A few weeks ago I discovered Flavors.me - a website that allows you to quickly create and customize your own website. You can link your existing blogs and website feeds, Flickr, LinkedIn, Netflix, and so forth, all in one simple interface. Here's mine: flavors.me/lasha

Flavors.me is a GREAT way to get you started if you don't have your own website, and a great addition to your online presence. It allows a decent amount of customization such as colors, fonts, and various options for Facebook, Flickr, etc. With this service, you can link people to just one page and have them access everything else. Great for potential clients and networking.

On another note, I'm getting decent traffic from my Flavors.me page back to this blog. I don't know how that happened... haha.

After getting a sneak peak of the iPad app store, I was disappointed to see more expensive versions of existing apps on the iPhone. I am a proud owner of "Flight Control," a piloting game that costs a buck for the iPhone/iPod Touch. The "HD" version apparently will cost $5! The game better bring some great additions on top of the real estate enhancements, or $5 is just crazy.

Other companies are and will be guilty of doing this. Just as the iPad offers greater screen size and performance, so should companies offer a greater experience, if they want to charge more. A bigger screen means you can do more at the same time, but if this "more" doesn't bring anything new to the table, a bigger price tag isn't justified.

We WILL notice a general increase in app prices because more apps will be fully featured, whereas a lot of existing apps are cut down due to limited screen space. I'm cool with paying more for apps that are worth my time, and more than just a simflified solution.

The iPad's 9.7 inch screen allows for more complex apps to be designed. Everything from multi-touch gestures to content discovery and interaction has to be adapted, which translates to new and unique experiences. Apple redesigned the iPhone native apps from scratch, with a completely different user experience in mind. Check out the Guided Tours to see what I'm talking about. Some 3rd party apps are already shaping up to provide awesome experiences.

This morning, I read a great post by Andy Rutledge about Risk. Things haven't been too smooth lately, but this bit of encouragement set me on the right track again. It helped me realize once again that, without risk, there is no greatness. Those who set out to build empires and succeed take risks. Those who aim for the very best take risks. Those who set out to make a difference take risks.

"For designers, for business, just as for nations, risk is the essential component to great success." - Andy Rutledge.

Andy created a series of Desktop Wallpapers based on the article. Risktakers stand out and achieve great success. Take a look at every successful company that has shaped our world today (Google, Apple, Microsoft, YouTube, Facebook, etc.). The question you should be asking is: What do you want to be noticed for?

Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Opera, IE, Camino, Netscape... all good browsers in their own way, but to me, only one stands out: Firefox. I have a bad habit of keeping 50+ tabs open simultaneously, almost all the time. Last night, I browsed to a site that caused my Mac to have a meltdown. The Mac wouldn't even shut down! Waited hours before I had to hold the power-button for 5 seconds.

This morning I turned on the Mac, launched Firefox and saw this:

They admit their fault, even if it wasn't theirs to admit. They offer a smart interface to deselect the tabs that may have caused the crash. As you can see by the side of the scroll bar, I had A LOT going on. I deselected a bunch of tabs, hit "Restore" all without a bit of worry.

This level of attention toward functionality to provide an excellent user experience should be mimicked by other developers. When I'm conceptualizing new ideas, this is the type of quality I incorporate. Thank you, Mozilla.

Which browser do you use, and why?

Check out Part 1 of this article if you haven't already.

Lack of Multi-tasking(?)

While the iPad can't run multiple apps, you can certainly enjoy the ability to switch seamlessly between applications. It's not often you need something running in the background, unless it's Pandora radio being streamed at all times (which can't be done to begin with due to lack of Flash support).

If you can achieve virtually anything without forcing apps to stay running in the background, then what's the point of having it? I would just be glad that I know it's better for my battery life. I honestly can't think of any real effects of not being able to run multiple apps simultaneously, so please enlighten me in the comments section.

The Price is Right

Starting at $499, one can't really complain that it doesn't do what a MacBook does. It's already cheaper than what everyone expected (which is good!). While the iPad physically resembles the iPod Touch, it's just not the same. It's not released yet, but the fact is that apps won't be designed the same way as regular iPhone/iPod Touch apps - they will be customized to take full advantage of the bigger screen and faster processor. This is a huge part of the whole "experience" of the iPad. Read on for more...

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Apple device everyone's been waiting for has finally landed with pinpoint precision. We were all expecting a bang, but most of us found the new iPad a pleasant surprise. As I predicted, Apple devoted their energy towards creating an amazing user experience, rather than a hardware phenomenon.

User Experience

It's designed to be what it is. It doesn't try or promise to do anything it's not supposed to do. This is the sole reason of why Apple's products are so successful. Would you run Photoshop on a device that's not designed to handle it? No, because you won't have a good experience. This is what Apple keeps in mind at all times - thus, why people always find things lacking in Apple products.

It's not designed to be the next revolutionary piece of hardware that will pop a piece of toast out its speaker holes, but rather to give users the experience they can't get on an a smaller and less powerful version of the same device (iPhone/iPod Touch). If you watch the iPad video on Apple.com, you will see the level of interactivity this device achieves is not really possible on a smaller screen. More after the jump...

Apple's "Come see our latest creation" event (Jan 28, 2010) is less than a week away, and rumors and soaring higher than ever. As with any other major Apple announcement (read: iPhone), rumors soar to the point where you don't know what to believe any more. The revolutionary iSlate device is supposed to change the market, as the iPhone did. Given Apple's track record of successful products, this will be one them (especially in the multi-touch department).

iPhone on Steroids

Nobody REALLY knows what Apple's hiding up their sleeve, but it most likely has to do with eReaders, portable computing beyond the Mobile Phone level, and a completely new way of consuming media.

An article from the Business Insider reported that Apple has had talks with NYT, WSJ, Conde Nast, Harper Collins and so forth about content distribution. On top of readable media, Apple's also interested in mixing video into the picture, which may be great for those on the go, provided there will be fantastic battery life. And as you may figure, Apple's definitely dabbling on the gaming side as well, teaming up with EA to show off what it can do.

Now, this is starting to sound a bit familiar, right? Yes, the iPhone. Just like how the iPhone introduced a new wave of portable computing and data consumption, Apple is aiming to do the same with the iSlate. They already have an established App Store, a fantastic base of developers, and a loyal user base. There's no better time to try and pitch a new product to those looking for the next greatest thing.

I read somewhere a long time ago that the display technology for this device was going to be revolutionary. If Apple is targeting both traditional media AND digital media consumers, they better have a screen that works superbly well for both tasks. It's one thing to introduce a fantastic new way of interaction with a device, but if you can't look at what you're doing for a long period of time, it goes to waste. Read on for more...

Well, it's that time of the year again where we all stop and think about the stuff we'd like to accomplish in the upcoming year. Looking back to December 31, 2008, I was madly excited about the year and the amount of things I was going to achieve. Unfortunately, things didn't turn out the way I would have liked them to (even though 2008 itself was great!).

Not to give an excuse for only completing 20% of the 2009 to-do list, but College work was harder this year than any other semester, period. Any normal person would've gone mad while going through the things I did. I hated it with all my guys, but now it's all good - and I love it!

2010 will be a very interesting part of my life as I am graduating in June, and the rest of the year will be dedicated to job hunting and working... full time (whoah!). Getting through the final semester will be a pain in the ass FOR SURE. A friend of mine went through it and has now graduated. I will be following his footsteps in no time.

I am also thankful for having travelled to Israel this year and seeing family members I haven't seen since I was a baby. It was a great experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Unfortunately, I wanted to travel to another location in the world (goal was 2 for 2009) but it didn't happen.

This year, I am going to make 2 resolution lists instead of one, simply because some things take priority over others. The 1st list contain all of the important developmental things I will set out to achieve. The 2nd list will list things that I should always be keeping in mind, like going to sleep on time instead of writing blog posts 5:30 in the morning!

Here are some of the things that will be on the lists:

On Saturday, I stepped out of the classroom where I took my last final exam of the semester. It was a feeling that I couldn't quite grasp right away, but now that it has sunk in, it's pure bliss. This was quite frankly the hardest and the most stress-inducing semester yet.

The fact that I am graduating after next semester (June '10) makes things extremely exciting! Regardless of the amount of classes I am taking come this January, nothing can surpass the amount of work and sleepless nights I just went through. Here are the classes I took:

1. Advanced Web Animation (Flash, ActionScript 3.0, Web Animation)
2. Advanced Web Strategies (Web strategy, marketing, a bit of JavaScript, PHP, MySQL)
3. Advertising Design II (Concepts, concepts, and more concepts)
4. Design Internship (Interning at an Interactive Design/Development agency)
5. Art History (Prehistoric to Gothic)
6. Macroeconomics (Economy, supply & demand, economic conditions, business)
   

90% of the people who see this list call me crazy, and I don't blame them. I don't regret anything one bit. I learned and achieved more this semester than ever before. It's funny how all the best work happens right as you're about to finish your degree.

I learned invaluable skills in Flash, and gained amazing portfolio pieces from Advertising Design II. The Design Internship allowed me to work on projects for Fortune 500 companies, and so forth. More after the jump...

If you work only on the web, learn about print design and production. If you work only in print, learn the basics of web design & development. Expanding your skills will up your competitive level in a market that has become overly saturated with basic talent.

One cannot express how important it is to design for the web. The web has become an instant phenomenon that is being quickly taken over by the big dogs of the media world. Methods of content consumption based on the Internet are multiplying faster than any other form of media in the past.

First there was the Amazon Kindle, and now we have the Android-based Nook eBook reader. Rumors about Apple releasing a Tablet of their own are flying around like aimless torpedoes. If you were to ask me, Apple is definitely planning something, and it'll probably be a huge hit.

To put it simply, the world is changing very quickly. If we fail to keep up to date with what's happening, our jobs will leave us for someone else. Stay open minded and read a lot of design blogs. See what people are raving about so that you can contribute in your own way. Don't forget to collect inspiration along your journey.

PS.  Print is not dead. As long as creativity isn't lost, it will continue to be a dominant form of media, regardless of the changes it goes through.