Archive for September, 2011
“Urbanized,” another great documentary from Gary Hustwit, the “Helvetica” guy
Sep. 20, ‘11: After tackling graphic design and typography with Helvetica and industrial design with Objectified, filmmaker Gary Hustwit’s latest documentary is Urbanized, covering urban design, city planning, and cities in general. I saw the U.S. premiere tonight and loved it. It’s smart, interesting, and well-assembled. Definitely … Continue reading →
Here’s where Netflix screwed up this whole Qwikster thing
Sep. 20, ‘11: Netflix communicated change poorly, again. And it made customers feel like they weren't Netflix's priority, which is unusual.
Instagram 2.0 hits the App Store
Sep. 20, ‘11: What’s new? Higher-res photos, live filters, new icon, borders optional, new filters. Still free with no premium features. Still no iPad view. Still incredibly fast, smooth, and beautiful. Grab it. Related: Instagram is quickly becoming the next great social network
A look at the Mac App Store, two months after Lion launched
Sep. 20, ‘11: In mid-July, a week before Apple launched OS X Lion, I took a look at the Mac App Store. Now, two months after Lion went on sale, let’s see what’s changed. In that span, the number of apps in the … Continue reading →
10 things to remember about Netflix while scratching your head about Qwikster
Sep. 19, ‘11: Most important: Netflix DVD shipments "have likely peaked" and the company's DVD subscriber base is declining.
Netflix wants to get rid of its DVD business so badly that it’s changing the name… to Qwikster
Sep. 19, ‘11: Netflix's latest move to get its customers to forget DVDs is to rename its DVD service: Starting in a few weeks, it will be called Qwikster, and will also include a videogame rental option.
The Weekender
Sep. 16, ‘11: Check out this neat new service from New York’s MTA to help highlight the massive service interruptions that the NYC Subway deals with every weekend. The design is a riff on the old, famous, 1970s-era map by Massimo Vignelli. (More from the New … Continue reading →
The exciting new Microsoft: Finally, not just ripping off Apple
Sep. 16, ‘11: As an early Mac user, it was amusing and frustrating to watch Microsoft copy so much of Apple’s look — and often so poorly — yet have so much more financial success with it. Apple usually kept a good spirit … Continue reading →
The creative naming habits of big web portals
Sep. 16, ‘11: Google is working on a Flipboard clone called “Propeller.” This is yet another example of a product from one of the big web portals having the same name as a product from another big web portal. Kind of a surprise, … Continue reading →
Why RIM can’t ditch consumers and focus on the enterprise
Sep. 16, ‘11: RIM’s momentum has hit the wall. Yet again, yesterday, the company reported disappointing results. And its transition to a new BlackBerry platform called QNX looks increasingly like a Hail Mary attempt. Some observers wonder why RIM doesn’t stop trying to … Continue reading →