In 2007, Apple gave us the iPhone, and salespeople saw that it was good.  Hailed by Time magazine as the “Invention of the Year”, the iPhone provided a leap forward in mobile communications and computing, with an extraordinarily intuitive interface, integrated multi-media support, and add-on applications.  However, as a mobile phone for salespeople, the iPhone is still less than perfect, even after taking the more powerful 3G version, introduced last summer, into account.  With exclusive availability in the U.S. only from AT&T, a closed architecture, and a spotty record of network and data synchronization performance, the iPhone is not the obvious choice for sales professionals who must have a powerful, flexible, absolutely reliable smartphone to do their jobs well.

Still, after Apple released their improved 3G version of the iPhone, I strongly considered purchasing one.  The exceptional multi-touch interface virtually oozes with that intangible “cool factor” that technology geeks salivate over, and I was no exception to the device’s appeal.  After playing with a friend’s iPhone for a while, my trusty BlackBerry, with its old fashioned physical keyboard, looked positively medieval in comparison.  In the end, however, I decided not to jump on the iPhone bandwagon, because it meant switching to AT&T (at significant cost), trying to get our highly territorial IT department to accept support of this strange alien device, and accepting Steve Jobs’ insular vision of an all-Apple, all-the-time universe.

And so I waited for my perfect mobile phone - one that would be just as easy to use as the iPhone, would run on my chosen carrier network (Verizon), and would be tailored to the unique needs of sales professionals.  Having used several BlackBerry phones (most recently, an extremely reliable 8830 World Edition), I hoped that RIM would produce a device that capitalized on the BlackBerry’s strong e-mail and messaging capabilities, but with an interface every bit as cool as the iPhone.

So it was great anticipation that I waited for RIM’s first device without a physical keyboard, the BlackBerry Storm 9530.  Now available in the U.S. from the top-rated mobile service provider, Verizon (and also from Vodafone, Telus and Bell Canada elsewhere in the world), I hoped that this new device might challenge the iPhone for ease of use and multi-media support, while also meeting the demanding telephone, e-mail, messaging, and mobile computing needs of sales pros on the go.  Could the BlackBerry Storm be the ideal mobile phone for salespeople?

The good, the bad and the ugly: the Storm’s screen

My hopes were high when I finally got my hands on a Storm.  My first impression was that the device feels great in your hands.  It’s about the same size (at 4.4 x 2.4 x 0.5 inches), but a little heavier (at 5.5 ounces) than the iPhone (which is 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.46 inches and weighs 4.7 ounces).  Like the iPhone, the front of the Storm is almost all touch screen - a large 3.3-inch, 360-by-480-pixel screen that is as slightly smaller than the iPhone 3G (3.5 inches diagonal), but at a higher resolution (the iPhone is 320 x 480 pixels).

The Storm’s touch screen looks great and works well, albeit with some minor annoyances.  First, it is very bright and clear - I had no trouble using it outdoors, even in bright sunlight, unlike my experience with the iPhone’s glassy reflective surface.  And unlike the iPhone, the Storm’s screen gives you some physical feedback when you press virtual buttons or the on-screen keyboard.  On the iPhone, you never really knew if you successfully pressed a key, other than seeing the effect on the screen.  On the Storm, the entire screen taps back at you with a reassuring click when you’ve successfully entered a keystroke - it feels like almost the same experience as using the physical keyboard on my old BlackBerry 8830.  Further, the Storm lets you use either a large QWERTY-style keyboard when you hold it in landscape orientation, or a version of the thinner BlackBerry SureType keyboard when held in portrait mode - and you can switch back and forth between the keyboards, even when in the middle of a message, just by turning the device.  For salespeople that use their mobile phone mostly for e-mail or text messaging, they are going to like the Storm’s virtual keyboards a lot.

However, while I love the Storm’s virtual keyboard, the user interface, which is based on the screen’s two qualities of touch sensitivity and physical feedback, will prove a challenge to most people, at least until they get used to it.  In contrast, the Apple iPhone’s multi-touch interface is based on single-tap selections, mostly - you find what function you want on the screen, tap it with your finger, and it does it.  But if you want to do something on the Storm, you tap the appropriate screen icon or virtual key with your finger, and then have to press down to execute your selection.  It’s an extra step that sometimes makes the Storm feel, for lack of a better word, “stuttery”, and even after a couple days, I never quite got the hang of it.

Below the Storm’s display are four keys: two for picking up and ending calls, a menu key, and one for backing up out of menu or screen selections.   Everything else is controlled by the screen interface, except for muting calls (located on the top of the device), and a function button on the side that adjusts to the context of the program you are running.

The (not quite) “Perfect Storm”

When I occasionally overcome the learning curve for the Storm’s on-screen user interface, I find that this smartphone operates quickly, powered by a 528 MHz processor - that is, when it doesn’t hit an annoying bug.  At first, I thought it was my lack of mastery over the user interface that was the problem, but then I realized that the Storm was hiccuping rudely at me from time to time.

Other reviewers, such as Sascha Segan at PC Magazine, have reported significant problems with the Storm’s sometimes spastic performance.  My experience was a little better than theirs - but not by much.  Three times I had to reboot the phone: once when the home screen vanished, once when it froze when I was using the otherwise excellent built-in camera and another time when trying to run video on the media player.

The Apple iPhone 3G also arrived with a plethora of problems when it was first introduced.  It’s almost impossible to squash all the bugs inherent in a new mobile device as complex as the iPhone or Storm when they are first introduced to the market.  Like new models of automobiles, the first units generally have glitches and problems that are solved as the line settles down after initial launch.  Fortunately, unlike automobiles, and like the iPhone, the Storm can receive updates and software fixes - and, in fact, the first such update has already been issued, and users are reporting some improvements in their new Storms’ performance and reliability.

With the latest fixes, is the Storm perfect yet?  No - but I’m optimistic that it can be, eventually.  More on this later.

But, is the Storm a good phone?

With all this talk of screens, tactile feedback and user interfaces, it’s easy to overlook that fact that the Storm is first and foremost a telephone.  And in this capacity, I find it excellent - although a lot of the credit here has to go to the device’s carrier in the U.S.: Verizon.

The phone sounds great, especially the speakerphone, which I found to be very clear and louder than I expected on such a compact device.  I never experienced a dropped call during my evaluation, and every call was crystal clear.  The Storm includes built-in noise cancellation, although I found it wasn’t as strong as when I used a Aliph New Jawbone Bluetooth headset, which was a snap to configure.

I occasionally travel abroad, which is why I use a BlackBerry 8830 World Edition phone, since it supports GSM networks overseas with an optional SIM card.  The Storm also operates on multiple networks, including Verizon’s EVDO network in the U.S., and on HSDPA networks abroad.

I found I had to charge the Storm nightly.  Other reviewers report between seven and eight hours of talk time on a single charge, and about half that when using the more power-hungry on-screen video player - which is about the same as the Apple iPhone.  During my testing, I used the Storm a lot for browsing the ‘net, and found that also drained the battery faster - enough to think about recharging every four hours or so.

Storming the ‘net

The Storm’s browser is, well, just okay, in my humble opinion.  It seems to run slowly on any site that uses JavaScript.  And the Storm’s web-browsing experience is clearly inferior to the Apple iPhone’s, which is more intuitive to use, thanks to its excellent multi-touch interface.  Some Storm users report better performance using the Opera Mini browser, although I didn’t have a chance to test that.  Still, for a quick search on Google or reviewing the latest news, I found the Storm’s web browsing experience to be acceptable - not great, not bad, just okay.

I tested the Storm as a USB tethered modem to my laptop PC (something the iPhone, as yet, cannot do), and got reasonable download speeds of about 750 kilobits per second.  Unlike the iPhone, the Storm lacks support for wi-fi connections to the ‘net.  I would have loved to see this feature on the device, since it would improve download speeds.  But if you can get to a 3G network - and I never had a problem finding Verizon’s EVDO network available - you can use the Storm as an acceptable connection to the web.

How else does the Storm stack up against the iPhone?

The Storm includes a number of other features that invite further comparison to the Apple iPhone 3G.  Here’s a quick summary of these capabilities:

• Applications support: the Storm includes a number of standard applications, familiar to anyone who has used a BlackBerry device: e-mail, contact management, a Web browser, etc.  It also now includes support for Microsoft Office document editing, although I can’t imagine using the Storm for doing this except in a pinch - you really want to do this on a PC.  The Apple iPhone’s functionality can be extended with the iTunes App Store, and there are now thousands of applications available there at nominal fees, albeit with Apple’s heavy copy protection.  RIM’s answer to the App Store is the BlackBerry Application Center, although for now its shelves are relatively sparse.  I have to give the nod here to the iPhone, but if RIM can get more third-party developers interested in contributing to the Application Center, this could even out over the next year.
• Cut and paste: oddly, this is one simple, oft-requested feature that still isn’t on the Apple iPhone - the ability to cut and paste text across applications.  The Storm clearly wins here - you can select lines of text with a touch of a finger and paste it into other programs.
• Media player: the iPhone clearly wins here, it is essentially a glorified iPod, the best media device in general.  You can drag and drop music and video files on your PC into your Storm, and even transfer music from iTunes (if unprotected).  But I found this to be a clunky experience, compared to using Apple’s iTunes program.  This is one advantage Apple has, thanks to its closed architecture.  But I suspect that most salespeople care little about the Storm’s multi-media abilities anyway, and like me, they will probably just bring along their iPod if they want to listen to music or watch a movie on the plane.  Still, music does sound great on the Storm, and the MP4 video playback quality is excellent.
• Data synchronization: enterprise salespeople need to be able to synch contacts, calendars and messages with their corporate systems, and the Storm clearly wins here.  RIM has a long record of integrating well with Microsoft Exchange servers, and the Storm carries on that tradition.  Apple stumbled badly with their MobileMe synchronization option, and it has not fully recovered from initial problems after release.  The iPhone 3G introduced better support for Microsoft Exchange, although some IT departments are still reluctant to support it.
• GPS: support for global positioning systems for navigation and directions is critical for traveling salespeople, and here the Storm wins over the iPhone handily for several reasons.  First, for another $10 a month, Verizon users can subscribe to VZNavigator, which provides audio turn-by-turn driving directions and maps.  The Storm’s GPS is fast, intuitive to use and very accurate - I found it comparable in performance to my built-in navigation system on my Acura.  Further, the GPS system on the Storm is unlocked, which means that third-party applications can use it to find locations.  The Apple iPhone offers no turn-by-turn navigation (as yet), and it is tied to the closed architecture - in fact, third-party developers are banned from using the iPhone’s GPS for navigation functionality.
• Camera: I’m often surprised how often I want a camera in sales meetings.  The ability to take a quick snapshot of a flip chart after a customer meeting is very useful.  The built-in 3.2 megapixel camera on the Storm, with an LED flash and video recording capability, will be perfect for this purpose - it is clearly superior to the iPhone’s camera, which is just 2 megapixels, and does not include an LED flash or video capture.  Both the iPhone and Storm support geo-tagging, which means that your photos will include location information from the GPS system - helpful for figuring out where you took those shots at that last meeting.

Sales Pro Value Score

The BlackBerry Storm is a great mobile phone, no doubt about that.  It’s well constructed, is packed with state-of-the-art features, and is a very good and highly reliable telephone, e-mail and messaging device.  It builds on RIM’s solid track record and strengths, with better data synchronization than similar offerings, including the venerable iPhone.  It also has a better GPS and camera than the iPhone.

The Storm’s virtual touchscreen interface, however, is a mixed bag.  I love the tactile feedback of the press-to-click screen, especially when entering text on the virtual keyboards.  But it is more difficult to use when selecting and interacting with other applications.  Here, the iPhone multi-touch interface is clearly simpler and easier to operate.

Verizon has priced the Storm attractively, with subsidized pricing and data plans comparable to AT&T’s plans for the iPhone 3G.  So there’s no obvious financial incentive to choose one over the other.

So, should sales pros run out and snatch up a BlackBerry Storm?  No - we would recommend caution, for now. Above all, sales professionals need their mobile phones to be absolutely rock-solid dependable, because they depend on them so much to do useful work.  For this reason, we suggest that salespeople watch and wait until RIM distributes enough online updates to squash the initial bugs.

Our first impression of the Storm is generally positive, and for that reason, we are awarding it a Sales Pro Value Score of 3.5 - but if RIM can get rid of the annoying glitches inherent in most new releases, we’d happily increase that rating to 4.5, and heartily endorse the BlackBerry Storm 9530 as the best all-around mobile device for sales pros.  We’ll continue to watch, and report…

Tags: Apple iPhone 3G, BlackBerry Storm 9530, Verizon

 

 Selling Geek 014-Dell Inspiron Mini 9 [21:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The tech blog Engadget recently pronounced: “The age of the netbook has indeed, arrived.” According to an Amazon.com list of the best-selling computers, nine of the top ten systems sold in September 2008 were ultra-portable devices. Popular netbooks like the ASUS EeePC 900, HP 2133 Mini-Note PC, Acer Aspire One, MSI Wind and Lenovo IdeaPad S10 are all designed principally for accessing the Internet, managing email, browsing websites, instant messaging, running hosted applications and other connected tasks. Designed to be lightweight, compact, easy to carry and simple to operate, netbooks have emerged as an affordable option for Internet-connected professionals, which of course include most salespeople.

Recognizing this accelerating trend, Dell has released their Inspiron Mini 9 netbook at comparatively low prices: US$349 for a model with 4 gigabytes (GB) of solid-state storage, $399 for 8GB and $449 for 16GB. Customers may select either the Ubunu Linux or Windows XP Home operating system to run on the Mini 9’s Intel Atom processor. The compact, lightweight unit weighs just less than 2.3 pounds, and features an 8.9-inch screen, all in a relatively tiny package approximately 1 by 9 by 7-inches - about the size and weight of a moderate-length hardback novel.

Dell describes the Mini 9 as a “communication device,” rather than as a computer, as this box is tailor-made for Internet-centric tasks. To supplement the relatively small amount of on-board storage, Dell bundles 2GB of free Internet-based storage from Box.net, providing users with an online resource to keep and retrieve files. The Mini 9 also includes wi-fi access with a wireless 802.11g adapter installed, and also offers optional Bluetooth connectivity for an additional $20. The Mini 9 supports video chatting with a built-in microphone and webcam.

Some people have experimented with using a netbook as their sole computing device, with decidedly mixed results. Ultra-portable computers are designed to be carried around and connected to the ‘net - and for these tasks, they are very well suited. But as a rule, they lack the processor power, storage capacity and ergonomic niceties needed for content creation tasks including graphics, audio, video, and intensive text editing.

I wondered if the Mini 9 would be suitable as a second computer, to be used for sales trips on the road. After lugging around a full-featured laptop for many years, which weighs 12 pounds, I dreamed of leaving that heavy-duty computer (in every sense of the phrase) at home, transferring only those files I needed for sales calls to a lighter unit. I’ve found that I rarely use all the storage and content creation power of my laptop when traveling - most of that work is usually done in the office. On the road, I typically use my computer for email, web browsing, light document editing, and to show PowerPoint presentations. Could the Mini 9 fill the bill as my traveling machine, and save my aching back?

Girls like netbooks!

I tested a 16GB Mini 9 with Windows XP, with Bluetooth and the higher-resolution 1.3 megapixel camera options. The first thing you notice about this machine when you take it out of the box is that it is indeed tiny, compared to its laptop cousins. My charming spouse, after seeing the Mini 9, remarked, “I like your little toy computer - it’s cute.” If you have insecure feelings about your masculinity, the Mini 9 won’t do much for your image, apparently.

At the risk of sounding a bit sexist, I’ve found that, in general, women seem to love the Mini 9. After seeing my new Dell netbook, one of my female co-workers commented, “Hey, I could put that in my purse – it’d be great for browsing at Starbucks,” and then she pressed me for details about how to order one. On my last plane flight, three attractive flight attendants descended upon me, literally cooing at my Mini 9 like it was some sort of cute electronic newborn – which, in a way, I guess it is. Just yesterday, a young lady stopped when she saw me working on my Mini 9 during lunch in a nearby deli – she was fascinated with my little netbook and practically begged for an on-the-spot demo.

Folks, I’m your average-looking, middle aged sales geek, and I long ago gave up trying to share my enthusiasm for gadgets with the fairer sex, realizing that they found such discourse boring in the extreme. So, I find this sudden female fascination with reduced-size technology a bit baffling. I leave it to you to think of your own clever innuendo regarding how size doesn’t matter – but clearly in this case it does, and in favor of the diminutive. Could the compact design of netbooks like the Mini 9 make them into items of fashion, attractive to women buyers? I wonder.

Small is beautiful - mostly…

Practically speaking, the Mini 9’s small size is both its greatest asset and its worst flaw. It is indeed easy to carry. My laptop bag strap no longer cuts into my shoulder like a scythe. The Mini 9 fits neatly in your hand, too - it really does feel like you are carrying a book, not a computing device. On a plane, the Mini 9 is so compact that it can share a seat-back tray table with a drink and peanuts, with room to spare.

But its small size does make the Mini 9 feel like a compromise in use. The 1024 x 600 resolution screen, although bright, crisp and very clear, doesn’t provide a lot of real estate for displaying information – so be prepared to scroll up and down a lot when web browsing.

And, as on all small netbooks, the keyboard is a challenge. The Mini 9’s letter keys are larger than on other netbooks, such as the ASUS EeePC 900, although certainly not full-sized. And less-used keys, such as Shift, Tab, Caps Lock, Escape, Page Up/Down and others, have been shrunk to half-sized mini-keys. Further, the function keys require simultaneous pressing of the “Fn” key with another key on the middle row of letters. Similarly, engaging other features, such as turning wi-fi on or off, muting the speaker, or switching display output to the VGA port, requires some finger-twisting concurrent pressing of Fn, Alt and number keys. Sometimes you feel like you’re playing a miniature version of Twister on the Mini 9’s keyboard.

You might not think that a 10 percent reduction from normal key size would make that much of a difference on the Mini 9’s letter keys, but if you are a touch typist, it’s just enough to slow you down significantly. My fat fingers have a hard time with the smaller shift keys, which means I have to stop, look, engage shift, then proceed. The same goes for the period key, too. And the key for apostrophe and quotation marks is wedged in at the bottom right, which is guaranteed to interrupt your creative flow if you use a lot of possessive contractions or write dialogue. Unless I ever think I deserve to pay a heavy penance for past sins, I will never write a novel on the Mini 9.

The integrated touchpad and mouse buttons, however, are very easy to use, and configurable to individual tastes. I usually attach an external mouse on my laptop, but I never felt the need to do that on the Mini 9.

Under the hood

Despite my spouse’s initial impression, the Mini 9 is no toy. I installed Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel and Word 2007 (using a third-party USB attached DVD/CD drive), and the Atom processor cranks through these applications quite easily. The lean XP Home OS runs multiple applications simultaneously, and it’s a breeze to switch from one task to the other with just a quick tap of the touchpad control. I did experience some degradation of processor responsiveness after I had a half-dozen application windows open, so don’t count on the Mini 9 for more than moderate multitasking. The on-board 1.6-GHz Intel Atom processor isn’t going to win any super-computing awards, but it’s more than enough horsepower for the kind of work that most sales pros need to do.

I also found file retrieval and storage on the solid-state drive to be very snappy and simple, although I found myself wishing for a 32GB or larger option. If you run any moderately hefty applications on the Mini 9 with only 4GB of storage, or even with 8GB, I‘m sure you‘ll bump your head on a disk drive ceiling in a hurry. Unless you plan to use your netbook only for web browsing, bite the bullet and pay the extra $50 for the largest 16GB drive.

With 3 USB ports, extending storage on the Mini 9 with connecting devices is easy to do. I tested several third-party USB 2.0 flash drives and they all worked flawlessly, as did a USB portable hard drive and the aforementioned DVD/CD drive. With all the extra room in my computer bag that the Mini 9 frees up, carrying a portable hard disk unit and a couple thumb drives isn’t a problem. The unit also includes standard headphone and microphone jacks, a VGA-out port, a 3-in-1 media card slot (supporting SD, MS/MS Pro, and MMC formats), and an Ethernet jack. I tested all of these by conducting Skype voice-over-IP calls, connecting to a projector and driving a PowerPoint presentation, transferring images from my digital camera, and hooking up to a hotel Internet service, respectively, and the Mini 9 performed perfectly on all of these tasks. Dell provides a video-conferencing client with the Mini 9, but I tested the built-in webcam using the latest Skype 4.0 beta, and had no problems at all.

Is the Mini 9 a cloud computer?

On his blog, tech pundit Om Malik outlined ten criteria for a perfect “cloud computer.” The Mini 9 comes close to meeting these qualifications, but not quite. Let’s run through each of these criteria, and see how the Mini 9 stacks up:

1. Instant On - I was disappointed that the Mini 9 did not include a Linux-on-a-chip “instant on” feature that Dell provides in some of its new Latitude E-series laptops. This feature enables you to do simple tasks immediately after switching your computer on, by loading a basic Linux operating system from firmware, rather than a full-featured OS from the hard drive. Instead, the Mini 9 loads its OS conventionally from storage. I timed the Mini 9’s boot-up time for XP, after powering on, at just over 30 seconds. Wondering if I might improve that, I uncompressed the hard drive, and that reduced the boot up time to just over 20 seconds, albeit by sacrificing a couple gigabytes of storage. It’s not “instant on,” but it’s pretty darned close.
2. Doesn’t generate too much heat - even after running for three hours, the bottom of the Mini 9 gets only slightly warm. You won’t find your thighs sweating after working with the Mini 9 for a while.
3. Minimum 5 hours of battery life - the Mini 9 gets close to this mark, but not quite. I timed battery life while doing word processing and spreadsheet work at just under four hours. Not bad.
4. At least four communications options - again, the Mini 9 comes close, as it includes WiFi, Ethernet, and Bluetooth. However, when you open the bottom of the device, you will find an empty slot that is clearly marked “WWAN”, and Dell has hinted that it is in discussion with several wireless service carriers for a Wireless Wide Area Network connection to an EVDO or HSPA network option, so perhaps we can expect a fourth connection option for the Mini 9 soon.
5. Less than three pounds (batteries included) – here, the Mini 9 shines, weighing only 2.3 pounds, even with a 4-cell 32WHr Lithium-Ion battery on board.
6. Screen size of 3.5-8 inches (wide-screen proportioned) – The Mini 9 is slightly larger than Om’s ideal criteria, at 8.9 inches, but I like it that way, and in fact, wish it was even a little bigger.
7. Cloud-based activity focused – Dell recognizes that netbooks are oriented for Internet-centric work by bundling in Box.net storage, which I found a snap to set up and easy to use. The 802.11g wireless adapter is also one of the most sensitive I’ve ever seen – I was able to pick up wi-fi hotspots from more than 300 feet away and make reliable connections. This box is clearly designed for connecting to the ‘net.
8. Cost no more than $300 – ah, here the Mini 9 stumbles. Even in its least expensive configuration, the Mini 9 is $350 – and my fully tricked-out version will cost you just over $500, not including any externally connected drives, if you need them. Compared to other competitive netbooks in the market, such as HP’s Mini-Note or the MSI Wind, the Dell is similarly priced, and still about half of what you’d expect to pay for a good fully-functional laptop. But make no mistake, it’s still not what I’d call cheap.
9. Ports and connections geared for Internet-based activities — as I’ve said before, the Mini 9 handles external peripherals with aplomb, and it supports ‘net-centric tasks, like Skype calls, very easily.
10. Touchscreen interface - not keyboard, touchpad focused – sorry, the Mini 9 is no iPhone.

So, in total, the Mini 9 meets five of the ten cloud computer criteria perfectly, with near-misses on another four. In short, if computing in the cloud is your goal, you’re going to be pretty happy with the Mini 9.

Although Dell is entering the crowded ultraportable market relatively late, the Mini 9’s release is a significant event. Dell is one of the last major computer manufacturers to embrace netbooks, and this should help to accelerate the acceptance of Internet-based cloud computing using lightweight, portable devices.

Sales Pro Value Score

In summary, the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 has indeed become my favorite road trip machine. Although it’s a bit more expensive than I hoped, the keyboard is more cramped than I’d like, and the memory options are limited, it fulfills all of my most important expectations for a traveling sales professional’s portable computing device. It’s easy to overlook the Mini 9’s few flaws after you’ve carried it to some sales calls – especially when you realize that your back doesn’t hurt anymore from lugging around a comparatively behemoth laptop. So, for its solid, lightweight design and good performance, though not without a few compromises, Selling Geek awards the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 a Sales Pro Value Score of 4.0 out of a possible 5.

Tags: Dell Inspiron Mini 9, Podcast, Review, selling geek, Timothy Sullivan

T-Mobile announced their plans to market the first smartphone based on Google’s open source mobile operating system, Android.  The new phone, built by HTC and called the G1, will be generally available by October 22nd in the US (and in the U.K. in November, and the rest of Europe in early 2009), and will cost US$179 with a two-year voice and data service contract.  It includes a number of powerful features, including:

• a touchscreen interface
• a slide-out QWERTY keyboard
• a trackball for application navigation
• a 3-megapixel camera
• GPS
• Wi-Fi connectivity
• 3G (with dual-band UMTS)
• quad-band GSM support
• multimedia messaging
• e-mail support (but not Microsoft Exchange integration yet)
• instant messaging
• a rich HTML web browser
• the ability to run multiple applications simultaneously
• a music player (with automated access to the Amazon MP3 store)
• integrated Bluetooth wireless headset support

Indeed, T-Mobile’s G1 possesses a lot of advanced smartphone functionality, but by far its most interesting feature is the operating system which manages all of these features, the new Android OS.

If Google’s aspirations come true, Android will become a very popular platform for mobile devices - they expect 400,000 Android-based phones to be sold before the end of 2008 alone.  At that rate, Android may very well become one of the most pervasive operating systems for smartphones in 2009, rivaling Symbian and Microsoft’s Windows Mobile, and also increasing competitive pressure on Apple’s iPhone and RIM’s BlackBerry lines.

What does Android mean to salespeople?

Sales professionals should take note of the official market introduction of Android for several reasons:

• Even if you never buy an Android-based device, the new OS should keep the cost of smartphones low.  That means better buys on any smartphone in 2009, no matter what make or model you select.
• Five mobile platforms will vie for your attention over the next year: Apple’s iPhone, Windows Mobile, Google’s Android, Symbian from the Symbian Foundation, and RIM’s BlackBerry OS.  Of these, only Android and Symbian are open source platforms, which means that developers can create applications at significantly lower cost.  That means more choices for you in how you configure and expand the functionality of your smartphone device.
• Android’s open source aspect gives it a significant competitive advantage, at least in the short-term.  Apple is now getting flak from users about their entirely proprietary, walled-garden, iTunes-based AppStore, as they block applications that they very broadly deem competitive with any of their offerings.  Microsoft recently announced that they are delaying the launch of the next version of their proprietary Windows Mobile OS until the “second half of 2009″.  Symbian is still re-organizing as an open source foundation, and will need more time to develop and launch a new version.  This means that we should see a huge influx of new applications available for Android devices in the next few months and well beyond, giving the platform more extensibility and adaptability than any other platform by the middle of 2009.
• Android’s user experience rivals the Apple iPhone’s multi-touch interface - although for pure elegance and simplicity, the nod would have to go to Apple here.  Still, Android is remarkably simple to operate and customize on the G1, making it one of the friendliest devices on the market.  As Sprint and other carriers release their Android phones over the next few months, this ease of use should make Android very attractive to new users in the smartphone market.
• In 2009, Android will be available on virtually every carrier, in a wide variety of configurations, and all at relatively low price points.  Apple is tied exclusively to AT&T in the U.S. market, at least for the next year or so, which will become a significant competitive limitation.  The newest releases of  BlackBerry devices - such as the Bold, Storm and Thunder - should help RIM maintain its growing market share in smartphones, but by the middle of 2009, the number of new Android phones should explode well beyond the limited number of models that RIM will provide.  The next releases of Symbian and Windows Mobile won’t make an impact until the end of 2009, at earliest - and by then, Android’s momentum may be too much to stop.

In short, Android’s impending ubiquity, extensibility, expandability, ease of use and low cost should make it a very formidable competitor in the smartphone market in the next year.

More importantly, these features may make Android the ideal mobile computing platform for sales professionals, as it is designed from the core outward with “cloud computing” in mind.  In addition to making voice calls, Android smartphones should excel in connecting to the Internet for web browsing, data searches (remember: it’s from Google), hosted applications (such as CRM, for example), navigation (using services such as Google Maps), text messaging and e-mail.  As additional functionality becomes available in the Android Marketplace of third-party applications, sales pros will be able to configure their devices to suit their individual requirements at very low cost.

So, should salespeople buy an Android phone now?

If you are in the U.S., and use T-Mobile, you should definitely consider the G1 for your next smartphone.  It does almost everything that a sales professional needs in a mobile phone.  It only lacks Microsoft Exchange integration - but Google expects this to be addressed in the next few weeks as application developers complete work on a solution.  One other potential problem is the limited availability of 3G networks from T-Mobile, although they expect to expand 3G coverage aggressively over the next year - still, check the coverage map for your area before jumping in.

If you are using a carrier other than T-Mobile, or using another smartphone platform (such as Symbian or Windows Mobile) and are locked into a service contract, it’s almost certainly not worth switching just to get the G1.  Instead, just wait for your carrier to introduce their own Android-based phone, and upgrade when your contract expires.  Sprint intends to release an Android device by the end of 2008, and virtually all other carriers will release their own devices in the first half of 2009.

If you are using a BlackBerry or iPhone, and are perfectly happy, don’t panic.  Your own platforms are as useful as when you first bought them, and they will continue to be so, even as Android’s presence in the marketplace expands.  But monitor the progress of Android over the next year or so - you may very well be tempted to switch by 2010.

Tags: Android, T-Mobile G1

 

 Selling Geek 013-Best web browsers for sales pros [41:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this episode of the Selling Geek podcast, we review the top five most popular web browsers, and evaluate them in terms of their utility to sales professionals.  We also provide specific web browser recommendations to salespeople using Macs, Linux-based systems, or Windows-based computers.

Links to resources mentioned in this show:

• List of available web browser applications
• Flock
• SeaMonkey
• Microsoft Internet Explorer
• Mozilla Firefox
• Google Chrome
• Apple Safari
• Opera

Please give us your comments and feedback on our U.S. toll-free message line: 877-345-7763, or from anywhere in the world at: +1 404-418-4970, or leave your comment below.  In each podcast episode, we award US$20 to the best voice mail, email or blog comment we receive.

Tags: Apple, Chrome, Firefox, Google, Internet Explorer, Microsoft, Mozilla, Opera, Safari, web browser

Last in a six-part series

In Part One of this series, we defined what an operating system (OS) is, and speculated that changes in the most significant OS platforms could affect the way that salespeople do their jobs over the next few years. In this part, we summarize our findings and provide sales professionals with some clear recommendations about the kind of OS they should use.

So, what should salespeople do about their computer operating systems?

For many years now, most of the world rallied to one standard desktop operating system: Microsoft Windows.  It was a nice place to be - very consistent and predictable.  People could transfer their computer using skills from one place to the next with relative ease.  Information flowed.  Commerce thrived.  All was well in the kingdom.

Three accelerating trends are occurring now, however, that are beginning to disrupt this idyllic scene.

Let’s call the first of these trends the “good enough” syndrome.  Over the last few years, most computer users - especially mobile sales professionals - watched the incremental improvements in processor speeds as they developed, looked at their existing hardware, and said, “I think I’ll just live with this a while longer - it seems plenty good enough for the moment.” This is one big reason why Microsoft stumbled with their latest version of Windows: Vista.  They assumed that computer users would continue to upgrade their hardware, and follow the latest trends in state-of-the-art processors and supporting systems, just as they always had in the past.  But Microsoft supposed wrongly.  Unlike cutting-edge users of high-end gaming and other processor-intensive applications such as media creation, most businesspeople only need a solid, reliable machine that is good enough to get the job done.

A second trend is the rapidly rising reliability and availability of fast, ubiquitous Internet access.  This trend further reduces the need for powerful personal computer hardware, making super-robust client-based operating systems even less important.  As long as users can “jack into the cloud”, their computer need only be a reliable user interface and communications platform.

A third trend is the increasing blurring of device specialization.  In the good old days, you had a computer, a cell phone, a fax machine, a stereo, a television and maybe a VCR - each device performed its own special task.  Today, your computer, phone, instant messenger, email, music player, Internet browser and many other capabilities can all be wrapped up into a very small number of portable devices - and for some users, perhaps only one.  As long as people can get to their data, in a form factor that is comfortable to use, they don’t care what device they use.

These three trends - good enough power, ‘net access, and device consolidation - have huge implications for the kinds of operating systems that salespeople will use on their computers in the next few years.  Recognizing this, let’s now make some practical suggestions for sales professionals, along with a few bold predictions:

• First, most of the world is using Windows today (albeit mostly XP, not Vista), and that won’t change anytime soon.  So, if you’re using Windows now, and it’s all working fine, keep doing so.  You’re in good company, and there’s no need to panic.
• However, if you are using Vista today, or if you’re considering buying a new Vista-based machine, and your hardware doesn’t have the power to take advantage of the advanced user interface capabilities, consider “downgrading” to XP - you almost certainly will find a more stable environment there, and get snappier performance.
• If you are using a Mac today, and it’s getting the job done for you, keep doing so.  There’s no compelling reason to switch to any other operating system if you are happy in your insulated, safe Apple architecture - at least, for now.
• Monitor the development of netbooks closely - they will be the vehicles that drive widespread acceptance of “cloud computing.”  Netbooks are now cheap, highly portable, quick-performing platforms that are becoming especially compelling for mobile sales professionals.
• Consider buying one of the currently available, inexpensive netbooks with an “instant on” (probably Linux-based) OS as a second computer before the end of 2008, and begin to experiment with Internet-based storage and applications.  It will likely become your favorite “road machine”, and you’ll leave your heavy duty client computer at home for more processor-intensive work.
• Microsoft has probably learned enough from the Vista experience to make Windows 7 much more scalable, lean, and user-friendly OS.  The early indications that they are incorporating touch and gesture-based user interfaces will give Windows 7 enough of a “wow factor” to convince most users to upgrade to that platform in 2010.
• Even in 2010, we think that Apple will most likely continue to hide in its comfortable closed architecture, and cater to its relatively small legion of dedicated fans.
• By 2010, an increasing number of netbook users will be familiar with Linux, but most won’t realize that is what they are using - to them, it will just be the “instant on” usability feature, and they’ll use it only to the extent that they need to get connected to the Internet.
• We think that Microsoft’s Windows 7 short-term upgrade surge will be a somewhat hollow victory.  By then, enough netbooks will be in use to make cloud-based operating environments common.  By 2014, just as Microsoft ends formal support of the venerable old XP OS, it’s likely that most computer users will be “jacking into the cloud” far more frequently than they will be using disconnected, client-based computers.
• What will the dominant cloud-based OS be in 2015 and beyond? Unfortunately, there are far too many experiments in different ‘net-based operating systems today to know for certain.  Most likely, all of the currently significant OS platforms - Windows, Mac OS, and Linux - will each evolve cloud OS capabilities, thereby preserving some semblance of today’s market shares.  In other words, the brands will be the same, but they will each operate very differently than they do today.

If you take nothing else away from this series, consider this: operating systems are going to change the way that salespeople use computers over the next few years.  Those that stay on top of this rapid evolution will find exciting new ways to get the information they need to find, sell, close and service customers - those that try to cling to the status quo will be left behind, and fairly quickly.  It is that important.  Take heed.

Tags: cloud computing, Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, Operating System, OS

Fifth in a six-part series

In Part One of this series, we defined what an operating system (OS) is, and speculated that changes in the most significant OS platforms could affect the way that salespeople do their jobs over the next few years. In this part, we speculate about what could be emerging as a new OS alternative.

“The Cloud”

In the previous part in this series, we examined the emerging role of Linux on netbook computers for providing “instant on” access to web browsing and other simple computer functions.  Now, imagine if all computing functions resided not on your computer, but entirely on the Internet only.  If fast, reliable, ubiquitous Internet access is readily available, then you don’t really need to store anything on your computer - all your data and applications could be retrieved and executed from the Internet.

This is the definition of “cloud computing” - the ability to do all of your data processing entirely in the Internet, smoothly, safely and reliably.

A cloud computer only needs enough processing power and connectivity capability to reliably access the Internet.  Other than the operating system, which can be loaded from an onboard ROM chip, there isn’t much need to store anything in a cloud computer - all files can be stored on the ‘net.  A good cloud computing device is more of a communications appliance than it is a standalone computer.  Tech pundit Om Malik outlined the ideal criteria for a cloud computer as follows:

1. Instant On
2. Doesn’t generate too much heat.
3. Minimum 5 hours of battery life.
4. Must feature at least four communications options: WiFi, Ethernet, Bluetooth & Wireless Wide Area Network connection to, say, an EVDO or HSPA Network.
5. Less than three pounds (batteries included).
6. Screen size of 3.5-8 inches (wide-screen proportioned)
7. The primary function of the computer should be cloud-based activities that can include everything from listening to live music, reading blogs and watching videos. Writing research reports or cranking out spreadsheets isn’t the primary purpose of these machines.
8. It should cost no more than $300. This isn’t a computer; it’s a communications device. It should really be an on-the-go device. It is a device for the moments when your cellphone isn’t enough, and laptop is too much. An iPhone should qualify.
9. Its innards, ports should be geared for Internet-based activities — from making calls on Skype to consuming RSS feeds — though it should be able to handle external peripherals.
10. In the future it should move away from the keyboard and have a touchscreen interface that allows one to sift through large amounts of data (or web pages) quickly, as cramped keyboards and touchpads can be hard to use.

Based on these critieria, ultra-portable netbooks certainly fill the bill as the ideal cloud computing device.  In fact, many technology industry observers believe that netbooks are already driving more users to Web-based operating environments.

Many users are already doing cloud computing, but may not be aware of it. Google Apps is a good example of ‘net based computing.  Millions of users routinely access Google Mail and Calendar every day, and more are beginning to use Google Docs for simple word processing and presentations - all driven entirely on the web.  The only thing the client computers do is drive web browsers and maintain the connection to the Internet.

The next step in cloud computing is desktop virtualization - which essentially simulates a computer system in software, which can be based on a connected system somewhere on the ‘net.  This gives a user a full computer experience, but it is actually happening somewhere else - the user simply interacts with the system through their web browser.  Virtual computer operating systems, such as G.ho.st, are showing that cloud computing experiences can be as easy to operate as any client-based, fully featured OS.

Microsoft has recognized the potential threat of cloud computing models to their Windows OS dominance. They have been experimenting with web-centric OS technology, most recently with a project called Midori.  Some analysts speculate that Midori might be “version 8″ of Windows, to be released sometime after Windows 7 appears in 2010.

Microsoft is also experimenting with distributed, web-based storage and computing models, such as Microsoft Live Mesh. Apple has also recognized the importance of web-based computing, introducing MobileMe for data synchronization and storage in July.  Although both platforms are not yet perfect, they clearly represent the rapidly accelerating trend away from the individual client computer towards the web.

As MobileMe’s early technical problems indicated, cloud computing, so far, hasn’t been totally reliable.  In fact, new services such as CloudStatus have emerged to monitor cloud-based systems availability.  If business enterprises are to become more reliant on the cloud for their distributed computing needs, then they will need to constantly monitor and evaluate how those systems are operating.

Still, the trend seems inevitable - the move to the cloud is accelerating, and sales professionals that rely on their computers would be well served to adapt.

Next in this series: So, what’s a salesperson to do?

Tags: cloud computing, CloudStatus, G.ho.st, google apps, Live Mesh, Midori, MobileMe, netbooks

 

 Selling Geek 012-GPS for Sales Pros [45:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this episode of the Selling Geek podcast, we interview Tim Flight, the moderator of the popular website for information about GPS devices: GPS Review.

Click here for a complete transcription of this interview.

• What is GPS? How does it work?
• What GPS systems have the best maps?
• How does GPS benefit sales professionals?
• Advantages and disadvantages of portable, in-dash and mobile phone based GPS devices
• What are the best GPS features for salespeople?
• Which GPS devices should salespeople consider buying, and why?
• How much do good GPS systems cost?  Will they continue to get less expensive over time?
• What future developments can we expect in GPS technology?
• How should sales pros evaluate and buy a GPS?

Links to resources mentioned in this show:

• Mozilla Firefox 3.0
• Microsoft Internet Explorer - IE8 Beta
• Federal Aviation Administration
• Research in Motion (RIM) BlackBerry
• LinkedIn
• GPSReview.net
• NavTeq
• Tele Atlas
• Bluetooth
• Garmin - Nuvi series
• Magellan
• TomTom - XL330
• Dash

Tags: Dash, Garmin, GPS, GPSReview.net, Interview, Magellan, Nuvi, Podcast, Tim Flight, Timothy Sullivan, TomTom

Fourth in a six-part series

In Part One of this series, we defined what an operating system (OS) is, and speculated that changes in the most significant OS platforms could affect the way that salespeople do their jobs over the next few years. In this part, we focus on the most commonly-used open source alternative OS.

Linux

Originally developed in 1991 by Linus Torvalds, the Linux operating system is the poster child for open source, freely distributed software.  Used primarily to run back-office server computers, Linux is a favorite of systems administrators and programmers who appreciate its technical elegance and reliable operation, all at significantly lower cost than other commercial operating systems.

Linux’ strength is also its weakness, however.  Largely invisible to the end-user community, Linux hasn’t garnered the mindshare of the computer-buying market, compared to alternatives from Microsoft or Apple.  Since no one organization has a major stake in the commercial success of the OS, it has not been promoted aggressively to end users, as yet, so Linux just hasn’t captured the imagination of most computer systems buyers.

That is beginning to change, however.  Linux is finally making its way onto the typical computer user’s desktop, driven mostly by the rapid emergence of ultra-portable netbook computers. Generally smaller and lighter than full-function laptops, ultra-portables are designed primarily for accessing the Internet and performing lighter computing tasks.  Netbooks are more information-access appliances than standalone computers.  And like all good appliances, the ability to perform a function quickly and simply is key to its marketability.  And so, Linux is now finding a happy home embedded in netbooks.

With a Linux-based OS embedded, an ultra-portable can provide “instant on” access to an Internet browser, or to files stored on the device.  Users don’t have to wait for a full-feature OS to load, as with Windows or OS X.  Just turn the netbook on, and away you go.  Two good examples of “instant on” Linux-based applications are Splashtop, available on many Asus ultra-portables, and Dell’s “Latitude ON”, which uses a version of the Ubuntu flavor of Linux - both provide users with immediate access to common computer functions.

Tech guru and pundit John Dvorak recently wrote about the potential threat that “instant on” embedded Linux poses to established operating systems, especially Windows.  Dvorak wrote:

…The most interesting story the media is downplaying is the ASUS announcement that it will have a ROM boot chip on all its motherboards, which will boot Linux instantly on start-up. When you flick the switch the machine is instantly on. (It’s about time.) Of course, you will have to press another button for the machine to load Windows…

It’s an extremely subversive ploy for a number of reasons. First of all, it gets people used to Linux, gives them a pain-free experience, and provides quick rewards. Second, it shows users that—most of the time—this is all they need. And finally, it makes Windows look like a subsystem not much different from a program that you run under Windows. The psychological effect of this is profound, and the results could be devastating for Microsoft.

What will develop naturally from such a new architecture will be Linux replacement apps for the usual Windows apps. One at a time they will come. Windows will boot only for those laggard apps, such as Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. The rest of the time, users will remain in Linux, which will be perceived as very snappy and responsive—something missing from Windows.

Could Linux ultimately take over the computer operating system market? Even if “instant on” embedded Linux becomes common, the open source OS still may not be able to declare victory over Windows.  For one thing, most users turning on their netbook appliance won’t know that they are running Linux, so the OS won’t get the credit it probably deserves.  Second, Microsoft isn’t going to stay still, and as we’ve already discussed earlier in this series, they are also developing the next generation of Windows, which promises to be leaner, lighter and more flexible.  What’s to stop Microsoft from developing an “instant on” ROM-based version of their OS kernel for Windows 7?

In addition, there is no “one” flavor of Linux.  In fact, there are too many versions available, which has added nothing but confusion to the general market’s understanding of what Linux is, how it looks, how it operates, and what it feels like to use it.  Most likely, this diversity will increase, further fragmenting market perception.

Linux does have one major advantage, however - it is free. And that means that computer developers can add more to their profit margins, instead of paying license fees to Microsoft.  They would love it if Windows went away, and an OS that worked reliably, and which customers were willing to buy, was free.  And for that reason alone, expect to see more computer manufacturers embedding “instant on” Linux into their systems very soon.

Next in this series: “The Cloud”

Tags: Linux, operating systems, OS

Third in a six-part series

In Part One of this series, we defined what an operating system (OS) is, and speculated that changes in the most significant OS platforms could affect the way that salespeople do their jobs over the next few years. In this part, we focus on perhaps the most visible alternative to Microsoft Windows (which we covered in Part Two of this series).

Apple’s Mac OS X

Ask any Apple Macintosh computer user if they like their Mac - and watch as an almost rapturous look of sheer bliss washes over their face.  Apple has garnered a fanatical following of loyal users - and the Mac OS X (also known by it’s code name “Leopard”), is one of the principal reasons.

Because Apple builds their hardware, and can restrict the kinds of upgrades and deviations from factory-shipped configurations, they can ensure a consistent user experience.  And OS X keeps that experience very friendly and pleasant-looking.  Many users say that it is clearly a superior computer operating system, especially when compared to Microsoft’s Windows.

And yet, Apple has deliberately restricted the use of OS X to Apple-manufactured hardware only.  Even though the current flock of Apple machines use the same Intel chips as other computer brands which run Windows, Apple steadfastly refuses to provide OS X to non-Apple hardware users.  Apple likes its happy, closed architecture, and wants to keep it that way.

Some upstart companies have tried to force a chink in Apple’s architecture, however.  Most recently, a small start-up company called Psystar began selling generic Intel-based computers with a hacked version of the Mac OS X operating system earlier this year.  Apple sued Psystar, as expected - but now Psystar has begun to fight back, filing a countersuit of their own.

Most legal experts agree that Psystar does not have a strong case against Apple.  But the legal battle might have some significant implications.

• For example, if Psystar were to prevail, then Apple would likely have to  offer OS X for non-Apple hardware, or find business partners willing to do so on their behalf.  That could become a very significant threat to Microsoft’s Windows share.
• Or, even if Apple wins, it might help them to recognize a weakness in Microsoft’s market share fortress, as that company struggles to move past XP, make Vista more palatable, and finish Windows 7 - and Apple could move aggressively to grab OS market share on their own.

Most industry analysts agree, however, that Apple will likely continue to remain ensconced in their current exclusive, closed hardware/OS architecture - much to the chagrin of non-Apple hardware users that secretly envy OS X.

Next in this series: Linux

Tags: Apple, Mac OS X