02.03.09
Posted in General Rant at 6:47 am by Administrator
Microsoft is still trying to take over the world. This time, they’re after your phone. No, they didn’t come out with a new version of their Windows Mobile operating system – instead they’ve basically patented a device that’s auber docking station.
The thought here is similar to one I voiced back in June 2008 – the coming of “PocketTops.” As smart phones get smarter and more powerful – the benefit of the form factor (small enough to fit in your pocket) becomes its biggest liability (you can fit it in your pocket). If you’ve ever tried to type anything more than a short email on these things – you know what I’m talking about.
Even the iPhone – which is mostly screen – is tedious to view large numbers of sites (not to mention the lack of a way to display Flash stuff), and really doesn’t have enough storage on it to replace even a cheapnetbook.
What if you were able to take your smart phone and dock it like a laptop? You could then use connected full size keyboard, mouse, monitor and have access to all your peripherals as well. Of course, there would have to be some kind of “glue” to translate phone commands into commands that the connected objects would understand, and of course there would need to be storage for drivers, and some other goodies for managing ports, etc.
Hey! I know! How about a thing called… “a computer”? That would work!
Yep, Microsoft basically just patented the computer. However, they knew they couldn’t just patent the computer, that would be too broad… so they applied for and just received a patent for a “Smart Interface System For Mobile Computing Devices.”
It’s more than just a “cradle” – it slices, it dices, it transcodes video, it send keyboard and mouse streams to the device… and if you act right now – you’ll get a free toaster.
On the surface it sounds like a pretty cool idea. When you think about it a bit more – it blows. Why? Do you really want another device that’s basically a computer – running some crazy subset of Windows Vista (only “lighter”) that has to talk to your phone (Windows Mobile, only – no doubt).
Why not just create a “dumb” dock that will do the same thing via software? Seems to me that it would be a lot easier to keep yournettop or laptop – and have an all-in-one device that is portable and useable, rather than just a dumb computer that can only act like a glorified USB cable.
The idea is OK – it’s just the execution that is a bit tedious. I think in the future there will be a computer that you can fit into your pocket (ok, ok – so most smart phones are already more powerful than the 386 clones of yesteryear) – but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done on the peripherals side to make it all work.
For example big screens that you can just unroll or unfold, keyboards that can be projected on to any surface (or at least ones that arerollable and small), a wireless USB standard that would do away with the need for wires and cables, etc.
The fact of the matter is – the state of peripherals is getting very close. All of the things I just mentioned are either on the market or are coming this year. The handsets are getting much more powerful – and I predict we’ll see our first multi-core model by late 2009 or early 2010. We already have solid state drives coming into the marketplace, 5megapixel mobile phone cameras, and some projectors that are the size of a pack of cigarettes.
The idea of a PocketTop is coming – but I just hope it’s the way it “should” be – rather than the way Microsoft sees it.
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02.02.09
Posted in General Rant at 4:28 pm by Administrator
If you just look at raw numbers – more than 100,000 people got the boot from their jobs – just this past week. That really sucks! If you’re one of the lucky (or unlucky) folks that managed to avoid the boot – you can take one of two strategies: a) either “pull back” and just try to keep the lights on, or b) innovate and excel.
The typical knee-jerk reaction is to pull back and just try to “survive.” Personally, I think that a bunch of crap and a cop-out to boot.
Sure, people are scared for their jobs regardless of their position, but managers and IT folks are are feeling particularly vulnerable (at least from the people I talk to). Here’s the thing – people who don’t add any value (or save any time or money) are always looked at as expendable. The key – don’t be so afraid of your job that you just sit there in fear – take some ACTION that will help raise your value to the organization.
I can just hear you saying “Well, Mr. Know-It-All – got any suggestions?” As a matter of fact I do… for only $29.95 plus shipping and handling… (hey, it’s my first day out on my own – I need revenue, people!)…
But I digress… of course I have some suggestions:
Do a process review
There is nothing better to quench the cries of “do more with less”, and “time is money” than to look at the way you’re doing things – and then figure out a way to do them better, faster and/or cheaper. This can be anything from a full, top-down business review (but it can take a while and is a ton of work) – but it doesn’t have to be. No matter what your position is from receptionist to IT manager to coding jockey to CEO – there are processes that you do in your normal every day life that are broken.
Identify those areas and come up with ways to fix them. Then, write it down and quantify how much time/money it will save and how much time/money your fix will cost. Remember – DO show your work. There is nothing a manager or business owner would LOVE than for an employee to come up with ways form them to be more productive. Even if they don’t implement your suggestion(s) – just the fact that you’re making an effort to become more efficient instantly raises your value to the organization.
Look at virtualization
If you’re an IT wonk – then it’s a no-brainer. Look into virtualizing servers to consolidate hardware, save on cooling and electricity costs and reducing complexity. If you’re a small business owner – see you can virtualize your phone system or customer support or receptionist or anything that is a sticking point in your daily process.
There are literally tons of SaaS software tools out there that can help you run large and small aspects of your business – and many of them either give you a free trial or cost under $50 per month. In other words – the barrier to entry – the cost to try something new to gain efficiency – is extremely low and well worth the efforts if it will endear you to your organization and/or improve your bottom line.
Do some professional development
Yeah, I know that travel & entertainment budgets were the first to do – and that budgets for conferences and seminars are also prime targets for cost-cutting. However, you don’t have to spend a lot of money in order to develop your personalskill set . Focus on things that will help you to help the organization. If you’re a manager – learn how to read (and write) financial statements, get better at your telephone skill, or your people skills or your management skills. Buy a book, download some freepodcasts from iTunes from name-brand learning institutions, take an online course, watch some online videos, etc.
Keep in mind – who is harder to replace – someone who “just” answers the phone – or someone that figured out how to save the company $8,000 per year by changing the way a form is laid out? A person who “just” codes Java – or a person who increases end user productivity by suggesting features no one knew were possible?
You get the idea… now DO something to become someone that’s difficult to replace.
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Posted in General Rant at 6:10 am by Administrator
It seems like Twitter is gaining in popularity. I was watching CNN the other day – and they actually showed a reporter posting tweets – on the air! What the ??
If I’m watching CNN – I don’t want to see people Twittering… or checking their email… or writing a blog post… I want to watch people report the news. If I want to read the CNN tweets – then I’ll go on my mobile device or computer and read the tweets.
Some people are just NUTS when it comes to what they tweet. Take the guy who did a “lifecast” of his wife giving birth – yeah… on Twitter! Or what about reporters who get inside access to special briefings from the White House or on an analyst call? If they Twitter the juicy details before the others can write up and file a story – is that “fair?”
How about Twossip (Twitter + Gossip)? Does saying something about a person and then broadcasting it to all your “followers” constitute slander – or are you just doing a “really wide-reaching IM“?
What about the people that use Twitter as a stream-of-conscientiousness tool? I hate those type of people – and they only usually last one day on my “follow” list. I really don’t need to read 40 (or MORE!) posts from you a day. I do NOT need to “hear” every single thought that crosses your mind – nor do I want to.
On the other hand – some folks don’t tweet enough in my opinion. There are some folks who tweet maybe 2-3 times per day (or sometimes less) – that I actually look forward to seeing a tweet from (Tech show host and radio guy Leo Laport and Servoy developer Greg Pierce to name a couple).
So if you DO Twitter – say something funny, outrageous, whimsical, controversial – it’ll just be more fun for everyone. BTW: You can follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bobcusick as well…
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