Andy:
Google Chrome Will Become the Most Used Browser, IE6 will finally die!

When your Grandma installs Google Chrome on her PC to replace IE7 you know the people at Google have done something right. It’s not completely outside the realms of possibility that Google Chrome will become the worlds most popular browser by the end of 2012. And why not, it does seem like the quickest and simpliest browser around at the moment and importantly has been heavily marketed throughtout 2011.

According to data from StatCounter, Chrome increased its market share from 15.6% in January 2011 to 27% by the end of the year. At the same time, Microsoft dropped from 46% to 38.6%. Firefox also fell, from 30.6% at the beginning of 2011 to 25.7% by December.

So 2012 could be the year we see Chrome become the browser of choice, why not give it a try.

Also we hope to see the final demise of IE6 in 2012, usage dropped below 1% in the US this month – and we hope the UK isn’t far behind. Although the majority of us have dropped support for this ancient browser, worldwide usage is still very high especially in developing countries. Lets all keep our fingers crossed for an IE6 free 2013.

Dave:
2012 is shaping up to be an interesting year so far, at the time of writing CES is just around the corner which means by the time your read this some of my predictions will have been proven wrong or right.

Without further adue then, I predict a leap in battery tech which will see more powerful handheld devices and longer times between charging, no longer will you need to charge your mobile every night. I see another push by the big players to take online in to the Living Room with Microsoft, Apple, Google and Sony all launching new devices that will integrate with online services such as youtube, lovefilm etc.

Sarah:
I think ‘Image Websites’ are going to become more and more popular. With We Heart It, Flickr, Instagram and now Pinterest all growing in popularity and in hot competition with each other, maybe we’ll see a better type of Image Search Engine in 2012?

Matt S:
I think 2012 is the year we’ll see technology that started to come into play in 2011really take off. More people than ever are moving to more modern browsers, thanks in part to Microsoft’s campaign to rid the internet of IE6. This means HTML5 and CSS3 will really come forward and in some cases start to replace Javascript and Flash. More people will be accessing the web on their phones and tablets which means we’ll see more responsive web design (where a web page changes its layout depending on the screen size of the device).

Ed S:
2012 is all about Mobile & Apps. Smart phone and tablet sales have been sky-rocketing and TV’s are evolving by the day with internet connectivity and a range of hosted internet based applications running on the TV’s lightweight OS’s opening up a range of opportunities and new ways of reaching the market.

We have come a long way from our humble beginnings. The company has grown from 2 people operating from a tiny office to be one of the leading digital agencies in the South. We now employ some of the most talented people around (in a much bigger office) and work for some of the biggest companies in the world.

The past ten years has been an incredible journey and we would like to say a huge thank you to all of our valued customers who have played a crucial part in our success and we look forward to continuing the journey together.

Back in 2001 we were all using dial up modems to access the internet, mobile phones were starting to become more popular and were the size of bricks, IE6 and Netscape Navigator were the browsers of choice and no one had heard of social networks or Facebook – we were a lot less connected. How things have changed! Now we all use broadband to surf the web, we have a much wider choice of browsers and our phones allow us to do everything and anything, view web content and interact on social networks. The web has become a far richer and user friendly experience.

We have always had one eye on the latest innovations and trends and we’re very excited about the developments we will see over the next 10 years. The possibilities of what we can achieve with digital is changing everyday and we aim to continue to deliver the best solutions to the highest standards, the same as we always have.

In this first post we will take a look at some of the ways we have increased our productivity and efficiency using free apps and services on the web.

www.drawastickman.com – It’s amazing how creative some people can be when tasked with drawing a stickman! The idea behind this website is so simple yet provides hours of fun.
Andy

Although I’ve not used it long, I’d like to spread the love about EverNote www.evernote.com, it’s a cloud based note system that allows me to record my meetings notes via text and you can record with a dictaphone. Well handy for my iPad and Laptop. My second recommendation would be www.totalf1.com it’s a Formula 1 aggregator from hundreds of sites around the web. If you’re a true F1 fan, it’s got to be www.sniffpetrol.com.
Renaud

My favourite website right now is probably www.theoatmeal.com. It’s a great cartoon satirical site including ‘why working from home is both awesome and horrible’, ‘why I believe printers were sent from Hell to make us miserable’ (which I think the office can empathise with this week), ‘how to pet a kitty’ and ‘you only try this once’. Guaranteed cheap giggles.
Laura

www.asmallworld.net A niche social site for international people interested in socialising with like minded people.
Matt

For Photography: www.boston.com/bigpicture
For Laughs: www.damnyouautocorrect.com

Boston.com provides amazing photographs for current topical news stories. Really moving images. DamnYouAutoCorrect is just funny.
Dave

www.catsparella.com with everything from Hello Kitty trainers, to a regular Caturday article, this website is a must for all cat lovers. I also love www.surisburnbook.tumblr.com who wouldn’t want to read a blog from “Suri Cruise” about her everyday hatred of Shiloh Pitt? Just me then…
Sarah

It’s been around for a little white but I recently re-discovered this: www.workshop.chromeexperiments.com. You need google chrome to use them properly, but some of the stuff is so cool.

Check out the projects bit in the footer, in particular this music video – all done in HTML5, javascript and WebGL. At the end of the video you can make a new part to feature in it (within the browser) and submit it.
Matt 2.0

www.datpiff.com – This is where I keep my ears on new up rising Hip Hop artists, there are loads of rubbish ones but you sometimes find a few real hidden gems.
Ed

(Please note Atelier take no responsibility for the content of external websites)

We’re happy to welcome a new member to the Atelier team. Ed has joined Atelier to boost our growing development department. Lets take this opportunity to find out more about Ed and what makes him tick…

1. Why did you join Atelier?
I was looking to progress my career in the web development industry and after looking through some of the work that Atelier had produced was impressed with the quality. I heard that Atelier had a good working environment which also attracted me to the role.

2. What’s your role here?
I am a developer which basically means that I build and maintain the websites. I like the work because it is challenging enough to help me learn new things, whilst being enjoyable at the same time. I am a junior developer at the moment, but hopefully with some hard work I will become a senior one day!

3. Tell us about your most recent holiday experience.
I went to Australia about a year and a half ago and really enjoyed it out there. The lifestyle is great, the weather is always good and they play a lot of sport which appeals to me. I’m also going to New York in a week so looking forward to going there and seeing all the sights.

4. If we give you £10 million how would you spend it?
I’d like to buy a boat and sail all around the world, seeing all the sights and experiencing different cultures. I could also go out partying in all the major cities without caring about how much I spend! Buying an Aston Martin would be up there as well.

5. What’s it like working at Atelier?
The work is challenging and the people are all friendly and helpful. Everyone is pretty young which creates a good atmosphere, and means we also have things in common to talk about.

6. Please attach a feature photo and explain why it’s so important to you.
This is a picture of a few of my mates, out in Southampton for a few drinks and having a laugh! I have a group of best mates I’ve known for about 12+ years and without them my life would be a lot more boring! We usually all get together at least once or twice a week to go to town together or play sports etc.

7. If I take a look inside your refrigerator what would I find?
I’m still living with my parents at the moment (looking to move out) so it would be most of their things, Mum- activia, fruit/veg etc, Dad – melton mowbray, ginsters…

8. If you could have dinner with a famous person (dead or alive) who would that be?
Hmmm, tricky to pick just one….. maybe Ricky Gervais because he would make me laugh, or someone like Alan Sugar because I find people who have made something from nothing inspirational.

9. What will you do if you have a time machine?
I’d probably buy a sports almanac and then go back to 1955 and place bets on all sporting events, already knowing who the winner would be!…. Then take over Hill Valley!

10. Which super power do you like to have and why?
To be able to become invisible whenever I wanted, you could just walk straight into a bank vault or get onto an airplane for free……. so I’d mainly use it to break the law!

If you confirm you wish to proceed with a project during November, (and provide us with a PO) we will produce for you, your own bespoke Christmas card that you can send to your clients!!

The important stuff:

• To proceed we require a confirmation email and PO (if used) for work to commence during November. The project must be new work (not yet estimated by Atelier and not already discounted work), with a minimum value of £1000+VAT to be valid for this promotion.
• We will design and print 50 A6 Christmas cards. The design can be whatever image you choose plus your company logo, inside can be a message and your signatures, back cover is all Atelier.
• You will be required to send us your company logo (high def, 300pdi), text and a copy of the signature(s) you wish to use. Image costs are not included, please scan in/send us a copy of your image(s) – if you want us to print on the inside, please scan (in A4) all your signatures and email it over to us.
• We will provide you with a preview of the card before print.
• Postage is not included, cards will be ready for collection from our offices in Southampton.

1. Why did you joined Atelier?
I’ve known of Atelier for some years now as a leading agency in the area and I’d seen the high quality of work the studio produce. Knowing how passionate everyone is about the work they do here really left an impression on me when I first got involved.

2. What’s your role here?
I’m an SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) & PPC (Pay Per Click) Account Manager. Many people shut down and wish they hadn’t asked when you say that, usually because they don’t know what it means.

SEO is the modification of a website to help improve it’s ranking on Google and other search engines. We use a wide range of strategies to achieve this such as altering code and tags, writing optimised content, social media…are you still awake? Good. It’s actually really interesting as Google love to move the goal posts when you’re not looking, so every day brings a new challenge! Pay Per Click is internet advertising. You know when you perform a search online and all these little relevant adverts appear? That’s an example of pay per click.

3. If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional. with whom would it be?
That’s a tough one…I’ll take Vivienne Westwood. She was 30 before she started doing what she loved (same as me), taking a leap by leaving her job as a teacher and opening her first shop. I love her style and she’s influenced so many designers. She’s a little crazy, and has dressed everyone from the Sex Pistols to Margaret Thatcher, and her shoes made Naomi Campbell fall over in Paris. Personally I think she’s a bit of a British icon and looks like so much fun! Sorry if you were hoping for Marie Curie or something…

4. What’s your best achievement to date?
Running my own pub. Not as easy as people think!

5. What’s it like working at Atelier?
I really enjoy working with the clients we have, they’re all very different so a day here is never dull. Things change all the time in SEO so it’s a constant learning curve which is great, I get bored easily! Each campaign is tailored to their particular specialism and requirements, so no two are ever the same. As an example this week I have written articles about dressage, snow, Socrates, boarding schools, Russia and kettlebells!There’s a great team here too, I really think it’s beneficial to have SEO, design and development all under one roof as we all need each other’s skills and advice from time to time. Being in one office speeds things up which benefits the client.

6. Please attach a feature photo and explain why it’s so important to you.
I love this photo. It was taken on my second trip to Koh Tao, an island a day’s journey south of Bangkok. It’s my happy place, which I shared with the best friends a girl could have.

7. If I take a look inside your refrigerator what would I find?
Not a lot at the moment, I’m on the Cambridge Diet. Probably some chicken breasts, spinach, tonic water, and a large variety of chilli sauces.

8. Tell us an interesting fact that none of us know about?
I left my Criminology degree to train to be a car mechanic.

9. What will you do if you have a time machine?
Travel back to 1996 and invest in Google when Brin and Page were still operating out of a garage. After that I would use it as a wardrobe. What you change in the past changes the future, I could cause untold devastation!… Back To The Future anyone?

10. What’s your top tip in life?
Never let anyone tell you you can’t. You can, and if you really really try, you will.

11. What’s your favourite sandwich?
Ooo tricky! Steak and blue cheese with loads of salad on a soft brown baguette. Or a burger from the Cricketers.