Pixel Vector Blog

Flash is Dying. Or is it?

Richard Blyth — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:43:59 +0000

For many years Adobe Flash has been part of the fixtures & fittings when it comes to web development – many developers fully embrace the animated glory that Flash can enhance a website with, whereas others prefer the hardcore satisfaction of building websites entirely in code (not to mention the Accessibility and SEO benefits…)

Recent developments in JavaScript Libraries such as jQuery have enabled designers and developers to achieve many things in “good clean code” that used to reserved for those building in Flash, however there was still a place for Flash – the most of common being video content. Just about every video service, including YouTube, provides video embedding via the use of Flash. Or did…

YouTube recently announced it’s decision to experiment with HTML 5 Video Embedding, an alarming sign for Adobe and Flash. HTML 5 video embedding (when more widely supported) will enable developers to embed video into a web-page without the need for Flash.

Furthermore, Adobe have faced additional criticism and pressure from Apple Supremo, Steve Jobs. Apple have refused to support Flash on the iPhone since it’s launch more than two years ago – and an alleged recent outburst at the Wall Street Journal goes some way to explaining why: Steve Jobs “called Flash a ‘CPU hog,’ a source of ’security holes’ and a dying technology. ‘We don’t spend a lot of energy on old technology,’ Jobs said.”

While Jobs is renowned for being an innovator, might he be looking a bit too far forward this time?

HTML5, is (currently) plagued with issues, not least the fact that most browsers do not have HTML5 support (the only browsers that can play Youtube’s HTML5 demo videos are Google Chrome, Apple Safari 4 and Internet Explorer 8 (with Google Frame). And even with the aforementioned browsers, Youtube’s video plays like a slide show.

In addition, Flash is so widespread that any change away from the standard will take years. Even if Apple, YouTube and (probably) Google throw their significant, collective weight behind the move, it will still be nigh on impossible to make the move any time soon.

Tools of the Trade

Richard Blyth — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:24:52 +0000

From time-to-time here at Pixel Vector we get asked by clients ‘how’ we make websites – which tools and applications etc. do we use. So, partly inspired by Grace Smith’s interesting ‘Show me Your Dock’ Series, I’ve put together a little guide to how we get things done at Pixel Vector!

Mac or PC?
A debate that could quite easily take up several blog posts itself! The short answer is quite simply – both. We primarily use Macs, however our programmers prefer PCs. We actually have a lone Windows laptop whose only purpose is for testing web-pages on Internet Explorer (for more on this please see my post on IE6) and e-mail marketing on Outlook.

Personally, I moved to Mac 7 or 8 years ago and I wouldn’t go back to using PC’s (for anything other than testing!)

Applications

Above is my Mac’s Dock – these are the applications I use on a daily basis. From left to right;

Finder
Finder is the file browser on the Mac – I personally don’t have any problems with the way it works – so I stick to it!

Mail
Apple Mail is the default e-mail application for the Mac and I personally prefer it over the alternatives. I find the Smart folders especially useful for filtering through e-mail relating to different projects.

Address Book
Another Apple product. I like how Address book seamlessly integrates with Mail and iCal – there are also extensions for syncing with Google Contacts – which are very useful for working remotely. Finally, integration with my iPhone is very important!

iCal
I use iCal to schedule meetings. We operate a shared calendar which is synced across the office which is particularly useful.

Adium
Adium is my personal messaging application of choice. It combines multiple IM’s such as GoogleTalk, MSN, Yahoo, AIM etc. Plus the icon looks pretty cool!

Safari
Safari is currently my ‘personal’ browser of choice – It’s so quick and elegant compared to some of the alternatives and it is become more and more powerful to develop web pages, however Firefox is still better…

Firefox
Firefox is my daily ‘development’ browser. I’d be stuck without some of the plugins – especially Web Developer and Firebug. I also use Foxmarks, which syncs my bookmarks between Safari and Firefox.

Tweetie
Tweetie is my preferred Twitter Client – I use both the desktop and iPhone client.

Spotify
Only in the last 6 months have I discovered Spotify – until recently you would have found my iTunes icon here! Spotify is fantastic (even with the ads) and their music catalgoue is growing all the time.

OpenOffice
I’ve found myself using OpenOffice far more than Word these days. The majority of our site plans, quotations and technical specs are written in OpenOffice.

OmniGraffle
I use OmniGraffle to produce great-looking site maps. Site maps are especially key when planning complex web applications and the OmniGraffle interface is great to use.

Preview
When I think about it, I use Preview a hell of a lot! Any images I quickly need to look at or crop, any PDFs etc. – all get dropped into Preview.

Fireworks
Others will disagree… but I still prefer Fireworks as a graphics application for web graphics. I am still running MX2004 here but it still does a great job!

Photoshop
While I prefer Fireworks, the majority of design work at Pixel Vector is done in Photoshop. My job regularly involves taking photoshop layouts and coding these up in CSS and HTML.

TextWrangler
About a year ago I stopped using Dreamweaver for buidling web-pages & CSS and moved to TextWrangler – a pretty basic text editor. I find that coding in this environment is much more flexible and a lot quicker!

MAMP
MAMP is used for testing dynamic websites locally.

TextEdit
I leave TextEdit here in case I need to make any quick notes.

Transmit
Transmit is my preferred FTP client for the Mac.

HP Scan Pro
Used for scanning!!!

Digital ColourMeter
A nice little app. hidden in the Utilties folder of your Mac – I use this to source colour hex codes, usually from mock ups or existing web pages.

Terminal
Used for accessing certain servers.

Browsers (Stack)
This stack includes links to all the browsers I test on for Mac; Camino, Fennec, Firefox, Flock, Fluid, Chrome, iPhoney, Navigator, Opera, Safari, SeaMonkey, Shiira, Stainless and Sunrise.

Applications (Stack)
A link to all the apps on my Mac.

Apple’s App Approval Process Getting Speedy

Chris Carroll — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:38:02 +0000

TUAW recently remarked that the App Store approval process seemed to be working much faster lately. TiPb has been in contact with numerous application developers and the general overall feel we are getting is the same — Apple is finally coming around when it comes to the app approval process. Much has been said about Apple and their App Store over the past few years but things have seemingly changed for the better.
TiPb sometimes gets access to beta applications for feedback or review anywhere from a month to a week in advance. Generally we’ve seen the same 2 week delay Apple advises before the apps show up in the App Store (though sometimes it’s been up to 4 weeks or more in the past). Lately we have received an app only to find it released only a day later, sometimes hours later depending on the app itself.
What has brought about this speed boost we have no idea but we welcome it regardless and hope it continues.

Thanks to theiphoneblog.com for this link

What can I do to improve my content for my E-mail Marketing?

Chris Carroll — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:15:30 +0000

1. Know your audience
You could have a wide array of customers, and it’s important to target and segment your content based on their interests.

To determine those interests, the Pixel Vector E-mail Marketing Tools offer reporting functions that allow you to learn more about your subscriber base, such as their open and click-through rates. You can also use our tools to analyse past campaign reports to get a better understanding of what gets their attention and what prompts them to act.

2. Create a personal voice
Brand perceptions are established through the tone and personality of your communications. Instead of sending generic emails, personalise them to reflect who you are—to start, that might mean simply signing your name. This helps the customer feel a connection but also fosters a relationship with your readers. Such a voice is crucial to gaining their trust in you and your email content. They will be more apt to open an email from you and more likely to be interested in what you have to offer.

3. Keep it simple
With only a few seconds to capture your readers’ attention, you can’t waste time on wordy content. Get to the point and make sure your content is strategically planned to convey your messages in a clear and concise manner.

4. Linking
Adding links to your email newsletter is essential to engage your audience and drive traffic to your site. Don’t limit yourself to buttons and banners. You can add strategically placed hyperlinks throughout the email. Have these links connect to more in-depth content and a call to action throughout your e-newsletters, and you’ll notice higher click-through’s, response rates, and increased sales.

Remember, the content you provide is the main reason your customers subscribed to your email or newsletter in the first place. Make your content valuable! It is the key to executing successful campaigns, growing your subscriber following, and getting them to keep coming back for more.

Your Website Should Sell

Chris Carroll — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:41:10 +0000

Something that always surprises me, working in the website development industry is how many people have a website just for the sake of having a website, “it’s the done thing”. What many people do not understand or believe is that a website should be attracting new sales, or at least supporting the sales they have made. There is a common misconception that a website is more of a cost than an asset. When I ask companies why they would like a website the answers have been many and varied. It can often be that having a website is more of a reflex to competition rather than something that is planned to help grow sales and increase profile.”

This is of course a little unfair. Too many companies have been stung by website designers in the past, with websites that are not designed to sell their company. When it comes to selling on-line it comes down to a no-nonsense approach. Your website should be designed to deliver information to a visitor so that they can make an informed decision about purchasing from you. So this requires your website to be well laid out, to the point, answer the most common questions and have a clean layout. Once your website is achieving these points you will start selling.

When planning your website, keep in mind the following points:

Must be easy to navigate.
Can they easily contact you?
Don’t write to fill in space. Large pages of text can put off visitors.
Attract attention by using headlines.
Have you asked other people that are unfamiliar with your product, service or company to read your copy. If what you want to achieve is clear to them, fine, if not make it so.
No one cares about your fancy offices or how long you have been in business, it’s all about what you can offer!

By solving these issues your website will begin to be an asset to your business.