Secret of Apple's Designs

Apple's products have been heralded as the best of designs. Someone has identified the secret of the source of apple's inspiration - Braun. The designer behind the Braun's products of the 1960s
is Dieter Rams. One can clearly see the similarities in their philosophies way beyond the sparse use of color, the selection of materials and how the products are shaped around the function with no artificial design, keeping the design "honest."

This passion for "simplicity" and "honest design" that is always declared by Apple Designer Jonathan Ive whenever he's interviewed or appears in a promo video, is at the core of Dieter Rams' 10 principles for good design:

• Good design is innovative.
• Good design makes a product useful.
• Good design is aesthetic.
• Good design helps us to understand a product.
• Good design is unobtrusive.
• Good design is honest.
• Good design is durable.
• Good design is consequent to the last detail.
• Good design is concerned with the environment.
• Good design is as little design as possible.

This post would be rated as one of the best posts I've found in the blogosphere.

Timeline/Calendar based File Manager

Calendar/Event Visualizations are becoming very important as the explosive growth of content in everyone's desktops. Nemo, a Calendar based File manager has just been launched for Linux.
This is a surefire winner. Like the Compviz and Beryl Graphics for Desktops, another innovation coming to Linux first.

hiehrarchial carousel widget

A Nice Visualization Widget for Hierarchical datasets..

In-Box 3.0

Google and Yahoo are planning to add Social Networking to the In-Box . But This is adding more spice to InBox 2.0 : Stream Processing and Rich UI elements put in right mix.

Wal-Mart’s $200 PC - sold out

The first batch of 10,000 gOS PCs have been sold out indicating that there is potential sweetspot for these linux devices in the market. Web 2.0 technologies are already changing the desktop space. Ulta-Lightweight and Cheap Internet Access Devices in the PC form factor would become the mainstream computing form factor within next two-three years and Desktop Linux might become the standard OS for that future.

GPhone/Android - Welcoming it with Open Arms

The Android Platform is the first mobile platform that promises to allow 3rd Party Applications a equal footing to bundled applications. The story so far is that Mobile Device Makers have always restricted the capability for 3rd Party to develop innovative applications by restricting the access to hardware features of the phone. For eg. Using Symbian and J2ME as a ploy, Nokia had restricted market all the good applications to itself.

As a frustrated Mobile Developer, I welcome Android with Open Arms.

Here is the feature list from Android :

1. All applications are created equal
2. Breaking down application boundaries
3. Fast & easy application development

These features would cut through Nokia's World Domination Plan of providing content, games and other software services. It also threatens the power of Mobile Network Operators significantly and reduce them to be just Mobile ISPs.

Computing for Second Billion

Asustek's $300 Laptop is making waves already in the market. Everex, the Maker of gPC - the $200 desktop is also jumping into the fray with a $300 laptop. What is in common with the these two is that they are both having a sleek linux desktop as the OS. Forbes has covered the Asustek Laptop in this Jonney Machine article.

GOS screenshot looks great;


Computing for the Next Billion, as put by Asustek CEO, Jonney Shih, is going to be the significant IT trend. Nokia seems to think the same.

There are 1.2 billion people on the Internet. It took 12 years to reach that milestone; it will take only 7 years more to reach the next billion. Most will be in developing markets, and most will be getting online first with a mobile device, very likely a Nokia. With such customers out there Nokia has a historic opportunity to become synonymous with the Web much the way Google, Yahoo and Baidu are for millions now. "We almost have an obligation to create a market here," says Kallasvuo.

Here is the video of the Eee PC user experience :