It's all about context

Monday, October 29, 2007 by Dave Winer.

A comment by Lane Becker on Scott Rosenberg's blog... 

"I've been using Winer's nytimesriver on my iPhone screen for weeks now, and it’s far and away the best interface when you're reading on a mobile device." 

"Which is the point: it's all about context. It's not either/or, and it's not just different readers wanting different things. sometimes it's the same reader wanting different things at different times, in different situations." 

Exactly right. I use nytimesriver on my iPhone or Blackberry, but I don't use it on my desktop, where I prefer an interface with more controls. The small screen of a mobile device demands something simpler.  

Slowly the word is getting out. I'd like to do it faster. It would be great if the TImes itself looked at this. If they can write about installation art in their lobby, why not tell their readers about a new way of reading Times news on a mobile device?  

The Times was a leader in RSS too, but never reported on it. Perhaps there's a blind spot.