Sunday, August 21, 2011
I have been curious about the number of notebooks, netbooks, tablets and desktops consumers are purchasing especially with the new school year upon us.
Why? I own a netbook, macbook and several desktops [including a Mac]-- and feel I cannot live without these types of computers. That said, I am a software consultant, so my need for desktops and notebooks with various built-in or peripheral drives-- is not surprising.
I have analyzed a family member's tablet [Christmas gift in 2010], and though not an iPad, have found it cannot replace the uses I have for my netbook, and certainly not my other computers. The tablet, also does not support Java or Flash. Surprisingly, neither does iPad as of February of this year [the latest report I found on the topic for the iPad platform].
Though the tablet reader can access email accounts and surf the web-- its best uses are for those applications that it came with. It is too cumbersome, in my opinion to really use as a way to surf the net.
So herein lies my issues with tablets and why I am researching these trends. I am wondering who is using what. Most tablets do not support client side Java which includes the Java applet technology I utilize quite a bit on WiredPages.
Here is a comparative chart of computer types purchased [shipped] between 2005 and 2010 by onlinemarketing-trends.com.
Tablets are replacing netbooks? I can hook anything up to a usb port on my netbook and also surf the web with relative ease via my netbook. I can also run Java and Flash applications with my netbook and have Microsoft Office Professional installed on my netbook. How are tablets replacing netbooks? How are businesses using tablets? How are students using tablets?
Do not get me wrong. I would love to have a tablet, specially an iPad. Am I going to worry about developing software tools, websites or running my business from an iPad? No. Why am I not more concerned with mobile computing? I think desktops, notebooks and even netbooks are really not going anywhere-- and though a lot of my software tools would make excellent stand alone tools for mobile devices [i.e., smartphones and tablets]- I love developing for the web page-- and think my services will remain in demand even with the ever increasing popularity of tablets and smartphones.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
I am currently beta testing the new Events Search interface. When complete-- I will install the interface on the WiredPages Style & Events page [lower right corner]. This testing should be complete within a couple of days.
During this phase of testing-- you may notice minor changes or corrections to the interface. To ensure you have the latest version -- clear your browser's cache periodically-- in that the interface uses a Java Applet.
This blog does not allow for topic discussion, however if you would like to leave a comment [bugs, etc.]-- you can do so here or here.
Thursday, August 04, 2011
I am pretty excited about HTML5 video support. I have been researching and testing video examples using HTML5 video with different browsers and platforms and though most are not supported [yet]-- this new feature still looks promising.
You can test for yourself on the W3schools Tutorial site.
Useful links I have found on this topic:
[Current] Browser Support Information for HTML5 Video:
