render the iPhone 4, HTC EVO, Palm - [This USB Stick is a Dual-Core Computer](https://theappslab.com/2011/11/29/this-usb-stick-is-a-dual-core-computer/) - Check out Cotton Candy: Cotton Candy: FXI technologies’ USB stick-size portable computer prototype with a dual-core 1.2-GHz Samsung Exynos ARM CPU. That’s the same processor in a Samsung Galaxy S II, by the way. Also, it has 802.11n Wi-Fi capability, Bluetooth, HDMI-out and a microSD memory slot. This USB Stick is a Dual-Core Computer | Geekosystem Wow. Imagine - [Interesting Take on the New Google App for iPad](https://theappslab.com/2011/11/29/interesting-take-on-the-new-google-app-for-ipad/) - Google dropped a new version of its search app for iPad recently, and TNW has an interesting take, i.e. this new app is a Chrome OS Trojan Horse. I rarely use the Google Search iPad app, although past versions have showcased some very cool design patterns for iPad development. Not exactly sure why, but it - [Twine Advances the Internet of Things](https://theappslab.com/2011/11/28/twine-advances-the-internet-of-things/) - I do love the internet of things, and Twine looks like a simple way to add connectivity to everyday objects without too much fuss. ‘Twine’ Foreshadows A Future Where All Objects Talk To The Internet | TechCrunch Twine reminds me of stripped down Sun SPOTs. Anyway, they're on Kickstarter now, raising money to make these - [We Have a Google+ Page](https://theappslab.com/2011/11/28/we-have-a-google-page/) - Now that Google+ pages are open to anyone, I had to create one for us. Find it here. This blog and my Google Reader shares are the center of my universe, and I use dlvr.it to push content to Twitter (@theappslab) and our Facebook page. The only reason I do this is because unlike years ago, - [Focus Your Time](https://theappslab.com/2011/11/28/focus-your-time/) - I've been missing for a while, spending some quality time away from this space, but now, I'm back and better than ever. Or something. Anyway, a few weeks ago, this post about how Jack Dorsey spends eight hours every day working at both Twitter and Square revealed something interesting that everyone can use. Not the - [Change and Inattentional Blindness, I Love This Stuff](https://theappslab.com/2011/11/09/change-and-inattentional-blindness-i-love-this-stuff/) - I don't recall how I discovered You Are Not So Smart, but it's definitely worth reading. Today's posts were about inattentional blindness and change blindness. I'm tempted to include the visual material here, but then you wouldn't click through and the link love might be lost and my admiration of the blog would be useless. - [Musings on IT, Side Projects and Users](https://theappslab.com/2011/11/09/musings-on-it-side-projects-and-users/) - When a side project takes on a life of its own, you feel both intensely gratified and frightened all at once. This has been my experience with all the side projects I've been involved with anyway. On the one hand, the reason you build product at all is to solve a problem users have, ideally - [Siri Will Be Huge, If It Can Scale](https://theappslab.com/2011/11/04/siri-will-be-huge-if-it-can-scale/) - The thing that sold my wife on the iPhone 4S was Siri, and she spent the evening after we finally got one seeing what Siri could do. Since then, a mere two days, Siri's had several outages. Going through the coverage, it seems Siri is a beta service, which was suprising to read, given how - [Yes, AOL Still Has 3.5 Million Dialup Subscribers](https://theappslab.com/2011/11/04/yes-aol-still-has-3-5-million-dialup-subscribers/) - Who are these people? Seriously, do you know anyone who still has AOL dialup? Amazingly, AOL still has 3.5 million dialup subscribers – SplatF I'm truly stunned. I guess it makes sense, given the steady cost AOL has maintained over many years and the recent downturn prompting people to cut back on expenses. Still. I - [Mobile Apps Taking Aim at Parking Tickets](https://theappslab.com/2011/11/03/mobile-apps-taking-aim-at-parking-tickets/) - Another app that I'd totally buy is one that helped me find street parking and let me know if I could park there or not. In some cities, you need a legal degree to decipher all the parking restrictions. In LA, I recall seeing as many as four signs on a post, with directions about when you - [Dark Sky - Weather Prediction Reinvented](https://theappslab.com/2011/11/03/dark-sky-weather-prediction-reinvented/) - I've lived in several climates where the prevailing wisdom was if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes. That's why I love the idea behind Dark Sky, i.e. accurate, short-term prediction. Dark Sky - Weather Prediction, Reinvented by Adam Grossman Dark Sky is a Kickstarter project, but it looks like they have real, working code already. - [Does Technology Make You Happier?](https://theappslab.com/2011/11/03/does-technology-make-you-happier/) - That's the point right? Technology either makes life easier, which presumably creates more free time, or it provides new ways to entertain us. Are new technologies making us happier? - The Next Web This isn't as easy a question to answer. On the one hand, technology obviously does what you'd expect. My wife loves Facebook - [Reader and GMail Get Facelifts](https://theappslab.com/2011/11/03/reader-and-gmail-get-facelifts/) - Google dropped redesigns of both Reader and GMail this week, and the general reaction has been very negative. So, like any good blogger, I'm going to pile on while the iron is hot, or something. I use Reader all day, every day. It's an essential tool for me. So, I was actually happy when Google announced - [Very Subtle Updates to iOS Visual Design](https://theappslab.com/2011/11/01/very-subtle-updates-to-ios-visual-design/) - Some of you will click through on this link and shake your head. Others will understand. Users Illusions - Apple has made some very subtle updates to the... One great thing about the intertubes is that it proves once and for all that you are not alone in the world. There's someone out there who - [Miscellaneous iPhone Musings](https://theappslab.com/2011/11/01/miscellaneous-iphone-musings/) - I'm finally upgraded my wife's original iPhone last week. Despite her protestations that the old one was just fine, she's in love with the new one, a 4 not 4S. The reason I got an iPhone 4 is, well, they're easy to find, and I wanted this to be a surprise with instant gratification. The - [Nest, the iPod of Thermostats](https://theappslab.com/2011/10/27/nest-the-ipod-of-thermostats/) - Interesting post about Nest, the thermostat from the co-creator of the iPod, and more broadly about the so-called Apple-fication of other areas outside computing. Nest is a very handsome device that has an impressive list of features that any household could use, mine included. I actually may buy one of these after the initial kinks - [A View of Android Fragmentation](https://theappslab.com/2011/10/27/a-view-of-android-fragmentation/) - Michael DeGusta (@degusta) has an exhaustive chart depicting Android fragmentation. Maybe someone can visualize the data in a slightly easier to consume way, but it paints a good picture. the understatement: Android Orphans: Visualizing a Sad History of Support h/t TechCrunch Aside from a minor quibble with the original iPhone's green status (iOS 4 launched a - [On Apple's Design Aesthetic: When Delight Turns Patronizing](https://theappslab.com/2011/10/26/on-apples-design-aesthetic-when-delight-turns-patronizing/) - Found this fascinating post by way of Kottke.org, it accurately describes something that has bugged me about areas of OS X Lion, specifically iCal. Apple's aesthetic dichotomy | Made by Many I use iCal every day, all day, and when I opened it for the first time on Lion I felt annoyed and vaguely patronized - [Dreaming of a Smooth Upgrade](https://theappslab.com/2011/10/22/dreaming-of-a-smooth-upgrade/) - Oneiric means of or relating to dreams or dreaming. I had to look it up, and the reason I did so was because the latest release of Canonical's popular Linux distro, Ubuntu, is called Oneiric Ocelot. I made the jump to Ubuntu in July 2008 with Hardy Heron, and for the most part, I've been - [Taking the Plunge: Part 4](https://theappslab.com/2008/07/05/taking-the-plunge-part-4/) - In case you haven't had enough of my epic dumping of Windows for Ubuntu odyssey, here's another installment. This is likely to be the last one, but no promises. This is my fist blog post from Ubuntu, not a huge deal, but still. I'm probably 75-80% of the way done, with a few holes yet - [Taking the Plunge: Part 3](https://theappslab.com/2008/07/04/taking-the-plunge-part-3/) - I decided earlier in the week that the long Fourth of July would be a great time to reimage my work laptop from XP to Ubuntu. A couple reasons for this: 1) I'm supposed to be off today, so I can muck around with my laptop without worrying about work stuff and 2) it's a - [Taking the Plunge: Part 2](https://theappslab.com/2008/07/01/taking-the-plunge-part-2/) - Over the weekend, I finally made the decision to reimage my laptop, which currently runs XP, to Ubuntu 8.04, fondly known as Hardy Heron. Well, I dragged my feet, and the weekend ended; XP must not have got the memo because it's being more temperamental than normal. It's complaining about disk space on C; it's - [Taking the Plunge](https://theappslab.com/2008/06/28/taking-the-plunge/) - It's ironic to me that D-Day for good old Windows XP is coming up on Monday, since for several months, I've been trying to motivate myself to dump it in favor of Ubuntu as the O/S on my work laptop. Tracking Dan's recent jump into the Mac pond chronicled over Twitter and in his blog - [Interesting Take on Smartphones](https://theappslab.com/2011/10/20/interesting-take-on-smartphones/) - As I read this tantalizingly titled post, I found myself nodding like an idiot. I work from home, so at least no one saw me silently agreeing with what I was reading. I Hate My Smartphone The main point is highly applicable to me and to many of you and is pretty much the same one I - [Do We Need More Multitouch Options?](https://theappslab.com/2011/10/19/do-we-need-more-multitouch-options/) - From the same guy who created OmniTouch, which allows any surface to be used as a touchscreen, comes TapSense, which can tell what is touching its display, e.g. fingernail, finger pad, knuckle, fingertip. While this is really cool from a technology perspective, it further complicates the usability issues wrapped up with the diversity of multitouch - [Details of Android 4.0 and Galaxy Nexus New Features](https://theappslab.com/2011/10/19/details-of-android-4-0-and-galaxy-nexus-new-features/) - TechCrunch has a long walkthrough of the cool stuff in Android 4.0 and the hardware features of the Galaxy Nexus. I didn't really expect to have device envy, since the Nexus S is a really nice device, but when I saw "zero shutter lag" and immediately wanted a bump. My daughter is the reason. She's - [How Google's Self-Driving Cars Work](https://theappslab.com/2011/10/19/how-googles-self-driving-cars-work/) - Ever since they were outed, I've been fascinated by Google's self-driving cars. They are a combination of awesome potential and scary future vision. Here's some interesting information on how they actually work, very cool as expected. How Google's Self-Driving Car Works - IEEE Spectrum As with any algorithm, there are some interesting tweaks: Sometimes, however, - [Divide Your Work and Personal Smartphone Usage](https://theappslab.com/2011/10/18/divide-your-work-and-personal-smartphone-usage/) - Interesting and seemingly simple approach to separating your work and personal lives on your smartphone, h/t Fast Company Design. More to the point, do tools like this even matter anymore? Yes, IT and IS will always want division and security to protect digital assets, but have we moved into an era where people know enough - [I Heart TripIt](https://theappslab.com/2008/02/11/i-heart-tripit/) - So, I'm going on vacation tomorrow for a week. Keep reading if you care. Coincidentally, I've been messing with two travel-targeted social networks lately, so it's fitting that my last post before a trip would be about TripIt and Dopplr, less so. These are niche networks, an ever-more common phenomenon; as horizontal social networks like - [Turn Any Surface into a Touchscreen? Yes, Please.](https://theappslab.com/2011/10/17/turn-any-surface-into-a-touchscreen-yes-please/) - Last week, I was complaining about how boring smartphones have become. Check out OmniTouch, which allows pretty much any surface to become a multitouch input, including body parts, walls and notepads. There's a longer video over on TechCrunch. Now this is cool. The shoulder-mounted unit is a bit clunky, but I can see definite potential - [Smartphones All Look Alike, Are Boring](https://theappslab.com/2011/10/11/smartphones-all-look-alike-are-boring/) - This will sound a bit get-off-my-lawn, but smartphones are too much alike nowadays. Recently, I saw several smartphones laid out at my gym, and I was struck at how much alike they looked, despite being produced by different manufacturers and rocking different carriers and OSes. It's all black bricks with big screens anymore. I've followed - [Privacy in the Age of Facebook](https://theappslab.com/2011/10/13/privacy-in-the-age-of-facebook/) - This is part generational study and part truth. The short version: two kids meet, don't hit it off, one starts taking secret shots of the other in public and posts them to a fake stalker blog, the other finds out, isn't pissed and interviews him for a school assignment. That's as short as I could - [Kickstarter Reaches One Million Backers](https://theappslab.com/2011/10/12/kickstarter-reaches-one-million-backers/) - If you're not familiar with Kickstarter, you should be. It's a fantastic way to get your pet project off the ground without pounding the pavements looking for investors. Well, they just reached one million backers and one hundred million dollars pledged. Interesting stuff out there, including projects like TikTok, the svelte iPod Nano watchband which started - [A Supermarket Featuring 40 Years of Product](https://theappslab.com/2011/10/11/a-supermarket-featuring-40-years-of-product/) - I'm a nostalgic person, so this type of thing fascinates me. I would totally waste a day wandering through this place. For Design Researchers: The NewProductWorks Collection, a Supermarket Featuring 40 Years' Worth of Product - Core77 This massive warehouse of old product packaging doesn't appeal to my consumerism; it appeals to my design sense. - [On the 3.5 Inch Screen Size](https://theappslab.com/2011/10/11/on-the-3-5-inch-screen-size/) - I saw this post and reactions to it floating around, but honestly, I thought they were floppy disk memoirs or something. 3.5 Inches - Dustin Curtis When I first read the post, the assumption that the iPhone's 3.5 inch screen is a design decision based on thumb-reach radius sounded very plausible. After all, Apple does - [Gone Native?](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/30/gone-native/) - I'm a bit sad that one of the few social apps I actually use anymore, Untappd (@untappd) has released native apps for Android and iOS. I'll explain. First, what is Untappd? With a motto "drink socially", you can probably figure it out on your own. It's a social app for beer drinkers with a bunch - [Chrome Remote Desktop](https://theappslab.com/2011/10/10/chrome-remote-desktop/) - Google announced something very cool today, Chrome Remote Desktop beta, an app in the Chrome Web Store that allows desktop sharing between any two computers. Each machine needs to be running Chrome, as well as the web app, but that's it. No additional software to install and manage. This is huge for IT, support, and - [Working with Email, Not against It](https://theappslab.com/2011/10/07/working-with-email-not-against-it/) - Recently, I'm reminded of how much people depend on email to GSD. Despite all the flashy (and useful) content management solutions out there, the most common way to share files is still by attaching them to emails. By now, everyone understands the limitations and issues wrapped up in this practice. We only have 1 GB quotas - [On the Oracle Social Network](https://theappslab.com/2011/10/06/on-the-oracle-social-network/) - In yesterday's afternoon keynote, the Oracle Social Network was officially announced. Check out friend of the 'Lab Peter Reiser's (@peterreiser) coverage for details. A few of you who've been reading here for a while have asked if this new product is any part of the socials apps we built and operate internally, Oracle Connect and - [People Everthing Starts With](https://theappslab.com/2007/08/08/people-everthing-starts-with/) - 155,000 pageviews later, I'm finally able to blog about our little social network experiment, whose name is still in flux. When we started the band, we all agreed that new web was not about a list of technologies (blogs, wikis, forums, tags, foo), but instead that new web was about people. We agreed that a - [Let's Talk iPhone: Running the Gamut](https://theappslab.com/2011/10/04/lets-talk-iphone-running-the-gamut/) - Tons of coverage of today's Let's Talk iPhone event out there, as usual for Apple events. The smartest: Apple will continue to sell the iPhone 3Gs and iPhone 4 at lower prices, free with contract for the 3GS and $99 with contract for the 4. This is a great move against pressure from middle and - [Facebook's Confusing Settings](https://theappslab.com/2011/10/03/check-to-disable/) - While reading Nik Cubrilovic's post on how to set up secure and private Facebook browsing, I stumbled across some interesting copy and messaging. People correctly complain that Facebook's privacy and security options are too complex, and here's an example of why. Check out the boilerplate and label for Facebook's Instant Personalization feature: Carefully read the - [Test Driving Google Wallet](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/30/test-driving-google-wallet/) - Despite my concerns about the privacy of purchasing data that goes into Google Wallet, I'm stoked to try out NFC payments. I guess the promise of a less bulky wallet is too attractive, and plus, I love shiny objects. So, when I received my $10 prepaid card offer from Google today, I jumped at the - [Introducing Amazon Silk](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/28/introducing-amazon-silk/) - Noteworthy in today's Kindle fanfare is the new Amazon Silk browser that will run on the Kindle Fire. Introducing Amazon Silk | Amazon Silk Amazon is using its EC2 infrastructure to optimize content before sending it to the browser, similar to what mobile proxy browsers like Opera Mini do. This should make the experience much - [The Amazon Kindle Fire](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/28/the-amazon-kindle-fire/) - Amazon announced its long-rumored Android tablet today, the Kindle Fire. The price is a scant, at least compared to other tablets, $199, which many, including our pal David (@dhaimes) are excited, but skeptical. Amazon Just Won The Android Tablet Wars With The $199 Kindle Fire | TechCrunch During the announcement, Jeff Bezos didn't discuss specs, but rather - [Browser Rapid Release Makes Busy Work for Web Devs](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/28/browser-rapid-release-makes-busy-work-for-web-devs/) - Firefox 7 dropped yesterday. So now I have seven profiles to test the last seven versions of Firefox that my users could be using: 3.0, 3.5, 3.6, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, and now 7.0. And this doesn't count the dot releases for each major version. This is a major pain when issues arise, since users could - [Browsing over the Shoulder](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/27/browsing-over-the-shoulder/) - This is either an interesting experiment in complete transparency, or Facebook's new admin console watching you surf. Browsing over the shoulder Interesting stuff, especially given the highly disturbing news that Facebook tracks you even if you're logged out and apparently everywhere, even to sites without a Like button or other Facebook integration. Update: Maybe not every - [Shared Link Half Life](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/27/shared-link-half-life/) - If you need a reason to start a blog or continue blogging, check out this post on the half life of a link on various social networks. Mobile Phone Development » Blog Archive » Shared Link Half Life Sure, Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus are easier. Short format is easy and fits nicely into the - [Inconsistency Rules, Deal with It](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/27/inconsistency-rules-deal-with-it/) - You've probably heard by now that Apple is having a big "Let's Talk iPhone" press shindig on October 4. Rumors continue to swirl, people are excited especially those iPhone 3GS owners who are out of contract and ready to upgrade. One of my Twitter pals, John DeRosa (@johnderosa), whom I've actually had the pleasure of - [More iPwnage](https://theappslab.com/2008/07/17/more-ipwnage/) - Disclaimer: Honestly, I love my iPhone. It still rules, and I wouldn't own another smartphone. However, the cynical misanthrope in me loves to deconstruct the hype that surrounds the "God phone". On today's agenda, two items: 1) the "Best phone for business. Ever." claim and 2) more 3G nonsense. For Business? Not yet. Maybe, Updates - [Weird Controls or Reinventing the Wheel](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/27/weird-controls-or-reinventing-the-wheel/) - This is a happy coincidence, since I'm trying to make this exact point about touch interfaces. This post puts interface change and its detriments in terms of game design, and the parallels with software design are many and obvious. Some developers have even taken to messaging the player at the start of the game asking - [Impressions of Windows 8](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/21/impressions-of-windows-8/) - When the Windows 8 Developer Preview iso dropped earlier in the week, I immediately downloaded it for a VM test drive. After some trying, I finally got it working and spent a short amount of time with it. Setting up a VM First off, kudos to Microsoft for dropping iso images of Windows 8 to - [Windows 8 Secure Boot Spells Trouble for Linux ](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/21/windows-8-secure-boot-spells-trouble-for-linux/) - It's very early, but this might be worth freaking out about. This was discovered by Linux developer Matthew Garrett, who's been doing a lot of work with EFI booting in general for his day job. Recent UEFI specifications have allowed for "secure boot" that requires an OS to have a signed key in system firmware to - [Google Wallet's Terms](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/20/google-wallets-terms/) - Google Wallet launched yesterday, and since I have a Nexus S on Sprint, I should be seeing a Wallet application sometime soon, delivered via OTA. Wallet looks slick and useful, and it appeals to the nerd in me by proving out NFC as a useful technology. Google just added Visa to the list of partners, - [Arduino-Modded Stoplight as a Server Monitor](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/19/arduino-modded-stoplight-as-a-server-monitor/) - This is an epic mod. You're probably familiar with the stoplight as an overused analogy on dashboards for everything from business analytics to web site metrics. Someone applied it literally to server uptime, and the result is very cool. Check out the Instructables for the nitty-gritty. Image from Engadget Arduino-modded stoplight makes the bestest server - [Windows 8 Has A Friendlier BSOD](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/15/windows-8-has-a-friendlier-bsod/) - Although I haven't encountered it yet, having not yet installed the preview version of Windows 8, apparently, the BSOD remains, in a friendly incarnation. Windows 8 Has A Friendlier Blue Screen Of Death | TechCrunch I remember back in mid-2009, we had a similarly tongue-in-cheek Error 500 page for Connect. It had a cat. It - [Pushing Everyone to Touch Computing](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/15/pushing-everyone-to-touch-computing/) - There's an excellent chance I'm being a complete fuddy-duddy, waving my arms and yelling at those damn kids to get off my lawn. That said, it's a horrible idea to force everyone into touch-based computing. The unveiling of Windows 8, coupled with Apple's nudging of OS X closer to iOS with Lion, has me shaking - [Touch Interfaces Create a Usability Nightmare](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/14/touch-interfaces-create-a-usability-nightmare/) - Pretty quick and informative overview of Windows 8. Everything You Need to Know About Windows 8 in Eight Minutes Watching the first section, it becomes obvious that users will need to learn the gestures. I can already imagine what the NNg will have to say. Touch interfaces aren't as intuitive as you'd think, beyond the - [The Daily Paper via Tablet](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/14/the-daily-paper-via-tablet/) - This is an interesting development. Meet Philly’s New Android-Powered Newspaper: The Arnova 10 G2 | TechCrunch The idea of the tablet as a content consumption device is obvious, and I suppose a logical extension is to provide tablet specifically for reading the news. I'm interested to see how this (and the Tribune's effort) are accepted. - [Can We Stop Building Tools to Convert Users to Developers?](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/13/can-we-stop-building-tools-to-convert-users-to-developers/) - I haven't read much coverage of the big Windows 8 unveil today, but it looks to be pretty positive. One thing that jumped out while I skimmed was something about how easy some tool was for non-developers to use to create apps. Ugh. That use case is bad penny that refuses to get out of - [Now You Can be the Squeaky Wheel, Thanks to Social Media](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/13/now-you-can-be-the-squeaky-wheel-thanks-to-social-media/) - Twitter for customer service is the new black, ever since Frank Eliason (@FrankEliason) started tweeting as @comcastcares. That seems like ages ago. There's something empowering about screaming into the vastness of the intertubes and actually getting a response from a ginormous corporation. Anyway, I've recently taken to social media to be the squeaky wheel, first with - [Randall Munroe on File Transfer](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/12/randall-munroe-on-file-transfer/) - "Every time you email a file to yourself so you can pull it up on your friend's laptop, Tim Berners-Lee sheds a single tear." - [Farewell Anthony](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/09/farewell-anthony-2/) - Anthony and his impossibly large steak Today, we lose another valued team member, as Anthony (@anthonyslai), the 4th musketeer, rides off into the sunset. Posts like these have become too common. I've known Anthony for a decade and have worked with him nearly that entire time in one capacity or another. We worked together on the EBS R12 Intercompany - [Tags Are Utopian, Search Is Reality](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/09/tags-are-utopian-search-is-reality/) - I'm having a spirited debate about tagging with Matthias Müller-Prove (@mprove) on OraTweet, and I thought it would be interesting to open it up to long format and other viewpoints. Plus, we're flooding OraTweet, which I'm not sure people appreciate. Photo by moonlightbulb on Flickr used under Creative Commons Setting the Stage I like tags. - [Anthony's Last Day](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/09/anthonys-last-day/) - Editorial note: This post is by Anthony, in case it's not obvious. Contrary to appearances, this is a team blog. Today will be my last day at Oracle. In retrospect of my 11 years at Oracle, it has been a fun and enjoyable experience. One of the things I want to do in my life - [Welcome Anthony](https://theappslab.com/2007/12/14/welcome-anthony/) - I should have done this months ago. AppsLab added a new family member back in September, Anthony Lai. If you've read here for long, you know we are a small team: Paul drives the bus, Rich writes the code, and I . . . blog? We realized over the summer after IdeaFactory and Connect we - [How an Algorithm Helped Arrange the Names on the 9/11 Memorial](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/08/how-an-algorithm-helped-arrange-the-names-on-the-911-memorial/) - Not much to say here other than this is an incredible tribute. Commemorative Calculus: How an Algorithm Helped Arrange the Names on the 9/11 Memorial: Scientific American 343 - [Mea Culpa: Maybe It Did Just Work](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/08/mea-culpa-maybe-it-did-just-work/) - As a coda to my Macbook Pro wifi network dropping tribulations, I should note that the MBP probably wasn't to blame for the wifi drops. I provide this explanation as a bookmark for myself, as I'm sure to need it later, and also as an offering to the robot overlords, since I'm sure someone with - [Sometimes It Doesn't Just Work](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/06/sometimes-it-doesnt-just-work/) - I don't consider myself a fanboi, but I've always found that Apple's products just work and do so well. Over the years, I've owned Macbooks, an iMac, an original iPhone and an original iPad. My latest purchase, a 15-inch Macbook Pro, might be the first exception to the "it just works" mantra. I've already invested - [Search by Drawing with Google Correlate](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/02/search-by-drawing-with-google-correlate/) - This is pretty fun and very cool. Draw - Google Correlate (h/t kottke.org) You draw a curve, and Google Correlate matches search terms to it from search data collected from January 2003 to the present. Playing with it for a few minutes is bound to turn up something that makes you cock an eyebrow, like this - [Intel Stopping MeeGo Development?](https://theappslab.com/2011/09/02/intel-stopping-meego-development/) - MeeGo has a ton of promise, as demonstrated with the ogling and ink spilled over the Nokia N9, which really looks spectacular. Too bad it won't ever reach the US. Now there's a rumor floating around that Intel might suspend its MeeGo development. I hope this one isn't true. Intel reportedly plans to back off MeeGo OS (h/t TechCrunch) - [Welcoming the Social Enterprise](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/31/welcoming-the-social-enterprise/) - I spend most of my time thinking about new and upcoming technology, but sometimes, it's nice to reflect. The social enterprise is big news this week, and I'm glad this idea's time has finally come. If you read here, you'll know we were early proponents of socializing work, launching the IdeaFactory, which became Oracle Connect, - [New Features for Connect Beta](https://theappslab.com/2007/08/27/new-features-for-connect-beta/) - Since we launched Connect alpha about three weeks ago, Rich has been adding new features in stealth mode leading up to our beta release, which should be finished sometime this week. We weren't promoting the new features, just to see how people adopted them. This gave us a nice viral study, and it pointed out - [Self-Reward: New Macbook Pro](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/29/self-reward-new-macbook-pro/) - I finally broke down and bought a new Macbook Pro on Friday. Since the unibody models were released a few years ago, I've been admiring them from afar, but I vowed to run my old white Macbook into the ground first. When I bought it back in 2006, I went for the low end model, - [What If Enterprise Software Were Produced?](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/30/what-if-enterprise-software-were-produced/) - I don't know very much about game development. Very little. I know a lot about enterprise software development. A metric ton. I wonder what would happen if enterprise software development took more cues from game development. The two aren't really that different. You have users/players. Ostensibly, you want them to use the software/play the game. Your - [Memories](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/25/memories/) - From Bits & Pieces, h/t Geekosystem - [Ladies Love Cool eReaders?](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/25/ladies-love-cool-ereaders/) - Ordinarily, this type of research wouldn't interest me enough to post, but this hits home. Ladies love e-readers; guys prefer tablets — Tech News and Analysis Just last week, while traveling for the first time with our daughter, my wife announced that she wanted a Kindle. Her timing was funny, considering she had just bought - [Everything to Everyone is the New Black](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/23/everything-to-everyone-is-the-new-black/) - There's a lot going on lately in the tech news arena. What's interesting to me is that several major consumer players are converging to become all things to their users. Good old soup to nuts makes a triumphant return. Apple pioneered this model. They control every aspect of the user experience from the hardware all - [Diaspora is Lonely](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/23/diaspora-is-lonely/) - I guess a migration (diaspora) could begin as a lonely experience, but damn, Diaspora is a lonely place. You remember Diaspora, the open alternative to Facebook that kicked off with much fanfare in May 2010? Kinda the anti-Facebook. Anyway, I got an invitation to join over the weekend and decided to kick the tires. Paul - [Tacit Haptic Glove for the Visually-Impaired](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/23/tacit-haptic-glove-for-the-visually-impaired/) - This is very cool (h/t technabob). Project Tacit: Sonar For The Blind from Grathio Labs on Vimeo. Bonus points, it's Arduino-based and CC-BY-NC licensed. Steve Hoefer (@grathio) even provides the code, schematics and parts list. This is the type of innovation I'm expecting will rise out of the Android ADK, announced at Google IO this year. Ben - [A Java ME Phone Like No Other](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/23/a-java-me-phone-like-no-other/) - In case you thought Java was for stuffy enterprise development, check out this Java ME-powered Hello Kitty phone. Behold the power of Java. Of course, Java ME powers a ton of devices, including loads of mobile phones, but this one is special. In case you think there's no market for Hello Kitty phones, there's an Android-powered - [Oracle OpenWorld WebCenter Sessions](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/22/oracle-openworld-webcenter-sessions/) - There will be tons of great WebCenter (@oraclewebcenter) sessions at OpenWorld this year. Check out Kellsey's rundown: Oracle OpenWorld: Don’t Miss WebCenter Sessions (Oracle WebCenter Blog) In addition, check out the demo grounds, customer and partner sessions. Lots of WebCenter content this year, so make your plans now. In case you were wondering, we won't - [Thanks and Good Luck Rich](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/22/thanks-and-good-luck-rich/) - Just about a year after we said goodbye to Paul (@ppedrazzi), Rich (@rmanalan) is moving on to an outstanding opportunity at Atlassian. And then there was one, founding member of AppsLab, that is. Photo by Jeremiah Owyang used with permission As it was when Paul left, the mood is mixed. On the one hand, Rich - [The Final Countdown ](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/19/the-final-countdown/) - T-minus 7 days (August 26th)… until my final day at Oracle, that is. tl;dr; On January 6, 1997, I launched my career in enterprise software with PeopleSoft. I spent my early days traveling around the US, Canada, and Australia as a PeopleSoft consultant, implementing PeopleSoft HR/Benefits/Payroll. I even wrote some COBOL, however, you won't find - [Sarah Connor?](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/15/sarah-connor/) - This is just funny, h/t Geekosystem. @111001001101010 Apparently, there's some disagreement on the current (vs. future) spelling of Sarah's last name. Is that you Neil Kodner (@neilkod)? - [Google to Acquire Motorola Mobility](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/15/google-to-acquire-motorola-mobility/) - So, this is kind of a big deal. Official Google Blog: Supercharging Android: Google to Acquire Motorola Mobility Obviously Google wants to control the end-to-end hardware and software experience of Android devices, a la Apple. From my brief couple weeks using a Nexus S, vanilla Android is pretty nice. You don't really notice the major - [New Mobile-Friendly Oracle SSO Login](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/13/new-mobile-friendly-oracle-sso-login/) - If you login to any oracle.com properties today, you'll notice there's a new look to the SSO login page. This new page is designed to be mobile-friendly and uses CSS3 media queries to determine the viewport size of your device and render the page appropriately. If you're not on a mobile device but want to - [Hipster Lorem Ipsum](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/12/hipster-lorem-ipsum/) - This is hilarious, and not just because several words relate to Portland. Hipster lorem ipsum The next time you need some dummy text for a mockup or prototype, why not spice up that lorem ipsum with some hipster ipsum? It's been pummeled a bit by traffic, but here's what it looks like: And here's a sample: PBR - [Random Thoughts about Passwords](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/12/random-thoughts-about-passwords/) - Randal Munroe's comic about password strength this week is classic xkcd. It immediately reminded me of 1Password, which I use and love, and Agile Bits, the maker's of 1Password, actually posted about the comic as well, breaking down some of the math and cryptography. About a month ago, all IMAP connections to my Yahoo Mail - [Rooting, ROMs and Other Mods](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/10/rooting-roms-and-other-mods/) - The final act of my switch from the HTC EVO 4G to the Nexus S was returning the EVO to stock condition. The EVO is a great phone, despite being ancient in smartphone terms. When it debuted in June of last year, it boasted the largest screen (4.3 inches, which is still among the biggest available) - [How a Touchscreen Works](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/10/how-a-touchscreen-works/) - Interesting infographic from Cricket Wireless about the particulars of different types of touchscreens and how they work. h/t Peter-Paul Koch (a.k.a. @ppk), TNW - [Apple Passes ExxonMobil as Largest Company by Market Cap](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/09/apple-passes-exxonmobil-as-largest-company-by-market-cap/) - So, this happened today, at least for a few moments, as Apple's and ExxonMobil's share prices fluctuated during the day. Apple set to surpass ExxonMobil as large company in the world | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog At market close, ExxonMobil was still larger, by about $600 million in market cap, the measure for largest - [A Quick and Comprehensive Type Guide](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/09/a-quick-and-comprehensive-type-guid/) - Thank you Noodlor for putting together this great infographic on typography. If you've ever been annoyed or attracted by fonts or typefaces, this is for you. h/t Paul (@ppedrazzi), Fast Company's Co.Design - [Chrome Using SPDY Instead of HTTP?](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/09/chrome-using-spdy-instead-of-http/) - This one's weird. Life beyond HTTP 1.1: Google’s SPDY - igvita.com A while back, Google Chrome dropped the http from its location bar. This seemed like a decision based on cosmetic and usability concerns. Maybe not, since now Ilya Grigorik (@igrigorik) who joined Google from the PostRank acquisition in June is saying that Google's web - [Moving to Nexus S, Epilogue](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/08/moving-to-nexus-s-epilogue/) - So, I've been carrying my new Nexus S for several days, and it has really impressed me. It's a beautiful device, just the right size, and I love running stock Android, one reason why I flashed my EVO with CyanogenMod (@cyanogen). Why? Because it's very difficult to compare iOS to Android if you're running the - [Easter Egg Features in Mobile](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/08/easter-egg-features-in-mobile/) - I recently discovered that in iOS, you can delete a table row by making a slash (i.e. /) gesture over the row. I didn't figure this out on my own; I read about it while studying the iOS SDK. This gesture only works with Cocoa Touch tables of a certain type, so not every row in - [Moving to a Nexus S, Part 2](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/05/moving-to-a-nexus-s-part-2/) - My move from the HTC EVO 4G that has served me well since Google IO 2010 to a brand new Nexus S 4G is nearly complete. Frankly, the biggest issue so far has been dealing with the carrier, i.e. Sprint. I've spent more than three hours on the phone with Sprint and in Best Buy stores trying - [Moving to a Nexus S, Part 1](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/03/moving-to-a-nexus-s-part-1/) - Today only, the Nexus S is free from Best Buy with a two-year contract agreement on any of the carriers who support it, i.e. Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T. I've been pondering the jump to a new phone for a while, since my EVO running CyanogenMod 7 (@cyanogen) starting having weird issues with calls and GPS. - [Age of the Algorithm](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/01/age-of-the-algorithm/) - Hot on the heels of last week's TED video on scary algorithms comes this piece from ReadWriteWeb (@rww) on Google Place's new recommendations algorithm. Google's New Traveler Recommendations Point Towards an Age of Algorithms As Marshall (@marshallk) notes, recommending places you might like based on what people similar to you like sounds pretty simplistic, but - [Meridian Launches on Android](https://theappslab.com/2011/08/02/meridian-launches-on-android/) - Back in March, I wrote about Meridian (@meridianapps), an app that maps indoor spaces, helping you find your way around places like Powell's. Unbeknownst to me at the time, a pal of mine, Jeff Hardison (@jshardison) had gone to work there with, among others, Nick Farina (@nfarina), he of this week's iOS to Android porting fame. Anyway, - [Fascinating and Scary TED Talk on Algorithms](https://theappslab.com/2011/07/29/fascinating-and-scary-ted-talk-on-algorithms/) - So, this is a bit scary. Interestingly, he mentions the no-button elevators I encountered at the Oracle office in Portland, which apparently use a bin-packing algorithm to determine how to distribute elevator cars to floors. How algorithms shape our world - [A Chromebook Review](https://theappslab.com/2011/07/28/a-chromebook-review/) - Earlier this week, I received a Chromebook, specifically the Samsung Series 5 3G Chromebook, courtesy of Google for attending their IO developer conference in May. Of the goodies Google passed out this year, a Galaxy Tab 10.1, a Verizon MiFi and a Chromebook, I was least excited about the Chromebook, but after using it pretty - [Is the iPad a Business Status Symbol?](https://theappslab.com/2011/07/27/is-the-ipad-a-business-status-symbol/) - This post on TechCrunch caught my attention initially because of the obvious factor. Big Surprise! The iPad Trumps Android Tablets At The Office Further down, there's an interesting passage: At the same time, my gut tells me this iPad craze has a lot to do with status. Back before the iPhone, business men carried around - [The Average Social Gamer](https://theappslab.com/2011/07/27/the-average-social-gamer/) - While lulzing at Matthew Inman's, a.k.a. the Oatmeal (@oatmeal), latest state of the web comic, I tripped over a statistic: Over 60% of Facebook's traffic comes from people playing games and the average social gamer is a 43 year old woman. I don't know exactly where this statistic originated, but it's on the intertubes so - [The Devolution of Hacking](https://theappslab.com/2011/07/22/the-devolution-of-hacking/) - Doghouse Diaries (@willrayraf) is quite funny. I highly recommend you subscribe. - [3D Printing Officially Has My Attention](https://theappslab.com/2011/07/21/3d-printing-officially-has-my-attention/) - 3D printing is one of those topics that has been floating around for a while, not quite grabbing my attention. It sounds fine, but the name makes it seems like paper models with no real value. Well Chet (@oraclenerd) got my attention with this excerpt from a National Geographic Channel program. Now this is cool stuff. - [Swan Song for Yet Another Old Retailer](https://theappslab.com/2011/07/19/swan-song-for-yet-another-old-retailer/) - Thinking back to my college days, I fondly recall late nights spent at Tower Records, scouting new music, movies or comics, trips to Blockbuster to rent movies and games for marathon lost weekends, trips to Borders to get deals on books, read magazines and drink coffee, and epic browsing sessions at Circuit City, ogling gear and software - [Can You Stand Being Uninformed?](https://theappslab.com/2011/07/19/can-you-stand-being-uninformed/) - As a newish parent, I've come up against something that has baffled other parents forever: children don't sleep. It doesn't make logical sense, especially that my daughter cries more when she's tired, rather than, you know, going to sleep. I hear it gets worse later, as children refuse to settle down for sleep when their - [Klout Reputation Scoring Has Real Promise](https://theappslab.com/2011/07/14/klout-reputation-scoring-has-real-promise/) - While trying to get a Spotify invite today, I revisited Klout (@klout), which calculates a reputation score based on your social networks. If you read here, you might remember I've been waiting for someone to reputation and influence scoring for a few years. In fact, back in 2009 before we joined WebCenter (@oraclewebcenter) development, I wrote - ["Facebook for Every Phone" Is Genius](https://theappslab.com/2011/07/13/facebook-for-every-phone-is-genius/) - While many of us tend to get caught up with Android and iOS device discussions, it's very easy to forget that smartphones aren't ubiquitous. In fact, the Pew Research Center just reported this week that 35% of American adults owns a smartphone, definitely a rapidly rising statistic, but still probably not as high as you - [Interactive Children's Books for Tablets](https://theappslab.com/2011/07/12/interactive-childrens-books-for-tablets/) - So, this is pretty neat. Loud Crow Interactive (@loudcrowinc) creates interactive versions of children's books for tablets. This is like the pop-up book of the future. The video shows an iPad, but they just released an Android version. As a developer, I wonder if they're doing native development or HTML5. We've seen HTML5 do realistic - [Android Adds Mode for Apps on Large Screens](https://theappslab.com/2011/07/12/android-adds-mode-for-apps-on-large-screens/) - Apps really don't matter, but those who insist they do like to point to the dearth of so-called tablet apps designed to run on Honeycomb. One of the first things I noticed about Honeycomb on the Motorola Xoom was that unlike iPhone apps running on the iPad, Android apps look just fine in large screen format, - [Adventures with a New Camera or Why Technology Complicates Life](https://theappslab.com/2011/07/11/adventures-with-a-new-camera-or-why-technology-complicates-life/) - Ostensibly, technology is supposed to improve our lives by making them easier. More frequently though, that's just not the case anymore. Here's a quick story. My wife's old Canon point-and-shoot died last weekend. The button toggling between still and video shots wasn't working, so we took this as an opportunity to buy a wifi camera, - [Return to iOS?](https://theappslab.com/2011/07/07/return-to-ios/) - After more than a year away, I may have to go back to iOS. After upgrading my EVO to Cyanogenmod 7 (@cyanogen), the Gingerbread release, I've been having numerous issues, the biggest of which is that I'm not receiving all my calls, which kinda defeats the phone's purpose. I know, shades of AT&T iPhone complaints. - [Browser Wars: Chrome vs. Android](https://theappslab.com/2011/07/07/browser-wars-chrome-vs-android/) - When I had lunch with Jason Grigsby (@grigs) a month or so ago, he mentioned an interesting point about Google's competing browser problem, i.e. Chrome vs. Android. I'm glad he finally had time to post his thoughts because this is an interesting side plot to the more high profile company vs. company matchups. We Need - [Happy 4th Birthday iPhone](https://theappslab.com/2011/06/29/happy-4th-birthday-iphone/) - Wow, what a slow news week (month?), or maybe I'm just jaded beyond belief at what qualifies as interesting anymore. Might be the latter. I skim hundreds of posts most days, some days thousands, e.g. if I've been away or after a busy few days of development work, and lately, 99% of what I see - [On Firefox Update Policy and Enterprises](https://theappslab.com/2011/06/28/on-firefox-update-policy-and-enterprises/) - Ars has a long, but definitely worthwhile read addressing the recent kerfuffle about Mozilla's new Firefox product lifecycle and enterprise readiness. Firefox update policy: the enterprise is wrong, not Mozilla For its part, Mozilla seems committed to matching the pace of innovation set by Google Chrome, even at the risk of angering its enterprise deployments. - [Fun with the OOW Mix Session Voting Data](https://theappslab.com/2011/06/27/fun-with-the-oow-mix-session-voting-data/) - Rich (@rmanalan) pointed me to this interesting walk through of the Mix (@oraclemix) Suggest-a-Session voting for this year's OpenWorld. Data Science Fun with the OOW Mix Session Voting Data | Structured Data Greg Rahn (@gregrahn) does a nice job visualizing the data and pointing out some anomalies and the importance of having a social network to mobilize - [Operator Error vs. System Failure ](https://theappslab.com/2011/06/24/operator-error-vs-system-failure/) - This bit of observation put me in mind of the toughest challenge we face as software developers, i.e. how to convey failure. Toddlers get difference between faulty hardware, operator error Development focuses on how software works, not on how it doesn't work. Therefore, error handling and messaging never get the attention they require. Add to - [Apps Don't Matter, Seriously](https://theappslab.com/2011/06/23/apps-dont-matter-seriously/) - Today, Robert Scoble (@scobleizer), one of the big proponents for apps mattering, responded to DHH's (@DHH) assertion that core experience, not ancillary apps, matters most. Scoble's main point is that people don't want to look stupid so they buy the phone with the most "app potential" even if they don't use these apps themselves. This - [Apps Don't Matter](https://theappslab.com/2011/06/22/apps-dont-matter/) - Jason Grigsby (@grigs) put this seed in my head a couple weeks ago, and this post by DHH (@DHH) sums up the same essential point quite nicely, i.e. apps don't matter. Ten apps is all I need - (37signals) Many pundits and bloggers like to point to apps as the main difference between iOS and - [Everything is a Remix, the Ideas Episode](https://theappslab.com/2011/06/21/everything-is-a-remix-the-ideas-episode/) - Sometimes things collide interestingly. I had just finished watching the latest installment of Kirby Ferguson's awesome Everything is a Remix series when I ran into Ultan's (@ultan) post about the iOS 5 Notification Center. The short version is that iOS 5 finally cleans up notifications, which have sucked from the get-go, by implementing a system - [Comics in the Enterprise: Beyond Dilbert](https://theappslab.com/2011/06/20/comics-in-the-enterprise-beyond-dilbert/) - Editorial note: Here's a guest post from Ultan O’Broin (@ultan) from the Oracle Applications User Experience Team in Dublin. You should read his blogs on translation and user experience. Enjoy. I see Steve Jobs is about to have his life featured in comic form. Actually, comics are regularly encountered these days, and not surprisingly are a research - [Epic: Pinstriping Done by Hand](https://theappslab.com/2011/06/17/epic-pinstriping-done-by-hand/) - Check out this dude and his epic pinstriping. I've seen pinstriping done by hand on stationary objects, which prevents this technique, i.e. moving the object, not the hand, and it's equally epic. The hand and pressure control required to do good pinstriping is insane. Peep the Technique: Pinstriping Done by Hand - Core77 - [Very Cool, Deep Shot](https://theappslab.com/2011/06/17/very-cool-deep-shot/) - Check out this MIT research project that transfers information between phone and laptop via the phone's camera. MIT, Google Researchers Tap Cellphone Cameras To Grab Data From a PC - Ina Fried - Mobile - AllThingsD Similar in theory to the Chrome extension Chrome to Phone, this class of interactivity between devices is super useful - [A Machine to Shred Anything and Everything](https://theappslab.com/2011/06/16/a-machine-to-shred-anything-and-everything/) - This is pretty fascinating. Back in the late 90s, I worked on a project at a metals reclamation plant in urban Detroit. They bought truckloads of shredded cars, sorted out the recyclable materials (aluminum, copper, etc.), and resold them to the automakers. The machine in this video must be the guts of that glorious machine that eats cars - [Windows Phone 7 Boycotts?](https://theappslab.com/2011/06/14/windows-phone-7-boycotts/) - Since its debut last year, I've watched Windows Phone 7 with some interest. Similar to IE 9, IE 10 and the preview of Windows 8, WP7 surprisingly doesn't suck, and as a long Microsoft-hater, I've been curious to see how they evolve. After the Nokia news, WP7 seemed poised to make a serious dent in - [Do You Learn on Your Own?](https://theappslab.com/2011/06/13/do-you-learn-on-your-own/) - At different points in my post-college life, I've carved out time to learn new technical skills, with mixed results. In addition to a general thirst to expand my skillset, ever since the dot-com Bubble burst, the importance of both breadth and depth of skills has driven me to scrape a few hours out of my - [ Another Nugget, iTunes Match](https://theappslab.com/2011/06/08/another-nugget-itunes-match/) - Another interesting bit of news coming out of WWDC was iTunes Match, the famous "one last thing" Steve Jobs dropped at the end of his keynote. Most of the coverage centers around creating amnesty for pirated music or monetizing it, depending on the perspective, all for $24.99 a year. Why Copyright Holders Love iTunes Match - [IOS 5 Will Have Garbage Collection](https://theappslab.com/2011/06/07/ios-5-will-have-garbage-collection/) - I paid precisely zero attention to yesterday's WWDC coverage, what with work and all, but today, catching up, I was pretty unimpressed with the announcements. A lot of the noteworthy iOS stuff reminded me of the South Park Simpsons Already Did It episode. I am more excited about OS X Lion, where iCloud will have a - [OpenWorld Suggest-a-Session Begins](https://theappslab.com/2011/06/06/openworld-suggest-a-session-begins/) - Looks like our friends over in Marketing, Marius (@radu43) and Tim (@planspark) are running Suggest-a-Session for OpenWorld (@oracleopenworld) again on Oracle Mix (@oraclemix) this year. On Friday, I found out Rich's (@rmanalan) session proposal, "Building Mobile Apps with Oracle" was not accepted. Rich immediately added its abstract to Suggest-a-Session, and I tweeted a call to - [Square as a Trojan Horse](https://theappslab.com/2011/06/02/square-as-a-trojan-horse/) - This is worth a read if you're interested in the recent, rapid innovation in credit card purchasing. @chexton » Blog Archive » Why Square could be one of the greatest Trojan Horses in recent tech history My short-sighted question about the seemingly competing innovations of Square and NFC are succinctly addressed thusly: Firstly, although Square currently relies on - [Are You Always/Never Available?](https://theappslab.com/2011/06/01/are-you-alwaysnever-available/) - IM has been a fixture in the home and in enterprises for well over a decade. One of the nice, possibly underhyped, features of IM is presence, i.e. letting your contacts know when you're free to chat and when you're busy. I suppose invisible is also a presence state, but from the would-be chatter's perspective, - [MicroPointing's Miniature Mouse](https://theappslab.com/2011/06/01/micropointings-miniature-mouse/) - Lately, there's been a flood of interesting concepts, from touchless control, to gesture control, to foldable displays. Now, check out the micropointer. Interface Design: Ring-Based Controls - Core77 I love the video production. It feels like it's been lifted directly from Robocop or Demolition Man, very "vision of the future". I kept expecting Cyberdyne Systems or Omni Consumer - [Lost in Translation API](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/31/lost-in-translation-api/) - Editorial note: Here's a guest post from Ultan O’Broin (@ultan) from the Oracle Applications User Experience Team in Dublin. You should read his blogs on translation and user experience. Enjoy. You may not have heard, but Google is deprecating a bunch of APIs. The most prominent of these is the Google Translate API. That's right, no more - [Polymer Vision Demos SVGA Rollable Screen](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/27/polymer-vision-demos-svga-rollable-screen/) - So, this is pretty amazing. I've chatted about bendable displays here a few times with Gary (@syd_oracle) and with Joel (@joelgarry), and it seems we're on the verge of seeing some really fantastic innovation in that area. Very cool stuff, check out the video. Welcome To The Future: Polymer Vision Demos SVGA Rollable Screen - [Competing Innovation in Credit Card Payments?](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/26/competing-innovation-in-credit-card-payments/) - Two major developments, not surprises mind you, this week pertaining to credit card payments. First, Square announced Square Register, the next step in their quest to free merchants from expensive POS terminals. Square’s Disruptive New iPad Payments Service Will Replace Cash Registers I'm a big fan of Square and its conveniently tiny little doohickey, essentially a - [More Fun with Gesture Controls](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/25/more-fun-with-gesture-controls/) - Hot on the heels of the Imaginary Phone comes this gesture-controlled music player/workout tracker. Adrien Guenette Might Be Onto Something With His Gesture-Controlled Music Player Interesting. Gestures seem to be all the rage among smart designers, but will they catch mainstream attention? Probably not until Apple builds them into the next generation of iPhones, he - [Imaginary Phone](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/24/imaginary-phone/) - I saw this several times before I realized it wasn't a joke. Hasso-Plattner-Institut: Imaginary Phone Apparently, you wear a camera that sends your gestures to the phone. I wonder how far from the device you need to be to make this work. With the mounting evidence that cell phone radiation is a bad thing, this - [All Games Are About Death](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/23/all-games-are-about-death/) - If you've read here long, you'll know gamification is one of our hobbies. Like it or not, gaming is the future, and not just in consumer software. All Games Are About Death This post sounds morbid at first blush, but it makes some great points about death as a game mechanic, namely that death isn't - [Verizon MiFi Shines](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/23/verizon-mifi-shines/) - As with last year's Google IO, Google sent us home with several cool gifts this year. All attendees received the Limited Edition Galaxy Tab 10.1 and a Verizon LTE MiFi, as well as the promise of a Samsung Chromebook when they are released in June. Unlike last year, several goodies were given to the attendees - [Looking into Mobile's Future](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/19/looking-into-mobiles-future/) - Rich (@rmanalan) pointed me to a post called Why Mobile Apps Will Soon Be Dead. This is, and has been, a hot topic for quite some time, as developers move to mobile and are faced with learning new skills on new platforms and face new deployment and distribution hurdles. The announcement of Angry Birds for - [A Dropbox-Like Experience on Top of UCM](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/19/a-dropbox-like-experience-on-top-of-ucm/) - Thanks to John Sim (@JRSim_UX) and his work with Fishbowl (@FishbowlE20), I found this interesting proof of concept video done by John Brunswick (@johnbrunswick) showing a Dropbox experience on top of Oracle UCM. E2.0 Workbench Podcast 3 – HTML5, UCM and WebCenter “QuickBox” | John Brunswick Pretty cool stuff. We've been in love with Dropbox - [Welcome Noel](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/19/welcome-noel/) - I'm happy to announce that AppsLab has grown by one, and we're pleased to welcome Noel Portugal (@noelportugal) to our little family. If you read here, you'll recognize Noel's name. I first met Noel back in June 2008, when he reached out to me to show me OraTweet, his Twitter clone built with Oracle APEX. - [Mac Malware on the Rise](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/18/mac-malware-on-the-rise/) - I considered making that a question, but let's be honest. Macs have never been invulnerable to penetration; they've just been underserved. Crying wolf? Apple support forums confirm malware explosion | ZDNet When my parents finally decided it was time to get a computer, I recommended a Mac. One of the many reasons was that malware - [No File Transfer for Galaxy Tab 10.1 LE?](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/17/no-file-transfer-for-galaxy-tab-10-1-le/) - So, this is weird. The Galaxy Tabs all Google IO attendees were given last week aren't recognized as file volumes when connected to a computer. Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition not seen in Android File Transfer, Windows usability is spotty -- Engadget I heard about this first from Matt (@topperge), and initially thought it was - [Good and Bad Opinions on Chromebooks](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/17/good-and-bad-opinions-on-chromebooks/) - Yesterday, I saw a post on five reasons why Chromebooks are a good idea. Then later, one on six why they're not. These aren't point-counter point posts, but they do seem to take enterprise vs. consumer perspectives. Last week, during the IO keynote, I remember thinking that although the chipper marketing targeted a consumer's perspective, - [University of Chicago Shows off its Automated Library](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/16/university-of-chicago-shows-off-its-automated-library/) - This has me weirded out a bit. University of Chicago Shows Off its Automated Library | Geekosystem Check it out in action. Where to begin. It's definitely an intelligent and economical use of space, like vertical or condensed bike parking. So, I admire the design. Still, it feels like someone set out to create Wikipedia IRL. - [The Most Useless Machine Upgraded](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/13/the-most-useless-machine-upgraded/) - Maybe you remember the Most Useless Machine? It's been upgraded and now takes offense at your insistent operation. Useless Machine Upgraded, Fights Back | Geekosystem Happy Friday. - [Is Android Tracking Routers, Storing Wifi Credentials?](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/12/is-android-tracking-routers-storing-wifi-credentials/) - Update 3: The short answer is yes and yes, but not without your approval for each. Read on if you want the full story. By now, you may know that each attendee of Google IO (@googleio) received a limited edition Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. This is a great tablet, slimmer, lighter and seemingly better constructed - [Nothing But the Web](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/12/nothing-but-the-web/) - So yesterday at Google IO (@googleio), Chromebooks were officially announced, and we saw this video for the first time. Pretty smart advertising. Google's push into enterprises and educational institutions is also smart, although you wonder why Google Apps weren't bundled. Give it time. This feels like Take X at the good old NC, maybe with - [Designing for the Device](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/12/designing-for-the-device/) - Here's an interesting story Chris (@cbales) sent me about why tablets can't be treated as small desktops. What Enterprise Software Firms Can Learn From Angry Birds - CIO Central - CIO Network - Forbes Seems obvious, but when you're in the development weeds, it's an easy assumption to make. Save time, get something out to - [What reCAPTCHA Really Does](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/09/what-recaptcha-really-does/) - Another interesting item came from Ultan (@ultan), our sometime contributing author and UX dude. This TEDxCMU talk by Luis von Ahn explains reCAPTCHA. Before you pass because you (and everyone else) hate captchas, reCAPTCHA is different. When you complete a reCAPTHCA, you're helping Google (who acquired them in September 2009) to digitize the World's printed - [Twitter and Facebook Both Quietly Kill RSS](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/09/twitter-and-facebook-both-quietly-kill-rss/) - Interesting follow-on to the discussion from last week about the impending demise of feeds. Stay N Alive: Twitter and Facebook Both Quietly Kill RSS, Completely I briefly tried the feeds on both Facebook and Twitter years ago, but neither really worked for me, too noisy and too many. There's an interesting nugget in this post - [Grey's Anatomy iPad App](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/09/greys-anatomy-ipad-app/) - Found a few things over the weekend that I wanted to share before Google IO (@googleio) starts. “Grey’s Anatomy” Fans To Get an Interactive Viewing Experience on iPad I found out about this from using the ABC Player for iPad, which is exactly what TV studios should be producing. The iPad's use cases are still evolving, - [RIM to Extend BlackBerry Enterprise Server to Android, iOS ](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/06/rim-to-extend-blackberry-enterprise-server-to-android-ios/) - Kind of a big deal that I somehow missed. BlackBerry is a blindspot for me for a number of reasons. RIM to Extend BlackBerry Enterprise Server to Android, iOS | John Paczkowski | Digital Daily | AllThingsD RIM extends device management to iOS, Android h/t ppk (@ppk) Many of you are IT pros, so is - [How News Travels Now](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/06/how-news-travels-now/) - Great observation from Doghouse Diaries (@willrayraf) h/t Geekosystem. Oddly, I found out that Osama bin Laden had been killed by accident on the TV of all places. Mostly because the news had preempted a show I wanted to watch. I felt a wave of nostalgia. I've used Twitter as my go-to for news for years now, e.g. - [Discussing the Future Lifespan of Feeds](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/05/discussing-the-future-lifespan-of-feeds/) - Not much going on lately, so I though why not bring a thread Chet (@oraclenerd) and I had going over email to light. Last week, Google Reader was acting up, and I mused that it might not matter since no one used it anyway. That led to a declaration that RSS was dead, although I - [Decorating Ideas for the Modern Era of Leisure](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/04/decorating-ideas-for-the-modern-era-of-leisure/) - Funny take on how work has evolved. CoreToon: Things To Hang On Your Wall - Core77 Thinking about this, how many reality shows profile jobs like those in the cartoon? I can think of a dozen offhand. We're oddly drawn to watching Alaskan crabbers, truckers, coal miners, loggers, restaurant workers, etc. The only cubicle dweller - [Cyanogen: The Closest Thing to Vanilla Android](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/28/cyanogen-the-closest-thing-to-vanilla-android/) - Rich (@rmanalan) has been bragging about CyanogenMod (@cyanogen) for nearly a month because it provides the closest experience to a vanilla Android install, if you don't have a Nexus One. For the unfamiliar, the basic Android distro is modified by hardware manufacturers (e.g. HTC, Motorola, Samsung) and carriers (e.g. Sprint, Verizon, AT&T) and installed on - [Do You Read the Terms?](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/02/do-you-read-the-terms/) - Terms of service have been front and center for a few weeks now. First there was the location tracking fiasco affecting both iOS and Android users. Lawsuits have already been filed against both Apple and Google. Now today, I found this item warning against migrating Delicious bookmarks to AVOS, who purchased the service from Yahoo - [Frustrations with Android and iOS](https://theappslab.com/2011/05/02/frustrations-with-android-and-ios/) - Thought this was a funny observation about the equally frustrating but different aspects of owning Android phones and iPhones. Via Geekosystem h/t fnordramen Coincidentally, I spent about half a day last week upgrading to CyanogenMod (@cyanogen), which is still the closest thing to running vanilla Android if you're not rocking a Nexus One or Nexus S. The latest version, - [Open Source Dead Gadgets and Toys](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/29/open-source-dead-gadgets-and-toys/) - Reading the title of this post, I immediately thought of software, but it turns out this post is about open the source of deceased gadgets. Make: Online | If You’re Going To Kill It, Open Source It! I suppose the fact that it came from Make should have been a clue. Anyway, given the rise - [Interesting UI Redesign Idea for WebCenter Spaces](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/28/interesting-ui-redesign-idea-for-webcenter-spaces/) - John Sim, who recently struck a strategic partnership (press release) with Fishbowl Solutions (@fishbowlE20), has some interesting thoughts on how to reimagine WebCenter (@oraclewebcenter) Spaces. Re envisioning UIX for WebCenter Spaces. « C4 I love the completely outside the box thinking; stuff like this helps everyone reexamine what an interface is and should be. Nice - [You'll Find Us at Google IO](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/27/youll-find-us-at-google-io/) - Google IO (@googleio), the annual Google developer shindig, is less than two weeks from now, and we'll be there again. This will be my second year, Rich's (@rmanalan) third and Anthony's (@anthonyslai) fourth. That right, Anthony is a veteran of every Google IO, dating back to before it was cool. That is, assuming you think it's - [SETI Suspends Its Search for Alien Life](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/26/seti-suspends-its-search-for-alien-life/) - This news is sad. SETI Suspends Its Search For Alien Life I'm not sure if SETI@home will continue to operate. I used that for years before switching away from Windows. It always seemed like a good idea, and the program pioneered the use of distributed, excess computing power for crunching large data sets. Anyway, as NASA - [On the Internet of Things](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/25/on-the-internet-of-things/) - Editorial note: The following guest post is by John Yopp (@johnyopp) of Oracle's Retail Applied Research team. John and his team have been doing cool work internally, including experimenting in areas like the internet of things, which is a new favorite topic of mine. You can read more about Oracle Retail and some of the - [The Really Smart Phone](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/25/the-really-smart-phone/) - Thanks to Chet (@oraclenerd) for sending this my way. Amid the escalating fuss about smartphones (and probably all phones, let's be honest) tracking and reporting your location back to the mothership, comes very interesting research data about location tracking and its potential impact on predicting human behaviors. The Really Smart Phone - WSJ.com I've read - [Everyone Loves a Good Quest](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/22/everyone-loves-a-good-quest/) - If you read here, you'll know we love game mechanics, and we tend to talk about that a lot. See what I did there, just gamed search engines. Anyway, for no real reason, I've decided to pen a post on questing, which in this case, refers to adding a set of steps that create an incentive - [How an Hourglass Is Made](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/21/how-an-hourglass-is-made/) - I'm a sucker for how stuff is made, so this is right up my alley. The precision required to make accurate 10 and 60-minute timers is pretty astounding. These are obviously high-end works of art, and I wonder how the cheapo ones you get in board games are made. Bet that's an equally interesting process. Anyway, enjoy. - [Your iPhone is Tracking You](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/20/your-iphone-is-tracking-you/) - By way of David Dorf (@dordav), comes the uneasy truth about cellular devices, in this case, the iPhone or 3G iPad you're toting. Got an iPhone or 3G iPad? Apple is recording your moves - O'Reilly Radar This story is all over the place today, and it's not like this is unique to iOS devices. - [More Internet of Things](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/19/more-internet-of-things/) - The Internet of Things fascinates me, but it's always seemed like a dark art to me. However, thanks to the cool stuff people like Noel (@noelportugal) and John Yopp (@johnyopp) have built, I'm sold on the idea that we're entering a period of rapid innovation for internet-connected stuff. This benefits consumers and enterprise, and it's - [Meet Steven Sasson Inventor of the Digital Camera](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/19/meet-steven-sasson-inventor-of-the-digital-camera/) - This is fascinating stuff, especially given the short length of the video. Great film from David Friedman about a man whose invention has changed the world as we know it today. An interesting nugget is the choice to store 30 pictures on a digital cassette tape, not because of technical limitations, but because 30 fell nicely - [On Tablet Cameras](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/19/on-tablet-cameras/) - We were chatting about cameras on tablets yesterday, and I reiterated my viewpoint that tablet cameras are cumbersome and dopey. Thinking about this more in depth, the tablet camera doesn't share many use cases with the camera phone. For example, when you're taking pictures of an event. Here's an item from the Failblog to prove my - [Daily Metrics Surprise: Dropbox Files Trump Tweets](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/18/daily-metrics-surprise-dropbox-files-trump-tweets/) - We love Dropbox. You should too if you use multiple Interwebs-connected devices and have ever wanted to transfer files. While I was away on baby leave, Dropbox announced some great metrics. Dropbox Rockets To 25M Users, More Daily Files Than Tweets On Twitter | Fast Company This is great news for an awesome service that - [Some Mobile Milestones for 2011](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/18/some-mobile-milestones-for-2011/) - Some very interesting statistical projections about mobile from Tomi Ahonen (@tomiahonen). Communities Dominate Brands: Some Milestones We Will See This Year in Mobile Statistics Highlights that jumped off the page: On cameraphones: . . . the world will have more than 3.5 Billion cameraphones in use at the end of this year - for a - [Paul on Personal Branding](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/18/paul-on-personal-branding/) - I know many people, myself included, cringe at the word branding. It's been overused for commercial purposes, but the idea remains sound. Our old friend Paul (@ppedrazzi) has done a lot of thinking about personal branding, and he recently put his thoughts into a presentation at USC. Here are some of his back links on - [25 Excellent Oracle WebCenter Resources](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/18/25-excellent-oracle-webcenter-resources/) - By way of Justin (@oracletechnet), John Brunswick (@johnbrunswick) provides a great list of WebCenter (@oraclewebcenter) resources. 25 Excellent Oracle WebCenter Resources | John Brunswick Enjoy. - [Clorox Goes iPhone by Employee Choice](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/08/clorox-goes-iphone-by-employee-choice/) - So, this is interesting. Clorox ditches BlackBerry, 92 percent of employees replace it with iPhone A couple key points first: Employees weren't offered a BlackBerry option, which presumably some would have accepted. We all know that person, you know the one who will never-ever-ever give up that sweet BlackBerry addiction. It's not clear which Android - [Barnes & Noble Opens Development for NOOK](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/07/barnes-noble-opens-development-for-nook/) - Not terribly surprising, given Amazon's recent app store launch, and given Google's laissez faire attitude toward other Android app stores. Barnes & Noble Now Allows Nook App Submissions (But Nothing Dirty, Please) Potentially interesting is the trend toward device-specific app stores, and yeah, I'm assuming Amazon will eventually drop its own branded devices. I see - [TravAlert Wakes You Up Before Your Stop](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/07/travalert-wakes-you-up-before-your-stop/) - So, this is useful. TravAlert Wakes You Up Before Your Bus Or Train Reaches Your Stop If you've ever commuted to work by public transportation, you're familiar with the problem. You doze off easily because that's what we all do in automotive vehicles from the earliest age, and you either sleep past your stop and - [Why I Run a Flat Company by Jason Fried](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/06/why-i-run-a-flat-company-by-jason-fried/) - An interesting study of the pros and cons of a flat company. Why I Run a Flat Company | Jason Fried of Inc.com Google famously runs a mostly flat organization, and this model seems to work well for software development organizations. Obviously, it's not for everyone, but I definitely like the idea of promoting horizontally - [WebCenter Spaces PS3 VirtualBox Appliance](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/02/webcenter-spaces-ps3-virtualbox-appliance/) - I haven't been in the loop much, what with the arrival of my daughter and all, but I'm starting to catch up on what's been happening. Here's a WebCenter (@oraclewebcenter) news item that you'll like. WebCenter Spaces PS3 VirtualBox Appliance « Peter Moskovits’ Oracle WebCenter Blog I believe this is an update to the VM - [Virtual Adventures](https://theappslab.com/2008/04/01/virtual-adventures/) - As I teased yesterday, I've been mucking around with virtual machines to extend my ability to test Mix. Due to the varied nature of our users' environments, I need to find ways to install more browsers, more versions on more operating systems. Everyone knows reproducing an issue is really the best way to begin fixing - [The Sunk Cost Fallacy](https://theappslab.com/2011/04/02/the-sunk-cost-fallacy/) - Here's another fascinating study of the mechanics of Farmville, with a little psychology thrown in for good measure. The Sunk Cost Fallacy « You Are Not So Smart (h/t Lifehacker) Most true line in the post: Every garage sale is a funeral for someone’s sunk costs. Say what you will about Farmville and its ilk, - [Hello Loosely Coupled Friday](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/25/hello-loosely-coupled-friday/) - Here are a few loosely coupled items that caught my eye today. More App Store Economics: Case Study of 10M download game, monetized through ads. How much money? The answer is $30,000-ish for serving 108 million ads. This is probably why Android developers everywhere are ecstatic to see in-app purchases will launch next week. Speaking - [Here We Go Again, But Is It Bad?](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/24/here-we-go-again-but-is-it-bad/) - I've been biting my tongue for several hours now, hoping the cynicism with abate. It didn't. Haters gonna hate. Color Looks To Reinvent Social Interaction With Its Mobile Photo App (And $41 Million In Funding) That $41 million was committed pre-launch. Here's another in the same vein: Pretty Flipboard Fundraising at an Even Prettier $200 Million - [Mapping Inside Spaces](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/23/mapping-inside-spaces/) - A few years ago when we were enhancing Connect, we tried to get our hands on all the office maps for all the Oracle offices around the World. The idea was that simply providing a person's office number on a profile wasn't good enough, since most office numbers aren't easily understandable without some context or - [How to Fix Rating Systems](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/23/how-to-fix-rating-systems/) - A while back, I mused about the shortcomings of ratings systems. Photo by Jack Rydquist from Flickr used under Creative Commons The short version is that a scaled system trends toward averages or extremes, falls victim to social pressures and provides too few/too many options. Problems exist for an up/down voting system which fails to - [Everything Needs a Game Layer](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/22/everything-needs-a-game-layer/) - Here's another bright mind, Seth Priebatsch (@sethpriebatsch) of SCVNGR, talking about gamification. Seth wants to build a game layer on top of the world, and I agree. I'm embedding his TEDxBoston talk from last year here, but definitely check out his SXSWi keynote from a couple weeks ago, which I'm not allowed to embed. Both Rich - [Amazon’s Android Appstore Launches](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/22/amazon’s-android-appstore-launches/) - Amazon launched their curated Android Appstore today, and there are several interesting bits. For users: 1. It's not a free-for-all like the Android Market. It was only a matter of time before someone took advantage of the openness of the Android Market. So now Android users can benefit from a curated (and presumably safe) store - [Samsung Adding to Honeycomb](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/21/samsung-adding-to-honeycomb/) - I read this news with some sadness. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 8.9 to Have Customizations on Top of Honeycomb | Android Phone Fans One promising thing about Android 3.0 was that it might skate by without bloatware. The Motorola Xoom reportedly is stock Android 3.0, no additional layer of carrier or hardware vendor software. I was - [Social Loopholes for Paid Content](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/21/social-loopholes-for-paid-content/) - This is an interesting switch. The Google Loophole Has Become The Facebook/Twitter Loophole I hadn't ever noticed a Google loophole for WSJ articles, but that's probably because very little published by the WSJ interests me and any blog linking to WSJ content either went through or didn't, meaning I didn't spend any additional effort. The - [Major Update to the WebCenter Spaces iPhone App](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/18/major-update-to-the-webcenter-spaces-iphone-app/) - A major update to the WebCenter Spaces iPhone app dropped today. Get the app here, or find the update in iOS if you're already using it. I saw a preview of this update a few months ago, and it really is a major update to the first version, which debuted back in July 2010. Congrats - [On Anonymity: Is Authenticity Worth the Bad Behavior?](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/15/on-anonymity-is-authenticity-worth-the-bad-behavior/) - Anonymity bugs me, but after many years of existing on the intertubes, I realize that it's frequently necessary for authentic commentary and very often, more interesting. Many people cannot (for fear of reprisals) or choose not to (for personal reasons) attach their names to what they say online. However, the problem with online anonymity is - [Are We Too Reliant on GPS? ](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/14/are-we-too-reliant-on-gps/) - Yes is the short answer, myself included. Are we too reliant on GPS? - O'Reilly Radar From the post: The core issue is that GPS technology has been built into many crucial infrastructure applications, from transportation systems to power grids, and in many cases there is no fallback option should the GPS signals suddenly become - [Flash 10.2 for Android Leaked](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/14/flash-10-2-for-android-leaked/) - One of the many knocks on the iPad (and iOS generally) is its very public and purposeful lack of support for Adobe Flash. Obviously, one of the selling points for Android tablets (and phones) is the inclusion of Flash. So, when the Xoom dropped, its lack of Flash support was definitely a head-scratcher. Last week, - [What Happened to Nokia?](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/11/what-happened-to-nokia/) - A long, but interesting account of the chain of events that led to Nokia's deal with Microsoft. Musings on Mobile Software, What Happened to Nokia? The Register has its own take, also worth a read. Even if you can't care less about mobile, these are worth a read if only to study the politics of - [The iPad 2 Will Conquer the Known Universe](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/11/the-ipad-2-will-conquer-the-known-universe/) - It's iPad 2 launch day, so there's a lot of really derpy analysis floating around about how the iPad will dominate tablets, etc. Makes sense, right? One exception was this brief from Forrester, citing Amazon as Apple's only real competition. Maybe I liked it because it makes a similar point to my own about the - [Xoom Review, the Good Stuff](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/07/xoom-review-the-good-stuff/) - The Motorola Xoom is an important product. It's not something new or something magical. It's just a tablet. So why is it important? It gives the iPad some competition. Yes, I'm aware that Samsung, Dell, and others sell Android tablets. Yes, I'm aware that the Kindle and NOOKcolor are preferred by many for reading eBooks. - [The Most Useless Machine](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/11/the-most-useless-machine/) - Saw this yesterday on Signal vs. Noise. Something about it fascinates me. Imagine yourself presented with this box. You'd immediately flip the switch, and after that, again to see if you could defeat the mechanical arm. It's entertainment value far exceeds what you'd think from a description. It taps into our innate curiosity first, then - [Communities: What Kind of Managers Do We Need?](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/11/communities-what-kind-of-managers-do-we-need/) - Editorial note: Here's a guest post from Ultan O’Broin (@ultan) from the Oracle Applications User Experience Team in Dublin. You should read his blogs on translation and user experience. Enjoy. Community content. It’s all the rage, an outstanding example of collective intelligence-sharing, and a great user experience engagement and loyalty building strategy. It’s experiencing incredible - [Will the iPad Stunt the Growth of Future Geeks?](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/10/will-the-ipad-stunt-the-growth-of-future-geeks/) - Lieutenant Dan got me invested in some kind of fruit company. While reading The iPad Falls Short as a Creation Tool Without Coding Apps over on Wired, I was reminded of that Rich (@rmanalan) has said this a number of times about the iPad. For many of us, it's essentially a casual computer/toy because it - [Fun is the Future](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/09/fun-is-the-future/) - After I watched Meaningful Play: Getting Gamification Right, YouTube suggested another Google Tech Talk, Fun is the Future: Mastering Gamification. Watch this one too. - [Meaningful Play](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/09/meaningful-play/) - Here's another highly informative Google Tech Talk on gamification. - [A Cognitive Teardown of the Angry Birds UX](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/09/a-cognitive-teardown-of-the-angry-birds-ux/) - This is a fascinating read if you've played the game and care about why you continue to pour hours into mastering it. It's probably equally fascinating if you haven't or don't understand the appeal. I wouldn't know, being dangerously addicted myself. Why Angry Birds is so successful and popular: a cognitive teardown of the user - [The Million-Song Dataset Is Free](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/08/the-million-song-dataset-is-free/) - This is cool. Million-song dataset: take it, it's free The newly-released dataset will inevitably lead to some fascinating research. Incidentally, the Ars post mentions that Pandora uses trained musicologists to recommend music based on your preferences and habits. I wonder how Apple produces Genius results. Anyway, Google Music is on the horizon, and being an - [Rent Movies on Facebook](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/08/rent-movies-on-facebook/) - And so it begins with "The Dark Knight" . . . . louisgray.com: Rent Movies on Facebook With Credits, Starting With WB A month ago, after Apple announced their in-app subscription model changes, I wondered if content owners would turn to Facebook as a channel, not for more revenue (the 70/30 split is the same), - [Infinite USB Ports](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/07/infinite-usb-ports/) - Here's another smart design improvement on USB ports. Infinite USB Ports | Geekosystem Combine this design with the impossible-to-put-in-upside-down design, and you've got something magical. - [Xoom Review, the Needs Improvement Stuff](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/07/xoom-review-the-needs-improvement-stuff/) - Before you light up the comments, make sure to read the first part of this review, in which I give my overall assessment, i.e. I really like the Xoom and think it's an important piece of consumer electronics. To list the Xoom's issues, I'm using the classic euphemism from our school days. So, let's jump right - [Android Gaining Among the Young](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/03/android-gaining-among-the-young/) - Nielsen released some mobile statistics, which set off the usual ink-spill, and yes, I know I'm also guilty. As noted previously by Jason Grigsby (@grigs), not all analysis is created equal. Anyway, among other things is this observation: Trends Show Android Gaining Among The Young And Vivacious I had the misfortune of eavesdropping on a - [Upgrading Windows from 1.0 to 7.0](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/03/upgrading-windows-from-1-0-to-7-0/) - Yes it takes 10 minutes to watch this video, but I'll bet you will. Update: Andrew Tait is the man responsible for this epic journey, h/t Jason Kottke, Geekosystem. On display here is one item that users generally take for granted, i.e. backward compatibility. Plus, this is another great use for a VM, providing a - [Is iTunes the Biggest Credit Card Farm Online?](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/02/is-itunes-the-biggest-credit-card-farm-online/) - The most interesting nugget I've seen from today's iPad 2 announcement was about iTunes, specifically that iTunes contains 200 million accounts. Apple Now Has 200 Million iTunes Accounts, Biggest Credit Card Hub On Web You can create an Apple ID without attaching a credit card, and I think you can use iTunes with that same - [More Mobile Web App Clues, Amazon Next?](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/28/more-mobile-web-app-clues-amazon-next/) - If you read here, you'll know I love smartphone apps for small units of work. Aside from targeted use cases, what makes native apps really shine is their ability to address the device's hardware, e.g. accelerometer, GPS, gyroscope, camera, microphone, etc. So, as a user, I'm into apps. As a developer, I hate apps with - [MobileNotifier Makes iOS Notifications Useful](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/01/mobilenotifier-makes-ios-notifications-useful/) - If you've used an iOS device and an Android one, you'll know that iOS 4's notifications and multitasking are horrible in comparison to Android's. These features are so bad, I wonder how they even got released by a company so dedicated to user experience. So, check out this take on what iOS notifications should be, namely - [Sun SPOTs and the Internet of Things](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/01/sun-spots-and-the-internet-of-things/) - Last week, I met John Yopp (@johnyopp) who runs a team called the Retail Applied Research. You might be familiar with the Retail (@OracleRetail) team, e.g. from reading David Dorf's (@dordav) blog. Anyway, John and his team are a lab; they work on prototypes, proving concepts for retail use cases, etc. Sound familiar? Yeah, that's - [Android 2.3.3 Makes Screen Shots Root-Free](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/01/android-2-3-3-makes-screen-shots-root-free/) - This is somewhat bittersweet news. Android 2.3.3 Makes Screen Shots a Root-Free Affair | Android Phone Fans Yes, Android should have an easier way to capture images of its screen, but the amount of traffic driven here by my how-to post on that very topic will be a loss. Not that we're selling ads or - [Facebook in the News](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/01/facebook-in-the-news/) - Facebook has been making a lot of news lately, not that I would normally care, but since creating a fan page for us, I've paid more attention to them, especially given the relatively high amount of referral traffic driven here. We win at internet. Here's a quick roundup: 1. Facebook acquires Beluga Why it matters: - [The Xoom Arrives](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/25/the-xoom-arrives/) - As I did when the iPad launched, I just had to see the Motorola Xoom for myself. Did you know it launched yesterday? Did you know it's the first Android table released running Android 3.0 (Honeycomb), the version specifically designed for tablets? I ask because Rich (@rmanalan) didn't know the former, and many people don't know - [Thoughts on the Tablet Market](https://theappslab.com/2011/03/01/thoughts-on-the-tablet-market/) - Very interesting post, especially as the Motorola Xoom finishes its first week of sales. Why operators will find it hard to sell tablets | asymco When the iPad was announced and ultimately released, a very common phrase thrown about was that it's "a large iPhone." More accurately, the iPhone is "a small iPad." Even though - [The End of the IT Department](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/28/the-end-of-the-it-department/) - Interesting post from DHH (@dhh) about corporate IT. As millenials join the workforce, the ongoing role of IT will change, or it should anyway. The end of the IT department - (37signals) Having been on both sides of this table, in IT early in my career and later in development, I'm empathetic to both sides. - [A Windows Phone 7 Review, Not from Me](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/28/a-windows-phone-7-review-not-from-me/) - Louis Gray (@louisgray) posted a thoughtful and measured review of his HTC HD7 Windows Phone 7 las week. louisgray.com: Windows Phone 7 is the Best Windows I've Ever Tried Side note, Louis does a nice job of avoiding fanboism, which I respect. His feedback is similar to what I've seen from others, essentially, it doesn't - [Own an Android 3.0 Device and a Mac?](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/28/own-an-android-3-0-device-and-a-mac/) - Having very recently tested a Motorola Xoom, the first device to run Android's 3.0 version, a.k.a. Honeycomb, I found this both helpful and interesting. PSA: Own An Android 3.0 Device And A Mac? Install This One nice feature of Android is that it allows your phone's micro SD card to be attached to your computer - [An Update for Your Computer](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/28/an-update-for-your-computer/) - Here's a fun one to start your week. By Sticky Comics (@stickycomics), h/t Geekosystem. - [Google Forms for Surveys](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/25/google-forms-for-surveys/) - This is one of those how-to/reminder posts. Consider yourself warned. You might recall that I ran a mobile survey a few months ago, and if you took it, you probably noticed that I used Google Docs Forms, an underrated, dead simple way to create a basic web form, collect data and analyze the results. Anyway, - [Answering Questions about Mobile Devices](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/05/answering-questions-about-mobile-devices/) - Mobile is super hot now and has been for a while. I know, duh. If you're in development, you've been thinking about mobile, or at least, your users have been pushing you to do that. We've dabbled with mobile a bit, e.g. Anthony's (@anthonyslai) Android app for WebCenter, but being Android guys, we tend to build - [Android Activations Visualized](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/24/android-activations-visualized/) - This is interesting to me for a couple reasons. First, it's sweet data pr0n. Second, it shows both how fast Android has taken off in areas of the World and how much is left to conquer. I'd be interested to see a similar visualization of all smartphone activations for the same reasons. Visualized: Android activations - [Stuff You Stick on Your Phone, Part 2](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/23/stuff-you-stick-on-your-phone-part-2/) - This is getting out of hand, sort of pun unintended. More stuff to stick on your deliberately slim and beautiful smartphone. Joystickers: For When You Wish Your iPhone (Temporarily) Had More Buttons My design sensibilities are officially miffed. - [Do You Like White Papers?](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/23/do-you-like-white-papers/) - If so, I've got a new one for you, the WebCenter Suite New Features white paper, to be precise. Hit the link for more information, looks like there's no registration required. Happy reading. White Paper: Oracle WebCenter Suite New Features (Oracle Enterprise 2.0 Blog) - [Data Observations](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/23/data-observations/) - Yesterday's WordPress 3.1 update brought a surprise for me, Site Stats. These have long been available, but for whatever reason, ours weren't working. I never really took the time to diagnose why. But happy day, now I can look back at nearly four years, more than 1,300 posts and more than 11,000 comments. I love - [On Instagram and History](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/23/on-instagram-and-history/) - So, this is very meta, be warned. Paul (@ppedrazzi) posted this quote from Instagram's developer site. I assume that's the source, but I can't verify without authenticating. We believe that the Instagram community is building a rich visual history of the world. So, if you're familiar with Instagram, that's obviously false and not a little presumptuous. For the - [Pennant Visualizes Mountains of Baseball Data](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/22/pennant-visualizes-mountains-of-baseball-data/) - I'm no longer much of a baseball fan. I guess the strike of 1994-1995 and the fall from grace of my hometown team were the biggest contributing factors. Even if you can't tell a baseball from a billiard ball, you'll love Pennant, an iPad app created by Steve Varga, that visualizes every game played since - [Why Nobody Can Match the iPad’s Price](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/21/why-nobody-can-match-the-ipad’s-price/) - I'm glad someone did some digging on this topic, which has been at the top of my mind now that a mass of Android tablets are nearing release. Why Nobody Can Match the iPad’s Price | Gadget Lab | Wired.com I don't recall exactly when he said it, but in one of Steve Jobs' keynotes, - [Stuff You Stick on Your Phone](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/21/stuff-you-stick-on-your-phone/) - I rocked a hard shell case on my original iPhone, and for a while, on my EVO. The added form factor always embarrassed my design sensibilities, something Paul (@ppedrazzi) and Rich (@rmanalan) wouldn't suffer, but the utility provided by a case outweighed the alternative. I did discover the alternative one day last Summer when I - [Siamese Dream Come True?](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/21/siamese-dream-come-true/) - Assuming this story is true, which means you believe that Billy Corgan's tweet is legit, this is a pretty epic story, if you're of the same relative vintage that I am. Siamese Dream cover girl now in the band Oh, and don't forget the Nirvana Nevermind baby is all growed up too. I wonder if - [A Comprehensive Guide to Mobile Statistics](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/18/a-comprehensive-guide-to-mobile-statistics/) - My pal Jason Grigsby (@grigs) of Cloud Four dropped a thick guide to understanding and finding mobile statistics. He would know; this guy lives and breathes mobile, and has so for years, before it was cool. A “Comprehensive” Guide to Mobile Statistics « Cloud Four Anyway, check out what he has to say. He brings - [A Traitor's Review of the Verizon iPhone 4](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/18/a-traitors-review-of-the-verizon-iphone-4/) - I like to think I make informed choices when it comes to technology. Here's an interesting read from a devoted Android user who switched to an iPhone. Technology Viewer - A traitor's review of the Verizon iPhone 4 Definitely worth the read. The author, @wolfmank, makes several interesting and true observations about both OSes. One - [Interesting Subtext on Apps](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/17/interesting-subtext-on-apps/) - I saw this headline yesterday and didn't pay it any mind, figuring it was a sour grapes comment from AT&T aimed at Apple. Apple’s App Store is bad for consumers, AT&T CEO Says There's interesting subtext here. Check out the except from BGR: “You purchase an app for one operating system, and if you want - [Facebook's Stranglehold On Mobile Time](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/16/facebooks-stranglehold-on-mobile-time/) - As a second part of yesterday's musings on Facebook as the next content platform, here's a chart for your consideration. CHART OF THE DAY: Facebook's Stranglehold On Mobile Time These data are for the UK only, but even so, the sheer amount time spent on Facebook while on a mobile phone is staggering. Not at - [Lowered Expectations, Mobile Edition](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/14/lowered-expectations-mobile-edition/) - Interesting question for you. If Android and iOS died in a terrible accident, what smartphone/tablet OS would you buy? Would it be BlackBerry 6.0 with the slick PlayBook and its required BlackBerry phone tether? Or maybe one of the sleek new webOS devices from HP? Or are you stoked for the Nokia Windows Phone 7 - [Connecting the Dots, iTunes Subscriptions to Facebook Phones](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/15/connecting-the-dots-itunes-subscriptions-to-facebook-phones/) - Sean Percival's mockup of the Facebook phone Two major stories I read today have been rattling around in my head. 1. Apple's in-app subscription policy changes 2. Facebook-branded and integrated smartphones First off, Apple's changes will drastically impact apps I use and love like Kindle, Pandora, and Netflix. Plus, they will put the screws to - [VMware Android Handset VM](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/15/vmware-android-handset-vm/) - This is very cool stuff, h/t to Matt (@topperge) for sending it my way. Check out the video; it's a bit noisy, but solider through, totally worth it. VMware Android handset virtualization hands-on -- Engadget Basically, deploying an enterprise VM to a smartphone sidesteps a lot of issues, chief among them security. . . . - [Snowy Typeface Makes Me Happy](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/15/snowy-typeface-makes-me-happy/) - After many years, I've found a fellow typeface nerd in Rich (@rmanalan), and I'm sure he'll appreciate this. Type Made From This Winter\'s Biggest Resource: Snow | Co.Design If you care about design, you care about typeface. Think about web or software design that you like. How much of that is the typeface? Probably more - [One-Way Trip to Mars?](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/15/one-way-trip-to-mars/) - So, this is way off-topic, not that I have a set topic. Why Did 400 People Volunteer for a One-Way Trip to Mars? - Breaking Orbit Perhaps you read about this one-way expedition to Mars proposal. It's highly unofficial and borderline impossible, but even so, people are lining up in droves to throw their hats - [The EBS Install Guide Book](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/14/the-ebs-install-guide-book/) - Chet (@oraclenerd) just announced an eBook version of John Piwowar's (@jpiwowar) epic multi-part E-Business Suite installation guide. ORACLENERD: EBS Install Guide - The eBook OK, it's a pdf, not specifically an eBook, but if the demand supports it, Chet says he may format the contents for Kindle, iBooks and possibly other eReading formats. Of course, - [More on the Nokia-Mircosoft News](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/11/more-on-the-nokia-mircosoft-news/) - There's a ton of ink spilling around the interwebs about the Nokia-Microsoft partnership, which is looking a lot more like Microsoft pwning Nokia. Here are some posts that resonated with me that I recommend reading. I mean really reading, not skimming. Jason Grigsby (@grigs) of Cloud Four wrote Declaring Platform Bankruptcy: Does it make sense? before - [Another Missed Prediction: Nokia and WP 7](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/11/another-missed-prediction-nokia-and-wp-7/) - Not that it matter, but I've missed on another of my predictions. By now, you've likely heard that Nokia is partnering with Microsoft to release Windows Phone 7 smartphones. Many, many, many people are seeing this as highly negative and disappointing for Nokia, and Nokia's stock reflects this sentiment. I tend to agree, and here's - [New OTN Developer Days](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/11/new-otn-developer-days/) - Via Justin (@oracletechnet), there are newly announced Developer Days. Get Your Workshop Hands On! New Developer Day Cities What are Developer Days? Developer Day workshops are free, hands-on workshops that give you the software and skills to tame that learning curve and reach the next level in your technical knowledge. We have a range of - [Want More WebCenter?](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/10/want-more-webcenter/) - WebCenter product manager extraordinaire, Manish Devgan, has a brand new blog over at mdevgan.wordpress.com. So, if you want more WebCenter content, hit him up immediately. Today, he has a post about the latest guides to extending WebCenter 11g Patchset 3. Extending WebCenter Spaces Using JDeveloper | Manish Devgan's Oracle WebCenter Blog And while we're on - [What Happens When You Like Something](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/10/what-happens-when-you-like-something/) - By now, you know we have a Facebook page. Like it immediately. I'll wait. Ever wonder what happens when you like something on Facebook? Facebook Insights provides analytics for a fan page, a lot like any traditional web analytics package does, e.g. Google Analytics. But since this is Facebook, I can get data like these: - [Top Reasons for Unsubscribing](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/09/top-reasons-for-unsubscribing/) - I found this very interesting. Top Reasons Why Consumers Unsubscribe Via E-Mail, Facebook Probably the top feature request we've had for Connect over the past three and a half years is for email notifications. We've resisted adding them for a number of reasons, mostly due to resources, but I've always thought the need was overstated. - [TIM! or Time is Money](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/08/tim-or-time-is-money/) - Paul (@ppedrazzi) used to talk about a way to measure the cost of meetings. Pretty much everyone has had this idea, or if you haven't, the people waiting for you have it. Photo: Bring TIM! (Time Is Money) is a clock that… - (37signals) Interesting stuff. I usually try to take (and make) 30 minute meetings, - [Reimagining Time](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/08/reimagining-time/) - I'm not a watch guy. At some point, I just got annoyed wearing a watch, and that was that. My wife complains about this fact because watches make nice and easy gifts for men whose wives say they are difficult to give gifts. Ahem. This watch, the ZIIIRO and its iOS app, is a watch - [Google IO Sells out Like a Concert](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/07/google-io-sells-out-like-a-concert/) - So tickets for Google IO (@googleio), Google's annual developer conference went on sale today and sold out in 59 minutes according to Vic Gundotra (@vicgundotra), Google's VP of Engineering. Sure, the payment system was reportedly janky, and many of us had early access to tickets. So, it's not clear how many tickets were actually sold - [WebCenter 11g Patch Set 3 Overview and Demo](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/07/webcenter-11g-patch-set-3-overview-and-demo/) - If you're stoked to get an eyeful of the hot new goodness in the latest version of WebCenter 11g Patch Set 3 (or as we affectionately call it, version 11.1.1.4), check out the recording of last week's overview and demo. WebCenter 11g Patch Set 3 Launch – Overview and Demo « Peter Moskovits’ Oracle WebCenter Blog. If - [Integrating Facebook and WordPress with WPBook](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/04/integrating-facebook-and-wordpress-with-wpbook/) - Nice compliment to my "wearing my twitter shirt" shirt. Back in November, I decided to bite the bullet and open up a Facebook page for us. Despite my increasing distaste for Facebook, I had two simple goals: 1) Work through the process of building a Facebook presence and integrating it with an existing blog, 2) - [You Need Seek Droid](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/03/you-need-seek-droid/) - A while back, I read about Seek Droid, a simple phone locating app, on Lifehacker. I finally got around to buying it ($0.99), mainly as a way to test buying apps using the new Android Market, and I'm impressed. There's no magic with Seek Droid, or the now free iOS version, Find My iPhone/iPad. Basically, - [Isn't Mobile Fun?](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/02/isnt-mobile-fun/) - I remember about a decade ago reading about NTT DoCoMo and all the sweet things their customers could do with their phones. Around the same time, a newish wireless protocol called Bluetooth was on the rise, and aside from enabling printing over the air (squee!), it promised to empower these magical phones with mobile wallet - [Hans Rosling on the Joy of Stats](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/02/hans-rosling-on-the-joy-of-stats/) - Speaking of a well-spent hour learning from the best, I highly recommend watching the BBC special called "The Joy of Stats" narrated by Hans Rosling (@hansrosling), another smart person Paul (@ppedrazzi) introduced me to years ago; yes, there's a trend there. Aside from the big brain on Hans, the man's exuberance about data is contagious. Update: - [Amy Jo Kim on Applying Game Mechanics to Software](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/02/amy-jo-kim-on-applying-game-mechanics-to-software/) - Thanks to Paul (@ppedrazzi), I'm a big fan of Amy Jo Kim (@amyjokim). If you have an hour and want to learn from the best, check out her Tech Talk at Google on how to apply game mechanics to functional software. The message hasn't changed much since I first saw her presentation "Putting the Fun - [Infographs are Ruining the Internet](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/02/infographs-are-ruining-the-internet/) - Given how much I adore data visualizations, it's only fair to share the other side. Infographs are Ruining the Internet -- Less Everything Blog Light on facts, but heavy on laughs. Seriously, did you know that 23% of infographs cause puppies to cry? I don't feel 12% dumber . . . . - [Well Hello There, WebCenter PS3 VM](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/01/well-hello-there-webcenter-ps3-vm/) - You may recall my struggle last year to assemble and document a WebCenter VM. Well, apparently other people thought it was a good idea because I noticed today via Peter Moskovits' blog that there is now a VirtualBox VM available for WebCenter PS 3 (11.1.1.4), which was just released, including the AviTrust demo to get - [Mobile Web Apps vs. Native Apps](https://theappslab.com/2011/02/01/mobile-web-apps-vs-native-apps/) - And so begins the next development war. 37 Signals officially announced Basecamp Mobile today, and gasp, it's a mobile web app, not a native one or ones. Launch: Basecamp Mobile Sure, 37 Signals isn't the first company to make this decision, but they are well-known and well-respected for both their development chops and their relentless - [Smarter Phones, Weaker Passwords](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/31/smarter-phones-weaker-passwords/) - Tim (@oraclebase) points out something Rich (@rmanalan) and I have previously discussed. Soft keypads foster weak passwords. Do virtual keyboards promote weak passwords? | The ORACLE-BASE Blog Having to shift for capital letters and switch keyboards for some special characters is bad enough, but when coupled with the inconsistent implementation of keyboards between OSes, a - [Should Tumblr Care? ](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/28/should-tumblr-care/) - Well this is interesting. Should Tumblr care? In response to issues with Tumblr, David Karp tells users to “go away” if they don’t like it I love what services like Posterous and Tumblr are doing, but after dabbling a bit, I quickly found that having as much control as possible was the way to go, - [Computer Science and Philosophy at Oxford](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/27/computer-science-and-philosophy-at-oxford/) - While I get why combining computer science and philosophy into a single program of study, I fear that these graduates may be disappointed in many of the jobs they land after college. Graduates of this degree will have highly marketable skills. Computer Science teaches you how to program computers, and how to design processes that - [A USB Plug That Fits Even if It's Upside-Down](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/27/a-usb-plug-that-fits-even-if-its-upside-down/) - Wow. Someone please begin mass-producing these. Simple Genius: A USB Plug That Fits Even if It\'s Upside-Down | Co.Design - [How Do You Feel about Sentiment Analysis?](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/26/how-do-you-feel-about-sentiment-analysis/) - Glancing at my predictions for 2011, I wish I could get a mulligan on the reputation one, which is a like a wish that I keep hoping will come true. It won't, at least not in 2011. If I had a do-over, I'd predict something awesome for sentiment analysis. After all, we've been talking about - [Twitter is Your Friend](https://theappslab.com/2008/06/17/twitter-is-your-friend/) - Insert Twitter post disclaimer here. I've noticed a humorous trend that you can use for a laugh. People like to rant at Twitter, just check out twistori's hate feed for samples. The beauty part of Twitter and its many clients is that it provides easy outlet for your frustration. Can't get a piece of software - [Data Visualization Eye Candy](https://theappslab.com/2008/05/31/data-visualization-eye-candy/) - By way of Mashable, I give you another stunning and addictive data visualization, Tag Galaxy. Based on the Flickr API, this Germany-based tool is simple to use. Start out by entering a tag, and you get a "galaxy" of related tags. Here's the "oracle" galaxy: Clicking on any planet drills further into the galaxy, refining - [Rumor: BlackBerry Devices May Run Android Apps](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/26/rumor-blackberry-devices-may-run-android-apps/) - Well, this is a fun rumor, especially since it jibes with my prediction for 2011 that BlackBerry and Nokia will surrender to Android. Exclusive: BlackBerry PlayBook and smartphones to run Android apps? | BGR | Boy Genius Report Makes a ton of sense for BlackBerry, but raises the same old fragmentation concerns for Android developers. - [WebCenter Enterprise Methodology Group](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/26/webcenter-enterprise-methodology-group/) - Time to talk business for a second. Chet (@oraclenerd) actually told me about the newly-formed WebCenter Enterprise Methodology Group last week. WebCenter Enterprise Methodology Group « Peter Moskovits’ Oracle WebCenter Blog This group was started by Yannick Ongena (@yannick_ongena), and it joins existing EMGs for ADF, OBIEE and SOA-BPM. The EMG concept was developed and grown - [How to Build a $10 Android Wind-Up Charger](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/25/how-to-build-a-10-android-wind-up-charger/) - This is too cool not to share here. How To Build a $10 Android Wind-Up Charger The segment on the wind-up charger is only about five minutes. He goes on to elaborate on the original concept of charging while you walk, using your own motion to turn the crank. That doesn't work out so well, - [Kno, Yet Another Dual Screen Experience](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/24/kno-yet-another-dual-screen-experience/) - Maybe I wasn't paying attention before, but it seems like a flood of multi-screen devices has be unleashed. The Kno was previously announced, but this is first I've heard of it. Kno Is Looking For Student Ambassadors And Are Paying In Hefty Tablet Discounts Check the video, pretty targeted use cases for college students. Makes - [Podcast from Paul's Panel at the Churchill Club](https://theappslab.com/2008/06/30/podcast-from-pauls-panel-at-the-churchill-club/) - Say that five times fast. The podcast of Paul's panel at the Churchill Club is available here, just in case you didn't make it out to see him in person. Thanks to Larry Dignan at Between the Lines and ZDNet for recording the panel discussion and posting the podcast. Note, the recording seems to be - [Our First Podcast](https://theappslab.com/2007/08/27/our-first-podcast/) - I was recently asked by Justin Kestlyn of OTN fame to participate in a techcast. It's a short conversation around AppsLab, our charter and gives some insight into our projects and what we are all about. Take a listen if interested. -Paul - [Are Electronics in Flight Dangerous?](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/21/are-electronics-in-flight-dangerous/) - I flew Alaska Airlines for the first time this week, and something stuck out as odd to me on both legs. The flight attendants were very specific in their safety instructions that we needed to power off all our electronic devices for takeoff and that airplane mode did not count. In other words, don't just turn off - [Meet Line Phone, Another Concept Phone](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/21/meet-line-phone-another-concept-phone/) - After yesterday's post and discussion about multiple screens, it's fitting that another concept phone come across my Reader today. Meet Line Phone (h/t Core77). Skip the first 30 seconds to get to the phone stuff. The design extends the screen's area all the way to the edges, eliminating the bezel. The edges have capacitive touch functions, - [Dear Tablet: You'll Never Replace My Laptop](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/20/dear-tablet-youll-never-replace-my-laptop/) - Lots of people are predicting and betting on the rise of the tablet in 2011. Here's the most recent analyst version of that song. Interestingly, I got a chance to try living without my laptop this week when I briefly hit the road, forgetting my Macbook power cord. The battery on my old Macbook only - [Are Multi-Screen, Portable Devices Just a Gimmick?](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/20/are-multi-screen-portable-devices-just-a-gimmick/) - If you had asked me what I thought of multi-screen portable devices a week ago, I'd have been highly skeptical. Now, twice in the last week, I've been impressed (maybe even wowed) by a couple of these devices, one concept, one production. First, check out this concept phone, called the Flip, from Kristian Ulrich Larsen. - [Trusting Amateurs](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/20/trusting-amateurs/) - Maybe you saw that amateurs, i.e. those not paid for their financial acumen, outperformed professionals when challenged to predict Apple's quarterly results. When it comes to forecasting Apples earnings, amateurs are better than the pros -- Engadget The amateurs did uniformly much better than the professionals. Coincidentally, I'm reading Clay Shirky's (@cshirky) Cognitive Surplus, specifically the chapter - [Formulists Forms Your Lists](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/18/formulists-forms-your-lists/) - Formulists (@formulists) isn't new. I've just been meaning to try it out for many months, and I finally did. Basically, Formulists creates and maintains Twitter lists for you. It's simple and quite powerful. Automatically Update Your Twitter Lists With Formulists This is exactly what I've wanted for a long time because of my organization fatigue, - [Old Computer Ads](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/17/old-computer-ads/) - This post has a very broad compendium of vintage (not old) magazine advertisements for computers. Oldest computer ads | Top Design Magazine - Web Design and Digital Content Aside from the trip down memory lane, for many of us, a few interesting nuggets pop: Multi-column layout, especially three columns, looks jarring. I've become so accustomed - [Welcome to the Internet on Facebook](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/14/welcome-to-the-internet-on-facebook/) - Anyway, even though I don't really use Facebook much anymore, I still read coverage about it, and this piece today about Amazon-owned Quidsi launching eCommerce for Amazon properties Diapers.com and Soap.com on Facebook struck me. I remember back in Facebook's infancy, Mark Zuckerberg boldly declared that he wanted Facebook to be the new internet, all - [Conversation Mode for Google Translate: Surely Ensign Hoshi Sato Would Be Impressed](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/14/conversation-mode-for-google-translate-surely-ensign-hoshi-sato-would-be-impressed/) - Editorial note: Here's another post from Ultan O’Broin (@ultan) from the Oracle Applications User Experience Team in Dublin. Enjoy. Wow! A new year and already another cool translation feature in the mobile space announced. Following last month’s Word Lens launch, this time it’s Conversation Mode for Google Translate on Android. Here’s how it works: In - [Flickr Users Should Buy Flickr](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/13/flickr-users-should-buy-flickr/) - In the wake of the sort-of confirmed rumor that Delicious was on shaky ground at Yahoo, Flickr users are understandably concerned about the future of their beloved service. Thomas Hawk's (@thomashawk) speculation about Flickr's value to Yahoo sparked a round of conversation, even if his methodology wasn't terribly accurate. The obvious fear among heavy Flickr - [We've All Been Here](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/13/weve-all-been-here/) - This made me lulz. Literally. Long and loud lulzing. From the mind of Guy Collins h/t Geekosystem. The older I get and the more I work with real users, the more I hate myself for being such a turd. Computers are hard, but they don't need to be. My personal mission is to make them - [Detailed Thoughts on the CDMA iPhone ](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/12/detailed-thoughts-on-the-cdma-iphone/) - If you're interested in mobile markets and patterns, I highly recommend reading Tomi Ahonen's (@tomiahonen) blog Communities Dominate Brands. Tomi's detailed analysis of the Verizon iPhone announcement from yesterday is well worth a read. Communities Dominate Brands: The iPhone for Verizon in USA, means some more CDMA sales in Asia too His thoughts mirror my own, - [Verizon iPhone Arrives, Waiting for Other Shoe Begins](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/11/verizon-iphone-arrives-waiting-for-other-shoe-begins/) - Now that the iPhone has finally come to Verizon (yes, I realize my prediction was wrong), a lot of the heavy rhetoric thrown around by bloggers/tweeters will be tested. It's time to back up all the complaining about AT&T and begging for a Verizon iPhone, and it won't be cheap. Buying your way out of - [Gadget Demand and Price over Time](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/11/gadget-demand-and-price-over-time/) - This is a fascinating look at gadgets, specifically their average prices and sales plotted over time. A gadget’s life: From gee-whiz to junk| The Washington Post (h/t FlowingData) Most interesting to me, given today's news, is the path of smartphones, whose average price has fallen from $477 to $295 in seven years. I didn't do - [Rich's JSConf 2011 Proposal: What's in Your Pocket?](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/10/richs-jsconf-2011-proposal-whats-in-your-pocket/) - Rich (@rmanlan) told me last week that JSConf 2011 will be held May 2 and 3 here in my hometown, Portland, Oregon. Apparently, this is one of the awesome JavaScript developer conferences out there, and so, Rich and Anthony (@anthonyslai) will be attending because they love JS. And so should you. JSConf is currently accepting - [Internet Identity System Coming Soon to the US?](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/10/internet-identity-system-coming-soon-to-the-us/) - This was an interesting nugget that didn't get a lot of hoopla, or maybe I just missed it or read the wrong blogs or something. Internet Identity System Said Readied by Obama | OpenID Thoughts on a government-issued, privately-managed/maintained internet ID system? Is it more convenience than necessity? People are the weak link in security, and - [Why Aren't You Sharing How-To Content?](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/09/why-arent-you-sharing-how-to-content/) - Looking at Google Analytics for this blog today, I noticed a trend I've seen before but continues to surprise me. Android how-to posts have driven about a third of the traffic here over the last month. I shouldn't be surprised, since the same thing happened with iPhone posts years ago. I guess it's striking to - [Want a Trippy Browsing Experience?](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/07/want-a-trippy-browsing-experience/) - Run Chromium 10 (the dev build) and enable Google Instant in the Omnibox. That sounds like gibberish, but if you get what it means, you'll want to try it. This should work for the Chrome 10 dev build as well, but I haven't tested it. So why is it trippy? Google Instant searches as you - [All Your Online Activity on a Timeline](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/07/all-your-online-activity-on-a-timeline/) - Memolane puts all your checkins and activity on a timeline, foursquare checkins, tweets and Facebook updates, YouTube videos, flickr and Picasa photos, TripIt trips and music from last.fm. Tell a story with your checkins, tweets and photos on Memolane [INVITES] According to the post, they're taking requests for other services too, including Untappd, the network - [Attention Overload Disorder](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/06/attention-overload-disorder/) - I have a self-diagnosed, self-proclaimed disability that doesn't exist in any clinical textbooks (I think... not that I'm an expert). I call this disability Attention Overload Disorder (AOD). Don't bother looking it up -- it doesn't exist outside of my head. Although, I think there are a lot of people like me (probably including Jake - [Everything the Internet Knows About Me](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/06/everything-the-internet-knows-about-me/) - I covered this very topic a few months ago, although I didn't have the historical references and term "lifelogging" as background. Everything the Internet Knows About Me (Because I Asked It To) - Digits - WSJ (h/t FlowingData) Modern services make it dead simple to track pretty much everything about you. I'm beginning to feel - [More Fun with Volume Controls](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/05/more-fun-with-volume-controls/) - If you thought this piece on the lies we're told by volume and battery indicators, this will be up your alley. Behold, the Ubuntu 10.10 volume control. Anything strike you as odd? Maybe this is a subtle h/t to a certain number to which all volume controls aspire? For fun, I slide past 100%, and - [Onboarding Users is Underrated](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/04/onboarding-users-is-underrated/) - Maybe you've heard of My6Sense (@my6sense), a newish mobile service that observes your Google Reader habits and serves up content that should interest you. If you read Louis Gray's blog (@louisgray), you likely have, since he joined My6Sense last year. Anyway, Rich (@rmanalan) reminded me of My6Sense, which had gone on my list of apps - [The No. 1 Habit of Highly Creative People](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/04/the-no-1-habit-of-highly-creative-people/) - Interesting, but not all that surprising. The No. 1 Habit of Highly Creative People | zen habits People seek solitude instinctively when deep thought is required, and if you can make it work, telecommuting is an outstanding way to get the solitude your creative mind craves. Semi-related note, it's a bit funny (not ha-ha) that - [Fearless Predictions for 2011](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/30/fearless-predictions-for-2011/) - At least one person (ahem, Gary) wanted to read my predictions for 2011. So, here we go. Let's start by reviewing the 2010 edition. Here's what I predicted: Reputation will be all the rage in 2010. Fail. I did read that Twitter has an internal way to measure the weight of a user, and at - [It's That Time of Year](https://theappslab.com/2007/12/31/its-that-time-of-year/) - To usher out 2007, it's time to do the retrospective. Cue the music. Looking back on this past year elicits "wow" moments for me. This time last year, I worked in a different team, Fusion Financials Strategy; I was neck-deep in the requirements for Secure Enterprise Search integration into Apps. I lived in a different - [2010, That's a Wrap](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/29/2010-thats-a-wrap/) - Photo by cory schmitz from Flickr used under Creative Commons I usually put a fair amount of effort into recapping the year in all things AppsLab, but this year, I don't really feel like it. Oh, and Rich (@rmanalan) accidentally nuked our Google Analytics data earlier in the year. No biggie, we don't drive much - [Not Lost in Translation: Word Lens](https://theappslab.com/2011/01/03/not-lost-in-translation-word-lens/) - Editorial note: Here comes another guest post. This one comes from Ultan O’Broin (@ultan), a Director in the Oracle Applications User Experience Team, based in Dublin, Ireland. He’s worked in and around globalized applications and user assistance issues for nearly two decades. Check out his blog about user assistance and user experience. Enjoy. Lots of - [Is Pay What You Want a Viable Business Model?](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/28/is-pay-what-you-want-a-viable-business-model/) - Interesting to ponder the newish pay what you want model, which is pretty much a remix of shareware. Pay What You Want — a Sustainable Business Model? - Slashdot Radiohead tried this same model with their album In Rainbows back in 2007 with mixed results. I'd argue that software and music have much different perceived - [Laptop Design, Too Many Options](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/28/laptop-design-too-many-options/) - I recently got a new work laptop, since my old one's USB ports had started to go. I depend on USB to do backups and to run my KVM. Since the rise of the Macbook, I had hoped that the pointing device mess that exists on most non-Apple laptops had been simplified. Nope. Dell still - [Beer Innovation](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/27/beer-innovation/) - Let's call it beernovation. Meet the BottomsUp draft beer pouring, erm dispensing, system. It fills the cup from bottom to top, greatly reducing the foam factor and therefore the overall pour time, leading to much faster beer enjoyment and sales. It's pretty amazing stuff. The BottomsUp site has video of people pouring 44 and 56 - [On Developers](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/27/on-developers/) - Hey there, welcome back, assuming you weren't reading over the holiday weekend. This post on three types of developers (or six depending) amused me greatly. It's actually pretty accurate. Someone should pen a companion piece about the x types of IT people, another highly enjoyable topic. Photo by Will Scullin from Flickr used under Creative - [Single Units of Work](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/23/single-units-of-work/) - Photo by jordanfischer from Flickr used under Creative Commons I continue slowly making my way through "The Design of Everyday Things" by Don Norman. Today, I hit an obvious point that speaks volumes toward why apps are finding such quick success: The difficult of dealing with novel situations is directly related to the number of - [Parenting in an Interwebs Era](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/22/parenting-in-an-interwebs-era/) - Thinking about this subject a lot lately, what with ripping video to share and gearing up for the stretch run of the pregnancy. How much do you share about your children online? I know a couple friends who obfuscate their kids' real names, but talk about them openly. Rich (@rmanalan) told me today he dialed - [What My Unborn Daughter Taught Me Today](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/21/what-my-unborn-daughter-taught-me-today/) - I've never been a video guy. I tried out a camcorder, but the video I took was jerky, upset-stomach-inducing stuff. I suppose this will change when I become a parent next year, but for now, my unborn daughter is giving me a crash course in video and copyright. We had a 4D ultrasound done recently, - [How Does Your Gas Gauge Really Work?](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/21/how-does-your-gas-gauge-really-work/) - You must have noticed the inaccurate behavior of your gas gauge, i.e. it's full and empty for long stretches of time. The psychology behind why is interesting. How Does Your Gas Gauge Really Work? The imprecise nature of the gas gauge is something that has always struck me as odd. Different auto makers create different - [Programming Notes](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/20/programming-notes/) - Not surprisingly, it's been quiet lately around the interwebs. I haven't seen anything that seemed worthy of long form discussion in a couple days. If you can't get enough of us, you can read what we read by following us on Twitter @theappslab, by subscribing to our Google Reader Shared Items (mine, Rich's), or by - [Is Touch-Typing an Obsolete Skill?](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/16/is-touch-typing-an-obsolete-skill/) - I can touch type. If you don't know what I mean, you probably don't touch type, and if you don't touch type, you hunt-and-peck. I didn't make up the terms so don't get mad at me if you don't like them. I've seen impossibly fast hunt-and-peck typing on a keyboard, and perhaps the greatest hnp - [Your Mobile Gadget Wishes](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/14/your-mobile-gadget-wishes/) - Rich (@rmanalan) mentioned earlier that he might get a NOOKcolor for himself. If you're not familiar, the NOOKcolor is an Android device, recently rooted and now with Android Market access, essentially making it an Android tablet. Update: Why mod? If you can wait until January, you'll get an official 2.2 update and the Android Market from - [Oracle Announces Oracle Cloud Office and Oracle Open Office 3.3 ](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/15/oracle-announces-oracle-cloud-office-and-oracle-open-office-3-3-the-oracle-office-blog/) - Interesting news, we met Harald at OOW back in September, and he showed some of the Cloud Office stuff, very cool, especially when you consider all the possible integration points. Oracle Announces Oracle Cloud Office and Oracle Open Office 3.3 (The Oracle Office Blog) - [Chrome Books Are Not for You](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/15/chrome-books-are-not-for-you/) - Chatting with Rich (@rmanalan) who got a Cr-48 last week, we meandered off onto Paul Buchheit's commentary on Twitter and FriendFeed about Android vs. Chrome OS. ChromeOS has no purpose that isn’t better served by Android (perhaps with a few mods to support a non-touch display). This is a pretty common observation and an area - [Phone OS Emulators Make for a Good Time](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/14/phone-os-emulators-make-for-a-good-time/) - Sure, it's pretty geeky, but if you like VMs, you'll love the iOS and Android emulators that come packaged with the SDKs. Obviously, providing a way for a developer to test applications before deploying them is a must-have requirement for any SDK, and both the iOS and Android emulators (and others too) provide mobile emulators. - [Photoshop Tutorial Rap](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/14/photoshop-tutorial-rap/) - Another example of creativity executed with technology and distributed online is this gem, Photoshop Tutorial Rap (h/t Gizmodo and @rmanalan). Although primarily entertaining, the tutorial actually presents useful how-to tips for Photoshop, which is most definitely a dark art. See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor. - [The Story of Film in 2010](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/14/the-story-of-film-in-2010/) - I really enjoy new art forms like this, made possible my modern technology and distributed by the intertubes. Possibly derivative, in that clips of original works were used, but in many cases, the original films are much less enjoyable. Trust me on that. Anyway, enjoy the full six minutes (h/t Geekosystem). - [Attend Chet’s Webinar about Twitter](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/13/attend-chets-webinar-about-twitter/) - Chet (@oraclenerd) will be hosting a webinar this coming Thursday at 1100 CST (0900 PST) called "Professionally Speaking in 140 Characters or Less - How Twitter Can Help Advance Your Career". This grew out of a rejected ODTUG abstract about social media and its uses for real world business productivity. I highly recommend attending for - [Gadget Hounds Must Rationalize Waste](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/10/gadget-hounds-must-rationalize-waste/) - Let's settle the iOS vs. Android debate once and for all: it doesn't matter. Everyone happy? Photo by nicolasnova from Flickr used under Creative Commons I actually enjoy reading what people love about their phones and hate about the other camp's phones because what people value in a phone tells you a lot about them - [Is Google an Advertising Company?](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/09/is-google-an-advertising-company/) - Reading one of John Gruber's pieces comparing iOS and Android, which I mostly skimmed because I grow tired of reading a fanboi's attempts at measured reasoning, I bounced to the end and caught a sentence I've heard at least once before: Google is an advertising company that builds popular services that command large audiences. I - [Bad Design or Bad User?](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/08/bad-design-or-bad-user/) - Thanks to the iPad, my renewed reading efforts have finally got me reading Don Norman's classic "The Design of Everyday Things". So far, it's as great a read as promised. Published originally in 1988, the tenents discussed in the book feel timeless. The only clue to the book's genre is the images used for illustration. - [Two Speeding Hacks](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/08/two-speeding-hacks/) - A couple very interesting speeding hacks came across my Reader today, one involves positive reenforcement for following the speed limit, the other negative. The first one (h/t Gizmodo) is the winning idea from VW's The Fun Theory contest. It's a speeding camera that snaps your picture if you're speeding and fines you, natch. It also - [A Google TV Has Arrived, Let the Testing Begin](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/07/a-google-tv-has-arrived-let-the-testing-begin/) - Yesterday afternoon, a Google TV (@googletv) arrived at my door. Google kindly sent these devices to Google IO 2010 attendees in the US. Rich (@rmanalan) got his yesterday too. Announced at IO in May, Google TV went live on several devices from Logitech and Sony a couple months ago. The unit I got was a - [How Crayons are Made](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/07/how-crayons-are-made/) - This video shows how crayons are made. It's freaking cool, h/t Geekosystem. Not sure what it is about crayons, maybe the ubiquity in all our childhoods, maybe the simplicity and enduring utility even in the era of technically advanced drawing tools. Whatever it is, they're cool. This video also features some awesome machinery that does some - [More Found Business Models](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/06/more-found-business-models/) - Recent news has uncovered some other relatively new models. If you read here, you'll know I'm a fan of found business models, which I loosely define as models that would make you scratch your head or laugh if someone pitched them to you. Angry Birds Will Generate an Estimated $1 Million In Ad Revenue per - [Things Android Has That iOS Needs](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/06/things-android-has-that-ios-needs/) - I love stirring this pot because it always brings out the fanboi in us. Things Android has that iOS Needs | The Brooks Review I'm stunned that the iPhone's tethering is actually, physical tethering, i.e. it shares its 3G connection over USB. Stunned. That's something BlackBerry has had for years. Is this true? I can't - [Are Android Customers Left to Rot?](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/03/are-android-customers-left-to-rot/) - Interesting perspective from Chris Dawson on the lack of incentive carriers have to keep their devices up-to-date on the latest version of Android. Are Android customers left to rot the moment we walk out of the store? – Webiphany.com His point makes sense, although I have to add that Apple's incentive to push people to - [What to Do with Your Old Gadgets](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/03/what-to-do-with-your-old-gadgets/) - With the holidays looming, there's a good chance many of you will get gadgets. Maybe an iPad, which I've heard is high on the list of adults and children alike. Or maybe a sexy new smartphone. Or netbook, laptop, gaming console, etc. We love to give and receive gadgets. But what to do with the - [Browser or App? The Tide is Turning.](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/02/browser-or-app-the-tide-is-turning/) - Not terribly surprising I suppose, but Parks Associates published research this week that found consumers under 35 prefer apps over browsers for mobile content. Consumers Under 35 Ditching Browser for Apps, Study Shows I did find it surprising that the neutral answer was only around 50%, even in the older demographic ranges. I guess I - [Thanks for Reading](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/02/thanks-for-reading/) - I suppose I could have done this last week on Thanksgiving, but since you're not all American, I'll pick a random day. Quickly wanted to thank you for reading here and for commenting. Over the life of this blog, I've come to realize how powerful weak ties are, and having a blog with a core - [Verizon Responsible for Android's Success?](https://theappslab.com/2010/12/01/verizon-responsible-for-androids-success/) - Obviously, this is a US-slanted argument, but it begs related questions like how much international success does Verizon account for by driving US adoption? Verizon Lays Claim To Android’s Success Based on what I've seen and documented here, Verizon is spot on, albeit much to the annoyance of the Android hacking community. Other domestic carriers - [Should Work Be More Fun?](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/30/should-work-be-more-fun/) - This post is full of impressions and assumptions. Don't expect much fact or supporting data. I read about generational differences with interest, pretty sure everyone does. People love to belong, and I find myself blindly defending my generation or characterizing another for no good reason. Paraphrasing the late George Carlin, pride should be reserved for something - [Asking for Documentation Means You've Already Lost](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/29/asking-for-documentation-means-youve-already-lost/) - I've been using the Kindle app on my iPad to read How We Decide. Like most apps, it's easy to use without any instruction, which makes good sense, since a physical book doesn't require instructions. After using it for a while, I figured out how the gestures work. Tap the margins or swipe up/down to - [Do You Like Dashboards?](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/29/do-you-like-dashboards/) - Not much happening lately, what with the holiday in the US and the obsession with bargain hunting on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. A while back, Paul (@ppedrazzi) and I were sharing our mutual unhappiness with application dashboards. They always seem like a good idea for quick and easy information consumption, but inevitably, dashboards are - [A Lifehack for Reading](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/24/a-lifehack-for-reading/) - Photo by takomabibelot from Flickr used under Creative Commons Chatting with Rich (@rmanlan) earlier, I shared a lifehack I use to help me find time to read a longer post or article. Here's the scenario. I find something I want to read via Twitter or Reader, e.g. Growing up Digital, Wired for Distraction, and immediately - [What Would You Study Now?](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/23/what-would-you-study-now/) - Not that you'd want to be graduating or soon to graduate right now, times are terrible for newly minted and recent graduates, but still, if you were in college, what would you study? I suppose you'd have to apply your current experiences (wisdom?) to the decision, so this is a Back to School exercise. Would - [Building a Social Enterprise Application in Under 24 Hours](https://theappslab.com/2007/07/06/building-a-social-enterprise-application-in-under-24-hours/) - Paul, Jake and I were chatting a few weeks ago wondering how we can establish an ongoing dialog with our peers in product strategy and capture the innovative ideas they have for our future products. We thought of several ways to do this: Having conference calls to exchange ideas on a regular basis Inviting our - [Groups are Grrrreat](https://theappslab.com/2008/07/09/groups-are-grrrreat/) - Connect has been live for several weeks now. We spent only a few days running it concurrently with original Connect, and then Rich slapped redirects in place for the old URLs. It didn't make much sense to maintain two instances Traffic, which had dwindled significantly has ramped back up to between 13-15,000 pageviews each week. - [Connect V2 is Live](https://theappslab.com/2008/06/20/connect-v2-is-live/) - I'm stoked to announce that we've opened our latest version of Connect, the internal community for employees, for beta testing. If you're an employee, find me through email or otherwise, and I'll get you the URL. We'll be redirecting all traffic from the old version of Connect very soon, in case you're not in a - [Girl Talk Mashup Visualized](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/23/girl-talk-mashup-visualized/) - So, don't worry this is all SFW. Girl Talk (a.k.a. Gregg Gillis) is one of Illegal Art's artists. Illegal Art is a label that is "pushing the limits of sample-based music". Girl Talk (@GTInsider) released a fifth album, All Day, earlier this month, and there has been a fair amount of positive noise about it. - [Word of the Day](https://theappslab.com/2008/07/18/word-of-the-day/) - I learned a new word today, nerdcore. Here's how the Urban Dictionary defines it: Any form of music that is made by nerds, for nerds, or about nerdly things. Nerdcore can be made in any style of music, but most people identify it in either its pop-punk or hip-hop forms. With the important caveat: Nerdcore - [A New Take on Innovation](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/22/a-new-take-on-innovation/) - Thanks to my iPad and a rediscovered joy for reading, I'm reading How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer. It's a great read so far, and I highly recommend it regardless of what you do for work. It's interesting. Anyway, one excerpt resonated with me today: Once this overlapping of ideas occurs, cortical cells start to - [The Best Apps Shelter Me from Distraction](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/22/the-best-apps-shelter-me-from-distraction/) - Distraction is the social peril of the moment, see this weekend's latest feature about distraction and a typical response. Honestly, I skimmed one and don't have time to read the other, but I'm guessing they play out thusly: Point: Information overwhelms us, we try and fail to multitask, society crumbles, etc. Counterpoint: We adapt to distractions and - [Cheating and the Generational Divide](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/19/cheating-and-the-generational-divide/) - I didn't find this story about accusations of mass cheating at the University of Central Florida terribly interesting until I read this on Hacker News. News: Cheating and the Generational Divide - Inside Higher Ed Aside from the generational argument (only politics and religion get people going like generational biases), I'm waiting for the other - [One (an)Droid to Rule Them All](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/19/one-android-to-rule-them-all/) - Forgive the mix of movies. Secretly, you know you love mashups of your favorite movies, like peanut butter and chocolate. Anyway, I was chatting over OraTweet with a pal here at work about this unbelievable but true deal from Amazon on the Droid family of phones. She's in India, making the deal unavailable, but the - [State of the Market in the Tablet World](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/18/state-of-the-market-in-the-tablet-world/) - Check out this infographic, which summarizes the results of a survey of 3,000 UK residents about tablets (h/t Device Magazine). The demographic data are interesting, especially the differentiation between "instant access to the web" and "staying in touch with friends via email and social networks", which underlines the point about the web dying in favor - [What Apps/Software Do You Like and Why?](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/17/what-appssoftware-do-you-like-and-why/) - I've been thinking a lot about design recently, and I know the guys have as well. Anthony (@anthonyslai) came back from An Event Apart in San Diego with some interesting information, and I'm looking forward to hearing what Rich (@rmanalan) learned at Future of Web Design earlier this week. I'm digging into design and psychology books (facilitated - [Carrots Not Sticks](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/17/carrots-not-sticks/) - Earlier in the month, Luc Glasbeek, a colleague of ours here at Oracle, penned an interesting piece called Social Media and Corporate Disobedience: The Third Way? Luc has decided to take his thoughts primetime with his very own blog, Carrots Not Sticks. Why that name? Luc explains: So, I have a lot of affinity with - [Cheap and Smart Phones](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/17/cheap-and-smart-phones/) - In case you haven't noticed, the smartphone has begun trickling down and replacing, for lack of a better word, dumb phones. Case in point, the Huawei Ascend, which runs Android 2.1 and can be bought without a contract, i.e. unsubsidized, from Cricket for $150. The service costs $55 a month, including, well everything. Not too - [How People Use the iPad](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/16/how-people-use-the-ipad/) - I recently got an iPad, and this survey is a pretty accurate representation, with a few exceptions, of my thoughts so far. Of the three main observations: Safari, the web browser, is the iPad's most important app. But iPad owners download, pay for, and regularly use many apps, on average. Most people say they are - [Gingerbread with NFC is a Big Deal](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/16/gingerbread-with-nfc-is-a-big-deal/) - By now, you've probably heard that the soon-to-be-released Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) will have near field communications (NFC) capabilities. If not, check out Eric Schmidt's chat yesterday. He's also rocking a Nexus S, confirming a rumor. Eric Schmidt shows off a Nexus S at the Web 2.0 summit, says Gingerbread coming in 'next few weeks' -- - [John's Phone: The World's Simplest Cell Phone](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/15/johns-phone-the-worlds-simplest-cell-phone/) - So, this is cool. John's Phone | The World's Simplest Cell Phone (h/t Gizmodo) John's Phone has a modern simplicity (Bauhaus?) to it that shows a swing back to stylistic function, i.e. not form or function, but both in measure. Check out the unboxing video: I wonder if this signals a new wave of design - [Convenience Trumps Freedom](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/15/convenience-trumps-freedom/) - This article came out months ago, and until now, I've resisted reading it, if only because of the sensationalist headline. The Web Is Dead. Long Live the Internet | Magazine (h/t to OpenAppMkt for pushing me) Setting aside the graphic, which is based on potentially false data interpretation, the core arguments made by Chris Anderson - [The Economics of Seinfeld](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/12/the-economics-of-seinfeld/) - Great fodder for a Friday, I give you: The Economics of Seinfeld From their about: This site will be part of an ongoing and expanding attempt to make these sorts of popular culture teaching materials widely and conveniently available. We are doing this in the hopes that the materials hosted here, now and in the - [Website vs. Web App?](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/12/website-vs-web-app/) - For no real reason, I asked myself a question yesterday: what's the difference between a website and web app? Failing to come up with a concrete set of differentiators, I took my question to Rich (@rmanalan), and subsequently stumped him. He eventually boiled the differences down to: A web application is an application that's accessed - [Unfair Comparison, Correct Decision?](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/11/unfair-comparison-correct-decision/) - So, Apple is renowned for creating great design, and in this post, Zach compares the Apple remote with the remotes for Google TV designed by Sony and Logitech. The difference between Apple and everyone else - Blog - Zach Waugh Bit of an unfair comparison. The remote for Apple TV trades hardware simplicity for software - [All Elevators, All the Time](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/10/all-elevators-all-the-time/) - It's not very often I see any news about elevators, let alone not one, but two interesting nuggets. First, apparently, there is a hack to go directly to any floor without making any stops. According to the poster, it's in place for police use. Makes you wonder how spreading it through the interwebs will be - [Interesting: Long Bets](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/10/interesting-long-bets/) - I found out about Long Bets, an ongoing charitable endeavor that provides, "an arena for competitive, accountable predictions" by way of Hacker News and the declaration of a winner in this bet. A profitable video-on-demand service aimed at consumers will offer 10,000 titles to 5 million subscribers by 2010. Netflix fits the bill for this bet - [Mea Culpa on Android Notifications](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/09/mea-culpa-on-android-notifications/) - A few months ago, when I was getting acclimated to my shiny new Droid and Android generally, I penned a note about the annoyance of Android's notifications. Now, it's time to admit I failed, or in the words of Happy Gilmore: I'm stupid. You're smart. I was wrong. You were right. You're the best. I'm - [I'm Smart, I Don't Read or Write Anymore](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/09/im-smart-i-dont-read-or-write-anymore/) - From Karen's Whimsy public domain images David McCandless' TED Talk has me pondering data visualization and its easy intuitiveness. Think about this: in a decade, will reading have become a difficult skill? There's some logic here. Not that long ago, I used to write all the time. In high school and college, I took written - [David McCandless on the Beauty of Data Visualization](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/09/david-mccandless-on-the-beauty-of-data-visualization/) - Submitted for your entertainment, a TED talk by David McCandless, (@infobeautiful) who pens one of my favorite data visualization blogs, Information is Beautiful. David does a great job explaining succinctly why we love data visualizations; they solve the information overload problem everyone has by exposing patterns and connections immediately. Obviously, visualizing data is not a - [Social Media Will Eventually Lead to Regulation](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/08/social-media-will-eventually-lead-to-regulation/) - This post was shared on Hacker News with a much more tantalizing title, "Would you let a stranger read your DMs? You probably already do." Richard Henry: Improving Twitter OAuth, With Mockups Read it if you use a Twitter client. My own inventory of OAuth authorizations includes precisely 0 that are read only. Richard's point is one - [Opera Holds the Web's Most Valuable Secret](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/08/opera-holds-the-webs-most-valuable-secret/) - Interesting piece from the Register. Shhh... Opera holds the web's most valuable secret • The Register I've been dimly aware of Opera Mini for a while, but only recently, have I become aware how popular and critical it is outside the US. The proxy browser idea is a smart one, and it never occurred to me that - [AppsLab on Facebook](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/05/appslab-on-facebook/) - Yes, it's come to this. As much as I avoid using Facebook, now that it's populated with in-laws, relatives and people I barely remember from when dinosaurs roamed the Earth and has become a sore spot of social obligation, it has become an indispensable tool for marketing and engagment. Blech. I know, this is the same guy - [Copyright Failure Continues](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/05/copyright-failure-continues/) - I've touched on copyright issues in the past wrt to the use of photographs, and over the past couple days, an ugly episode has come to light. The Cooks Source Scandal: How a Magazine Profits on Theft (h/t Geekosystem) To support the accusatory headline, Edward Champion (@drmabuse) documents several cases of verified and possible copyright - [Creative Advertising?](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/05/creative-advertising/) - I know, sounds like a misnomer. This is, of course, what everyone in advertising aims to create. I'm not a fan of advertising, and who really is anymore, excepting those who get paid to do it. Still, given the inundation of ads in life, the clever ones stand out, and in the past day, I've - [Guess I'll Have to Buy Angry Birds Again](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/04/guess-ill-have-to-buy-angry-birds-again/) - This is gonna replace CD's soon; guess I'll have to buy the White Album again. One of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite movies, Men in Black. I was reminded of this quote while Rich (@rmanalan) and I pondered whether we would win free Google TVs and if you could play Angry Birds on - [How Facebook is Pulling an Android](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/04/how-facebook-is-pulling-an-android/) - Very interesting analysis from Phandroid evaluating Facebook's announcements yesterday and their potentially far-reaching impact. Well worth the read. How Facebook is Pulling an Android… and Why | Android Phone Fans There are some key differences. Google hoped the carriers would use their existing relationships to lure in new customers. They did. Right-wrong-indifferent, there is a level of - [HTML5 Input Types](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/04/html5-input-types/) - HTML5 is changing web development in awesome ways. HTML5 input types | 456 Berea Street If you're looking to build a mobile app, why not try a cross-platform standard before investing in one platform over another? - [Make Your Websites Run Faster, Automatically -- Try mod_pagespeed for Apache](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/03/make-your-websites-run-faster-automatically-try-mod_pagespeed-for-apache/) - Chet (@oraclenerd) noted a short outage here earlier. Maybe you saw it too. If so, apologies. All for a good cause though, as Rich (@rmanalan) was implementing mod_pagespeed, which is new from Google today as part of their initiative to make the web faster. So today, we’re introducing a module for the Apache HTTP Server - [Expedia Saved $12 Million a Year by Deleting One Input Field](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/03/expedia-saved-12-million-a-year-by-deleting-one-input-field/) - Interesting study in user experience with a nice ROI bow on top. Expedia Saved $12 Million a Year by Deleting One Input Field on Their Website | Geekosystem Let's not be so quick to condemn the users. Obvious is a state of mind. - [Mobile Development as an Infographic](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/03/mobile-development-as-an-infographic/) - Check out this infographic from VisionMobile (h/t ReadWriteWeb). The infographic is a part of VisionMobile's Developer Economics 2010, a research report evaluating mobile application development on eight main platforms. The report is free, if you provide an email. I've been thinking a lot about mobile lately, and hardly a day passes without some key piece of - [Chalk vs. Whiteboard](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/03/chalk-vs-whiteboard/) - The 37signals team just released an interesting iPad app that spurred some ideas in Rich's (@rmanalan) head. More on that in the future. Introducing Chalk: A fun little browser-based app for iPad inspired by our new office - (37signals) What I want to know is which wins in a fight, chalk or whiteboard? Tale of - [Social Media and Corporate Disobedience: The Third Way?](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/03/social-media-and-corporate-disobedience-the-third-way/) - Editorial note: From time to time, we do guest posts here to mix up the content and the perspectives. This post was penned by Luc Glasbeek, a colleague of ours here at Oracle. Luc has maintained one of the most active internal blogs at Oracle for several years and is now taking a little break from - [How is Geekery Like Bank Robbery?](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/02/how-is-geekery-like-bank-robbery/) - Technology as a hobby, a passion, is all-consuming. Maybe you have it, or you know someone who does. If so, you know the symptoms. Inability to eat, sleep or evacuate until a problem is solved. Excessive irritability. Talking to oneself. Yelling, fist-shaking at computer monitor. Giddiness upon problem solution. Annoying self-satisfaction after problem solution. Chet (@oraclenerd) - [Noel's Automatic Halloween Candy Dispenser](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/01/noels-automatic-halloween-candy-dispenser/) - Noel (@noelportugal) is modding the holidays again. Check out his Halloween project. Automatic Halloween Candy Dispenser The video isn't working right now, YouTube issue. Looks like he also has a spider that drops to deliver candy. Very cool hacking. I wonder what he has in store for Christmas. Remember last year's epic hack? Update: Big ups - [Case of the Mondays Rant?](https://theappslab.com/2010/11/01/case-of-the-mondays-rant/) - The recent flap over Firesheep (intentionally unlinked) and its ability to intercept unencrypted cookies has renewed several issues worth discussing. Proof-of-concept hacking I'm highly uncomfortable with the tacit used by Firesheep's creator, i.e. releasing malicious code under the pretenses of creating public awareness. Yeah, I understand that Twitter, Facebook, and all the others would have - [Friday Tidbits](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/29/friday-tidbits/) - Man Dies from Caffeine Overdose You read that right. Poor guy was seen "profusely sweating and throwing up blood" shortly before he died of the overdose of pure caffeine. Apparently, the pack of caffeine suggested taking no more than 1/16 of a teaspoon, but Bedford reportedly took spoonfuls of the stuff . . . . - [Great Design vs. Usability](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/28/great-design-vs-usability/) - Yes, Paul (@ppedrazzi) has a blog of sorts at paulpedrazzi.com, and yes, it's worth following. Paul Pedrazzi — Caring Shows This post about Ligature, Loop & Stem's (@ligloopstem) sweet typography poster led me to their site to check out the fuss. I learned a few things. First, the poster is very cool. Second, as I - [Data, Art and Design, Squee!](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/28/data-art-and-design-squee/) - Big thanks to Joonas (@kottarainen) for pointing me to this gem. 16 Astounding Experiments in Data-Driven Art [Slideshow] | Co.Design It's a whole bunch of stuff I like rolled into one, data pr0n and design as art. If I were much younger, I think the data visualization niche would have to be my chosen path. - [I'm Spreading Seth's Ideas Because . . .](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/28/im-spreading-seths-ideas-because/) - He's got an insightful collection of reasons why people share. Seth's Blog: I spread your idea because... Maybe a list of use cases? If only I had a blueprint for creating ideas worth spreading . . . . - [Aro Organizes Your Android Life](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/28/aro-organizes-your-android-life/) - Aro looks pretty interesting, and obviously, as a fan of algorithms (especially those that intelligently mine your email), I'm intrigued. After 3 Years In Stealth And $20 Million Raised, Aro Mobile Shows Some Skin — Some Android Skin. And We Have Invites. TechCrunch has some invites, just fill out the survey for a shot at - [Writing a Blog Helps You Write Better](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/27/writing-a-blog-helps-you-write-better/) - Photo by Bruce Berrien from Flickr used under Creative Commons I know. Thank you Captain Obvious. Seriously though, like anything, writing gets easier and better with practice. So, if writing is a part of your job, you might want to start a blog. Take my job for instance. Development means a lot of writing, collecting - [Find New WebCenter REST API Samples on OTN](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/27/find-new-webcenter-rest-api-samples-on-otn/) - Thanks to John Sim for pointing out the brand-spanking new WebCenter REST API samples recently deployed to OTN. They're below the fold a bit. Check these out if you want to tinker with WebCenter's activity stream and profile status. We hope to add some of our own code to this list. Stay tuned. Rich (@rmanalan) is - [Tips for Being a Good Designer from Aza Raskin](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/27/tips-for-being-a-good-designer-from-aza-raskin/) - Paul (@ppedrazzi) pointed me at "So You Want to Be a Designer: Top 5 List" by Aza Raskin (@azaaza), who knows a thing or two about design. He is Firefox's creative lead and led UX for Mozilla Labs prior to that. Aza's points are all valid and apply to product managers too, whether they have overlapping - [Would You Pay Full Freight to Avoid a Carrier Contract?](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/27/would-you-pay-full-freight-to-avoid-a-carrier-contract/) - Thinking about the Nexus One (and the Nexus Two rumor) and Google's attempt to disrupt the carrier retail model, I wonder how fed up people are with carrier contracts. The hardware subsidy model lowers the sticker price by giving you a discount on the hardware price in exchange for an extended contract with the carrier. - [Nexus Two? Yes, Please.](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/27/nexus-two-yes-please/) - I have Nexus One envy, despite having a sweet HTC EVO, which I got from Google at Google IO for the low-low price of free. So, this Nexus Two rumor got me all excited. Carphone Warehouse getting Nexus Two in time for holidays? -- Engadget Mobile Why? First, the Nexus One is a great piece - [You Need to Use Social Services to Understand Them](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/26/you-need-to-use-social-services-to-understand-them/) - Paul (@ppedrazzi) picked up this one too. Chris (@cdixon) is absolutely right, and in the early days of the 'Lab, we preached this message time and time again. cdixon.org – chris dixon\'s blog / You need to use social services to understand them I especially like Chris' point about the strength of ties: I’ve made - [Resistance to Android is Futile](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/26/resistance-to-android-is-futile/) - Mobile is a two-horse race, regardless of what Microsoft, Nokia, BlackBerry and the rest say. The Android invasion cometh: is resistance futile? (h/t Slashdot) How long before Nokia and BlackBerry realize that Android is a better bet than in-house development? Tablets, set-top boxes, appliances, what can't run Android? Right? Wrong? Good or bad for the - [Why Mozilla Needs to Pick a New Fight](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/26/why-mozilla-needs-to-pick-a-new-fight/) - Excellent idea. Why Mozilla needs to pick a new fight | PC Pro blog (h/t Slashdot) Paul (@ppedrazzi) one told me that every product should be put into permanent maintenance in its seventh year. Why? Because at some nexus point, supporting old features becomes too expensive and adding new ones creates too much bloat. Innovation just - [Are Games Getting Easier?](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/26/are-games-getting-easier/) - I'm not a gamer, but this caught my eye. Igniq.com : Are games getting easier? (h/t Slashdot) I experienced the satisfaction of finishing part of several games, e.g. Pac-Man, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out, and those took some serious investment, rolls and rolls of quarter. The reasons why games are trending toward easy seem pretty obvious to - [To VC or Not to VC](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/26/to-vc-or-not-to-vc/) - Photo by Neubie from Flickr used under Creative Commons Reading a lot of TechCrunch and other tech news, I see a lot of venture capital announcements, new rounds, angels, exits, all that. Having worked at venture-funded startups back the internet-goldrush-bubble days, I'm familiar with that lifestyle, and yes, working at a startup is a lifestyle. - [Are We Obsessed with Doing More?](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/19/are-we-obsessed-with-doing-more/) - Lots of data flying around lately about smartphone usage (an obsession), texting (3,000 a month for teenagers!), increasing desire for mobility. All of which points to our collective obsession to do more, and more of it, while simultaneously doing more of more. Admit it, you're in that boat too, with me and pretty everyone you - [Chrome Extensions for Web Types](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/25/chrome-extensions-for-web-types/) - It's no secret we here at the 'Lab love Google Chrome, and extensions make it even better, which is why the guys built a sweet WebCenter extension for Chrome. So, if you're a web developer or designer or just plain dabbler, check out this list of extensions you probably want. 15 Google Chrome Extensions for - [Privacy and the Internet](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/22/privacy-and-the-internet/) - Awesome. Privacy and the Internet - [Design for Cheating, Not to Prevent It](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/22/design-for-cheating-not-to-prevent-it/) - Photo by A Askew from Flickr used under Creative Commons A couple years ago, I couldn't attend a meeting without answering the "what if someone posts porn" question. That one went away a long time ago, as people started using Facebook and Twitter and saw that online communities are, for the most part, respectful places - [Twitter's UX: Separate the Hits from the Geekhacks](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/21/twitters-ux-separate-the-hits-from-the-geekhacks/) - Interesting take on Twitter's UX from people who would know. Twitter's UX: Separate the hits from the geekhacks - (37signals) By extension, this means URL shortening and attaching pictures should be more functional, which sounds agreeable until you get to the design. Facebook takes a literal approach to "what are you sharing?" by adding types - [Repercussions from Back to Mac](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/21/repercussions-from-back-to-mac/) - Yesterday's Back to Mac event introduced the Mac Store, essentially the OS X version of the App Store. This and several other items signaled what many have expected for a while, i.e. that iOS was infiltrating OS X. Many are deconstructing the terms of the Mac Store, and several, including Mozilla's Director of Firefox, Mike - [The Most Popular Phone in the World](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/20/the-most-popular-phone-in-the-world/) - This isn't the most interesting man in the world's phone, although since his beer is watery and dull, it might be. It's the Nokia 1100, and it has sold 250 million units worldwide. The Most Popular Phone in the World This is a fascinating read because it reveals the differences in worldwide markets, the challenges - [Eight Cell Phones in Ten Years Part 1](https://theappslab.com/2007/10/29/eight-cell-phones-in-ten-years-part-1/) - On the flight back home from SFO last Friday, I got to thinking about cell phones. I was fiddling with my iPhone, listening to music, wondering if it would get a signal if I took it out of Airplane Mode, then paranoid that it might crash the plane. Luckily, I didn't have an Airplane mode - [Listen to Steve Jobs Wordsmith](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/19/listen-to-steve-jobs-wordsmith/) - Right, wrong, indifferent, Steve Jobs is an interesting person. This audio recording from Apple's Q4 earnings call yesterday is no exception. Listen To Steve Jobs Rip Into Android And The Upcoming Tablet Competition [Audio] Interesting to me is the definition of "open" he uses, which makes sense if you're Apple. Obviously, Google defines "open" as - [Laptop Thief Mails Victim His Data](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/18/laptop-thief-mails-victim-his-data/) - This one smells like a hoax. I suppose if you followed a cloud-only scheme for important stuff (like many do), it wouldn't really matter. Laptop Thief Mails Victim His Data On a USB Stick What do you think? Find the comments. - [Facebook Flexes](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/15/facebook-flexes/) - I'm not really the best person to ask about Facebook anymore. Although I keep up with announcements and sometimes mess with new features, I just can't use it anymore. I know, it's funny right, considering how many posts I wrote about Facebook here over the years, but there are a couple reasons why I don't - [Shibboleet!](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/15/shibboleet/) - You know you love xkcd. Today's comic is up there with "sudo make me a sandwich". Don't forget to hover. Shibboleet is destined to become the bane of tech support call centers everywhere. I'm betting some will work it into their scripts. If at any point during the call, the customer says "shibboleet" immediately place - [The Future of Mobile: WebVisions 2009](https://theappslab.com/2009/05/25/the-future-of-mobile-webvisions-2009/) - Last Thursday and Friday, I attended the 2009 iteration of WebVisions, a conference held here in Portland focused on the future of web design and development. As with last year, my goal for attending was to gain new design perspectives. Web design is constantly evolving, and we use many of the innovations present on the - [Facebook Credits, Hello Global Currency](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/14/facebook-credits-hello-global-currency/) - As predicted by many and reported by me, Facebook Credits is inching closer to becoming a global currency. Facebook Taps PlaySpan’s UltimatePay To Offer 20 More Ways To Pay For Credits Noteworthy: While Users can already pay for Credits via PayPal, Facebook’s pre-paid cards, and through most credit cards; Facebook users will now be able - [Facebook Credits as Global Currency](https://theappslab.com/2010/07/21/facebook-credits-as-global-currency/) - Facebook officially crossed 500 million users today, although that milestone has been rumored for months. This post from ReadWriteWeb offers up a very interesting theory about a possible biproduct of Facebook Credits. Facebook Credits: The World's First Global Currency? This makes a ton of sense and is frankly, more than a little frightening. Think about - [G2 Doesn't Have Rootkit after All](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/13/g2-doesnt-have-rootkit-after-all/) - This is relieving after the tempest in a teapot created (I helped) last week. Ars has a detailed writeup about what is restoring modded G2. Apparently, it's just a NAND lock, similar to ones found in other devices like the HTC EVO. I guess this is what Steve Kondik, a.k.a. @Cyanogen, meant when he counseled - [Happy Feet Wins a Health 2.0 Developer's Challenge](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/12/happy-feet-wins-a-health-2-0-developers-challenge/) - As I mentioned last week, Anthony (@anthonyslai) deserves some applause and kudos. Aside from being a rockstar on our team, he's also a rockstar in his free time, pursuing a master's degree in computer science from Stanford. Once attained, that will be his second master's degree. So, yeah, he's smart and works hard. Last week, - [Gap or Bloat?](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/12/gap-or-bloat/) - I read a post over on TechCrunch last week about bloatware, ostensibly about carrier software bundled with base Android. An interesting example provided to illustrate the overall point was the lack of a "Set image as wallpaper" option in Chrome and its open source sibling Chromium, and the outcry for that feature, which has its roots in - [What Happens When You Swipe a Credit Card](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/12/what-happens-when-you-swipe-a-credit-card/) - A great data visualization of the flow of data and money that occurs when you swipe a credit card courtesy of FeeFighters. Credit card processing is a dark arts, and this infographic helps simply the process. - [Douglas Coupland's Guide to the Next 10 Years](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/11/douglas-couplands-guide-to-the-next-10-years/) - This is funny and frightening read. A radical pessimists guide to the next 10 years - The Globe and Mail Douglas Coupland is the man who brought us Generation X, Life after God, Microserfs, and many other equally pessimistic and eerily accurate, erm, novels. Noteworthy to me: 14) Something smarter than us is going to - [User Interface (UI) vs. User Experience (UX)](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/11/user-interface-ui-vs-user-experience-ux/) - Simon Guest (@simonguest) has a great post on the differences between UI and UX, illustrated through real world design. User Interface (UI) vs. User Experience (UX) – The only person at Microsoft allowed to login as \'guest\' Years ago, I noticed that the vernacular nomenclature around product development had shifted from UI to UX, but - [Journal Making Redux](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/08/journal-making-redux/) - A couple months ago, I mused about using services like foursquare (@foursquare) and GetGlue (@getglue) to document your life, one checkin at a time. Well, meet two more services that you could include in that list, and these two have higher aspirations for you, RunKeeper (@runkeeper) and Health Month (@healthmonth). While we're here, I should - [More Android Love: Tethering and Wifi Hotspot](https://theappslab.com/2010/06/01/more-android-love-tethering-and-wifi-hotspot/) - Speedtest of a tethered 4G connection Lately, the content here has been all about Android and my new HTC EVO, but don't despair, it's not over yet. Today, I test drove two of the sweet features that Froyo (Android 2.2) has promised, tethering and wifi hotspot. I see these each as a jump forward, since - [The Real Life Social Network v2](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/07/the-real-life-social-network-v2/) - Very interesting slide deck from Paul Adams (@padday) from Google. The Real Life Social Network v2 (h/t Paul) Facebook relaunched their groups feature yesterday, and I've been ruminating on groups as a feature. I might dump some thoughts on that later. Anyway, Paul (Adams, not Pedrazzi) includes some very interesting insights into social behavior, both - [Who are North Korea’s 13 Twitter Friends?](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/08/who-are-north-korea’s-13-twitter-friends/) - Twitter's transparency offers an interesting, mostly speculative, window into the minds of celebrities. Speculative, because you can't always confirm who is tweeting, even in the case of verified accounts. Kanye West (@KanyeWest) being one noteworthy exception; you just can't fake his tweets. The same transparency (and speculation) applies to the official Twitter accounts of countries, - [G2 Has an Anti-Rooting Rootkit, Not Good](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/06/g2-has-an-anti-rooting-rootkit-not-good/) - This is not good. Newest Google Android Cell Phone Contains Unexpected ‘Feature’ -- A Malicious Root Kit. | NewAmerica.net (h/t MobileCrunch) The short summary version: T-Mobile has added a rootkit to their soon-to-be released G2 Android phone that reportedly resets the phone to its original software after rooting. It's unclear if the rootkit undoes both - [Fragmentation from Apple?](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/05/fragmentation-from-apple/) - Louis Gray (@louisgray) mentions an interesting point about the new Apple TV, i.e. it increases the fragmentation between Apple devices and not just the inherent differences between Apple's two OS families, iOS and OS X. louisgray.com: New Apple TV Extends Fragmentation, Cupertino Style I'm a bit shocked actually. Louis speaks from experience with several devices, - [On Time Capsules](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/05/on-time-capsules/) - I've always thought time capsules, the supposedly (see below link) sealed canisters of sundries that are meant to provoke revery and wonderment for future generations, not the questionable Apple backup devices, are a strange exercise. I suppose for kids it's a fun time, thinking about the future and the doe-eyed children who inhabit it and whatnot. Although - [Google URL Shortener Gets a Website](https://theappslab.com/2010/10/01/google-url-shortener-gets-a-website/) - This is pretty neat. Social Web Blog: Google URL Shortener Gets a Website When Google announced its link shortening service in December, it was only available for Google Toolbar and Feedburner users. If you follow us on Twitter (@theappslab), you'll know we've been using the Feedburner implementation of goo.gl since then. Now goo.gl is available to - [The Lies of Volume and Battery Indicators](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/30/the-lies-of-volume-and-battery-indicators/) - Found this humorous and very true data visualization of volume and battery indicators via Geekosystem and Gizmodo. - [Why I Love Building Software](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/29/why-i-love-building-software/) - Reliving my Cyanaogen adventure from last week, I'm reminded of why I love software and why I enjoy designing and building it. Whenever I upgrade software, it feels a little like Christmas. Yeah, sometimes everything goes sideways, but even so, a software upgrade is like a present for me. Like a present, I get that - [Online Passwords Could Be a Map](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/29/online-passwords-could-be-a-map/) - Online Passwords Could Be a Map : Discovery News (h/t Slashdot) Interesting idea. I've been using 1Password for a while now, thanks to nudges from Paul (@ppedrazzi) and Rich (@rmanalan), but one danger is using that strong, random, automatically-generated passwords means I've no idea what my Facebook or Google password is. Therefore, I'm at the - [Socializing Error Message Pages](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/27/socializing-error-message-pages/) - Error Messages: Help Users to Understand What Went Wrong While reading this post from ReadWriteWeb (@rww), I had a thought. Error message pages should be wikis. Applying crowdsourcing to error message pages creates a dynamic forum that could benefit both users and developers. Instead of request-response support through email or trouble tickets, i.e. asking for - [Bad Design on Purpose?](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/27/bad-design-on-purpose/) - Photo by Eric Kornblum for Gizmodo's Composites Shooting Challenge Last week at OpenWorld, I ran into a web app with some, erm, interesting design. I flew into SFO, which I rarely do anymore, and checked into my flight online via the airline's website. I've used the site in the past, but the checkin process has - [Thoughts on #newtwitter](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/24/thoughts-on-newtwitter/) - After fixing last week's XSS bug, Twitter rolled out its new twitter.com interface, a.k.a. #newtwitter, to more accounts, including mine @jkuramot. I've played around with it for a bit, using it as my client for several hours, and what follows are a few impressions, not necessarily a review. I don't expect to switch from the - [Looxcie, a Camera Recording Everything You See](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/24/looxcie-a-camera-recording-everything-you-see/) - I long ago resigned myself to the fact that the day would come when everything was recorded, but I'll admit this is both cool and frightening all at once. Looxcie, a Camera Recording Everything You See - [Blast from the Past: Enterprise Clouds](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/24/blast-from-the-past-enterprise-clouds/) - So, yeah I'm about to toot my own horn a bit. Obviously, one major story coming out of OpenWorld last week is Exalogic, the integrated middleware machine. I riffed on the need for enterprise clouds more than a year ago, so I'm stoked that we're going in that direction. As a workforce, we could benefit - [Our Prezi from OpenWorld](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/22/our-prezi-from-openworld/) - I planned to get this out yesterday before our session started, but sadly, I just forgot. Anyway, check out the Prezi, incidentally a pretty sweet and engaging way to create a presentation outside the PowerPoint mold. WebCenter: A Web Developer's Playground on Prezi Questions? Find the comments and speak up for the audio recording. - [On OpenWorld and Adoption Cycles](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/21/on-openworld-and-adoption-cycles/) - I always have trouble keeping up with blogging and reading during OpenWorld, and this year is no different. Aside from our yearly session, my main goals at the conference are to reconnect with people I see infrequently and meet new people. Again, this year has been no different. So far, I've had the pleasure to - [A Baby Photo Becomes an Internet Meme](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/20/a-baby-photo-becomes-an-internet-meme/) - Chatting with Bex (@bex) and John (@jpiwowar) about the LOLcat-Double Rainbow meme collision last night, I was reminded of this gem. A Baby Photo Becomes an Internet Meme - NYTimes.com How weird (and awesome) would it be to find you've become a meme in Japan, complete with Photoshopped pictures and even a doll? Gives a - [Last Minute OpenWorld Stuff](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/17/last-minute-openworld-stuff/) - Getting down to the wire for OpenWorld now, and the hits just keep on coming. I found out today from Friend of the 'Lab Marius Ciortea (@radu43) that the oracle.com team's iPhone app, Oracle Now, is available in the App Store. One question: where's the Android love? Anyway, with the app, you can follow all - [Prepare for OpenWorld with Mobile Apps](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/16/prepare-for-openworld-with-mobile-apps/) - Google Reader just provided an interesting confluence of posts about mobile apps that are perfectly timed for OpenWorld. OK, fine. One is actually for OpenWorld. First off, via Chet (@oraclenerd) with h/ts to John Piwowar (@jpiwowar), @alanwill and @carymillsap comes the Oracle OpenWorld conference app for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry. You can find the right - [The Most Powerful Colors of the Web](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/16/the-most-powerful-colors-of-the-web/) - At the sublime intersection of infographic and design, you'll find this fascinating study of color mapped to relative intertubes power. Business Blog / The Most Powerful Colors in the World by COLOURlovers :: COLOURlovers (h/t Geekosystem) Not surprising to see blue and red in the 1 and 2 spots, but I didn't realize how rare - [WebCenter Chrome Extension Almost Ready for Primetime](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/14/webcenter-chrome-extension-almost-ready-for-primetime/) - Rich (@rmanalan) continues to add features to the WebCenter Chrome extension, and it's looking like we may eventually get it released outside the firewall. After adding a few new features last week, the latest version (1.0.9) added a few tweaks, including improved sizing of inlined media (e.g. the viewers for YouTube and Vimeo clips) and - [Will the Carriers Destroy Android?](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/14/will-the-carriers-destroy-android/) - Found this interesting piece via my pal Brian Walsh (@bpwalsh), who worked with Clearwire on the 4G WiMax drivers used in the HTC EVO. Entelligence: Will carriers destroy the Android vision? -- Engadget Interesting quote: Google must take a stand for the end user and insist that all carrier installed apps and services are easily - [Quick OpenWorld Notes](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/14/quick-openworld-notes/) - We just found out today that our OpenWorld session has been moved to Marriott Marquis Golden Gate C1. So, same venue, different room. If you plan to attend, make a note. Actually, they've moved us to a much smaller room, about a quarter of the original room's size. I guess our session isn't very popular - [Our OpenWorld Session](https://theappslab.com/2010/07/23/our-openworld-session/) - Yesterday, I promised details on the AppsLab session at OpenWorld. Paul (@ppedrazzi) initially proposed our session, which he would have presented, had he not decided to ride off into the sunset. Good luck dude. It's too late to change the title and abstract of the session's name, so it appears in the Schedule Builder as: - [Interesting Slides on Rethinking the Mobile Web](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/12/interesting-slides-on-rethinking-the-mobile-web/) - On Friday, Rich (@rmanalan) shared this interesting slide deck by Bryan Rieger (@bryanrieger) to our internal instance of WebCenter. Rethinking the Mobile Web by Yiibu View more presentations from Bryan Rieger. The slides give a good dose of perspective about who exactly is consuming the mobile web and how we should develop to support them. - [The Difference Between "Could" and "Do" Use Cases](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/13/the-difference-between-could-and-do-use-cases/) - Amazon's Kindle vs. iPad for reading in direct sunlight ad is buzzing around the internets today. It's a very clever spot that calls out a specific use case that I'm sure many people have. Over the weekend, the NFL season began in earnest here in the States, and I got to see the ads I'll - [Google as a Carrier, Why Not?](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/10/google-as-a-carrier-why-not/) - As I read this TechCrunch post, I wondered immediately if the conclusion reached would match my own, i.e. Google should buy its way into the carrier business. The Nexus One Was Google’s Dream. The Carriers Were Freddy Krueger Turns out, it wasn't, but this move makes sense. Having failed to wrest control from the carriers with - [Do Mobile Apps Create Lock-in? ](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/09/do-mobile-apps-create-lock-in/) - My pal Jason Grigsby (@grigs) poses an interesting question: Do Mobile Apps Create Lock-in? « Cloud Four The premise is that the ancillary costs of apps bought to augment your awesome smartphone will lock you into that phone (and carrier, in the iPhone's case) and prevent you from jumping to another smartphone platform, like Android - [Interesting . . .](https://theappslab.com/2007/07/22/interesting/) - By way of O'Reilly, this is cool, if you like data visualization. Internet Architects, a Japan-based design firm, maps "the 200 most successful websites on the web, ordered by category, proximity, success, popularity and perspective" to the Tokyo metro system, complete with placement symbolism for insiders. Another tidbit from last week, is this article from - [Negative Product Placement](https://theappslab.com/2010/09/08/negative-product-placement/) - Marketing isn't really my thing, but this sounds nefarious in a mad scientist sort of way. Forget Product Placement; Get Ready For Product Anti-Placement | Techdirt (h/t Slashdot) Product placement is so ubiquitous, I'll now be wondering if it's positive or negative reinforcement. Maybe Paul (@ppedrazzi) has some thoughts. ## Pages - [About](https://theappslab.com/about/) - Founded in April 2007 as a think tank within Oracle Applications Strategy, AppsLab (@theappslab) was the brainchild of Paul Pedrazzi (@ppedrazzi). The team's goal was to experiment with and drive adoption of emerging technologies and new web patterns, at the time characterized as Web 2.0. 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