digisqueaks

slidescreen for android

// January 21st, 2010 // No Comments » // android, applications, cellphones, mobile

If you have a phone that runs Android as the OS, I suggest you try SlideScreen. It’s probably not an app that I would have found, had it not been for a recent Gizmodo post, SlideScreen Android App Replaces Homescreen With Beautiful Information.

SlideScreen can either run as a home screen replacement, or as an app that you just call up when you want to use it. There are three main sections on SlideScreen’s “home screen.” The upper section features updates to your email, phone, text messaging, and calendar. The middle section slides up and down and features local weather, time, date, battery power, and a few other icons that would normally be found in Android’s default status bar. The bottom section features stocks, Twitter, and Google Reader updates. At any time you can move the middle bar up to make the bottom section fully accessible via a cycling menu. You can also move the middle bar all the way down to cycle through your top section of personal updates.

The home button can be set to go to your default Android home, or made to go to the SlideScreen home. The menu button, with one touch, brings up your app library with a small area at the top to set 8 shortcuts. With a second touch of your menu button, SlideScreen brings up a choice of Phone or SlideScreen settings.

While it is very slick and a beautiful app, it still leaves a lot to be desired. If we’re adding Twitter support, where’s Facebook or instant messaging support? And where, I ask, is support for the regular Email application. I use Gmail which is nice on SlideScreen, but I also use Email to sync with my nonGmail addresses. Those addresses also happen house my business email. I’d also like some control over how much space each line item takes up, what color they are, and the order in which they appear. Hopefully the developers continue to add features and customization options.

All in all, this app is beautiful. I tested this app via the free version and used it for all of 5 minutes before purchasing the Pro version for $6.99 from the Android Market (SlideScreen). Take a look at the YouTube walkthrough (below) that Larva Labs has posted.

mobile web apps vs. native

// December 16th, 2009 // No Comments » // OS, applications, cellphones, mobile, software, technology

This morning I came across an article on ReadWriteWeb that briefly explored the concept of having mobile web apps versus mobile apps that need to go through an acceptance process. The apps may or may not end up in one of the mobile app stores. I’m a big fan of mobile apps in general.

I have an iPod Touch and have used many free and paid apps which I have purchased through the App Store. I also unlocked my iPod Touch for a time and took the chance to use some apps through Cydia. Recently, I bought the DROID and have been using apps which I purchased from the Android Market. On occasion, I also use mobile web apps.

In a location where phone service is not always available, I use many an app that does not rely on having service. Mainly these apps are for passing time (playing games) or catching up on a little reading with apps like Kindle for iPhone. A good majority of the apps I use on my phone or my iPod do require an internet connection whether it is wireless or 3G. For those apps, I wouldn’t really mind if the apps were replaced by web counterparts. A few web services that I use now (Xpenser, Meebo, Facebook) either only have a web app, or are inferior apps on either iPhone or Android OS and I would rather use the web interface. Some apps lack a user friendly, attractive UI and I would much rather just see development go into a web interface. If it’s something I use frequently, it’s quite simple to bookmark a web site on my phone’s desktop to return quickly.

A clear upside that I can see to a movement towards mobile web apps is that HTML5, CSS etc. is much more accessible than the development tools necessary to create apps for certain app stores. It would most certainly bring an increase in development and the web apps would most likely be accessible from all phone OSs. It would be nice to see apps that were just as good on Android as they are on the iPhone.

Of course, there are many downsides as well. First, it would be hard to charge for web apps, although I suppose there could be subscription type fees applied. Second, like the current stores, there would be an overwhelming amount of shovelware out there and would most likely open the phones to web delivered virus attacks. You would also need a signal in order to access the apps and at first, page transfers will be slower than moving around in native apps.

Native apps are preferred for now, but I’m guessing there will be a big increase in web app development next year, especially as the divide between phone OSs continues to grow. If developers could make a web app that could compete with similar apps across the various app stores and find a way to make a profit, it could start a wave of innovative new web apps that everyone could benefit from.

gaming industry enables social networking

// November 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // applications, gaming, online, social media

This morning, I read a great post at the UW MCDM blog, Flip the Media. The post was titled, Social Networks and Video Games by Brian Johnson. The post went on to tell how game companies are just starting to work social networking into their systems and how useful social media integration could be.

When I read the post, it got me to thinking, why has it taken consoles this long to integrate social networking into the systems? Why didn’t PC games jump on the bandwagon a long time ago…and why haven’t they yet? Is they Wii going to jump on at all?

Yesterday, came the release of an Xbox update that added Twitter, Facebook, Last.fm, and Zune support. Here’s a few of the features (accessible with an Xbox LIVE Gold Membership), as listed on Xbox.com:

• Facebook: The usual, plus invite friends to play over Xbox LIVE and see your friends up close with full screen photos
• Twitter: Read, reply, and post updates to your Twitter feed and keep up to date in real time
• Last.fm: Explore radio stations, skip, ban and love tracks as you listen
• Zune: Instant-on 1080p HD streaming video, share experiences through Video Party

Today, comes the PlayStation 3 Firmware update which will enable people to:

• Update your Facebook News Feed with Trophy and PlayStation store activity. It also enables developers to set specific criteria to publish additional game information to your feed.

No Twitter, or Last.fm support just yet. I seriously hope that they continue to add social networking features to all of the systems. It is a great way for people to share a common interest. You should be able to link to friends and share what’s going on as you play. As Johnson said, it would be great if players could connect and share tips and strategies for certain games as they came across certain areas in games. The Xbox update gives the ability to see which of your Facebook friends use Xbox LIVE and add them to your Xbox friends list. I really hope this is a feature that also gets added to PlayStation eventually.

The gaming consoles are just starting to dip their toes in the water on this one. I hope they decide to jump right in because it it would be great to see everyone connect while doing something that they enjoy.

twitter lists = organization at last

// November 2nd, 2009 // No Comments » // applications, online, social media, technology

Alright, so I have to admit that I didn’t bother using Twitter lists when it was first introduced. I was just messing around with my account and decided, eh, why not. I made a private list and started adding a few friends. I instantly realized what all the buzz was about. I follow around 750 people on a daily basis. Do I see every tweet that comes in? Definitely not. Out of that 750, there are only 10 or so people that I actually know personally. LIST! Now I can I see the posts of just those few people. I can make it private and call it whatever I’d like. I can make lists of professors I’d like to follow, blogs, tech experts, etc.

If you have yet to jump on the Twitter list bandwagon, here’s a few resources that may be of some help:

HOW TO: Use Twitter Lists – Mashable (The Social Media Guide)

There’s A List For That – From the Twitter Blog

10 Twitter Lists You Should Follow – Read Write Web

Listorious – Keeps a directory of public Twitter lists. You can search or browse and find the lists you’d like to follow.

TweetMeme Lists – Finds the lists that are most tweeted about.

Clay Shirky – on how media is changing history

// June 17th, 2009 // No Comments » // applications, miscellaneous, mobile, online, plugins

Clay Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody, speaks on TED about changing media. I’ve posted his talk above: How cellphones, Twitter, Facebook can change history.

The talk itself is very interesting. I was a little surprised at how much time was spent on how media affected a few isolated events. The talk repeated the same message that I’ve been reading in articles all over the internet lately. That’s the idea that media has gone from a one-to-one relationship to a one-to-many and finally to the many-to-many relationship that we have today. At one time people could talk to one another. Then TV networks, radio show hosts, or columnists could reach out and deliver a message to a broader audience. Today millions of people can literally communicate with millions of other people with all sorts of different messages. Not only can a person talk to a person, but an organized (or unorganized) group can interact with another group thousands of miles away if they’d like to. Shirky states that we have had the “largest increase in expressive capability in human history.”

Shirky mostly touched on Twitter and a tiny bit on text messaging. I didn’t actually catch any mention of Facebook. I think it’s just assumed that it’s included as one of the biggest networks that people can communicate through. I thought one specific quote was especially interesting.

These tools don’t get socially interesting until they get technologically boring. It isn’t when the shiny new tools show up that their uses start permeating society, it’s when everybody is able to take them for granted.

It seems that this is entirely the case. Most people are still acting like Facebook is a brand new network, when really it’s been around since the beginning months of 2004. It just seems new and exciting because everyone and his brother is now a member. Or Twitter. Twitter is already three years old. It wasn’t until the end of 2008 or early 2009 that Twitter really started being dropped in conversations. In either case, both networks are now mentioned daily, if not hourly on news stations and throughout personal conversations.

As Shirky says,

The question we all face now is how can we make best use of this media even though it means changing the way we’ve always done it?

As I had touched on in a previous post, Social Media -- Where Is It Headed?, more and more people feel the literal need to get involved. This of course leads to what Shirky touched upon -- more and more of the “producers” of content are amateurs. Every second, people are connecting to new networks and adding content to those to which they already belong. Are we going to hit a breaking point? How are we supposed to filter this media, or are we?

Epipheo – Epiphany/Video

// June 11th, 2009 // No Comments » // applications, design, miscellaneous, online, tech

Great site: Epipheo. I first came across this site when the post, Epiphany Videos to Propel Viral Campaigns ended up in my inbox as a result of my subscription the the Flip the Media blog. The article itself was a brief insight to the site’s beginnings as well as where it might go from here. What most interested me was the embedded video, How Internet Has Changed Advertising. From there, I couldn’t stop watching videos. Each one really does make you think, even if just for a second. It’s definitely not brainless material.

There are videos in a variety of different categories. What I most enjoyed were the videos on advertising, marketing, and the spread of information on the internet. This is why I love the internet, social media, and digital media. There is so much information out there. I can’t get enough of how much there is to learn, how easy it is to get your hands on practically any information, and how people display it. Whether it’s videos, websites, photos, blogs, etc. The variety and depth of material is astounding. Check out the video from my last post if you don’t get where I’m coming from. Amazing.

xmarks/foxmarks and disappearing firefox bookmarks

// June 10th, 2009 // No Comments » // apple, applications, online, plugins, tech

Alright. I guess I’m not alone. I recently came across the bookmark saving site called xmarks. Like most applications, xmarks has its own add-ons/plugins for Safari, Firefox, etc. I thought, eh, why not? Figured it would be nice to be able to sync my bookmarks between Firefox and Safari. This would be especially helpful since I was actually enjoying Safari 4. I installed xmarks on both browsers and was notified that I could lose bookmarks. As I don’t really use all of the bookmarks I marked before moving to delicious, I figured I’d just import them to delicious so I wouldn’t lose my favorite ones. That was all fine and dandy. Delicious actually works.

I went ahead and synced the bookmarks. Of course, it all seemed fine….until it synced again and they all disappeared. Fine. So it was working finally on Safari, but Firefox was having a fit. I uninstalled it on Firefox thinking the add-on was gone. It should work fine now, right? Just make new bookmarks? Working working….restart Firefox. Poof! All bookmarks are gone again. Safari was still working fine, but sporadically choosing which bookmarks to delete. So I uninstalled it for both browsers? Problem solved? Of course not. Apparently this is an issue that remains unanswered by many. But I did get it to work again.

To fix Firefox, the quick and dirty solution is to create a new profile and delete your old one. Apparently it’s a known issue that xmarks messes things up. Nice. Here’s how to use Terminal on OSX to get into the Firefox Profile Manager (For other OS, see articles linked below): /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -profilemanager


I chose to create a new one and then fully delete my default user (along with deleting my files). Some people may want to chose to just delete the profile and not the files.

There may be other solutions to this problem. I suggest people post them because there seems to be a lot of confusion in forums right now with this issue. I’m not saying the profile solution is the best way to go, it’s just best solution I saw out there and it worked fine for me.

Here’s two articles from MozillaZine that might be useful: Lost Bookmarks & Profile Manager

social media – where is it headed?

// June 5th, 2009 // No Comments » // applications, mobile, online, tech

Social media seems to be transforming not only the internet, but the world, bit by bit. Within the last few months it seems that you cannot turn on the morning news without hearing the words tweet or Facebook. In everyday conversations I find myself referring to these technologies without even meaning to. Many times I am speaking to people who have absolutely no interaction with the internet whatsoever. As I describe my internet explorations, many people are amazed at how connected everything is and how easy it is to accomplish things with various programs. Others could care less and think that it is crazy that people would want to share as much as they do. Both my explanations of these technologies and the articles I have read lately make me wonder if we will take it too far. Most likely, I think we will.

Every time I sit down to update my networks, I am surprised at how long it actually takes. Between posting photos, posting videos, publishing blog posts, updating statuses…not too mention actually generating the photos, videos, and posts. As always, the more work something takes, the harder people try to figure out a way to make it quicker. Such is the case with the our new social media commitments.

Brian Solis, principal of an award-winning Public Relations and New Media agency writes a number of excellent articles on social media. One in particular, The Social Media Manifesto: Integrating Social Media Into Marketing Communications, is especially valid for this post. Surprisingly, even though it was written two years ago, it seems to precisely describe our current relations on the internet.

Monologue has given way to dialog…Content is the new democracy and we the people, are ensuring that our voices are heard…Those who participate will succeed – everyone else will either have to catch up or miss the game altogether. Engage or die.

Of course that is in regards to marketing. Companies will most certainly go under if they don’t grasp this new technology. But even in a broader scope, I think everyone is starting to feel this pressure, little by little. The more they have pressure, the more they will want to interact or feel left out. More and more I’ll find myself say, “Have you heard from John Doe? I saw his pictures posted on Facebook, seems like he’s having a good time.” If they aren’t already on Facebook, the reply has gone from “What’s Facebook?” to “Man, I really need to join that soon.”

But what if people don’t have the time? It takes too much effort…or it’s too confusing to them. What happens then? It seems that companies are taking care of that. (more…)

my take on video games

// May 11th, 2009 // No Comments » // applications, design, gadgets, gaming, mobile, online, tech

I’m in a habit of sharing articles on Delicious, Twitter, and every now and then, on Facebook. The design specific ones I always share with the design group at LSC. From time to time I come across articles that I think friends would like, so I post them on their walls. Sometimes I come across something that I just think anyone who’s interested would love to see, but I don’t necessarily have anyone specific in mind.

The other day, I watched the trailer for the new game, Red Dead Redemption. It’s a Rockstar game that is set to be released some time this fall. From what I’ve read, it is basically Grand Theft Auto, but set in the West during the late 1800s. Usually I’m not into stuff set in the “old West,” but the graphics caught my eye right away. If the graphics are already that good in the trailer and it’s supposedly a huge, open world game from Rockstar, I couldn’t help but be excited. I posted it on Facebook and hours later I get the comment, “You spend so much time in worlds that don’t exist.” Of course it was a joke, not a jab or anything, but I started thinking about why I instantly felt like I had to defend myself.

I’m surprised that given what a digital world we live in, video games still receive such harsh stigma. I’ve loved video games since the first time I played the text game, Zork on our first computer, a tiny Apple II when I was 5. From there I went through several gaming systems including the Turbo Grafx 16, several Game Boy models, several Nintendo models, a Sega Genesis and every one of the Playstation models (PSX, PSOne, PS2, PSP, PS3).

I think the reason that I love video games so much is the challenge. I think another big part of the appeal is that it is the perfect blend of art and technology. Two things I’m very interested in. As time goes on, the challenges get harder and the graphics only get better. The art is no good if the programming isn’t smooth, but even that is making huge leaps. Last year produced some of the best video games I’ve ever seen (Little Big Planet, Bioshock, Metal Gear Solid 4, Grand Theft Auto 4, Fallout 3, SKATE, Burnout Paradise, Uncharted, etc.). This year is supposed to be even better. When you think about how much time and work goes into creating a game, I don’t see how anyone couldn’t appreciate it. (more…)

a few great non-app mobile services

// March 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // applications, cellphones, mobile

For anyone who hasn’t opted for an iPhone, or other mobile that features downloadable apps, there’s quite a few services out there that you can use simply by calling or texting keywords. I have an iPod Touch for using Apple apps, but I haven’t yet upgraded to a smartphone (mostly because AT&T service in VT is horrible where I am, making the iPhone pretty useless). I currently use many of the following services to get information or make updates from my basic Samsung Alias.

Update Blogs/Social Networks:

1. Facebook Mobile – Update your status, send photos, poke, send messages, and get phone numbers via email/SMS
2. LiveJournal – Update your blog via email/SMS
3. Twitter – Send tweets, see tweets, send replies and direct messages via SMS
4. Posterous – Update your Posterous blog via email/SMS/MMS
5. TwitPic – Share photos on Twitter
6. Twittermail – Email updates and photos to Twitter.
7. Twitxr – Update Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, Twitter, etc.

Get Weather, Sports Scores, etc.:

1. 4INFO – Get weather, stock quotes, sports scores, news, diet tips, etc.

Voice-Automated Services:

1. Dial2Do (Fav. of Mine) – Amazing service. You simply call your given number, say a command, and follow it with what you need to do. Examples of available services include writing emails, listening to your emails being read to you; updating Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed, etc.; keep notes or send notes to Evernote or Remember the Milk; have news read to you from TechCruch to LifeHacker, etc.; post to your LiveJournal, Blogger, WordPress blog, etc.; Get weather, update xpenser (see below), etc. The list literally goes on and on.
2. Reqall (Fav. of Mine) – Similar to Remember the Milk or Jott. Let’s you call and send in notes, to-do’s, dates to remember, etc.
3. Jott – Voice to text notes and to-do’s. Email and text message reminders.
4. GOOG 411 (Fav. of Mine) – Free 411 service. Call for “pizza” in a city and it returns all listings. Or call with a business name in a city and get back the number with options to text it, send it, or connect to them for free.
5. Tell Me – Especially works well with Blackberry. Get movies, stocks, weather, etc.

Keep Checkbook, Schedule Tivo, Add to Netflix Queue, Manage To-Do’s:

1. Remember the Milk – Get email, SMS, or IM reminders, manage tasks, share tasks, etc.
2. XPenser – Manage a check register. Text in withdrawals/deposits or set up voice activation with Dial2Do (mentioned above). Check your entries/enter entries online and export data for use in spreadsheet applications.
3. Google Mobile – Offers everything from SMS, Blogger, Calendar, Docs, Reader, Notebook, Photos, News, iGoogle, Sync, YouTube, Gmail, Maps and Search.
4. Kwiry – Update Netflix and Tivo, search Amazon, check email, update Facebook and Twitter, get Yelp results, etc.
5. Quicken Beam – Check balances via SMS

Voicemail Services:

1. Message Sling – Get messages, see missed calls (even when your phone’s off), use custom greetings, listen to your messages online, etc.
2. YouMail (Fav. of Mine) – Get messages, see missed calls (even when your phone’s off), use custom greetings, listen to your messages online, etc.

Miscellaneous:

1. Text Marks – Choose what message you want to display when people text a term to 41411. For example, when someone texts ‘mepriestley’ to 41411, they get a text message sent to their phone with all of my contact information.