Being Frank

MeFeedia for iPad

Frank — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:07:02 +0000

I am proud to annouce that MeFeedia for iPad is here & can be downloaded from the App Store (link opens iTunes). Our simple app was created to bring new & original content from a variety of sources right to your iPad.

The app lets you quickly browse through popular videos from across the web.

Give it a Go

We hope you like our first iPad app, it’s free & we tried to make it fun so give it a try if you have an iPad (link opens iTunes). If you use an iPhone, we made an app for that too.

Microsoft Windows 8 App Store?

Frank — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:47:54 +0000

Seeing the launch today of the Apple Mac Store (and hearing from friends/ colleagues) I have a feeling that the Mac App Store will be game changing for Desktops. (Chrome App Store will also if her market share keeps climbing the way it is).

Coming Soon?

So, the real question is when will Microsoft launch their own App Store? Will they surprise us and use Internet Explorer 9 as a backdoor in? As a software update? Or as a part of Windows 8?

Guesses in the comments please…

First look – MeFeedia on Google TV

Frank — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 19:20:07 +0000

My brand new Sony Internet TV with Google TV arrived this morning. I’ve been browsing video on MeFeedia and here are some initial screenshots and initial impressions. Overall, the experience was quite good.

Some highlights

The MeFeedia design was built & tested on a 50-inch TV a long time ago, so it was no surprise how great the site looked on the Chrome browser which comes with Google TV.
MeFeedia is also built on Webkit first, with touch in mind. Touch doesn’t apply here, but from using the site on Google TV it is obvious that the user experience was optimized for this type of experience.
Most content works (except TV Network content), and the playback experience just as you would expect on any normal web browser.

Some pics

Why I Just Ordered a Sony Internet TV with Google TV

Frank — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 02:28:53 +0000

I just read that the Sony Google TV is available for pre-order at sonystyle.com. So what did I do? I placed an order for the 46″ Sony Internet TV, of course. Why?

Full Internet, on your TV – Even before MeFeedia, I wanted this. Why be restricted to what someone else decides what should be on your TV screen? Your laptop and smartphone don’t restrict internet access.

In today’s living room, all three screens are a stone’s throw away. Restricted Internet on your TV just didn’t make sense. I’m glad the folks at Sony decided to jump on this opportunity (having worked at Sony for 4 years, i know this was a huge deal for them).

New forms on interactivity and innovation – the full internet on your TV will lead to many innovations in user experience that we don’t have today with our current TVs. My kids will look back in 20 years and wonder how we could have lived with a “dumb” screen in our living room.

MeFeedia – no surprise here. I can’t want to experience mefeedia.com, optimized for Google TV. The Web’s Video – at your fingertips, on your couch.

SonyStyle.com says that my Internet TV will arrive sometime next week. Stay tuned for updates.

Massive List of HTML5 & CSS3 Resources

Frank — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:40:09 +0000

A list of useful HTML5 & CSS3 resources from my bookmarks. (You will probably need a modern browser).

HTML5 Basics & Introduction

Resources & Tools

Tutorials

Demos & Inspiration

Video Players

Browsers that support HTML5

Sites That Play HTML5 compatible video (H264, ogg etc)

Not all sites play all the time. These offer some support.

Audio Players

Games

Canvas Drawing & Sketchpad

Designers & Developers

CSS3

If you have a resource I haven’t included, then please feel free to mention it in the comments.

Why HTML5

Frank — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:48:34 +0000

Steve Jobs laid out why open standards (i.e. HTML5) are the future – particularly on mobile devices.

Summary
HTML5 is open, reliable, secure, great performance, usable (i.e. touch interfaces), and has a great user experience (at least on Apple products via the adoption of advanced platform features).

Better for Developers
One important point that can be elaborated on: there are a ton of developers that know HTML and Javascript versus Flash Actionscript (if anyone has any estimated numbers here, please share them in the comments).

Advancing Web Apps
This creates an environment where innovation and advanced applications can flourish in development communities around the world.

iPad – A few weeks on

Frank — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:02:57 +0000

After buying 2 iPads (32 & 64Gb models) to test MeFeedia with here’s my opinions…

1. The iPad plays media (and video in particular) really well. As we first reported that iPad users watch 3 times more video than web users. Although these numbers were very early, the numbers have only increased since then. At last glance, iPad users are now watching 4 times more video than web users, and they are watching for longer.

2. Kids love it. I am constantly finding my 6-year-old and 4-year-old sneaking away with my iPad. And they know how to use it – really well.

3. Netflix has their iPad app right. Basically, it is their web interface, in an iPad app. My whole family is already familiar with the web-based Netflix, so there is no need to learn a new user interface. But the best feature? “Watch instantly” movies remember where you are in the movie, even if you started the movie on another device. This cross-device smart memory is very convenient.

4. The iPad is a great family device. My kids, wife, and I are already fighting over it. We plan on taking the iPad on the next road trip.

5. For people with heavy computer usage, the iPad is mainly a supplemental computer, not a primary one. But for those in need of more “light” computing needs, I can see the iPad being a primary computer.

6. MeFeedia on the iPad is working great, with more and more content providers supporting HTML5 video.

7. HTML5 is here to stay, . It is changing both the video world and video ad space.

8. I am looking forward to the arrival of my 3G iPad.

Baseball season is back

Frank — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 05:59:50 +0000

Go Red Sox! That is it. Let’s hope this season finishes again like this:

MeFeedia on iPad First Look

Frank — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 22:45:41 +0000

First Look: MeFeedia running on iPad.

HTML5 Madness: 10 things I learned

Frank — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 20:44:18 +0000

1. HTML5 is the present, not the future.
2. Making things simpler can be complex at times.
3. It’s possible to track, monitor and implement HTML5 video monetization
4. Plugins will not die off.
5. iPad will be big. very big. Probably in a 13, 15 or 17 inch version
6. Video sites are excited about HTML5 Video.
7. Canvas via HTML5 is a new area to keep a close eye on (Canvas Games and Canvas Applications).
8. H.264 has a huge head start over Ogg.
9. Soon, there will be a huge influx of HTML5 plugin-ins for WordPress, JQuery, Mootools, Prototype, and pretty much every major Javascript library or blogging platform out there.
10. I can’t wait to try HTML5 MeFeedia on my new iPad.