Google redesigned the Google home page presented to Apple iPhone users and now it is totally useless.
Before, it was the general mobile version of the site, which showed my headlines, weather, Gmail and other content all in a quick glance.
Now it is a simple search box and I have to actively choose to view my content. Why did Google make it more difficult to use?
More and more companies are beginning to design versions of their sites that have versions optimized for the iPhone. I never thought Google would take that route, but it has.
So much for the “real Internet” on the iPhone.
The old version of the Google Mobile home page was just right.
It was fully customizable and let users choose from a wealth of news feeds for the latest headlines, movie times, weather reports, stocks and so on.
For those that wanted a brief rundown on what was going on in the world and in your own neighborhood, it fit the bill. Now it doesn’t. At all.
The new version of the Google home page for the iPhone has a large search box smack in the middle of the page and tabs across the top to access different services.
Those tabs are Home, Gmail, Calendar, Reader, and More. Below them are some more selections for signing in and changing search preferences.
The Home screen is just the search box. I could not find any way to customize this page or add in the content that I was used to seeing here.
The Gmail tab obviously brings you into the Web version of your Gmail.
The Calendar tab shows you the upcoming events in your calendar. The Reader tab shows you all your RSS feeds (assuming you have any and actually use Google’s Reader).
The More tab brings you to a basic menu of other Google mobile services, such as Documents, Google-411, Blogger, etc.
It’s under this More tab that you have access to news and unfortunately it is no longer the customized news you had picked out, but just the generic Google news stories of the day.
If you ask me, Google is trying to make its home page more smartphone like. Quick access to calendar and email accounts are buttons or functions you’d see on smartphones.
The reason I am complaining is because it took something that I had come to rely on, and changed it to something that is less useful to me.
Will others love it? I am sure they will. My experience has been altered for the worse.
Posted in Apple + Google + Technology + Wireless | 
Ever held a differing opinion from your boss? Boasted dissimilar ideas than your co-worker? Been knocked out by a colleague over a disagreement about a project?
OK, so the last one might be a stretch, but it’s happened before… I’ve seen it. Ka-blam!
Like birth, death, taxes, choice and change, conflict is a constant fact of life. It’s also a fact of the workplace, especially when you deal or interact with people.
Make use of the following tips to resolve conflict at work:
1. Choose your battles
How important is the dispute really? Does it truly affect you, and is it a chronic problem? If it’s a one-time incident or mild transgression, let it pass.
2. Expect conflict
Decide that friction will occasionally emerge in the course of human relationships. Don’t fear it – rather, learn to spot the symptoms early and see opportunity in the resolution.
3. Use neutral language
Avoid judgmental remarks or sweeping generalizations, such as, “You always turn your reports in late.” Use calm, neutral language to describe what is bothering you.
For example: “I get very frustrated when I can’t access your reports because it causes us to miss our deadlines.” Be respectful and sincere, never sarcastic.
4. Practice preventive maintenance
Avoid retreating to the safety of withdrawal, avoidance or the simplistic view that your co-worker is a “bad person,”. These are defense mechanisms that prevent the resolution of conflict.
Try focusing on the problem, not the person. Never attack or put the other person on the defensive. Focus on actions and consequences.
5. Listen actively
Never interrupt the other party. Really listen and try to understand what the other person is saying.
Let him (or her) know you understand by restating or reframing his statement or position, so he knows you have indeed heard him.
6. Get leverage on yourself
When dissent between you and a co-worker appears without resolution, it is time to get leverage. Ask to be held accountable.
This brings your performance evaluation into the equation but without taking away your responsibility for resolving the conflict.
This is hard to do, but remarkable change can happen when you are held to task.
Remember to Fight the Good Fight and if you ever have conflict at work, remember these six tips. They could help save your mind, body and soul. If you feel you still need help navigating workplace conflicts, you could consider taking online negotiation courses from Creighton University.
Posted in General + Random Thoughts + Technology |
Wal-Mart has ordered record labels to kill off DRM once and for all. The market or at least the one that matters most has spoken.
The mega-retailer is mandating that suppliers provide MP3 versions of everything, according to Billboard. Most have already complied, its article suggests, with Sony BMG the predictable holdout.
Let us forget for a moment that Wal-Mart’s online music store is a joke. When Wal-Mart tells content publishers to jump, they don’t ask how high: they just do it. No-one wants to be taken off that particular shelf.
Posted in Music + Technology + Web |
You can always count on BoyGenius for some juicy details on upcoming devices.
He has once again struck gold with some details on a new 9000 series from RIM that will sport an iPhone-like touchscreen.
Here are some of the technical specifications:
- 480 x 320 screen
- 1GB of built in memory (the 64mb was getting old)
- Intel XScale PXA270 processor at 624MHz
- 3G multiband HSPDA support
- 2 megapixel or maybe even a 3.2 megapixel camera
- GPS & WIFI in the Same device
Personally I hate the idea of a touchscreen and would mourn the loss of my trusty keyboard. I really dislike the two handed requirements of a touchscreen.
I do like the idea of 1GB of built in memory and High Speed Packet Data Access. I’m looking forward to at least giving it a test drive before I totally say no to the new BlackBerry.
Posted in Technology + Toys & Gadgets + Wireless |
Although there aren’t many details currently available, word on the street is that Microsoft has previewed an update to its smartphone operating system, Windows Mobile 6, to the lucky few attending the annual Mobius conference.
The first report I read came from Engadget this morning, stating that it’s an “update, not an upgrade” running on existing hardware.
Manufacturers will be able to get their hands on the new software in the first quarter of next year.
Here are some of Engadget’s preliminary impressions:
Very slick, and has a lot of features that just about any WinMo user will agree is way overdue. In other words, we’re expecting users will be stoked—no doubt about it.
The updated is not Windows Mobile 7, dubbed by Microsoft as “Photon,” which is also expected to be released next year and said to be powered by Windows Embedded CE 6.0.
Sorry folks, that’s all I know for now.
Details will surface in the near future, likely at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) taking place in Las Vegas in January.
Posted in Microsoft + Technology + Toys & Gadgets + Wireless |
November 29, 1972: Pong, the first popular videogame, is released in its original arcade-game form.
If it seems crude by today’s standards, well, it was crude then, too and it was meant to be.
Pong was the brainchild of Nolan Bushnell, a founder of Atari, who was inspired to develop it after playing an electronic table-tennis game at a trade show.
Nolan Bushnell, having recently designed an arcade game he deemed too complicated because you had to read the instructions before you could play, Bushnell strove for utter simplicity.
“I had to come up with a game people already knew how to play, something so simple that any drunk in any bar could play,” Bushnell said later. The game, actually designed by Atari engineer Allan Alcorn, was Pong. It was indeed a game that drunks could play, and they did.
The first coin-operated Pong arcade game was installed at Andy Capp’s, a tavern in Sunnyvale, California, where Atari was located. It was an instantaneous hit, confirming Bushnell’s suspicions and vindicating, yet again, H.L. Mencken’s famous dictum.
Four months after its appearance at Andy Capp’s, there were upwards of 10,000 Pong arcade games scattered across the land. This caught the eye of Magnavox Odyssey, developer of the game that had inspired Bushnell to dream up Pong.
A lawsuit followed, resulting in an out-of-court settlement in Magnavox’s favor. By then, however, Pong had moved to a home-console model, which was very different from the original.
Bushnell cut a deal with Sears to act as Pong’s exclusive retailer, and the 1975 Christmas shopping season was a lucrative one. This can fairly be said to have ushered in the era of home videogaming.
Source: Wikipedia
Posted in Gaming + Technology + Trivia |
