Mr. Brichter, whose design aesthetic is inspired by information theorists like Edward Tufte, a proponent of minimizing extraneous information in graphic designs, says he thinks up new features for apps based on how people move objects in the real world.

WSJ: Loren Brichter, a High Priest of App Design

That year Marc Andreessen released Mosaic for Windows, the first Web browser that allowed simple point-and-click graphic interaction with the information available on the Web.

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If you were looking for a Kayak analog, it might actually be privately held Hipmunk, which has a super cool graphic interface that aggregates travel information from multiple sites.

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The WSJ tested out over 100 Android and iPhone applications to see what kind of data leakage was happening, and has a fun interactive graphic showing which apps leak what information.

FORBES: How Smartphone Apps Spy on Their Users

This advanced avionics system, which rivals that on any airliner, uses multiple large iPad-like displays that provide graphic images of the terrain below, complete navigation information, charts, systems status and a wide range of other details that enhance pilot safety and situational awareness.

FORBES: The Most Successful Aircraft Design Gets Even Better

New online content aimed specifically at cellular customers will likely be less graphic-intensive and contain useful day-to-day information, such as telephone directories and information about restaurants, entertainment, and the location of gas stations, for example, Turley said.

CNN: New chip design targets cell phones