Ghost in the machine. I want to touch my MacBook Pro.

Must touch the screen. I must!

It happened again.

An alert went off on my computer and my hand reflexively reached up towards the screen to silence it.

I stopped myself, as I realized that my MacBook Pro does not have a touch screen.

While I avoided adding another smudged fingerprint to my collection of errant touch-my-screen attempts, my aborted impulse revealed a long standing desire – for a touch screen MacBook.

Mind you, this is a brand new machine.

I got it less than a month ago, but it’s got no touch screen.

When I heard that the Pixel, the new Chromebook by Google had one, I was miffed.

The Pixel has me hating on my MacBook Pro. Damn Chromebooks!

Google?

Chromebook?

Touchscreen?

Laptop?

The thought was incomprehensible.

Pangs of jealously racked me.

The sensation was unbearable.

Another alert went off on my laptop.

In my blind rage, I jammed my finger into the screen – again.

Will I never learn?

My rage gave pause to a temporary moment of reflection.

How is it that the greatest tech company in the world doesn’t have a touch screen laptop?

But upstart new jack entrants to the game and booty throwaway device manufacturers do?

Sure, there are other Windows based touchscreen laptops.

But who wants some third party laptop by Lenovo or a Dell?

Yeah, the Surface is like a touch screen laptop.

But it’s an inelegant and clunky Windows tablet (with a keyboard).

The Surface Pro has me hating my MacBook Pro. Damn Surface!

And who the hell wants that buggy piece of crap (aka not-a-Mac)?

No one, that’s who.

The fact that lesser device makers have touchscreen laptops in the market never seemed to bother me before.

But an Android notebook running Chrome and Google’s suite of integrated apps?

That’s gotten under my skin.

I mean reeeaaally Apple?

What’s so hard about adding a touch screen to your line of laptops?

If an old school NEC POS machine can have a keyboard and a touch screen, why can’t I?

C’mon Apple! Even dinosaurs have touch screens.

If Acer can make a touch screen laptop – ACER! – why can’t you?

And I know I’m not the only one with this desire.

I’ve seen mad other people stupidly jamming fingers into screens desperately trying to depress untouchable icons.

In this new fangled world of smartphones and tablets, touch and gesturing has become a norm.

People are used to touching screens.

Everywhere you turn, there are touchable screens: MTA, Redbox, ATM machines (and the aforementioned booty throwaway machines).

Why then, are our MacBooks still stuck in the stone ages?

Free our screens, damn it!

I demand it!

Apple, don’t let Steve Jobs’ stubborn shortsightedness rule you from beyond the grave.

Tim Cook, grow some cojones and stop living in a dead man’s shadow.

Think for yourself!

Know ye this: I shall not buy another MacBook unless and until said MacBook includes a touchscreen.

There. I said it.

Now make it so!

Google I/O 13. Not quite an Apple Keynote, but not far off. I’m lying.

Today I did the geekiest thing I’ve ever done in my whole life.

What’s that, you ask?

I watched day 1 of the Google I/O 2013 keynote.

On the internet.

That’s right.

I suffered through almost four hours of it.

At first, I thought I was going to be sitting in on an Apple-style keynote.

With all types of interesting announcements and clever quips from engaging Ted-X style speakers.

But as the hours dragged on, I realized that wasn’t going to happen.

Instead I was assailed by one listless speaker after the next.

Where did these people come from, Zombieland?

Don’t get it twisted, I love me some Google products.

But damn!

They could have used some adrenaline over there.

I’m just saying.

Pop a molly. Snort a line. Guzzle a Red Bull!

Do something to liven up!

Anything!

How hard would it have been to not slouch?

Or not speak  in a monotone?

Or tell a joke that was not completely devoid of timing – or humor?

Abysmal delivery aside, Google went deep into their bag of tricks today.

And made some announcements that had me like “wow!”

Here are a few of the more interesting parts of today’s snorefest.

VP9

VP9 is Google’s open video compression standard that provides high quality video compression at half the bit rate.

Google wants to expand VP9 in mobile web which means faster video load times, but lower data rates for streaming over cellular networks.

Pixel

Pixel is a touchscreen Chromebook and the first laptop built by Google, which combines easy access to all of Google’s software in a high end (and expensive) machine.

The six thousand attendees of I/O 13 each got one.

Why wasn’t I invited again?

First my invite to Oprah’s Favorite Things show gets lost in the mail and now this.

Google Play for Education

Google Play for Education is Google’s answer to Apple’s iTunes U.

Through their partnership with hundreds of educational app developers, Play for Education provides educators with a way of providing educational apps to students en masse.

Another initiative to provide students with Chromebooks, makes the Google Play in Education announcement one of the most aggressive pushes to bridge the technological gap in schools in decades.

Auto Awesome

Auto Awesome is one of a suite of new photo-related enhancements from Google, which turns photographs in GIFs for you.

Other photo-related features can enhance images, create all smiley face photos from a collection where you weren’t able to get everyone to smile in one shot, and collages from groups of related photographs.

All automatically without you having to lift a finger.

Hence “auto”.

I could go on and on about the keynote, but I don’t want to bore you.

I’ll let Google do that themselves.

If you’ve got nothing better to do, and want to watch all 3 hours and 51 minutes of it, click play.

But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

If you want a more comprehensive breakdown of the all today’s announcements, without being bored to death, check out Techcrunch, Wired or Gizmodo (who all speak geek far better than I do).

Umm, Google, you guys need to get a ouija board, contact Steve Jobs and get some tips on tricking out a keynote.

Cause that shit was booooorrrinnngggg!

Hide your kids! Chukumba is coming!

Hide your kids! The Tech Pied Piper is coming!

Look out East Orange.

Stephen Chukumba is coming for your kids.

Not in a pedophilic way you moron!

Like the Pied Piper.

Well, no.

Not like the Pied Piper.

Depending upon which version you’ve read, he was kinda a bad guy.

A tad spiteful.

More like a nurturing Pied Piper.

Who leads the children with his magical pipe iPhone.

But brings them back – happy and healthy – and smarter.

Damn Ariel, you got me all jacked up just trying to start a post.

What I’ve been trying to say is that this Thursday, I’ll be hosting career workshop sessions for middle schoolers in East Orange, New Jersey.

I was invited to speak.

Scratch that.

I volunteered to speak after my wife came home and told me about the event.

Her organization, Arts Unbound, is sending someone to talk to the kids about professions in the arts.

This will be a departure from the traditional career days these East Orange 8th graders are accustomed to.

Which typically involve cops and firefighters speaking to the kids.

But rarely individuals from other professions.

Much less a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious cat like your’s truly!

Not that there’s anything wrong with cops and firefighters.

Actually, there are often things wrong with (people who decided to become) cops – but that’s another story for another time.

And there are a few that genuinely protect and serve.

But my point is that our kids need to know that there’s more out there for them than dodging bullets or flames for a living.

They can actually make a living by using their b-r-a-i-n-s.

You know – the grey matter between their ears.

Novel concept, I know.

I fully intend to blow their minds with knowledge.

And I’m the perfect dude to do it.

Have you seen me?

6’3″ Black man with dreads and tattoos?

What kid wouldn’t be like “who is THAT?” when I walk in the room?

They’re probably expecting me to talk about rapping or entertainment or something.

Imagine their shock when I start dropping jewels about apps, mobile web and technology on ‘em!

I’m sure a few heads will explode.

Note to self: wear goggles and a smock.

So parents of children attending the Patrick F. Healy Middle School in East Orange, be forewarned.

I’m coming to your town.

And I’m getting at your kids.

All up in their heads.

Turning them into little technologists.

Minion doing my bidding.

And if your kids come home from Career Day talking about APIs, platforms and networks, know that your boy Chukumba did that.

The iPad 2. My “new” favorite device.

Stephen and iPad sitting in a tree, w-o-r-k-i-n-g.

Have you heard?

I’m in love!

No. Not with my wife.

I mean, I’m in love with my wife.

Don’t get me wrong.

She’s a sweet chick that doesn’t get on my nerves too much.

Just kiddin honey. You don’t get on my nerves at all.

The point is, I’m in love but its not the wife.

No. Not the kids.

Love the kids (by default, not design).

But I’m not talking offspring here.

My job? Gimme a break!

Check in with me when I’m clocking seven figures.

For now, negatory.

Alright, last guess.

Wrong!

I do love sex.

But it’s an act, not a thing.

You suck at this.

Remind me never to pick you as a game show partner.

It’s my iPad 2!

I am head over heels in love with it.

I recently got it from wifey for my birthday.

I was, in a word, verklempt.

Why all the emotion?

After all, this is my second iPad.

I had the original for three years.

Mind you, I was pissed when Apple dropped the 2 within months of my copping the 1.

But I wasn’t going for the okey-doke and buying into Apple’s manipulative bait-and-switch (and rape your pockets).

So for three years, I made do with my camera-less, FaceTime deficient, slower iPad.

Don’t get me wrong, we had our run.

But when the 4 was released, followed by the Mini, and talks began about a 5 and a retina display Mini, I realized enough was enough.

I had to step up my game.

Then came the dilemma.

Do I cop the 2, 3, 4 or Mini?

The Mini was out of the question.

I tooled around with it in the office, and it was so not a tablet.

I mean it is a tablet, but its not a tablet.

Knowhatimean?

You’re daft.

Try to keep up with me, please?

Anywho, the debate really centered around the 2, 3 and 4.

Do I just go for it and drop coin for the latest and greatest, the 4 with its retina display, 4G LTE and all the bells and whistles?

Or do I settle for something less bells and whistley from an earlier generation?

The decision was easy.

The 2.

Same (general) features and functionality of the (now defunct) 3 (and 4), less price.

Sure it’s maxed out at 16GB.

And there’s no Siri.

Lower resolution photos and video recording.

But for all intents and purposes, its the same thing.

Truth be told, my love affair with the 2 started the day I beheld it in the wild for the first time.

My man’s girl had one in Miami, during Art Basel.

And before I knew what was happening, I was one of those dorks shooting video with a big ole tablet in my outstretched arms – Frankenstein’s monster-like.

Get it right. Frankenstein was the man, not the monster.

The foolishness of my appearance did little to dampen the unbridled affection I felt – and presently feel – for it.

Even today, well after the novelty has worn off, as I cradle my very own 2 lovingly in my mitts, affection wells in my chest.

Why the love affair, you ask?

Well, nothing in my arsenal impacts my day-to-day productivity more than the iPad.

My iPad helps me get shit done.

Shout out to Moses.

If you’ve every tried to work on your iPhone while out and about, or even on your laptop, you quickly realize there are – limitations.

One’s too small and cramped.

The other’s too big and bulky.

But my iPad is just right.

I power through emails.

Schedule appointments.

Knock out to-do’s.

I’m generally bout-it-bout-it.

Bout-it bout-it=handling one’s business in a professional and thorough manner.

When I’m rocking with my iPad, you might as well give me a cape and call me the Black Superman.

I gets that busy.

So if you see me out and about, fondling or kissing my iPad, and it makes you feel…uncomfortable…

Avert your eyes.

Nothing’s going to stand in the way of my love.

The Life Digital. Atari to iPad: Growing Up In the Digital Age (an introduction)

You know I’m writing a book right?

I posted about it a minute ago.

And true to my word, I’ve been working diligently to bring this bastard to life.

I started with a few chapters.

Got stuck.

Ditched ‘em.

Started again.

And then it dawned on me – most books I’ve ever read, have some sort of introduction.

So I thought that I’d start mine with one.

Mind you, this is a work in progress.

So if it seems kinda short.

Or rambly.

Or totally incoherent.

Indulge me.

As I’ve never written a book before, invariably there will may be (poorly written) fits and starts before I hit my stride.

Forgive me.

Here goes nothing:

According to geek legend, 1969 was the year the Internet was introduced. Although I was just an itch in my dad’s nutsack in ’69, it was an auspicious year nonetheless.  My dad and mom just had their first kid, my sister Beatrice, a year earlier. But Uneze wasn’t having a wife that wasn’t popping out kids.  And like the researchers who introduced the internet to the world, my dad introduced his spermatozoa to an egg inside my mom, and I was conceived. Although the Internet wasn’t really mainstream until a few decades later, it’s introduction at the dawn of the 70s was a powerful sign for the decade to come.

I was born on April 21st 1970. According to Wikipedia, that was the 111th day of the year. 111 is a toilent number. A perfect number. So I was born on a perfectly numbered day, in the dawn of the the Internet. It wasn’t like I was born on the day the internet was created. That would have been something. But being born in the wake of it’s introduction clearly had a powerful impact on me – if only viscerally.

And I wasn’t alone. While computer and engineering geeks at universities across the globe were inspired by invention, they weren’t the only ones fussing about with wires and circuit boards. Pockets of garage warriors and hobbyest were tucked and tinkering away in clandestine labs all over the world, making the gadgets that I would come to fall in love with through the years.

I’ve touched and been touched by many of the technologies, analog and digital, trends and advances made over the past 40 years. And I’ve experienced many of them as a consumer, insider and observer. These gadgets and gizmos have directly and indirectly impacted me and conspired to form the person I’ve become today: techie, guru, advocate, evangelist, fan.

As a result, I’ve lived my life on the leading/bleeding edge, always on the look out for the next big thing. That next phone, app, technological advancement or signpost signaling yet another leap forward. From the Atari gaming console I begged our parents to buy, to my iPhone 5, technology has been an integral part of my life.

This book will examine the tech trends, hits and misses from the last four decades from the perspective of someone who has lived and continues to live in it, through it and with it. I’m going to examine the technological advances that have occurred, big and small, and show how these advances have changed us – made us who we are today.

I hope you’ll find some wisdom in these pages. If not, maybe you’ll enjoy the walk down memory lane.

So what do you think?

Mobile turns 40 today (at least the call does). An infographic.

Today is the 40th anniversary of the first mobile phone call ever placed.

So I thought it apropos to offer you this infographic, which highlights the milestones of smartphones and cellular communication.

It was created by Waypharer, and does a fairly good job walking you through the history of mobile.

I think it’s a bit long.

But interesting nonetheless.

I wanted to embed the joint right in here.

But the bloody embed code didn’t work (and I wasn’t willing to troubleshoot to figure out why).

So I chopped it up into pieces.

And since it is so friggin’ long, today I will spare you my blathering.

Cause if you don’t know that I’m a techno-head by now, you’re a lost cause and my precious words are wasted on you.

So without further ado..

If you want to see the full infographic, you can check it here.

Bitcoin. Currency for the real life Matrix.

Non-nerds be forewarned: I’m taking a deep dive into geekville.

I’m talking about Bitcoin, which, until this weekend, I had never heard of.

Mind you, I had heard rumors of a digital currency.

But I thought that they were talking micropayments, like buying coins in a Zynga game.

I never thought that there was an actual digital currency.

And people were using it for real life transactions.

So you can imagine my surprise Friday, when I read about Bitcoin in Techcrunch and realized that it was real.

Not only is digital currency real, Bitcoin transactions have eclipsed $1 billion.

That’s billion with a ‘B’.

Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency based on an open-source, peer-to-peer internet protocol.

It’s been likened to PayPal, in that it’s an alternative money transfer system, which enables you to place secure transactions online.

Payers and payees send transactions to and from their wallets or Bitcoin websites without any intermediate financial institution.

Bitcoin’s transactions are secure because they use cryptography, the same technology used by larger online banking institutions.

Cryptography is just a fancy word for encryption.

But Bitcoin’s encryption technology utilizes an extremely complex mathematical formula that ensure the authenticity of each Bitcoin transaction.

Essentially, Bitcoin looks at a block of sequential transactions to determine if they are valid.

Bitcoin’s software records transactions in a log or “blockchain” stored across the peer-to-peer network every 10-minutes.

Subsequent transaction records make preceding transactions permanent parts of the blockchain.

Once Bitcoin receives six confirmed records or “blocks” a transaction is usually considered confirmed.

Bitcoin’s protocols makes it virtually impossible for cats to get over.

That means zero fraudulent transactions.

The reason Bitcoin is newsworthy is because it passed that billion dollar mark and now the Feds are trying to determine how to regulate it.

Bitcoin does not involve any traditional banking institutions and is completely exempt of regulations of any kind.

It is an ecosystem unto itself.

Whole communities have sprung up, transacting solely in Bitcoins.

In fact, you’ll find several sites sporting the Bitcoin logo, advertising the fact that they accept Bitcoin payments.

At this point, I’m sure many of you are scratching your heads, thinking, “what’s a Bitcoin?”

Recognizing the limited intellectual capacity of many of my readers, I’ve included a visual aid.

Next time we’ll examine the psychological implications of the blue pill red pill dilemma.

Please bring your marble notebooks.

It’s a digital world. Why are you still analog?

We are a digital generation.

Our lives are inextricably intertwined to technology.

Wherever you look, there are signs of the digital era.

Think about the last major storm or natural disaster you heard about.

Mobile phones and Twitter were how most people first reported or got wind of them.

That’s powerful.

If you look at your own behavior, you’re checking your email, text messages or social media accounts on your phone.

These activities didn’t exist a decade ago.

There was no Facebook, YouTube or Twitter.

Smart phones were still several years away from being mainstream.

Or affordable.

But today, things have changed.

Smartphones, social media, texting, instant messaging, wifi.

We can’t imagine living without them.

See something interesting? What do you do?

Whip out your phone, take a snap or shoot a video and post.

Can’t remember the name of song on the radio? What do you do?

Dial up the Shazam app on your phone or Google the lyrics.

Need directions? What do you do?

Hit up MapQuest for turn-by-turn directions.

Why am I going into all this?

Because for all the advances that are taking place in technology, I still hear people say “why do I need this or that” and it drives me absolutely bonkers!

I was in Miami for a few days, and I came across (yet another) brand, a hotel, without a mobile website, app or any form of social media.

When I started talking about all the reasons why they should have any one (or all three) of these things, they pashawed me like I was talking gobbledygook.

They went on and on about how their demographic used computers.

Wouldn’t use mobile phones to make reservations.

Weren’t on Twitter or Facebook.

And have no need for an app.

Despite my eloquent arguments to the contrary, they gave no ground.

It was only when I showed them the mobile site of one of their competitors that the lightbulb went off, and they finally understood what I was talking about.

But it shouldn’t be this way!

How is the digital world growing, changing and advancing by leaps and bounds, but folks are missing it wholesale?

Sure, traditional ways of doing things still work.

Want to advertise a sale at your store? You could take an ad out in the paper.

Or place an ad online.

If anyone sees either, they’ll know that you’re having a sale.

The one who sees it in print will have to get in their car, drive to the store and then check out what’s for sale.

The one who sees it online can go right to your site and check out what you’ve got for sale, right then and there.

If they’re on a mobile device they can browse and buy on the go.

The difference between the two are night and day.

Know ye this: I’m on a mission.

To bring analog cave-dwellers to the digital light.

It’s going to be a long road.

But I’m ready for the challenge.

Analog heathen beware!

Visualeyz. We rocks eyeballs!

The artist formerly known as Mos Def rocks the mic with Visualeyz on the visuals.

If you pay attention to anything I say, you might recall that I dropped the name Visualeyz a few weeks ago.

I was talking about a JDilla tribute featuring DJs Questlove, Mike Nyce and Rich Medina in Philly.

I also brought up Mark Hines, of Visualeyz, who was manning the visuals for the night.

If you read that post, you probably thought, “Who is Visualeyz and what does ‘manning the visuals’ even mean?”

You would have been well within your rights to be curious.

As the purveyor of information, I am duty bound to disabuse you of your ignorance.

Visualeyz is the video production, VJ, and marketing arm of The Marksmen.

The About page of visualeyz.net describes Visualeyz as follows:

Visualeyz is a Video Production, VJ, and Branding outfit that brings stylized club and in-venue video mixing and branding together into a powerful marketing tool. In other words, we rock eyeballs.

Visualeyz provides video mixing and branding together into visual presentations and powerful cultural and social experiences.

That’s a mouthful.

But I feel like I haven’t really said anything.

Let’s try this again.

When Madonna was looking for the final dancer to join her crew, as part of the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange, Visualeyz was tapped to provide background visuals for an on-stage dance routine.

When Masters of the Mix was looking for a crew to shoot and edit the final scene of the second season, announcing the winner, they called Visualeyz.

When the Philadelphia Museum of Art needed to do something interesting to kick off their Art After 5 series, Visualeyz was at the top of their list.

When big dogs need visuals done right, they call Visualeyz.

Visualeyz offers businesses and brands numerous opportunities to connect with and engage their clients, customers, and sponsors.

Whether it’s a small local business targeting a niche audience or a big brand with a national pitch, Visualeyz has to tools to reach them all.

With the proliferation of smart phones and increasingly powerful mobile devices, Visualeyz helps brands target the mobile generation by providing 2nd screen experiences, microsites and integrated smartphone apps that engage audiences before, during and after events.

Visualeyz pushes live on-screen social media feeds, real-time posting of photos, audio and video content to brand profiles, and supplies full analytic data about who attended, how they accessed and interacted with your brand.

They’re part of the same crew who developed the interactive Red Rooster, Tillmans NYC, 1300 Fillmore and Townhouse mobile web apps, which let users browse the venue’s playlist right from their mobile devices.

In a nutshell, Visualeyz helps bridge the gap between engagement and conversion.

I’m kinda excited to see what the future has in store for Visualeyz and the brands they work with.

Here are a few branded teasers.

Okayplayer.

Goodie NYE.

Worship Recordings.

If your a brand looking for a deeper level of engagement with your audience, you better get you some Visualeyz in your life!

Give it up. What brands can learn from Porn.

I’ll admit it.

I’m a perv.

I possess prurient interests.

But that point notwithstanding, the following examination of the porn industry on mobile is purely from an analytic perspective.

You see, when I first got into apps and mobile, the porn industry was well established online.

The content was there, but it existed behind numerous barriers.

The most you would get was a snippet.

If you wanted the full experience, you had to pay for it.

The filters the porn industry employed online ensured that if you wanted more content, beyond snippets, you had to pay to play.

But that was back in the day.

Today, its a whole new ballgame.

On mobile, porn is practically given away.

Whole movies are capable of being streamed for hours, sans payment.

Sure there are a few mobile websites which still require that you pay, in order to access their content.

If you want premium content, like movies streaming in HD, then you’ve got to ante up.

But aside from that, you can watch oodles of pronographic content.

All for free.

And without having to sign up, log in with Facebook, or otherwise provide any information prior to getting your freak on.

So where’s the lesson for brands?

That IS the lesson.

Give your stuff away for free.

Give it away without any annoying pop ups asking for information.

And with no hard sell or (obvious) expectation that the user will buy anything.

What the porn industry did (and does) well, was create an appetite for what they offer.

And a seamless way to get it, once they’ve got you hooked.

They don’t bother highlighting price, features, sign up – anything beyond base utilitarian information – until you’ve gone deep enough inside the experience.

By that point, you’re hooked.

Want to see more MILFs? Sign up for free!

Women on women action more your speed? Enter your phone number for instant access!

Once you’re in their ecosystem, they then tailor their messaging to ensure that they convert.

And conversion isn’t measure purely by dollars and cents.

It’s often measured by the information they collect.

Or the cookies they leave in your browser.

Sure, they didn’t get you this visit.

But you’ll be back.

A perfect case study for brands truly interested in the level of engagement possible on mobile, is Pornhub.com

For porn aficionados, Pornhub is the gold standard.

The site loads quickly on mobile devices, whether you’re on wifi or 3G.

It automatically detects what device you’re using and renders content appropriately.

And Boom!

Without having to do anything else, they deliver you smack dab into content.

No sign up required.

No payment required.

No pop ups asking you to register to watch videos.

Just videos.

Click an image and you’re presented with a ‘play’ screen.

Tap the ‘play’ icon and viola!

Video playback.

And that’s it.

Watch your fill and move on.

And that’s what the porn industry gets that most brands don’t.

If your content is compelling enough, even if you give it away, they’ll be back.

The likelihood is greater that they’ll return if they initially got something free, than if they had to pay for it on the first go round.

Now the Pornhub model doesn’t necessarily apply to every brand.

If you’re not a ‘content’ brand in the media or entertainment space, this model may not be completely apropos.

But that doesn’t make it any less valid.

You’ve got to entice people to your brand, give them a reason to check you out and come back once they have.

Removing any barriers to access is the first order of business.

Full sites on a mobile device is a no-no.

So make sure that you’ve got a mobile site.

Making people register before they can explore your brand is equally distasteful (and results in high bounce rates).

Avoid making folks fill out any forms or provide you with any information until they decide that they want to.

Save the hard sell.

They’re already on your site, so it stands to reason that there is something about your brand they’re interested in.

Don’t blow it by coming on all hard and heavy.

When they’re ready to buy whatever it is you’re trying to sell, they will.

Finally, make it easy to get around.

Menus should be easy to find and functional.

Icons should be universal and intuitive.

Navigation buttons should be easily depressed, even by fat fingers.

Remember, you want users to engage your brand.

Not be turned away at first blush.