Thus each logo/image used in a mobile web layout, required a duplicate image, at a higher resolution. Then with a bit of CSS3 Media Query magic, you’d check the resolution of the user’s mobile device and if higher than X, you’d display the higher resolution image.

@media
only screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio : 2),
only screen and (min-device-pixel-ratio : 2) {

  #logo {
    background: url(images/logo-iphone.png) 0 0 no-repeat;
    background-size: contain;
  }
}

So not a massive time-sink, but on a site with loads of CSS’d images etc, you can see the potential time required to retina-display-ify a mobile site.

If the Apple rumor-mill is to be believed, the new Macbook Pro and iMac lines could be getting retina displays.

This now means that responsible developers will need to go through all their sites, themes, client work etc and add a new layer of images & code to cater for these higher-resolution displays.

I don’t see any quick way out of this either… Whilst a plugin could perhaps cater for the code side of the required tweakage, it requires a higher resolution image which no plugin is able to do.

So bottom line is us developers and designers – all of us, not just those of us who do mobile sites – are going to have to spend a fair chunk of time preparing our sites for the enslaught of new retina enabled devices. What do you think? Am I making a big deal of nothing?

The Problem

You need to sign a document – a loan agreement, rental document, NDA, whatever. So in order to do that,

1. Person A sends you the PDF document.
2. You print out said document.
3. You fill out the necessary odds & ends – name, details etc.
4. You sign the document
5. Then you have to fax it back to Person A

Firstly, it boggles my mind that we still have to fax in this day and age. I’m aware that there’s things like E-Signatures that are used to sign document, but what about filling it out? Not everyone has PDF editing software and what a shlep! Am I correct so far?

Right, so enter my awesome idea.

The Solution

1. Person A creates the document online and using a simple UI, adds the content & the area’s requiring feedback like name, address, etc.
2. Person A then ‘adds’ the people who need to fill out the form – Person B and C.
3. Person B and C get an email notification and then once they login, they are presented with the document and the areas requiring feedback are highlighted.
4. Then at the bottom is a legal statement with a checkbox that basically indicates agreement of the entire document. The wording of the statement would be crucial to ensure there’s no loopholes and once the checkbox is ticked and the form submitted, Person B and C are legally bound by the stipulations in the document. As Person B or C complete the document, Person A receives notification.
5. Persons A, B and C can all login & view their documentation – docs they’ve created and docs they’ve signed in a form of dashboard. Person A will see his documents, with an indication of invited parties and whether those parties have signed the document or not.

In terms of revenue, the most obvious way would be to have subscription plans which allow for various numbers of documents to be sent/signed etc. Or alternatively, you can create documents for free, but you’re charged for each ‘signature’ you get on the document… With a bit of creativity, you could easily come up with a few ways to generate revenue but because Person A doesn’t have any direct means of recouping the money he’s paying for the service, it can’t be too exorbitant.

So what do you think? I reckon its a killer idea :) But that’s just me…

From a legal point of view, perhaps legal guru @pauljacobson – http://pauljacobson.org -  can give some feedback on the legalities and the validity of such a form of ‘signature’  to a document.

Keen to hear your thoughts :)