We carry our mobile phones with us everywhere; they have become synonymous to communicating presence and identity. It is within this realisation that an opportunity exists for deeper integration of mobile devices into things like payments, consumer-product-interaction, customer service, etc. The most supportive technology in this regard is Near Field Communication (NFC). There are plenty of reasons to doubt the prospects of an NFC uptake in the short term, as sustainable business models are still in the very nascent stages. In the long run though, there are definite arguments that could be made for NFC to become deeply integrated as a multi-touch point technology.
20 Feb 2012
Google Busted With Hand in Safari-Browser Cookie Jar. Google has been found to have intentionally circumvented the default privacy settings of Apple’s Safari browser, by using a backdoor to get the web browser to accept tracking cookies it normally wouldn’t take. Google’s rationale seems to be that Apple’s default settings don’t adhere to standard web practices, and as such, was forced to use the backdoor so that it could place +1 buttons on ads as part of the Adsense program. What Google did was to stick a hidden web form inside an online ad with a +1 button (similar to Facebook “likes”). If the user clicked the +1 button, the web form would inform Safari that the user filled out a ‘form’ (fictitiously), which would then allow Google to install the cookie.
Internet Ends on March 31st: Operation Global Blackout. In a very ambitious plan (and IF successful, hugely disruptive), Anonymous have now seemingly set their sights much higher, and plan to take down the 13 root DNS servers that effectively ‘keep the internet running’, in the manner that most users are accustomed to: typing in a web name rather than having to use a numerical IP address for each location visited. Anonymous have indicated that the attack will be accomplished with a new tool called Reflective DNS Amplification DdoS, which is based on AntiSec’s DHN.
17 Feb 2012
What is PSR-0?
Very basically, PSR-0 is a recently defined standard for autoloading classes in PHP-5.3.x and above.
If you would like to have a much closer look, a copy of the final document can be found at https://github.com/php-fig/fig-standards/blob/master/accepted/PSR-0.md
I am not going to spend much time on explaining the document or autoloading in general, as that is an exercise best left to the reader, but as a quick introduction to those that have never worked with this kind of thing before, I will explain the very basics and leave it at that.
With all the fuss about Social, and particularly the impact Google Search Plus Your World will have on PPC and SEO, we are already seeing posts from our circles appearing on the first page of SERPs – as depicted below. It is clear that anyone who is serious about online marketing needs to hop on the +1 band-wagon immediately as Google Plus posts are going to be everywhere in the SERPs.
23 Jan 2012
Since launching Google Search Plus Your World (SPYW) on January 10th, the Search Engine Marketing world has been a-buzz (or at least a-twitter) about how Google’s new search is going to shake up the industry.
Some have applauded Google’s inclusion of personal results as the logical next step for Search in an ever increasingly social Internet. Others have been cynical, seeing it as a blatant attempt by the search giant to force their Google Plus social platform into a world dominated by Facebook and twitter by building on Google’s monopoly of the search industry.
17 Jan 2012
Google launches ‘Android Design’ site for developers. Google has launched Android Design, a site to help third-party developers create ‘beautiful apps’. The design site promotes guidelines, design principles, UI best-practice and style shortcuts for developers working with the new Android OS version, Ice Cream Sandwich. The site is the biggest attempt by Google to get Android coders to develop apps which have similar UX. The attempt in many ways mimics an iOS single interface track concept.
Amazon announces it’s ready to accept e-books in new KF8 format. Amazon has announced that it is now ready to allow publishers to submit e-books to its Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) site, in what it is calling Kindle Format 8 (KF8). The new format will allow publishers to add richer looking content to their e-books, making them perhaps more attractive to readers. Instead of simple text and the occasional pasted-in image, the new format takes advantage of advances in both HTML and CSS. For now, the new format is for the Kindle Fire only, but will eventually be made available on newer dedicated Kindles and Kindle apps, which will support the new format as well.
06 Dec 2011
RIM to offer security features for iPhone, Android. As a result of the growing corporate preference for non-Blackberry devices (and subsequent loss of market share), RIM has extended its Mobile Fusion service (previously Blackberry exclusive) to rival OS’s used by enterprise clients. The hope for RIM, is that they will be able to establish themselves as the defacto platform used by enterprise clients, which could see RIM developing a fresh source of revenue- offsetting a shrinking market share in handsets. The service will allow enterprise users to set and monitor rules for passwords, apps and software downloads on a range of devices (including tablets), and remotely lock or wipe data on a lost device. The service is due to launch in March 2012.
The XBox Metro Update Nudges Microsoft’s Console Closer to Set-top Hedgemony. The next level instalment of the gaming console has arrived, citing XBox’s official extension into a full home-media entertainment centre. Whilst this may to some degree have existed before, the new extension shifts beyond just insulated content aggregation to include a fully revised media management system with next level user engagement. The XBox Metro update is said to contain traces of the various UI elements featured in the new MS Windows, with every app Kinect-enabled, allowing users to swipe through tiles or call up apps by voice. The update will also include a Windows Phone feature, which will allow users to control the XBox remotely (adding items to the queue and looking up content to send to the TV while other content is playing). Content features have also been extended through the inclusion of new studio content.
24 Nov 2011
SEO for Web Developers
When it comes to achieving sustainable SEO results the work of the web developer plays a major role in a campaigns success or failure. So much so that 2 of the 3 “On Page SEO” columns in the Periodic Table of SEO Ranking Factors, HTML and Architecture, rely solely on the work of our web developers. Preventing violations like cloaking and hiding words by using the same or nearly the same text colour and body background could be blamed on developers and designers who do not know enough about what works or doesn’t when it comes to SEO. The following post highlights 1112 SEO guidelines every web developer should know and try to adhere to.
What’s delaying TV convergence? Benefits of convergence to users, and how marketers will leverage the change in consumption?
As it has been heralded so many times before, we know that the internet has become the engine of change; it has been both revolutionary and disruptive. So it begs the question: is the internet (now finally) in a position where there is truly the potential for it to disrupt the TV industry?
Why the push for convergence? According to Eric Schmidt (in his recent MacTaggart presentation ), it’s because the internet can offer something TV cannot do: “It makes TV more personal, more participative (and) more pertinent”.
ZendCon kicked off on 17 October in Santa Clara, California. The surprise of the conference was the announcement of the launch of Zend Developer Cloud during Zend’s CEO Andi Gutmans’ opening keynote speech.
