Showcase of Designs Optimized for iPhone
My Clippings September 27th, 2009 by System
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Over the last couple of years, mobile devices have managed to gain mainstream popularity. With iPhone, making mobile Web applications finally usable by broad masses, web design can now be applied to mobile applications as well. In this post we are focusing on designs that are specifically optimized for mobile devices, in particular iPhone.
Though iPhone’s Safari browser is able to render any website just like you would see it on a desktop browser, the available screen area is much smaller than in common “classic” displays. This poses a new challenge for designers and developers who now can reach millions of users that use mobile Web. Websites that are specifically optimized for the iPhone utilize the screen to the fullest extent, and use less bandwidth (which is necessary, because the connectivity is not always optimal).
The iPhone browsing experience is quite different than the regular browsing experience. The buttons and hyperlinks have to be bigger because our fingers are not as sharp as the mouse pointer. Optimizing a website for iPhone is not rocket science. It’s the same HTML, CSS and JavaScript that you already know. The only major difference is the screen size.
In the showcase below we present some of the interesting, interactive and beautiful designs that are optimized for the iPhone. You will also learn about some handy tools that will help you optimize your website for the iPhone.
Also consider our previous articles:
- How to Create Your First iPhone Application
- iPhone Apps Design Mistakes: Over-Blown Visuals
- 100 (Really) Beautiful iPhone Wallpapers
1. News / Entertainment
Sevnth Sin
The unique navigation makes this site very interactive. Nice concept, nice colors.
Blip.tv
Perfectly suits the theme: video entertainment! Clean and clear typography.
NBC
The YouTube-style design makes it very easy to navigate and find shows.
Zinio
That’s a kit of magazines, all one-touch away!
Spin The Bottle
A simple bottle spinning game. Good use of graphics.
Daily Wallpaper
Similar to Zinio, but 2 thumbnails in a row make it more easy to navigate around.
AOL Horoscopes
Very well designed for a horoscope site. Matching color scheme throughout.
Tags: Apple, Build, css, Food, Google, Guideline, Information, IO, ISO, Javascript, ma, man, Photo, php, quick, script, Shopping, video, Wallpaper, way, WordPress, XP
Announcing Project 10^100 idea themes
My Clippings September 24th, 2009 by System
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Late last year we announced Project 10^100, a call for ideas to help as many people as possible, and a program to bring the best of those ideas to life with a total of $10 million. We hoped to capture the imagination of people around the world and offer a way to bring their best ideas to fruition. We were overwhelmed by the response — you sent us more than 150,000 ideas (approximately 10^5.2) in more than 25 languages and it took more than 3,000 Googlers in offices around the world to review the submissions. (The review process took us much longer than we expected and we appreciate your patience!)
Some ideas we received suggested broad areas of investment, others were very specific technology or implementation proposals, and many of the ideas shared overlapping elements. So rather than posting individual idea submissions, we’ve decided to do something a little different. We’ve pooled similar ideas into a set of 16 top idea themes aimed at addressing some important common goals, from making government more transparent to driving innovation in public transport. Every theme has different possible implementations and we intend to consider all reasonable possibilities. But we need your help.
Over the next two weeks we’ll be gathering your votes to help inform an advisory board that will then choose up to five winning ideas that will receive funding. After that, we’ll present the finalists and ask for proposals from individuals or organizations that can implement these ideas.
It has been a long road for those of us who have worked on this from the beginning. Although it took a lot longer than we first planned, we’re pleased with the outcome. In the end, we followed the tried-and-true Google method of “launch and iterate.” We enjoyed going through so many interesting proposals and adapted to the massive volume of ideas. We are incredibly proud to be able to put these 16 ideas in front of you to see what you think. Let the voting begin!
Posted by the Project 10^100 Team
Back-to-School With 40 Excellent Adobe Illustrator Tutorials
My Clippings September 23rd, 2009 by System
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Learning is a process which continues throughout the life of an artist, graphic designer, and illustrator. Along the way, designers find the task of mastering Adobe Illustrator a large obstacle which requires practice and experience in using the vector-based application. Practice comes in the form of tutorials, which offer tips, tricks, and artistic styles from other designers who have mastered certain techniques based on their experience.
From these tutorials, a designer can polish their skillsets on a variety of topics which will strengthen their own artwork. Sometimes a simple tutorial has tips which may have been overlooked based on the subject of the tutorial. By looking past the subjects of the tutorials, an endless array of learning opportunities exist. Essentially, the tutorials become not only a teacher but a “class” which a designer can repeat as often as necessary to refine their skills.
This post presents 40 excellent simple to complex Illustrator tutorials and presents the overall techniques of each tutorial, summarized in a brief overview. The purpose is to pick and choose among the tutorials based on the areas that need improvment. Whether a seasoned professional or a designer just starting out, these Illustrator tutorials offer a way to brush up on one’s skills.
Illustrator Tutorials
Gradient Mesh Bell Pepper Tutorial
- Use multiple smaller Meshes to create a realistic object
- Learn to use the Eyedropper Tool (I) to sample colors from a reference photo
How to create a Television Icon
- Using Offset Path on an object
- Learn to use Gradients to create surface texture and depth
- Create a reflection using an Opacity Mask
Working with 3D Objects and Transparencies to Make a Vector Cola Bottle Design
- Learn to “cut” up an image in Pathfinder and use the pieces in 3D Revolve to create solid objects
- Map art (symbols) onto a 3D object
Create a Stylish Colorful Text Effect in Illustrator
- Learn to use Offset Stroke on text
- Apply a Pattern Swatch to text
Illustrate a Malevolent Skull in 8 Steps
- Working with a sketch and outlining with the Pen Tool (P)
- Use Outline/Preview modes during design process
- How to use the Reflect Tool (O) to save time
Tags: Google, Guideline, IO, ISO, OSX, Photo, php, video, Vista, way, wind, WordPress, XP
Ceton’s CableCARD Solution Has Six Tuners In One Slot [Ceton]
My Clippings September 11th, 2009 by System
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This Ceton Multi-Channel CableCARD is very interesting, both for its ability to decode six cable streams at once to record six shows at once on your Windows Media Center, and for the fact that it’s not all that expensive.
Engadget got them to say that, depending on your order, the four-tuner version of the card will retail somewhere between $300 and $600. In comparison, an ATI Digital TV Tuner is $230, so four of those would bring you up to $920. And, you would need four separate CableCARDs from your cable service provider. which at $5 each, runs you an extra $20 on your bill. And the savings get better when you go to the 6 card version.
The official launch is 2010, so we won’t be seeing these cards for a little while yet, so there’s time for the networks to collaborate to make and air six shows that are worth recording in the same time slot. [Ceton via Engadget]
MobaLiveCD Updates and Adds USB Drive Support [Downloads]
My Clippings September 11th, 2009 by System
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Windows: Want to try out a flavor of Linux or other LiveCD-based tool without installation or even having to exit Windows? MobaLiveCD has updated to include support for both LiveCDs and bootable USB devices.
We introduced you to MobaLiveCD around this time last year—then, it only supported LiveCD disc images. Now you can use both LiveCD ISO files and bootable USB devices. In our tests we were able to boot a variety of Live USB installations like Ubuntu, GParted, and BackTrack.
Using MobaLiveCD is significantly slower than actually booting into the LiveCD/USB and notably slower than running the same LiveCD/USB in a virtual machine. Nonetheless, it’s free, an absolute breeze to use, and it allows you to rapidly check out a Linux distribution with very minimal hassle.
MobaLiveCD is freeware, Windows only.
FSF-approved Trisquel Linux shows free software can stand on its own merits
My Clippings September 11th, 2009 by System
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Filed under: Linux, Open Source
Getting on the Free Software Foundation’s page of acceptable Linux distros isn’t the easiest task in the world. Stallman and Co. have very particular requirements about what can and can’t be included. A first glance at the page might put you off — there aren’t any big name distros like Ubuntu, Suse, or Fedora.
Trisquel, however, is definitely worth a closer look. It’s Ubuntu-based and ships with an excellent (and familiar) group of core apps – Firefox, Evolution, Pidgin, Transmission, OpenOffice, GIMP, Brasero, and several others – Elisa media center is even included. A liveUSB disk creator is also provided so you can easily roll your own portable Trisquel remaster. As per the FSF mandate, everything in the ISO is 100% free.
The distribution just reached version 3.0. A light version is also in the works and is set to drop in a few days. It will feature the XFCE desktop environment and lightweight apps like Epiphany, Sylpheed, and Abiword.
Even if you’re not an adamant FOSS advocate, Trisquel is a solid Linux distribution and well worth taking for a test drive.
FSF-approved Trisquel Linux shows free software can stand on its own merits originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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How to Build a Hackintosh with Snow Leopard, Start to Finish [How To]
My Clippings September 7th, 2009 by System
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Two years ago, I detailed how to build a Hackintosh for under $800—then covered how to do the same with less hacking. Now that Snow Leopard’s out, we’re revisiting the Hackintosh, building a Hack Pro from scratch for roughly $900.
For folks eager to try a Mac but never wanted to plunk down the high price tag to get it, the Hackintosh—that is, a regular PC tweaked to run OS X—has always been an attractive option. That said, it’s not something you should take on lightly unless you’re willing—even enthusiastic—to build and maintain a PC entirely from scratch. I can’t guarantee it’ll be easy, but if you follow this guide step-for-step (it’s exhaustive) and stick with the same (or at least roughly the same) hardware as I am, I can vouch for a rock solid system that also happens to cost a good deal less than you’d pay for a comparable Mac.
Price Comparisons
Most Hackintosh enthusiasts will say you shouldn’t build a Hackintosh primarily to save money, as it’s more than just an insert-disc-and-click install. Still, I always enjoy looking at the price differences between my Hackintosh and Apple’s current offerings. At the moment, the cheapest Mac in the Apple store is a Mac mini sporting a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 120GB hard drive. For $300 more, I’m running a 3.0GHz Quad-Core processor, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, and a damn saucy video card. I could have made this build much cheaper by skimping on hardware and still ended up with a great little machine, but I liked aiming for around the $800 price point from my last build—plus I really wanted to make it fly.
The most expensive iMac, by comparison, has only a 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo with 4GB of memory for $2,200 ($1,300 more than my build, but it is built into a monitor), while the cheapest Mac Pro has a single 2.66GHz Quad-Core processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 640GB hard drive—and it costs $2,500 ($1,600 more than mine, though it’s a different and better processor and DDR3 rather than DDR2 RAM). In short, my $900 “Hack Pro” sports nearly as good or better hardware than any Mac that Apple sells short of the $3,300 8-Core Mac Pro (which can, incidentally, get more expensive, but it won’t get much better).
Tags: amazon, Apple, Build, Hackintosh, Information, IO, ISO, Leopard, Mac, OSX, php, Snow Leopard, ssl, Sudo, Unzip, video, way, wind, XP
T-Mobile launches first pay-as-you-go Android smartphone, Pulse
My Clippings September 6th, 2009 by System
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T-Mobile UK this morning announced the Pulse, the first pay-as-you-go Android 1.5 smartphone and the third coming from the network operator.
Available for £180 starting October exclusively on T-Mobile, it boasts a 3.5? HVGA touchscreen display, the biggest yet on an Android handset, a 3.2-megapixel camera, GPS, and more.
The new device comes courtesy of Huawei, which had been rumored to be working with T-Mobile since displaying a device at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this year.
Also, there is another version that will probably will come to T-Mobile USA as U8220 or T-Mobile Pulse too.
More details about the device:
The phone runs on a Qualcomm’s MSM7200A chipset and weighs 130g. It features a trackball and a 3.5? HVGA touchscreen display with auto-rotation.
The T-Mobile Pulse also features a 3.2 mega pixel, auto-focus camera (no flash) that allows photos to be uploaded straight to the Internet, a 2GB internal memory and a micro SD card slot for storing media. The handset also offers access to corporate e-mail through the Road sync client, and boasts enhanced social networking and community features.
The T-Mobile Pulse will be available across T-Mobile territories. Monthly contract rates still need to be determined, but the purchasing price is £179.99.
Motorola is also expected to announce Android devices this or next week, HTC is working on more devices, there’s Lenovo, Dell, Archos, Acer, Sony Ericsson, and more. Google has stated that there will be at least 18 phone models using Android worldwide by the end of this year, so expect to see many more Android handsets from these and other manufacturers launching this Fall.
Movie Set to Premiere on iPhone and iPod Touch
My Clippings September 4th, 2009 by System
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Want to premiere a feature film starring some A-list Hollywood celebs? There’s an app for that. Or at least there will be, come Sept. 21. That’s the day Berlin Film Festival hit “Rage” premieres on the iPhone and iPod touch, where it will appear before satellite, DVD or online.
“Rage” is written and directed by British filmmaker Sally Potter, and is an episodic tale of a behind-the-scenes look at a New York fashion show. It’s shot to look like a schoolboy is recording events with his mobile phone over a seven-day period. The movie will be released in seven episodes, downloadable via a free application for the iPhone and iPod touch, and be available starting Sept. 21.
In case it takes star power to sway you, “Rage” boasts quite the cast list. Dame Judi Dench takes part, as does Jude Law. Other stars taking part include Steve Buscemi, Eddie Izzard and John Leguizamo. Nothing to sneeze at for something that’s going to be competing with fart simulators and novelty noisemaker applications.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, following the app’s release on the iPhone platform, “Rage” will debut on DVD in the U.S. on September 22, on satellite in the UK on Sept. 24, and online via Babelgum (who is also behind the iPhone app) on Sept. 28.
Of course, in this case, the iPhone’s preferential treatment is due largely to the nature of the film in question. It makes sense to premiere a film shot to look like it was made with a mobile device on a mobile device. But could this be the beginning of a new distribution model for filmed media?
TV and film already have launch day access to the mobile market, of course, via iTunes sales. But there’s a new breed of content that falls between that and YouTube-type independent productions. Xbox’s “The Guild” is a good example. These kinds of programs would benefit from a separate, app-based distribution model, taking advantage of iPhone OS 3.0’s new in-app purchasing feature to charge per episode. That way, they don’t necessarily need the backing of a major distribution partner, and they can provide show context, cast and crew information all from the same place users get their content.
Vital Tips For Effective Logo Design
My Clippings August 27th, 2009 by System
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There have been numerous creative logo design showcases, logo design resources and logo design tutorials posted across the Web. While these help you to create a powerful toolbox for your logo designs, first you need to gain a solid understanding of what makes a logo design good and what you need to consider before starting using this toobox.
In this article, we’ll get down to the nitty gritty of what makes an effective logo design and we’ll also guide you through the principles and best practices of how to create an iconic brand identity.
You may be interested in the following related posts:
- 10 Common Mistakes In Logo Design
- Do You Want Fries With That Logo?
- 60 Logo Design Tutorials and Resources
- Drawing Inspiration From Creative Logos
What Is A Logo?
To understand what a logo is, we first must understand what the main purpose of logos is. The design process must aim to make the logo immediately recognizable, inspiring trust, admiration, loyalty and an implied superiority. The logo is one aspect of a company’s commercial brand or economic entity, and its shapes, colors, fonts, and images usually are strikingly different from other logo in the same market niche. Logos are used to identify.
Paul Rand, one of the world’s greatest designers states that “a logo is a flag, a signature, an escutcheon, a street sign. A logo does not sell (directly), it identifies. A logo is rarely a description of a business. A logo derives meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around. A logo is less important than the product it signifies; what it represents is more important than what it looks like. The subject matter of a logo can be almost anything.”
For more on Paul Rand, consider reading the book Design, Form & Chaos.
What Makes A Good Logo?
A good logo is distinctive, appropriate, practical, graphic and simple in form, and it conveys the owner’s intended message. A concept or “meaning” is usually behind an effective logo, and it communicates the intended message. A logo should be able to be printed at any size and, in most cases, be effective without color. A great logo essentially boils down to two things: great concept and great execution.
Tags: advertising, amazon, Apple, blockquote, Build, email, Food, Google, IO, ISO, Photo, php, Printing, script, way, XP
