Ideas and Discoveries

A 1922 silent movie shows off perhaps the first mobile phone, “Eve’s Wireless,” a contraption that required a fire hydrant and an umbrella to work.

The iPad is a device suited for sitting or reclining, which certainly makes it a device of contemplation, and yep, that’s the perfect state of mind for reading or watching a movie. But it’s a mistake to think of it as “only” a new-fangled book or tv screen. Contemplation is not the same as passivity.

“Touch People’s Hearts” is the translated title of the Chinese edition of my book Tapworthy (触动人心), and I couldn’t be more tickled.

Games are the best (and perhaps most commercially viable) flavor of augmented reality, painting an imaginative layer on everyday surroundings.

Newsstand is a read-all-about-it moment for publishers, as readers seem to love it so far. But we can’t let this recent success distract us from real problems with the issue-based publishing model Newsstand supports.

Jordan Mechner had the inspired idea of introducing Apple superbot Siri to classic chatterbot Eliza.

With iOS 5, iPad gets welcome app-switching gestures. But touch actions that should be limited to the edges are encroaching on app real estate.

In an interview with Webdesigner Depot, I shared some future-friendly thinking about adapting to the needs of a whole universe of connected devices.

I thought my first CNN appearance marked the next generation of a new device. Instead, it was an unwitting tribute to Steve Jobs. Rest in peace, Steve, we miss you.

I joined nine of the smartest people I know to think through a future-friendly strategy for keeping up with the fast-changing mobile landscape. Here’s what we came up with.

I’m pitching a SXSW talk about crafting discoverable gestures and joyous touchscreen interfaces. I could use your vote.

This fun and wide-ranging infoviz video provides a nifty snapshot of how quickly our digital lives are changing.

A measly 12 percent of the top 500 US online retailers have mobile websites. Many who do have mobile sites are fumbling with misguided attempts to create lite versions of the “real” website.

Tomi Ahonen shared his snapshot of global mobile stats, including a slew of just-plain-astonishing nuggets.

Designing for touch means creating direct interactions that shed three decades of abstract desktop metaphors. As designers, that means we have some deprogramming to do.