Archive For March 2009

Adobe and Facebook launch ActionScript 3.0 library

31st March 2009

Adobe and Facebook have partnered to launch a free open source programming library for developers looking to build Flash apps for Facebook.The ActionScript 3.0 Client Library lets developers create rich apps with Adobe's Flash and Flex software, as well as the Facebook Platform, more easily,...

MySpace to build Windows Mobile apps

31st March 2009

MySpace has signed up to begin developing apps for the Windows Mobile platform, it has been announced.The social network, along with EA Mobile, are among the newest partners for Microsoft's Windows Marketplace for Mobile store, which is set to launch later this year.Other developers for the scheme...

Charity websites 'could improve online fundraising info'

30th March 2009

Charities and other non-profit organisations could do more to provide the right type of online information to encourage donations, according to usability expert Jakob Nielsen.In his latest Alertbox column, Mr Nielsen explained that charities should provide vital information on their missions and...

Android 'best for innovation'

30th March 2009

The Android mobile platform is the only such operating system capable of sparking true innovation, it has been claimed.Speaking at an event hosted by Nikkei Electronics, the Android Talk Session, head of Wireless Business at Google Japan John Lagerling said that open source technologies are the key...

Opera set to announce new server-accelerated browser

27th March 2009

A new server-accelerated browser for mobile devices and smartphones is set to be announced by Opera at the CTIA Wireless Show in the US next week.The new Opera Mobile 9.7 - which features compression technology in the form of Opera Turbo - will offer users a better web browsing experience,...

'All aspects of a site' should be designed with SEO in mind

27th March 2009

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thelondonpaper looks to social media

26th March 2009

The website belonging to freesheet thelondonpaper is to be revamped with a new focus on social media.According to new media age (nma), the newspaper has engaged social platform provider Pluck to help it to deploy new features such as blogs, ratings and reviews.The newspaper's own figures show that...

Apple iPhone users 'make greatest use of mobile media'

26th March 2009

Users of the iPhone make the most of their devices in terms of mobile media compared with those with other handsets, according to new statistics from comScore.The research company compared usage of the iPhone among UK consumers with that of other smartphones and all mobile devices in general.It...

Facebook to re-jig new layout following user outcry

25th March 2009

Facebook has announced that it is to make further changes to its homepage following extensive feedback from users on its revamp earlier this month.The homepage was redesigned to turn the News Feed into a Twitter-style stream of status updates from friends, with a Highlights section containing a mix...

Mozilla looks to the 3D web

25th March 2009

Mozilla has announced a partnership with Khronos Group to bring accelerated 3D graphics to the web.The two companies will work together on an initiative to map out what 3D content would look like on the web.Chris Blizzard, director of evangelism for Mozilla, said that the partnership is a...

Mobile apps take off worldwide

25th March 2009

Mobile apps have been predicted to become more popular among consumers worldwide in the next four years.A forecast from research company In-Stat said that more than 100 million app-compatible phones will be shipped globally by 2013.It predicted that these phones will make up 30 per cent of the...

Smartphone usage continuing to rise

24th March 2009

New research has suggested that global usage of smartphones is still rising.According to mobile ad marketplace AdMob, smartphones accounted for 33 per cent of mobile ad requests in February, up from 26 per cent six months previously.Requests made by the Android and Research in Motion operating...

BBC expands music website offerings

24th March 2009

The BBC has announced the launch of a public beta of its new music artist web pages, as well as a new BBC music website.Writing in a blog post, BBC interactive editor for music Matthew Shorter explained that the music artist pages now come with information such as improved play count data, links to...

Orange examines UK's mobile web habits

24th March 2009

New research commissioned by Orange has revealed that more than eight in ten mobile web users access the mobile internet at least once a week.The Exposure 2 survey of 2,000 mobile internet users by research house Basis also found that 46 per cent of respondents browse the mobile web on a daily...

HP launches Flash security tool for developers

23rd March 2009

HP has released a free tool that allows web developers working with Flash to ensure their sites are secure against unintended application security vulnerabilities.The HP SWFScan app could potentially reduce the risk of hackers gaining access to sensitive data, the company said in a statement today...

YouTube mobile app extended to new platforms

23rd March 2009

Google's mobile YouTube app has been optimised for the Windows Mobile and Nokia S60 platforms.The app now allows users of phones running on these operating systems to take advantage of up to 90 per cent faster app start-up, search and video loading.It is also capable of automatically checking the...

Mega drop-down menus advised in web design

23rd March 2009

Mega drop-down menus could do much to improve the usability of a website, according to web design expert Jakob Nielsen.Mr Nielsen defines mega drop-down menus as those taking the form of large, two-dimensional panels that are divided into groups of navigation options and are organised so that...

Spotify planning Android launch

20th March 2009

Online music service Spotify is looking to expand its offerings to the Android mobile platform.The company has placed an ad on its website announcing a vacancy for a software engineer with Android expertise.It is also advertising roles related to the iPhone and the Nokia S60 platform. The ads did...

Record traffic for Google Maps after UK Street View launch

20th March 2009

Google Maps UK saw record traffic yesterday (March 19th) following the launch of a UK version of Street View, according to Hitwise.The research company revealed that traffic to the site soared by 41 per cent yesterday and became the 20th most visited website overall.Web users spent a longer than...

Four in ten Brits use mobile web 'heavily'

20th March 2009

Four in ten consumers are heavy users of the mobile web, according to a new survey.The poll of 1,000 UK consumers by Logica also revealed that 45 per cent of respondents want their operators to provide a mobile web portal pulling together their favourite news, social networking updates and other...

Mobile phones top consumer electronics searches

19th March 2009

The most popular web searches for consumer electronics products are for mobile phones, according to new figures released by Hitwise.About 30 per cent of all consumer electronics-related queries were for mobile phones in the week ending March 14th, with the iPhone coming out on top with one in 12 of...

Sky News launches online job map

19th March 2009

Sky News has launched a new online map showing job losses and gains around the UK.The map is powered with data from business information provider Mandis and lets users search by region, date and job sector. Sky News said the aim of the map is to offer a snapshot of how the recession is impacting on...

Chrome Experiments shows off V8 engine

19th March 2009

Google has launched a new website that displays the capabilities of the V8 engine in its Chrome browser.Chrome Experiments showcases a number of apps, games and other projects developed by over a dozen designers to demonstrate what can be achieved with Chrome's JavaScript engine."Whether...

High street banks fail website accessibility test

18th March 2009

None of the UK's main high street banks feature in a list of the top ten finance websites for performance and accessibility, it has been revealed.Research carried out by Sitemorse and Alterian reveals that the best finance website for performance, accessibility and compliance was Intelligent...

Live Folders feature for Android 'has possibilities'

18th March 2009

A new feature for the Android mobile operating system could pave the way for live updates from a variety of websites being shown on mobile phones' home screens.This is according to Sarah Perez of ReadWriteWeb, who explained that the Live Folders feature - recently showcased in a test version of...

National Rail iPhone app launched

17th March 2009

National Rail has launched an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch that lets users plan their journeys on the go.The National Rail Enquiries for iPhone app uses GPS to detect the user's closest train station and plan a journey from that location.It can be used anywhere in Great Britain and comes with...

Online video viewer numbers up 10%

17th March 2009

Nearly 30 million UK web users watched a video online in January, new statistics have shown.According to comScore, this was a ten per cent rise compared with January 2008, with the number of internet users watching clips on YouTube alone rising by 17 per cent to reach 23.5 million.The figures also...

Google offers tips on web design testing

17th March 2009

Google has offered a number of pointers for those looking to get started with website design testing.Writing on the Official Google Blog, Sandra Cheng of Google Website Optimizer advised website owners to brainstorm variations of their web pages, which could include small changes such as using...

Online marketing spending grows while ad sector declines

16th March 2009

UK spending on online advertising rose in the fourth quarter of 2008 while the rest of the sector saw a decline, according to a new report.Figures compiled by the World Advertising Research Center for the Advertising Association show that online spending soared by 17.3 per cent in the final three...

Travel website design 'should focus on details'

16th March 2009

Travel websites must offer detailed information and make provision for user-generated content in order to see success.This is according to a new report from Foolproof, a user experience consultancy, which said that detailed descriptions, high quality photos and maps and transparent pricing are key...