One of my favorite things Google has done with Android over the recent major updates is improving GMail. I’ll be the first to say that the GMail interface on Android devices running Gingerbread and lower was quite pathetic. With Ice Cream Sandwich, Google unveiled an entirely new GMail interface that is gorgeous and the company
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A good portion of Google I/O was spent, naturally, on the design of applications, and Google apparently gave a little sneak peek at what probably is an upcoming redesign of the Gmail app. As evident in the Structure in Android App Design session, Jens Nagel shows off a redesign navigation drawer that combines several views into a single drawer-style UI. As the slide above shows, there are different layers to the views, collapsed by default.
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During an I/O session called “Structure in Android App Design,” Google leaked a new design for Gmail ahead of any official announcement. The slide shows a revamped navigation drawer and a conspicuous lack of the action bar on the bottom. Functions currently located at the bottom of the screen (like compose and search) have moved up, streamlining the inbox’s vertical structure.
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Today Only: Purchase the Marware rEVOLUTION for iPhone 5 and save $16.99! The rEVOLUTION iPhone 5 case is an interchangeable three-piece system that keeps pace with your fierce, fashion-forward lifestyle. Mimicking the design of the new iPhone, the top and bottom pieces slide on tightly to your device, locking the eye-catching middle plate in place. This innovative design allows for complete all-around protection and comes in black or white. List Price: $34.99 Today Only: $18.00 Learn More and Buy Now Never miss a deal
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When it comes to laptops, Windows 8 machines are giving OEMs a lot to chew on and explore. Of all the companies to most impress me so far, it’s been Acer. Traditionally, Acer has been associated with more mid-range devices but their S7 Ultrabook (see here) and now their R7 transformer are quite remarkable designs, setting a new bar, in my opinion, for the company. I picked up the R7 yesterday simply because I forgot it’s now available “exclusively” at Best Buy for $999 (not even Microsoft Stores have it, which is where I would have preferred to buy it). I checked out a few hands on reviews and decided to take the plunge (Best Buy does have a 15-day return policy, after all)
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Google is showing some love to the desktop version of Chrome (Windows and ChromeOS). For the Chrome notifications, it appears that they’re adopting the same Google Now style aesthetics as they did with the new Google+ design. Say what you will about the mechanics, but there’s no denying the visual appeal. Google is slowly but
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The HTC One is a gorgeous phone, but everyone knows that so I’m not going to spend time droning on about it. That being said, there are a couple blinding issues with the device, one having to do with hardware, and the other having to do with a certain wireless carrier. The global HTC One
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Popular email app Mailbox, which launched for iPhone in early February with a reservation system that saw well over one million users sign up before the company eliminated reservations last month, has now gone universal with a native interface for the iPad. ReadWrite has more on the development, including a brief interview with Mailbox founder Gentry Underwood about how designing for the larger tablet screen was actually more difficult than for the iPhone.”[Tablets] are these weird hybrid devices that sit in between,” said Underwood. “They’re part luxury mobile phone, and they’re part makeshift desktop experience.” That made it harder, not easier, he said. “Constraint is the friend of design,” Underwood said.
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'Huge honor' for the Google Now team, says Matias Duarte Google Now — Google's card-based predictive search tool — has been awarded the grand prize for “best everyday utility” at the 2013 User Experience Awards. To claim the prize, Google Now saw off competition from a wide variety of different projects, including Belkin's WeMo home automation system and healthcare startup ZocDoc. Announcing the win on Google+, Android design lead Matias Duarte called the award a “huge honor” for the entire Google Now team. Google Now is one of the most important smartphone features of the past year, and it's a well-deserved win for Duarte and his team
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The Porsche Design P’9981 was a pretty interesting device but it’s now a little bit outdated even with it having arrived in gold. Arguably, it was outdated at the time of release but that didn’t matter to a lot of folks. Personally, I wanted one but I couldn’t justify the cost for what essentially broke down to a dressed up BlackBerry Bold 9900.
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Time for the Giveaway season to kick up a notch. Over the weekend I cleaned up my desk and around it and I have a box full of stuff to giveaway. Mostly items I’ve reviewed over the past few months. I have lots of stuff that you’d like.
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The Ottawa International Game Conference kicks off in a week’s time. The conference, which lasts for three days, will take place on May 29th – 31st and features new innovations and trends in the gaming industry in Canada. Numerous speakers all across the board will be present to relay knowledge and expertise. Here are some OIGC highlights: 45 Speakers, Keynote Presenters and Panelists 5 Tracks (developer, artist, entrepreneur, marketer, indie, students or just an idea person) A Full pre-conference day of Workshops and learning sessions from the bests of the bests (Microsoft, BlackBerry and Game Design 101 with Dr.
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Google has been trying to streamline their apps’ user interface to go along with the “cards” look we first saw in Google Now. Google Play Music and Play Books have already been updated over the past few days, and now Play Magazines follows with their new UI. The white background with purple accents fits Come comment on this article: Google updates Play Magazines user interface as part of design streamline Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!
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A few weeks ago, Winstagram came out of the blue as another Instagram uploader and it happened to be the first to offer compatibility with Windows Phone 7 users. Since then another uploader has been released for the now ‘old’ platform, but Winstagram is responding to the competition well with a new update that adds a big feature: the ability to register for an Instagram account. Now when you launch Winstagram for the first time, you’ll be greeted with a login page that also includes a small button to register. Tapping on that reveals a quick entry form allowing you toset your future account’s username, password, email, and of course name
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FiftyThree, the developer behind the popular sketching app Paper, has posted a lengthy article examining the new Zoom feature that was added to Paper earlier this month. Zoom is one of those UI controls, like the color picker, that has grown so familiar as to become almost invisible. Designers drag and drop it out of a mental library of stock functionality, and the most pressing consideration is whether to use a magnifying glass or a +/- button for the icon. “Pinch to zoom” reinvented zoom for touch devices, and Apple made the gesture ubiquitous by including it in iOS
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Waterproof devices are becoming more prominent in the mobile industry , and for good reason too. How many countless times have we heard of folks dropping their smartphone in a body of water or falling into one with a phone in their pocket? Today, LG introduced the Optimus GJ their first high-end foray into the
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Apple has quietly revamped its Online store with a cleaner and more modern user interface. Here’s a list of the design changes we’ve noticed so far: Continue reading →
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BlackBerry 10 may be all over the news most of the time these days but Porsche Design have brought yet another edition of the P’9981 to the table and this one is going to be expensive. We’ve already had the silver and black versions but this new gold version will be limited to just 25 handsets worldwide which will be available in certain Porsche Design stores in July. Read More
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Today at 3PM EST (12PM PST) Major Nelson (Larry Hryb) will be sitting down with special guests to discuss the new architecture of the recently announced Xbox One. The new Xbox One architecture is a combination of three operating system: Xbox OS, The Windows Kernel, and a “third” OS to tie the other two together. If you want to hear more about the design and construction of Microsoft’s latest entertainment system – there is no better chat to join. Guests will include: Todd Holmdahl, Corp
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Day two at BlackBerry Live 2013 was ripe with exclusive sessions for the Elite guys and as well as the session with Frank Boulben, BlackBerry Elite members got a chance to sit down with the product design team and learn about the ideas and inspiration for building the BlackBerry 10 platform and devices. Todd Wood, Industrial Design and Don Lindsay, User Experience gave us a look at how they came about designing what the BlackBerry 10 products we see today. Todd started off by showing off a house designed back in the 60s that was the inspiration behind creating the flow of BlackBerry 10.
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