There has been a lot of talk recently about privacy and the right of netizens (god, I feel old) to know who has their data, where it is and what is being done with it. Combine this with the growing realisation that for most organisations the secret to success on the web is to... »
Market & Technology
Apple overtake Microsoft
I see today that Apple officially overtook Microsoft in terms of Market Capitalisation. Microsoft may still be twice as profitable but it really does mark Apple’s return to the big time. Remember that the key product in this return, iPod, has only been around for a handful of years. Just goes to show that... »
User generated advertising
Recently I’ve become a regular user of Gowalla, a location based social networking app which allows you to tell friends where you are via Twitter and Facebook. Using the iPhone GPS, it finds your location and provides you with all the information it has on businesses and attractions (called “spots”) around you, allowing you... »
Moving with the times
Our way of working is far from conventional and with the arrival of the new iPad, our thoughts on how we work are beginning to change further and these thoughts extend out to how we use the web. Mobile browsing has grown fast over the last few years thanks to the wide availability of smartphones... »
First impressions on the iPad
For the most part, Connected are an Apple loving company so there was a lot of excitement among us yesterday as we awaited the arrival of Apple’s latest piece of kit. Despite my initial scepticism when it was announced, my opinion quickly changed and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I had... »
A/B testing comes out of the closet
One of the best kept secrets of web success, A/B testing, is ever so slowly sneaking out of the closet. In the last week or two we’ve seen Google’s very public A/B test and now Twitter has come out of the closet with a range of sign-up variations being tested. It seems that a... »
In praise of Apple products “Even the packaging is beautifully designed”
Hi, I joined the team at Connected in February 2008 & I still learn something new every day. I stepped into Connected’s lair of internet gurus & web developers to find a sprawling forest of PC towers, monitors, cables & dull black, dusty keyboards. I clutched my “personal” Apple Macbook Pro very firmly in my hand... »
Time to look to the future?
Cast your minds back almost 10 years, the first generation iPod was only just on the horizon, those Harry Potter kids were unknown and the latest games consoles were Sony Playstation 2 and Nintendo GameCube. This is when Microsoft released Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) and began a decade of headaches and wasted hours for... »
Client-side analytics. Problem No: 222
It appears that the old chestnut of “privacy” and “data protection” might put a bloody great hole in the “Client-side analytics” ship. Specifically our old friend Google Analytics has been declared illegal in Germany. “So what”, I here you cry, “we’re not in Germany”. But we are, sort of, in the Federated European States of... »
QR Codes : the new short url?
Originally from Japan, QR codes are computer readable images that code information such as a URL and allow QR-enabled devices, such as mobile phones, easy and fast access to web-sites. Initially created in 1994 for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing, QR Codes are now used in a much broader context, including both commercial tracking applications... »

