Space. In Your Pocket.

I was sitting in the audience at the CanUX conference when I got the e-mail.  Someone from our Toronto office had sent out a note with a link to this prototype of an experimental iPhone Web application.  I was immediately delighted at both the idea and execution and couldn't  wait to get the thing running on my own iPhone.  My initial thought?  How cool.

But let me take a step back and offer up an insight as someone who loves their iPhone.  The iPhone was designed with "talkability" built right into it.  By this, I mean it's an extremely effective way to do "show and tell".  I'm always showing folks stuff on my iPhone—whether it be pulling up a video clip on You Tube and watching it with the boys—or showing photos to a friend.  Web applications on the iPhone have opened up a whole new world of both utility and delight.  I enjoy using the facebook version on my iPhone more than I do the full blown Web version. This is because it's simpler and more importantly—I'm in "recreational" mode when I'm mobile.  So I'm more prone to exploration using my iPhone and a connection to the Web.

That's why I think the "Pocket Planet Gazer" is so neat.  I pulled it up when sitting on the couch with my 7-year-old and instantly, learning about the planets became interactive, casual and fun.  And I felt like I was doing something which brought us closer.  This is what marketing should be.  Stuff that actually makes life just a little better.

You can check out the iPhone application for yourself here:
www.criticalmass.com/exploration

You can also see that actual application from CM's newly designed site at criticalmass.com. (currently in Beta).  Check it out and unleash 7-year-old in you.  :-)

Comments

[mike dunn]

agreed, cool stuff though the payload is high for edge network, it flew on wifi & will only get better over time as att network optimizes - good job cm crew...

[Nathan Gilliatt]

Very nice (and my 7-year-old will enjoy it once he gets home from school). It needs an updated planet list, though. Pluto's label change (from "planet" to "weird icy rock thing") isn't the only recent change. All in all, though, an impressive prototype of something I'd like to see more of.

Last week in DC, we noticed that the East Wing of the National Gallery has a cell-phone guided tour ( http://www.nga.gov/cell/ ). Call the number and key in the number next to the artwork, and you get the audio tour for that piece. Something like the Space app would be a big step up, especially if it could incorporate the audio.

[kjbro0me]

Hi David. The new Critical Mass site looks great. Quite an upgrade from what you had/have.

[Adam Boozer]

Hi David. Long time fan of your blog BTW

Great iPhone app idea. I have been toying with some mini iPhone app concepts as well. I would love to see someone really make use of the "playability" of the iPhone with a suite of really simple and clean games or toys

You can check them out here
http://www.ideafont.com

Thanks