Internet Explorer: A Browser Breaks

"Enterprises aren't loving Internet Explorer 7, so how can its successor do any better?...

For businesses looking for a standards-compliant Web browser, Internet Explorer won't be the choice in 2008, with IE 6 entrenched and IE 8's release as much as a year away—or more, if closely aligned with Windows 7. For Web developers, the standards headaches will continue as long as IE 6 enterprise adoption remains high...

There is huge competitive opportunity for Mozilla, and even Apple, to exploit Microsoft's browser problems. Both organizations have highly standards-compliant browsers that can be deployed at lower risk."

Finally! - Email Standards Project

Email Standards Project: "The Email Standards Project works with email client developers and the design community to improve web standards support and accessibility in email."

I'm very happy to see an organized attempt to address the issue of poor and inconsistent industry-wide support for rich email (html email). The Email Standards Project looks like the bandwagon to jump on. The site has a great chart right on the homepage showing popular email clients (desktop and web-based) and their rating in terms of standards support. The project has come up with an "acid test", much like the Web Standards Project, that is used to fairly and consistently test the ability of a given email client.

Check out the site, join the email list or spread the word.

Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device "Kindle"

Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device - Today Amazon.com released Kindle, what some are of course calling the iPod for eBooks.

Engadget has some good coverage of the release and some initial reactions to the device. Initial reactions to the hardware design seem favorable, and in the 'ugly, but pleasingly functional' category.

Here are some things that seem to stand out immediately...

PROS

• Amazon and books are peas in a pod, the user experience seems carefully crafter to lead to smooth downloading and reading workflow
• The form factor is interesting, the screen similar in size to a book and the e-ink technology looks like it offers a grayscale rendering, and it's light
  
• The eBooks are less expensive is some cases, than buying and shipping the paper counterpart - there's a definite "Green" notion to this.
• The battery is user-replaceable (cough - Apple, get a clue)
• No subscriptions or additional fees, beyond the cost of the device, for wireless access, 1yr warranty
  
• Promised less than 1 min. downloads
• USB 2.0 connectivity for PC and Mac, but does not require a computer
  
• Email documents and images to the device, read blogs and newspapers
  

CONS

• $400 and a Grayscale display? Now that's more Newton than the iPhone. I understand the tradeoffs here, but we are in the age of sexy color touchscreen mobile devices, so this does come across as a bit v1.0
• No back-light, so, how do you read in the dark? Well, one of the few accessories listed at the bottom of the new Kindle product page is a clunky looking $20 reading light with a clip designed more for print books than eBooks. This seems like a careless afterthought, so it's probably safe to assume that Amazon will release or partner for slicker accessories to fill in the feature gaps.
• As clipmarks.com points out, unlike an iPod you can't "rip" the books you already own onto the Kindle. So, it seems to me, since Amazon keeps such great tabs on previous purchases, it would be slick if they offered customers free versions of books previously purchased on Amazon as Kindle eBook 'cross-grades'.
  
• The built in 256MB internal is pretty wimpy. If you really intend to fill it up with books and emailed documents, you'll likely make the additional investment in a SD memory card (supports up to 4GB). So mark that down as a hidden cost.
  
• $9.99+ per book may not be a great savings when you factor in the purchase of the Kindle device itself. These eBooks cannot be shared easily, resold in the aftermarket, or donated to a local library. Seth Godin has an interesting perspective on this. In this sense, Kindle books are far more limited - but that same argument has not deterred online music sales and overpricing.
• I can't seem to find info on the exact dimensions of the screen itself, I'm curious to know just how much bigger it is than an iPod touch / iPhone
  
• All that embossed texture on the backside is going to collect some nasty dirt and buildup from your grubby hands.
  
• Branding nit: with "Book Burning" as an indelible part of history, Kindle certainly seems loaded with irony
• And as an aside, the Kindle introduces techno-lust into the reading equation. Next year's Kindle will be cooler, just like iPods, let the buyers remorse begin. Books don't really do that to you.

While others have tried, Amazon is in a unique position to move this technology forward. It will be interesting to see how the product performs, and to observe the ecosystem that will likely grow around it.

Four Paths to Mobile Web Design and Deployment

Here's a handy article...

creativepro.com : "In this excerpt, well-known -- and better yet, well-respected -- Web designer Cameron Moll explains four ways to design and deliver standards-compliant content for mobile devices:Do nothing with your current Web siteReduce its images and stylingUse handheld style sheetsCreate mobile-optimized contentCameron lays out the pros and cons of each method and includes real-life examples of how content from sites following each of these methods displays."

Apple Safari 3 Public Beta Fixes Flash Drop-menu Issue

Apple has released a Beta version of its Safari browser for both Mac and Windows. While this is news itself, I'm more excited about the following revelation.

Anyone out there who has done website work where the design called for drop-down navigation menus which overlap Adobe flash content will be happy about this announcement. In previous versions of the Safari Mac browser, there was a 'bug' where drop down menus would flicker badly if they overlapped Flash content. This issue even plagues www.adobe.com in Safari 2.x!

After testing both the Mac & Windows versions of Safari 3, Apple appears to finally have fixed this problem!



Check out the Apple - Safari 3 Public Beta

Adobe Launches Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) BETA

"Adobe® AIR™, formerly code-named Apollo, is a cross-operating system runtime that allows developers to use their existing web development skills to build and deploy rich Internet applications to the desktop."

70 Expert Ideas For Better CSS Coding

via digg: "Smashing Magazine does it again with a superb list of little CSS tips & tricks to increase your productivity."

This is an excellent compilation of many of the tips and tricks posted to digg, but all rolled up in a nicely organized package with plenty of source-links to expand on the techniques outlined. There's definitely a buzz around what's to be considered "Best Practices" when it comes to CSS design and development. I see a strong opportunity out there for the development of a tool or app that puts a ui on top of these practices, making it easier to replicate across multiple projects.

read more | digg story

Microsoft Reveals Silverlight as Adobe Flash Challenger

DailyTech: "In hopes to make a dent in the market dominance of Adobe's Flash, Microsoft unveiled at the 2007 National Association of Broadcasters conference a new cross-browser, cross-platform browser plug-in called Silverlight... Previously called Windows Presentation Foundation Everywhere (WPF/E), Silverlight works with on both Macintosh and Windows with a variety of browsers including Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari."

A Web Analytics Breakthrough (That May Never Be Used)

A Web Analytics Breakthrough (That May Never Be Used): "If you're one of the burgeoning number of Firefox users, you probably also use a number of the many extensions available to stretch, modify, personalize, and customize the browser's capabilities. If Google Browser Sync is one of those extensions, have you considered the implications it might have for Web analytics and ad tracking?"

This is an interesting article. It is a good reminder that the move toward centralizing ones online identity can be tied to the browser as well - not just the pages it's rendering.

The Mobile Web Offers a Rich Platform for Content and Advertising

Online Publishers Association: "With strong usage growth and consumers watching and acting upon advertisements, the mobile Web is a compelling platform for content and marketing, according to the latest research from the Online Publishers Association (OPA). Going Mobile: An International Study of Content Use and Advertising on the Mobile Web is the first OPA study to go beyond the U.S., involving over 6,000 interviews in the U.S., the U.K., France, Italy, Spain and Germany. The study was conducted in partnership with TNS Media and Entertainment."

Key findings: "Heavy Access and Growing Usage, Advertising is Driving Action, PC Web Brands Driving Mobile Web Activity, Mobile Web is Vital for Consumers of Sports, Weather and News"

They've also got the Presentation of Findings in PDF.

The Best (FireFox) Browser Extensions for Web Development

This article summarizes things well IMHO. Glad, and not surprised, to see the Web Developer extension as number one on the list. Thanks to mondaybynoon.com for compiling this list! (via Vitamin)

Why Browser War 2.0 Will Heat Up in 2007

readwriteweb.com: "Our theory is that in 2006 a lot of the ground work for a major battle was laid out. Microsoft launched a significant upgrade to Internet Explorer for the first time in about 5 years (IE7), while the Firefox team spent time polishing up their open source browser. But it is the latest developments which make it clear that Firefox thinks it's showtime."

This is an interesting article, and I really got a kick out of the illustration. Between the business interests and the (still) inconsistent support for web standards in IE7, it should be another interesting year in the browser-sphere.

Microsoft releases long-awaited Explorer 7

"Microsoft Corp. released Internet Explorer 7 on Wednesday, the first major upgrade to its Web browser since 2001 with new features aimed at preventing online fraud and improving ease of use...

IE 7 is available immediately to Windows XP users and it will eventually serve as the default browser for Microsoft's much-anticipated Windows Vista operating system, due out to consumers in early 2007."

IE 7 is available for download at www.microsoft.com/ie

Let's hope that support for standards in this final release is close to that of Firefox. Unfortunately for designers/developers this more likely means that we'll be testing for IE 5, 6, and now 7 too - at least until Vista ships and the adoption rate for 7 picks up.