If you are excited about the newer web browser software being able to make use of a myriad of fonts then I guess that you are a web designer. However, if you are a font designer then maybe you’ve been tracking news about @font-face since 2007 with trepidation rather than excitement.

Why @font-face is good

Web designers are freed from the limitations of ‘web safe’ fonts. Websites’ designs will become even more diverse. I sincerely hope that designers will embrace both creative and functional typography.

Why @font-face is bad

The major downside of using @font-face is the legal side. It is possible to serve any font from your webserver but you may be breaking the law. The bad thing is that there will be people that do this and the implications could prove costly.

Using a copyrighted font without permission is just as illegal as uploading and serving copyrighted music or images without permission but, alas, I don’t think as many people will care or even be aware of the issue.

The future of @font-face

As more web browsers support @font-face I am certain that we will see widespread (legal and illegal) usage fairly quickly. I imagine that corporate companies will embellish their websites with bespoke fonts. There may even be an increase in people claiming to be typeface designers (which could be added to the ‘bad’ list).

Keeping website designers and type designers happy may be a struggle but there are new services that aim to keep both content by introducing new methods that allow fonts to be used legally. The main contender seems to be Typekit, but Kernest may be worth keeping an eye on.

“As a Typekit user, you’ll have access to our library of high-quality fonts. Just add a line of JavaScript to your markup, tell us what fonts you want to use, and then craft your pages the way you always have. Except now you’ll be able to use real fonts. This really is going to change web design.”

Introducing TypeKit written by Jeffrey Veen

“I want a YouTube of typefaces. Easily created, open to everyone to easily embed-able.”

Garrick Van Buren creator of kernest.com

Kernest enables legal web fonts

Kernest offers a comprehensive range of fonts that are free to use and it is really easy to find fonts by style, foundry or designer. You can build a list of fonts for comparison and select those which you would like to use on your website.

To use fonts listed on Kernest you must sign up (simple, just email and password). For each font you want to use you must provide the base URL of the website you will be using it on. That done, Kernest generates and hosts a CSS file with the @font-face decarations and you are provided with the CSS file link via your profile page. Then it is simply a case of using font-family in your own CSS to declare the font you chose. All the fonts are also hosted on Kernest.

As you provide the domain where you want to use the font Kernest is able to stop other domains accessing your personallised style sheet (illustrated below). It also prevents unregistered websites from linking to the fonts on Kernest’s servers directly. This system means that paid fonts could be added in the future.

I created a file that included the link to my kernest.com generated stylesheet and style the text accordingly, then uploaded the same file to two different domains. Only blog24.co.uk had been registered with Kernest.

Some lucky people have been given a preview to the Typekit service. Andy Clarke (For A Beautiful Web) is one such being and has written about his first impressions of Typekit, with a number of screenshots. Overall, the service looks very easy to use and looks a lot more refined than Kernest.

I noticed that the Subsets (in the sidebar) has not been enabled during the preview. However, I also noticed earlier today that Jeff Veen’s screenshot does give a clue to what the Subsets are. By selecting a subset of a font, I think it will be possible to shave off a few kilobytes for speedier font downloads.

Conclusion

Overall the I see @font-face as a good thing if used legally. Less limits, more creativity.

Kernest is great, but I can’t wait to try TypeKit.

I first started researching the possibilities of web typography some time ago. More so when I began to consider redesigning this blog a few months ago (at the moment it just seems too cramped).

I’ve been reading a lot about web typography, @font-face and numerous opinions and issues — here’s some of the things I’ve been reading.

Tutorials and Resources

“Linking to the fonts on this site explodes your typeface repertoire. And far from cutting into the profits of type designers, these typefaces enable everyone to get closer to the typography they dream of – perhaps in scripts that they have never before been able to use online.”

Open Font Library

• webfonts.info offers information about browser support and where to find fonts.
• Beautiful fonts with @font-face a super tutorial with plenty of linked resources.
• webtypography.net provides an indepth look at web typography based upon the book The Elements of Typographic Style.
• A guide to web typography from ilovetypography.com

Twitter

• font Bio: Account for downloadable webfonts: @font-face (by Tobias Otte)
• kernest Bio: Tracking @font-face.
• typekit Bio: Bringing real fonts to the web. From your friends at Small Batch Inc.
• fontdeck Bio: Real typefaces for your website. (I’ve heard fontdeck mentioned in the same sentance as Kernest and TypeKit but the website seems to have been unplugged and their twitter account had seen just one update until today.)
• fontbureau Bio: We sell fonts. Typefaces, actually, but you can get fonts too.

Notable

• An Interview With Kernest’s Garrick Van Buren on readableweb.com
• The Sad State of Today’s Web Typography from chank.com.
• Ubiquitous web font embedding just got a step closer — Web Directions
• CSS @ Ten: The Next Big Thing — published in August 2007 but still relevant.
• How TypeKit Will Work by The Brads — a comic about web design.
• @font-face: The Potential of Web Typography — An example of what can be done with @font-face (commissioned by the Mozilla foundation).
• css3.info (self explanatory!)
• An Interview with The Font Bureau’s David Berlow “To understand issues surrounding web fonts from the type designer’s perspective, we interviewed David Berlow, co-founder of The Font Bureau, Inc.” Jeffery Zeldman
• From Default Fonts To All Fonts (in two easy steps?) David Berlow’s proposal for OpenType Permissions.
• Web fonts now (how we’re doing with that) – Jeffrey Zeldman

More »

• links for 2008-11-14
• links for 2008-08-15
• Zemanta — resource integration for bloggers
• links for 2009-03-02
• Track the Most Popular Websites Being Twittered

When Apple release the new iPhone Operating System (3.0) they will remove applications which are not compatible with the update from the App Store. Is it time to make the App Store backward compatible?

iPhone App developers encouraged yet warned

Apple have been encouraging iPhone App developers to create new apps for iPhone OS 3.0 for some time. In addition to developing new apps developers are also encouraged to test old apps to make sure that they are also compatible with the impending iPhone OS release (if not make them so). This encouragement from Apple seems reasonable and logical, yet it has been tainted with the warning that compatibility issues could lead to some applications being removed from Apple’s App Store.

When I first read about this I immediately thought that Apple were being inconsiderate. Initially I thought that Apple will be removing all apps that would not work on an iPod (or  iPhone) that was not running the third major release of the iPhone operating system. However, it is now my understanding that a current iPhone OS 2.x application that is made compatible with version 3.0 will still work on iPods and iPhones running OS 2.x.

The Future will bring compatibility issues

We all know that technology progresses at a terrific rate. How long before there is a newer, better iPhone or iPod Touch? Three months, six months, a year perhaps? (Surely not a whole year!) There is no doubting that there will be new iPhones and new iPods and maybe a new device that Apple have not even thought of yet. What is new today will become old and one day today’s iPhones and iPods will not be compatible with the latest iPhone OS.

These new products will, of course , feature cutting edge technologies which make us wonder how we coped in the past.

Now imagine a time when there are a number of devices (old and new) that run different versions of iPhone Operating Systems. Will Apple continue to remove older versions of applications on its iTunes App Store, simply because they don’t run on the latest release of the iPhone OS?

Improving the App Store

Apple should act now by making simple changes to the iTunes App Store and the App Store application on the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The software we use to look and download new applications should be made ‘device aware’.

For example when someone uses App Store on an iPod Touch they should not been shown the great Apps that will either lack functionality or simply will not work on their iPod. I am sure it would be really easy for Apple to add such filters. Taken further Apple could filter out Apps that would not work with the operating system that the device is currently using.

Making iTunes on a Mac or PC ‘device aware’ would be possible too. If you own and sync an iPhone with OS2.1 using iTunes then make sure only compatible apps are shown in the iTunes App Store. Of course there should be the option to switch such a function off, so users can see every application available, regardless of which device they actually own and which iPhone OS it uses.

Take a look at the Apple Store and you can choose suitable accessories for your iPod, whether it is the latest Shuffle or even a pre-Nano iPod Mini. To find suitable accessories Apple make it super easy by adding ‘Shop by Type’. A simple idea where the correct iPod is chosen from the extensive list and the user is presented with compatible accessories.

If it can be done for accessories — why not applications?

More »

• iPod OS on a Mac Pro? True or False?
• New Apple iPods to be Announced Tomorrow
• Apple to Make iTunes 8 and iPod Accessible to the Blind
• links for 2009-01-13
• Apple to Release iTunes 8 and New iPod Nano?

The familiar ring of buttons has gone leaving the Shuffle’s facia blank. Now the iPod Shuffle is controlled via the simplified three button control which are found on the earphones cable. A single click on the centre button will play or pause music, a double click will skip to the next track and a triple click will select the last track.

What’s playing?

There has never been a display on any of the iPod Shuffles making impossible to check what song you are actually listening to is called or who it is by. Apple have solved that now by introducing ‘Voiceover’. There is still no screen, but on request the Shuffle will tell you what song is playing and by which band, this is enabled by pressing and holding the aforementioned middle button.

Organised shuffling with playlists.

Another neat feature that has been incorporated into the new Shuffle are playlists. Like the rest of the iPod range playlists are created and added using Apple iTunes. To switch between lists press and hold the centre control button until a tone is heard and the next playlist will be announced using Voiceove and your list will begin to play.

The new iPod Shuffle retails at £59 in the UK and $79 in the US. At the moment the 2nd generation 1Gb iPod Shuffle is still available for £31 ($49), but this might not be for too long. In fact it is likely that the new Shuffle will be available in a choice of colours, much like the 2nd generation Shuffles and current iPod Nano lineup. Currently the new iPod Shuffle is only available in either silver or black.

More »

• How Apple Could Improve iTunes Genius
• iTunes Becomes a Genius
• Apple to Make iTunes 8 and iPod Accessible to the Blind
• New Apple iPods to be Announced Tomorrow
• iPod OS on a Mac Pro? True or False?

With this in mind I feel that this article provides a good roundup of what RSS can do for you. If you are new to using RSS, or have often wondered what that orange icon is all about then I highly recommend 30 Different Uses for RSS by Michael Fruchter.

I’m making an effort to become less reliant on visiting websites for the data I need. Spending a majority of my time in Google Reader, I decided RSS could help me accomplish this task. I no longer have to visit Yahoo to read my horoscopes or sports scores. I now track my Ebay auctions from Google Reader. These are some of the ways I started to recently use and rediscover RSS.

More »

• Flickr and Twitter on BBC Sport
• Boycotting Twitter Could Lighten The Load
• Want Ubuntu On Your Apple Mac? Use Parallels Desktop
• Initial Thoughts About Google New Web Browser
• Zemanta — resource integration for bloggers

Real and Fake iPhone, originally uploaded by Robert Scoble.

Unfortunately Apple have not released an iPhone Nano. This is a fake iPhone that you can get in China, as spotted by Robert Scoble during his current trip to China.

More »

• iPod OS on a Mac Pro? True or False?
• Apple’s Steve Jobs Announces iPod Nano 4G
• links for 2008-08-13 [delicious.com]
• Popular FriendFeeders
• Make the Apple App Store backward compatible

My favourite is Vimeo a simple alteration to the regular logo. Some blogs (such as Thou Shall Blog have decided to make an apt alteration to their design — a nice touch.

However, as you may have noted I have not made any effort to adorn blog24 with such decor. The reason is simple. While Halloween is as popular as ever in the United Kingdom I am not a great fan.

Note: The link to vimeo actually links to a short film of my puppy playing, he deserves a little fame.

More »

• Adapting a WordPress Theme For Your Blog
• Mixwit is a Hit for Creating Mixtapes
• White Noise Prompts Simple Design
• Blogging Within Firefox With ScribeFire
• Zemanta — resource integration for bloggers

Shown above is not Apple’s soon-to-be-announced ‘brick’ that you may have read about on numerous blogs and Mac news websites recently. The photo above have illustrated speculative blog posts about the imminent launch of a new Apple computer. In fact the photograph depicts the redesign for the One Laptop Per Child XOXO Laptop, by Yves Behar.

The whole ‘Apple Brick’ rumour seems to be one of the most uncertain rumours about Apple products ever. There is much speculation about what it is, when it will be announced — but what evidence is there that Apple are either releasing a new product or a redesigning current hardware? Well, none really, this too is speculation based on previous Apple releases, basically it’s that time of year — September and October — the pre Holiday Season when traditionally new or updated products are released including:

• September 1984 — Apple Macintosh 512k.
• The first Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) Mouse released in September 1986.
• Macintosh Classic in 1990 and the Color Classic II a year later.
• Apple StyleWriter printer in 1991.
• The less successful Macintosh TV in 1993.
• Powerbooks1400c and 1400cs in 1996.
• Apple Power Mac 6400, also in ‘96.
• The slot-loading iMac range, 1999.
• 1999 also saw the first G4 Power Macs.
• In September 2000 Firewire was added to the original iBook range.
• The 22″ Apple Cinema Display was revealed in September 2000.
• Mac OS9 in 2000 and OSX availble to the public as beta.
• Apple iBooks and PowerBook G4 were improved in 2001.
• October 2001, the first iPod to feature the scrollwheel.
• The first Apple wireless keyboard and mouse were available in October 2003.
• 2003 saw the first G4 iBooks and an eMac upgrade.
• iPod U2 Special Edition was introduced in 2004.
• iMac G5s were upgraded to have built-in iSights in 2005 (Mac Minis received upgrades too).
• Jobs used “one more thing…” to introduce the iPod Video in 2005.
• The 2nd Generation iPod Nano was introduced in October 2006.
• In 2006 MacBook Pros received a speed bump with Intel Core 2 processors.
• This year saw a redesign of the iPod Nano and Touch and iTunes 8 last month.

This list of October and September  announcements by Apple over the years could go on and on. Hopefully this emphisizes why the Mac community gets hyped up around this time of year.

Something in the air?

The likelihood of Apple announcing improved specifications of the current line of computers is very high. We can be almost certain that there will be improvements to the MacBook Pro range.

Redesigned Apple products are a possibility too — perhaps the Mac Mini will have been a radically redesigned, or any of Apple’s other products (except the iPod range).

Speculation is rife about a new product all because of the term ‘Apple Brick’ which had been bounced around from technology news sites to rumour mongers to Mac gossip loving blogs.

The term ‘Apple Brick’ first appeared on September 10th, 2008, but left very little to go on.

One of our tipsters has a bit of a riddle for us.

S/he says that the MacBook update event in a few weeks (you know the one with the glass trackpads) is ‘all about the Brick’. What does “The Brick” mean? Can anyone out there help us out? This is one of those tipsters that has a solid track record so we want to go along for the ride.

9to5mac.com — What is ‘The Brick?’

Ever since this term was used there have been many rumours. Here’s a brief list with links…

• Mac Mini Redesign
• Cheap Desktop
• Totally new version of Apple TV
• Wireless USB Hub although Belkin already makes one
• Dual Screen Laptop or ‘Foldable Netbook‘
• Wireless handheld-slash-Mac
• MacBook Touch
• Wireless power and connectivity for Macbook range
• Apple to launch a digital camera (again)

The most believable rumour is centred around the idea that Apple will be doing something or introducing somthing that will break MicroSoft Windows:

“we believe that “the Brick” is Apple’s code word for its “Windows-killer”, be it a brand new product, or simply a series of price cuts and updates to existing Apple products so irresistible that no amount of willpower can withstand them.

“One reason we like this theory is that Steve Jobs warned investors earlier this year that there were some upcoming killer products from Apple that were going to be coming out towards the end of this year at very aggressive price points, prices so low it would likely affect Apple’s upcoming earnings.”

macenstein.com — Apple’s “Brick” riddle, deciphered

 

This Windows-killer could be something as simple as slashing the prices of the current range of Apple computers. Alternatively it could be a large and free operating system upgrade that allow Windows software to run natively with Mac OSX without the need of buying and installing Windows XP or Vista. (Is that doable and legal?)

A prosumer version of the Mac Pro (perhaps a cheaper Dual Core version with less expanability) would fill the gap between the high end Apple Macs and the iMac range.
 

Waiting for the brick?

If you are currently considering getting a new Apple computer then personally I would wait until the end of October just in case something special is announced. If there is a new product or changes to the current range it should be announced on or around October 14th (according to numerous sources).

What would you like?

Personally I would like to see a Mac Mini Pro or sizable price cuts across the whole Apple line. Or simply something radical, absolute zero cool, bleeding edge, useful and affordable that no-one in the blogosphere had predicted.

Discuss what you would like Apple to launch in the near future via the comments below.

More »

• links for 2008-09-09
• Apple to Release iTunes 8 and New iPod Nano?
• links for 2008-10-07
• New Apple iPods to be Announced Tomorrow
• Putting an End to the Apple Brick Rumour

Why The iTunes Store is rumoured to close

Apple iTunes Vice President Eddy Cue [pictured] caused a stir when he stated to the CRB in a written statement [PDF] in spring 2007:

“Apple has repeatedly made clear that it is in this business to make money, and most likely would not continue to operate if it were no longer possible to do so profitably.”

Why the CRB need to think logically

If Apple did end up increasing price of each track download to remain profitable the competition would have to do the same, so the choice for consumers would remain the same. In theory perhaps, but as Eddy Cue argued in his testimony, increasing the cost of downloading music will cause more people to download music illegally for free. By keeping the price of each song low ensures that the temptation for illegal downloading is minimalised.

In order for music download stores to keep their prices attractive enough to keep customers buying music the stores must remain profitable too. Increasing royalties by 66 percent will inevitably result in losses — including losses in royalties.

Increasing royalties for downloaded music is, at the moment, an illogical step.

News Articles About The Royalty Rise

CNN Money: Apple’s digital music showdown
BBC News: iTunes store shutdown feared
Internet News: The End of iTunes?
CNET News: Would Apple really shutter iTunes? Unlikely

Photograph by Deanne Fitzmaurice

More »

• CRB Freezes Royalty Rate — iTunes Store Safe!
• iTunes Becomes a Genius
• How Apple Could Improve iTunes Genius
• Your Music Anywhere Via The Web With blueTunes
• New Apple iPods to be Announced Tomorrow

“If this sounds familiar it’s because it’s not the first time users could upload their music to the cloud and listen to it anywhere. Michael Robertson’s MP3.com tried it in 2000 and was promptly sued for copyright infringement. They lost, shut down the service and settled for $200 million.”

Oh Boy, BlueTunes, This Looks Like Trouble To Me

Is such a service really necessary?

Having a backup is also a great idea, although you might already do that locally (I do).

If you simply need access to your whole music collection no matter where you are then bluetunes.net could be your only solution. Particularly handy if your whole collection does not fit on your Apple iPod (or other mp3 player).

With the Internet becomming more accessable via mobile [cell] phones I wonder if this type of service for music and other media will become more popular and commonplace. Due to the limited space on such devices it may become the best way to listen to music on the move.

What if iTunes did this?

Perhaps in the future Apple will intergrate a similar feature into iTunes, where tracks that you have bought are available to stream online. Taken a step further iTunes could become web based too with the iTunes store and your own collection available via any web browser. Such a leap for Apple could also be used to improve Genius too.

More »

• How Apple Could Improve iTunes Genius
• iTunes Becomes a Genius
• Twitter Client using Fluid and Hahlo with Growl
• Apple to Make iTunes 8 and iPod Accessible to the Blind
• New Apple iPods to be Announced Tomorrow

Since its introduction iTunes Genius has had an unfair amount of criticism. While it is not perfect, Genius is a useful tool which will improved upon given time.

While Genius relies on mass user input to work perhaps Apple should consider joining forces with some software and web-based services that already exist to greatly improve the feature.

Firstly, when I first read about Genius (before the official launch) I thought it would actually analyse the music itself rather than just data about user music collections and playing habits.

Analyse the music?

It would be great to classify music based upon the way it actually sounds. There is one application that does this to a certain extent — Tangerine for the Mac. Tangerine analyses music to workout to factors that might be of importance when creating a playlist — beats per minute (BPM) and beat intensity.

“Tangerine! lets you easily create playlists of upbeat music, or playlists for relaxing. It works by analyzing the BPM and the beat intensity of your music. Spend your time listening to music, not making playlists.”

Adding this simple functionality into iTunes would be the first step to improving the selection of tunes that ‘go together well’ by using Genius.

Cross reference more user data?

The iTunes music store does not contain all the songs available in the world, far from it! Genius is limited to suggesting music that Apple sell via the iTunes Store. As a result there are thousands of tracks that will never be found in a Genius created playlist.

New bands form constantly, they produce a constant stream of new music. Apple needs to keep ahead of its competitors and make sure that music that is not available in the iTunes Store is considered when generating playlists and making suggestions via the Genius sidebar.

Apple need partnerships with other online services that offer greater range of music data. If Genius could share data with websites such as iLike.com and Last.fm this would greatly improve the diversity of music that was included in playlist creation.

Both iLike.com and Last.fm are socail networking websites where people are able to share musical tastes. Both already intergrate with iTunes to a certain extent and such intergration could be extended to improve Genius.

Apple iTunes musical social network?

The chances of Apple getting involved with just one aforementioned social networks is highly unlikely. Apple are more likely to create their own social network rather than utilize utilise existing services to improve upon Genius’ functionality.

Genius could be so much better than it is today. Social networking and music analysis could be the key to making playlists perfect – just don’t hold your breath.

No matter what Apple are planning for Genius, if it involves restricting data to that held for the music in the iTunes Store then Genius will forever be limited.

More »

• iTunes Becomes a Genius
• Your Music Anywhere Via The Web With blueTunes
• New Apple iPods to be Announced Tomorrow
• Increased Royalty Rate Could Kill Apple iTunes
• Make the Apple App Store backward compatible