Still more meaningful interaction would be so much better. Interaction that really illuminates to content not just bells and whistles. I have high expectations in this new space. We need someone like Cyan who originally created Myst to step up and shift the expectations in this reading environment.

If Alice in Wonderland was the text and an interactive experience like Myst imagine the experience!

You can download Myst for your iPhone and you can now play the next level of Myst online here.

Yes the phones were programmed with timed ringtones. Nice video. Nice installation.

This camera created a paradym shift in photography. Instant and high quality the SX-70 was a joy to use. This film made by the Eames Office to explain the technology and uses for the camera. It is a wonderful little film. It is inspiring from a product and design view. The Eames office took a liking to explaining complicated concepts.

Enjoy a technology of the past that set the bar for the future.

OK. Now we’re talking.

I would buy this device. I know it only does books — a one trick pony. But it let’s you lend your books to others and it doesn’t look like a Texas Instruments calculator. This device looks like BN hired some product designers and some interface designers, and a marketing crew that knows how to do point-of-purchase.

Barnes and Noble have listened to the criticism of the Kindle and have brought a more sophisticated and attractive device into the fray.

• The price is reasonable from the start.
• Design is clean.
• Multi-touch.
• Color navigation panel (for swiping through book covers, a la iTunes)
• You can buy it in a BN store. (many distribution points — one a few blocks from me)
• You can browse digital books
• You can lend your book to others on a number of devices
• It has a memory expansion slot
• It can play MP3’s
• It can read PDF’s (essential)

Did I mention that the design is clean? The device is a bit thicker and weighs more than the Kindle. The other important part is moving away from proprietary formats.

Lending is good.

I’ll be heading down to the Barnes and Noble to check it out. I’ll let you know if I am as impressed when I can touch it.

—–

Having done this kind of work for more years than I’m actually interested in admitting to — this video stripped away the intellectual and considered part of the process for me.

It’s sorta depressing actually.

All this work for that cover. Hmmm.

Yesterday Mr C. did lots of labels for moving our office.

A sharpie is a labeler’s best friend.

Half way there.

Done.

Awesome!

What if every object could tell its own story? Haven’t you wished that you could just google anything? Well if you use RFID you can get information from any object that has an electronic tag. Each object in a way is a smart object.

If you have a reader attached to a device like a smart device, in this case an iPhone. You can come in proximity of the object and tell you the object’s story. It’s pretty interesting technology that can be used say for touring museums. You step up to a painting or sculpture and put your iphone next to the label. It recognizes the painting and allows you to see content about the work. Add links to sources on the net and an expantion of information based on your interests.

This is a nifty video showing the possibilities of using RFID. If you want to know more Check out this post: http://www.nearfield.org/2009/04/iphone-rfid-nfc

What if every object could tell its own story? Haven’t you wished that you could just google anything? Well if you use RFID you can get information from any object that has an electronic tag. Each object in a way is a smart object.

If you have a reader attached to a device like a smart device, in this case an iPhone. You can come in proximity of the object and tell you the object’s story. It’s pretty interesting technology that can be used say for touring museums. You step up to a painting or sculpture and put your iphone next to the label. It recognizes the painting and allows you to see content about the work. Add links to sources on the net and an expantion of information based on your interests.

This is a nifty video showing the possibilities of using RFID. If you want to know more Check out this post: http://www.nearfield.org/2009/04/iphone-rfid-nfc

Been working on the design of the new Heavybubble HQ. This space will server as studio, HQ, and gallery for exhibitions. This is one of my earlier renderings using the marvelous free SketchUp from Google. To see more of the design process of the new space head over to the artlog.

Do you usually pay to be a beta tester? Not me. I usually get something free for debugging somone’s product.

Well today Amazon released the bigger dog of their reader and will charge you about $500 bucks for a device that looks like a cardboard prototype of a technology product from the 80’s.

Expectations for electronic devices are considerably more sophisticated than what the Kindle offers. Now of course Amazon is just warming up the market for a smart innovative company like Apple or a smart startup to take over much like Apple did with the iPod. I actually think that Amazon doesn’t care. Amazon is all about the distribution chain. They want to sell you the content not the device. They just created the device to create more interest in reading. Certainly the publishing industry doesn’t understand how to do that. But will this actually reinvigorate the reading market? That remains to be seen.