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Why Sony's Xperia Play is the most important Android phone to date

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 20:23:38 +1300

I’m an fandroid - knee deep in android handsets, I’ve owned three and soon I’ll be on my fourth. But like everyone else that is honest I’m genuinely confused and bewildered by the line-up of HTC phones, let alone the plethora of other options by other manufacturers.

The root of confusion, lies in the irony that despite talk of fragmentation and one-upmanship these handsets are all pretty much the same. With the exception of slide-out keyboards, the most different thing about them is the location and order of the 4 main buttons. This is so retarded it’s worthy of it’s own blog post - Google couldn’t even get this sorted between the Nexus One and the Nexus S.

Then came Xperia Play, which granted isn’t a phone I’m likely to own (you’ll have to look to Sony’s record of Android updates for one reason why), but it is important.

It is important because it’s the first phone that tries to be something other than just another android handset. It’s a gaming device with an android stack. It’s a device with a genuinely novel and substantial software layer the redefines what the device actually is.

So bring on the android phone that’s more camera than phone, or the one that’s more media player than phone, more GPS navigator than phone, and let’s stop this meaningless spec bragging and start making interesting diverse devices with an android stack at their core.

Now, I already own far too many gaming devices, and nowhere near enough free time to devote to one of them, so I won’t be buying this bad boy. But plenty will, roll out a CyberShot with some good glass and android stack for GPS/data and calling and you’ll have me dead keen.

Photo

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 23:00:01 +1300

Yes, I know all I post is Lotus pics, but c’mon this is...

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 19:57:32 +1200

Yes, I know all I post is Lotus pics, but c’mon this is genius. 600+HP Hybrid!? Yeah I still would love to work for these guys, they are like the Apple of the automotive world, except English, which I guess makes them the AMSTRAD… no wait…

Why QR codes aren't a clever idea for your campaign

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:43:14 +1200

Some people think QR codes make their campaign more digital, viral, or mobile - in short, more clever. I just wanted to share my thoughts on the topic.

QR (Quick Response) codes are industrial 2d [bar]codes designed to store reasonably complex data that can be encoded and decoded at high-speed by machines. They weren’t really intended for humans, or for simple URLs - unless a machine needed to parse a bunch of them.

Generally, QR codes aren’t a particularly good idea for using in campaigns because:

1. Other than in Japan pretty much no phones have a QR reader installed by default (downloading one is more hassle than just typing in the URL of the site you actually want to visit)

2. Even in Japan where QR codes were invented, around 90% of people don’t know what they are, or don’t use them.

3. QR codes are not very shareable - they aren’t good social objects. You can’t write one down, remember it, google it, share it as a link, email it etc etc.

So if you are using QR codes for a regular URL you are probably at best wasting your time, and worst compromising the effectiveness of your campaign.

So what is the point of QR codes then?

QR codes are great for what they were invented for - embedding packets of complex data into a (visual) form that can be decoded by another machine.

One great example in Japan is when you book flights, your ticket comes with a personalised QR code that contains a very complex URL to assemble travel insurance for your particular needs. It’s far too long to type out, even on a desktop keyboard but especially on a mobile, and it saves you having to fill out a complex form.

If you aren’t doing something like that, and you are just encoding a URL or doing a broadcast, then you are better off just… umm… well… using the actual URL.

Photo

Sun, 06 Jun 2010 08:16:37 +1200

Lotus release the Evora hybrid, making their work on the Tesla...

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:31:00 +1300

Lotus release the Evora hybrid, making their work on the Tesla look like a prototype.

Range extending, audio and gearbox simulation for safer driving. Pretty amazing stuff.

Tokyomango’s friend Adam, a photographer, took this...

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:48:28 +1300

Tokyomango’s friend Adam, a photographer, took this picture of a restaurant in Niseko, in Hokkaido:

It was away from the main road in the town so it was never very busy, but it stood out like a beacon in the darkness of the night. The food was mediocre. Still looked cool.

Fashion at the speed of culture + Uniqlo Customisation Harajuku...

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:57:11 +1300

Fashion at the speed of culture + Uniqlo Customisation

Harajuku fashion trends spotted, manufactured in China, and on sale back in Japan within three weeks, plus UNIQLO’s cheap threads spawning a whole new hobby - UNI-kakushi. More info here http://tokyokawaiietc.com/archives/2935

Steve Jobs’ latest creation

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:42:06 +1300

Steve Jobs’ latest creation

Taking Control from Alberta Cross’s debut LP Broken Side...

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:23:59 +1300

Taking Control from Alberta Cross’s debut LP Broken Side of Time.

If you don’t have them yet, and you like your music sounding like The Verve’s ‘come down from the mountain after a season of logging and hunting deer’ then this band may be what you are after.

The Solaryman project: jumping salarymen I started to have more...

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:46:12 +1300

The Solaryman project: jumping salarymen

I started to have more respect to my father since he has passed away, who has had a whole life as a salary-man.

I, who have never lived as a salary-man, develop a thrill and hope in myself when I see salary-man find a moment to transform into a superhero, who normally dedicate all the time to working for company.

It’s possible to let them show us their individuality through a jump from ordinary life, and this is the very moment when I intend to take their photographs, thinking about an ideal figure of my own father.

Video

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:24:22 +1300

Still wrestling with whether or not Win7 House Party is a...

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:04:51 +1200

Still wrestling with whether or not Win7 House Party is a deliberate viral or not… it must be surely?!

http://www.youtube.com/user/LaunchParties

http://www.houseparty.com/

The latest issue of Hamburger Street is out (the first issue was...

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:52:06 +1200

The latest issue of Hamburger Street is out (the first issue was #00) http://hamburger.jp/

krislane: claytoncubitt: Marcel Duchamp, ‘Étant donnés’ 1966...

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:26:16 +1200

krislane:

claytoncubitt:

Marcel Duchamp, ‘Étant donnés’ 1966 (via Dangerous Minds)

Wiki: “Duchamp worked secretly on the piece from 1946 to 1966 in his Greenwich Village studio while even his closest friends thought he had abandoned art. His wife, Alexina (Teeny), was his sole confidante during most of its construction.

It is made of an old wooden door, bricks, velvet, twigs, a female form made of leather, glass, linoleum, and an electric motor. Duchamp prepared a “Manual of Instructions” in a 4-ring binder explaining and illustrating how to assemble and disassemble the piece.”

I love when art has a manual

Eerily amazing relationship discussed in this amazing book.. http://exquisitecorpsebook.blogspot.com/

New Mini Coupe… ooh-err sir..

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:30:49 +1200

New Mini Coupe… ooh-err sir..

Battle Royale Anything Else Audition The Blade Boogie...

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 13:00:28 +1200

Battle Royale

Some pics of Elise last week

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:05:37 +1200

Some pics of Elise last week

Photo

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:10:03 +1200

Some fans can sing…

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 10:30:58 +1200

Some fans can sing…