I’m sure you all heard, I think, that Bill Gates is stepping down this July from being a Microsoft CEO to a retired IT Ninja. Anyway, in his last keynote speech, at CES 2008, he introduced Microsoft Surface, a new cutting-edge surface computing. Amazingly designed user interface and way too stunning, at least for me as I love technology, with hilarious most-eye bubbling, I don’t make sense anymore, and I can’t wait to have one of these computer surfaces to study in it rather than studying in my boring woodish desk.
Technology has gone too far as the surface computer was able to recognize physical objects and interact with it. As demonstrated in the website, you can put your cell phone in the surface and a circular menu around the cell phone pops up that interacts with fingers. The video also shows how you can shuffle easily through countless photos, music, movies… by the tip of your finger!
If you are a web developer you’ll know how important WYSIWYG text editors for anyone’s website. Usually based on JavaScript — call it Ajax or DHTML it doesn’t matter — you can have a text box in where the user enter whatever to submit and he/she can edit the font color and style, add pictures, and insert a link without writing the HTML code for it. In addition, you can see what you did in real time just like word processing program! This technique is ‘kinda’ old but these WYSIWYG is getting more complex lately. The UI of WYSIWYG is much better now than how it used to look like few years back.
Deziner Folio published a new article that shows a variety of WYSIWYG applications for Drupal CMS.
P.S: WYSIWYG = What You See Is What You Get.
UI = User Interface, lately is being called UX which refers to User Experience.
RedmondDeveloper News has recently published an interview with James Gosling, the creator of the Java programming language. He talks about JavaFX, the technology that will compete Flash and Silverlight. He is in the developer team of JavaFX and in his perspective:
If you look at something like Flash, when you get to the much more advanced stuff — with richer interfaces, more complex network protocols, more complex APIs — it really falls short.
I can’t say if I agree or not. I haven’t worked with JavaFX yet, it’s not even out yet.
Vegas today is so smelly with BOs and sweats from all those people attending CES 2008 and the web is floating with new products and news from CES. Engadget is taking the lead to provide all the latest from CES 2008 in their blog. Let’s fasten the seat belt and check out all the waves of new unveiled gadgets at CES 2008. Geeks!
Bill Gates will give the opening keynote speech for the International Consumer Electronics Show within few hours from now. It is expect that this speech will be last speech for Bill Gates since he is going to step down from the CEO role at Microsoft later this year. Holy cow!
Macworld 2008 will kick off in January 14 which is 10 days away. Steve Jobs will deliver the keynote speech in the biggest Mac conference and expo in the world. I hear rumors that a big cheese will be announced in this conference… Hmmm, iPhone 2.0?
Few months after the release of AlJazeera Talk! Video Today AlJazeera Talk! team announces the release of AlJazeera Talk! Podcast.
English version of AlJazeera Talk! can be found here.
We are programmers or serial killer? Take this quiz to find out!
The Ministry of Communications in Kuwait decided to cut all international calls, except GCCs, by 20%. The decree is already in effect since the beginning of the year. An official spokesman says that the reason for slashing the price is to “curb the spread of unlicensed international call agents and exercise control on the international calls ‘black market’ in addition to reducing the financial burden on citizens and residents”. More
List of overseas call rates can be found here. (Note: Arabic content).
Here’s TIME’s poll result of best gadget of the year:
Hehe at least I own one thing off the list… the DragonFly and soon iPhone I think!
Okay this one of the best articles I have read during the year. The author starts off talking about the Quite Structure design concept. Then he goes off explaining and comparing the between CNN and USA Today website design. For web designers this is a most-read article as it gives more and deeper ideas to consider when designing a webpage such as layout and image with text positioning, logo complexity, white spaces… etc.
