/* Internet Addiction */

I have been looking for fast and good looking GUI prototype tools for a while.  I had tried several open source products including Pencil (Firefox stand-alone plugin),  Serena Prototype Compose, and Denim.

All of them, looks very good and easy to  use but lack of clean and pretty and cool components.  Until then, i had came across, one commercial and free mockups product known as “Balsamiq Mockups“.

To know how to get the product free, refer to their website. I just received my free serial key because i work for non-profit organisation and i will review their product once i have used in my next projects.

The reason why i likes this tool are because when i tried with their demo, the look and feel looks very cool and the components design look like hand drawing. Installation are easy and simple.It also based on Adobe Air platform which work with cross platform (Unix, Mac, Windows).

Maybe you can try to play around with the product.

Have been using jQuery since my new projects. As a results, i am very satisfy with the Javascript framework and external UI Plug-in.

I used the guidelines provided by reindel blog to choose the best javascript framework to meet best for my new projects. My first round-up choice are between Mootools, Prototypes/script.aculo.us and jQuery. I use Slickspeed website to run and check how fast the website run, and jQuery gave me the best results. Since jQuery run much more faster than others, except Mootools (on the version that i had tested).

The reason why i choose jQuery over other javascript frameworks ——————————————————————–

1. The learning curve for jQuery are much more short and there are tons of tutorials for jQuery.

2. One of my requirements, is to optimise the performance when running on client side.

3. Slow staging server (no budget), cause slow execution of scripts at client side if i am using other javascript framework.

4. Both Microsoft and Nokia have decided to add jQuery in their .Net and Symbian OS. (Future mobile implementation).

5. jQuery official website provide more demo type tutorials compare to others, which are very handful when it comes to using new functions.

Quite like the syntax and idea of Prototypes/script.aculo.us features and might be consider it with my own personal project.

These reasons were only my personal opinions, which i do not mean that other javascript framework are bad. It really depends on how it is going to fit with your best need such as environment, learning curve, your own coding style and more.

stixcampnewstead logo

Been to first Melbourne March  or “BarCamp” last week. Unconference type of events. Learn more about Barcamp event : Barcamp Wiki It is a very interesting event where you got a chance to meet real enthusiastic programmers, web developers, designers, admin and more.  If you have not been this type of event, i strongly suggesting you try it out. You got a chance to share and listen to different kinds of ideas.

Unfortunately, J2ME MIDP 2.0 had limited library for accessibility (Not even close). The reason why Talks doesn’t read out the canvas, because everything that painted by canvas are graphics based. For example, you can try to create your own custom text (using Canvas) to display it out on the screen and let the Talks software to read it for you. The text automatically become graphics and with no luck the Talks just ignore it.

For example: with J2ME MIDP specs, even when you try to append long string into form, the Talks only read the last sentence if the string is too long.

“This is a very very very“
“very long sentence” <—– Only read this sentence if you are using form.

The reason why is because, text to speech software vendors read text based on cursor where it pointed at.

Because 3rd party text-to speech vendors seems to develop their application on dependent platform such as Symbian OS on Nokia phone, which use C++ basically. That means, if you want 3rd party to read everything that display on the screen. I suggest that you use Symbian_C++ and Nokia SDK to develop the apps. (Other’s words is , build an interface that looks like Nokia interface that use Symbian_C++). Symbian_C++ is much more powerful than J2ME but not as easy and straight forward like J2ME.

Whether TALKS understands which label belongs to which text field depends on whether the focus is moved correctly on both the labels and the text fields when the user navigates (e.g. by wrapping both into a CEikControlGroup and focusing that). Just having fields visually associated with text editors is not enough, as this type of screen layout is not commonly used in the standard S60 UI.

The best way to enter data into multiple fields is by using the S60 control intended for it, called CAknForm (http://wiki.forum.nokia.com/index.php/Forms_in_Symbian_c++). As this is commonly used in many places across the phone’s standard UI, e.g. for editing contact entries, TALKS is set up to support these quite well.

The other options is, i haven’t tried yet, i think it might help is do not rely on 3rd party text-to speech software. Use J2ME text-to speech optional library : http://jcp.org/en/jsr/detail?id=113. (Currently i am not sure which phones in the market can supports this library but maybe, Nokia N95 did support).