I spoke to a group on Wednesday evening on the subject of ‘Time Management’.  I used Keynote on my Mac (I love Keynote).  Just before the presentation was set to begin, I broke one of my personal rules and decided to check out (‘experiment’) with an iPhone app.  What does that have to do with the presentation? The app that I decided to checkout was Keynote Remote.  I already have a remote that I use for presentations. It connects via USB and does a great job. I decided to check it out anyway. What a peasant surprise.

This is a great applications. Some of the key features:

- Swipe to advance slides (forward or backwards)
- View presenter notes can be displayed on the iPhone
- Landscape or portrait view (not perfect, but it works)

You need to be connected to WIFI to use it, but it is great. (See the link below for other options). 

The app cost 99 cents, but it was well worth the investment. I recommend you read some of the reviews that have been posted on iTunes. I have only used it for a few days, but so far, I plan to continue using it. Now I am checking out similar apps for PowerPoint. Any suggestions?

Rick

Technorati Tags: Keynote, Apple, iPhone, App, Presentation

Wow, what a story. I first heard about this on “Today In Social Media“, hosted by Clayton Morris.  Picture this as part of your business model: Charge businesses to remove negative word of mouth from your high traffic web site. According to allegations, this actually happened!  

Let me back up and fill in the blanks. Have you heard of Yelp.com. The site allows average people like you and me to provide reviews for restaurants, spas, bars, stores and other retail storefronts. I have personally provided reviews of restaurants. It is a great tool for locating places of interest. I love Monocle. It allows the user of an iPhone (or BlackBerry and other smartphones) to visually locate site of interest. I have the site to locate specific stores, restaurants, and other entertainment. It is great to read what others share about places of interest, especially people in my network.

Now back to those ugly allegations: Reports are that Yelp has offered to remove (or modify?) negative reviews in exchange for a fee. Yahoo reported that Yelp would remove ‘bad’ reviews in return for money. “Advertise with Yelp and your star rating goes up.”  If this is true, it is sad! The truth will certainly come out in the court system, but this is disturbing. Can you trust the feedback on Yelp if it is being ‘adjusted’ based on a fee? What do you think? I am hopeful that this is somehow a mistake. 

Rick
Image via CrunchBase

I am traveling internationally this week. For the most part the trip has been great except for some difficulty in connecting to the internet.  For some, that is not a big deal, but I have a serious ‘connection’ dependency. I feel this need to be connected most of the time. I wish it was easier to connect when traveling internationally. In the U.S., it is so easy to connect. If I cannot find a WIFI hotspot, or when hotel cost are excessive, I connect using a Verizon USB modem. Unfortunately, that device only works in the U.S.

Last month, while on a similar trip, I purchased a subscription to Boingo Mobile WIFI.  I figured that at least I would be able to connect with my iPhone. I like the service, but was surprised to learn that the mobile service does not work at that location. When I called, I was told that the full ‘Global’ service works at that location, but the mobile service is not supported.  Of course, there is a big price difference – $59 / month vs $7.95.

Given the limited options, I decided to try the Global service. The results: It was spotty. I could not login for hours at a time. Very frustrating. I don’t think the service is that bad everywhere, but I really don’t know. I am not sure I will ever know asi I will likely close my account. I will be looking at other options before my next trip – which is very soon!

I still get my connection fix — I connect at the office and at restaurants and other businesses.  
 
Rick

It’s gadget time. Yes, the Mobile World Congress (MWC) is in full swing in Barcelona. Smartphones are certainly a product category to watch, and HTC is making news with the announcement of two new Android based phones: The HTC Legend and the HTC Desire. According to the press release, these “two new smartphones take Android to the next level …”.  Both devices incorporate “HTC Sense” to make the phones work in a more “simple and natural way”. Well, you can read the rest in the press release.

What is more interesting to me is another announcement from HTC: They will soon deliver a portfolio of Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Series phones.  CEO Peter Chou was quoted in the press release:

“Windows Phone 7 Series is a significant milestone for Microsoft, the industry and ultimately people looking to do more on their phones.  HTC is working closely with Microsoft to bring the unique HTC experience that customers love, [...] Microsoft has clearly listened to feedback from people and brought a new, fresh approach to the smartphone experience that is beautiful, powerful and compelling.”

I am not going to dive into the specifications, you can read them in these press releases or for a bit more, check out this Fast Company article. What interest me is most is the future of Microsofts mobile OS. Can this mobile operating system survive? Will Windows phone 7 make a difference? 

Before making any comments, take a look at the feature overview in this video .. not bad: 

A look at market data reveals some depressing results. In November, ZDNet reported that Windows Mobile lost 28 percent of it’s smartphone market share between the third quarter of 2008 (11%) and the the third quarter of 2009 (7.9%). Neither number is impressive, but that slide is significant. It would seem that this new version is very important if Microsoft is going to continue to play in this market. 

I have not tried a device with this operating systems. I don’t know where, but I read at least one report that did not give it high marks – but it’s early. Personally, I do not see this taking share from Apple or Android based phones. I think it’s a slow downhill slide for Microsoft.

What do you think?

Rick

I have waited for almost three weeks … I cannot hold back any longer. I have been soaking up everything I can find about the new Apple iPad. I have observed that people are either REALLY excited about the iPad, or they are really turned off by it.  There doesn’t seem to be many people in the middle. The jokes about the name are funny, although they seem to be slowing down. I will share a few of my observations and opinions.

I need to start this by commenting on one of my favorite gadgets: the Amazon Kindle.  I own one of the first 2nd generation devices sold. I have had it for over a year. I love this gadget. I read the NY Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Financial Times on it. I also consume several magazines on it. If they were available, I would consume all the magazines that I read on it. I like the E Ink technology. It is easy to read. I can read it for hours without eye strain. And if I manage it, I can run it for a couple weeks on a charge. It is light, travels well – it’s a great gadget.

Now, back to the iPad. If I purchase one, a primary use of the device would be as an e-reader. I am not sure that I will be able to read on the iPad like I currently do on the Kindle. I know that when I read on a laptop for a long time it tries my eyes.

My second concern: Battery life. Ten hours may seem like a long time, but that is not really a long time.  I already have to think about how to stretch my iPhone battery – this may be too much.

I am intrigued by the idea of filling the gap between the smart phone and the lap top. I agree that most, if not all, netbooks have missed the mark. While flying to the west coast last week, I set beside someone that was using a netbook. This particular device could only run two to three before shutting down. My laptop? I can run about 6 to 7 hours easy. Even my new Mac can run longer than that Netbook.

There has been a lot written and said about this. Search the web … it’s very interesting. A couple interesting links:

- Three Questions for Steve Jobs (Forbes, by Lee Gomes): I don’t agree with his logic at all .. but I carry several gadgets.
- Huffington Post: 9 Worst things about the Apple Tablet (that’s direct) Many different viewpoints .. enough said.
- Clayton Morris (Of Fox News): I find all of his comments tend to agree with my thinking – but he is a gadget guy and also a big Apple user.
- A good technical reviews: Engadget
- cnet: Apple’s latest creation: It’s an iPad!

So what about me? I want one, but I will wait until the 2nd generation. My name is Rick, and I am a gadget addict.

Rick

Photo: www.apple.com

Do you remember this Compaq Portable Computer? The term ‘portable’ may not have been the best description for the thing. It weighted near 30 pounds. It was a computer in a suit-case.  The one in the picture used 5.25″ floppy disk, an had a built in 9″ monitor (‘green’ monochrome, not color).  The one I frequently lugged around also had a built in hard drive, a powerhouse @ 20M bytes. And the memory – you could expand the memory from 128K to 640K bytes. Oh, and most importantly, a MODEM. Yes, I could ‘connect’ (at about 1200 baud, if I was lucky).  Where did I connect to? Maybe a Bulletin Board System (BBS), or to transfer files to a supplier (a novel idea at the time, but we did it frequently in some parts business). I remember connecting to a few large systems to run circuit analysis programs, later connecting to things like CompuServe.

This was the early days of personal computing. Operating these early IBM PC computers was not easy. Most computers of this generation used either MS-DOS (PC clones) or CP/M (Examples: Osborne or KayPro).  The Compaq used MD-DOS, a rather difficult operating system to use unless you were a computer geek. It was the poor, difficult to use interface on PC’s that made the early Macintosh such a beautiful machine. Of course, I am not going to get into the history of Apple computers here, although I am a MAC fan and now user:).

Applications? We used Word Perfect and Lotus 1-2-3 – two very popular apps. These two application change the way we did business. The promise of mobility was just an embryo of a thought – or was it? Even prior to the personal computer we were anxious to shrink technology and carry it around with us. I remember my early calculators and how excited I was when I could carry it around in my pocket.  And while we are talking about it, how about those early cell phones? My first cell phone was a ‘bag phone‘.

Today I carry my calculator (heck, an entire computer), and the phone in one device – my iPhone.  I also carry my Kindle, and frequently carry my Flip Video Recorder (amazing device). If you are going to carry all of this hardware, you also have to take along the various chargers, cables and other accessories. It is a bit excessive:).

I frequently joke about all the hardware, but the fact is that innovation and technology continue to advance. Looking to the future, devices will will continue to shrink as platforms and technology converge. The devices we use to consume ‘content’, to communicate and make more out of life will all ‘merge’ and shrink. And since we are mobile, we want mobile devices. A very exciting promise.

What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Rick (Still hanging out in CA for one more day .. hope I can make it home thought the snow tomorrow).

Photo: wikipedia

Before I get to the topic I want to discuss today, a bit about my week. I have been in California most of this week, combining several business meetings with a few days in Sonoma for the NAFEM Annual Meeting & Management Workshop. I spent the first few days beautiful San Francisco. I have always enjoyed this city. There is so much energy. Of course, I love all of the technology that was developed in this part of the country. It is an amazing place (at least to visit).

My business partner and I were driving between meetings and pulled up along side a beautiful Teslia. Well, actually it blew by us, but that’s expected. We were able to catch and I snapped the picture below with my iPhone. I wish I would have been able to stop and get a good picture, but that was not going to occur without risking my life and likely creating a major traffic accident.

Seeing this cool car was timely. Just today I read an article in Forbes that warned of a developing glut of electric car battery capacity. Partially created by the $2 billion in stimulus money that promoted manufacturing of car batteries, the author wrote that by “2015 2015 the new factories will have the global capacity to produce 36 million kilowatt-hours of battery capacity, enough to supply 15 million hybrid vehicles, or 1.5 million fully electric cars.” (My reference to the stimulus is NOT a political statement .. just referencing one source of a lot of cash. When the government puts money into an industry, we often get bubbles).

I highly doubt there will be enough demand to fill these factories, at least  by 2015. The article quoted one executive, from Enr1 (NASDAQ: HEV), that said manufactures are no where close to being able to meet demand. I am not going to share more from the article .. go read it. I believe there will be much less demand than capacity. Time will tell. I actually have high hopes for electric cars, I just believe tehcnology needs to advance before it becomes this ubiquitous. We will see.

If you want to keep up with developments on the electric car front, you may want to read the Green Car Congress.

Golden Gate Photo: The_Tahoe_Guy

Rick

“Hello. My name is Rick and I am addicted to iPhone apps.” Seriously, I have too many and continue to download more. I take comfort in the fact that I am not alone. A recent Fast Company article, “Infographic: App-etite for Consumption“, shared some very interesting data. The total number of apps sold in 2009 was 2.5 million. The outlook for 2010 is 4.5 million and for 2013 it is 21.6 million. Smartphone sales are driving this growth with 176 million sold in 2009, and an estimated 223 million in 2010. That is to be followed by 1.5 billion (yes, BILLION) in 2013. The average is between 14 and 20 apps per smartphone, peaking in 2010 to 20.1.  The Wall Street Journal reports that Google plans to launch an app store for selling 3rd party ‘business solutions’.  This is not about to slow down.

Applications really make iPhones ‘smart’. There are apps on my iPhone that have improved my productivity. Of course, there are apps that are just ‘fun’, and even some that are not well done and have cost me more time than money. In the near future I will post some of the apps that I have found valuable. I certainly would like to hear about the ones that you find of value. One more item for my to do list. (I use ToDo by www.appigo.com. I recommend it, and I am not paid for that recommendation).

Rick

Tomorrow is the ‘big day’, at least for gadget lovers, and especially for Apple fans. So many, me included, will be monitoring twitter or watching via the web (unfortunately I have a meeting and will have to disconnect early). Yes, rumors are that this will be some sort of tablet or slate.  

Regardless of what is introduced, look at the strategy Apple employed. For a small investment, they have totally captivated the market for four weeks and dominated tech news. I am sure this was not an accident – it has been a display of brilliant marketing. The timing was impeccable. Recall that just prior to CES, word ‘hits’ the street of an Apple event in late January. You know the rest of the story, at least you to this point. 

For me, tomorrow is as much about what is said and how they deliver the product. It will be interesting!

(Fox News report)

Rick

This is not a thinking post today. Sometimes I just see something cool and want to share it. I ran across these videos on youtube …check it out:

There are more … just search youtube for iPphone Very cool.

Rick