Fresh

With some of the anticipated features of HTML 5 already being supported by major browsers combined with the lack of support for Flash on popular new interactive devices like the iPad and iPhone, the future of Adobe’s Flash has never been so uncertain. Is it time to cut and run from Flash? Steve Jobs would like you to think so. High-powered opinions aside, Flash’s indelible place in our browsers has definitely come into question.

How HTML 5 is encroaching on Flash’s turf

HTML 5 will be the next version of HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) and with it will come some of the biggest advances in HTML’s relatively young history. The proposed new standard will change the way websites are built and looks to minimize the need for proprietary browser plug-ins like Adobe Flash and Microsoft’s Silverlight.

Some of the biggest impacts will be in how HTML handles audio and video without the use of rich media plug-ins such as Flash. This new functionality will be handled with new tags <video> and <audio>, while still aiming to be backward compliant with older versions of HTML.

This has led many to believe that Flash’s days as an interactive industry leader are over and that there will be a day when you won’t need to upgrade your Flash Player ever again. Don’t hold your breath.
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My parents have a love affair with technology.

Let’s take my dad, for example. He’s in his sixties and super tech-savvy when it comes to computers, software, and general computer hardware. If the computer isn’t working, he’ll find a way to troubleshoot it, reboot it, reinstall something, call Apple Support, or whatever it takes to get it up and running again. He subscribes to MacWorld magazine, loves to learn new tips and tricks, and helps his co-workers when their computers begin dying. He does not work in the technology field; he just has a passion to learn new things, think analytically, and solve problems.

My mom is pretty savvy when it comes to using technology to connect with people. She was one of the first people I knew (outside of eROI, that is) to create a Facebook profile and use it to stay in touch with friends and family from across the country. She’s connected to some of my friends (that’s an entirely different story and post) and will quite often know about what’s going on with them before I do! Crazy, but true.

I would imagine that my parents are pretty similar to a lot of other folks from their generation. They love technology – to a certain extent – but shy away from things that they either deem irrelevant to them or that are daunting to learn. My folks tend to have a hunger to learn and try new things, so they adapt really well to new technology.

These two clips below – the first paying homage to the fathers and the second to the mothers – were funny representations of parents trying to adopt new technology, and using their son, Darren, as their teacher. They come from a video series on Current, called SuperNews!, and I found them particularly great because they poke fun at what I’m sure many of us twenty- and thirty-somethings have experienced with our own parents.

I’m curious about those real-life technology scenarios that you’ve experienced. Anything similar to these videos? Any funny Mom and Dad situations? Please share and commiserate!

Who has a phone with a mobile browser? Um…EVERYONE! Yeah, nowadays, people don’t just have cell phones, they have a mini computer in the palm of their hand able to find anything online within seconds.

On the top of everyone’s priority list, in the web world, is how to go mobile. One option is to build a whole new version of your site so that it will look good on a mobile device, but not everyone has the time and/or budget for that. If your site is already in WordPress, then you have another option…plugins!

There are several handy plugins that will make your current site mobile friendly. I’ve been tasked to find a plugin for our blogs here at eROI. After doing my research, I’ve found a few that seem to top the list and do a great job out of the box.
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You may have checked out the mobile site we launched in conjunction with touch.wacom.com after we mentioned it in our post, “Menagerie of Mobile Madness.” We’re really proud of that little beauty, and excited to see its getting some recognition out there in the interwebz. Big thanks to Mobile Awesomeness for featuring it in their gallery (And if you haven’t checked them out yet, go do it!)

This month at eROI there have been some great additions in our tool box. Now, squeezed between our trusty hammer (e-mail marketing), Ban Saw (Custom CMS Development), and shiny red power drill (eROI Event), we are proud to engage in the mobile design and development realm. Our process here at eROI has always been very important, and setting up solid action steps to be successful has taken a bit of trial and error, but what we came out with on the other side is a beautiful addition to an already magnificent house. Yea, that’s right, our tools build kick-ass houses, and here is how we did it for mobile.

First, it is all about the research. Do your research. It is very important to understand all the limitations that go along with designing and developing for mobile devices. There are plenty of online resources out there that can aid you in your journey. We have found a couple great tutorials such as Engage Interactive “Tutorial: Building A Website For An iPhone,” to be quite helpful for our internal team, and you can see a great post about some of our design inspiration right on this blog, “Menagerie of Mobile Madness.” It is always nice to learn the rules before you break them.

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Just getting started on a mobile website project?  (Have you read our post “Five Tips for Mobile Site Success” yet?) Here are some of our favorite inspirations and resources from around the web gathered just for you!

Mobile Awesomeness: An all-around awesome mobile gallery. It is really handy for design inspiration because they include screenshots of the different sites, so you can quickly peruse without opening it in your iPhone or an emulator. Be sure to check out the mobile web resources section they’ve put together, too.

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