Angry Scrabblers

Scrabble players take their pursuit very seriously.  After all, it's a game played by people who pride
themselves on their vocabulary and command of language.

Scrabble players are upset about changes to the app

Mess around with the game at your peril.

Unfortunately that's exactly what has happened with the hugely popular Scrabble app.   It appears that control of the app recently moved from the Scrabble license holder, Mattel, to games specialist, Electronic Arts (EA).

However, the transition has produced a very poor customer experience and Scrabblers around the globe are up in arms.

The single biggest gripe is the loss of game history.  Serious players have notched up thousands of games and  commanded high positions on global leagues.  But that history was wiped when the transition occurred and red-faced Mattel have fessed up to admit they can't get it back.

They've also changed the game play so that it doesn't automatically refresh the board after each move, meaning the player must manually execute the refresh - very annoying.

The producers have tried to claim that they've improved the game by adding the ability to play the game in six different languages - the gamer response to that seems to be, why would I want to do that?

Another cardinal sin has been committed.  Scrabble has always used the Chambers dictionary, a reference book that players are intimately acquainted with.  The game now uses the Collins dictionary, another excellent work but still different to what has always been associated with the game.

This appears to be customer relations disaster for Mattel.  They have clearly taken their eye off the ball and have upset a loyal and passionate customer base.  In the age of technology and social media a faux pas like this spreads around the world in the time that it takes to refresh an app.   Some better user involvement before the transition could have averted this mess.

Disgruntled Scrabble players vent their frustration (BBC)

Flipboard

My favourite news aggregator - Flipboard

I love my smartphone or should I say I love the apps that run on it.  I'm not one for actually using the thing as a phone unless I really need to but I do love to catch up on the news on the way to work or lying on the couch.

There are lots of great news and social media applications out there but one of the easiest and fun ways to get your fix must be through Flipboard.

It works like a high tech notepad where you use your finger to flip through the pages.  What's so great about it? Well, I think it's the satisfaction of flipping at high speed through any number of teaser headlines and gorgeous photos until you find something you want to read.  A single tap and the story opens up.

Flipboard aggregates news and social media feeds depending on what you have told it is of interest to you.  Take it to a whole new level by logging in through Facebook and get a whole pile of highly personalised feeds based on your FB profile and what your friends are posting.

News aggregators serve an essential function in today's glut of websites.  Rather than you having to visit each and every one of your favourites one after the other, an aggregator pulls all of the good stuff from a multitude of sources and serves then up to you organised in bite size chunks.  The best aggregators have cracked the problem of presenting that stuff in a format that is appealing.  For me, Flipboard is at the top of that pile of successful providers.

I love the way this app has been put together.  It's intuitive, it's interactive and best of all, it's free.

Try it out.  It looks great on a smartphone but even better on a larger tablet screen.

Fading Facebook

Adapt or die

Instant gratification apps

A fascinating article on Mail Online today, talking about how teens are migrating to messaging apps like WhatsApp, Kik and WeChat rather than hanging out at Facebook.

I guess the social response is all that more instant with these apps - really interactive.

Will we see a Facebook phone?

02/04/2013 

I'll be watching with interest when Facebook reveals its big announcement later this week.  It's rumoured to be an HTC Android phone with Facebook more integrated into the OS but we'll have to wait and see.

One thing's for sure - if our teens find a new place to meet online with their friends then Facebook will need to adapt or die.

06/04/2013

As predicted, Mark Zuckerberg delivered on the rumours and revealed the new Facebook-focused HTC

Phone with Facebook Home

phone at a eagerly anticipated launch this week.  Zuckerberg stresses that it's not a Facebook phone - it's 'people-centric' - something that Microsoft et al would do well to heed.

Facebook phone unveiled (Mashable)

Facebook Phone a triumph of mediocrity (Forbes)

Lessons for Apple from Facebook phone (CNN Money)

Is Facebook Home a bit of a turkey (NZ Herald blog comment)

A possible bone of contention for Google is the way that Facebook Home displaces Android at the heart of the phone, placing it a rung above all apps running on the device.  Someone's not going to be happy about that.

Instant Messaging Links

How it works - Instant messaging

Line-up of Instant Messaging smartphone apps

Pandora or Spotify? Both please!

I couldn't be happy without music.  I can go without TV for prolonged periods but I need music for my soul.

I've long envied the substantial music services available in North America and Europe and wondered why a little island at the bottom of the world didn't deserve them, too.  So imagine my delight when I heard that we were going to get two of the best down here in lil' ol' New Zealand.  

Spotify

Pandora Internet Radio

I've been listening to Spotify for a while now and I'm a big fan.  If you know what you want to listen to, it's excellent.  Got a sudden craving for some obscure King Crimson track or fancy the latest Ministry of Sound mix before you head out clubbing?  It's there for the taking at Spotify.  Search by artist, album, song and you can be listening to it in crystal clear audio within seconds of the thought popping into your head.  If you're trying it out for free then you may have to endure a short advert first but on the very reasonably priced subscription service there's nothing to interrupt your listening pleasure or to keep you from that instant gratification.

Spotify

It's a stunning concept that's well executed.  You would have to spend a lot of money to purloin even a fraction of this library to put on your CD shelf but you can do it for no outlay other than the cost of your broadband data stream.  Marvellous value really.

Where Spotify doesn't maybe work so well is if you are short on ideas or simply can't remember the name of that band you used to like when you were 17.  Well maybe you should give Pandora Internet Radio a try instead.

Pandora

Kate Walsh

Pandora is like your very own automaton DJ ,who simply exists to please you.  OK, I want to listen something pleasant, some angelic voices, nothing too jarring but something that will pull my heartstrings.  I'm doing that now as I write.  On invoking Pandora.com I was asked to create my personal radio channel and name an artist or genre that appeals.  So I picked one of my favourite angels of folk, Kate Walsh.  Immediately Kate's dulcet tones washed over me with a track from her iTunes topping album, Tim's House.

I may have selected Kate Walsh but Pandora found me a bunch of complementary artists and proceeded to play them to me - Ingrid Michaelson, Tristan Prettyman, Laura Marling.  Bliss!  I was getting into this so I thought I'd mix it up with a quirkier choice - Tori Amos.  Now it's getting a lot broader.  In case you're not familiar with Tori, she attracts people who listen to all kinds of stuff.  She grew up listening to Led Zep and Deep Purple.  She has covered Nirvana's Smells like Teen Spirit, REM's Losing My Religion and so on.  Even a hardcore rock fan can admit to loving Tori Amos.

Tori Amos

Adding artists with a harder or softer edge or specifying more than one genre can really make for a truly personalised radio channel.

To really get the maximum benefit out of this endless music stream, take a note of artists that Pandora selects for you and check out their whole back catalogue via Spotify.  Talk about an excellent way to broaden your musical horizons.

Just in the time it's taken me to write this post I realise that, courtesy of Pandora's impeccable song selection,   it's a while since I last listened to the Cranberries and that I should avoid early Portishead when I'm feeling maudlin.

Deezer coming to New Zealand

Deezer is a new arrival in NZ

I recently discovered that another international player in the music streaming market is setting up shop here in New Zealand.

Deezer boasts a more customised experience for the listener's geographic location, with an added focus on local artists