Zamfir 2.0: The Enigmatic Appeal of Ocarina

The Web is full of examples where developers have built technology for an express purpose, only to have that technology adopted by users or other developers to deliver unforeseen - and often wildly popular - solutions. Flickr - originally a small subset of functionality in a much larger game - comes to mind. As does YouTube, which had its humble beginnings in the world of online dating. And now, the iPhone may be joining those ranks. It's safe to assume that when the folks at Apple finally released the iPhone, the concept of converting it into "something that replicated an ancient ceramic woodwind instrument" probably wasn't on their list of things to do. And yet, the folks at Smule have done just that with Ocarina, an iPhone app that has skyrocketed to becoming the #1 paid app in the world - in one week. Sponsor Seven days... [read full story]