Friday, July 13, 2012

Tablet Housecleaning

I have a problem with space on my Acer A100 tablet and until Acer gets it together, I have been looking at the apps I loaded. I have been looking at those which require Internet access especially. Since I use WiFi, unless ther is some compelling feature in the app, it really isn't worth using it instead of the browser version. In fact, there are a couple of apps where I actually PREFER the mobile version of the site over the app.

I think I may be finding the purpose for the tablet. As I have said before, it is definitely better at consuming content than at producing it. It is kind of nice as a book reader and for getting the news and accessing social media. I guess I'm still searching for the perfect mix of devices for my style and budget.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

The case for responsive web content

Take a look at this page by Christiaan Lustig. It argues for design based on "top tasks" and not particularly on the patform -- mobile vs. desktop vs. tablet. I agree with his conclusions that you should look for your users' top tasks and that these will change based on their location/context rather than on the particular platform they are using.

Sure, I still think you should start with the smallest platform -- i.e. mobile -- to force the team to consider the most basic elements of your responsive design and what is really important to your users, but he raises good points about the "locational" and "situational" elements involved in determining what is important to your customer when they visit your site in different situations.

It's a good read.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Acer A100 More Experience

I have spent more time with the tablet and have been a bit disappointed. It seems that the A100 doesn't store programs on the SD card which causes memory issues. Acer REALLY needs to fix that in their next release. I also have been unable to root the device. I have removed a number of apps (which I really wasn't using all that much) and have gained back the space to some extent. Rather frustrating, however.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Pinterest, Still trying to figure it out

I'm still trying to figure out this site. It appears that images are the thing, but not much else. I browse through things and still don't get it. Maybe I'm just old or not into images all that much.