I say smart phones should and can return, but you say they still exist. Well flash back Watson, before the iPhone came out (now lets face it, it’s not really a “smart” phone anyway) these devices had a different name and were touch phones or PDA phones. You see I’m talking about the days when the sheriff was Windows Mobile, which means things were completely different, what were smart phones? Well they were the candy bar phones you see today, however these phones were smart, they were on par with the touch devices in terms of compatibilities.
Now the world of hackers and enthusiasts of Windows Mobile will say that the operating system never really got a successor. While Windows Phone exists, the architecture is completely different and so is the direction the operating system goes in. Windows Mobile tried to do what a computer was first and phone second, so these devices had those entire nick knacks like Office, and its routes came from more legacy PDA phones from years before.
Now why am I bringing this back up? Well you see I recently had to go back to my old BenQ e72 for various reasons. Now this little phone I picked up in 2009 I’m pretty sure. So I bought it after its time, as you can tell from how I’m telling this story the e72 was a little bit older then when I bought it. I’m fairly sure the device was a 2007 or 2008 device, hold on I can only find when it was announced which was 2007. So clearly from that you can tell it isn’t a spec king, its Camera is only a measly 2 mega pixels for instance. While no doubt spec wise it wasn’t king of the hill even back then, it was a middle of the pack for the candy form factor and gave a genuine punch to previous candy phones. Now design wise this phone was in a new league of its own, it was in a era when Windows Mobile started to sunset and the world was looking for something new, which was when most of the best looking devices came out. Compare our little e72 with some older candy phones of previous years you will see it is considerably thinner and smaller. However compare it with something much closer to our time, like the Zune HD while not a phone embodies the smaller scale touch screen factor which has become very common, and you will notice that they are round about the same size with the Zune been much thinner.
So clearly this phone isn’t the king of the hill, so where does its form factor lie today? Most cheaper phones which are not “smart phones” will have this candy style form factor however they are disappearing into the dust with the past few years been less and less new announcements of phones in this form factor. Which I think is a drastic loss to the mobile industry.
Ditch the whole idea of touch and enhancements which came with it, and keep to the whole button idea. Or use touch like the Nokia Touch and Type phones use them, how it is more of an “inclusion” not a requirement. I think a form factor simular to a Blackberry could also get help from this. Something like Windows Phone 7 with its metro style would be great to a point, I don’t think that style of design would work on a phone with this style. To push my point further, simular crowded versions which appeared in Windows Mobile at the time didn’t work either. If Microsoft were to reintroduce these form factors with a Metro interface the style would have to be considerably “lighter”, heck even something like they used on the Kin could work with some tweaking.
While it is out of date now, I think a modern approach to these type phones could still work and there would defiantly be a market for them.
The whole idea of this type of set up for phones with built in number pads and a “candy” form factor seems to relate to a stigma of they are for old people. I feel as if however if a push to make cheap, but functional styled candy phones with features which many smart phones have these days while giving it a much easier to use and setup approach then people will relate to them much easier and be more inclined to buy them.
The problem with smart phones these days seems to be that while they offer lots of features, the popular smart phones like the iPhone and various Android devices give users to much options, not that is a bad thing but many of these options are just in the users face. They don’t know why they need to go to a certain area in the settings to perform a task. Or they can’t simply find the feature they want. Moving away from setting up the phones even the whole icon list approach to phones is just stupid from a functionality stand point. While you can easily see a folder or item you have to look for these items much more then use them, that is why Windows Phone nailed the icon approach in the head and simplified it a little more, it still is at its core that disgusting icon approach which smart phones have come to be related to, but it does it in a more simplified elegant approach.
All you hear these days is Internet is stealing the local stores money and other crazy stuff like that. Basically the dinosaurs are throwing their tales around and missing the point. So what would an average street be like in the future? With the adaption of internet shopping for various types of retail, will the common street front be a thing of the past?
Entertainment like movies and games will slowly disperse from retail stores to the internet. Were the upkeep is drastically less than hundreds of stores across the country. This will be good too for the consumer, with the consumer wanting more and more entertainment cheaper than the current high market price. I could see what little entertainment which does exist in the retail stores been limited to smaller selections and big releases aimed for the “right there, right now” market. However with the increasing effectiveness of postal services this too might just disappear.
Supermarkets will still exist, while they are trying for that whole online push as well, like the delivery systems tried years ago they will just forget them as well. The whole idea of purchasing produce online just seems a more over presented pointless exercise. Especially when half the time the stores themselves usually have the dodgiest produce, why would an online warehouse supermarket have any fresher?
I expect the future of the shop front will be more speciality stores which are not aimed at entertainment or convince but what a consumer would need locally. For example building supply stores and other industrial setups. The corner store would probably return and the malls will be a of a relic of the past.
Bars and clubs should also evolve, not as a “this is the future” but more as “this is what I want”, stop panning for the typical Bogan and put in some sophistication to a night out. Evolve to more of a lounge style set up which is open late with various actives outside the usual rave party; give us some board and video game setups.
The Chip Behind the Idea is an idea for a website, a feeling an emotion a desire. Okay I’m going to stop trying to sell the idea, as it would be quite obvious by now if it was a success or failure. However this one has a story, and some interesting designs. So tonight I will bring you the second Site Histories Editorial of the day.
The site was from 2010, late in the year approaching the end of the year. You know that usual November or December or even October style time frame which seems to be the period all my sites start up in. However to be honest if memory serves right many of the sites final designs and days where only this year in the heart of January and if you want to know what happened next, first you must know what the site was, or least what it was going to be.
I don’t remember a day when the site was public, okay maybe it was, you know it was, however I think it was that usual week before I got bored style thing. But that is okay it was failed at the start. You see the concept was simple, make a brand new never before scene websites, take one average gamer who likes the whole idea of the behind the scenes stuff and then- you still playing attention? Then you put them together with email and skype based interviews posted each week. Okay that was the original concept, see how horrible cringe worthy it is. I know I do.
So what happened next? Well the site became something different, something existing, through the development process I decided that what I just outlined to you was never going to happen. So I decided to make more editorial based content around various observations with Video Games and then when the site is accuarly up try for those big gun interviews with developers about games.
So the idea obviously didn’t take off like that either. However the site was home to a few articles which if you go back a few pages on this site, no doubt you will find them.
So why are these articles on Trinest.com now? Well obviously I didn’t want to make them go to waste. However there is more to the story then that, to find out we have to look at what was happening at Trinest.com at that time. In the final months of 2010 the site had design quite similar to what is on here now, but it was a bit messy, the colours were not right (if your lucky the old.trinest.com archives are still up and that should be the design I’m talking about). So I kicked the site down to a project page for a bit around the time I was working on The Chip Behind the Idea. I felt that the content which was originally on Trinest.com was written pretty horribly, while I might be going back to that, the problem was also the articles which were written didn’t really have any substance. So no one was going to read a shoddy article if it is about well, nothing.
So with the dawn of The Chip Behind The Idea obviously not going as well as I want, it was time to relaunch Trinest.com I made the current layout and uploaded the editorials from The Chip Behind The Idea to the site. I also dug through the old archives to find articles worthy of been put back up on the site again. After that I tried to continue the similar style update schedules which I proposed for The Chip Behind The Idea.
However moving on to The Chip Behind The Ideas designs, they are quite unique. They resemble the transition of styles which Trinest.com had experienced over 2010 as well as reflecting some other styles I had for other sites at the time. More importantly you will notice that one of the designs I talked about only in the last article. It is the red theme from Another Code Labs. However this theme is also used for The Chip Behind The Idea, as a base for the website before I started anything in it.
I then decided to make something unique for the layout, which this next layout became the layout through the sites “beta” phase. While I havn’t talked about the 2010 era of Trinest.com yet, it does contain many elements from various designs during that time. The article section for example was from one of the designs previously made for Trinest.com. All that was done to it was some slight colour changes. This is also true for the “final” layout of The Chip Behind The Idea which used the article sections from another Trinest.com theme from 2010.
Other then that the designs are very basic and contain ideas and elements from the eras mentioned previously.
ACL Converted for TCBTI |
“Beta” Design |
Final Design |
You know it has been more than a year, maybe a year and a half since CiNG went into bankruptcy? What is CiNG you ask? Well CiNG was the developer of the Another Code Series. The video game which Another Code Labs was no doubt based around. So I felt today might be a good time for another look into layouts of old, layouts from a time gone past. Like CiNG itself, forgotten in time, and with many of the layouts gone for good. However there are some which still exist showing off what Another Code Labs was once when it was in its prime, as well as what it became, when it turned into a disgusting mini site and a shadow of what it once was.
Up on the discussion block today are four layouts. Two of which are from the old era, which I want to talk about first- for the simple fact they show both what the site was when it was in its prime, and where I was design wise and knowledge wise when it came to making websites.
These original layouts are also quite old, from the period of 2005 to 2006. Their exact dates are unknown, but they are from an era which I used a content management system called iGaming CMS. Back in those days I knew little about making a website and when it came to the designs on my sites, they where either free layouts or ones which where made by others. In this case however these two designs where designed by me, and the layout was then coded by someone else.
Dubbed “ACL 9” and “ACL 10”, while they probably were not to far off the exact layout version are completely different to the ones before and after it. I think the best way to look at it, is to first look at “ACL 9” and see what it represents.
“ACL 9” is green, and you will be surprised to know that around that time many of my layouts where not green. While green has become the stigma which is attached to Trinest.com, my previous sites such as Another Code Labs and either older sites like Aussie DS where known for their blues. Another Code Labs also featured sites with pallets such as brown sand greys. So while this is one of the first green sites I’ve made, what else did it put on the table? Well it was also around the time other games got introduced to the Another Code Labs website. Such as Konami’s Lost in Blue (Survival Kids) series and when this layout was introduced coverage of Animal Crossing (by Nintendo of course). Other games also followed while using this design such as Darwinia. However those extra games where dropped soon after. (The site went back to just CiNG titles and Lost in Blue games). So other then that design wise, the site used a combination of various sprites and artworks in the headers.
Moving on to “ACL 10”, it is a drastic change and quite a different colour scheme. While unable to be seen by looking at the design, this is the time where the other games where dropped. It also continues use various sprites from Konamis’ Survival Kids GBC title. Once again it has been coded by “Careykid” (obviously an internet alias) who reminds me in this raw design that I’m going to get my ass handed to me in Mario Kart. Well it’s on CK, if your reading this- the challenge is still available. Joking aside, with this drastic colour scheme which seems to work so well you might be wondering how I came up with such a colour scheme at that time. Well inspiration and the general colour pallet was drawn on from the default theme of a Forum Software called NextBBS.
Moving on to the Mini Site design which I’m some what disappointed in. There is a story behind it, at the time I had decided to stop doing the whole Another Code Labs thing. Which lead to a serious of events which my backup of all the awesome content I had disappearing. Which when I decided I wanted to do the site again, and I randomly looked for the information and found nothing- so I stitched together a Mini Site. Since that time Another Code Labs had never been the same.
Following the Mini Site blunder was a time when I decided I wasn’t going to do it again once more, which then resulted in, you guess it a return to wanting to do it. So that is where the final design today comes in. I did however make a serious attempt to try and get the site back to its former glory this time around. However it ended up resulting it the site been ramped with FAQs from around the internet instead of original content. The design was also used once again, but red when I tried to do the whole CiNG website again. This time around I dropped the Another Code Labs name, and tried for something like “Cingida” which was something like “Cing Information Database” Wiki? I’m not to sure. But if you guessed that project went to nothing as well, then you would be right.
ACL 9 |
ACL 10 |
Another Code Mini Site |
Rebirth |
Will the social fad die?
When you say something like that it is quite hard to really know what your trying to imply. After all the whole socialisation of the human species is at the core of us, or something. However let’s just look at Facebook and other social networking sites around on the internet right now. They have all fundamentally stayed the same for quite some time and not many offer any unique features or socialising options.
Look at Facebook, Google Plus and Disporia. They all have the same ideas and overall design. Social networking on these sites at the end of the day are all the same core technique and style. The reason why moving over from MySpace and Bebo to Facebook worked so well at the time was because Facebook accurately offered a much more solid interaction with friends. At the time it was the top of the game, but since then it is the same core design which has been reused over and over again. It has become a internet fad, rather than a way of networking and sharing. The current design of social networks has run its course.
All the new social networks which are arising, Google Plus and Disporia are meant to change the way we think about social networking. Revolutionise the game. However at the end of the day it is the same core design from Facebook. What changes have they used to change the game? Well the friend list was shaken a little to allow more customisable sharing, which guess what, that got copied to Facebook anyway.
When I last talked about social networking, I talked about MySpace and how it should of evolved and become a key player in a different side of social networking. I raised the point it should try and target Deviantarts market rather then Facebooks, by becoming a more creative social outpost. I still stand by this point, and I want to further say that all social networks should probably incorporate more and more creative socialisation into their websites.
Social Networking should become more private, allow circles to be tightened and information that is revealed to the world much tighter and more portal styled. It should be like a different view for people who look at a page, for example let’s imagine this crazy creative social network site did exist, the global page for all could be a more personalised project hub site. While as you go through the circles you start seeing more interaction with the core owner, such as emailing appearing into the hub area, then pictures of holidays, pictures of friends, status updates and finally full interaction and commenting through various hubs. While this tightening of social networking is starting to happen, it still doesn’t allow the user full control of their information, at the end of the day they are just limiting the information to various users, rather then allowing limited information to present a different way of socialising with different people.
I think something else I should mention in the Trinest Talk segments which are not real articles, otherwise they’d have more swearing and bad spelling in them is the emergence of Coldplays new album Mylo Xyloto.
Mylo Xyloto is an album with one of the most bizzar names in the world. Coming out later next month with an array of tracks. The idea behind it seems it has been split by a imaginary line which gives the musical tracks distinct styles. Also the album is meant to have some sort of underlying story as well, which the separation adds to the whole idea.
The first half features songs like Every Tear Drop is a Waterfall and Paradise, the more poppy styled songs from the album. As well as the best song in the world right now, Charlie Brown.
The second half however features songs like Major Minus and Up in Flames which have a more “old school” Coldplay styling. Also may I mention that Up in Flames is the most boring track ever?
Well maybe not, but it seems the more older styled tracks in the album are not as good as the new age stuff. Which seems to be more energetic and while the “hardcore” Coldplay fans can have the argument that the new stuff has no Soul, the other half which is more older styled doesn’t either to the degree they want. It seems to be fleshed out to the point its a fan service to sound the same. But don’t get me wrong- they are still good tracks.
So this week was some kind of conference for developing for Windows products, and at the end of the day, the biggest thing sweaty nerds where waiting for- was the Windows 8 Development Preview. Which would be downloaded by more then just developers. Including me, while many people who did this looking at websites are disgusted by the operating system and comparing it along side a completed version of Windows 7 or something. I’m going to compare it to the betas of Windows 7 and Vista.
With that in mind, what the hell was Microsoft thinking releasing such a buggy produc…..I mean what?
I think for me the disappointment is the new UI which they have designed. Not for the fact it’s stupid or what ever else a frequent Apple fanboy would use to throw shit at Windows. No for the simple fact it doesn’t really work well with a laptop computer, if for example I had a touch pad- it would be the best dam thing since sliced bread. But on a laptop it just feels conflicting.
I love the metro apps, until I realised they didn’t do everything in the world, with the Twitter and Facebook applications been very limited. But I guess they are beta items. I was wondering also why the Development Preview had them to begin with, as well as why would they be included and not a simple email application. Seriously- wouldn’t an email application be more useful for a developer then checking their Twitter or Facebook?
While it is still in beta, and lets face it- its not even a beta yet, its more a preview. I understand that, but what confuses me is if Microsoft will go with this same style with the final product. Aka the new Windows “menu” thing. Because quite frankly on a desktop based computer it is the most confusing set up in the world. Especially to find various things I had to dig around to get used to their placement. If I am confused at this, what makes Microsoft think the average user would find it easy? I guess with the future been Tablets and Transforming devices, I guess it might not be that much of an issue.
On the flip side though, I’ve found it to be an enhancement to the Windows experience which once it is included will probably never leave. The ribbon in the general desktop areas also isn’t as bad as once thought either.
After using this preview, I can’t wait for the final product, simply because I can see already the backbone of so many ideas and features which would be amazing once working or finished.
It has probably been the finest month for Nintendo fans who indulge themselves in the news as well as rumours through the internet. From the rumour which the device was going to get a circle pad attachment, as well as a future redesign to the circle pad accuracy been a real thing. The end result seems to be a perplexed emotions and loss of direction from both the fans and the company itself.
What we know for starters is very little, but what we fear has grown to a considerable list. With the 3DS console already having a shaky path, it doesn’t seem like the future is any smoother. While we know that the Circle Pad provides a few more control options and attaches to the 3DS in the ugliest bulky way, does this represent the whole situation Nintendo has put themselves in? A flurry of disjointed decisions to try and restore the brand image of the system after riding off the success of the original DS line, choices such as keeping the original line on life support while launching the 3DS and the slow trickle of any games at all, as well as the huge price tag and the fact that 3D just plan sucks what more could there be?
Regardless of what Nintendos original intention was with the Circle Pad, it has now become a frenzy of bad publicity relating to what if anything would be the future of the 3DS system. Especially when the Circle Pad originally was rumoured alongside a future redesign, as well as rebranding of the 3DS system. There is becoming a zero confidence in the company when reading forums and other websites relating to video games because of the announcement of the Circle Pad.
While at the end of the day the original intention was probably a harmless “an extra option if need be”, and keeping it limited to possibly just Monster Hunters. It has risen to the fear of it been a requirement for future titles, as well as when the inventible redesign will most likely include the additional control methods within the system. Even if Nintendo says that it wouldn’t be required, when 3D also isn’t technically required in games, only one or two games have launched without 3D support for the 3DS. With the original selling point for the 3DS been the 3D factor which failed to ploy the mainstream attraction to the system like the DS had, the new selling point will obviously be about the control methods and styles, sort of going back to the whole “touch” angle, but instead “it has buttons”. Returning to the confusing angle of buttons isn’t going to attract the mainstream audience which since the PlayStation generation have been geared to simpler games and of late motion controls.
It seems Nintendo is going in circles for problems to its latest console launch which where relatively simple when you look at them. Just release some games, advertise the thing outside of random people just looking at the device with seedy smiles and lower the price. Heck the majority of these things have been completed, bar the games thing- which looking into 2012 onwards the system was set to have more support from Nintendo and third parties. Which maybe if we think about it, should of the system just have launched a year later?
Another Site Histories article, which means more designs to pluck and pick at. Today we are looking at the archives at a design which was called “Global Theme”. To be honest it wasn’t that global, it just at the time if I decided I was going to make something else, just featured a version of that theme. It also was used on various network.trinest.com or other hub like locations I had at the time, so there’s that too! Oh and I think there might have been some kind of punbb forum attached to this style too at one time.
For the most part this global theme has only been on the trinest.com site. In fact any other project which it was going to attach itself to never really used it. I place the use of this theme simular to the basic simple style I had some time after, as well as Project Soil and I’m probably forgetting another layout too, but the point is, it was a design which it was just easier to port stuff to, rather than making a new design.
The exact era of this design is unknown, but what I do remember is that it was used quite early in 2008, and later again that year and possibly again sometime in 2009.
The most simple of these designs was the blue one, which was going to be used for a fansite of some sort, or something else. All I know is it obviously came after the green one (for the simple fact I wub lime green). I think it is a boring design to talk about, so let’s just talk about the descent into madness this design held, as it went from normal looking to lime. With the lime version with a suitable name called “lime rape”.
Colour direction aside, if we look back at this theme, it probably is one of my favourites I’ve created. For the most part I feel as if the original is pure perfection. With the colours chosen possibly a bit to obscure for some monitors and the coding probably not the best in the world, it does come short to what I could do today, for example the design you are viewing this page in.
However the colour direction cannot be pushed aside, the original while great ended up getting a little bit darker green while the banner tried to become the opposite. With lime becoming more and more common in the design. The end result of course is “Lime Rape”, which the whole theme is pretty much lime of some sort.
The banner while crazy and confusing, as well as possibly acceptable just draws blood from your eyes. Which is one of the reasons the blue theme also ended up been created with the site also flipping back to using the original.
I think I’ve also used this design temporary in recent years. Which shows how dynamic it really is.
Global Theme – Original |
Global Theme – Banner/Image changes |
Global Theme – “Lime Rape” |
Global Theme – Blue |
It was a few weeks ago, when my friend Kieren who I had previously made a design for his Non-Stop-Tech site rambled to me drunk on Messenger about some kind of Celica website. After I finally got the gist of the idea, that he had become some kind of walking billboard for a Celica car club he had joined and wanted to make a website, I decided “of course I’ll be in this as well”.
I instantly had an idea in my head, as it was a website for a car club which often engages in road trips, I wanted to identify a map on the main page. Also at the time I had just finished looking through various older designs I had made, and was inspired by one to make it similar in design to it.
I didn’t have to design any graphics as my friend took charge in making the logo. I just had to code the main design. As well as coding anything which was required to set up the forums or other things.
I never talked to the guy who accuracy wanted the site done, however through my friend I was encouraged to have the design colours red and black. I was also told through various stages if it was going good or something like that.
However through the design process a few suggestions and ideas from the person who wanted the site did flow down to me which was then implemented. Somewhere put in, but then removed as it just didn’t look right, or we ended up doing something a little bit different.
The majority of the content for the site was also created by my friend, who mixed and matched various stuff he had lying around from the Admin of the club. Also a few design changes where implemented due to the content. (For example I added in backquote css and other css calling tags for various functions).
A few problems occurred when trying to figure out forum software for the site. Mainly due to the requirement to have the wordpress and forum login information merged. Many of the plugins tried no longer worked with the current versions of the software, or where just plan hard to use.
Overall the feedback from both helping my friend construct the site from what he imputed as well as from the Admin of the group was reality good.
The site is up on my friends website at http://celica.non-stop-tech.com/ check it out there. (or you can view the site, always on trinest.com by clicking here, note: this version is a development version and may contain elements which have not been used in the final design.)