MIP is always an interesting combination of types and characters. Of particular interest to me (of course) is how digital is integrated into the overall programme - it changes from year to year as the organisers experiment with ways to cross-pollinate ideas between the digital track and the core of MIPTV.
This year’s MWC was, first and foremost, about the move from a focus on mobile devices (and their associated hardware and interfaces) to services. In fact, it feels the event has shifted its focus from technology to people.
The first MobX happened on November 18th in Berlin. It was positioned as the premier annual conference about small screen interaction design and usable interfaces on smart devices and was targeted to all creative minds who deal with user experience, interfaces and interactions in mobile contexts.
When I had the pleasure of speaking to key telecoms and technology industry figures at November's Smart Device and Mobile User Experience Summit this is the question I attempted to address.
What is the role of design in the sciences? My belief is that design and science must intersect in order to create social value from technological advances.
Fjord London's Managing Director, Scott Ewings, recently participated in a panel discussion at the Futuresource Entertainment Summit. Scott joined a group of industry experts to consider the hot questions around Connected TV, and how it will affect the sector in the near future.
The Mobile 2.0 Europe – openIDEAS Conference was in Barcelona last week at the new Telefonica R&D Catalunya Headquarters, there were presentations and talks by industry experts from innovative companies working in the mobile space. Fjord was lucky to be one of those companies.
Welcome to a debate that's been raging for a while: the supposed struggle between user-centred design vs. innovation. If you'll excuse us having a little rant, Fjord has some fairly strong opinions on this – in fact, we think the distinction is actually facile and false. Why? Allow us to explain.
At Fjord, we believe in elegant simplicity, it is our design driver. Wonderful inventions can come from the most simple of ideas. When we heard about the PlayPumps charity which combines the most basic of human needs, drinking water, with the action of children playing together to create something amazing, we had to get involved.
On Sunday 5th December, The Sunday Times published their Fast Track 100, which lists the fastest growing private companies in the UK. This year, Fjord was ranked 29th on the list, making us the highest ranked consultancy, let alone design consultancy.
"The iPhone's popularity in Japan is cracking open an industry long thought inaccessible to outsiders" Wireless Week recently reported. We'd like to share the content of the Mobile Observations workshop we held back in September 2010 on the topic of the Japanese mobile market.
Apple announced last week that they would begin selling the iPad in the United States from April 3rd 2010. The iPad, and an expected rise in demand for tablet computers, has generated a lot of comment and analysis in the blogosphere. I wanted to pass on a few of my thoughts.
In an age of unprecedented technological advances, it is perhaps surprising that the biggest tech event of this year is going to hark back to a concept which has been kicking around for years.
Three years since the launch of the iPhone, the iPhone is the de-facto smartphone. The only option for other handset makers now is to stop copying the form factor of the iPhone and differentiate themselves in other ways.
So, we were right all along. The Apple iPad, a 9.7inch tablet computer, and, everyone I've spoken to seems to be describing it as a large iPod touch or iPhone.
No one seems to be able to agree on the future of the cable, and wider visual entertainment, market – in fact the cable guys pretty much seem to have their heads in the sand...
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