Category Archives: Technology

Mobile WebApp Profile: PopSci

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PopSci Mobile

The latest revision of Popular Science magazine’s mobile site at m.popsci.com sports a searchable blog style timeline of recent articles and photo features from the publication’s desktop site. The site is attractive and the content is great, but usability is hurt by a couple of non-functional page elements that invite the user to tap them but end up doing nothing. For example, there’s a “Browse” dropdown at the top of every page and a similar “Comments” dropdown at the end of … Continue reading →

Take A Survey To Help Determine European Internet and Telecommunications Policy

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My friend Ajit Jaokar at Open Gardens alerted me to an unusual opportunity to help influence the future of the mobile and fixed Internet. The European Internet Foundation (EIF) is a non-profit organization composed of elected members of parliament from the various EU nations and industry representatives. It’s mission is to promote telecommunications and the Internet in the EU nations. The EIF is asking for public input on a proposed “Digital Agenda”. The goal of the Digital Agenda seems to … Continue reading →

Open attitude – Advocating Unlocked Phones and Free Software

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Serial blogger, social networking gadfly, actor and director Andrew Currie, has “gone pro” with a new blog, Open Attitude covering some of my favorite topics; “Fair use, free software, unlocked phones and other things that are open.” The new site looks great and Andrew is off to a running start with a flurry of posts on desktop Linux, unlocked phones, file sharing, copyleft, Creative Commons and more.  Andrew’s goal is to spread the open gospel and it seems to be  … Continue reading →

Why No “How Stuff Works” Articles On howstuffworks.com?

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HowStuffWorks.com is a great site featuring thousands of articles that uses  non-technical language, charts, diagrams and videos how all sorts of complex products, technologies and processes work. Typical articles have titles like “How X works” where “X” can be anything from “OLEDs” to “identity theft“. I recently discovered that How Stuff Works has a mobile site and immediately headed there to check it out. I have to say I was a little disappointed. There’s nothing wrong with the site’s design,it’s … Continue reading →

Read Web Development Articles on Your Phone

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This site, called “My How To Articles” describes itself simply as a database of how to articles. It must be a bit of a puzzle to first time visitors. The user interface consists of just a search box. No browsable categories, help, “About” or suggested searches.To find out what it’s about I had to enter queries for random subjects until I got some results My first guess was home improvement tips or MacGyverisms like how to fix a leaking car … Continue reading →

Linux Journal’s Big Mobile Site

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Since 1994, print magazine Linux Journal has been covering the open source OS from all angles with news, editorials, reviews, and how to articles on using the Linux and developing software for it.  The articles cover a wide range of skills levels from beginner to guru kernel hacker.  The quality of writing is very high for a tech magazine, hardly surprising as well known blogger and co-author  of the Cluetrain Manifesto, Doc Searls is senior editor and writes many of … Continue reading →

World Wide Coverage Maps at GSMWorld.mobi

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I spent my vacation last week roaming around the US Midwest including some time along the shores of Lake Michigan in Northeastern Wisconsin. It’s a beautiful area and the Northern latitude and breeze off the lake make it a lot more temperate than sweltering Chicago and Milwaukee. But it’s also an area were the nationwide GSM operators, ATT and T-Mobile, don’t have any towers.  My ATT GoPhone prepaid SIM was useless there but T-Mobile To Go, also prepaid, offers extensive … Continue reading →