Sure Signal

I live in an apartment with really poor mobile reception.  The mobile reception in the area is generally pretty good, but I live in the shadow of a church and this seems to cause a major problem to the mobile telephone reception.  Both for 02 and Vodafone.

I spotted on of these devices a while ago - it plugs into a broadband connection and effectively sets up a mini 3G cell - the box connects to a  Vodafone  server and your 3G telephone connects to the box.  It gives me a 5 bar signal at home and works for both voice and data calls.

It takes a few minutes to set up and about ten minutes to come up as service ready, but then you are done.  It works a treat and costs around £50 as a one off payment.  Calls and connections are as per your contract, so once you have purchased the box, there are no additional costs.  In fact, I had to swap from O2 (my current phone provider) to Vodafone and purchased the box as part of the transfer.  It cost £20 as a one off payment. 

Unfortunately, O2 did not offer a similar service, so after more than 15 years on O2 (I started out on CellNet), I had to change mobile providers to get a decent signal at home.

Poor information here: http://www.vodafone.co.uk/suresignal

LG BD660

I just purchased an LG BD660 Blu-ray player as a gift for a friend and I have been really impressed. So like many other Blu-ray players, it also plays DVDs and CDs and comes with the capability to connect it to the Internet.  No big deal so far.  It is also capable of playing 3D discs.  No big deal so far.

But the Internet connectivity provides access to something that LG call "NetCast".  This is a simple webpage that allows users to get access to other web services, including the BBC iPlayer.  The user interface is simple and pretty slick.  But the killer app here is getting access to the BBC iPlayer.  This is a great service, but unless you can watch the material on a normal TV, then it is of limited value.  The BD660 allows you to do just that and all for under £150!

The outside of the box listed the Internet connectivity, but it didn't list the iPlayer amongst the things that you could get access to.  So it was a real pleasant surprise.

50 ways to leave your lover

Steve Gadd has to be one of the best drummers around. Forget massive drum kits and the egos that go with them. This is a classic clip of Steve Gadd in action.



Here's the link to Paul Simon and Steve playing the track live in 2000. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTiyLuZOs1A&feature=related

This beats clunk click

Sometimes you see an advert and you think wow. This is one of those. An advert that communicates its message 100% at an emotional level. It just connects.

UCD Deja Vu

I sat in a presentation last week on User Centred Design. It’s not a new subject. But it is where I started my career more than 20 years ago.

It was a bit of a “home coming” and I was amazed at how passionate I was even though I haven’t worked in the area for the last 5-6 years.

A number of thoughts struck me listening to the presentation: 

•  The UCD proposition hasn’t really changed much in the last couple of decades. We are still talking about usability, reduction of errors, more fit for purpose etc. The companies and the faces have changed, but the fundamental issues are still the same;
•  I am now a senior manager in a Global SI/Outsourcer. The one thing that was going through my mind during the presentation was “Who designs the user interfaces for our systems?” We deliver £100M’s of software each year and I have no idea where the user interfaces come from. I must make an effort to find out!
• As we move to Software as a Service, UCD is likely to get a new lease of life. In the future, organisations will purchase their software as a Service. If it doesn’t live up to expectations, then the customer will move to another Service that does provide want they want. Since the customer doesn’t have technology installed on-site, there is none of the inertia involved in moving to a new system. Don’t like what you see? Is it too difficult to use? Move to another Service that fits your needs better.