How to design for the multi-device future

Designing for the vast array of phones and tablets that have emerged over the last few years has proved challenging enough, but now there’s a new category of device to consider.
Over the last 18 months we’ve seen an explosion in the number and variety of connected devices, such as wearable technology like the Fitbit, which tracks physical activity, home control like the Nest thermostat and smoke alarm, and even toys that read messages from you to your children.
These new types of devices bring new design challenges that require fresh thinking, so the Global Society for Digital Marketing Innovators (SoDA) has arranged to get some of the best minds in the business together to discuss the opportunities that this new age of connectedness presents.

Audience participation

Confirmed speakers so far include Michael Lebowitz, Founder and CEO of Big Spaceship, Adobe Systems engineering manager Christian Cantrell and Harley Block of Rokkan. In a session that encourages audience participation and includes a panel discussion, the group will explore how these new technologies can be used to create meaningful experiences that will improve our lives.
The purpose of wearable technologies has so far been focussed mainly around the realm health and fitness, but there are other promising uses for these devices that will be discussed. The most recent SoDA report, which is one of the most widely read trend publications, will also be unveiled during the event
You can sign up for this SoDA session here. It takes place at the Art Directors Club in New York, starting at 9.30am on 24 April.

Google+ Introduces Gaming Feature

In the last few days Google has done everything to pull Facebook down in the social networking after the launch his Google+ project. In the last week we have already written a post in which Google mentioned that they have increased the speed of Google+1 button & Today they introduces a new gaming feature in Google+. If you are addicted to gaming then this must be a good news for you that you can play an interesting games too on Google+ along with social networking. the gaming section is at the top of your stream where you see your profile & other tabs.

Here is the official statement from google that When you’re ready to play, the Games page is waiting—click the games button at the top of your stream. You can see the latest game updates from your circles, browse the invites you’ve received and check out games that people you know have played recently. The Games page is also where your game accomplishments will appear. So you can comfortably share your latest high score—your circles will only see the updates when they’re interested in playing games too.If you’re not interested in games, it’s easy to ignore them. Your stream will remain focused on conversations with the people you care about.

You might want to try this games as soon as possible & here is the screenshot & a video which shows which type of games you can play on google+.

Since, Google has announced that they introduced this gaming feature in Google+ but it may take some time to appear in your profile. Do share your Gaming experience with us after you try this feature on your profile.

Offline Versions of Gmail, Calendar & Docs by google

Google has rolled out an interesting but useful update that they are launched the new app for its users which is being called offline version of Gmail, Calender & Docs. The main purpose behind this is that they have introduced the mo. of ways to use google apps on variety of devices like mobile phones, tablets but it’s inevitable that you’ll occasionally find yourself in situations when you don’t have an Internet connection, like planes, trains and carpools. so, Google launched this interesting app called Gmail offline. Separate from Gmail itself, the new app is designed for accessing, managing and sending email while you’re disconnected from the web.

Here is the official announcement made by google:
Gmail Offline is a Chrome Web Store app that’s intended for situations when you need to read, respond to, organize and archive email without an internet connection. This HTML5-powered app is based on the Gmail web app for tablets, which was built to function with or without web access. After you install the Gmail Offline app from the Chrome Web Store, you can continue using Gmail when you lose your connection by clicking the Gmail Offline icon on Chrome’s “new tab” page.

Google Calendar and Google Docs let you seamlessly transition between on and offline modes. When you’re offline in Google Calendar, you can view events from your calendars and RSVP to appointments. With Google Docs you can view documents and spreadsheets when you don’t have a connection. Offline editing isn’t ready yet, but we know it’s important to many of you, and we’re working hard to make it a reality. To get started using Google Calendar or Google Docs offline, just click the gear icon at the top right corner of the web app and select the option for offline access.
The apps are only available to Google Chrome web browser at the moment. If want to try this amazing feature for accessing Calender or Docs offline you first need to install Google Chrome Web Browse. Do share your thoughts with us via comments that have you tried this new offline feature or not.

Skype Released its official iPad App

Skype released its official app for the iPad in the IOS app store. With this release of iPad app Skype includes all the best features in it like video chat, instant messaging, phone calls & quick access to your contacts. Unlike the iPhone app, the instant messaging can be used during the video calls which I think is the most amazing feature included in it.

The Skype app for iPad works on both the versions of the iPad 1 & the iPad 2, although the iPad  1 can only receive the video chat service. This app requires IOS 4.0 or above & with the help of this app you can call anybody who’s on desktop, laptop or any other IOS device. If your App crashed and froze several times or Isn’t showing my online status properly (or others for that matter) and the funniest error is its problem with Smart Cover. If you prop your iPad on it, the other side has your video upside down.
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Digg IOS App 2.0 for iPhone & iPod Touch Now Available in App Store

Digg is one of the best social networking site across the web with latest news headlines, images & videos. Today, Digg announced officially about the release of the latest version Digg IOS 2.0 app for iPhone & iPod touch. With the release of this latest version 2.0 users who love to browse Digg on their iPhone or iPod touch can enjoyed the latest features introduced by the Digg like newswire & newsrooms to browse the best contents from the web.

The main features included in this version are :

• Browse lists of recent news and discover the most popular and recently trending content across the web
• Digg your favorites and share them with users on Digg and Facebook
• Preview any story in a list from a thumbnail of story description, date and Digg contributor
• View full story content in an integrated browser
• Stability improvements
• Easier sharing via Digg or Facebook Single Sign-On
• Ability to Digg your favorite stories right from the story list
• Support for Digg Newswire

You can download the latest version on apple itune store & do share with us what do you think about the latest features introduced by the Digg recently.

Cost-Friendly Droid HTC Explorer

We’ve stumbled upon the HTC Explorer so many times before (that is more commonly known as the Pico), with both unclear and press images. At the present though, it’s for the first time that we are meeting the HTC Explorer officially. Since today was the day when HTC announced the HTC Explorer as their latest Android smartphone targeted towards budgeted users.
It has a dimension of 102.8mm x 57.2mm x 12.9mm and equips a 3.2 inch HVGA display screen. It has the same Brew-based HTC Smart out to territory even as it’s at it! Though entering the territory of smartphones is a bit hard but the Explorer contains an upright mass of hardware to keep it on the edge.

It runs on Android OS with the latest Sense 3.5 UI topping on it. It consists complete web browsing with Flash support, social network integration and a lot of other well-liked features that HTC constantly surpasses.
Such as the integrated data monitor that is based on the users they anticipate to go for this device, lets you track and organize your data stipend and consumption on your package, totally beating the need of a 3rd party management system.
Besides, the back covers of this handset are exchangeable. This is for the first time for HT, though nothing to surprise. The exchangeable back cover colors contain; Active Black, Active Navy, Metallic Black and Metallic Navy when bought, with India-residing buyers having the extra options of Active Royal and Metallic Royal. Additional covers can be bought individually in a more 4 colors as a minimum; Active Blue, Active Orange, Active White and Active Purple.
As for the availability, it should be officially made available in the 4^th quarter of this year in major markets of Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. Chances are that the HTC explorer might make it appearance at an upcoming event held in London.

Facebook Released Its Official iPad App

Facebook has finally revealed its official app for iPad today with high-res photos, games, chat and more, now you can get the best of Facebook on your iPad. The iPad Facebook app is now available in the app store for free download & with the release of this app you can now access the Facebook experience on bigger screen, offering a better experience for viewing photos, videos & more. Here is some of the features which are included in this Facebook app for iPad to give you a better user-interface.
A hands-on Facebook
Use your fingertips to scroll through your News Feed. Give the screen a swipe to page through albums. Pinch a picture to zoom in. Whatever you’re up to, using Facebook on your iPad just feels fun.
Bigger, better photos
Photos really shine on the iPad. They’re bigger and easy to flip through, like a real photo album. It’s like having a slide show with all your friends and memories, wherever you go.
Navigate anywhere, fast
Your games, apps, groups and lists are in the left-hand menu, so you don’t have to dig around to find the stuff you use most. And your messages and notifications are at the top of every screen, so you can respond to friends and keep up with important updates—without losing your place.

 

Chat, games and other features
The app comes with a bunch of other new features: You can chat with friends right from your iPad, for example, or play games and use apps in full-screen mode. You can also watch high-res videos inline, record HD video and stream to Airplay devices.
You can get this Facebook app for iPad in the app store or here is the more details on Facebook. Do share with us via comments that have you downloaded Facebook app on your iPad or not…!!

EDGE: A new HTML5 offering from Adobe

It used to be that if you wanted to create an animated, interactive interface for a website, you needed to use Flash. You might be able to get away with some basic animations using JavaScript, but if you made it too complicated, all you’d end up doing is bogging your visitor’s computer down and causing problems.
Plus, JavaScript was potentially more complicated to use than Flash, at least for those who aren’t fond of coding. But, of course, Flash doesn’t always work well (or sometimes not at all) on mobile devices, including the iPhone and iPad.
Enter HTML5. HTML5 works on just about every mobile platform out there. Anything you could create in Flash can be created with HTML5 (and sometimes added JavaScript and CSS3): animations, interactive elements, and more.
But it reintroduces the coding issue for a lot of designers, who might not be crazy about hand-coding everything. That’s where Adobe Edge comes in.


It’s an entirely new program (currently available as a free preview version) that helps you create animated web content using HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. It includes drawing and text tools for creating new compositions, lets you import images in a variety of formats (SVG, PNG, JPG and GIF), and choreograph animation with a timeline-based editor. You can animate position, color, shape, size, rotation and other elements at the property level.
The great thing about using HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript rather than Flash for your animated and interactive content is that your site remains standards-compliant. It preserves your CSS layout and keeps your content layer separate from your presentation layer. Because of this, your site will be compatible across a wider range of platforms and will be more search engine friendly with less work.
Because Edge is currently only in preview-stage, it’s bound to have some bugs and feature limitations. With that said, it already includes twenty five built-in easing effects, and other features to get you started. No word on how much Edge will cost after the 150 day trial period ends.
The Edge interface looks similar to many of Adobe’s other programs for working with interactive content, like Premiere Pro or Flash. If you’re already familiar with these programs, the Edge interface should be pretty easy to adjust to. If not, there’s going to be a definite learning curve, but it’s still a relatively easy interface to figure out.

Of course, you’ll still need Flash for creating desktop and mobile AIR applications, or for using ActionScript.
You might also find Flash easier to use for more immersive interactions and animations where mobile-compatibility isn’t an issue. But Edge gives designers familiar with the Adobe work environment a new option for creating interactive and animated content.
Learn more: Adobe Edge

Have you had a chance to try out Edge yet? What do you think? Is it going to be worth purchasing in the future? Let us know in the comments!