One of the features of the new iphone 3g-s is the inclusion of a compass.  Considering that we have all these new phones equipped with GPS already , how is this a useful  you ask?  The problem with GPS it is only capable of determining the direction that you are travelling, but unable to tell the direction that you are actually facing if you are standing still or moving in a different direction than you are facing.  The combination of the new compass with the existing GPS, camera, and internet will allow for a potentially awesome application known as augmented reality.

Augmented reality is the addition of information to to the physical word, hence the term.  Imagine this possible scenario: as you walk down the street, you see a store you are previously unfamiliar with, so you take out your phone and point it toward the store.  The GPS would pinpoint your exact location, and the compass would figure out which direction you are facing so the phone would now know exactly what you are looking at, then the camera would serve as  the canvas for displaying information downloaded from the internet about what you are looking at such as store hours.  It is really exciting to imagine the possibilities that  all these technologies can provide when you combine them all into one package.

The internet has come a long way in the past 15 years.  Cities are almost completely covered by overlapping wifi hotspots and wireless data through mobile service providers; quite a contrast to 15 years ago when finding a home with internet may have been quite a challenge.  One of the benefits that this provides us with is a link to our personal media library through applications such as Orb.  Orb installs on your computer and it will allow you to stream all of your media content (pictures, videos, music) to any internet connected device such as your cell phone, wii, iphone, or any other computer.

Being able to stream content from a personal media center makes it a lot easier to keep your media files organized by not having to create duplicate files in different location, saving you time in transferring as well as space.  The downside, of course, is that once the internet gets turned off, you no longer can access your media.  If you have a nice collection of media that you want a quick way to access from virtually anywhere, maybe you should give Orb a shot.

In today’s world of 20+ inch monitor’s and HD resolutions,  it becomes a greater challenge to determine the optimal resolution to develop a website for .   An additional challenge to this is the growing number of mobile devices with web access, such as smartphones and netbooks.

One of the main considerations for in deciding what resolution to design at is to take note of the core demographics of the site.  By analyzing statistics of traffic to similar websites, it is possible to see the range of resolution that the majority of users will be viewing a particular site with.

A  solution for this problem is to provide multiple stylesheets for different types types of devices. As a developers, by utilizing the “handheld” stylesheet media type, we are able to specify which stylesheet should be applied to a certain page when it is being requested.  This allows us to provide sites that are easier to navigate on mobile devices, while still providing the full experience via a standard web browser, all without having to provide a seperate URL address for a “mobile version”.

Another alternative is the development of better mobile browsers which are able to scale down full resolution websites, however this will never be as good, in terms of usability, as a specially designed stylesheet.

So what resolution should your site be intended for?  It really depends on a number of factors, but it is becoming increasingly important to keep mobile devices in mind especially if you’re core audience is a young and technologically savvy crowd.

Throughout my time here at Bottlecap, I’ve worked on a number of e-commerce projects ranging from offering only a few products to thousands.  With the tools and resources available today, there has never been a better time to get started.
Advantages

• Open 24/7
• Cost of running and maintaining is significantly less than a physical storefront
• Requires less man-power
• Easier to collect data/statistics, which can help you make better decisions

Disadvantages

• Less personal, some customers prefer the face to face interaction of a brick and mortar store
• Customers may not trust the security of online payments

What is preventing more businesses from developing a web presence?  A lot of it has to do with the fact that starting an online business requires a significantly different skill set than a traditional one.  And often, people are afraid of what they do not understand.  This is where Bottlecap can help bridge the gap between the technical and non-technical side of things.

Is your business or idea ready to make the leap?

Have you ever counted the number of username and passwords you use on a regular basis?  For most of us, there are quite a few, and keeping track of them all can be quite tedious.  One solution for this problem is the use of a system known as OpenID.  Essentially, an OpenID provider allows you to sign up with your information one time, and then you’re OpenID login would then be usable across all compatible websites.  Several large companies have already become OpenID providers, including AOL, Google, and Yahoo.  And many more websites have adopted OpenID as a way of authentication, a list of compatible sites can be seen at openiddirectory.com.

One of the main benefits of an OpenID enabled site is that a user would no longer have to re-enter redundant information, and would only have to keep information, such as addresses and phone numbers, current from one location.  What this means for website operators, is that users will be more likely to register/submit their information since they don’t actually have to type it in over and over again.  There are also drawbacks, however,  with the use of OpenID.  One of the main concerns is that if the OpenID account itself falls into the wrong hands, then whoever has that information is now able to access all sites that are associated with that OpenID.  Do the conveniences outweigh the risks? It’s still up in the air, but perhaps one day this will be a replacement for all signup forms.