Last night, you may have heard talk of a mysterious black bar appearing on the top of Google.com. Or you may have even seen it yourself. No, you weren’t hallucinating. It was a sign of something about to show itself. Something big. Google+.

What is Google+? It’s the super top-secret social project that Google has been working on for the past year. You know, the one being led by General Patton (Vic Gundotra) and General MacArthur (Bradley Horowitz). Yes, the one Google has tried to downplay as much as humanly possible — even as we got leak after leak after leak of what they were working on. Yes, the one they weren’t going to make a big deal about with pomp and circumstance. It’s real. And it’s here.

Sort of.

You see, the truth is that Google really is trying not to make a huge deal out of Google+. That’s not because they don’t have high hopes for it. Or because they don’t think it’s any good. Instead, it’s because what they’re comfortable showing off right now is just step one of a much bigger picture. When I sat down with Gundotra and Horowitz last week, they made this point very clear. In their minds, Google+ is more than a social product, or even a social strategy, it’s an extension of Google itself. Hence, Google+.

How’s that for downplaying it?

“We believe online sharing is broken. And even awkward,� Gundotra says. “We think connecting with other people is a basic human need. We do it all the time in real life, but our online tools are rigid. They force us into buckets — or into being completely public,� he continues. “Real life sharing is nuanced and rich. It has been hard to get that into software,� is the last thing he says before diving into a demo of Google+.

What he proceeds to show me is a product that in many ways is so well designed that it doesn’t really even look like a Google product. When I tell Gundotra and Horowitz this, they laugh. “Thank you,� Gundotra says very enthusiastically. Clearly, they’ve put a lot of work into both the UI and UX of Google+.

Source: Techcrunch

It’s no secret that we don’t like Internet Explorer 6 (IE6), the outdated 10+ year old browser still used by 15-25% of people on the web. Last year, we called for IE6 to die so that the web could move on with new innovations such as HTML 5. (more…)

Setting the Scene

Last year we took on an elderly, undocumented Access 97 database linked to a MySQL back-end. The task was to fix existing problems, upgrade to Access 2007 and Vista, and bring the functionality in line with current business practices. It would involve an independent re-build (mainly off site) so that existing operations could continue unhindered.

Concurrent upgrading changes weren’t ideal: when a problem arose, we had to work out whether it was due to a flaw in the original database, or 97 to 2007 differences, or some aspect of the Access to ODBC driver to MySQL linkage. But we had no choice and with Allen Browne’s comprehensive list of Access 2007 issues, we marched on. (more…)

With Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social networking websites being introduced rapidly, the fact that number of social networking users has doubled since 2007 isn’t much of a suprise.

To be accurate, just in the US alone, 55.6 million adults visit social networks monthly, according to a Forrester research report. Thus, Social networking is a more popular indulgence than even Instant messaging among adults. However,with regards to activities encompassing watching of videos, online shopping, and emails, social networking hasn’t gain that much attention as of yet.

ComnetSolutions has a team which are focusing on rapid development of social networking web 2.0 style portals for clients in Singapore and abroad. We have a developed framework upon which we are able to combine modules and customize them for each project.

New modules are being introduced every fortnight to offer our clients an effective and powerful solution.

Moritex Singapore being the newest addition to the Moritex Corporation world wide sought to develop an intuitive website which would stand out amongst all the other Moritex sites around the world. With her massive product catalogue, and informational updates, Moritex Singapore also required a Content Management System (CMS) built to accommodate their frequent updates.

While an open source platform was reviewed, their intricate product categorization meant that a Customized Product E-Catalogue had to be developed. ComnetSolutions worked closely with the Moritex team to implement an E-Catalogue system to enable them to manage multi tier categorization of their products. Other CMS modules were also implemented to allow their team to update their site content easily. AJAX technology was incorporated to ensure that the product browsing was of a high level of usability. Design of the site was also never relegated to 2nd place.

ComnetSolutions stayed dedicated to the Moritex team and assisted in making multiple revisions till beyond Client satisfaction. The result was a website which stood out from the rest of the Moritex sites around the world.

Click here to launch website

Regency Steel Asia approached ComnetSolutions to come out with a new professional website design which would set them apart for the other companies in their industry. While already upgrading their marketing brochures and collaterals, they felt that the website was a very important showcase of the company. What ComentSolutions did was to conceptualize a design which fell in line with their Corporate Identity. Brand strengthening through the new site was also never relegated to second place as strong colors, taglines and meaningful graphical banners were incorporated. The result was a website with a strong showcase of the company’s business and strengths.

Click here to launch website

ComnetSolutions assisted theGlow to develop a website where they could host their online store selling music cds and guitar strings. They wanted a site which reflected a cool, hip and sleek feel without compromising on user experience. ComnetSolutions dedicated a lot of time on theGlow’s website design, fine-tuning to ensure that it’s cross-browser compatible and it’s consistent throughout every page of the website. A Flash Music Player was also integrated onto theGlow’s website. ComnetSolutions developed a Content Management System which drives theGlow’s music cd and guitar strings online catalogue, which allows the client to update the music cd and guitar string listings without reliance on the vendor.

Click here to view site

Although new in the industry as a startup company, the team at Resonance-Consultancy are experienced and experts in their field. Their request was for the website to show exactly that.

We had to avoid a design that made the client look small or like a start up. A sleek flash intro was done up for the website to give the website an “up-market” design feel and also to portray the company’s beliefs.

With form came functionality. ComnetSolutions developed a resource management system for the site to allow Resonance Consultancy to communicate with their clients in a restricted log-in area, and share documents and information with individual clients, and even update them!

A back end system was also developed to allow our client to manage each client, and the resources available to that client with ease via our proprietary Content Management System (CMS).

Hubers Butchery contracted ComnetSolutions to design and develop their company website. They wanted a website which could showcase the range of meat products in an organized manner, coupled with an intuitive search function for their customers. ComnetSolutions developed an E-Catalogue system for them to be able to update information on their Meat products catalogue independently, without having to rely on a vendor. In light of the products’ nature, they wanted a section where they could display some of Huber’s latest food recipes and festive promotions with the ease of updating the content. ComnetSolutions developed the required modules and incorporated our proprietary Content Management System for this purpose.

ComnetSolutions assisted Ong & Ong to redevelop their entire website. A new classy revamp was done where all their projects can be showcased and capture MAXIMUM attention from their target market.

ComnetSolutions spent a lot of time on their design fine-tuning to ensure that it works in all browsers and that consistency is maintained between each and every page of the website.

ComnetSolutions developed a Content Management System which further allows client to update their projects portfolio, their team members and their press/camera sections of the website with ease without reliance on the vendor