The graphical user interface has become the de facto metaphor for most of our diverse activities using computers, yet the desktop environment provides a one size fits all interaction. Tangible and ubiquitous computing research, along with recent consumer products such as the Wii and the iPhone, suggest an opportunity to enable more compelling and natural interactions through the co-design of sensing hardware, software algorithms, and physical form. For the computer to realize its potential as a tool that significantly extends our intellectual and expressive abilities, new interaction techniques must call upon our bodily abilities to manipulate objects and must be more usable in our everyday physical environment. Read More…

Foundation and critique are two core elements that separate design from other ways of thinking and practicing creation of ideas and solutions. Foundations are the core elements that we manipulate within our craft. Critique is the way we judge the results of that craft. For critique to be effective though it requires foundation. It is only through our understanding of what it is that makes up our craft, that we can bring consistency and consensus to design criticism. Read More…

China, the world’s largest cell phone exporter, is expected to maintain momentum in both production and marketing of mobile phones in the remaining of this year, CCID Consulting said recently.

The company predicted that China would produce 605 million cell phones for the whole of 2008, a growth of 16.9 percent over last year, and sell 205 million at home, up 17.55 percent. The foreign sales would amount to 400 million units, up 16.79 percent.

From January and June, according to CCID Consulting, 279 million cell phones were produced nationwide, up 21.2 percent on the same period of last year, and 96.403 million were sold, up 17.52 percent. Exports totaled 182 million units, up 22.74 percent.

Nokia, Samsung and Motorola claimed nearly two thirds of the Chinese cell phone market, with the Finnish company Nokia taking a 41.02 percent share.

China mobile market enters a development period led by the demand for mobile upgrades from the second half of 2003, in 2007, over 60% of users changed their mobiles with over 90 million mobiles sold for this purpose. The reasons could be attributed to faster function upgrades, higher performance- price ratio, shorter product life cycle, and customized service by SP.

The number of new subscribers reached a new record in recent years with over 86 million new subscribers in 2007 and over 7 million per month. According to statistics, new subscribers mainly come from rural markets and 3rd/4th-level cities. Joint efforts by SP and manufacturers further release the demand in these areas. There were 547 million mobile subscribers in China in 2007, and the large subscriber number, differentiated demand from segmentations and the demand for mobile upgrade exchanges for 3G in the following years will all push mobile market development on a large scale.

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Mobile has fulfilled the popularity of color screens, cameras and music functions over several years, and the development of integrated 3C technology keeps on giving mobiles new functions such as MP4, TV, blue tooth, GPS and WIFI, which boosts the function evolution, though some renovations may fail to be popularized. The hardware function expansion is rather limited at the moment so that the function expansion will mainly happen in application and services.

The iPhone launched by Apple in 2007 has resulted in a craze, which shows that Internet function integration will be a major method to expand mobile functions. The best proof is that leading brand Motorola has sounded the call to “put Internet into your pocket and make the world wireless.” Meanwhile, outline and industrial design are the other solutions for technical renovation, the sliding phone from Samsung and super slim mobile by Motorola have both led to some trends and made mobiles in vogue.

In the future, mobile will fulfill wireless information and entertainment needs, which will demand a faster technology renovation than any other consumer electronics, and it is the direct driving force behind boosting mobile market development on a large scale.

The competition of products on the market will be rather fierce while the China mobile market is developing on a large scale. The homogeneity, price wars, and sinking channels will direct consumer behavior, and manufacturers will turn from seizing market share to chasing profit. The certificate of mobile authority and the launch of the China 3G mobile market will stimulate market competition and create concentrated market share in already-advantaged brands and less market share in small brands. It will also create competitive cooperation among manufacturers and distributors.

China’s mobile phone sales will be lower than expected after the May earthquake and a lack of state of the art applications depressed sales in the second quarter, a Beijing-based research firm said recently.

CCID Consulting, a research group with the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry, cut its 2008 domestic handset sales forecast to 165 million units from 185 million units.

“The handset market lacks innovations and the 3G market has only just started so many consumers have adopted a wait-and-see attitude,” said Li Xuefang, a CCID analyst.

Popular new functions include electronic wallets which allow users to pay utility bills, Pushmail which connects directly with e-mail, GPS and NFC (near-field communication) which can be used for ticketing and payments, the CCID said.

“These functions require advanced chips and smartphone operating systems. An extra like mobile TV is just for a niche market,” said Sandy Shen, a Shanghai-based analyst at Gartner Inc.

China has issued details of the anticipated reorganization of the telecommunications industry which will involve 3G licenses, probably next year.

High-speed mobile services, which can include film downloads and videoconferencing, should encourage more users to replace their phones. Firms such as Nokia, Motorola and Dopod have developed 3G phones and are just waiting for regulator approval.

In the first half of the year, 96.40 million handsets were sold, a 17.52-percent growth year on year. But second quarter sales lagged behind the first quarter because of the earthquake, CCID said.