Author: dsellers

The first crop of iPad apps may draw user approval for being “beautiful,” but they also create user frustration as people try to figure out where to touch in order to interact with them, according to usability expert Jakob Nielsen whose user-experience research firm Nielsen Norman Group today released results from a usability study of 34 iPad apps.

Not only are users’ hard earned web-interaction skills not transferable to iPad apps, the learning for one app does not necessarily apply to the next one. Early iPad apps are marked by inconsistent interaction design.

In a new report Phil Leigh of “Inside Digital Media” (http://www.insidedigitalmedia.com), a market research firm specializing in the future of media, said Apple will introduce as-yet-unannounced products to address market opportunities in the digital living room and media and transactional online services. But the Mac will continue to play a big role in the company’s future.

In fact, in an interview with “MacNews,” Leigh says the Mac itself is going to continue to gain consumer market share — and then more market share in the business world. It’s a trend that’s already underway.

The online security experts at Sophos (http://www.sophos.com/) have identified a fake Apple US$50 iTunes certificate that spreads malware currently doing the email rounds, reports “Macworld UK” (http://www.macworld.co.uk/ipod-itunes/news/index.cfm?olo=rss&NewsID=3223005).

Sophos’s Graham Cluley, writing on his blog, warns the malware email attachment can infect Windows computers. “Clearly the hackers are hoping that in your excitement about receiving a $50 iTunes gift certificate that you will throw caution to the wind and open the attachment,” Cluley notes.

eMedia Music Corp. (http://www.emediamusic.com) has released version 3.0 of eMedia Piano and Keyboard Method. New advanced audio recognition software technology works not only with electronic keyboards but with acoustic pianos.

And an Instant Feedback feature actually listens to the student playing melodies and shows whether the correct notes are played. In addition, the new Note Tracker shows the actual note being played in standard music notation.

Over 300 lessons are now presented in scalable full-screen resolution for viewing. The over 70 videos can also be viewed in full-screen.