November 2014
Designing for the intensity of the future
At the frontier of digital, the industry is poised to ask a new question of its users: how do you expect technology to behave when it no longer requires your direct control and is all around you?
T…
OnePlus’ impersonal yet over familiar marketing
The marketing email began “Dear fanboy/girl…” and went down hill from there. OnePlus, of course, will never be short of coverage while it continues to offer above average smartphones for below average price. However, a few months after the deb…
Retail user experience & permission to browse
I was early for a meeting and found myself on a London street full of homeware showrooms. I’ll admit my intentions were spurious: this was an exercise in killing time and perhaps getting a sense of what passes for ‘hip’ in the world of interiors …
Saying what you mean, meaning what you say
Apple sent me an email today, along with presumably several million other customers. The message I took away from it: I should buy someone an Apple product to enable them to unleash their creativity. It’s the sort of thing you get from every com…
Forcing innovation at Nokia
By virtue of the legal agreements resulting from Microsoft’s acquisition of its devices and services business, Nokia finds itself in an intriguing position. It retains ownership of a valuable consumer brand, but is legally unable to use it in rela…
User story: the Postmistress and her Lumia
It speaks to the modest success of Windows Phone that to see one in the wild still feels rare.
I walked into the local Post Office the other day and, amid the clutter of parcels behind the counter, there it was: a Lumia 925 in grey. It belonge…
Notes on the little ol’ Moto X in the age of big screen flagships
My irrational desire for the 2014 Moto X had a more rational outcome: I acquired a 2013 Moto X.
I’ve always felt the defining feature of the Moto X was the Moto Maker service. Motorola remains unique in the mobile industry in allowing cust…