parislemon

confectionaryrenegade: let’s BBQ. I’ll take two.

Fri, 25 May 2012 10:46:11 -0700

let’s BBQ.

I’ll take two.

I was a bit surprised when I first saw the screen above on the...

Thu, 24 May 2012 22:35:00 -0700

I was a bit surprised when I first saw the screen above on the (great) new Facebook Camera app. That’s the initial screen you get when you first open the app. But how on Earth did the app know my name? I assumed, of course, it was related to the fact that I also had the main Facebook iOS app installed on my iPhone — but still, how did those two apps talk to one another as neither is system-level?

Here’s how. (And here’s Apple’s documentation on it.)

It’s a smart way to do it (though it may get a bit of backlash). And it will allow Facebook to continue to build separate apps for key features — perhaps an Events app next? — that are quick and easy to install and use. Now just imagine if this was baked into iOS itself so other apps could use it (just like the Twitter iOS integration, but actually even a little more seamless). It would save a lot of typing and/or a number of clicks for app switching (Single Sign On). In my mind, this “hack” shows why Facebook eventually needs to do their own mobile OS. Deep integration and seamless use are paramount in mobile.

John's Tumblr: Computers = Trucks

Thu, 24 May 2012 22:18:09 -0700

John's Tumblr: Computers = Trucks:

lilly:

I picked up a phrase some time ago that I think applies: “The next big thing is always beneath contempt.” Implication being that it is, of course, until it isn’t. Until it’s too big to ignore. This has happened over and over again in our society. In the middle ages, people assumed that no serious discussion could happen in anything but Latin — the so-called “vulgar” languages had no merit. And writers assumed that nothing interesting or lasting would come from this new medium of television. And, I think, people assume right now that nothing important will be created from a 10” touch screen without a keyboard (let alone a tiny 3.5” screen)….

Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep.

(via Being a Geek on Facebook)

Thu, 24 May 2012 22:13:31 -0700

(via Being a Geek on Facebook)

Facebook Camera

Thu, 24 May 2012 10:45:12 -0700

Facebook Camera:

It’s about time. I know this seems a bit crazy given the recent (but not yet completed) Instagram purchase. But I had heard a few weeks ago that the app was really close to being done.

Remember, the Instagram deal was done very quickly by Zuckerberg himself. I imagine they figured there was no point scrapping all the work this team was doing — at first glance, the app looks great — especially since the plan is to let Instagram operate mostly autonomously. And again, the Instagram deal isn’t done just yet (but it will get done).

Motorola Will Be Google’s Most Interesting Project Yet

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:34:00 -0700

Motorola Will Be Google’s Most Interesting Project Yet:

Dan Frommer on the Google/Motorola deal:

One opportunity would be to formally split Android devices into three tracks: Plain-old-Android, do what you want with it; the Nexus program (significant Google control, available to select partners); and a third line (complete Google control, exclusive to Motorola, ideally the highest-quality line). We’ll see if that happens — and if it does, whether it works. Everyone has different motivations for Android: Google, phone manufacturers, carriers, and consumers. They might never harmonize.

I do think track three will happen eventually. And when it does, track two will become meaningless. You simply cannot have your cake and eat it too — and then throw it up and eat it again.

The 4-Inch Display

Tue, 22 May 2012 20:56:00 -0700

The 4-Inch Display:

John Gruber, elaborating on the previously linked 9to5Mac report:

First, at 1136 × 640, you get a diagonal of 1,303.877 pixels after applying the Pythagorean theorem. There are no such thing as fractional pixels, but what I’m talking about here are pixels as a unit of length, equal to 1/326 inch. Divide 1,303.877 by 326 and you get 3.9996 inches. Boom, a “4-inch” display.

If Apple does indeed change the screen — which is looking increasingly likely — this thing is going to make the last few iPhone launches look very meek. There will be none in the “but it looks the same as the last one” camp. Everyone will want to upgrade.

And if they add LTE as well…

fastcompany: Scientists at MIT have developed this freaky...

Tue, 22 May 2012 20:49:32 -0700

fastcompany:

Scientists at MIT have developed this freaky non-stick coating that keeps ketchup flowing. Amazing solution to an old problem. Also one of the weirdest videos you will see this week.

Read more->

Both awesome and gross at the same time.

alexheath: UI design in The Avengers So awesome. Definitely...

Tue, 22 May 2012 20:46:10 -0700

alexheath:

UI design in The Avengers

So awesome.

Definitely some interesting interfaces. So. Much. Translucence.

As For The Past 16 Years...

Tue, 22 May 2012 15:19:29 -0700

As For The Past 16 Years...:

It would be one thing to point out StarTAC once as a fun homage to Motorola’s history, but Google goes out of its way to point out the device in both their official blog post about the Motorola deal and the ~~propaganda~~ facts onesheet.

The money line:

Its many industry milestones include the introduction of the world’s first portable cell phone nearly 30 years ago, and the StarTAC–the smallest and lightest phone in the world when it was launched.

I mean, that was 16 years ago! Google couldn’t come up with some innovation a little more recent?

Admittedly, it is pretty hard. The only recent innovation I can nail down is perfecting the art of losing money.

Stolen iPhone Adventures

Tue, 22 May 2012 14:31:00 -0700

Stolen iPhone Adventures:

A guy named Nelson stole Katy McCaffrey’s iPhone. Little did he realize his photos would end up in her Photo Stream. Or that she would post them all to Facebook…

Gotta love technology.

At least it looks like Nelson had a wild night on the USS Dumbass.

(via Ryan Vance)

9to5Mac: Both of these phones sport a new, larger display that...

Tue, 22 May 2012 14:11:00 -0700

9to5Mac:

Both of these phones sport a new, larger display that is 3.999 inches diagonally. Apple will not just increase the size of the display and leave the current resolution, but will actually be adding pixels to the display. The new iPhone display resolution will be 640 x 1136. That’s an extra 176 pixels longer of a display. The screen will be the same 1.9632 inches wide, but will grow to 3.484 inches tall. This new resolution is very close to a 16:9 screen ratio, so this means that 16:9 videos can play full screen at their native aspect ratio.

Most interesting to me about this is the mockup that implies the actual size of the phone itself won’t change, just the screen will get larger (and just longer, really).

Certainly, Apple seems to have some room to maneuver here given how much black “trim” is shown on the current iPhone, but it’s not clear how this would work with the internals of the device.

Previous mockups have shown a longer device — but, of course, that means nothing.

If the device is indeed the same size, awesome. I’m all in favor of a larger screen, I just don’t want a bigger device. For all the iPhone/Android back and forth, I think we can all agree that devices like the Galaxy Note are absolutely ridiculous.

And I love, love love the notion of a 16x9 ratio for iTunes video content. The black bars drive me crazy on a screen that small. And zooming is a lame option.

thedailyfeed: popculturebrain: Character Posters: The Dark...

Tue, 22 May 2012 13:56:33 -0700

thedailyfeed:

popculturebrain:

Character Posters: The Dark Knight Rises | Coming Soon

OMG.

Actually, even better.

fuckyeahmovieposters: The Dark Knight Rises character...

Tue, 22 May 2012 13:53:15 -0700

fuckyeahmovieposters:

The Dark Knight Rises character posters.

RISE.

"Why was upside down from the user’s perspective an issue? Because the design group noticed..."

Mon, 21 May 2012 23:18:00 -0700

“Why was upside down from the user’s perspective an issue? Because the design group noticed that users constantly tried to open the laptop from the wrong end. Steve Jobs always focuses on providing the best possible user experience and believed that it was more important to satisfy the user than the onlooker.”

- Joe Moreno, formerly of Apple, talking about why the company made the call to go with a logo that was upside down (from an onlooker’s perspective) on older Apple laptops.

Of course, Apple eventually corrected this problem. As Moreno notes:

Opening a laptop from the wrong end is a self-correcting problem that only lasts for a few seconds. However, viewing the upside logo is a problem that lasts indefinitely.

soupsoup New details about Apple’s upcoming ‘Spaceship’ campus...

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:16:00 -0700

soupsoup

New details about Apple’s upcoming ‘Spaceship’ campus revealed

Best mail-order catalog ever.

Google Speech Tech Head Mike Cohen Gone From Google?

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:39:59 -0700

Google Speech Tech Head Mike Cohen Gone From Google?:

If true, it’s really interesting. When I started hearing that Apple was working with Nuance last year on the Siri stuff, digging in, I learned that one of the reasons why Google was one of the few companies with their own voice technology was thanks to Cohen. Nuance is known to be very aggressive with pursuing lawsuits over their IP, which leads to a lot of partnerships — like Apple. Google was able to maneuver these waters without a Nuance partnership because Cohen was a co-founder of — wait for it — Nuance. And, more importantly, holds several of his own patents in the space.

Google is clearly working on their own direct Siri competitor for Android. And it was presumed that Cohen — and his patents — would be the key to this. But if he’s now gone from Google, it raises a lot of questions.

(via Dan Primack)

Google Chrome Leapfrogs Internet Explorer as the Web's Top Browser

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:05:36 -0700

Google Chrome Leapfrogs Internet Explorer as the Web's Top Browser:

The writing has been on the wall for this for some time. Chrome is great and IE hasn’t done anything interesting in years — the recipe for disruption. I suspect Google themselves will announce this milestone soon.

Next up: the battle for mobile browsing dominance. Safari clearly has the lead here right now, but Google is pushing hard with Chrome for Android. Next up: Chrome for iOS?

Skyfall? In.

Mon, 21 May 2012 12:34:19 -0700

Skyfall? In.

futurejournalismproject: Made in New York City A map of NYC...

Sun, 20 May 2012 14:13:28 -0700

futurejournalismproject:

Made in New York City

A map of NYC start-ups, incubators and investors. Also includes information about companies that are hiring if you’re in the market.

A pretty awesome way to visualize just how much startup activity is happening in NYC.