Shaun Mccran

My digital playground

15
D
E
C
2010

Sensationalist mobile usage claims - is mobile usage changing?

I like to keep abreast of the technology industry in general, and one of the recent articles published by the inquirer piqued my interest.

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1932583/offers-unlimited-smartphones

Its all about data plans from '3' and how they have gone from a 1 gig limit to an unlimited tariff.

The problem with the article is this quote, from Marc Allera, Three's sales and marketing director.

"We expect to see more people using mobiles than PCs to access the internet by 2015."

It's the sort of sensationalist statement that is supposed to create a band-wagon, let alone entice people to jump on it.

My point is that the mobile revolution is already here. It is taking place already. People are subtly integrating smart mobile devices into heir everyday life, without really realising it. The statement above is supposed to make you think, "Hey why aren't I using my phone for all my surfing! I need to do that too!".

The reality is far different. Your home pc (or Mac) is a multi functioning beast. It plays the role of several different appliances, all happily bundled into one. You surf, play games, do your banking, watch TV and a whole host of other activities, because it is an adaptable technology platform.

Your smart mobile device is not a replacement product. It's not even in competition.

To quote a recent argument I was involved in, if a PC/Mac is a 'Car' then a smart mobile device is a 'motorbike'. They both fulfil similar roles, but in totally different ways. Just as you would use each type of transport for specific journeys, you would use your pc/phone for different tasks. To suggest that the functionality of the two is totally interchangeable is wrong.

Suggesting that more people are going to use a mobile to browse the internet on does not signify an increase in mobile browsing, it signifies a fundamental shift in how people use the internet. And that sort of social change is never driven by technology.

08
D
E
C
2010

Differences in calling a function in JQuery

I'm still playing around with some aspects of JQuery, and I noticed recently that I was still writing functions in the old school JavaScript fashion. I was constructing a JQuery selector, and then pointing the event handler to a separate JavaScript function. Like this:

view plain print about
1$("#type").change(changeFields);
2
3function changeFields(){
4    var selected = $("#type option:selected").val();
5            $('.formElems').hide();
6            $("." +selected).show();
7            }

I noticed then that all the other JQuery based functions do not construct the function as a separate entity. The function is embedded within the actual event handler.

More like this:

view plain print about
1$("#type").change(function ()
2        {
3        var selected = $("#type option:selected").val();
4            $('.formElems').hide();
5            $("." +selected).show();
6        });

Both methods work equally as well (IE they do what they are supposed to) but I can't see any reason you would do one over the other. The only thing I can think of is that in the first example the function is reference able from elsewhere, whereas the second code example is not.

Anyone more knowledgeable than me got a view on this?

07
D
E
C
2010

Fable 3 review : post ending re think

When I first loaded up fable 3 I thought that it was a more accessible version of Fable 2. I was convinced that to try and reach a greater audience Lionhead had produced a dumbed down, easy to use for everyone, but un-engaging for actual gamers, experience.

I was wrong. The reason I've decided to write this Fable 3 article is because I've had a u-turn. I initially agreed with most of the game site reviews out there, but having played through it, I have a very different view.

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08
N
O
V
2010

Why develop cross browser designs - why not code to specific browser strengths?

I've been working for a marketing Agency for the best part of a year now, and one of the things that always rear's its head in a digital project is the compatibility of designs in multiple browsers.

We have all encountered differences in design compatibility and functionality due to the browser vendor and version number, but the usual course of action is try and code solutions that address the differences in browsers in an effort to make them look and work in the same way.

This article examines why that is the case, and I put forward the argument that by doing this you are spending valuable project time trying to ensure the same user experience on different browsers, when it may be a much better idea to use that same development time coding to the strengths of each of those browsers, to create a more rich user experience instead of a more generic one.

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