Nov 18, 2009 Posted by alan jones

I don’t want more iPhone apps, I want better iPhone apps

Fred Wilson writes in The Power of Instant Approval that Apple is risking its lead in the smartphone app market by forcing app developers to wait on approval from Apple before publishing their apps on iTunes Store. It’s a growing industry concern — does Apple risk being overtaken by competitors? I think Apple understands the consumer relationship better than any competitor in the smartphone market... read more

Aug 11, 2009 Posted by alan jones

Apple Mail image attachment is bad UX

Apple Mail image attachment is bad UX Two things I don’t love about Apple Mail: It embeds images in the content of the email instead of making it an attachment, leading to calls from Outlook-using friends who don’t know how to get the image out of the email so they can use it. It would be great as an option, but I’d like to be able to choose ‘attachment’ instead of... read more

Jun 29, 2009 Posted by alan jones

Can’t afford a CRM? Address Book may be all you need

I’m more than a little forgetful. I have a mind like a… well, one of those things that let the water out but keep the spaghetti in… what are they called? Never mind. Over the years I’ve developed a number of coping strategies to disguise my terrible memory. I would love to have the time and the money to use a full Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, but I don’t (and... read more

Apr 23, 2009 Posted by alan jones

Internet Explorer 8: the unfaithful ex-girlfriend

Sorry, but I'm with someone new, and it's better (photo by Michael Sarver) Microsoft’s Internet Explorer IE 8 showing up now is like an unfaithful ex-partner showing up a long time after you’ve found someone better looking and less likely to break your heart. Wrote this post after Amnesia Razorfish asked me to write about IE8, for Microsoft’s http://microsoft.com.au/ie8debate. You... read more

Jan 29, 2009 Posted by alan

iPhoto ‘09 face recognition: when tech and magic blur

Even I — hard-nosed, sceptical war-of-information-technology veteran that I am — still get excited about new technology sometimes. Sometimes, the application of a new technology to my everyday life is so good that it seems like science fiction or like magic. Face recognition technology is not that new — it’s been around in various shapes and forms for decades — but the processing power and... read more