QuickPost 1.0 Beta 2 Build 001

Due to a brainwave while trying to sleep at 2AM, QuickPost can now edit the HTML of the view and still post with no problem. Check out the screenshot below:

This was posted with QuickPost 1.0 Beta 2, which should be out soon though some major changes to the way FernEngine handles images and the QuickPost Interface.

Introducing QuickPost 1.0 Beta 1

QuickPost is a new blogging application designed for the Google Blogger service. Based upon the new FernEngine, a Javascript based WYSIWYG editor. QuickPost is a testing platform for the editor that will be built into Fern, a premium editor coming soon. With QuickPost you can write blog entries with labels, login with your google account, select your blog and post. It's that simple.

The editor is capable of making text bold, underlined, italic, linked, strikethrough, superscript & subscript.

Text can also be any color.

Text & images can also be aligned in the centre

or to the left.

The complete editor toolbar is below:

The labels field:

The login view is below:

QuickPost is in Beta, there are still things to be done to this app, as well as the FernEngine before either of it can be implemented into Fern itself. Especially in regards to how images are handled. It's still impressively quick. Please download and test, if you have an issues or want to add something, drop a comment here.

Full Screenshot

Login Screenshot

Posted Screenshot

Download
Requires Mac OS X 10.5, Google Account

Coming Soon

Just an example of what is coming soon

New iPhone website

As you can see by the previous posts that I have been focusing on the iPhone, which due to a little free time has allowed me to try somethings I have always wanted to do. I decided to make an iPhone version of the 2009 Alex Mills Design preview page. In my research for a script to tell the iPhone to use a different CSS file, I came across this tutorial. Unknown to me was the fact that the Safari browser on the phone runs a little script every time it gets rotated, with a result of either 0 (vertical), -90 (left) or 90 (right). The tutorial covers writing the javascript that intercepts the angle result from the browser, which then tells the CSS to display a certain div. So I built a vertical, left side and right side 'view' in Keynote, imaged them using skitch and built them into a neat little site using Coda.

The image below is was is displayed when the iPhone is held vertically, with instructions on how to see the other views.

Rotate the phone left and the view will change to one with links to Donald's blog and to mine. Plus another little instruction on how to return to the normal view.
Rotate the phone to the left and the view will once again change to one almost identical to the previous, except with only one link to the current website and a different rotate instruction.
Yeah I could have just put the links on one view and while this setup wont be suitable for every page, it gives you complete control over how the page works in the browser. Also the fact that it's designed for one browser on one phone* makes testing simple, though you will need an iPhone or iPod touch due to the way the CSS hides everything, making desktop testing impossible.

Check it out and let me know what you think, its just a little weekend project but I'm happy with how it turned out. Just head to www.alexmillsdesign.com with your iPhone or iPod touch and it automatically send you to the iPhone version.

*Though the webkit browser is used in a number of other mobiles including android, the detection script is only looking for iPhone and iPod in the UserAgent.

It doesn't happen often

I'm not one to brag, its just how I was brought up but even my parents are bragging about this one. A recent Curriculum Council High Distinction Award in IT means that I'm officially the #2 IT Student in Western Australia! I'm super stoked and really appreciative of all the teachers, parents and workmates who have helped and supported me along the way. Lets just hope I can make use of it :)

From the media interviews I have done I should be appearing in at least one magazine, which would be very cool.

A little something...

A design project I have been working on for possibly a pretty important client. Will give more information soon. This is my first time at designing an iPhone app.

New Alex Mills Design preview page

With 2009 here and no equivalent design website ready, something had to be done to indicate that 2009 will offer significantly different services and style. My first true XHTML/CSS page, giving you the option to view this blog to keep track, Donalds or continue onto the current website. One unique thing about this page is that it was designed and built completely in Keynote 09, using Skitch to extract the images into Coda for engineering.
2 major updates to Keynote that allowed me to do this easily was the new measurement system (my major feedback request...they listened), resulting in accurate real world measurement and common placement guides. An example below. The second is that a 1px stroke on a shape is a 1px stroke, no shadowy crap like in iWork 08. I will post an overview later on, as you know I design my websites, interfaces and icons in Apple Keynote, using in-app graphics and photoshop. Nothing can touch the layout system in this app.

Check out the page and let me know what ya think. See anything out of aligned or another error, please let me know. It has been tested with mac browsers (Firefox 3, Safari 3 & Camino 2.0) and iPhone with no issues.