Category: Business

The inevitable iPhone post

iphone

Everyone else is talking about it, so we will too. Here are our 12 initial small observations…

  1. It appears that it has a beautiful, flexible and refined UI.
  2. It makes all other phones look clunky, awkward and unrefined.
  3. It makes the iPod’s interface look clunky, awkward and unrefined.
  4. That said, in reality, making a call, starting a text message and entering my calendar on my Sony Ericsson k800 is efficient and fast. It will be interesting to see how fast the iPhone will be to do the same.
  5. The iPhone doesn’t offer any actual features that other phones don’t already offer. Will the interface and ease-of-use sway people to switch to the iPhone. It worked with the iPod, but lots of people bought Motorola’s RAZR despite its’ interface.
  6. Your fingers are going to be moving and tapping a lot, rather than sticking mainly to a small area like most phone’s joystick. Will this become annoying?
  7. The virtual QWERTY keyboard used for typing looks possibly awkward without real buttons.
  8. In the future I’d like a tiny Apple phone that does the basics well, and an iPhone without the phone element (i.e. a very slick iPod).
  9. Developers should be given a clear path for making applications for it. Apple is currently saying that this won’t happen, but a range of games, VOIP and Office-type applications immediately spring to mind as great features they may not deign to make, but would be a natural fit for the iPhone.
  10. While much of the functionality and interaction has been patented – it will be interesting to see how Nokia, RIM, Sony Ericsson, etc. will react to this. Can they in time before the iPhone launch? This is much bigger, richer and arguably better competition than the iPod’s original competitors.
  11. The iPhone’s web browser illustrates how well mobile interfaces are beginning to deal with pages that are larger than their screen. Designing a website for all shapes and sizes is not necessarily something we will always need to do.
  12. We want one.

by Andrew Fox

10 January, 2007

Thanks for a great 2006

In the office

FoxLand has had a fantastic first 5 months. We’d like to thank all our clients, friends and anyone that has helped, advised or warned us. We’ve done a whole pile of work, had very little time to work on our website, met a load of great people and been generally surprised at how much has happened in such a short time. In particular we’d like to mention Provokateur, Daikin, Current Biodata, Zebra Crossing, Faculty of 1000, Olivant, Itochu, Attiva, NHS Alchemy, Macmillan Cancer Support, Spy Design, Fortismere School, Copper, Coochi, Olly Blackburn, ChloĆ« Lederman, Fiona Campbell, SU, Martin Beckett, Scholz & Friends, Leslie Mello, Jack Dunning and anyone else we may have forgotten (apologies). Here’s to the next (already very busy) 12 months.

by Andrew Fox

29 December, 2006

Daikin Reefer Container Refrigeration site goes live

Daikin Reefer

Daikin Industries Ltd are one of the world’s leading producers of air-conditioning and refrigeration systems. The Japanese company asked FoxLand to develop the website for their latest product – the Daikin Reefer Container Refrigeration machine. This unit maintains the internal temperature of cargo containers using the latest in Japanese technology and quality. So if you’re exporting frozen fish (as one does) from Iceland to Australia or bananas from the Philippines to Britain the Daikin Reefer will keep them fresh. The website went live today.

by Calum Land

4 December, 2006

Installing the Zune (usability is a brand issue, part 2)

I’ve refrained from mentioning the Zune (Microsoft’s wannabe iPod competitor) before as much discussion about it has been often very partisan guess work, but this post at Engadget about the nightmare of installing the Zune software (the iTunes equivalent) changed matters. Microsoft undoubtedly now understand why iPod/iTunes worked for Apple, hence the Zune vertical business model, but it sounds as if they are not looking after the fine details. Coupled with the Zune’s draconian licensing restrictions, the Zune, as a brand, has had a disasterous first few weeks. Microsoft’s very expensive advertising push for the Zune could be a huge waste, as these real usability issues threaten to engulf the brand. Update: The comments to the original post indicate that many people in contrast have had relatively simple installations of the software. Also, Ars Technica have some interesting points to make about the Zune’s future.

by Andrew Fox

14 November, 2006

Usability is a brand issue

“Three quarters of RAZR users would not buy another Motorola handset because they are difficult to use”. A bad thing for the users becomes a very bad thing for the brand. It’s one thing to work to have an attractive device, such as the RAZR, but if the interface does not live up to the exterior then the whole effort will ultimately fail. A simple lesson, but still one being learnt.

Take a look at the article including results for this Motorola survey by Mobile.

by Andrew Fox

2 November, 2006