I’ve mentioned before that mobile browsing is fast growing in popularity – it is forecast by some to overtake PC browsing in the next five years – and I think that Google’s acquisition of Motorola will help drive this growth and maybe even accelerate it. It also makes mobile website optimisation increasingly important for online businesses when it comes to designing or redesigning their websites.

Motorola will enable Google to better develop its Android mobile device product, not least because of the large number of patents the manufacturer holds. In short, it lets Google do hardware – to date it has remained software-focused.

This investment should help it enormously in its fight with Microsoft and, more importantly, with Apple in the mobile device arena. How long before we see a Google mobile device to really take on the iPhone and iPad? Apple’s huge profits should certainly be a major incentive.

A player of Google’s profile and resources in the mobile device marketplace will not fail to make waves and businesses should be aware of the likely impact. Having an online presence that is not only compatible with but is able to exploit a rising amount of mobile browsing will be crucial.

By supercharging its mobile device profile with the acquisition of Motorola, we can expect to be using the likes of Google
Wallet (mobile payment) and Google Places (location-based loyalty schemes) a lot more and businesses will have to be ready for this.

To find out more about Chichester Design’s web design and development services, including mobile website optimisation, contact Michelle on +44 (0) 1243 787542 or info@chichesterdesign.co.uk.

Buying online – I’ve blogged recently about how we trust the internet more than we do the TV – but this time it’s a different aspect of e-commerce that’s on my mind. The launch of Google Wallet has got me thinking about mobile browsing and mobile payments.

Mobile payment is by no means a new format, and the technology is much more developed in the Far East, so Google is hardly a pioneer. However, it has the power to bring the technology to the masses and quickly. So, if I were an online retailer, I’d be seriously considering how my website works on a mobile phone.

How we use the internet, whether it’s using maps to get round, reading the news or striking up conversations on Facebook or Twitter, has changed remarkably in recent years: we are doing a lot more of it on our mobile phones. Nearly a year ago, Ofcom said that almost a quarter of the UK’s mobile phone owners used their handsets to access the internet and that this number was rising.

So, as consumers are increasingly doing their browsing on the go, it is important that online retailers have websites that are fully accessible in this format. And, this format means not just one smaller size, but several. From Google Android handsets and BlackBerry to iPhones and iPads, there are a lot of different screen sizes, and a website design has to be adaptable to them all. Mobile optimisation is a must, both in terms of reading and navigating content and purchasing from an e-commerce website.

I’m looking forward to the growth of mobile payments. “Wave and pay” is the future – I already use a bank card that allows me to do that. The emergence of Google Wallet will undoubtedly speed things up. Orange is working with Barclaycard and Samsung, and O2 is planning something similar this year. We are living in an ever more mobile world.

To find out more about Chichester Design’s web design and development services, contact Ben on +44 (0) 1243 787542 or info@chichesterdesign.co.uk.

Sound ridiculous? All a bit sci-fi? Not to some. According to an article I read the other day, that’s where the development of mobile internet access is going. And who is taking us there? None other than Facebook.

Around a third of Facebook traffic is already conducted using mobile devices and this percentage is expected to grow, thanks to the advance of technology and our own demand for on-the-go usability and convenience. The invention and success of the app, the launch of Facebook Places and the arrival of the Google places app for the iPhone have pushed us further towards a reality where our lives are mapped instantaneously in the digital world.

Think about it. If we’re able to update where we’re going for dinner, how long before our smartphones and mobile devices are able to automatically let us know bus or train times for the journey home? As the article suggests, perhaps it won’t be beamed onto our eyeballs for a while, but how about onto a pair of specially designed glass? iGlass anyone?

And, you won’t need to a lift a finger or eventually utter a word. No more fiddling with touchscreens, and perhaps one day no more voice control. You’ll just have to think it and the bus timetable will appear in front of your eyes, literally.

That could be just the start – how about marrying technology with commerce? Just look at the new Tesco shopping app – wave your phone over the product barcode and it’s on your list. Imagine doing this but without the smartphone – just look at it, think it and a shopper could be packing it for you.

This technology would be truly incredible (and a little scary), but who would pioneer it? Again, going back to the article, Facebook are favourites thanks to their power to be able to access and share people’s recommendations. With search engines, such as Google, we’re bored fishing in a pond whose content is limited by our own knowledge. Facebook and recommendations take us beyond these constraints.

We shall see, but we’re already seeing the power of recommendations in action, not at least in relation to the growth of social media marketing in the business world. Companies are fast waking up to the potential of personal recommendations and referrals through social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

But first things first, your website has got to work properly beyond a PC. In a world where accessing the internet using a mobile device is increasingly the norm (it’s already the primary means in the developing world), your content has to be accessible on the small screen.

To find out more about Chichester Design’s web design and development services, contact Amy on +44 (0)1243 787542 or info@chichesterdesign.co.uk.

This week some of the Chichester Design Team have been up in London at Internet World in Earls Court 2. The event is the leading digital marketing and online business expo with 300 exhibitors and 200 education sessions and Keynote presentations. We looked round the exhibitors stands and picked up some useful information.

We also attended several of the Keynote presentations including:

Google’s Peter Fitzgerald spoke on new realities for e-commerce. He showed us some impressive statistics about Google traffic and e-commerce ROI. The Keynote also featured some very interesting mobile developments on the Android platform, a live demo of the impressive Google Goggles and Google Translate, a real time voice translator able to understand and translate 100 languages in a matter of seconds.

The Guardian’s Meg Pickard spoke on content, communities and collaborations. She shared some interesting tips on writing content and engaging with users. She showed us Zeitgeist – an experiment in showing trending news, topics and articles from the Guardian. Check it out for yourself here.

Tripadvisor’s Angus Struthers spoke on Harnessing social media to extend your brand. He spoke about how you have to maintain your online presence to be successful and showed us how they have grown to be one of the biggest and most trusted independent review sites on the internet. He made some interesting points about how they strive to remain impartial even if sometimes unpopular within the hotel industry.

ABInBev spoke on How to use new media to power global brands. They spoke about how they build social media and engagement campaigns for some of the biggest drinks brands. They also spoke about the success of Le Bar Guide for Accrossair browser; a Chichester Design Team favourite that we have been using for a while to demonstrate the possibilites of AR (augmented reality) browsing. If you haven’t got it, get it here! For those without (or saving up for) an iPhone you can see it in action here.

Jon Bains spoke about his ideas for the future of digital agencies. We’ll be keeping a close eye on how this develops as he had some exciting, if ambitious, ideas.

CiAO and Bing spoke on Digital retail – How the advent of digital has revolutionised our shopping habits. The giant product review site CiAO showed us the power of reviews on influencing peoples purchases and how they are tying this in to Microsoft’s search engine Bing. I managed to speak to Marie Thirlwall after the presentation and got some great info about where Bing is heading with their search engine and their plans for UK Bing4Business. More news on this as it develops.

For Ashley the highlight was getting his hands on an iPad!

We tweeted updates and photos on twitter.com/chidesign

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Lucy Hackett Snow Photography

Many people were stranded at home at the beginning of the New Year as a result of the adverse weather conditions. Some had to stay at home and look after their children due to school closure in the Chichester area and some were forced to stay at home because they were snowed in. However, there were a number of Chichester Design clients who were able to continue working, make money and keep their businesses running despite the weather.

Chichester Design’s customers now benefit from the best possible email services and support around with Google Apps. The service provides reliable, secure online applications and communications wherever you work and whatever the weather!

Managing Director of Chichester Design, Ben Davis, says of the Chichester based design and marketing agency’s new service:

“As the service is run by Google but provided by us our clients benefit from the fact that we are in full control of the system with the added advantage of using Google’s servers and technology as well.

“Google offers a free, standard version of Google Apps but there are some fundamental differences between the standard version and the Premier edition that Chichester Design offers.

“With Google Apps Premier our clients can enjoy personalised Gmail with its 25 GB of email storage and 99.9% uptime reliability guarantee, so there’s no worries about running out of space or your email going down. There are no ads allowed, meaning you can enjoy reading your emails without ads popping up and distracting you. Benefits such as powerful spam filtering and anti-virus are included. Mobile services, with several options for accessing and syncing all your information while on your laptop, Blackberry and iPhone are also a great advantage”

Since the local design and marketing agency became an Authorized Reseller of Google Apps in November they have moved over a number of their clients, from local accountants and electricians to data centre relocators and interior designers, all of which have most certainly recognized the benefits.

Chichester Design’s Executive Director, Simon Batchelar has been signing clients up to the new service for the past two months and he’s delighted with the number of enquiries and positive feedback received. Simon commented:

“Google Apps is a service that will not only benefit individuals and businesses but also schools – the main benefit being that it’s free for educational institutions. We’re in talks with several schools in the area who are interested in the service”

Sam Dunster of www.opennshut.co.uk specialises in supplying and fitting DIY wooden window shutters. He helps customers measure and fit their own shutters and has made several TV appearances based around his expertise. Sam is one of Chichester Design’s happy customers who has been utilising Google Apps to work from home for some time:

“Following Ben’s advice I switched to Google Apps in July 09 to help me run my business remotely and to ensure I could stay in constant contact with my customers. With Ben’s help, I managed to set up and switch to Google Apps quickly and smoothly and have not looked back since.

“Its great having a service that works and I am looking forward to the integration with the new website that Chichester Design are building so that everything can be under one roof. Having the flexibility to access emails from any computer or my phone makes running my online business easier and more efficient, thanks Ben.”

Things are going so well that Chichester Design has also employed the services of local IT support technician, Pete Alner, to help them with the volume of requests for the Google Apps Premier service.

So while weather conditions of this extreme do not effect the Chichester area too regularly, there are so many other reasons why you might have to work from home and why not make it as easy on yourself and your colleagues as possible? The Chichester Design team have proved that having a reliable email system is a priceless business tool today.

If you would like to know more about Google Apps from Chichester Design please email simon@chichesterdesign.co.uk.

We believe in equal opportunities so although Kate was invited to take part in the racing shenanigans she decided against it in case she was better than boys and hurt a few egos. So in her place her other half Pete raced for team Chi Design with Managing Director Ben, Senior Web Developer Jeremy and Web Designer Simon.

Once Kate and Pete arrived halfway through the briefing (thanks to Ben’s wonderful directions courtesy of GoogleMap and the iPhone- seriously two of our best techy tools failed at the first hurdle!) the team was at last united. The boys donned their fetching overalls and Ben took to the pit lane to give team ten’s kart a practice lap.  After each of the boys had their turn at getting the hang of the kart and the 450m track consisting of nine corners and a rather fun looking bridge it was time for some serious racing.

Kate cheered the boys on as they each sped against the likes of Nelson’s Gang, Chamber Maid, Bognor Boys, Jackson 5, Chamber Pot, Fix Its, Chamber Music, BPL Racing, Captain Slow, A Star Scaffolding and my personal favourite (apart from Chi Design of course)- De’ath.

Ben was up first, starting in eighth position and sneaking up to second place, although it seems he used a few dirty tactics that got us our first yellow flags and he was well on his way to getting us a black flag with a 30 second time penalty when we took a wise team decision to get Simon on the track. Simon gave it his all but he couldn’t quite keep us in the top spots (mainly because he didn’t go to the Ben school of cheating!) Jeremy took over and gave it some French VaVaVoom and regained us a couple of places.  Then Pete stepped in (albeit after he’d taken his time getting his helmet and gloves on while the Kart sat there cooling in the pit lane) but he did manage to achieve the team’s fastest time so we’ll forgive him.

After the boys had around 25 minutes each on the track they all went round one final time for 15 minutes each. But we were levelling at between seventh and tenth place and didn’t manage to climb the leader board again.  The race came to a halt at 10.45, after two and half hours of non-stop racing fun and we passed the finishing line in a fairly respectable ninth place out of twelve (well, it wasn’t last and remember it’s the taking part that counts!) Well done team Chi Design!

Here’s some race stats for all you Karting fans:

Location: TeamSport, Fareham Reach, Gosport, Hampshire

Contenders (in no particular order): Chi Design, Nelson’s Gang, Chamber Maid, Bognor Boys, Jackson 5, Chamber Pot, Fix Its, Chamber Music, 3 BPL Racing, Captain Slow, A Star Scaffolding, De’ath

Race time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Musical accompaniment: The Prodigy

Winning team: 3 BPL Racing

Fastest lap: 29.578 seconds (A Star Scaffolding)

Average lap time: 31 seconds

Chi Design laps completed: 229

Chi Design fastest lap time: 30.410 seconds

Chi Design final position: 9/12

To see a running commentary of the race follow us on Twitter and read Kate’s Tweets from last night as she cheered the Chichester Design boys on.