June 2009 Archives

The much-anticipated Sirius XM Premium application for the iPhone is here and I had a chance to put it through its paces. The application is well designed, conforming to traditional design standards of an iPhone application. When you launch the program you are greeted with a variety of genres (called categories) from pop to showcase and upon choosing one you are greeted with a list of stations.
 

If you click on a station, it begins to play. If you click on the small arrow on the right portion of the station you are greeted with more information on the station and the name of the current song as well as the artist.

There is a pause button which I found surprising as the Sirius PC-based app only has a stop button. When using the pause button on a number of stations it seems it is actually a stop button masquerading as a pause button. The settings allow you to show blocked channels and add on-screen volume control.

This app is joins a crowded field of competitors from Slacker to last.FM and Pandora. Unlike Pandora and Slacker, this application works outside the US. So far I had a chance to test it in France.

The app is free and if you have a Sirius or XM account you can listen without having to pay anything. It is worth a download. You can get it here.

I have always been proud to be an American for a number of reasons including the fact that our great country has almost always pushed for human rights and democracy around the world. Like any country, we are not perfect but at the end of the day there is a reason some of the best and brightest flock to the United States to live.

I am prouder still that technology which was primarily developed in the US, the internet, social networking and more recently twitter have allowed people around the world to communicate more effectively.

Most recently twitter has been responsible for communications in Iran at a time when the government there has been trying to clamp down on communications.

My family comes from Iran but I was born in the US. The country claims to have the best of both worlds - a democracy which is intertwined with religion. In many respects this solution is much better than a dictatorship but if elections are not free, the country becomes ever-closer to dictatorship than a republic.

So news of twitter aiding in communications during political protests is very exciting to me. At the end of the day every country must comply with the wishes of its people. Repressive regimes know this and censor various websites and technologies to keep democracy from taking root but in the end, the free flow of information via the web and new technologies becomes more and more difficult to stop.

And as this information flows, so does the hope for more people to gain human rights and freedom.

I have to admit I was impatient and when I learned I could follow some easy steps to upgrade to the shipping version of the iPhone 3.0 software before the June 17 general availability date -- I just had to try it. Of course it helped to have fellow TMC blogger Tom Keating there to step me through the process. You see Tom wrote a piece yesterday detailing exactly what you need to do to get ahead of the pack and be the first in your neighborhood to type emails on your iPhone in landscape mode.

The instructions are here but I should warn you that although the process is dead easy it can take many hours to go through the upgrade. It took me about six hours for the new OS to be downloaded, the software to be restored, the apps to be loaded, the podcasts to be downloaded and the photos to be synced. Then again I have thousands of contacts and photos and over 50 applications.

Apple has done a wonderful job of backing up and restoring the iPhone devices so OS upgrades are smooth. However, one past pain point of iPhone OS upgrades was having to reenter the WEP keys needed for secure WiFi. To my happy surprise I didn't have to reenter a single WEP key as a result of this upgrade.

So is the upgrade worth it? I have to say yes. The push email works great and the landscape keyboard in email makes typing on this device infinitely better. It is also less clunky when sending a URL to someone as in the past you had to switch from landscape to portrait when opening the email application for a send. In addition, when looking at a list of emails you can now tell which is a Cc, Bcc or direct send which is signified by a "To" symbol. Ironically there is no Bcc symbol meaning if there is no symbol you have been Bcced. This is an important addition to the OS as quite often mobile devices make it more difficult to know if you have been Bcced meaning users can accidentally reply to all without realizing they probably shouldn't.

There is also MMS support but this won't work on AT&T Wireless for now. Copy and paste is a much-needed function and works as advertised - the fact that one of the most advanced smartphones on the market "forgot" to add cut and paste sooner still baffles me and I am sure I will be telling my grandkids about it someday.

Spotlight search is another much-needed function - especially when you realize there is no way to organize applications, and is activated when you scroll all the way to the left from the home page. Searches will sift through contacts, programs, calendar, email, songs and other data on the phone but unlike the Palm Pre will not check the web if the device search comes back empty.

Voice Memos are a great addition allowing you to record your voice and send the recordings via email if desired. Third-party apps did this in the past but like many other operating systems, upgrades entail taking popular software packages and replicating their functionality.

The calendar has been improved as well with the ability to add repeating reminders but these are limited to fixed time periods like every week, 2 weeks, month or year. Ideally you would be allowed to enter recurring reminders for selected days - like every Monday or the first Wednesday of the month. In addition - what if someone wants a three-week reminder? You may think at first that they just don't have three-week recurring meetings in Cupertino... The reality of course is this was a design decision which gives most of the functionality you need in a clear and uncluttered interface.

Then there are calendar reminders... I would have preferred to have the ability to set a reminder more than two-days before an appointment and a version 3.0 upgrade would have been a great opportunity to add this option. Microsoft Windows Mobile has had this ability for years so there seems to be no technical reason to exclude such a feature.

Safari is supposed to be faster and it may be I haven't been able to verify this- likely because with push email turned on the device is constantly getting new emails so I am getting less processor for my foreground applications. I did check out the browser's ability to remember passwords - this worked out fine and is a welcome addition.

Internet tethering could not be tested because AT&T doesn't allow this functionality. I will be in Europe tomorrow and if the carrier allows it I will give this a try. I gave Bluetooth stereo a shot and found it paired with both the Plantronics Pulsar 590 stereo headphones and Sharper Image Bluetooth Speakers. For some reason the sound would not come out of the Sharper Image speakers but the Plantronics headset worked fine.

Other functions such as accessing multiple iTunes accounts, shake to shuffle, notes syncing, syncing multiple email folders and YouTube login were not tried. Remote wiping wasn't tried either for obvious reasons.

Apple took a very good phone and made it much better with this upgrade. Typing emails in landscape mode is a veritable pleasure compared to portrait and when you combine this function with cut and paste and push email the iPhone becomes a more credible corporate smartphone meaning Palm, Nokia, Microsoft and RIM have more to worry about.

So now heavy iPhone users probably don't need to be concerned about the keyboard as much as before but they will need to start thinking about spare external batteries. The reason is simple. The iPhone 3.0 is more usable and with push email and bluetooth stereo enabled, you can expect even less battery life.

It is worth explaining that Windows Mobile also drains battery life quickly for heavy email users in push mode. The alternative is RIM devices which do much better in push mode and are optimized in many ways to maximize battery life regardless of mode.

Should you upgrade? Yes. Should you do it early? That is up to you but you should be really happy with the new iPhone 3.0 software, it is a winner.

Having never had a chance to write a review about a satellite phone I was pretty motivated to respond yes to the good people at Iridium when they asked if I wanted to run their newest device the 9555 phone through its paces. In order to do a thorough review I took it with me on my travels and made calls in various places where there was typically no cell coverage.

The device itself won't get mistaken for an iPhone - it is many times thicker and has a smaller black and white screen. But what it does do better than any gadget you might read about on popular gadget sites is work everywhere - except indoors. It is a bulletproof device which was designed with users in mind. Iridium execs explain that reliability is key with this phone and so is durability.

It seems like it is made of the same material as the black box on an airplane.

It is also interesting to note that when a company is sure about their market they can really cater to it. The evidence is the company's terminology in their brochure:

 THE ULTIMATE SATELLITE PHONE

The Iridium 9555 is the ultimate in dependable mobile communications. It is a ruggedly built tool, not a toy. It won't play games, take pictures, or play MP3s. What it will do is work. Everywhere. Without exception. Small, sleek and easy to use, it is waterproof and dust and shock resistant. Engineered to withstand the world's toughest environments, Iridium phones have never been more efficient, reliable and effective.

When you open the box the phone comes in you are presented with adapters for every country in the world and just trying to figure out which would work in Sardinia presented me with a challenge. Hint - it was of the two-prong variety.

Here are some shots of the Iridium 9555 from Sardinia

So is it easy to use? Dead easy, yes. I was impressed with the call quality and it even worked when I went indoors - as long as there wasn't a lot of steel over my head. There is also data modem connectivity I didn't get a chance to try.

Other than that there are the standard mobile phone features like SMS, voicemail, address books, etc.

As you might expect, Iridium hasn't launched an app store but one wonders if there isn't an opportunity for specialized applications pertaining to the markets they cater to such as military, oil and gas, etc.

If I had to ask for more features, a camera would be high on my list as sending MMS messages from remote locations back to the home office could be useful. Video too is another area the company will have to deal with eventually as there may be an opportunity to stream video or send clips in places only this device has connectivity.

Other than that, the Iridium 9555 just plain works. It's looks won't make you the envy of the patrons of your favorite bar or dance club but you will certainly be the popular one later that evening when the party moves to a place with poor or no cell phone reception.

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He laid the foundation for IPTV delivery and assembled a major force in the cellular industry via AT&T Wireless.

His masterful ability to manage a company which grew through acquisition is unparalleled. Before changing the name to AT&T, SBC was a major lobbying force and by taking out AT&T through acquisition they actually removed the competitive lobbyists from pushing regulation which would have hurt CLECs such as SBC. The move was genius.

The man has passion. I have never interviewed him but in a Businessweek article he gave an emotion-packed explanation of what he feels about Google and how they won't be allowed to use his pipes for free. I admire the passion and enthusiasm. I don' think the comments he made were in the consumer's best interest but as a man managing a publicly traded company he did right by shareholders with these comments.

If we look to GM we have a company that like AT&T was part of a duopoly. The difference is as soon as competition emerged the company folded like a poker player with a bad hand.

For too many years GM had lousy management and created cars that for lack of a better word sucked. Americans ran away from Detroit automobiles like AT&T ran away from VoIP in the nineties.

What GM needs is a leader who can make a company run lean and mean while remaining nimble. Somehow this is not what I think of when I hear AT&T. This doesn't mean Whitacre can't do the job it just means whoever chose Whitacre apparently has no idea what skills the new lader needs.

We are in an age where speed in business is becoming the differentiator between success and failure. It took decades for GM to launch the Japanese fighting Saturn brand and it had the potential to change the Detroit vs. Japan fight if executed correctly. Now Saturn is being sold off like scrap metal.

I have to admit I don't know Whitacre but admire what he has built. But what I have read about the man leads me to believe he is destined for colossal failure if for no other reason than he seems computer illiterate. According to BusinessWeek he doesn't use a computer. Here is a direct quote from the man:

''I'm not computer illiterate, but I'm close. If two people are sitting 20 feet from each other and sending each other E-mails, I think that's ridiculous.''

Uh, hello - and you ran a company which allowed the world to use email and text messaging to dramatically increase their productivity?

GM needs better car designers. They need someone to stand up to the unions and restructure compensation so that it is not on par with the Japanese - but far lower because the Chinese are coming.

The things GM needs are speed, quality, public relations and lower costs. Whitacre will bring an amazing ability to do deals and manage M&A as well as the skills to convince the government to do whatever he wants.

But do we need an M&A guru to turn GM around? I don't think so. What should scare you to death is that our government seems to be writing blank checks to GM already. Wait till there are even more skillful lobbyists in place.. We can all expect to sign a few paychecks a year over the "Government Motors."

This move I fear will be terrible for US taxpayers because I can't see how Whitacre will be able to dig GM out of the hole they've already created for themselves.

Having said that the task is monumental and I hope I am wrong.

We are in a time of unprecedented financial turmoil and it is apparent to me that productivity needs to increase to help us stabilize the job losses and hopefully get our economy back into growth mode. It is devices like the Pre which will in fact help corporations boost productivity tremendously. Improved communications flow is the lubrication economies need to operate at peak efficiency.

Palm Pre

It's been an event-filled couple of weeks with the rollout of the Palm Pre and new iPhone 3G S and the new 3.0 iPhone OS/software version. I did get a chance to use the Pre and am impressed with how much it reminds me of the iPhone but with more functionality - multitasking and a menu system which makes it much easier to switch between apps. I would venture to say the Pre design allows you to be more productive than the iPhone. Of course the iPhone has more apps (50,000 and counting) but you can run old Palm apps on the new Pre webOS meaning there are more apps available for the new gadget than you may have thought. In addition, the Pre webOS allows traditional web apps to run on the device meaning we can see many new Palm apps that won't take a great deal of time for developers to roll out.

The keyboard is another big differentiator of the Pre and most people have no problems using it based on my informal questioning at the event last week. Personally the keyboard was too small for my fingers and I had to use the fingernails on my thumbs to type. I do remember having to do this on an old Blackberry as well and I am sure over time I would get pretty good at typing on the Pre. Also it is a bit awkward to hold at first but Sprint employees assure me over time it becomes very comfortable to handle.

My informal tests show the Pre is not quite as fast as Safari on the iPhone at rendering web pages. But the flipside is the Pre is pretty snappy when you rotate it - the screen rotates more quickly than the iPhone. I also sense the Sprint EVDO network is currently faster than AT&T 3G.

iPhone 3G S (Yes -- looks just like the iPhone 3G)

So now that the new iPhone is out which device would I choose? First I should say Nokia, RIM and others have solid devices as well but for now let's focus on iPhone versus the Pre. Apple has now fixed a number of problems with the iPhone such as cut and paste, better search, MMS, landscape keyboard and there is now a video camera as well. So the choice is difficult. I would say the iPhone is still the winner for now. I despise the keyboard on the iPhone so you can imagine how good the rest of the device is for me to say the iPhone wins.

However it is worth pointing out that part of the reason the iPhone wins is because of the slew of apps on the market which run on the device. If the Pre can gain traction and wee armies of developers rolling out software which runs on it then it is possible I could be neutral on this race.

There is also the issue of the screen size. I believe every square inch of real estate is crucial on a mobile device. The iPhone is marginally larger at 3.4 inches vs. the Pre's 3.1 inches. The resolution is identical but the added real estate does help when playing games, reading and displaying menus.

One last thought is I am thrilled with the new Apple Find My iPhone feature which will prevent others from going through he lost iPhone ordeal my wife recently dealt with.

Although no one would go on record, my informal Q&A with people familiar with the matter leads me to believe the Pre will soon have a version with a larger keyboard which comes out of the device in landscape mode which will make it competitive with devices like those from HTC - the XV6800, G1, etc.

I should this comparison end by saying the Pre is very impressive based on my quick use of the device. I expect to explore it in more detail as time goes on and give you my feedback.

Among the many problems we have to deal with in the world of technology such as hackers, scammers, predators, phishers, script kiddies, etc - there is something new to worry about. What if your electronic photos are hijacked from your social networking accounts and used for commercial purposes in other countries? What is your recourse?

In one of the more memorable product launches of recent times Sprint CEO Dan Hesse took the stage to speak to a packed room about the launch of the new Palm Pre and how he expects it to help Sprint grow its sales. Hesse appeared after a brief introduction from Paget Alves President Business Markets Group and once onstage he proceeded to tell the audience he has used the Pre for six weeks after using Blackberrys and Windows Mobile devices in the past. He said it is a far superior device and is great with music, multitasking, has a great touch screen and an innovate way to charge without requiring a cord called Touchstone.

It was apparent there were many comparisons being made the iPhone which wasn't specifically mentioned as some of the benefits Hesse touted of the Pre are missing only from that smartphone.  

Hesse talked about the strength of Sprint in the business space and spent a great deal of time discussing how the company's 4G network and hotspot enabling devices are extremely useful and the company's 4G network ensures you won't need a second connection like WiFi.

Hesse spent some time discussing how his company is a major player in unified communications and further pledged to have ten 4G markets up by year-end before circling back to refocus on the Palm Pre benefits while emphasizing the savings of $1,200 a year in network costs when compared to AT&T Wireless and Verizon Wireless.

This event didn't have the flashiness of some of the other media/customer events I have attended but this didn't lessen the quality of information shared  or the take away from what seemed to be an upbeat and positive mood in the room. Later today I expect to spend some time using the Pre and will give you my feedback.

Ready set go. A few minutes to start.

Some weeks back I received an invitation to an event in New York City from Sprint that started like this:

This summer, the blockbusters are not just opening at the multiplex. From this week's headlines, you've inevitably heard some "big talk" about the Palm Pre from Sprint, the device's exclusive carrier, before its June 6th debut. I'd like to offer you an opportunity for an intimate look at the Palm Pre and hear from Sprint directly.

Many believe in fact the future of Palm rests on the success of this device. The early reviewers seem happy but the question many are wondering about is will this device make a dent in the sales of RIM, Apple and/or other players.

As I sit here at the pre-launch breakfast one decision-maker from a major conglomerate which owns a makeup company among others is sitting to my right and he is here to decide whether his company with switch from RIM devices to the Pre.

So many people have been asking for the functionality of an iPhone with an integrated keyboard that you have to imagine there is pent up demand for the Pre and if people believe they are roughly getting the best of an iPhone and a Blackberry they may be tempted to switch devices.

The challenge of course has moved beyond making the best device into app stores. Everyone it seems has one of these or is working on one.

But the question is who can catch up with Apple? Sure Palm was the first company to successfully roll out handheld computers and sure there are legions of developers who have programmed for Palm devices over the years... But many of the developers I have met who don't even like the iPhone are developing for it. They acknowledge you have to have your app there.

So this gets us to the Pre with a few dozen apps to begin with -- they are behind by tens of thousands. But if the early buzz, clever design and social networking integration can push sales through the roof, we can expect developer interest to grow.

Then again, Apple is expected to roll out a new OS and device this month and there will be a new Blackberry Storm as well. And as the competition heats up and consumers and businesses become accustomed to smartphones, we can only expect the market for applications to grow and productivity to increase.

In the mean time,the event should kick off in about ten minutes.

Travel and flight delays have taken a toll on my writing but I hope to
be home soon and back on track. I am in Baltimore, MD at the moment.

I am in Huntsville, AL this week visiting the tech companies in the
region. More to come soon. Here is a shot from my hotel of the US
Space & Rocket Center. This region is rich with companies in the
rocket and jet propulsion business.

While I am impressed with Microsoft's Bing search engine it lags Google in Blog and news searches, and is not as accurate as evidenced by it returning screen-scraped versions of original content instead of filtering these results like Google does. Still, the search engine is good and if Google ranks a 9/10 then Bing is 7.5 or so based on my searches to date.

It is worth mentioning that Bing is doing a good job spidering the web but still doesn't seem to do this as quickly as Google in many cases. On a positive note, yesterday I wrote a blog entry with the term "packet triplication" in it. Prior to posting I noticed Google had very few pages with the term in its results. Today both Bing and Google have my blog entry with this term on their first pages for searches on this term. Interestingly Google ranks my entry as the #1 result while Bing ranks my entry and my blog home page as #3 and #2 respectively.

Microsoft's search challenge of course is not just search quality but their brand. Are they MSN, Microsoft, Live or Bing? It is worth pointing out that if you enter live.com into your browser it takes you to Bing. So you might think Live is dead. But no... Enter mail.live.com and you are taken to the Live email sign-in page. If it is confusing for me and I am researching the matter, how will the typical consumer make sense of it all? If the company can stop changing names and confusing the market for a few years, Bing could actually take market share from Google.

Yesterday Bing had an Alexa rank in the 500 range (1 being the best ranking) and this was down from the multimillion range in the prior week. Today it has dropped to 1,070 which is a sign that people checked out the search engine and then went back to using Google.

Bing's Alexa ranking is dropping (getting higher/doing worse) after less than a week

Still, old habits die hard and it will take many years for a significant amount of users to switch to Bing and if it isn't better than Google the question many will ask is why even bother?