With the introduction of Chrome OS, it’s tempting to criticize Google for what seems like a half-baked product. Compared to OS X, Windows 7, or even Google’s own Android, there is a lot lacking. But there are interesting ideas, even if they are not the first to propose them.

Where they’re not pushing the envelope enough is the interface. It’s a little disappointing that when they thought of making a web-based PC, they turned it into a web browser-based PC. There must be a better way to enable what they’re doing besides putting browser tabs at the top of the screen and an address bar underneath. It would be like Apple being unable to think outside their desktop OS and releasing the first iPhone with an interface that used a scaled down menubar.

Where Google is pushing the envelope too much is the entire rest of the OS. It’s interesting in theory, but not yet practical. It’s a good thing they are starting down this road so that hopefully in 5 years it will have developed into something that will be useful. Currently, there’s simply not enough infrastructure in place to make it a successful experience.

Where is your private file space in the cloud? When you buy a computer, included by default with any and all computers is space to store your stuff. You can share things if you want, but that’s something you opt-in to. If you buy a ChromeOS device, you had better be prepared to spend a lot of time getting up to speed on the privacy controls of each service you use, because private spaces in the cloud are hard to come by. Or you better know about dropbox/sugarsync/whatever and be prepared to pay an annual subscription to rent some online space. Simply put, the vast majority of people are not yet at this point.

Internet access isn’t where it needs to be either. HTML5 is a great starting point for offline connectivity, but so far it’s only a starting point. Will ChromeOS store your entire Gmail archive in its offline database by default, so if you’re working at a cafe without internet, you can reference an email you sent 3 months ago? Not yet.

Thinking about how ChromeOS is being developed and presented, one of the striking differences between Google and Apple is that Apple almost never* releases something before all the pieces are in place that are required to make it completely useful. Apple didn’t make the iPod when MP3 technology first appeared, they waited until they had music management software with an interface that made it easy to fill up an MP3 player AND enough storage could be packed into a small enough space that people could put it in their pockets. Whether Apple will successfully compete in the cloud is to be seen, but you can bet that they won’t release something along the lines of ChromeOS until they can craft an experience that fits seamlessly with the way people live their lives.

And so this is the key to evaluating ChromeOS. It’s unfair to look at it as a finished product to be stacked up against whatever Apple and Microsoft have currently released. For all its flaws, it’s obvious that it isn’t a product built for now. It’s a starting point for the future. Google’s description of using it as a “companion PC” is another way of saying “this isn’t ready for prime-time”. It’s a prediction of where computing will be 5-10 years from now.

Does ChromeOS have more potential than the many other thin client projects that have come and gone every several years? Google’s deep pockets and long gaze are cause enough to pay attention. Watching its evolution will no doubt be informative.

* Apple TV = the reason for the “almost” in “almost never”

Things are looking up in Phoenix, and if you’re our enthusiastic traveler pictured below, they’re looking up and squinting.

As part of Sky Harbor’s not-so-recent facility facelift, the Paging Assistance Location (PAL) is intended to supplement audio paging and better service both hearing impaired travelers and, well, iPod users. Says PHX Assistant Aviation Director Carl Newman: “I believe we are the only airport in the country that has a visual paging system at the airport … in most terminals, you can’t go more than 1,600 feet and you are running into one of the paging screens.”

While Sky Harbor deserves fair credit for introducing a means to reach the increasingly headphoned masses, their execution seems to stumble in the tiny shoes of the system’s infancy. And since its intent is to capture the attention of a specific traveler, our PAL might be considered downright ineffective. Fortunately, it’s not beyond the loving reach of a few usability considerations and simple attention to the interface.

The existing PAL display uses a static 2×10 grid to page travelers. And whether displaying 2 names or 20, the PAL confines these folks to the same static grid, at the same font size (just like the papyrus on which passenger paging queues were originally written):

By dynamically generating a grid based on the number of travelers in the paging queue, we’re immediately able to reclaim any real estate occupied by the empty grid …

… and fill it with big, bold text:

This method really pays off when negotiating shorter lists, but always gives as much real estate as possible to each individual name. We can reclaim even more space by dumping extraneous branding and messaging or moving it to the hardware surface. Since the days of the courtesy phone were the days before the ubiquitous cell phone — and I want to keep walking to Sbarro while retrieving my message — perhaps just “Please call XXX-XXXX” will act as a sufficient replacement (which maintains effect even when the screen stands without the bulky console):

If we have evidence that it’s easier to recognize our name displayed briefly but at full-screen — rather than “permanently” amidst the clutter of other names — sequential queues provide some interesting possibilities. The challenge becomes selecting a display duration that is just long enough for recognition, but not so long that the entire cycle becomes tedious. We might increase this duration without disrupting the overall usability by introducing a gentle decay to a cascading, sequential queue. For fluidity and aesthetic appeal, the names in the instance below float in from back right to front left:

Naturally, the shorter list has the best results, but we can accommodate view time issues by placing screens for the benefit of temporarily captive audiences, such as near conveyors, next to arrival & departure information, or even in restrooms. Additionally, this cascading sequence could cater to our ad-mad, this-thing-had-better-pay-for-itself world, potentially interjecting brand logos within the alphabetical paging queue:

With thoughtful use of color / weight (to indicate priority, categories, etc.), queue labels (to better indicate the position of the queue sequence, as well as the total number of travelers in the queue), and other improvements that might emerge during testing, we’ve finally given our PAL a fighting chance for travelers’ attention.

Early this year Roundarch had the opportunity to work with Nystrom, the industry leader in classroom maps, to create an entirely new way of delivering content to the classroom. In less than 6 months we developed a first-of-its-kind web-based product that delivers all Nystrom wall maps and globes in a 3-D environment. About 730 licenses for StrataLogica have been sold to school districts across the United States thus far. Early adopters of StrataLogica include schools in the states of Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Texas, and Virginia.

The Product
Using the dual-map viewer, StrataLogica allows teachers and students to compare and contrast high resolution, age-appropriate map and globe views side-by-side on a computer screen, projection screen, or interactive whiteboard. Users can overlay any Nystrom reference map, thematic map, or Google Earth view on one side of the screen while simultaneously overlaying a different layer on the other side. Users can also emphasize and display rare perspectives by zooming in and out, flying through, and tilting views while maintaining an age-appropriate presentation of content. The level of customization is unprecedented — and it’s encouraged via an intuitive user interface. Students and teachers can easily enhance these views by using place marks, teacher notes, drawing tools, labels, and icons.

The Impact
The flexibility of StrataLogica stimulates classroom discussion and naturally develops critical thinking about a variety of relationships, including: population, climate, time zones, and physical, political and historical content. Custom views can be saved with teacher notes, so there is no need to waste valuable class time re-creating a lesson, and because StrataLogica is web-based, teachers and students can also access these custom views anyplace with an Internet connection. Since all the information is stored in the cloud updating information based on current events is extremely streamlined and fast. This ability to update information quickly ensures children are working with the most current and accurate information in their lessons and no longer will teachers have to use antiquated maps. Also, by greatly reducing the number of printed maps and materials in classrooms StrataLogica is an eco-friendly option for schools. StrataLogica is doing its part to preserve the world it showcases so stunningly.

The Reaction
“The early reactions we’re getting for StrataLogica have been overwhelmingly positive. We have been demonstrating StrataLogica in school districts around the country since the start of the school year and educators tell us they have never seen anything like it—it’s a true 21st century product.”

Don Rescigno, director of marketing for Herff Jones Education Division.

“StrataLogica involves the student using different modes of learning which allows the teacher to capture students attention and communicate the lesson more effectively. Technology skills acquired by students using StrataLogica will transfer to other applications. Our world is constantly getting smaller, and it is important to have the right tools for students to learn about our world.”

Nancy Moss, Media Specialist, Forest Avenue Academic Magnet School, Montgomery, Alabama

StrataLogica Video Challange
Nystrom is announcing the StrataLogica Video Challenge at booth #409 during the National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference (NCSS) in Atlanta, November 13-15, 2009. Using either a purchased license or trial version, educators are tasked with filming a brief video—up to three minutes in length—that best demonstrates StrataLogica in action in the classroom. Videos will be uploaded to a special website. Nystrom and the public will vote on the videos December 21 through January 28, 2010. Prizes will be awarded for the best videos. The challenge will run through December 21, 2009. To learn more and sign up for a free trial visit www.stratalogica.com or www.StrataLogicaChallenge.com.

Dave Meeker, director of emerging technology at Roundarch, was interviewed on The Digital Scene Show during our participation in Adobe MAX 2009 in October. Dave discusses the innovative work we are doing with Tesla Motors and explains our prototyping process with Tesla. He expands on the development of the 17-inch touch screen panel to be incorporated into the console of the new all-electric Model S Sedan set for production in 2011. It is a compelling interview about our ongoing effort with Tesla to develop a first-of-its-kind infotainment system that will be the cornerstone of the user experience in the future vehicles.

The IT world is aflutter with discussions about cloud computing.  This amorphous concept has become the IT buzzword of the year.  But cloud computing should not be the domain of the geeks.  In fact, cloud computing should really be exciting marketing departments and product designers.   It has the power to change how organizations conduct marketing and how they design products.  What is Cloud Computing in Marketing Terms?

According to Wikipedia, Cloud computing “is the provision of dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources as a service over the Internet on a utility basis.”  In layman’s terms, this means that a whole bunch of applications are becoming available as services on the internet.  You can access them as an application (think salesforce.com) or better yet as an API where you can build the interface and use the service.

A few examples:
Varian, a manufacturer of electronic measurement devices, decided to forgo the annual industry conference and instead create an immersive web experience entitled The Varian Experience.   This is just the type of web application that IT departments hate.  Unpredictable volume with high spikes that needs to be deployed globally and immediately.  This is why so many of these applications end up on underpowered agency servers.  But instead, we hosted the application on Amazon’s EC2 cloud.  For a fee starting at $50 a month, we got more stability and scalability than most Fortune 500 web sites today.  Check out The Varian Experience later this month.

Nystrom, the industry leader in classroom maps, knew that they needed an electronic map offering to compete in the digital age.  The first reaction was to create their own mapping interface.  But after assessing the time and effort to create even a basic offering, we looked for a better way.  We ended up creating a application that sits on top of Google Earth utilizing their open API.  We use Google Earth for basic mapping functions and we have created an overlay application which displays Nystrom’s educational maps and content.  We brought the product to market in less than 6 months and Nystrom now focuses on content creation versus basic mapping.  Check out StrataLogica.

When Tesla Motors reinvented the automobile with the world’s first commercial electric car, they wanted to do more than just reinvent the engine and drive train.  They wanted to change how cars are conceived, designed and built.  Franz von Holzhausen, famed designer from VW, GM and Mazda has an ambitious vision to recreate the in-car experience as well.  In the Model S, Tesla’s breakthrough sedan, there are two LED screens where the instrument panel and center console are in most cars.  The center console itself is a 17-inch multi-touch display.  Sitting in the car, you immediately get the sense of how these screens define your experience, and that is exactly what Franz intends.  Whereas electronics in today’s automobiles are proprietary and out of date before they even leave the showroom, the Tesla experience will be constantly updated, heavily leveraging the cloud, and will be completely personalized.  To take one example,  in the current prototype we were able to add GPS navigation leveraging a $40 USB drive and Google maps.  We had the working application up in less than a week.  Ditto for internet radio.  Ditto again for HD radio.  Try that on your BMW iDrive.  Franz can redefine your driving experience constantly and by doing so keep the Tesla brand fresh in the eyes of its customers.  Check out the Tesla Model S .

If you are a marketer or a product designer, you should really consider how the cloud can help to accelerate, change or even redefine what you are trying to do.  And do it quick.  The IT community is already starting the backlash against the cloud.  In a recent Gartner conference, the IT dialogue has moved from the possibilities of the cloud to the risks.  Many of the risks are real but all are manageable but talk of risks will carry the day if marketers and products designers aren’t more imaginative in how they use the cloud to advance their causes.

During our participation in Adobe MAX in October Dave Meeker, director of emerging technology at Roundarch, was interviewed by Blaine Bradbury of The Flex Show about the innovative work we are doing with Tesla Motors. Dave explains our prototyping process and the ongoing effort to develop the first-of-its-kind infotainment system that will be the cornerstone of user experience in the future vehicles. He expands on the development of the 17-inch touch screen panel to be incorporated into the console of the new all-electric Model S Sedan set for production in 2011.

The Flex Show – Dave Meeker Interview from Roundarch on Vimeo.

Even the most basic marketing textbook espouses the importance of being the first to market with new concepts, but most of these books were not written in the internet age. The internet has an incredible amplifying effect on being first. Jim Lecinski, Managing Director at Google, gives a great presentation on speed to market in the internet age. Without stealing Jim’s thunder, ponder two facts:

• YouTube and Facebook went from zero to millions of users in 18 months

• Betty Crocker launches its recipe of the day in June of 2007. Kraft launches a much nicer recipe of the day in December of the same year. Betty Crocker has 10x the number of users

For Roundarch, we have seen this front and center with our development of the iPhone application for Avis. A year ago we were discussing an iPhone application with Avis, but they were coming off of an expensive redesign of Avis.com and looking into the teeth of a nasty recession. But in the end, we both felt it had to be done.

The application has been a success in terms of incremental reservations, but its largest benefit may end up being the free advertising it has garnered Avis from Apple. In a single week, the application was featured in full page ads in the New York Times, Time, Newsweek and National Geographic Traveler. We are trying to calculate the dollar benefit of the brand impressions generated from this exposure, but we don’t need the calculations to know that being first has yielded huge benefits.

But even with all this success, being first is not without risks.  The ratings on iTunes for the application are relatively low. Most of the low ratings are due to complaints that the application does not have all the functionality the user would like. We are working on expanding the application, but would we have been as successful if we had waited until we had 100% of the desired functionality? I don’t think so. Working in the digital age means that you have to move quickly and take more risk than in the past.