15 Tips For Cross-Device Optimisation

Craig Sullivan presents the key rules to remember when optimising and testing your sites to ensure compatibility on a range of devices

I started messing around with HTTP log files and user agent strings over 15 years ago, analysing and attempting to understand all the different devices rocking up at the early John Lewis ecommerce websites. What advice would I give myself, if I could go back in time?

It would be this: Every website or product you work on from now on will be broken – you just don’t know where, on what device or browser, or how severely. If you hunt these defects down, you’ll make easier money for your clients than almost all your other work put together.

Internet Connection Troubleshooting

Having problems with your internet connection? Let us help you with some handy troubleshooting tips

When our internet connections evolved from clunky dial up connections to ADSL and fibre optic cable we not only got far greater speeds and data limits, but also much improved reliability. Internet connections no longer suffer from the same level of unpredictability dial up connections once had, and for the most part we can relax in our fully connected homes, able to socialise, play games and stream movies. It’s great, but it’s not perfect.

What Will Facebook’s New Reactions Mean For Online Interactions?

Sarah Dobbs looks into Facebook’s new ‘Reactions’

It’s hard to remember what online communication was like before the ‘Like’ button. Added to Facebook statuses back in 2009, that little thumbs-up icon has become a handy crutch for online interactions. While it’s obviously meant to convey approval – you’re meant to click it when you actually like something your friend has posted, whether that’s a flattering new selfie or a link to an article they think everyone should read – in practice, it’s grown to encompass more degrees of meaning than that.

A New Star In The Sinclair Sky

Stuart Williams talks to the managing director of Retro Computers Ltd about Sinclair, the ZX Spectrum Vega and Sir Clive himself

Retro Computers Limited is a British start-up company established in 2014 in Luton. The company’s first two products, both crowdfunded on Indiegogo, are the Sinclair  ZX Spectrum Vega and the recently announced Sinclair ZX Spectrum Vega+.

Both devices are low-cost (around £99), microcontrollerbased handheld games consoles, which use modern technology and software to ensure compatibility with the classic Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k (launched 1982) and 128k home computers, which made the Sinclair name during the British home computing revolution. They also pack in 1,000 Spectrum games!

Microsoft Surface Alternatives

We take a look at some alternatives to Microsoft’s flexible mobile device

The humble laptop has come a long way since the bulky blocks with tiny screens we once called portable. Once weighing almost as much as a flatscreen monitor, laptops now come in much more streamlined form, with ultra-thin and compact versions making the portable form factor indispensable for many.

Eventually, technology evolved even more and we were graced with the arrival of the PDA, which in turn heralded the tablet and modern smartphone. These touchscreen devices opened up a whole new world of possibilities, with input being freed from the standard keyboard and mouse/touchpad. Touchscreens allowed greater ease of use, not to mention a whole heap of new application types.