It was only a matter of time until Nokia threw in the towel, but nobody guessed it was going to happen this way. Nokia almost completely abandoned the platform they've invested billions into, and sided with Microsoft, who will also end up dumping billions into the platform (simply because they can, easily).

In many ways, I see this as a match made in heaven. Microsoft, very late in the mobile OS game, but still with a pretty decent chance at gaining a healthy user base. Nokia, a phone maker virtually non-existant in the modern-day smartphone era, and in desperate need of a 360° overhaul. These two behemoths are... *ahem* ... a match made in heaven. More after the jump...

This post is a response to Alexander Interactive's blog entry titled "Amping Up Apple's Compare Grid" regarding Apple's new interactive (draggable columns) Mac comparison chart.

The collapsible rows method only works well when you're dealing with "yes/no" values for each row and column, or simple one (or two) liners such as numbers, a word, or a light combination of both, as demonstrated with Bizfilings and Kaplan.

Apple's chart allows you to clearly compare large chunks of critical information simply by scrolling and looking. There is no unnecessary clicking, toggling, scrolling, or any combination of these elements present in Apple's comparison chart, simply because it would slow the user down in being able to scan all the provided information. More after the jump...

Everywhere you look, you find people complaining about things that change; Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Applications, and so forth, but rarely do they ever do anything about it. In fact, in most cases (with the exception of Digg), time spent on them increases.

Every time Facebook changes its layout, everyone and their grandmas throw a tantrum, complaining about how they want the old layout back. A week goes by, and it's as if nothing happened at all. They're still using Facebook with all of the same features, if not more. After all, Facebook spends millions creating the optimal interface (at least I hope they do) for an increase of addictiveness.

A few months ago, Twitter drastically underwent a major interface overhaul. As per usual, a ton of people complained saying it was too complicated, slow, etc. Well, has Twitter reported a loss of user activity? Nope. An increase of user activity? Yep...

I have been asking myself this question as far as I could remember, and as I get older, the answer always changes. The criteria for being a "grown-up" is different for everyone because we all have unique expectations based on our experiences.

There are often times when we see a "grown-up" with "younger" characteristics. Could this be because this person doesn't view themselves as one, therefore acts and appears such way, or is it simply because the person judging him/her has a solidified idea of what a "grown-up" should be like?

I believe being a grown-up is just a state of mind. A state where the amount of questions you have about yourself, life, and everything else is significantly lower than your past. A state where insecurities become non-existent, and everything seems to just make sense...

When somebody clicks a search box, you expect the default text to clear away. If they click away without typing anything, the default text should return. Typical behavior, right? Here's how it's done:

1

<input type="text" value="Search..." onclick="if(this.value=='Search...'){this.value=''}" onblur="if(this.value==''){this.value='Search...'}">

Steps + Explanation

1. Locate your standard input/search field
2. Insert the following into the input tag:
   onclick="if(this.value=='Search...'){this.value=''}"
   This is responsible for clearing textbox when someone clicks in it.
3. Insert the following into the input tag:
   onblur="if(this.value==''){this.value='Search...'}"
   This is responsible for resetting the default text if it was left blank.

So, with some super-basic JavaScript, you can achieve this tiny detail that makes a world of a difference in the world of Interaction Design. Note: Don't forget to change "Search..." to your own value!

Yesterday I had the unfortunate pleasure of having to use an umbrella due to a small rainstorm.  At first I proudly opened my small staph shielding me from the dangers of water hurling from above, whilst staring at the poor saps that had come ill-equipped.  Yet as I continued hurling towards my destination I noticed myself becoming increasingly wet.  By the time I had reached the sanctuary of indoors my entire shoes had been drenched, as well as the tips of my pants and my entire right arm.

With all the fancy cases that are out in the market today to protect our cell phones, notebooks, and MP3 players, why has no one taken the time to create something to well…protect US!  Imagine for a second you brought a water proof case for your notebook and suddenly you realized that over 40% of it got wet, wouldn’t you be furious and never buy that case again?  For some reason this logic does not seem to apply in the world of Umbrellas, as many of us will continue to buy the same crappy umbrellas which will instantly break again and again. More after the jump...

Just hours from now, Microsoft will officially unveil their Windows Phone 7 mobile platform. In a world saturated with iPhones, Android devices, and hundreds of thousands of apps, does Microsoft stand a chance? I guess the bigger question is, what do they hope to achieve with Windows Phone 7?

These days, people looking to buy a new Smartphone pretty much know what their options are. iPhone, if they're looking for a HUGE library of apps and don't care about the "openness" of the OS. Android (device), if they're looking for a phone that doesn't run on AT&T, and is "open" for you to download literally anything you want onto the device. Blackberry, if they're looking for a business-oriented phone. Windows Phone 7,  doesn't have a "thing" that people will go to it for, but the super-unique interface and a fresh take on social integration may do the trick.

I don't think any serious iOS or Android device user will switch to Windows Phone 7. Each of the two platform offer too much to leave behind in favor of a newborn platform. Microsoft could easily target the late adopters who haven't yet made the jump to Smartphones. This way, they can have a market of their own to grow with. We can only hope that Microsoft leaps through their infancy, and quickly become a serious contender in the Smartphone wars. More after the jump...

About 2 years ago, I blogged about Penzu, a web-based private journal and diary. Today, Penzu is alive and well, and better than ever! Recently, a mobile web version was unveiled (pro accounts), compatible with iPhone, iPad, Android, and Blackberry. This is HUGE for Penzu, because now users have a dedicated interface for an optimal journaling experience. It even uses the latest HTML5 techniques that allows you to access and write entries when you're offline.

What is Penzu? A quick overview.
It is an online private journal and diary. Every entry is private by default, and not viewable publicly unless you specify. Entries are auto-saved as you write so you don't have to. You can upload photos from your computer, or insert them directly from Flickr. If for some reason you want hard copies of your entries, you can print them out, too. More after the jump...

Earlier today, Adobe shares jumped nearly 12% on speculation that Microsoft will be acquiring them. Publications all over the internet went haywire saying how crazy this is, and that it may mean trouble for Apple. I think that's a load of bull. Technically, Apple's been doing just fine without Adobe, but there are some things that could hurt both companies.

Worse case scenario:
Microsoft + Adobe seize development of Creative Suite software, and creatives around the world are forced to use outdated software. Okay, let's wake up and smell the Americano. Adobe, even under Microsoft's evil wing will not cut Mac development, unless they're interested in losing the bigger chunk of their revenues. Creative agencies all over the world primarily run on Macs. Will they start switching to Windows? Yes, many will, but most will not.

Apple produce a fine bundle of applications known as Final Cut Studio. This will be Apple's chance to shine with the apps in their respective fields (as if it's not already). Imagine how badly Adobe's and Microsoft's reputation would suffer if they made these moves. Continue reading...

Passing parameters in the URL within WordPress Page Template such as "website.com/page/?name=Lasha&version=214" is generally OK, but be aware! If you use a parameter such as "year" in the URL, it will overwrite WordPress' own "year" variable (if you have pretty URLs enabled) and throw a 404! How did I learn this?

I wrote some PHP code within a Page Template that retrieved data from a custom database by passing parameters through the URL, using the $_GET method. One of my parameters was "year=2010", and I kept getting 404s until I changed it to "fiscalyear" where it no longer interfered with the mod_rewrite rules.

I hope this saves you the headache it caused me when writing custom PHP code within WordPress! 🙂