February 2011
1 post
Download the Pecha Kucha App →
November 2010
14 posts
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Custom QR
Welcome to the Different Signal Virtual Gallery of Custom QR Codes! Dotted around the city of Göteborg is a display of custom designed QR codes, each with it’s own unique function. This is a demonstration of not just the technical possibilities of QR Codes, but the creative ones too.
These are purely form and function based designs, an introduction to and proof of concept, but we are only...
The Joy of QR
QR codes are very much on the crest of the mobile wave at the moment. Something originally developed by a subsidiary of Toyota, has been co-opted by the artistic and marketing community in many creative and diverse ways.
Erica Glasier has a great rundown of 50 Creative Uses of QR, which is well worth a read. Mashable, has slightly less uses but some nice real life examples.
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October 2010
2 posts
Paul Aston & Different Signal →
Paul Aston is a Creative Technologist and founder of Different Signal, providing New and mobile media is the marketing, heritage and tourism space.
Our main focus at the moment is a series of customised QR Codes for the One Tonne Life Project in Gotheburg.
Alongside this we are developing the use of augmented reality as a creative resource.
More information can be found on this tumblr...
More QR Code Goodness →
Now using Google’s handy URL shortener, Goo.gl creates a handy and trackable QR code.
September 2010
11 posts
Naturhistoriska riksmuseet, Stockholm signs up for...
Different Signal are delighted to announce the the placing of our first touring exhibition in Sweden. The Naturhistoriska riksmuseet in Stockholm will be exhibiting The Robot Zoo from December 2011 through to February 2012.
For the first time ever in Scandinavia, children will be able to explore the biomechanics of complex animal robots to discover how real animals work, thanks to...
Museum App for iPhone & Android
Smartour is our innovative and interactive application for smartphones, currently available for the iPhone and iPod Touch (Android platforms can also be supported). This platform enables museums and heritage sites to provide visitors easy and engaging access to their art and cultural treasures, and offers a rich, inspiring experience. The platform has been trialled across the world and is now...
The future of web and location based apps →
This is a great summary of the potential future for location based apps. The challenge is to think of this on a global scale. It’s all well and good with open APIs talking across platforms. The problem lies with different knowledge bases in different countries. What works in the US will not necessarily work in Sweden. And a service populated with information in Stockholm may well be barren...
The Difference Between iPhone and Android |... →
Android Might Be Top Mobile OS Globally By 2014... →
Sizing up app stores: iOS, Android and others... →
Good news everyone! - Apples approval rules are... →
Now, whether this means a flood of substandard apps or not, it should increase the number of talented developers able to bring their skills to bear in the Swedish App Market.
Smart Phone Marketshare - August 2010 →
These figures are not entirely precise, as they are based on the admob system (so iPhone marketshare seems a little inflated), but they do offer some interesting insight into the European market.
Google TV Developer Platform: What to Expect - Are... →
5 New Ways Small Business Can Offer Location-Based... →
Some trending applications in the US that are as yet not utilised in Sweden. Now would be a good time to get ahead of the trend.
Revealed: the real mayor of London - Foursquare... →
The usual pattern continues, the app is huge in the US, demonstrates exponential growth in the UK 6 months later, and reached the rest of Europe 3-6 months later. Which would explain why, as one of the 4 or so Foursquare users in Uddevalla, I am Mayor of half the town
August 2010
9 posts
history-of-the-internet - And now mobile data... →
Shopkick Brings Real-World Incentives to the... →
A new, location based shopping App for the iPhone. This opens up a whole new paradigm in terms of rewards. Rather than the medals and mayorships of Foursquare, this app actually offers real life benefits.
Phones, TVs, Cars Leading the Way to 22 Billion... →
That’s 22 BILLION things connected to the internet. And people scoffed at Skynet….
Miracle Film Turns Any Surface into a Touchscreen →
Now this completely opens up the world of museum touch screens!
Share and Track the Story of Any Object with... →
A lovely use of my beloved QR codes. Tales of things is a charming way to inject human stories into objects.
How Do Native Apps and Web Apps Compare? →
An accurate, as of now, comparison of the benefits of each platform.
The Secret Histories of Those @#$%ing Computer... →
So, did you know that Apple’s command key symbol is Swedish?
5 Trends Affecting How We Connect Through Social... →
Time was, you’d meet someone in a bar and get chatting, and I’m sure my grandkids will be flabbergasted when I tell them that relationships started in person, or at least over the phone. Old man grumblings aside, there are some good insights here into connections through social media. On the less human side of relationships, there is another good article here about The Future of...
Facebook May Make Location Announcement Wednesday →
And now it would appear that Facebook is stepping into the geo-location arena. In the way that Twitter replaced blogging, and now Foursquare and locative apps - just telling people where you are without actually having to type anything - are stepping on Twitters toes for personal information updates.
Location, location, location - It would appear the estate agents knew what they were talking...
July 2010
17 posts
Different Signal Website Updated and Live →
There’s even an easter egg for anyone bored enough to look
Different Signal places Robot Zoo in a major... →
Details must remain under wraps for just a few more days, and then we can reveal more about this exciting exhibition coming to Sweden for the first time
Different Signal Release SGP Class 1 Pocket 10 →
SGP Class 1 Pocket is the official app for the Class 1 World Powerboat Championship.
This was developed with the supremely talented Ricardo Fraile, who operates out of Spain and already has a world class reputation for motorsport apps.
The Android beta release was at the race in Arendal, and apart from small tweaks it was smooth sailing (if you’ll pardon the pun). From that we have...
Pay with a Tweet - A social payment system →
Part of me loves this, it’s a simple idea of taking the ‘free giveaways’ from the streets and train stations putting it out into the Twittersphere. The part of me that doesn’t is the part that refuses to use a Facebook App because I first have to “suggest 10 friends who might like this”.
Why QR Codes Are Poised to Hit the Mainstream →
And one of my old favourites. QR codes are breaking on through (well, they have been for a while now, but this could be ‘it’)
A Look Back at the Last 5 Years in Social Media →
An interesting look back at the growth and trends of 5 years of Social Media. A worthwhile starting point if you’re wondering where to go now
Mobile Commerce - Amazon Customers Now Order $1... →
Mobile business is HUGE! It would appear that the early days of security scepticism have well and truly passed, and if your customers are happy to buy online, then you should be making it easy for them.
Of course some of this is down to the huge growth of Paypal and its phenomenal growth - One million new accounts per month
There’s some interesting notes here on the Top 5 Mobile Commerce...
Android Versus iPhone: The OSes By the Numbers... →
More grist for the iPhone Vs Android mill. It’s pretty much neck and neck now, with iPhone winning by a small advantage. Or in other words - It’s definitely time to stop thinking only in terms of iPhone Apps
New theatre crowdsources plot in real-time →
Now I am all for Crowdsourcing, and very much for the idea of using portable devices to encourage people to interact with art. But the grumpy old man in me absolutely hates the idea of encouraging mobile phone use at a theatre
Amazon: Kindle Books Now Outselling Hardcovers →
Is this the wave of the new future?
Google asks YouTubers to capture 24 July on video →
Geocaching: A high-tech treasure hunt →
And a nice follow up article here