Nov 3, 2011
61% of people research Christmas gifts on social media
Mashable Business posted this infographic by Lab42 to illustrate the power of online this Christmas, showing amongst other stats that (more...)
Archive for the ‘Cool stuff’ Category
May 12, 2011
Reeling back the years @ MadeByPi®
Posted by Andyb | Filed under Cool stuff
Today is an exciting day, we’re having a party, but not just any party. Because today it’s our birthday party! Tonight we celebrate 15 years of making websites and an array of other digital stuff. If you hop on over to the www.madebypi.co.uk website you’ll see lots of information and case studies about what we’ve made in the last few years.
I’ve now been with MadeByPi® for almost 12 years, in such a dynamic and changing industry there's a real focus on looking what is coming next and rarely do we look back on how we got where we are today. So in a break with tradition, today seems like an ideal opportunity to get a little nostalgic and look at how we got from our humble beginnings to a team of 35 experts in digital solutions.
You see we weren’t always called MadeByPi®, indeed up until 2008 we were known as Pilot Interactive (or PI as we were known colloquially - hence MadeBy "PI"). (more...)
May 12, 2011
15th Birthday Showreel
To celebrate our 15th birthday, we asked the boys in our studio to have a play around and come up with something to highlight a few of our most successful projects from the past decade and a half. The result is the showreel you can see on our website. (more...)
Mar 8, 2011
Microsoft’s IE6 Countdown
To the surprise of quite a few of us here in the MadeByPi office, Microsoft released a new website the other day, with the strapline "10 years ago a browser was born. Its name was Internet Explorer 6. Now that we're in 2011, in an era of modern web standards, it's time to say goodbye."
Yes, Microsoft are making the effort to try and get global usage of it's own browser IE6 down to below 1%.
Currently the global usage of IE6 is 12% worldwide - still rather high, but hopefully with this campaign which, developers can also contribute to by using their provided scripts to inform IE6 users to upgrade to the latest versions (IE8/9) we might eventually get there.
For information from the chaps at Microsoft themselves about why they are doing this, check out their blog.
Feb 25, 2011
Mac OSX Lion
Apple recently announced 'Lion'; the next update for the Mac Operating system OSX. From what has been announced so far, it looks like both a beautifully designed and more friendly update from Apple aimed at bringing the feel of the iPad and it's apps interface to your desktop:
Feb 3, 2011
Particle type experiment
Just a little experiment using Cinema 4D's particle system and a nice 'a' from our logo.
Jan 20, 2011
Review of the new Guardian app
By Matthew Aitken: Mobile and future devices designer
Amidst rumours that Apple are going to offer a subscription pricing system for apps the Guardian released their new iPhone app earlier today. This effectively replaces the existing app, which they intend to phase out over the next six months.
The pricing model they have opted for is £2.99 for 6 months or £3.99 for 12 months. Although customers who had already purchased the old Guardian app will probably moan- App Store reviews bring out the worst in people! - this seems like exceptionally good value. It is also a good strategic move giving them recurring revenue to continue improving the app and providing dedicated content.
So, having downloaded, what we expected was an 'evolved' version that boasts more than they currently offer with added features, bells and whistles. On first impressions, it looks quite similar to the original app - which is no bad thing. The app itself is well presented and makes good use of strong colour-coded sections and simple navigation, so usability has been a key driver. Again a good thing.
Jan 13, 2011
The year that’s been in the digital world…
By Karen Lewis: Client Services Director
So, as the year comes to a close, I’ve been asked to reflect upon the year that’s been and where it leads to in the digital arena. Interesting task - and one that I relish! Looking back, predictions for 2010 were dominated by adapting for and surviving the poor economic climate in addition to enthusing about this being the year of the mobile (finally!), given the phenomenal market adoption of smartphone technology.
And indeed, digital profited from the UK’s economic climate with price comparison, auction and cashback sites demonstrating the fastest growth rates in the industry as value for money dominated and influenced consumer purchase behaviour.
What has also happened is that shopping has become increasingly ‘social’ (e.g. Amazons user feedback and Groupon); ‘in-the-know’ consumers are more likely to seek lower prices online (via eBay’s Fashion Outlet and ASOS Marketplace) and, more importantly, influence shifted to peers with consumers reporting that they are now more influenced by user generated reviews than brand advertising.
