iPad mini

The new iPad mini looks very nice. It does not have the retina display. This is an good explanation why.

"As with all Apple launches, critics are always there to raise an eyebrow and discuss the missing features, and this is no exception. The lack of retina display for example was always to be expected, after all, one of Apple's biggest predicaments is that its current iPad is proving far too successful. This is a strange position to be in, but it must be remembered that the iPad Mini has been primarily launched to support its bigger brother and to maintain Apple's overall market share. The nightmare scenario for Apple would be if their latest device was so convincing that it substituted potential new iPad custom to a smaller model on a lower price tier, effectively cannibalising existing sales."

Ravi Kamran, chief executive of Trademob, a European app marketing platform, thinks the money is in the ecosystem:

Campaign for TFL to have contextual search

After living in London for four and a half years, something still bugs me. The TFL website, although when I first moved I thought it was fantastic and stupendously helpful for planning journeys etc. It hasn't moved on at all in those 4 years and has now been left behind by apps and other websites which are utilising some of the newer technologies available.

Even when you know the tube quite well, it is always worth going to the TFL site and planning your journey to see track closures and give you the quickest route. One thing that has to be implemented soon is the use of contextual search on the station search section.

As an example, searching 'kings cross', not only does it fail to give you an on the fly list of possible stations to select from as it should, pressing enter, it then offers you a complicated list of stations with kings cross in, see screen below.

Look at all these places. I just want Kings Cross

What I want is something similar to the Tube Exits app (the best app of all time) searching 'kings' brings up all the tube stops as you type so you can quickly select King's Cross Station, it also shows the tube lines it is on with a useful colour coded diagram.

Another thing, searching for 'Sheperds Bush' brings up the below list of things to chose from. Such a confusing list. So we have Sheperd's Bush Market Station and Sheperd's Bush Market Station Underground Station. Not really that clear.

So come on TFL. Get with the times and add contextual search to your site pronto!