Today's mobile phones contain more processing power than Apollo 11, which landed the first astronauts on the moon in 1969.
Although of course you could make the reverse comparison. Essentially, that the NASA of the 1960's was able to accomplish such amazing things with a PC thousand's of times slower than today's home computers.
Thursday, 21 October 2010
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Welcome to - the future
We plan to launch our first 'Welcome to' iPhone app by the end of this month. Everything has come together nicely and the finishing touches are being put together as we speak. The screen shots below provide a small taster of things to come.
Further good news comes in the shape of two large commissions. We have been appointed by Rhondda Cynon Taf Borough Council to produce smartphone apps and 5 audio trails, whilst North East Derbyshire District Council have commissioned us to produce 16 audio trails in the area. What makes this one special is that they are on our doorstep.
Look out for more news too, including news about more smartphone app launches.
Further good news comes in the shape of two large commissions. We have been appointed by Rhondda Cynon Taf Borough Council to produce smartphone apps and 5 audio trails, whilst North East Derbyshire District Council have commissioned us to produce 16 audio trails in the area. What makes this one special is that they are on our doorstep.
Look out for more news too, including news about more smartphone app launches.
Friday, 16 July 2010
Life without the internet
In a relatively short time we have come to rely so heavily on the internet. This became abundantly apparent over the last few weeks as we awaited the installation of a new phone line and broadband at our new address.
But it is worse still for many others. I empathised with a despondent elderly lady, whilst I waited at the local Tourist information Centre, as she was told the money off coupons for the local attractions have to be applied for online.
At least, using my mobile phone as a modem, I could access my emails and browse a few pages - if I could bear to wait as the pages slowly loaded. And heaven help if anyone sent me an email attachment larger 2mb. We had to download one 13mb document and it took one and a half hours!
Nearly everything is now done via the web. Digital interpretation wouldn't exist at all if servers all around the world ground to a halt, but we must always try and remember to make our content, even just a small portion of it, accessible so that even the lady visiting the TIC can benefit.
But it is worse still for many others. I empathised with a despondent elderly lady, whilst I waited at the local Tourist information Centre, as she was told the money off coupons for the local attractions have to be applied for online.
At least, using my mobile phone as a modem, I could access my emails and browse a few pages - if I could bear to wait as the pages slowly loaded. And heaven help if anyone sent me an email attachment larger 2mb. We had to download one 13mb document and it took one and a half hours!
Nearly everything is now done via the web. Digital interpretation wouldn't exist at all if servers all around the world ground to a halt, but we must always try and remember to make our content, even just a small portion of it, accessible so that even the lady visiting the TIC can benefit.
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Microsoft Tag - interpretive barcodes
technology after 18 months in beta. The Microsoft Tag is a fully
customizable barcode that can be linked to websites, text, audio and
other digital media.
Audio Trails have been trialing this system for a number of months
now, and we feel it has real potential. To help promote our
Darwin-themed audio trails we created a number of publicity items,
each one printed with a customised tag. The oyster card holder was
chosen as our client, the London Borough of Bromley, wanted to
encourage people to also use public transport. The holder and the
mobile phone contain everything the visitor needs for their visit.
Using the free tag reader app - available for all the major smartphone
platforms - the phone's inbuilt camera reads the data contained in the
barcode and, in our case, sends them directly to
www.audiotrails.co.uk/darwin. The audio files can then be listened to
on-site without having to download them prior to a visit.
Why not give it a try.
Friday, 21 May 2010
For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.
Ernest Hemmingway was said to have called this six word story his best work. For 25 letters it paints a very poignant picture.
As interpreters we try to ensure every word that we use justifies its place, and encourages people to use their senses and imaginations to widen their understanding.
Yesterday I attended the launch of our Coed y Brenin audio trails, for Forestry Commission Wales. Following the opening of the trails by Iolo Williams - Welsh celebrity and narrator of the guides - a mixed group of around 50 people, aged between 8 and 80, walked the Afon Eden trail, which starts beside the visitor centre.
Taking a large group on an audio trail is not an ideal introduction to this form of interpretation, but it was interesting to talk to people about their experience afterwards. Opportunities for eliciting visitor feedback for digital interpretation are slim, because the content is often downloaded from the web without interaction with staff.
The response was overwhelmingly positive yet, like shoes, we all choose different styles and lengths to fit our requirements. For this trail we purposefully kept the audio tracks quite short as the target audience were families. However, those with a keen interest in the subject felt a little short changed - they wanted to hear more. It is difficult to balance the needs of all the different user groups, so it is essential you plan well and identify who your audience(s) are.
Interestingly, on a visit to the Peak District as part of an Association of Heritage Interpretation (AHI) event, one criticism of the Mam Tor audio trail is that it didn't tell of the landscape, the geology and other subjects. The National Trust wanted to focus on the story of the hill fort, and rightly so. If we had written about all the potential subject then each audio track would have run to many minutes - and no doubt complaints from the assembled group that it should be shorter!
Yet there are now ways to offer a 'one size fits all' solution (albeit with some limitations). I will return to this subject soon.
As interpreters we try to ensure every word that we use justifies its place, and encourages people to use their senses and imaginations to widen their understanding.
Yesterday I attended the launch of our Coed y Brenin audio trails, for Forestry Commission Wales. Following the opening of the trails by Iolo Williams - Welsh celebrity and narrator of the guides - a mixed group of around 50 people, aged between 8 and 80, walked the Afon Eden trail, which starts beside the visitor centre.
Taking a large group on an audio trail is not an ideal introduction to this form of interpretation, but it was interesting to talk to people about their experience afterwards. Opportunities for eliciting visitor feedback for digital interpretation are slim, because the content is often downloaded from the web without interaction with staff.
The response was overwhelmingly positive yet, like shoes, we all choose different styles and lengths to fit our requirements. For this trail we purposefully kept the audio tracks quite short as the target audience were families. However, those with a keen interest in the subject felt a little short changed - they wanted to hear more. It is difficult to balance the needs of all the different user groups, so it is essential you plan well and identify who your audience(s) are.
Interestingly, on a visit to the Peak District as part of an Association of Heritage Interpretation (AHI) event, one criticism of the Mam Tor audio trail is that it didn't tell of the landscape, the geology and other subjects. The National Trust wanted to focus on the story of the hill fort, and rightly so. If we had written about all the potential subject then each audio track would have run to many minutes - and no doubt complaints from the assembled group that it should be shorter!
Yet there are now ways to offer a 'one size fits all' solution (albeit with some limitations). I will return to this subject soon.
Thursday, 6 May 2010
How to make an audio trail
Anyone can create an audio trail, you just need time; some relatively cheap equipment; a bit of creativity; and a piece of free software. What it may lack in professional finish can be substituted with careful planning and innovation - remember, content is king!
The 2 minute video below, made by South Cheshire College, is in itself quite rough and ready, but it does provide some useful information for the beginner.
We (Audio Trails) have written a 7-page document that provides further hints and tips on how to produce your own downloadable audio guides. To download it for free just register your name below.
The 2 minute video below, made by South Cheshire College, is in itself quite rough and ready, but it does provide some useful information for the beginner.
We (Audio Trails) have written a 7-page document that provides further hints and tips on how to produce your own downloadable audio guides. To download it for free just register your name below.
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
The mobile Operating System lottery?
Continuing on the statistics theme...If hype was a true representation of market share then you would be forgiven for believing that the most popular mobile operating system - the thing that makes the phone tick - was that run by the iPhone.
http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/23/smartphone-iphone-sales-2009-gartner/
There in fact seven major operating systems for smartphones - mobile phones with a large, high-resolution screen, internet access and the ability to download applications from third party providers - and in actual fact it was the Symbian platform that accounted for nearly 50% of the worldwide market share during 2009. Second on that list was Blackberry's Research In Motion (RIM) whose share was a fraction shy of 20%. iPhone came in third, a place up from 2008, and according to the figures Android was languishing behind Microsoft Windows Mobile and Linux in sixth.
However, as we all know technology moves at a frantic pace and these figures don't tell the whole story. Symbian handset sales were up 10% in 2009 from the previous year, but their market share fell 5.5%. The big gains were made by Android and iPhone and first quarter results for 2010 further support this shift in power.
So what does all this say when deciding on what platform(s) you should choose when looking to develop apps for your visitors?
Current sales are one thing, but we need to remember that mobile phones sold over a year ago are still in circulation - and their owners still want to feel they have a phone that is being catered for. Cross platform apps - software written for several operating systems - may cost more money to develop, but until either a) one operating system wins out (unlikely) or b) one language can work on all operating systems (even more unlikely) then it is best not to put all your eggs in one basket. With audio we are lucky. The MP3 file is generic and will work on any mobile device.
So if you are wanting to develop an app which platforms are king? Symbian runs on a java environment and with such a large market share it would be careless to exclude this, even if its market share is falling and it doesn't have such a visible app store - although unlike some platforms it will accept content from a Bluetooth unit installed on site. iPhone and especially Android are experiencing growth and are the first two operating systems when you think of apps. These in my opinion are the three main players, although Blackberry owners too would argue a strong case for inclusion.
At the end of the day perhaps when visitor surveys take are undertaken at your property should we be asking what mobile phones people have and whether they would engage with mobile digital interpretation, in addition to where they have come from that day.
It would be interesting to know if anyone has undertaken such a study and what the results were.
http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/23/smartphone-iphone-sales-2009-gartner/There in fact seven major operating systems for smartphones - mobile phones with a large, high-resolution screen, internet access and the ability to download applications from third party providers - and in actual fact it was the Symbian platform that accounted for nearly 50% of the worldwide market share during 2009. Second on that list was Blackberry's Research In Motion (RIM) whose share was a fraction shy of 20%. iPhone came in third, a place up from 2008, and according to the figures Android was languishing behind Microsoft Windows Mobile and Linux in sixth.
However, as we all know technology moves at a frantic pace and these figures don't tell the whole story. Symbian handset sales were up 10% in 2009 from the previous year, but their market share fell 5.5%. The big gains were made by Android and iPhone and first quarter results for 2010 further support this shift in power.
So what does all this say when deciding on what platform(s) you should choose when looking to develop apps for your visitors?
Current sales are one thing, but we need to remember that mobile phones sold over a year ago are still in circulation - and their owners still want to feel they have a phone that is being catered for. Cross platform apps - software written for several operating systems - may cost more money to develop, but until either a) one operating system wins out (unlikely) or b) one language can work on all operating systems (even more unlikely) then it is best not to put all your eggs in one basket. With audio we are lucky. The MP3 file is generic and will work on any mobile device.
So if you are wanting to develop an app which platforms are king? Symbian runs on a java environment and with such a large market share it would be careless to exclude this, even if its market share is falling and it doesn't have such a visible app store - although unlike some platforms it will accept content from a Bluetooth unit installed on site. iPhone and especially Android are experiencing growth and are the first two operating systems when you think of apps. These in my opinion are the three main players, although Blackberry owners too would argue a strong case for inclusion.
At the end of the day perhaps when visitor surveys take are undertaken at your property should we be asking what mobile phones people have and whether they would engage with mobile digital interpretation, in addition to where they have come from that day.
It would be interesting to know if anyone has undertaken such a study and what the results were.
Friday, 30 April 2010
Stato's delight, and things look bright.
If a few statistics get you going feast then your eyes on the latest mobile marketing research published in the Guardian:
"Ten years ago, using phones to download video clips, listen to music, play games or search the internet seemed a distant prospect. Now, those activities are commonplace. Research carried out by Orange earlier this year revealed the popularity of those practices among all age groups. Over half use their phones to access the internet, 64% send picture messages, 55% play games, 49% listen to music and 26% receive email. Some 87% use mobile media at home, and 73% when they are "out and about". Just under half said they used their phones to access the same sites they use on their PCs and 62% said they wanted their phones to do the same things their PCs can. The worlds of computing and telephony have already merged in the minds of many consumers."
"Ten years ago, using phones to download video clips, listen to music, play games or search the internet seemed a distant prospect. Now, those activities are commonplace. Research carried out by Orange earlier this year revealed the popularity of those practices among all age groups. Over half use their phones to access the internet, 64% send picture messages, 55% play games, 49% listen to music and 26% receive email. Some 87% use mobile media at home, and 73% when they are "out and about". Just under half said they used their phones to access the same sites they use on their PCs and 62% said they wanted their phones to do the same things their PCs can. The worlds of computing and telephony have already merged in the minds of many consumers."
With your audience permanently switched-on, impulsive and ready to interact at the drop of a hat, states James Robinson, who wouldn't want to tap into mobile marketing...and digital interpretation for that matter.
One more snatch of stats before we move on:
"...12 million people in the UK are now looking at the internet on their phones each month, and the number of consumers using handsets to search online increased by 37% in 2008, driven by 3G phones and new products, including the iPhone. Until the first few months of 2008, that figure had stubbornly refused to rise for many years. "
Now if those figures don't make you stand up and say 'I better get a wriggle on and develop some digital content for my site', then nothing probably will. Technology moves at a tremendous pace and as mobile internet becomes the norm visitors will increasingly expect to access information, in a variety of formats, to learn and discover the place they are visiting.
Whereas audio trails had to be downloaded pre- or post-visit just a year ago, today visitors can turn up on site, without any prior knowledge of any existing audio interpretation, open their mobile internet browser and play the tracks as they make their way around the route. Take a look at this working example in Kent. There is of course the caveat of reliable mobile phone reception, but if the experts are correct then this will only improve for the more remote locations we want to interpret.
The Telegraph's top ten audio trails, but do you agree?
I want this blog to start as I mean it to go on by offering you something to get your teeth into and encourage you to offer your own thoughts.
Having been contacted by the Daily Telegraph journalist Graham Norwood a month or so back I was aware an article looking at the phenomena of audio trails was being written. Last weekend (24th April 2010) the article appeared. iPod walks: nature treks go hi-tech is a really positive look at this increasingly favoured approach for interpreting heritage sites and the countryside.
It's not everyday you get mentioned in a national newspaper and after the excitement died down I began thinking about the influence these media machines have in shaping our opinions - very relevant considering the looming election.
The reason for this musing was the Telegraph's compilation of the top ten audio trails in the country. From a personal point of view it made great reading - five of the top eight were produced by Audio Trails. But how much should I read into this?
How was the list compiled and by what methods? I have listed that top ten below (although some of the links have been corrected). Do you agree with it and why? If not what are your favourite audio trails, guides and tours? And more importantly, why are they so?
Why do I ask? Not only am I a consumer too, but we should never blinker ourselves to learning from others (plus I like to keep an eye on the competition!)
Having been contacted by the Daily Telegraph journalist Graham Norwood a month or so back I was aware an article looking at the phenomena of audio trails was being written. Last weekend (24th April 2010) the article appeared. iPod walks: nature treks go hi-tech is a really positive look at this increasingly favoured approach for interpreting heritage sites and the countryside.
It's not everyday you get mentioned in a national newspaper and after the excitement died down I began thinking about the influence these media machines have in shaping our opinions - very relevant considering the looming election.
The reason for this musing was the Telegraph's compilation of the top ten audio trails in the country. From a personal point of view it made great reading - five of the top eight were produced by Audio Trails. But how much should I read into this?
How was the list compiled and by what methods? I have listed that top ten below (although some of the links have been corrected). Do you agree with it and why? If not what are your favourite audio trails, guides and tours? And more importantly, why are they so?
Why do I ask? Not only am I a consumer too, but we should never blinker ourselves to learning from others (plus I like to keep an eye on the competition!)
TOP 10 TRAILS
1 Princetown This audio walk through moorland and old quarries includes music from folk star Seth Lakeman (dartmoor-npa.gov.uk)
2 Burbage Valley, Peak District 3,000 years of history are brought to life by this downloadable tour (moorsforthefuture.org.uk)
3 Ham Hill Two audio guides cover this country park's evolution from the Iron Age (visitsouthsomerset.com)
4 Tarka Trail Listen while you cycle along the old railway routes of north Devon (devon.gov.uk)
5 Brecon Beacon National Park Audio trails explain fossils, waterfalls and wildlife, in Welsh and English (breconbeacons.org)
6 Yorkshire Dales National Park Listen to advice on finding red squirrels (yorkshiredales.org.uk)
7 Offa's Dyke This audio guide leads walkers through Moel Famau Country Park up to Jubilee Tower (nationaltrail.co.uk)
8 North East Derbyshire Hear how Holmewood, a former mining area, has become an unlikely haven for wildlife (www.ne-derbyshire.gov.uk)
9 Bellever, Devon Local walkers give a potted history of the Dartmoor Pony (dartmoor-npa.gov.uk)
10 Hadleigh Country Park View Kent, Canary Wharf and the Dartford Bridge from the highest viewing points in Essex (visitessex.com)
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