What I’m finding is that it takes almost no getting used to – 20 minutes later and the only thing I have to adjust to is the lack of one X to close tabs on the far right but instead one on each tab (default behaviour) so I’m just training myself with CNTRL W instead. If you use a lot of keyboard shortcuts they are the same as in FF with only a couple of additions (CNTRL SHIFT T for an incognito window).

I use Xmarks for bookmark sync so that was really fast and painless and bookmarks simply work better in Chrome IMO (CNTRL B hides the bookmark bar rather than bring up bookmark management).

Because I use so many Google products (don’t we all) the care and attention given to that integration is really apparent and much smoother than FF analogues. If you *really* use some exotic settings and habits then it might be a bit harder moving.

1 Comment | In: general internet | tags: firefox, google, google chrome. | #

I’ve been thinking about it, and it seems there’s a glaring hole in the whole widget space for Android, and even the iPhone.

I would really love an App which, essentially, allows me to easily publish aspects of my OS and network usage to the web through a web/flash widget. Things like uptime, # of texts sent/datestamped, # of calls made, locations (non-granular), data used across wifi and 3G, battery consumption – you know, all the stuff that’s fine to share and not personal sort of thing.

If this was not just a personal widget but one which many Android/iPhone users had, some really fantastic and valuable data could be gathered which is currently in the dark internet. I’m not talking social network (I mean, why would you right?) but just a network delivering near real-time live information of the OS users in a useful way. The widget would of course just be the little visible thing we could have as a gateway, but ultimately it’s an API service platform for everyone who owns an iPhone or Android device, or heck, even Symbian and Pre’s. (Sorry, Crackberry’s not allowed).

Just a thought.

No Comments | In: Mobile, the future is now | | #

Well, kinda. I’m wrapped up in various projects and either I have nothing to say or I’m talking rubbish about stuff elsewhere. You can find me currently noodling away on the Bus-Tops project and I’m pretty daily with my twitter feed. That’s not to say that I’m going to ditch 4lfie.com – I’m sure I’ll come back to it as the ‘home’ for my work and interests at some point.

Nothing to see here, move along

No Comments | In: Uncategorized | | #

I am a terrible blogger, I know, I am so seldom updating here with my incredibly lucid and insightful thunks, so I apologise to your needy brain. However, you may fancy the Britglyph widget:

No Comments | In: Uncategorized | | #

We recently created and last night launched http://moblog.net/findme for Demos.co.uk who are collaborating with http://TED.com on the http://XDRTB.org campaign.  Here is more info on the project:

To highlight the XDRTB.org campaign we have devised a unique blend of Puzzle solving, Mobile blogging and geolocation that creates a web first.

GPSdrawing (reference http://gpsdrawing.com) is “digital mark-making with satellite navigation technology”. What we are doing is using map markers to draw a macro image on a google map rather than one single line drawn using a Tom Tom or other navigator.

The markers each contain and represent a media “node” at which a piece of media has been posted that has a direct relationship to the macro image that is being drawn (see attached screengrab for proof of concept).

We are inviting people to hunt out the 43 objects we have scattered over London and post them to the site. People will create this macro GPS artwork through solving clues to find the objects, photographing them and then uploading them to the site with mapping co-ordinates provided on the object, and at 43 participating blogs.

Each of the objects contains a letter, and when each marker has been uploaded all of the letters together spell out a question. Participants are invited to work out what that question is with prizes from Moo.com, and Nokia, as well as two tickets to James Nachtweys launch party on the 30th October.

Using map markers to create macro artworks on web maps is a novel and unique innovation in GPS drawing. In combination with a simple and accessible puzzle style gameplay and mobile blogging, we hope that this idea will spread far and wide, creating a new form of self or group expression, and help create a new audience for casual city games.

The URL for this project is: http://moblog.net/map/blog/findme/ – and the clues went live at midnight last night (this morning?)

If you live in London, why not come join the fun?

Find Me

No Comments | In: Announcements, Mobile, Technology (General), art, personal projects, street | | #

There has been of course much talk on the web following Twitters announcement that they would be stopping SMS out from the service in all territories save the US, Canada and India. Why these regions? Well, in the US and Canada, as it was about 6/7 years ago here in the UK, you pay to receive SMS. India I’m not certain of, but it doesn’t *seem* to be the case looking at operators local sites, and considering the intense mobile culture out there, as well as the proliferation of free SMS services it doesn’t seem likely that that is the case there (please let me know if it is).

So Twitter have managed to negotiate and maintain deals with carriers in these regions and of course in these cases it is certainly in the carriers best interests as it really drives SMS use in the US and Canada where SMS uptake has been extremely slow. That’s great, and laudable, and as Sarah Lacy said today in amongst the ’stop whinging UK!” jibes, “They’re trying to build a business!” I couldn’t agree more, but I believe that if their model is predicated upon this one solution they have at their core – getting operators to agree to send their messages at no charge to Twitter – then it is as it always was; kinda broken.

We knew here in the UK when the service first took hold that it was non-sustainable, and there has always been a tacit understanding that the fail whale of free sms love might sink; we’re willing to pay! Sarah says in her post “…it can not be beholden to carriers” – but isn’t that exactly what continuing with only this model represents? Being totally beholden to the carriers that allow them to send messages from the service at no cost to their business? What about the day (which will definitely come) when the US and Canada follow the rest of the world in making receiving SMS free? Look, SMS is frankly in and of itself ridiculous; it’s DATA, and it’s data charged at £374.49 per MB… THAT, is unsustainable, in any market, and will be another bolt that comes shooting out of the bloated bodies of carriers worldwide eventually. So, the carriers are as much to blame/myopic.

The fact is, Twitters model has been partially broken from the outset, and the close down of European services is indicative of that. It’s also indicative of a telco community who can’t see the wood for the trees. Most importantly, this was an opportunity for Twitter to truly experiment with it’s model; keep the service free and bung a 40 character ad into the second text! Give me a bundle option! I disagree with Sarah’s position that Twitter finding new ways to continue sending me the messages I want to receive sets a bad precedent; I think it sets an excellent one, one which scales, one which presents Twitter with new business and revenue generating opportunities, and most importantly to me, means I continue to get the DM’s which have become a big part of how I communicate online.

Please take as read that of course I am not privvy to the nature nor detail of any operator deals struck here, I am speaking solely from what I see and understand of this subject, and am always happy to be corrected.

10 Comments | In: Uncategorized | | #

Ive been pondering monopoly/antitrust laws and how these global issues might become exceedingly important to mobile phone manufacturers global strategy. Let’s take Nokia, who are at the moment the most bullish in shipping devices with powerful consumer applications, integral to their re-imagining of themselves as a ‘web company’.

As the mobile moves to become the dominant digital/web access device globally ( via mobhappy ), that Nokia (for example) may be open to the same kind of treatment as Microsoft was in it’s EU antitrust battle through its inclusion of Nokia Maps, Ovi etc as part of the OS the devices ship with….

I’m really thinking about Africa and the developing world here; Nokia could, potentially, be the global leader in computing within 5 years. Does this open up antitrust questions when considering their on handset application approach? Perhaps there is something in the way that mobile phones are actually defined in law that is very different to how computers are described/classified?

I don’t know enough to comment without some research, but I wanted to air the thought. What do you think?

6 Comments | In: Mobile | tags: antitrust, nokia. | #

Moblog has teamed up with Spinvox, Nokia and Moo to celebrate the multitude of accents to be found here in the UK.

To take part, just call 0151 266 8283 and tell us which accent you love (or hate) the most and why.

Your post will then show up as converted text, along with the recording of your message played back through a flash audio player. Check out the moblog <a href=”http://lovetheaccent.com/”>here</a>, and have fun!

First prize is a Nokia N82, a years free trial of Spinvox, a years subscription to Moblog, and 250 free moo cards of your choice. Great prizes, and all you have to do is pick up the phone!

We love your accent

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2 Comments | In: Uncategorized | | #

Wow. This really takes me back. I loved doing this, and it made a difference to the Palm OS community back then. The palm OS back then didn’t support MPEG or AVI natively, and we were working with another startup MMplayer in bringing video media to the Palm using a proprietary DRM system they were developing.

Things were moving ahead beautifully, we’d had the meeting with Disney, we had the contracts with media owners, we were ready to roll, heck, we *were* rolling. Then Palm rolled out native MPEG and AVI support. Cue end of business. It was in November 2003 that I started Moblog with Mat, so although I was disappointed it was natural for me to funnel my energies into that. I’d learned a lot through palmpixels, and having done it it really helped me in knowing how to forge b2b relationships to help build Moblog. Wow, waybackmachine indeed

Palm Pixels.com.

No Comments | In: personal projects | | #