OK, well this might be a bit of a techie rant against the Microsoft machine and its shoddy, market dominating browser, Internet Explorer, but firstly its a valid one and secondly its more about recognising the huge achievements of a lesser known browser, Opera. There are a myriad of different browsers and different browser versions being used all with different capabilities and different ways of displaying the same website content, this makes our jobs as web content creators very tricky. One thing that is fairly unanimously agreed upon throughout the industry is that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser is by far one of the worst and has gained its share of the market through dirty tricks and lack of user knowledge. Less known though is that a little browser called Opera has been at the forefront of browser innovation for many years, creating new tools to make your life easier that most of us only discover when we auto-download the latest version of Internet Explorer three years later.

Today, we reinvent the Web.

Opera’s latest innovation is called ‘Opera Unite‘. This claims to allow non-technical users to serve and share content and services directly from their own computers via the browser instead of traditionally just viewing content. Time will tell on this latest innovation, but if it’s as good as it claims to be you can expect to see it integrated into Internet Explorer in a couple of years time! The following article highlights some of the browser innovations that are now common place in nearly every browser but started many years previous in the perfectly crafted underdog that is Opera.

www.geektechnica.com/2009/06/8-browser-innovations-started-by-opera

Want to join the 2% of Opera users -  www.opera.com

(Opinion by: Simon Farrow – Web Development Manager)

Being an avid gamer and having a strong interest in multimedia interface design it was of great curiosity that Microsoft were providing a downloadable overhaul of their Xbox 360 ‘dashboard’ via their Xbox Live service. The Xbox Experience, as it’s known, uses a friendlier and more visual approach to organise gamer profiles, downloaded content, music, videos and all-new Xbox live content. Mirroring the design transition between MS Windows XP to Vista, the all-new shiny interface looks and feels great, with cascading windows creating a spacious and methodical atmosphere. The new addition of a customisable avatar (Microsoft’s attempt at chipping away at Nintendo’s market share – Mii anyone?) to personalise your experience is also very much welcome…

However, design aesthetics aside, in practice it’s a very different story… It just goes to show, sometimes there is no substitute for a simple option menu that allows you to navigate intuitively. In its visually appealing simplification, the new navigation suffers from having options heavily segregated in an attempt to make the experience more digestible and effortless. In reality, while it moves and looks great – it can be a real trial to find what you’re looking for!

Luckily, XBE is saved somewhat by a quick access mini dialog-box that allows you to jump to what you’re looking for with minimal hastle (just like the old 360 interface then…).

With the gaming press is STILL awaiting Sony’s ‘Home’ for PS3 to be completed, XBE is a welcome supplement. In short, a nice renovation of a tired interface – with traits of Vista, Wii and Apple’s Leopard OS –  a change for the better…it just might take a little getting used to. The ‘form before function’ debate continues.

Check out the official website to see examples of it in action.
(Opinion: Jon Price – Designer)