Saturday, June 27, 2009

Study Suggests Eyeballs Like Bing, but Google's Familiar [Search Engines]

Study Suggests Eyeballs Like Bing, but Google's Familiar [Search Engines]

A usability research firm, the Catalyst Group, performed one of those amazingly geeky (and neat) eyeball tracking studies on 12 people conducting searches. The results, combined with a survey, suggest that while Bing won out in layout, design, and filtering, and drew more eyes to the top, i.e. sponsored, results, Google familiarity and relevance kept it a favorite of three-fourths of users. [via TechCrunch]



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Palm Pre's Mojo SDK Leaked: Bring on the Apps [Palm]

Palm Pre's Mojo SDK Leaked: Bring on the Apps [Palm]

Palm's Mojo devkit has leaked to the web ahead of schedule—they had announced it would arrive in late summer, and instead developers are treated to the SDK right now.

Mojo is of the utmost importance to Palm: Without a huge and vibrant developer scene churning out tons of apps, the Pre might not excel as a platform enough to challenge the iPhone. The SDK that leaked is a beta, and some are warning potential developers to treat this version as a guide rather than a final release. Now the fun really begins—it's time to see what the Pre (and Pre community) can do. [PreInsiders, Thanks Pat!]




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TouchFLO 3D 2.5 Tricks Us Into Getting Excited About Windows Mobile, Again [Skinning]

TouchFLO 3D 2.5 Tricks Us Into Getting Excited About Windows Mobile, Again [Skinning]

We've got some screenshots of the new version of HTC's TouchFLO 3D, which should be debuting on the Firestone. HTC's gone ever deeper into WinMo's UI, including every settings screen. Basically, you'll hardly know which OS you're using.

TouchFLO 3D 2.5 also allows for more customization than before, including three user-defined buttons on the home screen. Hopefully we'll be seeing it in action sometime in August. Check out the video below to see it in motion, though be warned: Them fellas aren't speaking English. [PocketNow




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Friday, June 26, 2009

Microsoft Might Sell Windows 7 On Flash Drives, Spare Netbook Owners Needless Pain [Windows 7]

Microsoft Might Sell Windows 7 On Flash Drives, Spare Netbook Owners Needless Pain [Windows 7]

CNET has a source saying Microsoft is considering selling Windows 7 on flash drives, making installation on netbooks—a declared target for the OS—much simpler. In case you were wondering, Microsoft, this would be greatly appreciated. [CNET]




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Anti-Abuse Bus Stop Ad Only Batters Women When Nobody's Looking [Advertising]

Anti-Abuse Bus Stop Ad Only Batters Women When Nobody's Looking [Advertising]

Amnesty International has installed a new anti-domestic-abuse ad fixture in Hamburg, Germany which is equal parts clever and shocking: when you look at the photo, it's a smiling couple; when you look away, it's a dude punchin' a lady.

The billboard works by scanning its proximity with an eye-tracking camera, which triggers an image switch on the display panel when it senses someone looking at it. The change only occurs after a brief delay, so that observers understand what's going on, and get the message.

It's a fantastically effective concept, and a brilliant use of technology. Kind of sad, then, that it's probably award bait, and doomed to be a lone installation, according to Copyranter. [Copyranter via Dvice]




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