Category Archives: Web Tech
PHPMaster: Creating a Mobile Photo Blog, Part 1
It seems like everyone these days is texting away on their mobile phone or updating their social network status every 5 minutes. It’s no surprise that the convenience of being able to access the Internet from anywhere at any time has made sharing messages and pictures so popular. I can’t imagine going anywhere without my cell phone on the off chance that something interesting might happen and I can document it as if I were the first news reporter on the scene. This is the first article in a two-part series in which I will show you how to create a photo blog as part of your personal website which you can update from your phone simply by sending an email. Continue reading
Mozilla, Firefox and the Version Number Chaos
Craig discusses Mozilla’s proposal to remove version numbering from Firefox and the heated debate it caused. Continue reading
Browser Trends September 2011: Can Anyone Stop Chrome?
Craig examines the latest desktop and mobile browser market statistics from StatCounter. Have web developers lost their love for Firefox? Continue reading
BuildMobile: The Future of WebOS
Not very long ago when we were planning the launch of our humble magazine BuildMobile, which you are reading right now, the content strategy included coverage of the nebulous WebOS mobile operating system. Come launch time, there wasn’t enough traction to include it in our platform categories, but we were hopeful for the future. WebOS in 60 Seconds WebOS is a mobile operating system based on the Linux Kernal Initially developed by Palm and first released in January 2009 Acquired by Hewlett-Packard in April 2010 for US$1.2b WebOS uses a “card” UI with a left-to-right flick for app swithcing, flick up for “off” The WebOS broswer, called simply “Web” is based on the WebKit layout engine WebOS “Synergy” feature integrates information from many cloud services into a single list Devices include the Pre , the Pixi and the Veer phones, then the HP TouchPad HP announced in March 2011 that WebOS would run within Windows by the end of 2011 On 18th August 2011 HP announced it would discontinue operations for WebOS devices Potentially even more HP TouchPads will be made and sold at a loss Web Standards based Native Apps A feature that was full of promise, and partly responsible for the underdog adoration WebOS attracted from developers worldwide, is that web technologies like HTML, CSS and Javascript are first class tools for developing native apps for the platform, with full access to hardware APIs like the camera. Continue reading
Will You Use Google’s New Page Speed Service?
Google has released a Page Speed Service which combines proxy servers, CDNs and web page optimizers to make websites 25-60% faster. Craig discusses the pros and cons. Continue reading
DesignFestival: Celebrating The Cicada Principle
You may have noticed the updated background on DesignFestival, currently, it is Blind Date Prep by Alan Dowling . Over the next number of weeks we’ll be rotating the background through the most popular entries to further show off the hard work people applied in this contest. Didn’t catch the contest? The Cicada Principle Explained Gallery of Entries Contribute to the Gallery Thanks again to all of the entrants for their great work, and we look forward to seeing more entries into the Gallery Continue reading
Banishing Browser Address Bars — a UI Step Too Far?
Google and Mozilla may remove the address bar from Chrome and Firefox. Craig discusses the reasons for the proposal and the risks it poses. Continue reading
Real World Accessibility: HTML5, ARIA and the Modern Web
Accessibility doesn’t and shouldn’t exist in a vacuum. The real world is messy. Derek Featherstone and ARIA can help. Continue reading
An Introduction to Google+
The tech media has spent the vast majority of the last week focused on Google’s newest product, an ambitious platform called Google+ that the company hopes will break through their dry spell in the social arena and make them competitive. Continue reading
Browser Trends, July 2011: 1 in 5 People Now Use Chrome
Craig takes another look at the increasingly confused browser market to discover that Chrome now accounts for 20% of total usage. Continue reading