March 28
It’s great when you stumble on a great ad as you are brainstorming your ideas. However, our natural desire to shortcut the process ands up creating annoying and abrasive ads. Here are a few elements you should stay away from.
This data comes from the User Experience 2004 conference, John Boyd from Yahoo! and Christian Rohrer from eBay presented a large body of research on how users perceive online advertising.
What’s Bad
When users were asked how various aspects of online ads affected their Web experience, they rated the following attributes most negatively.
| Design Element |
Users Answering
“Very Negatively”
or “Negatively” |
| Pops-up in front of your window |
95% |
| Loads slowly |
94% |
| Tries to trick you into clicking on it |
94% |
| Does not have a “Close” button |
93% |
| Covers what you are trying to see |
93% |
| Doesn’t say what it is for |
92% |
| Moves content around |
92% |
| Occupies most of the page |
90% |
| Blinks on and off |
87% |
| Floats across the screen |
79% |
| Automatically plays sound |
79% |
These numbers are based on 605 respondents in 2004; similar numbers were found in 2002 and 2003.
Not much changes in the world of what irritates the user. Be aware of these techniques, and anyone who really tries to push you in this direction.
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March 24
Houston Chronicle technology columnist Dwight Silverman, a non-musician who “can only intermittently carry a tune,” describes how he was able to release his inner Clapton using the Smart Guitars and stomp box effects included in GarageBand for iPad. He writes, “Even if you can’t play a note, GarageBand for iPad will have you playing and even composing music soon after you first fire it up. It’s an astonishing piece of software, easily the best application I’ve seen so far this year.”
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March 23
Apple today announced that iPad 2, the second-generation of its third post-PC device, will go on sale in 25 additional countries this Friday, March 25. iPad 2 will be available at Apple Retail Stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers at 5 p.m. local time, and through the Apple Online Store beginning at 1 a.m. Apple today also announced that all models of iPad 2 will be available in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, and additional countries in April.
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March 23
FileMaker, Inc. today released three Starter Solutions for FileMaker Go for iPhone and iPad — Contacts, Documents, and Assets — available with a free 30-day trial version of FileMaker Pro 11. The top-selling business database app for iPhone and iPad, FileMaker Go allows you to search, view, and edit FileMaker Pro databases remotely or locally on an iOS device. Designed from the ground up for the iOS platform, the FileMaker Go Starter Solutions are optimized for iPhone and iPad displays and Multi-Touch gestures.
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March 17
FileMaker today shipped Bento 4 for Mac — now available on the Mac App store — Bento 1.1 for iPhone, and Bento 1.1 for iPad. With new features that include the ability to print labels, export libraries with data, automatically add geographical locations to records, and lock down forms, Bento 4 is a major next step for the popular personal database family.
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March 15
Computerworld reviewer Michael deAgonia writes, “Despite the arrival of other tablets, the iPad 2 remains the best available.” He praises its “beautifully sleek unibody design,” speed (“everything feels faster”), long battery life, and “silky smooth” iOS 4.3. Having used iPad for a year, deAgonia calls it “the Holy Grail of computing” and argues that it “may really be the closest thing to a perfect computer.” He concludes: “If you need or want a tablet, get an iPad 2.”
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March 11
iPad 2, the next generation of the magical device, went on sale today at all 236 Apple Retail Stores in the US and through the Apple Online Store. Every customer who buys an iPad 2 at an Apple Retail Store will be offered free Personal Setup service, helping them customize their iPad 2 by setting up email, loading new apps from the App Store, and more, so they’ll be up and running with their new iPad 2 before they leave the store. iPad 2 is also available starting today at AT&T, Best Buy, Target, Verizon Wireless, Walmart, and select Apple Authorized Resellers.
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March 11
In USA Today, reviewer Edward Baig argues that the “slimmed-down iPad 2” makes what was already “splendid” even better, citing “headline additions” of front- and rear-facing cameras with FaceTime and PhotoBooth, a “snappier” Apple A5 dual-core processor, and “really cool” Smart Cover. Baig calls the new GarageBand and iMovie apps for iPad “a bargain for would-be rock stars and would-be Spielbergs.”
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March 11
Engadget’s Joshua Topolsky writes that because the original iPad “soared far above most of its competitors,” the “thinner, sleeker, faster” iPad 2
is “already at the front of the pack.” Noting that the “unbelievably thin” iPad 2 design has “just seriously raised the bar on sleek, sexy computer hardware,” he praises its “noticeably faster” all-around performance, “astonishing” battery life, convenient Smart Cover, and “groundbreaking” GarageBand app. For potential tablet customers, Topolsky advises that “the iPad 2 is as good as it gets right now. And it’s really quite good.”
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March 11
In a detailed review, MacWorld’s Chris Breen recommends GarageBand for iPad (5 out of 5 mice) as a “flexible and affordable” tool for anyone “from musicians to tin-eared newbies.” Writing that GarageBand “may be the most inspiring musical iOS app I’ve ever used” — and suggesting that it “deserves a Grammy” — Breen highlights the app’s standout features, including Smart and Touch instruments and the eight-track recording studio. He concludes: “Musician or not, it’s a must-have app.”
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