Daily Bits – Page 197

2014: The Most User Friendly Apps

March 18, 2014 by David Glenn

Several factors go into a popular app. Of these factors, design is key. However, functionality and user experience are equally important, if not more so. While design often varies based on the perceived usefulness of an app, the importance of user experience (UX) cannot be denied.

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An app may have a sleek and beautiful facade, but it may also have issues with its user-friendliness, resulting in a poor user experience. The most prominent apps are known for the excellent user experiences they deliver. Here is a peek at five popular apps with the best UX design as well as a look at what drives their popularity. [Read more…] about 2014: The Most User Friendly Apps

Essential Characteristics of a High-Quality Image or Video

March 17, 2014 by noemi

Editor’s Note: This post was written by Jake Magleby, who has written extensively about effective marketing, sales, and financing strategies to help small business owners succeed in the fast-paced and ever-changing business world. He is also interested in photography and video production. To learn more about choosing great media for your site, check out Stockfootage.com.

If you are creating content for television, blogs, movies, print ads, or websites, you know high-quality media essential. Humans are visual thinkers and learners, and we gravitate toward images and videos. While well-written copy is usually an important component of quality content, engaging media is one of the best ways to capture and hold someone’s attention. Here are some essential characteristics to look for when selecting an image or video for your next project.

Sharp Focus

Image by steve r watson via Flickr

One of the most important things to look for in a photo or video is sharp and correct focus. An adorable photo of tiger cubs loses its value if the photo is blurry or the camera focused on the rocks behind the cubs. The same thing goes for video—looking at blurry photos is uncomfortable, but watching out-of-focus video isn’t just uncomfortable; it can induce nausea and headaches. Before you consider anything else, make sure your image or video is focused. If it isn’t, throw it out and move on. [Read more…] about Essential Characteristics of a High-Quality Image or Video

300GB Blu-ray is NOT for Games and Movies

March 11, 2014 by DailyBits

300GB Blue-ray is NOT for Games and Movies (via slashdot)

Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp. have developed specifications for an optical disk that is the same size as a Blue-ray disk, but will stay readable for 50 years and has space for 300GB of data – and eventually a full terabyte. The Archival Disc is designed…

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Getty Images Decides It’s Mostly Better To Compete Than Sue, Frees Up Millions Of Images

March 7, 2014 by DailyBits

Getty Images Decides It’s Mostly Better To Compete Than Sue, Frees Up Millions Of Images (via Techdirt)

Getty Images has something of a reputation as a copyright maximalist. The company’s representatives have testified before Congress and pushed for copyright expansion in the past. It’s also well known for filing copyright lawsuits on those it claims…

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Icarus Tech: Is New Technology Flying our Society too close to the Sun?

March 3, 2014 by David Glenn

It’s a complaint that is as old as technology itself. Ever since the first caveman discovered fire, the older generation has been seeing all of the new gizmos and gadgets embraced by their children and grandchildren and wondered what kind of negative impacts these new-fangled devices will have on society.

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When radio first became available, there were those who wondered if it were a blessing or a curse. When the printing press first made possible the efficient reproduction of written works, Johannes Trithemius (a respected polymath) feared the damage that could be done when trained scribes were no longer needed. And even the invention of writing had its naysayers, including Plato, one of the most respected minds ever to live.