Comments for The Project Factory

Comment on The game of cricket as a database by James King

James King — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:46:25 +0000

Amazing. I was impressed when I found out a friend of mine’s son had a board game that was really just a set of dice with a pile of cricket scorecards and then some statistics in it.

But this model is really impressive - the person who created it was obviously born to work on databases or complex models

Comment on Visualising the world by Bob Hitching

Bob Hitching — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:31:25 +0000

Nice read Jen. I agree, AR will ultimately become a feature - another way to visualize content - rather than a product in itself. There’s lots of opportunity for whoever can build the right platform for content generators to add this feature. Personally I’m looking forward to using a heads-up AR display (sunglasses or contact lenses) rather than a camera phone - needed for ‘push’ and ‘discovery’ of location-based content rather than ’search’.

Comment on Going all Android by oliverw

oliverw — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:27:22 +0000

My 2c worth:
While I think that Android will become the dominant platform, I think the iPhone will remain the dominant user experience. The UI layers that handset manufacturers are putting on top of Android (HTC Sense UI & LG S-Class & Samsung TouchWizz) mean there won’t be a single “Android User Experience”, but the underlying platform will have the widest reach through it’s sheer number of manufacturing supporters. But this also leads to the issues of fragmentation (e.g. http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/11/android-fragmentation/)

To the consumer the experience is the key, and Apple’s iPhone/iTunes/App Store end-to-end user experience will, I think, stay the leader.

Comment on Going all Android by Raj

Raj — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:41:13 +0000

Great write-up, Jennifer!

Really interesting to compare the iPhone vs Android battle to that of the Apple vs Microsoft scenario from the past.

As much as I love my iPhone and love Apple’s brilliance in innovation, user experience and clever marketing, I’d have to agree that unless Apple really shakes things up a bit, Android will most likely be the
dominant mobile platform in the near future.

Besides the points you’ve raised, Jennifer, I also want to add Apple’s standoff against Google itself (which a lot will agree was inevitable). Firstly by rejecting Google Voice (and facing a lawsuit as a result) and secondly their divergence away from Google Maps (since they’ve bought out their own mapping company).

No matter how great Apple is with hardware and innovation, I just can’t see them going head to head with Google, and winning. Google just has access to FAR better technologies and resources when it comes to the online space (eg Search, Picasa, Maps, Orkut and more). Especially if you consider the potential significance of Google Wave. If that becomes what it is touted to be, Android will no doubt have native support whereas Apple will once again (as with Exchange) fall behind.

All in all though, it’s truly great to have such a fierce competition between the iPhone and Android. No doubt consumers will enjoy the many benefits of innovation and technology that was previously left stagnant in the hands of Nokia.

Comment on Going all Android by Jennifer Wilson

Jennifer Wilson — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:15:43 +0000

Gavin, I agree with you wholeheartedly on iPhone being the first of the new generation of connected devices (even if I think it isn’t the best *phone* I’ve had, it’s the first functional connected device I’ve had).

I agree the apps store is pretty key to usability, and they have made it ubiquitous for iDevice users. What I find interesting is that if I were Apple, I’d be doing what you said - either building Apps Stores for other other players, or even smarter, putting Apps that work on other devices in my store…. (something more than ‘home brand?), but the way that Apple seems to be determined to stop Palm from using the iTunes store smacks of the ‘if it ain’t Apple, it isn’t right’ mentality that has hallmarked the company for years.

It is this exclusionism that makes me think that Apple will, over the next few years, see Android become a more serious (and relevant) player.

Comment on Going all Android by Steve Glachan

Steve Glachan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:10:00 +0000

Really good article! Thanks.

I\’ve read lots of these types of articles lately and they all seem to start practical but end up biased. I like your view point and I agree that it is inevitable that Google Android takes a very prominent position in the world-wide mobile ecosystem market. I have a HTC Dream/G1 and although I see it\’s many short falls I can also see the potential that will come! Like most Google offers, it starts out slow, spreads in popularity, becomes more and more flexible and usable and then it\’s almost like it\’s always been there.

I personally can\’t wait to see how it changes the landscape with new software and hardware being designed as we speak.

Thanks again for an interesting read - looking forward to 2011/2012.

Comment on Going all Android by Gavin Costello

Gavin Costello — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:42:46 +0000

An interesting article, but one which misses the main points about the current and future position of iPhone. a) Apple want to be a profitable company for their shareholders
b) I doubt if Apple want to \’dominate\’ or care if they do - see a) for reasons why
c) the iPhone is the first inherently (by anyone) usable mobile device.
Three cheers if Android becomes better and more adopted (i think it will). If iPhone has done nothing else it has shaken up the mobile manufacturers into at least attempting to produce devices where people can actually use all the functionality
d) IMHO, the Appstore/Itunes Store is Apples key driver.
iPhone/iPodTouch ecosystem is the window into that in the mobile device space right now. At some point (and unless they are cleverer than we all are assuming), they may allow other devices into that ecosystem to purchase content. But only when they are certain they can deliver the right level of UX for the customers of those other systems.
If I were Apple, I\’d be building an iTunes Store for Android right now to provide that UX.
Thoughts?

Comment on What stops screen content practitioners from getting more involved in digital ? by Linda Tizard

Linda Tizard — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:14:59 +0000

thanks for these papers Jennifer,
it\’s great to see your thoughtful analysis , not to mention some evidence!
it’s not *too hard* but it will take new ways of thinking, and maybe some new channels will need to be dug by legislation for the flow to happen

Comment on What stops screen content practitioners from getting more involved in digital ? by Jill Moonie

Jill Moonie — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:42:32 +0000

Looking forward to getting hold of the Digital Frame and Digital Deadlock papers- just the issues we\\\’ve been discussing in the Northern Rivers region. Of course access to broadband would help us out! We need more of these discussions, Please include this region in any further research you do.

cheers

Jill

Comment on Mobile, Locative, Augmented Reality by Guy

Guy — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:45:45 +0000