Safari
HTML5 – Showcase and Experiments (Apple and Google)
Apple released their HTML5 Showcase a month or so ago. It was cool, but the showcase required Safari to view it (not sure if this is a technical limitation, or just marketing making the decision).
I just saw the Google equivalent, Chrome Experiments: Not your mother’s JavaScript … and it’s damn cool. Most of these (if not all, I haven’t gone through them all yet) are NOT limited to Chrome. If you can’t run it in your browser (and why NOT) – you can see videos of each of them.
Some of the featured experiments:
- Sketchpad – We’ve seen this before, showing off the ability to create vector graphics in HTML5 (we’ve linked to this before)
- Canopy – Impressive fractal zoomer implemented with HTML5
- Browser Ball – Some interesting animation of an element between windows.
- Wavy Scrollbars – physics simulation using browser scrollbars.
- Pong – Pong implemented through browser windows (annoying sound warning)
- Google Gravity – Physics applied to the Google homepage (demos very nicely physics as well as CSS rotations)
- Harmony – Sketching app
- Destructive Video – This is cool, blow apart a playing video (I’ve linked to this before) — notice how the video keeps playing
- Ball Pool – Another physics demo … rotations, animations, large numbers of objects.
Web Developers: How to develop for iPhone / iPad / iPod Mobile Safari
In short, don’t. It’s an uphill fight.
There are a few obstacles in developing for the iPhone / iPad I thought I’d post while it was on my mind:
- How can I test my “mobile” site?
- How can I see errors on my iPhone?
- Why is the iPad and iPhone different?
Basically Apple has decided to make life difficult for web developers. This was ideally done to improve the user experience on their mobile platforms, but I don’t think it was fully thought out.
Safari 5 Released for Mac and PC
Apple issued a press release following the WWDC announcing Safari 5:
SAN FRANCISCO—June 7, 2010—Apple® today released Safari® 5, the latest version of the world’s fastest and most innovative web browser, featuring the new Safari Reader for reading articles on the web without distraction, a 30 percent performance increase over Safari 4,* and the ability to choose Google, Yahoo! or Bing as the search service powering Safari’s search field.
Flowplayer: Control bar won’t reappear after Fullscreen and the Fix
Was just working with a strange bug in Flowplayer — after going full screen, the Control bar wouldn’t return on certain computers (seems to have been prevalent in certain versions of Safari 4.0.4, maybe Chrome).
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Opera Mini App approve by the Apple App Store
We can all surf the web on our iPhones in a browser other than Safari, please welcome the new Opera Mini App.
Opera Mini App approved for the App Store, I didn’t think it would happen but it did. Apple let some slight competition through the filter.
Help: IE7 won’t load my JSON but IE8 will – Using a JSON Validator
I just ran into this issue, and found surprisingly little documentation. My JSON request wasn’t returning. I was using the jQuery “getJSON” method to send the request out. Nothing was coming back.
Google History: Distorts Search Results (Warning for SEO experts)
A growing sector in web development nowadays is the SEO “expert”.
With the blossoming effects of social networks and rapidly developing online presences, many people consider themselves SEO experts because they can gain visibility for your site.
One could argue, that’s exactly what SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is, making sure your site gets visibility.
I’m going to stay neutral on that subject, but say that SEO should generate organic traffic to your site through cooperation with modern search technologies. Proper SEO shouldn’t be a Boom and Bust scenario, but a constantly growing user base.
With all of these new SEO experts comes a group of individuals who are NOT skilled in all the fundamentals on the internet.
Google History
One warning I wanted to throw out there, is Google distorts search results for users based on sites they have clicked on previously. Take a look at Google History, and you’ll see what I mean.
Google History takes your previous browsing behavior and organizes it. That information is used to tailor your search results, and I’m sure for Google to customize their search engine performance overall.
When doing SEO you frequently search for a few search terms every day, and may click on the results you like.
SEO experts should know that the results they see may differ wildly from the rest of the world.
All SEO experts should use “neutral” browsers without Google Toolbar installed such as Firefox or Safari (yes, it’s available on the PC too — and it works pretty well) to test the search placements of their clients.
Additionally, if you have hired an SEO expert, be sure to cross reference their results with searches on indepedent computers. Your SEO expert may say your site is now “top 5″ when it is in fact only in the top 20. This is because their computer is biased based on that user’s history.
Apple Releases official iPhone 2.2 firmware!
As predicted earlier, Apple released iPhone 2.2 firmware update today. I’m stuck without access to my machine, so I can’t update my iPhone, but here’s the description from macrumors.com:
Enhancements to Maps
- Google Street View
- public transit and walking directions
- display address of dropped pins
- share location via email
Enhancements to Mail
- resolved isolated issues with scheduled fetching of email
- improved formatting of wide HTML email
Improved stability and performance of Safari
Podcasts are now available for download in iTunes application (over Wi-Fi and cellular)
Decrease in call set-up failures and call drops
Improved sound quality of visual voicemail messages
Pressing the Home button from any Home screen takes you to the first Home screen
Preferences to turn on/off auto-correction in Keyboard settings
The update appears to deliver all of the expected features that we have detailed over the past several weeks. Other new findings include:
- App Store links in Mobile Safari correctly link directly to the App Store.
- Street view does not appear to be in the iPod Touch
- Tech note on downloading Podcasts in iPhone 2.2
- Netshare still works according to one user
- Emoji troubleshooting and Emoji technote for Japanese customers.
- Security changes found in 2.2.
- Transit directions screenshot
- How to invoke Street View on the iPhone
Android and Silverlight will help the iPhone
So the #1 competition that the iPhone has, Google’s Android — and Apple’s big rival’s, Microsoft’s, rich web plug-in Silverlight — Will both help the iPhone?
Absolutely.
Lets all be honest here, Apple’s been holding control of the iPhone in too close. We all have wanted GPS navigtion (real gps navigation), VOIP applications, alternative email applications, alternative podcasting apps, better browsing experience, and an overall better experience.
Until now, Apple had the final say on all of those things. Preventing applications that competed with the iPhone’s core functionality, relenting to implement common technologies such as VOIP applications, Flash in Safari, and other nice to have’s.
With the Android platform out there, we can all bet it will soon have both Flash and Silverlight running. It’s just a matter of time.
Apple can’t afford to be so stringent, with a fairly capable competitor doing things that will gain it significant market share.
I love my iPhone, but if the Android gets flash and Silverlight (not that I’m a fan of Silverlight, but at least it’s something) — I’d probably give Apple a week or 2 to make an announcement, then go right out and get one. Not only that, I’d happily leave AT&T for another provider.
We all hope Apple sees this, and starts helping us out.
iPhone 2.2 software coming soon?
In a photo posted at iphoneatlas.com (seen below), you can see some of the changes Apple has in store for the 2.2 update to the iPhone.
Please check out the article, Apple Debuts New Safari Interface in iPhone OS 2.2.
Why are we always so excited about this minor updates Apple releases?
I know I love getting new software in the hopes that it fixes some of the things I most find annoying. Every release for me has “Copy Paste” in it. Then I install, it doesn’t have the feature, so I assume it’s in the next one.
The whole point of this update CAN’T only be moving the Google search bar up, and the refresh icon over? Can it?
If it is, we know for sure they’ll say “other fixes and security updates” in the patch.
Whenever I’ve deployed a website missing some importantly functionality, I’ve always spent the night up working on a fix for it.
Worse yet, what if Apple started charging iPhone users like they charge iPod Touch users? I find it obnoxious that they charge those users to upgrade the software. Perhaps this is part of a contract with ATT? Not to release functionality developed for the iPhone for free to other Apple customers who aren’t paying the $30 a month for the “privilege” of owning an iPhone.
Here’s to hoping that the next release fixes more than the dreaded “Google search bar misplaced” bug (sarcasm). Maybe I’ll have more time to work with actual web development topics, as opposed to the iPhone drama.
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