It is always interesting and exciting doing something that you have never done before. When Elvira of Crescendo Retail contacted Rev Software about designing and building their website and e-store it was a great opportunity to really demonstrate our creativity and programming prowess.

When designing and building this web store it was the nature of the products being sold that presented the most challenges. See, selling oils, vinegars, and spices by weight and volume in different containers, or in no containers at all, over the internet is not something most shopping carts and out-of-the-box solutions can handle. This niche market requires something unique, something custom, a solution that can help customers to find the products they want and purchase them in an easy, intuitive, and attractive manor. We are confident that this is that solution.

For us building the web store for Crescendo meant re-imagining the shopping experience. We researched, and white boarded, and thought hard to come up with ways to reproduce the natural and effective shopping experience you get from walking into a Crescendo store and here is what we came up with:

1. Visual: walking into a Crescendo location you are immediately treated to a feast for the eyes, oaken barrels, spices you can see and smell, and a soft and inviting Mediterranean colour scheme. For the web store we matched this by using super high resolution and high contrast images of the base ingredients to really make the different varieties of oils and vinegars “pop”, we had macro photos taken of all the herbs and spices so you could see them as if you were there, and finally we took the mediterranean colour scheme and expanded it with warm and appealing background images.
2. Selection Process: when you are buying an oil or vinegar in a Crescendo shop you first select your liquid, then you are able to select from a wide variety of containers. Your container selection determines the amount of liquid you purchase as well as adding a decorative quality to the purchase. For the web store we built an intuitive system that guides you through this very same process of first selecting a liquid and then selecting the desired container, all the while keeping you apprised of the final price and amount of product being ordered.
3. Information: when you are in a Crescendo shop you will never be overwhelmed by information, but you also will never leave without knowing all of the important information about your product, how to care for it, and how to use it. This same philosphy was applied to the website through the subtle use of info buttons for the products description, origin, acidity and other important information, the FAQ page for answers to common questions, and the Recipes section for all sorts of amazing ways to use Crescendo products to make amazing meals.

So by identifying these, and other, essential features of shopping Crescendo and ensuring they were preserved in the web store we at Rev Software hope that customers find their experience online as pleasant as their experience in store. Well maybe not quite since we can’t offer samples online .

This website and the accompanying web store is our largest and most important web development to date. It is our opportunity to showcase what we are capable of. We encourage all of our readers, and anyone who enjoys amazing food products and fantastic service to head over to Crescendo Canada’s Web Store.

I only hope people enjoy shopping Crescendo online as much as we enjoyed building it. I would also like to extend a very big thank you to Elvira and Daniel of Crescendo Retail for providing our small company the opportunity to create this website.

You can feel it, summer is fast fading and the cool crisp days of fall are upon us. For many businesses in Revelstoke this means a changing of gears, a small reprieve before the onslaught of winter tourists and gear hungry winter sports enthusiasts descend. Rather than sitting back and waiting for winter to come, I have 5 great reasons why your business should get out there and get a quality website. (Now of course we would love it if you got us to build it, but get out there either way)

1. Online Advertising – This year online advertising dollars surpassed that of TV advertising in the US. Advertising follows consumers, and consumers are rapidly transitioning from dead or dying media sources like newspapers, TV, and radio to the web. If you want your business to take advantage of this you had better get yourself a website, because you can’t click on an online ad that takes you to a brick and mortar store. Want to advertise on Revelstoke’s hottest new media property, The Current ? Not gonna happen without a website.
2. Expand Your Audience – There is absolutely no cheaper, easier way for your business to reach a new market and attract a ton of new visitors to your store. For the price of a single fancy display unit you can reach out to literally millions of potential new customers for your products.
3. Affordable – Startup costs for a beautiful website are under $2000 and maintaining the site is under $300 a year. When you compare that with rent and upkeep for your meat world location you will be wondering why you didn’t get a website earlier.
4. Maintain Your Own Site – Web technology has changed a lot since the early days, the websites we build today are completely updated and operated by business owners and staff just like you. With little to no technical knowledge you can update and maintain your own website (for free) using custom tailored content management systems like WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal.
5. Your Customers Expect it – Anyone under 30 these days just expects you to have a website. They don’t have a phone book, and they don’t want one, they already make many of their purchases online, and they would rather read reviews online than go to a store and ask for an opinion. If you don’t have a website, they might not even know you exist. I read a tweet (A micro-blog post on the Twitter social network site) the other day by a 30 something that said, and I quote, “I don’t care if you’re a plumber, if you don’t have a website I won’t use you”

I hope you find this list useful, as always I would love to hear your feedback and suggestions.

During my previous posts I had mentioned a list of things that needed to be changed in the Kindle in order for me to consider purchasing one. While Amazon may not have completed everything on my list they managed to hit the two big ones, PDF support and a larger screen with landscape mode for displaying textbook style documents. This was enough for me to warrant spending they money and giving the Kindle its fair shot.

Some of you might want to know how I managed to get a Kindle DX, since I live in Canada and only have Canadian credit cards and addresses and the answer is really quite simple. I have an Amazon.com account and there is a gas station just across the US border that allows deliveries and holds them for Canadians, so I used my Canadian credit card with Canadian billing address and had the Kindle shipped to the gas station, simple as that.

Now without further adieu, the un-boxing:

Kindle DX Fresh off the Greyhound

Once Upon a Time

Interior Packaging

Kindle, Meet Canada

Shiny New

The Kindle DX is Even Thinner than I Expected

Wall Plug and USB Combined... Genius

Booting up the Kindle

Welcome to Kindle

Now since I have only had the device for several hours I really can’t comment a great deal on all of the aspects of the device or any particulars to using it in Canada. So far I can only say the obvious, the whispernet does not work so you need to do all of your transfers through your PC, this really makes a daily newspaper probably more hassle than its worth, but doesn’t bother me one bit for my books. As I get more familiar with the Kindle DX I will be sure and update this post and/or answer any questions people have.

For more generic Kindle DX information you can visit the Kindle DX page at Amazon.com

First impressions: nice packaging, super slick, thin, light, attractive, and most importantly, incredibly crisp readable text with no noticeable eye strain. I look forward to getting to know my new Kindle DX.

Side Note: The kindle was entirely packaged with recyclable material and packaging was not excessive either, so kudos to Amazon for their apparent environmental conscience.

After all of my ranting about the missing features on Amazon’s Kindle E-Reader it seems that most of the features I had been seeking have finally been implemented on Amazons new large screen Kindle, called the Kindle DX.

Kindle DX provides users with free 3G wireless network support, native PDF support, a larger, 9.7 inches,  textbook friendly screen with 16 shades of gray, smart auto-rotating screen, and a price tag of $489.

This new offering by Amazon ups the ante in the EReader marketplace and finally provides me with the features I require to make the purchase make sense. I will be ordering mine soon and if all goes as planned I will never buy another dead tree reference book again.

Let me know if you think that Amazon’s latest offering is enough for you to give up paper books?

This day, which to so many developers has been all but a dream may actually be coming sooner than you think. After stealing time, money, and sanity from web developers for over 7 years the end may be near for Internet Explorer 6.

Microsoft has announced that starting the 3rd week in April they will be releasing IE 8 as an Automatic Update to all Windows users running IE 7 or less. This is in sharp contrast to the release of IE 7 as a recommended update, something that you would have to go to the windows update website and deliberately download. Using automatic updates now means that even grandma’s computer, which some grandson turned on automatic updates for, will now be upgraded to a modern, somewhat standards compliant, browser. 

May confetti rain down from the heavens and the developers of the world gather together and sing kumbaya.

With this development the only lingering remnants of IE 6 should be office computers in giant monolith corporations with archaic IT restrictions, Windows 2000 users and, the ultimately dangerous, windows users with automatic updates turned off. For these stragglers, particularly the last group, I personally endorse the subtle use of IE upgrade messages such as http://update-your-browser.com/ and my personal favorite http://www.browsesad.com/. Clearly these options are not available for clients websites so in that case I recommend developers charge a surplus (something like 15%) for providing IE 6 support since supporting IE 6 really does add many hours of extra work and extra code.

Grab your shovel cause its time to bury the beast.

Ref: http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2009/04/10/prepare-for-automatic-update-distribution-of-ie8.aspx

After the release of Kindle 2.0 I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Few of the features I had been hoping for were implemented, the new design, though better than the old one, is still nowhere near cool enough to part the average consumer from their hard earned money, and on top of that the product was still not released outside of the US. All of this has led me to believe that if electronic ink is going to dethrone the paper , then it will be someone else besides Amazon designing the product.

But if not Amazon and their Kindle, then who? Who can break the eInk industry open and produce a product so cool that even people who don’t read regularly will buy one? Apple? Sure they make super chic products but Steve Jobs already said no, because as he puts it “nobody reads anymore”. How about someone completely new; someone dedicated completely to bringing a product to market that really satisfies the desires of consumers. Well I think that someone might be named Plastic Logic.

A quick browse of their YouTube video collection clearly shows that this is the real deal. This is what I, and I assume many others, wanted the Kindle to be. Full touch screen display, with annotate feature allowing you to interact with digital documents just like their paper counterparts. Tables, charts, images, and code all displayed on a crisp, thin, durable, DRM free device the size of a pad of paper.

Don’t take my word for it though. Watch the videos, browse the website and if you still aren’t convinced then maybe Mike Rankin’s piece, “Is This What a Kindle Killer Looks Like?” can change your mind. Either way I would like to hear back from you on this.

SeoMoz, the website synonymous with search engine optimization, is offering a $1 pro account to the first 5000 people to sign up using the promo code SUCCESS09. SeoMoz is one of the most trusted names in SEO advice, and the $1 pro account will provide you with tons of information and countless tools to help you improve your sites search rankings.

I obtained this information and the promo code via email, since I currently hold a non pro membership at Seomoz, and I have confirmed with their staff that this is a NO obligation offer and that you can cancel after the one month with no string attached. The website provides mountains of information, and the pro account gives you access to countless SEO tools as well as the ability to speak one on one with seo gurus.

If you think your site could be doing better in the search results, or you wonder why you might not be coming up as well as you would like for certain terms, I suggest you head over to www.seomoz.org/trypro and use the promo code SUCCESS09 to get your $1 membership.

I just happened across an interesting article by switch11 on why some think Amazon might be planning to release Kindle 2 in the UK and Canada. 

To sum up the article in short for you; switch11 uses a rash of job postings and recent hires in areas related to international cell phone networks, as well as the delay of the release of Kindle 2, which he supposes might be linked to failed talks with cell networks as a basis for his arguments on whether or not Kindle 2 will be an international release. 

For the benefit of those who have never heard of either the Kindle, or electronic ink / paper, here is the quick and dirty to what makes the Kindle so special.

Utilizing a new high-resolution display technology called electronic paper, Kindle provides a crisp black-and-white screen that resembles the appearance and readability of printed paper. The screen works using ink, just like books and newspapers, but displays the ink particles electronically. It reflects light like ordinary paper and uses no backlighting, eliminating the glare associated with other electronic displays. As a result, Kindle can be read as easily in bright sunlight as in your living room.The screen never gets hot so you can comfortably read as long as you like.

– excerpt from http://www.amazon.com/

Ever since Amazon’s release of the first generation Kindle I have found myself secretly coveting my vision of what the Kindle could have been. 

The Kindle-led E-paper revolution was supposed to make print media obsolete, the days of heading to chapters and buying a physical reproduction of tomes like War and Peace were over. Much to the dismay of the pulp and paper industry a single electronic device would be able to hold a persons entire library. Much like digital music has done to the music industry, ebooks would save us from space commanding books that could get lost or damaged. But this hasn’t happened. In fact most people I talk to haven’t even heard of the Kindle; and that is a shame.

What Holds the Current Kindle Back?

International Support - The current Kindle uses Sprint’s USA-Only high-speed (EVDO) data network to wirelessly purchase and download books. This means anyone outside of the USA is unable to make use of one of the Kindles best features, on demand delivery of digital media directly to the device. If I have to log on to my computer and download the New York Times then transfer it to my Kindle every morning I am no longer interested. Fortunately as switch111 discovered it appears that Amazon has been hiring new people with expertise in international cell networks, notably GSM. This could be a hint for a potential release of Kindle 2.0 in Canada and the UK.

mono-space fonts - The current generation Kindle is handcuffed by an inability to display mono-spaced fonts, fonts where each letter or digit takes up the same amount of line space. Mono-spaced fonts are used most notably for the display of computer code. This inability renders the Kindle useless for computer / programming books, and alienates a potentially massive pool of eager early adopters. Fix this issue alone and Amazon could see the number of Kindles sold increase dramatically.

colour – Even the newspaper prints at least one of its pages in colour. The current Kindle’s lack of a colour display might be the least pressing issue on this list, but I still feel it needs to be addressed.

style -  The current Kindle is so bland and unexciting as to have the curb appeal of a 90′s Toyota Corolla. Jeff Bezos of Amazon could learn a lesson from Apple and hire some seriously genius product designers to wrap the Kindle in a skin that makes people who don’t even know what it is want one.

What Could Kindle 2.0 Become?

For starters;

A replacement for aged, damaged, heavy, expensive textbooks. Every child old enough to read would be given one for school and each year the most up to date textbooks would be loaded onto the device. Just think, a single searchable device would replace every textbook in the school. No more half erased drawings and tattered pages, no more missing pages, no more out of date material.

How about the be all end all of computer libraries? I can’t count the number of computer books I have collecting dust on the shelf that are out of date and obsolete. Computers and programming languages change so quickly that by the time the book is in my hands much of it is out of date. I would much prefer to buy a subscription to say, O’Reilly’s Java Kindle Updates, and have access to all of the latest releases of their software development books. Books that could be downloaded to my Kindle in seconds, read, and stored for later search and reference. 

In short; everything Kindle 1.0 was supposed to be.

What Do You Think?

Every time you turn around there is a new programming language, a hot new technology, or some form of hype or buzz surrounding some particular methodology or another. Considering this flood of information to digest you can’t help but ask yourself, what is a busy programmer to do? If you are constantly working to learn the latest and “greatest” will you ever have time to get proficient, or will you endlessly be a hack in a new language?

Each time a new project rolls around it seems I am questioning my choice of technology, do I want to do this using J2EE, which I know, or maybe I should take this opportunity to learn Ruby and give Rails a try or how about ASP.NET? This train of thought, while helping to diversify my skill set, has left me wondering if maybe it is time for me to focus, to pick a language or technology stack and really immerse myself in it until I am satisfied that I know enough to tackle something new.

The other side of this coin is that as more and more languages and frameworks arrive on the scene, the scope of the problems that each is meant to tackle is becoming increasingly focused. This means that programmers are most effective when proficient with a number of “tools” rather than a single. You wouldn’t drive a screw with a hammer, so why force a project in a language that might not be best suited to solving the challenges the project entails? Then again if you are constantly language hopping will you ever truly recognize the “right” tool when you need it?

Much to learn; little time to learn it all.

I would be interested to hear how other programmers handle this delema.

With an ever increasing number of online shoppers browsing the web for products, that they may or may not have ever seen, touched, or inspected, the online review is becoming an increasingly important tool. Unbiased non commercial reviews, whether from experts or everyday consumers, enable shoppers to make informed decisions about their purchases.

This holiday season while you are busy shopping consider stopping by one of these 3 sites to help you decide if your purchase is worth the investment:

1. – if they sell it chances are customers have reviewed it. Many of the products I have found on Amazon contain anywhere from 10 to 1,000 reviews many of which are indispensable.
2.  – Buzzillions is a sort of review aggregator, that is to say it collects reviews from a multitude of other sites and organizes them into nice search-able categories. I have found their catalogue to be quite comprehensive and the site is very responsive and easy to navigate.
3.  – When in doubt consult the oracle. If you can’t find a review somewhere in the catacombs of the hive mind then congratulations because you may be the first person to ever purchase that product so do us all a favour and write a review after you buy it.

That is my quick list so please if you know of some other great sites for online reviews let me know.