First, let me start off by saying that I love technology, and I think that the Android platform is pretty cool. I’m glad to see competition in the realm of reallyfreakingcoolcellphones, but the marketing of Verizon’s Droid struck a nerve with me.

First, before you read my silly little rant, check out the website and watch the commercial.

DROIDS FLASH BASED WEBSITE

http://droiddoes.com

DROID iDON’T COMMERCIAL

DROID ADVERTISEMENT ON THE VERIZON WIRELESS WEBSITE

NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING

My first impression of the iDon’t campaign is that its negative.

The text of the iDon’t commercial:

• iDon’t have a real keyboard
• iDon’t run simultaneous apps
• iDon’t take 5 megapixel pictures
• iDon’t customize
• iDon’t run widgets
• iDon’t allow open development
• iDon’t take pictures in the dark
• iDon’t have interchangeable batteries

This commercial reminds me of all the silly and petty political smear campaigns that made me really dislike election season. I know they are trying to point out that this phone does way more than the iPhone, but its just an immature way to point it out.

While some of the “iDon’ts” are true there are other ways to customize your iPhone.  If you jailbreak your iPhone you can do 3/4ths of these things anyways…  I’m currently running my NPR app while using tweetdeck (via backgrounder) and I have completely customized the way my phone looks.

*I should also note that I’m not the biggest fan of the I’m a mac, I’m a PC Apple commercials. I much prefer the simple commercials showing the apple products (iphone, ipod etc) and a hand.

UGLY AMATEUR GRAPHICS

My next beef with the Droid campaign is the graphic elements. Does anyone else think think all the red, black and texture look amateur? My initial reaction is – hey that looks like someone followed a Photoshop tutorial and branded the entire campaign with a cheezy semi-futuristic rock/metal texture. It just looks horrible! I’m just kind of amazed and confused, and wondering how much they paid an advertising agency to design this stuff!

The website is all flash (my thoughts on all flash sites) and has an annoying sound track of effect sounds to further enforce that grungy industrial look and feel.  After navigating through a few pages I left because I found the text (light gray on dark gray texture) very hard to read not to mention that the circular navigation is horrible!

If the Droid is going after the iPhone market – you would think that they would try to learn something from Apple’s neat and clean design aesthetic. The droid phone itself is pretty neat and clean – so im not sure where they are getting the ‘grungy cool’ from. Perhaps they are going in the opposite design direction just to be different?

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Is this campaign going to be a success for Verizon?  Are you going to buy a Droid phone? Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Question of the week: What do you do when you have so many ideas you feel like you are going to explode? I’ve been running into this lately and have been trying to deal with it by making lists and prioritizing which items to get to first. Listen to the audioboo below and leave a comment and join the discussion.

I recently found the book  ’Unuseless Japanese Inventions’ by Kenji Kawakami. You have to admire the absurdity and creativity of  some of these  inventions:  Cat dusters, grass toilet seats, high heel training wheels.  I’ve picked out some of my favorites from the book to share with you.

UMBRELLA TIE

Its a tie… and an umbrella… at the same time! As much as it rains here I should invest in this!

TRAINING WHEELS FOR HIGH HEELS

If I were to ever wear high heels… I would need these. They kind of make think of those ‘wheelie’ shoes… but for adults.

PANORAMIC HEAD CAMERA

This invention cracks me up…not only because its ridiculous… but I could actually see a tourist near MIT using this very device…

FINGER BRUSH

This one looks like a cross between a toothbrush and a thimble. Can you imagine whipping this thing out to do a post-meal brush up?

CAT DUSTER

Too lazy to do housework? Strap these dusting mits on your cat, give it some catnip and watch your house instantly be cleaned! I’m sure my cat would LOVE this! (Also see kittens in mittens)

CAMERA UMBRELLA

I have to admit that this invention is actually kind of clever.  I could use one of these for my iPhone.

BUTTER STICK

Short on time to make that toast for breakfast? Try the butter stick:  it’s kind of like a gluestick but edible… (well…some would argue that gluesticks are edible as well)

CLEAN AIR

Tired of that polluted and nasty city air? Try taking a whif of this plant and enjoy the clean air!

GRASS TOILET SEAT

Last but not least the best invention of all is the grass toilet seat… so you can can get that outdoorsy feel when you…well… have to go.

HAVE  YOU SPOTTED ANY WACKY INVENTIONS LATELY?

Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

As most of  you know i’m crazy about my iPhone.  I use it for work, business, blogging, communication, fun and many other things. I often have my phone sitting next to me while I work and prop it up against items on my desk so I can read my incoming alerts and messages.

I have been looking for an stand or cradle for a whle but wasnt impressed with anything I’ve seen so far. Most stands out there come at a premium price and I was just looking for something simple. Then I stumbled upon the GoGoStand.

I discovered the GoGoStand while browsing youtube.  I was quite amazed at the simplicity of the product (and jealous that I didnt think of it first!) The GoGoStand is an iPhone and iPod Touch stand that folds out from a credit card sized piece of plastic. The size and portability is what instantly sold me.

At $4.99 I couldn’t say no! Simple, useful, portable! I managed to snag one the day they went on sale (and sold out!)

I should also note that the Dean the designer of the GoGoStand is a friendly and responsive guy! I had to shoot him an email to correct my shipping address and he got back to me the same day. Great customer service!

OK SHUT UP NIKI! WHERE CAN I GET A GOGOSTAND?

Since I’m so pleased with the GoGoStand I asked Dean if he had some freebies for my readers. Currently the GoGoSands are all sold out – BUT stay tuned for a giveaway in the near future!

For more information about the GoGoStand check out the website http://gogostand.com/

WHAT ARE YOU THOUGHTS OR EXPERIENCES WITH iPHONE ACCESSORIES LIKE THIS?

Do you own one? Would you buy one? Let me know what you think!

I’m not that big of a fan of lists, but this one is worth checking out: 40 Amazing Female Role Models for Web Designers.  Men tend to dominate the web design world. If you need proof go to any web design or development conference. This list is packed with other talented designers and developers and just so happens to include myself as well.

*Gasp now I have confused everyone that thought I was a guy LOL!

I had a chance to stop by the Apple Store today to check out all the new sparkling goodies that were recently added to their lineup. I’ve been a bit disappointed that they didn’t have the magic mice out for sale, but they did have them hooked-up (literally) to some of the iMacs. I had a chance to play with one for a few minutes and managed to snag some pics and video.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

The magic mouse felt nice in my hand and was much lighter than I originally thought it would be (its basically just the weight of the batteries inside + plastic.)  The mouse felt like it fit well in my hand and I should mention that I have small hands. It also has an incredibly low profile, which looks cool and felt alright, but I was standing while using the computer. I’m wondering how this would affect ergonomics over time. The two black bars on the bottom of the mouse do a decent job of stabilizing during the two finger swipe, but it took some getting used to. I was swiping too hard at first and moving the mouse. I’m not sure if I will end up using the swipe.

The feature I was most looking forward to is the 360 scroll. While using safari I noticed when I flicked my finger on the mouse the scrolling accelerated much like the iPhone. It really is a please to scroll without that stupid little ball! Overall I was pretty pleased with my 5 minute session with the Mighty Mouse and I’m glad that I purchased one!

PHOTOS (GLAM OUR SHOTS)

HAVE YOU TRIED THE MAGIC MOUSE?

User experiences are different for everyone – so I’m curious as to what you think.

In this quick tip I’ll show you some font identification tools to help you find that special font.

Links: Identifont, Fonts by similarity, What The Font

I have to admit that I have a thing for mice. I’m always on the go and usually have a mouse and a laptop in my bag just in case inspiration strikes up an impromptu design session.  I have owned all sorts of mice that have faithfully served on both Mac and PC, but I’m ready to throw them all away for the Apple’s new Magic Mouse…

APPLE AND THE ERA OF THE HOCKEY PUCK MOUSE

I became a Mac user in back in August 2003. Being new to the Mac I went with what I new – my crappy corded microsoft mouse leftover from my desktop PC. There was nothing else…. right? My previous experience with a ‘mac mouse’ was the infamous hockey puck. I remember attempting to use a lovely bluebery iMac with this strange circular thing attached to it and was immediately frustrated. What was all this one button crap?  This expierence would prepare me for another 6 year protest of Apple mice.

THE GHOST OF MOUSES (MICE?) PAST

As a designer I find it impossible to design solely using the trackpad so I always have a mouse on hand.  I’ve have owned several Logitech and Microsoft mice with various sized usb receivers and even a few bluetooth models here and there.  I’m the sort of person that likes to be able to use keyboard shortcuts and program mouse buttons for as much functionality as much as possible. Each mouse had its merits and its 15 minutes of fame.

I was using my Logitech VX Nano for a while and have been mostly happy with this mouse. I had it set up just the way I like it: Tilt scroll wheel left/right for volume control, scroll wheel click for for spotlight search,  extra up/down buttons for web navigation. Pretty sweet set up! One problem:  my scroll wheel started making noises (which I find extremly annoying) and has been loosing sensitivity… or I’m just going crazy.

GIVING THE  MIGHTY MOUSE A TRY

Apple Bluetoth Mighty Mouse

After my frustrations with my trustly logitech mouse I gave up and went back to a wired Apple Mighty Mouse. I had been using this mouse a while and grew quite accustomed to the 360 scroll wheel. (not to mention the control+scroll wheel zoom for super-pixel design examination). But then… I grew frustrated with being tied down by a cord. So I decided to give the bluetooth mighty mouse a try. All was happy and full of glee for the first few months until I encountered the ‘dead scroll ball’ problem. While the idea of 360 degree scrolling is so helpful in programs like Illustrator and Photostop the unreliable scrollball made this a nightmare. I would be happily scrolling along and then BAM… its dead.  I tried the rubbing on a piece of paper trick and it didn’t work so like the impatient person that I am – I gave up and went back to my trusty but noisy Logitech mouse until I saw the light today.

HELLO MAGIC MOUSE!

So I saw all the hullabaloo about Apples new ‘Magic Mouse’ earlier today. (Sidenote: Who was high when they named this thing???) I have to say that I was hooked right away because of one thing – NO SCROLLBALL!!!!! It’s like Apple read my mind and removed the one thing I hated about the Mighty Mouse! I’m also looking forward to being able to use the swipe functionality to navigate in Safari and through photos.

Oh… and then there’s the lovely design and all the cool multi-touch technology thats packed inside…

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Did Apple create a breakthrough product that will change the industry? Or is this just a piece of overpriced plastic? Did you hop on the fanboi bandwagon and purchase a Magic Mouse? Leave a comment and let me know what you think! I value all your feedback (negative or positive)!

Question of the week: Is it better to specialize in a specific area of design, or to be a jack of all trades? Where do you currently stand in this spectrum of design? Currently pursuing a niche? Or are you knowledgeable in many aspects of design?

Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

I’m excited to be giving away some sweet stuff on my blog this week! I’m giving away 3  canvas prints of my Space mouse illustration along with 2,000 business cards.  Big thanks to Canvas on Demand and Print Runner for giving away their products!

About the Canvas Prints:

I’m sure you guys know that I dabble in illustration in my free time. I’ve illustrated my mouse charter in several different settings, but I’ve only seen my illustrations on a computer screen. This is why I’m super excited to be giving away 3 prints of my Space Mouse illustration! Canvas on Demand specializes in canvas prints in custom sizes. They also print photos on canvas as well in any size imaginable!

The prints are 11×16 with a 1.5inch gallery wrap. The illustration wraps around the sizes of the canvas that adds a nice touch and dimension to the piece. I was initially impressed by the thickness and sturdiness of the frame. The quality of the print is also really nice. I wasn’t sure what kind of quality to expect as I have never worked with printed canvas before. The frame is also easy to hang on a wall as it comes with one of those… uh…hangy things on the back!

About the Business cards from Print Runner:

Every designer needs business cards! (If you don’t think so you are crazy!) Print runner is offering to give 2 Readers 1,000 business cards each! Cards are printed on a 14pt card stock with a durable UV coating. They also have handy templates with bleed lines and safe areas set up for you!

How to enter:

Tweet about this post with the hashtag #spacemouse and then leave a comment below linking to your tweet Also let me know if you want a canvas print or the business cards. Thats it! Oh… and a few more things – to enter you have to be over the age of 18 and live in the US to enter.  Deadline to enter is midnight EST October 17th 2009. I’ll randomly select 5 winners and contact winners via email afterwards!