Beautiful use of HTML5 – The Wilderness Downtown

So here’s something very cool.

The Wilderness Downtown

You’ll need Chrome to view it properly, but it is a very nice showcase of what HTML5 is capable of rendering.

They use choreographed windows, interactive flocking, and 3D canvas rendering to produce an amazing example of interactive web browsing.

From the localisation of Google Maps’ views to a very distinctive typeface that is partially user generated, it really showcases how much more interactive the web could become. It’s brilliant.

You can find more information out about it here.

But, I have to admit, I just spent ages just playing with the flocks of birds as they fled my mouse.

The Death of the DVD?

So here’s something interesting.

Blockbuster is apparently preparing to file for bankruptcy in the States next month.

Meanwhile, YouTube is set to start offering free movies, in addition to the Channel 4 and Five shows it hosts.

With both Apple’s rumoured iTV and Google TV bringing better streaming media to the TV, is it any surprise that streaming media is killing off video rentals? For whole seasons and movies there’s Netflix/Lovefilm, and for single new episodes there’s Apple’s iTunes store. And that’s just the paid option; there are a host of sites that deliver streaming shows and movies for free. Just have a look at this infographic comparing Netflix to Redbox to get a sense of how people are preferring to consume their media.

Why would you still be renting DVDs when you can just watch it online?

Running around with an iPad in hand?

(Source)

There are a few new competitors to the iPad coming out soon, from HP, Asus, Lenvo and Blackberry, all within the next 6 months. But how have you guys been using them?

Here’s, we’ve not had much cause to switch to using an iPad for anything, they’re just cool bits of tech to play around with. Businesses on Wall Street are apparently testing them out, and Apple’s CFO Tim Cook is quoted as saying that half the Fortune 100 are testing it, but these types of story only seem novel, testing new equipment to see how it could be used, rather than an industry wide standard being set.

However, that’s just the iPad, are companies more likely to adopt the use of tablet pcs when there is a lot more choice in the market?

Is it going to take Google’s Web Store of mobile apps to really open up the market and make it competitive to Apple’s App Store?

If they are going to use it, I think it’s going to take the form of more of a universal remote device, such as Dell’s idea of a device that you can dock to your laptop. Using it as a true extension of your main computer/netbook, to control things on it, to enhance your user experience and make it easier to do what you want, not just another toy to play with.

We’re A Small Business and we Act Like it!

Jason Cohen in his blog post “You’re a little company, so start acting like one” wants small businesses to start putting themselves in the position of the customer and think about what they would rather see when they log on to a company’s website.

“Do you want to see useless garbage phrases or does she want to hear about how you totally understand her pain? Should you come off as a big, established, safe company or as a cool, passionate, small team who wants to make a difference? Should you hide behind “Contact Us” forms or display your phone number and Twitter account on your home page? Should you promote features and benefits you don’t really have implemented yet or should you promote your forums, blog, and weekly all-customer virtual meeting where everyone chimes in with feedback?  Be human. Stop hiding. Be yourself.”

So here you go, “we are small business specialists, technologists, geeks, gadget addicts and general lovers of people and technology.” This is who we are, we’re here to help and make your life as easy as possible in the technology world, putting you in touch with one of our tech guys  who fits your business perfectly.  You will always work with the same team so we get to know you and your business.

We aim to make IT do what it says on the tin and help train you to use it so you can eventually become independent of us – it’s sad to say goodbye but we will always be here if you decide you need us again in the future.

We are people with names and faces who do our best for you!

Dan at The Engine Room

Wireless network regulation?

The whole issue about net neutrality raised by Google and Verizon’s proposal to the FCC earlier this month caught our attention and I have a few follow up thoughts on the matter. After basic access to the internet was granted as a ‘human right’ by the EU, it seemed inevitable that someone, somewhere with enough clout, would demand industry standard and oversight to ISP supply.

The main point of objectors to Google and Verizon is the lack of regulation that is proposed on wireless networks. Perhaps, if wired broadband is given a standard level, as a result ISP companies will focus on wireless research and introduce priority trafficking on them. Under such a scheme, priority will be given to those already established, leaving start-ups in the cold.

Google and Verizon’s claim is that the wireless network structure is changing so fast that it would not be possible to enforce any sort of neutrality on.

So what other benefit is there for them to keep wireless unregulated? Maybe it has something to do with their focus on tablets and web based apps. Web based programs need the best access available, and if everyone is interesting in exploiting and providing the best wireless they can, it means developers have much more freedom on what can be run.

It doesn’t even have to come to monopolisation or preferred treatment, with so many resources being thrown into research and development of the infrastructure, those with even a foothold in the area, app developer or provider, should welcome the acceleration of wireless network technology.

Who could say no to fast, easy to access, universal wireless networking?

Chrome Web Store

As developers get their first look inside the Chrome Web Store, I’ve got to wonder what they’re going to put out on it.

With rumours of Google’s new, supposedly, tablet only based OS in the form of Android Honeycomb, are they going to be using the web store to provide apps for both the Chrome OS based netbooks and Chrome internet browsers?

I can imagine that they want to have even more cloud based apps that will allow people to easily switch between devices and less reliance on hardware. Being able to access all the files, programs, and media that you use on your main pc on any other is possible now, but there are tons of different apps in the app store that I would love to use on my pc. Or any pc for that matter.

There will be two kinds of web apps that they are going to provide, downloaded ones and web based ones. With the whole store in direct competition with Apple’s own, a reduced cut taken (5% compared to 30% by Apple) which one are developers going to focus on?

Personally, like the workaround Google produced for Google Voice after the app was refused (they made it web based), I think more people will focus on HTML5 based apps than just ones to be run on iPhones and iPads. Especially since Apple rejects Flash and decided to focus on HTML5 support, something Yahoo has recently used to bring Yahoo Mail to the iPad..

Seems rather cleaver that the Chrome Web Store can be used by both Apple device users and Chrome users.

Technology snobbery

In lieu of purchasing a lovely new shiny iPhone 4, I am currently stuck with a hideously disgusting, mal-functioning phone with a rubbish keyboard, no internet access and some sort of camera which I’m pretty sure only pretends to take photos.  It does make calls though, but that’s really not the point of a phone is it?

My current phone provides much ammunition for office mocking, which I can’t actually blame them for, but it does make me question the snobbery surrounding technology.

Technology of all different formats, particularly the mobile phone, has become the ultimate accessory.  When in the last few years have you heard the conversation…“ok, give me your mobile phone number and I’ll give you a call”…”sorry mate, don’t have one of those”?  Doesn’t really sound familiar does it?

The fact is, when you pull your phone out of your pocket/handbag, you are making a statement about yourself.  A phone symbolises who you are, status, you likes and dislikes.  Think I’m over playing it?  Ask yourself why you chose the phone you have and what you would think if someone pulled out an old-skool phone out of their pocket.  Some may think this is sad, but it is becoming ever increasingly true.

As for me, I personally cannot wait to change my phone, in honesty not really that much for snobbery reason, or even to evade constant mocking, but because it really is that bad!

Technology – apparently its all we need

BBC reports (that already sounds very official) have been released stating that the average Briton spends almost half of their waking life using media and communications – to be honest, I am already not surprised.

“The statistics from regulator Ofcom suggest people in the UK spend seven hours a day watching TV, surfing the net and using their mobile phones. However, the average person actually squeezes in the equivalent of nearly nine hours of media and communications by multi-tasking on several devices.”

It seems to me that if we are willing to spend this much time using such technology it makes sense to put some thought into choosing the right technology products for our individual needs and spend a little time looking after and maintaining them.  Think about how much time you put into to choosing a car, or a piece of household furniture – according to this study you will be using your technology products just as much as you use things such as these.

Just a little something to think about when you are next tech-shopping.

Mind Uploading

Oh, are you feeling tired computer? That’s ok, you have a rest whilst I’ll continue to work! – I LOVE technology!!
So it’s first thing in the morning, you are sleepy, somehow no matter how many hours sleep you had, you are still shattered. It’s 9am, blurry eyed you switch on your computer and watch it slowly come to life as you sip your 1st coffee (3rd if you are some people in this office) of the morning.
Clearly we are all pretty much computer geeks here, but when your computer takes longer to wake up than you, and not only that, has that mid-morning crash before you, you have to question who’s human and who is machine! Keep pouring coffee fuel in me and I should just about make it until lunch, Mr. Computer on the other hand would rather you gave him a little rest.
Computers are becoming ever more like humans – or is that humans are becoming ever more like computers, (I’ll have a think about that when I am walking later with my iPhone in my ears and at the end of my fingers).
Scientist guys such as research Fellow Anders Sandberg say that “our hard drives may one day contain the most important digital replacement of all – digitised replicas of our own brains.”
The concept is called “mind uploading”, and it suggests that when our bodies age and begin to fail we may be able to continue living consciously inside a computer as our own virtual substitutes. Is this taking the whole technology stuff too far, or is it inevitable?

Scary stuff! Do you see it happening?

The Essence of the internet – really funny cats!

So after much office discussion regarding what we look at on the net, turns out the most popular topic is…funny cats!

No, you didn’t read incorrectly, I wrote cats and currently there is the noise of a very loud, crying (?) talking (?) cat coming from one of the office computers – we spend our time wisely you understand.

Apparently if you add the tags ‘cat’, ‘funny cat’, ‘talking cats’, and any other tag of this theme you can increase the web traffic to your site.  Now granted the web traffic may not actually always be that relevant but in the end isn’t all traffic to your site positive?

Now please don’t get me wrong, I do not suggest that you drop the word cat into your website 100 times in an attempt to get more internet users to accidently find your website, this is more just an interesting little fact…well fact-ish!

Now we’ve got you all intrigued, we wouldn’t forget to leave you with a little video to watch – our personal favourite!