Linked List: July 2, 2009

Thursday, 2 July 2009

Modes, Quasi-Modes, and the iPhone ★

Lukas Mathis has been writing some of the most insightful essays on UI design I’ve read in ages. He has a great piece today on modes and “quasi-modes”:

Quasimodes require the user to do several things at the same time, such as holding down the Shift key while typing. Modes, on the other hand, allow users to do things sequentially — hit Caps Lock, type, hit Caps Lock again. Sequential actions, especially if guided well, are often easier to execute than parallel actions.

And he argues (correctly, I say) that the iPhone’s new modal interface for selecting text is superior to the WebOS’s quasi-modal interface.

XHTML 2 Is Dead, Long Live HTML 5 ★

The W3C’s XHTML 2 effort is (thankfully) now officially dead, not just effectively dead. This is good news for HTML 5, as there’s no longer any dispute over which standard is the future of HTML.

Getting Pretty Lonely ★

Smart essay from Daniel Jalkut on how the GPL discourages participation from many (if not most) developers.

Apple Retail Stores Can Now Replace Broken iPhone Screens ★

Speaking of fixing cracked iPhone screens, Jim Dalrymple reports:

The Loop has confirmed that if your iPhone has a broken screen and you take it to an Apple retail relocation, they have the capability to fix it on the spot. The machine, which is located out of customer view in the back of the store, reportedly separates the iPhone from the screen, allowing a new one to be installed.

Of course, your screen doesn’t have to be completely smashed to need some sort of replacement done. Some users have reported dust particles on the inside of the screen as well.

How to Replace a Cracked iPhone 3G Screen ★

Step-by-step instructions, with photos, from Jeff Carlson.

Leaked AT&T Memo: iPhone 3GS Generated ‘Best Ever Sales Day’ ★

MacDailyNews has obtained an internal AT&T memo:

On this year’s launch day, iPhone sales exceeded sales recorded on 2008’s iPhone launch day, Black Friday 2008 and Dec. 26, 2008 — all heavy-volume sales days. In fact, this year we surpassed 2008’s launch day sales at about noon Central time, and sustained our previous peak hour record, also set in 2008, for 11 straight hours.