aplo | designing experiences

Poor old TV sceens

I can listen to music, check my email, inspect the weather, find out how to get from Bow to Chelsea on the bus, check the pictures my wife has uploaded on flickr, do some shopping, see when my sister’s flight lands in London, and check the TV schedule.  All that on my iPhone’s 3.5-inch display.
So, why is it that I can do none of this, on my 19 inch (I know I need to upgrade) TV screen? Admittedly I can check the TV schedule but Sky’s solution baffles me and I find myself going back to my iPhone for a better experience.  Even widget frames (see IHT) offer more than the good old TV.
I know I can get something like Apple TV but I really do not want to spend more on gadgets  + my TV will simply become another display for my beloved Mac. I am talking about a service offered through providers like BT, Sky, or Virgin. Even American cable providers like Verizon and AT&T have started offering some useful interactivity. So Sky over to you….

Is this the print media saviour?

Amazon has revealed its new extra large Kindle DX. The reading device is designed to support newspapers and textbooks. Recently, there has been a lot of noise around whether devices like the Kindle DX will save the print media from a continuous decline in revenue, a situation that can be argued they have only themselves to blame. The industry has been waiting for an ipod for the print media and they hope they have found it in the form of Kindle DX et al. There are also rumours that Apple is preparing a handheld device that will support colour and video, features at them moment not or badly supported by exiting e-readers.

More on the Kindle DX release in this York Times article   

Domino's feel the wrath of user generated content

What happens when two staff at a pizza company decide to film a prank at work involving sticking cheese up their noses and covering salami with 'some lethal gas' and then posting it on YouTube? Firstly the video becomes an overnight success and secondly the firm's management scrambles to manage the PR disaster.  Domino's found out the hard way how social media can cause a serious PR crisis they simply did not know how to deal with. Following the popularity of the posted video and the subsequent feeling of disgust felt by millions of their customers, Domino's were quick to sack the employees involved who are now facing felony charges.

Apparently the employees involved were 'two idiots with a video camera' according to a company spokesman. Well I guess then until they got hold of a camera they were simply two idiots working for Domino's. That certainly says a lot about the culture of the company and how they feel about their employees.

Read the story on IHT for more details.

eBay parts company with Skype

It took eBay 3 whole years to realise that having spent $2.6 billion to acquire Skype the 'synergies' envisioned have not been realised. So, following a $1.4 billion write-down in 2007, eBay is now spinning Skype off, well not until it sorts out an IP dispute with the Skype founders

Google Voice

 From the ashes of GrandCentral, Google Voice emerges. The new service includes all GrandCentral features + 4 new ones:

1. Free voicemail transcriptions
2. Free conference calling
3. Cheap international calls
4. text message organisation

Read more in the IHT article and have a look at some screen grabs on TechCrunch. 

The game has certainly changed. How will that affect mobile phone operators and VoIP providers like Skype?