Digital Living

Firefox Sets A New Guiness-Book World Record As The Most Downloaded New Released Software!

The formal announcement is not yet made, but the official is now preparing to announce Firefox as the most downloaded new-release software on the internet.

We always believe in the power of the people. The magical act of people doing things together.

But the way they do it is really really awesome. How they come up with an idea that makes people around the world do something great and really excellent together is really really awesome.

And -- at the end -- the way they let everybody that is involved to keep a "token-of-rememberance" of such world-scale accomplishment is really really wonderful. Truly wonderful too. This is how they did it:

People around the world. We can create truly magical things together.

Truly awesome!!

ps: I'm waiting for my "banner" too :-) Such would be really really awesome to keep and remember. :-) :-) :-) Once, in a lifetime occassion. :-)

Amazing! This Digital Screen Could Be Folded Like Paper!!

It is amazing to see the form factor, dimension and capability of latest digital screen that Sony produced and reveal to public just recently:

Oh My GOD, can you believe that this ultra-thin, plastis, foldable object is actually a screen???

It is so magical.

People say that this "foldable screen" is made of organic plasma, which is being encapsulated in foldable plastic film. By design it is extremely "paper thin"! People can fold it and carry it around very lightly.

Here's a video that shows that:

Purely magical!

Imagine what would happen if one day this "foldable screen" also become so "affordable" in price, and so "connectable" to the internet.

1. More and more people would eventually more prefer to carry this "foldable digital paper" around,   instead of carrying physical paper anymore, because this digital paper can stream and browse information direct from the net.
2. We no longer need to carry "stack of paper", because everything is now available from the internet's digital realm.
3. Our computer would become thinner and more flexible, and we can fold this "computer" to make it easy to carry around. Then we can "unfold it" quickly when we want to start work at anytime.
4. Eventually we might be able to "write" on top of this "digital paper" computer, and send the result to the net to be stored and saved. We no longer need to carry our today's "thicker, luggable notebook computer" around anymore, because eventually our "digital paper" has become the "computer".

Imagine how a great amazing future it would be!

Through this "digital paper", everything that we want to do suddenly probably could be done more intuitively, more ergonomically, more flexible, powerful and easy than we could done it before.

Everything back become "as easy as paper" once more. The difference is that we are all now doing it "all again" through the new "digital realm" that is made possible by this cute little powerful "magical paper".

Wonderful!

ps:

• Some more information about this "foldable technology" current research state, and its future development, can be found here.
• Also do take a look here to see the latest state about this technology's reincarnation and development.

Multi-Touch Interface & The "Look And Feel" Of Computers In The Future...

Multi-touch interface will redefine how we interact with computers and how we interact with information that surrounds us.

In the past, multi-touch approach can only be done using specialized device that early pioneers such as Jeff Han had created.

But, in a not-very-long-future, multi-touch interface might touch every aspect of our life. It really perhaps one day should be the way we are interacting with our computers from now on.

Take a look at how it could be:

iPhone 3G -- "Double" The Speed, Half The Price -- Awesome!!

The magnificent beauty now comes with better speed through 3G, and with its magnificent price cut in half!

Awesome. Splendidly awesome!! A big platform war is about to begin!

We'll see how Microsoft, Blackberry, Android and Symbian will respond.

ps: Here's a video that depicts people's "prediction" about what the "next" iPhone features would be; and how will look like. Pretty fascinating stuff. Enjoy!

Wall Computing Is "Coming Soon"...

A new exciting form factor for interaction design might emerge soon in the marketplace. It's called "surface computing" -- or if I would rather prefer to call it: "Wall Computing".

With "wall computing" the impact and potential of information and technology to surround, influence and enhance our interaction and everyday living would be even higher.

Imagine at anytime during the day we can turn our "wall" into a "screen" and can immediately talk, video chat, conference and interact each other through this "wall" with no hassle.

Being able to do such would be truly awesome.

You might say, but that's just like the "Web TV" thing that we talked about a few days back. You probably right. Yet now imagine what would happen if -- instead of just being able to "read, chat and interact" through this wall -- we could also writing on top of those "walls", and -- as we write on top -- the "wall" smartly, seamlessly and interactively send the data/image across?

Such would bring computing and interactivity design into a whole new package of "great experiences", in ways that we never seen (nor never experienced) before!

People would then be able to wake up everyday in their home, go to their wall to check their morning "journal" (on their wall), and immediately save, tag, comment, annotate, jot down and respond to that piece of news and information online, right through their "wall", right ON TOP of their "wall" !!!

When such "wall computing" capability happen, our digital world will reach its greatest potential. That's the time when the power of the web magnificently combined with the potential of the interaction device that we can leverage and use, everyday.

Through that our daily living and working chore would never be the same again. It will improve significantly so much, for the better.

I can not wait to see it happen ... (and/or to participate to make it happening too). :-)

How Google Looked Like When They Started...

This is how Google looked like, when they started (1998):

Even, prior to that, this is how they look like:

People say everything great starts from small, then grow eventually very fast. I totally agree.

Alot of great giant company that we saw today (Apple, Microsoft, Sony, Matshushita, Toyota, Honda, Ford, Xerox) ... were all initially have one thing in common: once they are all small tiny struggling innovative company, which later on invent and redefine the industry that they are focusing on.

The early days of Apple

The first Apple product - the "Apple I"

The early days of Microsoft

Microsoft whole employee photograph - 1978

The early days of Sony

Sony early factory & headquarters

Sony Employee (the whole company!)

Sony G Tape Recorder

Sony Tape Factory

Sony H Tape Recorder - for Home Use

Sony Transistor Factory

Sony Transistor Radio

Sony Pocketable Transistor Radio

Sony founders -- Akio Morita & Masaru Ibuka

When something start small and then grow, we see nothing else but beauty of their founders great, continuous, consistent, persistent, ingenious effort in building things to try to make it happen.

Their journey become a great story that inspire many more entrepreneurs and business builders to come.

This is how Google look today:

Awesome!!

Palm Centro Smartphone: Low End Alternative For Business Mobility?

While Palm positioned Palm Centro as the most affordable smartphone device to allow people to keep in touch through phone, text, email or web, it's potential seem to be beyond just for "fun" stuff.

Looking at the spec, this device seem to have tremendous potential to become the portable "mobile working device" that also -- at the same time -- is the most affordable too.

With a price that is reportedly could be as low as $99.99 (with 2 years data plan -- in the U.S), surely this device is a great bargain. Everybody can now get connected and work anytime anywhere, as long as network and wireless GSM GPRS/EDGE or CDMA 2000 connectivity is available.

Unfortunately it doesn't come with a Wifi (yet). But seems it got alot of great potential to be a superb great device someday in the future, especially if it can keep the simplicity (and intuitiveness) of its Palm OS, and if it can keep the responsive speedy feel of the application performance.

If Palm can also give its OS a modern skin appeal -- so this easy, stable, fast, responsive and simple to use OS and software platform doesn't look very tired, boring, and old, as how it looks today -- then its relevance and popularity might increase back even more. After all, beyond skin look and feel, people do  love speedy response, intuitive - easy to use - interface, workable keyboard, as well as very stable OS.

Let's take a look at the latest Palm screen, and feel again its directness, speed and simplicity that is still uniquely differentiate Palm from its competitor. Then later on let's imagine how would it all feel so great, if a modern skin interface can be applied on top of that!

If such "skin upgrade" can be done, I feel the whole usage and interaction experience would be wonderful and great.

We look forward for a greater future at the Palm camp. After all, they are the one that pioneer the "palm" and mobile computing industry.

If they can get their OS' skin improved to current modern age, and if they can get their device form factor to become as sleek as their "Palm V" once had been, I feel the future at Palm could be as wonderful and as great again as it used to be.

We will see how the future goes. I do really hope they would get their mojo back very very soon -- before everything becomes way way too late.

BlackBerry Bold Really Look Awesome!

Blackberry Bold really look awesome! With 3G capabilities built in, now we shall not be restricted to our desk anymore to do our everyday work stuff.

The device comes with a reasonable form factor. The size and dimension seems almost perfect.

Yet screen size is perhaps the only worrying factor.

• Can we conveniently browse and enter information through such screen size?
• Would it be effective and productive to read and type-in information under such form factor?
• Would the iPhone approach be better?

This is something that we need to study further. I wish the keyboard could disappear. But again I think RIM (the maker of Blackberry) is right: as of today, physical keyboard still function better (and more accurate) than the iPhone's soft keyboard. Today's iPhone's soft keyboard needs alot of getting used to, before "normal person" can start using it effectively.

Moving forward, we will see how 3G portable device evolve to become more mature and effective both as a browsing device, and data entry device. At the right time, we will see more and more possibility of moving our computing chore from our desktop and laptop, to our "palm" top as well.

When we can start doing everything on our "palm" top, work and computing would then become so seamless and doable everyday, at anytime, anywhere.

Awesome!

This TV Has A Browser Built In!

This might be a beginning of something important in the future:

A new generation of TV (from Sharp) now has a browser built-in. The announcement said that this device had a LAN connectivity and a built-in browser, hence at anytime we would like to switch from "viewing" mode to "browsing" mode, we can do that without having to switch to our computer.

I wonder whether this means that with this "Browser TV" we would be able to run YouTube also or not. If we can, then it will be really great. We then can start to experience "personalized TV" on our "everyday TV"!. For example:

• We can turn on our "daily TV" everyday for "normal mass-aired-program", but when stuff start to get boring, we can switch to our own "personalized" TV (for example by turning on YouTube, and other personalized web stuff), and enjoy our own personalized channel broadcast and programming.

• When we saw something interesting about product, or event that is currently happening, we can then turn on the "browser mode" as well, hence we can start to see various related information about that subject -- news, information, pdf, presentation, youtube, blogs, people commentary, etc -- right on the same screen, on our TV!!! Even we can chat with our friends live about that subject (that we saw on TV) and hear their opinions about it ... around the world!!

• May be someday we can also "tag" this TV? For example, when we saw a great program, product or advertisement, we can "tag" that content, store it as a "bookmark" in our browser, and then forward it to our friend as recommendation. We can say: "John, do take a look at this product and program, it looks fun!". Or we can also say: "Have you seen the new spiderman movie, I saw the advertising and video clip recently here". (And then the TV will display the video clip on when people click on the "here" link).

This brings personalized content richness and bi-directional interaction capabilities of the web, with the powerful event trigger capabilities of the "traditional mass TV" together.

• Such will have great influence on how we (consumers) consume media, and how branding, marketing and TV-programming would be done in the future.

• Such also will bring new tremendous power we never seen possible before, and open up totally new possibilities of how we (mass consumer) would see, think, feel, and experience TV in the future.

I guess it's a start of many more great "social interactivity design" and "personalized media consumption" things to come.

What a fascinating possibilities!!

Soon The Way People Communicate & Work Together Around The Globe Will Change

Soon, the way people communicate and work together around the globe will change. No more we will be bounded by distance that separate us. Our "office" will become global. No more boundaries for getting effective and productive. Everything would be simply visual, communicative and interactive at the same time.

Video, sound and document will be integrated as one.

This is probably an illustration of how we will "look", "talk" and "interact" each other in the future:

• Linda in Japan.
• Jenny in the USA.
• Robert somewhere in the planet.
• All in "one" place!!!

The technology is soon will be fully ready for that. The people are increasingly ready for that. What is needed now is perhaps a continuous systematic effort to really make it happen.

We will see how soon it will become a true, daily, everyday reality.