Tretakoff Musings
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Audible: Louder Than Ever
One of my old favorite companies, Audible, has entered into an agreement with Amazon to be acquired for $300 million. While this represents a slight decline in their perceived value from their all time stock high, it assures the future for this pioneer.
I own dozens of Audible books. Not familiar with Audible? Think "books on tape," but digital. Years ago, before MP3's really took off and long before the advent of podcasts, Audible led the way by digitizing thousands of books, and offering them for download. For folks who had long commutes, this was a dream come true. Better, Audible also offered discounted players; my first MP3 player was a Nomad, thanks to Audible. Their file formats were not quite MP3's, but were much smaller; before the iPod, we actually considered file size! They went on to introduce dozens of innovations, including a subscription service (2 books a month for $20!), and multiple file formats, so you could choose audio quality over file size, and more.
They really hit the motherlode with three major advents:
- First, they recognized the demographic of their customer probably overlapped with NPR listeners, and capitalized by offering subscriptions to popular NPR programs, such as Car Talk and Fresh Air. This enabled Audible listeners to, in essence, time shift their NPR listening. Until mid last year, this was the only option for listening to Car Talk, other than real-time. VERY smart.
- Second, they baked themselves into the iPod from day 1. How they got Steve to sign off on that, I have no idea, but it ensured their content was compatible with the most popular MP3 player ever. Even today, it's baked into every single iPod model. That meant they attracted new subscribers with every iPod purchase.
- Finally, they did an amazing deal with Amazon to be the exclusive audiobook provider. Looking at those bestsellers? Wait, an audio version, and I can get it right now? Sign me up! The fruits of this last deal were clear to both parties, and easily led to today's deal.
This is practically a case study for effective business development, and looks to be a win for both parties, as Amazon wants to strengthen their transition to digital media, and Audible is under increasing pressure for earlobes with the podcast revolution, XM/Sirius, and HD Radio.
So what's next? Well, the Audible acquisition nets Amazon a nice native port to the iPod. Potentially, Amazon could expand their media through that pipe, but Sir Steve is sure to crack down if they do. More likely, Amazon will leverage their recent Kindle success with publishers to encourage more content than ever to be available; listen on your Kindle or iPod. I also expect Amazon to tout the lesser known gems of Audible's content library: a daily recap of the NY Times and Wall Street Journal; live performances and lectures, and more.
My applause is Audible.
One of my old favorite companies, Audible, has entered into an agreement with Amazon to be acquired for $300 million. While this represents a slight decline in their perceived value from their all time stock high, it assures the future for this pioneer.I own dozens of Audible books. Not familiar with Audible? Think "books on tape," but digital. Years ago, before MP3's really took off and long before the advent of podcasts, Audible led the way by digitizing thousands of books, and offering them for download. For folks who had long commutes, this was a dream come true. Better, Audible also offered discounted players; my first MP3 player was a Nomad, thanks to Audible. Their file formats were not quite MP3's, but were much smaller; before the iPod, we actually considered file size! They went on to introduce dozens of innovations, including a subscription service (2 books a month for $20!), and multiple file formats, so you could choose audio quality over file size, and more.
They really hit the motherlode with three major advents:
- First, they recognized the demographic of their customer probably overlapped with NPR listeners, and capitalized by offering subscriptions to popular NPR programs, such as Car Talk and Fresh Air. This enabled Audible listeners to, in essence, time shift their NPR listening. Until mid last year, this was the only option for listening to Car Talk, other than real-time. VERY smart.
- Second, they baked themselves into the iPod from day 1. How they got Steve to sign off on that, I have no idea, but it ensured their content was compatible with the most popular MP3 player ever. Even today, it's baked into every single iPod model. That meant they attracted new subscribers with every iPod purchase.
- Finally, they did an amazing deal with Amazon to be the exclusive audiobook provider. Looking at those bestsellers? Wait, an audio version, and I can get it right now? Sign me up! The fruits of this last deal were clear to both parties, and easily led to today's deal.
This is practically a case study for effective business development, and looks to be a win for both parties, as Amazon wants to strengthen their transition to digital media, and Audible is under increasing pressure for earlobes with the podcast revolution, XM/Sirius, and HD Radio.
So what's next? Well, the Audible acquisition nets Amazon a nice native port to the iPod. Potentially, Amazon could expand their media through that pipe, but Sir Steve is sure to crack down if they do. More likely, Amazon will leverage their recent Kindle success with publishers to encourage more content than ever to be available; listen on your Kindle or iPod. I also expect Amazon to tout the lesser known gems of Audible's content library: a daily recap of the NY Times and Wall Street Journal; live performances and lectures, and more.
My applause is Audible.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
iPhone Favicons
Remember Favicons? Or did you ever wonder why some websites have a little icon in the address bar? Those are favicons. Firefox lets you drag them to your bookmarks bar, and it keeps the favicon. If you like a lot of bookmarks, you can edit the bookmark to lose th text, and just keep the favicon. After all, you know that miniature eBay icon is not a symbol of their diminished earnings in the wake of overpaying for Skype or Meg Whitman's retirement: it's the eBay logo.
Now, fast forward to the iPhone. With the latest firmware release, you can create "web clips," which are just Apple's way of saying bookmarks, right on the Home screen. Easy to do: visit a website on your iPhone, click the "+" button, and it prompts you if you want to save it as a bookmark or Web Clip. Problem? The icon of the Web Clip is often a mini snapshot of the page. Some sites, like Plaxo Mobile, are smart enough to pass along the magic icon resource, so the Web Clip is the Plaxo logo, rather than a snapshot of the login page. But what to do about the other sites?
Enter Clipalizer. You can create your own 57 x 57 PNG images, and tell Clipalizer what URL they are for. Clipalizer then gives you a special URL to visit on your iPhone. Visit it, and you are prompted to add the page as a Web Clip. Voila, your icon, with a direct link to the site you specified. The image on the left is my quick and dirty TripIt icon, thanks to Picnik letting me edit it down.
Oh, did I mention it's free?
Now, fast forward to the iPhone. With the latest firmware release, you can create "web clips," which are just Apple's way of saying bookmarks, right on the Home screen. Easy to do: visit a website on your iPhone, click the "+" button, and it prompts you if you want to save it as a bookmark or Web Clip. Problem? The icon of the Web Clip is often a mini snapshot of the page. Some sites, like Plaxo Mobile, are smart enough to pass along the magic icon resource, so the Web Clip is the Plaxo logo, rather than a snapshot of the login page. But what to do about the other sites?
Enter Clipalizer. You can create your own 57 x 57 PNG images, and tell Clipalizer what URL they are for. Clipalizer then gives you a special URL to visit on your iPhone. Visit it, and you are prompted to add the page as a Web Clip. Voila, your icon, with a direct link to the site you specified. The image on the left is my quick and dirty TripIt icon, thanks to Picnik letting me edit it down.Oh, did I mention it's free?
Monday, January 21, 2008
As only a Pats Fan can think
Without being struck by lightning, how a New England Patriots fan thinks after yesterday:
Three quarterbacks, Manning, Romo and Tom Brady, go to heaven to visit God and watch the Celtics play a game. God decides who will sit next to him by asking the boys a question...
God asks Peyton Manning first: "What do you believe?" Peyton thinks long and hard, looks God in the eye, and says, "I believe in hard work, and in staying true to family and friends. I believe in giving. I was lucky, but I always tried to do right by my fans." God can't help but see the essential goodness of Manning, and offers him a seat to his left.
Then God turns to Tony Romo and says, "What do you believe?" Tony says, "I believe passion, discipline, courage and honor are the fundamentals of life. I, too, have been lucky, but win or lose, I've always tried to be a true sportsman, both on and off the playing fields." God is greatly moved by Tony's sincere eloquence, and he offers him a seat to his right.
Finally, God turns to Tom Brady: "And you, Tom, what do you believe?"
Tom replies, "I believe you're in my seat."
Thanks, Nancy!
Without being struck by lightning, how a New England Patriots fan thinks after yesterday:Three quarterbacks, Manning, Romo and Tom Brady, go to heaven to visit God and watch the Celtics play a game. God decides who will sit next to him by asking the boys a question...
God asks Peyton Manning first: "What do you believe?" Peyton thinks long and hard, looks God in the eye, and says, "I believe in hard work, and in staying true to family and friends. I believe in giving. I was lucky, but I always tried to do right by my fans." God can't help but see the essential goodness of Manning, and offers him a seat to his left.
Then God turns to Tony Romo and says, "What do you believe?" Tony says, "I believe passion, discipline, courage and honor are the fundamentals of life. I, too, have been lucky, but win or lose, I've always tried to be a true sportsman, both on and off the playing fields." God is greatly moved by Tony's sincere eloquence, and he offers him a seat to his right.
Finally, God turns to Tom Brady: "And you, Tom, what do you believe?"
Tom replies, "I believe you're in my seat."
Thanks, Nancy!
Visions From SF's "Awesome Future"
Why don't we have flying cars? This, and many other questions, have always been posed for our future. Yet, in downtown San Francisco, we've been blessed with a whole new ad campaign. Replacing those ubiquitous Apple ads or Gap come-ons in some key outdoor ad locations have been these "Postcards From Our Awesome Future," created by Packard Jennings and Steve Lambert.
The straight dope:
Have a look for yourself; the Zipline one you see to the left is an excerpt from one of them. Enjoy them all!
Why don't we have flying cars? This, and many other questions, have always been posed for our future. Yet, in downtown San Francisco, we've been blessed with a whole new ad campaign. Replacing those ubiquitous Apple ads or Gap come-ons in some key outdoor ad locations have been these "Postcards From Our Awesome Future," created by Packard Jennings and Steve Lambert. The straight dope:
"Packard Jennings and Steve Lambert asked architects, city planners, and transportation engineers, "what would you do if you didn’t have to worry about budgets, beauracracy, politics, or physics?" Ideas from these conversations were then merged, developed, and perhaps mildly exaggerated by Steve and Packard to create a series of 6 posters for the San Francisco Arts Commission’s Art on Market Street Program."
Have a look for yourself; the Zipline one you see to the left is an excerpt from one of them. Enjoy them all!
Labels: commercials, fun, San Francisco, silly
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Divx on iPhone?
One of the minor pain points of switching to the iPhone was the loss of the ability to watch Divx movies on my portable media solution. Not familiar with Divx? Can't say I blame you: it's a video codec that allows you to encode a video is a very compressed format without too much evidence of such on playback. Why does that matter? Well, your average DVD is about 6-8 gigabytes. Your average blank DVD is 4.7 GB. Your average CD ROM? A measly 650 MB. See the need to compress? You get the picture: if you want to build a library of your own videos and keep the space under control, being able to compress the video is a big plus. As a result, I have a significant amount of Divx movies that I can watch on my Divx-capable DVD players, but not on my iPhone. What to do?
Courtesy of RegNow, a division of Digital River, who frequently sell software that can be immediately downloaded and used, I was introduced to the Movavi Video Converter. Yep, it does just what it says: it takes any video format you have, and converts it to the video type of your choice. It also claims to be able to rip DVD's, although I have not put it to the test (I have another solution for that), I am happy to report it does work. Flawlessly and fast.
Best of all, courtesy of RegNow, I (and now you, dear reader) was offered the ability to pick up this handsome utility for less than one Andrew Jackson: $19.95. In other words, for the price of a typical DVD, I can now convert all of my library to formats I can watch on my iPhone. I debated doing so for all of 30 seconds, and I can honestly say I am quite pleased with the results. Note: if you plan to take advantage of this, make sure you remove the "Extended Download Service" they throw in the shopping cart if you don't want it; it adds another $7 to the price otherwise.
iPhone users, the rejoicing can now officially begin.
Courtesy of RegNow, a division of Digital River, who frequently sell software that can be immediately downloaded and used, I was introduced to the Movavi Video Converter. Yep, it does just what it says: it takes any video format you have, and converts it to the video type of your choice. It also claims to be able to rip DVD's, although I have not put it to the test (I have another solution for that), I am happy to report it does work. Flawlessly and fast.Best of all, courtesy of RegNow, I (and now you, dear reader) was offered the ability to pick up this handsome utility for less than one Andrew Jackson: $19.95. In other words, for the price of a typical DVD, I can now convert all of my library to formats I can watch on my iPhone. I debated doing so for all of 30 seconds, and I can honestly say I am quite pleased with the results. Note: if you plan to take advantage of this, make sure you remove the "Extended Download Service" they throw in the shopping cart if you don't want it; it adds another $7 to the price otherwise.
iPhone users, the rejoicing can now officially begin.
Finally! Inline Web Spell Correction!
I've complained before, both in this blog as well as to any co-workers in earshot, of the absolute idiocy of the lack of real-time inline automatic spell correction in web browsers. After all, Firefox offers real-time identification of spelling errors; is it really that hard to do automatic correction? Its one of the main reasons I continue to use Microsoft Outlook, for it's ability to use Word as your email editor, with its superb inline spell correction. But, I finally may have found a way.
As-U-Type takes a more holistic approach: it automatically corrects spelling in ALL applications, not just web browsers. This means IM clients, spreadsheets: you name it. Best of all, it offers the ability to save your common mistakes or abbreviations, and automatically correct them in the future.
I've tried As-U-Type before, but I decided to give it a serious run through. I was pleased to find that some of the areas that annoyed me before, such as the absolutely intrusive alerts on corrections, have been mitigated with user controls, and the app also allows you to specify certain applications it will not correct in (thank, but Word already does auto correction; I don't need another helper).
There are some downsides to the app, of course. One is cost: it's $40. A steep price for the functionality, but for fat fingered folks like me, it's worth it. Another is the training: while you can "teach" As-U-Type in real-time, you have to later go through a process by which you review the mistakes and corrections, and tell it to remember each forever. This one is annoying: I truly wish they had simply aped the Word dialog box flow for these. Finally, while the effect upon correction of wiping out the text you have typed and retying it and all subsequent words for you is very cute, it's unnerving and distracting for people like me who have only a passing ability to touch-type: I still look at the keyboard while I type most of the time, and looking to see text I have already typed disappearing and reappearing is jarring.
Still, with over a month of usage under my belt, I was glad to pull the trigger and my blogging, webmail, and IM's have all benefited. It's a bit of a chore to do the training, but the end definitely justifies the means.
As-U-Type takes a more holistic approach: it automatically corrects spelling in ALL applications, not just web browsers. This means IM clients, spreadsheets: you name it. Best of all, it offers the ability to save your common mistakes or abbreviations, and automatically correct them in the future. I've tried As-U-Type before, but I decided to give it a serious run through. I was pleased to find that some of the areas that annoyed me before, such as the absolutely intrusive alerts on corrections, have been mitigated with user controls, and the app also allows you to specify certain applications it will not correct in (thank, but Word already does auto correction; I don't need another helper).
There are some downsides to the app, of course. One is cost: it's $40. A steep price for the functionality, but for fat fingered folks like me, it's worth it. Another is the training: while you can "teach" As-U-Type in real-time, you have to later go through a process by which you review the mistakes and corrections, and tell it to remember each forever. This one is annoying: I truly wish they had simply aped the Word dialog box flow for these. Finally, while the effect upon correction of wiping out the text you have typed and retying it and all subsequent words for you is very cute, it's unnerving and distracting for people like me who have only a passing ability to touch-type: I still look at the keyboard while I type most of the time, and looking to see text I have already typed disappearing and reappearing is jarring.
Still, with over a month of usage under my belt, I was glad to pull the trigger and my blogging, webmail, and IM's have all benefited. It's a bit of a chore to do the training, but the end definitely justifies the means.
Labels: Software
One Step Closer
Thanks to the good folks at Iliumsoft, I am now a beta tester of their new eWallet Web Companion. If you are not familiar with eWallet, I've mentioned it several times before: it's the most elegant, secure, and useful program for managing sensitive information, such as passwords, PINs and the like. I have been a grateful user since version 2.0; they are up to 6.0 now, which I happily paid $10 to upgrade to for the access to the Web Companion.
Why am I so happy about this? Well, the iPhone has proved to be a great device, but it severely lacks the ability to access my passwords and sensitive data on the fly, as you can not, yet, load programs on to it without Jailbreaking it. Hopefully, with the SDK releasing next month, that's a temporary condition, but it, along with my old Texas Hold'em game, are the two biggest pain points I feel since moving from my Treo. With Web Companion, I get some relief: it offers secure web access to my data, and even provides a slick iPhone interface for access on the go.
I was lucky enough to get into the beta, and I have been very impressed with the attention to detail so far. For one, they clearly indicate where the current lacks are upfront, such as the ability to change your Web Companion password, which helps set expectations. For another, the online syncing ability between the Windows application and the Web Companion is smooth, seamless, and very slick. In other words, just what I would have expected from the folks at Ilium Software.
I look forward to the future revisions, as well as the refinements they will bring. Of course, I'm sure that the brilliant folks are already hard at work on the SDK-ready version, so I'll be ready!
Thanks to the good folks at Iliumsoft, I am now a beta tester of their new eWallet Web Companion. If you are not familiar with eWallet, I've mentioned it several times before: it's the most elegant, secure, and useful program for managing sensitive information, such as passwords, PINs and the like. I have been a grateful user since version 2.0; they are up to 6.0 now, which I happily paid $10 to upgrade to for the access to the Web Companion.Why am I so happy about this? Well, the iPhone has proved to be a great device, but it severely lacks the ability to access my passwords and sensitive data on the fly, as you can not, yet, load programs on to it without Jailbreaking it. Hopefully, with the SDK releasing next month, that's a temporary condition, but it, along with my old Texas Hold'em game, are the two biggest pain points I feel since moving from my Treo. With Web Companion, I get some relief: it offers secure web access to my data, and even provides a slick iPhone interface for access on the go.
I was lucky enough to get into the beta, and I have been very impressed with the attention to detail so far. For one, they clearly indicate where the current lacks are upfront, such as the ability to change your Web Companion password, which helps set expectations. For another, the online syncing ability between the Windows application and the Web Companion is smooth, seamless, and very slick. In other words, just what I would have expected from the folks at Ilium Software.
I look forward to the future revisions, as well as the refinements they will bring. Of course, I'm sure that the brilliant folks are already hard at work on the SDK-ready version, so I'll be ready!
Sunday, January 06, 2008
So WANTED
Um...how did I miss this? A movie, starring the always amazing Angelina Jolie, plus James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman, called Wanted, based on the comic of the same name. Angelina, back in action as a kickass assassin, with great effects and Matrix-like overtones? Uh, count me in as one of the Wanted.
See for yourself!
Um...how did I miss this? A movie, starring the always amazing Angelina Jolie, plus James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman, called Wanted, based on the comic of the same name. Angelina, back in action as a kickass assassin, with great effects and Matrix-like overtones? Uh, count me in as one of the Wanted.See for yourself!
iPhone vs. Treo: This Time It's Personal
Ok, gadget fans. With the acquisition of the iPhone, and a few days to play with it, it's time to revisit the "What's Stopping Me From An iPhone" post from last year and see what, if anything, has changed. The rules remain the same: rank each of the day to day functions I use(d) my Treo 680 to do on a scale of 1-10 and compare the score with the iPhone. Got it? Great, then let's get ready to rumble!
Contacts. My biggest concerns were how the iPhone, with it's lack of search functions, would handle the over 8K contacts I have. Verdict: not a problem. The flick of the finger interface is complimented by an "Add to Favorites" that makes it easy to distill the most important contacts. The speed of finding a contact is roughly the same as using the Treo, as the unreal lag of the Treo in searching such a large contacts database was about the same. I would still prefer a real search, but the elegant browse interface makes it more than tolerable.
Old score: Palm: 10, iPhone: 2.
New score: Palm: 8, iPhone: 6.
Calendar. My old review said: "as a view only for my Outlook data, it'd do the job...but that's it." Uh, not sure why I thought that; you can easily edit and create appointments with a very cool analog dial interface. And Outlook synchronization with iTunes is actually flawless. The only feature I miss is a very minor one: the ability to have different colors on the appointments, depending on the category. However, the graphical display is so much better, it more than makes up for it.
Old score: Palm: 10, iPhone: 3.
New score: Palm: 10, iPhone: 10.
Tasks. Well, no change here: the feature does not exist on the iPhone. However, to be fair, I have used a total of 10 tasks in the intervening months since I wrote the last review. I'd say that this is kind of a dead feature for me, but I'd still like to have it.
Old score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 0.
New score: Palm: 2, iPhone: 0.
Podcast Player. If anything, I was way too generous to Pocket Tunes for the Treo. Since that review, it has repeatedly had a problem with skipping and freezing: nothing intolerable, but compared to iTunes and the iPod experience, I can't believe I suffered so long.
Old score: Palm: 7, iPhone: 10.
New score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 10.
Music Player. Uh, ditto.
Old score: Palm: 6, iPhone: 10.
New score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 10.
Movie Player. Wow, the iTunes interface and the big iPhone screen makes a pretty dramatic difference. And no audio sync issues. The biggest change? In the Treo, all applications have a 1 pixel white border around the screen, but in the iPhone, it's all one gorgeous glossy black surface, making it extremely easy to immerse in the video. Of course, not everyone feels the same, including noted director David Lynch: (note: he drops the f-bomb in this clip, so not all that SFW):
I, however, disagree entirely, and am absolutely floored by the capabilities here. The difference between the two is the different between YouTube and HD: yes, you can watch video through either, but what a difference. And the iTunes interface for video podcasts, etc. makes a whole world come alive. The only downside? No DiVX/Xvid support, so I have to reconvert the movies I have. That's aggravating.
Old score: Palm: 7, iPhone: 10.
New score: Palm: 6, iPhone: 10.
Calculator. No change here: still a wash.
Unchanged score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 5.
eWallet. Here's the biggest pain point so far of the iPhone. The Treo offers seamless, encrypted local data access for all of my passwords, etc. The iPhone offers a web-based sorta-solution, but, while security is perfectly fine, getting the data in there is a pain if you are not using SplashID. Plus, I need that info ASAP, not just when I have a web connection. This is the single biggest pain point, and will hopefully be solved with the new SDK in February. There is some hope on the horizon: Ilium, makers of eWallet, are doing a web-based version, but I still want it locally.
Old score: Palm: 9, iPhone: 1.
New score: Palm: 9, iPhone: 3.
Memos. Notes on the iPhone don't sync with the PC. What the heck? Annoying. I can still get all of my Outlook notes through Plaxo's iPhone optimized web interface, but that's just aggravating. However, aside from taking notes in meetings, I really only used Memos for blogging. With the iPhone keyboard, that could be a problem. Still, that interface is SO sexy...
Old score: Palm: 6, iPhone: 5.
New score: Palm: 7, iPhone: 5.
Games.. Yep, it's just that bad. As noted before, sure there are web based ones, but they are all pretty primitive and foolish. The iPhone supposedly runs OSX; you're telling me I can't play games? I've seen Jailbroken iPhones playing a full Nintendo emulator; this HAS to be addressed.
Old score: Palm: 7, iPhone: 0.
New score: Palm: 7, iPhone: 1.
Email. Ok, hang on, here. First, the iPhone keyboard is no tactile Treo, but it's definitely getting better. But the iPhone's email client is...OK. It has some notable lacks:
1) The fact that you can't multiple delete items at once is simply silly.
2) It tries to configure POP email accounts through SSL by default; that's not a usual setting for most POP accounts.
3) It does a good job with Google, but, while there is a default set up for Yahoo, they don't tell you you need a Yahoo Plus! account for it to work.
4) Um...I have yet to successfully configure it for my office. I hear tell from coworkers that there is a way, but the lack of configuration option detail in the iPhone makes me concerned.
5) You can't save emails. Strangely, the iPhone has an interface to file emails, but only to Sent, Trash, or Inbox: you can't add a folder? Well, you can if you use Yahoo or IMAP, but it seems there is only a way to create folders through a Mac or iTunes (haven't even verified if this is possible yet). Only way to save them is to keep them as unread.
Look, this is simply unacceptable. I'm expecting a LOT more here. This will be fine for me to browse email while on the road, but to use as a laptop replacement as I did with the Treo? No way.
Old score: Palm: 8, iPhone: 5.
New score: Palm: 8, iPhone: 4.
Bluetooth. Pairing my Jawbone was painless, unlike the kind of kludgy way the Palm does it. Surprisingly, I don't miss the Bluetooth headphones: the volume on them was definitely not loud enough in my downhill bike runs, and they are a little big. Plus, the A2DP solution I was using was repeatedly failing, making me very frustrated. And let's not talk about the fact that the Treo was simply losing the ability to send the audio anywhere, especially with a Bluetooth headset. The iPhone earbuds, by contrast, are light, loud, and comfortable. I still hate wires, but it's not noticeable.
Old score: Palm: 8, iPhone: 4.
New score: Palm: 6, iPhone: 6.
Camera. I'm pleasantly surprised by the quality here: far better than I expected. And the UI is slick. I would prefer a one-touch button like the Treo, but it's workable.
Old score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 7.
New score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 8.
eReader. Ok, I'll admit it: I will miss this one. However, with the video capabilities and iTunes sync, I think I can find other distractions. Still, I REALLY want an iPhone eReader. On the other hand, I have been reading books on the Treo less and less, and more using Google Reader to keep up with blogs, etc, so the overall impact is much lower. Finally, Amy has a Kindle on the way, and I'm sure it will make my eReader look like stone tablets.
Old score: Palm: 7, iPhone: 0.
New score: Palm: 2, iPhone: 0.
Google Maps. iPhone has the edge right now, with a slick UI, but the lead will be getting better with the new firmware update, which adds cell tower triangulation to Google Maps.
Old score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 7.
New score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 8.
GPS. Hoo boy, this is a tough one. I REALLY love the idea of convergence devices: one device to do it all. However, with the Tro and GPS, there were...issues.
1) If a call came in while using the GPS, the Treo forgot to talk to the GPS unit while I am on the call on my Bluetooth headset. As a result, it doesn't update the map...real helpful.
2) Listening to podcasts while the GPS was on was pushing the Treo to it's limit. Lots of skips and stutters.
3) Like the rest of the Treo, the TomTom software sometimes forgot how to handle audio, so the voice would just...stop. No way to get it back.
Having said all of that, I still REALLY love the convenience of it, but I always had to take a power cord and the GPS unit (about the size of a pack of cigarettes); I might as well take a separate GPS. Still, hope is on the horizon for GPS on the iPhone, soon.
Old score: Palm: 9, iPhone: 0.
New score: Palm: 6, iPhone: 0.
Travel Tracker. Haven't touched it since TripIt allows iCal feeds of your itinerary. Why? I added it to my Google Calendar, and Plaxo picked up the changes, and added to my Calendar. Voila.
Old score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 6.
New score: Palm: 1, iPhone: 6.
The Web. I called this one perfectly: while the minimalist approach of Blazer helps on the Treo, Safari is a FAR superior experience. I wish it supported Flash, and yes, I wouldn't mind some 3G action when I'm out in the Bay, but WiFi everywhere else more than makes up for it.
Unchanged score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 9.
The final tallies:
Old scores: Palm: 124, iPhone: 81.
New scores: Palm: 100, iPhone: 91.
The interesting part here is that parity is much closer, not so much for the iPhone being better than I previously estimated, but for the Treo getting so much worse since the last time I did this exercise. Again, these results are massively subjective, but the gist is that, with some email improvements and the ability to have applications locally on the phone, the iPhone blows away the Treo. Until then, it's a close call. Business users probably want to stick to the Treo for a month or two more until the SDK starts yielding good applications. If you don't care so much about Blackberry type of emailing, it's a no brainer.
Ok, gadget fans. With the acquisition of the iPhone, and a few days to play with it, it's time to revisit the "What's Stopping Me From An iPhone" post from last year and see what, if anything, has changed. The rules remain the same: rank each of the day to day functions I use(d) my Treo 680 to do on a scale of 1-10 and compare the score with the iPhone. Got it? Great, then let's get ready to rumble!Contacts. My biggest concerns were how the iPhone, with it's lack of search functions, would handle the over 8K contacts I have. Verdict: not a problem. The flick of the finger interface is complimented by an "Add to Favorites" that makes it easy to distill the most important contacts. The speed of finding a contact is roughly the same as using the Treo, as the unreal lag of the Treo in searching such a large contacts database was about the same. I would still prefer a real search, but the elegant browse interface makes it more than tolerable. Old score: Palm: 10, iPhone: 2.
New score: Palm: 8, iPhone: 6.
Calendar. My old review said: "as a view only for my Outlook data, it'd do the job...but that's it." Uh, not sure why I thought that; you can easily edit and create appointments with a very cool analog dial interface. And Outlook synchronization with iTunes is actually flawless. The only feature I miss is a very minor one: the ability to have different colors on the appointments, depending on the category. However, the graphical display is so much better, it more than makes up for it.Old score: Palm: 10, iPhone: 3.
New score: Palm: 10, iPhone: 10.
Tasks. Well, no change here: the feature does not exist on the iPhone. However, to be fair, I have used a total of 10 tasks in the intervening months since I wrote the last review. I'd say that this is kind of a dead feature for me, but I'd still like to have it.
Old score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 0.
New score: Palm: 2, iPhone: 0.
Podcast Player. If anything, I was way too generous to Pocket Tunes for the Treo. Since that review, it has repeatedly had a problem with skipping and freezing: nothing intolerable, but compared to iTunes and the iPod experience, I can't believe I suffered so long.
Old score: Palm: 7, iPhone: 10.
New score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 10.
Music Player. Uh, ditto.Old score: Palm: 6, iPhone: 10.
New score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 10.
Movie Player. Wow, the iTunes interface and the big iPhone screen makes a pretty dramatic difference. And no audio sync issues. The biggest change? In the Treo, all applications have a 1 pixel white border around the screen, but in the iPhone, it's all one gorgeous glossy black surface, making it extremely easy to immerse in the video. Of course, not everyone feels the same, including noted director David Lynch: (note: he drops the f-bomb in this clip, so not all that SFW):
I, however, disagree entirely, and am absolutely floored by the capabilities here. The difference between the two is the different between YouTube and HD: yes, you can watch video through either, but what a difference. And the iTunes interface for video podcasts, etc. makes a whole world come alive. The only downside? No DiVX/Xvid support, so I have to reconvert the movies I have. That's aggravating.
Old score: Palm: 7, iPhone: 10.
New score: Palm: 6, iPhone: 10.
Calculator. No change here: still a wash.
Unchanged score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 5.
eWallet. Here's the biggest pain point so far of the iPhone. The Treo offers seamless, encrypted local data access for all of my passwords, etc. The iPhone offers a web-based sorta-solution, but, while security is perfectly fine, getting the data in there is a pain if you are not using SplashID. Plus, I need that info ASAP, not just when I have a web connection. This is the single biggest pain point, and will hopefully be solved with the new SDK in February. There is some hope on the horizon: Ilium, makers of eWallet, are doing a web-based version, but I still want it locally.
Old score: Palm: 9, iPhone: 1.
New score: Palm: 9, iPhone: 3.
Memos. Notes on the iPhone don't sync with the PC. What the heck? Annoying. I can still get all of my Outlook notes through Plaxo's iPhone optimized web interface, but that's just aggravating. However, aside from taking notes in meetings, I really only used Memos for blogging. With the iPhone keyboard, that could be a problem. Still, that interface is SO sexy...Old score: Palm: 6, iPhone: 5.
New score: Palm: 7, iPhone: 5.
Games.. Yep, it's just that bad. As noted before, sure there are web based ones, but they are all pretty primitive and foolish. The iPhone supposedly runs OSX; you're telling me I can't play games? I've seen Jailbroken iPhones playing a full Nintendo emulator; this HAS to be addressed.
Old score: Palm: 7, iPhone: 0.
New score: Palm: 7, iPhone: 1.
Email. Ok, hang on, here. First, the iPhone keyboard is no tactile Treo, but it's definitely getting better. But the iPhone's email client is...OK. It has some notable lacks:1) The fact that you can't multiple delete items at once is simply silly.
2) It tries to configure POP email accounts through SSL by default; that's not a usual setting for most POP accounts.
3) It does a good job with Google, but, while there is a default set up for Yahoo, they don't tell you you need a Yahoo Plus! account for it to work.
4) Um...I have yet to successfully configure it for my office. I hear tell from coworkers that there is a way, but the lack of configuration option detail in the iPhone makes me concerned.
5) You can't save emails. Strangely, the iPhone has an interface to file emails, but only to Sent, Trash, or Inbox: you can't add a folder? Well, you can if you use Yahoo or IMAP, but it seems there is only a way to create folders through a Mac or iTunes (haven't even verified if this is possible yet). Only way to save them is to keep them as unread.
Look, this is simply unacceptable. I'm expecting a LOT more here. This will be fine for me to browse email while on the road, but to use as a laptop replacement as I did with the Treo? No way.
Old score: Palm: 8, iPhone: 5.
New score: Palm: 8, iPhone: 4.
Bluetooth. Pairing my Jawbone was painless, unlike the kind of kludgy way the Palm does it. Surprisingly, I don't miss the Bluetooth headphones: the volume on them was definitely not loud enough in my downhill bike runs, and they are a little big. Plus, the A2DP solution I was using was repeatedly failing, making me very frustrated. And let's not talk about the fact that the Treo was simply losing the ability to send the audio anywhere, especially with a Bluetooth headset. The iPhone earbuds, by contrast, are light, loud, and comfortable. I still hate wires, but it's not noticeable.
Old score: Palm: 8, iPhone: 4.
New score: Palm: 6, iPhone: 6.
Camera. I'm pleasantly surprised by the quality here: far better than I expected. And the UI is slick. I would prefer a one-touch button like the Treo, but it's workable.
Old score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 7.
New score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 8.
eReader. Ok, I'll admit it: I will miss this one. However, with the video capabilities and iTunes sync, I think I can find other distractions. Still, I REALLY want an iPhone eReader. On the other hand, I have been reading books on the Treo less and less, and more using Google Reader to keep up with blogs, etc, so the overall impact is much lower. Finally, Amy has a Kindle on the way, and I'm sure it will make my eReader look like stone tablets.
Old score: Palm: 7, iPhone: 0.
New score: Palm: 2, iPhone: 0.
Google Maps. iPhone has the edge right now, with a slick UI, but the lead will be getting better with the new firmware update, which adds cell tower triangulation to Google Maps.Old score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 7.
New score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 8.
GPS. Hoo boy, this is a tough one. I REALLY love the idea of convergence devices: one device to do it all. However, with the Tro and GPS, there were...issues.
1) If a call came in while using the GPS, the Treo forgot to talk to the GPS unit while I am on the call on my Bluetooth headset. As a result, it doesn't update the map...real helpful.
2) Listening to podcasts while the GPS was on was pushing the Treo to it's limit. Lots of skips and stutters.
3) Like the rest of the Treo, the TomTom software sometimes forgot how to handle audio, so the voice would just...stop. No way to get it back.
Having said all of that, I still REALLY love the convenience of it, but I always had to take a power cord and the GPS unit (about the size of a pack of cigarettes); I might as well take a separate GPS. Still, hope is on the horizon for GPS on the iPhone, soon.
Old score: Palm: 9, iPhone: 0.
New score: Palm: 6, iPhone: 0.
Travel Tracker. Haven't touched it since TripIt allows iCal feeds of your itinerary. Why? I added it to my Google Calendar, and Plaxo picked up the changes, and added to my Calendar. Voila.
Old score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 6.
New score: Palm: 1, iPhone: 6.
The Web. I called this one perfectly: while the minimalist approach of Blazer helps on the Treo, Safari is a FAR superior experience. I wish it supported Flash, and yes, I wouldn't mind some 3G action when I'm out in the Bay, but WiFi everywhere else more than makes up for it.
Unchanged score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 9.
The final tallies:
Old scores: Palm: 124, iPhone: 81.
New scores: Palm: 100, iPhone: 91.
The interesting part here is that parity is much closer, not so much for the iPhone being better than I previously estimated, but for the Treo getting so much worse since the last time I did this exercise. Again, these results are massively subjective, but the gist is that, with some email improvements and the ability to have applications locally on the phone, the iPhone blows away the Treo. Until then, it's a close call. Business users probably want to stick to the Treo for a month or two more until the SDK starts yielding good applications. If you don't care so much about Blackberry type of emailing, it's a no brainer.
Labels: Apple, cell phones, Google Maps, iPhone, Palm, Plaxo, Treo
Kicking the Outlook Habit
As a professional with over 8K contacts and over 2K appointments, I am a hopeless Microsoft Outlook addict. However, as any power user of Outlook will tell you, it becomes massively bloated, slow as molasses, and utterly frustrating with even the slightest extended usage. Worse, there is no way to make it go back to even resembling a responsive application once the damage has been done. Why, then, you ask, do I continue to use it?
- It is still the best email application, with it's MS Word integration with the only true inline spell correct on the market.
- It is the defacto standard for corporate mail and appointment requests.
- It is the best all in one application.
However, like any Outlook power user, I have found that I need to add things on to it to make it usable. This is where it gets fun: each of those add-ons makes Outlook massively harder to use. For instance:
- Spam control. Outlook's spam filters are laughable. I could use our server's draconian spam controls, but would easily miss emails from my clients.
Instead, I happily subscribe to Cloudmark Desktop: for $5 a month, I get incredibly intelligent spam protection, with built in crowdsourcing from over half a million users. The first user who gets a spam email marks it as such in Outlook, using the Outlook-integrated Cloudmark Desktop. The next person does the same. If a few more do, every other person who gets that email will automatically have it thrown in the spam folder. Using Cloudmark, I went from over 100 emails a day I had to delete as spam to less then 2. It works, period.
- Syncing. I sync my contacts and tasks with Salesforce, so I can keep up with my organization's workload. I sync everything with Plaxo, so I can have my information synchronized across Google, Yahoo, etc. Until last week, I synced with Palm for my Treo. Each of these require a little add-on to Outlook.
- Lookout. Though no longer made, and no longer available (Microsoft acquired the company, and replaced it with the far more bloated Windows Search), it can still be found, if you know where to look for it. It adds a powerful search, Google-style, to Outlook that makes it easy to find any email or contact, ever, in your Outlook. Outlook's own built-in search is so woefully painful, Lookout is simply a must-have.
However, time has marched on, and ever so slowly, there have started to appear a crop of combinations that tempt me to finally break my Outlook addiction. First, let me say it: I would LOVE to switch to Gmail exclusively. The calendar functions are perfect (actually, superior to Outlook by far), and play nicely with Outlook meeting requests. Their email interface is incredibly powerful, with integrated Google search that is truly the gold standard, and their spam detection is incredibly good, with almost no errors. With Plaxo integration, it even satisfies most of my syncing habits. However, the biggest Outlook withdrawal I would feel is the lack of realtime inline spell correction. I've written about this before, but it amazes me still this hasn't been solved. I've recently given As-U-Type a more thorough try, and, with some tweaking of the settings, it actually seems to do what I want without annoying the hell out of me. So, it seems possible this might be my Methadone.
Syncing? Well, Plaxo does 50% of the work. However, it lacks 2 major sync points: Salesforce and my new iPhone. For Salesforce, the picture looks pretty bleak: while there are definitely tools coming to sync Salesforce's Calendar to Google Calendar, I have found nothing for the contacts. Ouch. Given the announced partnership between the two companies, I expected something, but so far it's only seemed to yield AdWords and Google Maps integration.
For the iPhone, the future looks much brighter. First, there is Yahoo Contacts syncing built into iTunes. However, it means either dealing with Yahoo's abominable mail interface (uh...can I actually see my mail, or are there only ads in there?), or ponying up $20 for a Yahoo Plus account. Alas, the Plaxo/Yahoo sync is offline for now, and importing my contacts from a CSV seemed to top out at 1K or so, leaving me with no contacts past the letter "C." Not a real confidence builder, but the built-in iTunes sync is pretty tempting...
Even better, GooSync offers over-the-air based synchronization of Google Calendars, for free, and it even works with the iPhone. A paid version gets you more bells and whistles, but, alas, still no contact syncing. The problem seems to lie with Google, not providing an API for Gmail Contacts like they do for Calendar. There are some promising developments coming, not the least of which is Apple's February release of the iPhone SDK, but there is also the tantalizing temptation of Funambol, which claims they will have an over-the-air mobile contact sync soon:
As a professional with over 8K contacts and over 2K appointments, I am a hopeless Microsoft Outlook addict. However, as any power user of Outlook will tell you, it becomes massively bloated, slow as molasses, and utterly frustrating with even the slightest extended usage. Worse, there is no way to make it go back to even resembling a responsive application once the damage has been done. Why, then, you ask, do I continue to use it?- It is still the best email application, with it's MS Word integration with the only true inline spell correct on the market.
- It is the defacto standard for corporate mail and appointment requests.
- It is the best all in one application.
However, like any Outlook power user, I have found that I need to add things on to it to make it usable. This is where it gets fun: each of those add-ons makes Outlook massively harder to use. For instance:
- Spam control. Outlook's spam filters are laughable. I could use our server's draconian spam controls, but would easily miss emails from my clients.
Instead, I happily subscribe to Cloudmark Desktop: for $5 a month, I get incredibly intelligent spam protection, with built in crowdsourcing from over half a million users. The first user who gets a spam email marks it as such in Outlook, using the Outlook-integrated Cloudmark Desktop. The next person does the same. If a few more do, every other person who gets that email will automatically have it thrown in the spam folder. Using Cloudmark, I went from over 100 emails a day I had to delete as spam to less then 2. It works, period.- Syncing. I sync my contacts and tasks with Salesforce, so I can keep up with my organization's workload. I sync everything with Plaxo, so I can have my information synchronized across Google, Yahoo, etc. Until last week, I synced with Palm for my Treo. Each of these require a little add-on to Outlook.
- Lookout. Though no longer made, and no longer available (Microsoft acquired the company, and replaced it with the far more bloated Windows Search), it can still be found, if you know where to look for it. It adds a powerful search, Google-style, to Outlook that makes it easy to find any email or contact, ever, in your Outlook. Outlook's own built-in search is so woefully painful, Lookout is simply a must-have.However, time has marched on, and ever so slowly, there have started to appear a crop of combinations that tempt me to finally break my Outlook addiction. First, let me say it: I would LOVE to switch to Gmail exclusively. The calendar functions are perfect (actually, superior to Outlook by far), and play nicely with Outlook meeting requests. Their email interface is incredibly powerful, with integrated Google search that is truly the gold standard, and their spam detection is incredibly good, with almost no errors. With Plaxo integration, it even satisfies most of my syncing habits. However, the biggest Outlook withdrawal I would feel is the lack of realtime inline spell correction. I've written about this before, but it amazes me still this hasn't been solved. I've recently given As-U-Type a more thorough try, and, with some tweaking of the settings, it actually seems to do what I want without annoying the hell out of me. So, it seems possible this might be my Methadone.
Syncing? Well, Plaxo does 50% of the work. However, it lacks 2 major sync points: Salesforce and my new iPhone. For Salesforce, the picture looks pretty bleak: while there are definitely tools coming to sync Salesforce's Calendar to Google Calendar, I have found nothing for the contacts. Ouch. Given the announced partnership between the two companies, I expected something, but so far it's only seemed to yield AdWords and Google Maps integration.
For the iPhone, the future looks much brighter. First, there is Yahoo Contacts syncing built into iTunes. However, it means either dealing with Yahoo's abominable mail interface (uh...can I actually see my mail, or are there only ads in there?), or ponying up $20 for a Yahoo Plus account. Alas, the Plaxo/Yahoo sync is offline for now, and importing my contacts from a CSV seemed to top out at 1K or so, leaving me with no contacts past the letter "C." Not a real confidence builder, but the built-in iTunes sync is pretty tempting...Even better, GooSync offers over-the-air based synchronization of Google Calendars, for free, and it even works with the iPhone. A paid version gets you more bells and whistles, but, alas, still no contact syncing. The problem seems to lie with Google, not providing an API for Gmail Contacts like they do for Calendar. There are some promising developments coming, not the least of which is Apple's February release of the iPhone SDK, but there is also the tantalizing temptation of Funambol, which claims they will have an over-the-air mobile contact sync soon:"Compatible with Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, AOL, Microsoft Outlook as well as other email systems, the software interfaces with the free myFUNAMBOL portal which stores the most up-to-date collection of your PIM data. By the end of this year, Funambol expect to have a basic, contacts-sync’ing version available."For now, it appears I am still stuck sucking on the Outlook glass pipe while Google and Apple chortle at a new addiction they are cooking up. Hey, I'm open to ideas here: anyone??
Stormy Weather
Labels: Marin, San Francisco
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Plaxo Users: Banned on Facebook
Ouch. It appears Plaxo was attempting to expand their Pulse service by crosslinking data from Facebook users with their Plaxo ID's. Unfortunately, they chose to do this without Facebook's OK, and used an utility to "screenscrape" Facebook. Facebook was, understandably, a bit miffed and responded by banning the users of this new Plaxo service from Facebook, including noted journalist Robert Scoble. Ouch.
Ouch. It appears Plaxo was attempting to expand their Pulse service by crosslinking data from Facebook users with their Plaxo ID's. Unfortunately, they chose to do this without Facebook's OK, and used an utility to "screenscrape" Facebook. Facebook was, understandably, a bit miffed and responded by banning the users of this new Plaxo service from Facebook, including noted journalist Robert Scoble. Ouch.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Flickr, Local
I do love Flickr; it makes photo sharing, storage, and all around management perfect. But one annoying problem I have is getting my nice Flickr photos locally, on my hard drive. Half of you are going "Huh? That makes no sense: you uploaded them from your local computer, didn't you?", while the other half of you are asking "Uh...why would you want to? The photos are all on Flickr; can't you just view them there?" Both of you are right, but here are my reasons:
1) I use Picnik to edit and improve my photos. Once edited, I save them directly back to Flickr, overwriting the uploaded versions. That means, even if the image was originally sent from my hard drive, I don't have the edited version locally.
2) Windows' built in screensaver has an option to display pictures, but only local ones. Sure, I can use a Flickr screensaver, but it doesn't fill the screen like the Windows one.
3) I also have a networked DVD player hooked to a TV. While it can wirelessly browse the network and web, it can't pull pictures from anything but the local network. So, if I want to show off the latest Flickr pics on the big TV, I'm SOL.
Enter FlickrDown. It allows you to specify a Flickr username, and pull down all of the sets for that user to your local hard drive. Sets become folders, so no losing any of the groupings. And it just works, period. Down come the images, all in their native sizes, and voila: all three of my points above are addressed. I'm not too sure if there's any syncing possible (i.e. I delete a photo on Flickr, and it deletes locally), but I'll start with this. Hey Flickr: might want to think about adding this to the repertoire of tools!
1) I use Picnik to edit and improve my photos. Once edited, I save them directly back to Flickr, overwriting the uploaded versions. That means, even if the image was originally sent from my hard drive, I don't have the edited version locally.
2) Windows' built in screensaver has an option to display pictures, but only local ones. Sure, I can use a Flickr screensaver, but it doesn't fill the screen like the Windows one.
3) I also have a networked DVD player hooked to a TV. While it can wirelessly browse the network and web, it can't pull pictures from anything but the local network. So, if I want to show off the latest Flickr pics on the big TV, I'm SOL.
Enter FlickrDown. It allows you to specify a Flickr username, and pull down all of the sets for that user to your local hard drive. Sets become folders, so no losing any of the groupings. And it just works, period. Down come the images, all in their native sizes, and voila: all three of my points above are addressed. I'm not too sure if there's any syncing possible (i.e. I delete a photo on Flickr, and it deletes locally), but I'll start with this. Hey Flickr: might want to think about adding this to the repertoire of tools!
iPhone Acquired. Palm Weeps.
Yep. After suffering yet another Treo meltdown on my recent Tucson trip, I resolved that this New Year would be free of such frustrations. And thanks to AT&T, I not only did it, but came out ahead.
For those who are not familiar with my recent Treo issues, it's developed an exasperatingly unpredictable habit of forgetting how to put audio through. The built in earpiece? Nope. The speakerphone? Nah. The Bluetooth headset? Ha! No, in fact it simply removes the icon from the screen that lets you control where the audio goes to, leaving your caller in limbo: they can hear you, but you can't hear them. Ever. More disturbingly, when I hard reset the phone, it still did it. Randomly, a day later, it stops. When I called AT&T about this, they immediately offered to send me a new unit, at no charge, and had me send back the defective one; extremely great service, as it was past warranty. The new Treo came, and within weeks, the same problem started. Enough was enough: I love the multifunction of my Treo, but sound is pretty key. So, how to get the iPhone?
I started by calling AT&T again. I explained the situation, and the CSR asked me what I'd like to do. I asked if I could receive a credit; she said yes, towards an equal or lesser phone. I asked if I could get an iPhone and pay the difference; she immediately pointed out that Apple will not let them discount the iPhone. However, she offered a credit of $200 for my Treo. In fact, without prompting, she also offered to waive the $50 fee this would normally incur, AND give me an extra $50 credit for my aggravation. This is just stunning customer service: I would get $250 in credit towards a $399 phone. How to execute this deal? Simple, she said: head down to the nearest AT&T Wireless store, have the sales rep pull up the notes, and they'd take care of it.
I headed down to the local store, where the helpful sales rep looked over the notes on my account with astonishment: he had no idea how to do this, as it would mean discounting the iPhone, which is a major no no. The manager joined us, and HE looked over the notes, sure to find something wrong, and he was astonished as well. After stuttering that he couldn't do it, I asked him a simple question: as the manager, put himself in my position as the customer; what would he expect and be satisfied to hear at that moment? To his credit, he laid it out: I could buy the iPhone at full price, knowing I could return it (unopened) within 30 days for a full refund. I could then go back to my office and call AT&T to discuss how to address it. Good plan; I paid with Amex (to protect against anything going wrong), and headed back, iPhone in tow. Note I still have my Treo at this point.
Back in the office, called and spoke with another extremely helpful CSR. She looked over my notes, called a supervisor, who authorized crediting my AT&T account $249. They asked for the iPhone's IMEI and SIM numbers, and processed the credit. I was skeptical; she suggested I log into my online account to prove it. I did, and there was my $249 credit. I asked to speak to the supervisor, thanked her and complimented her on her staff, and took the iPhone home.
So, here I sit, blogging while my iPhone syncs to my new Dell, happily. My Treo, sensing it's end, decided to spontaneously reboot twice on the ride home today, the last blowing away all software registration info. Note that I still have the Treo: potentially, I could sell it on eBay for $150; more, with the accessories I have bought, and come out AHEAD, with the AT&T credits. I cannot offer enough kudos to AT&T for not putting me through a lot of hoops and addressing the issue head on. Well done, folks.
So, look for the iPhone posts soon!
Yep. After suffering yet another Treo meltdown on my recent Tucson trip, I resolved that this New Year would be free of such frustrations. And thanks to AT&T, I not only did it, but came out ahead. For those who are not familiar with my recent Treo issues, it's developed an exasperatingly unpredictable habit of forgetting how to put audio through. The built in earpiece? Nope. The speakerphone? Nah. The Bluetooth headset? Ha! No, in fact it simply removes the icon from the screen that lets you control where the audio goes to, leaving your caller in limbo: they can hear you, but you can't hear them. Ever. More disturbingly, when I hard reset the phone, it still did it. Randomly, a day later, it stops. When I called AT&T about this, they immediately offered to send me a new unit, at no charge, and had me send back the defective one; extremely great service, as it was past warranty. The new Treo came, and within weeks, the same problem started. Enough was enough: I love the multifunction of my Treo, but sound is pretty key. So, how to get the iPhone?
I started by calling AT&T again. I explained the situation, and the CSR asked me what I'd like to do. I asked if I could receive a credit; she said yes, towards an equal or lesser phone. I asked if I could get an iPhone and pay the difference; she immediately pointed out that Apple will not let them discount the iPhone. However, she offered a credit of $200 for my Treo. In fact, without prompting, she also offered to waive the $50 fee this would normally incur, AND give me an extra $50 credit for my aggravation. This is just stunning customer service: I would get $250 in credit towards a $399 phone. How to execute this deal? Simple, she said: head down to the nearest AT&T Wireless store, have the sales rep pull up the notes, and they'd take care of it.
I headed down to the local store, where the helpful sales rep looked over the notes on my account with astonishment: he had no idea how to do this, as it would mean discounting the iPhone, which is a major no no. The manager joined us, and HE looked over the notes, sure to find something wrong, and he was astonished as well. After stuttering that he couldn't do it, I asked him a simple question: as the manager, put himself in my position as the customer; what would he expect and be satisfied to hear at that moment? To his credit, he laid it out: I could buy the iPhone at full price, knowing I could return it (unopened) within 30 days for a full refund. I could then go back to my office and call AT&T to discuss how to address it. Good plan; I paid with Amex (to protect against anything going wrong), and headed back, iPhone in tow. Note I still have my Treo at this point.
Back in the office, called and spoke with another extremely helpful CSR. She looked over my notes, called a supervisor, who authorized crediting my AT&T account $249. They asked for the iPhone's IMEI and SIM numbers, and processed the credit. I was skeptical; she suggested I log into my online account to prove it. I did, and there was my $249 credit. I asked to speak to the supervisor, thanked her and complimented her on her staff, and took the iPhone home.
So, here I sit, blogging while my iPhone syncs to my new Dell, happily. My Treo, sensing it's end, decided to spontaneously reboot twice on the ride home today, the last blowing away all software registration info. Note that I still have the Treo: potentially, I could sell it on eBay for $150; more, with the accessories I have bought, and come out AHEAD, with the AT&T credits. I cannot offer enough kudos to AT&T for not putting me through a lot of hoops and addressing the issue head on. Well done, folks.
So, look for the iPhone posts soon!
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
When IS the right time to drink that wine?
Living in Northern California, I have learned to LOVE wine. I've become kind of a California wine snob, only because the Napa and Sonoma valleys are less than an hour away, so why go to a wine store? After a day of tastings and tours, I tend to buy some selected bottles, carefully storing them for eventual drinking. After all, wine ages well, right? Not always, as I recently found out with one of my cherished 1994 La Crema Pinot Noirs: there are ideal times to drink wines. But when is the right time for each of my disparate bottles?
Enter Vinofolio.com's VinCellar. Free, it allows you to enter each of the bottles in your collection. It looks each up, presenting you with an image of the label to ensure it's actually your wine, then compliments each with reviews, value estimates, and, most importantly, ideal peak years to drink. Voila: your collection is stored,and you can even add your own notes.
It's a great asset that, with a little Web 2.0 work, could be made even better. Imagine being able to see the notes from other VinCellar users with the same bottles. Or get an email when the wines you've rated the highest are available for sale. RSS or email alerts for ideal drinking times? Share your VinCellar with others? The list goes on.
In any case, I highly recommend you get your free VinCellar account to keep that wine flowing at its ideal, and don't be saddened when you open that treasured bottle ever again.
Enter Vinofolio.com's VinCellar. Free, it allows you to enter each of the bottles in your collection. It looks each up, presenting you with an image of the label to ensure it's actually your wine, then compliments each with reviews, value estimates, and, most importantly, ideal peak years to drink. Voila: your collection is stored,and you can even add your own notes.It's a great asset that, with a little Web 2.0 work, could be made even better. Imagine being able to see the notes from other VinCellar users with the same bottles. Or get an email when the wines you've rated the highest are available for sale. RSS or email alerts for ideal drinking times? Share your VinCellar with others? The list goes on.
In any case, I highly recommend you get your free VinCellar account to keep that wine flowing at its ideal, and don't be saddened when you open that treasured bottle ever again.
Back on the air
Been a little more quite than I anticipated. First, the holidays, mixed with an office move, then followed by a trip to Tucson to visit the family. Pix are on Flickr; they should be Picnik'ed mostly later today. Bonus: my mother unearthed some classic child photos of me,and I'll be posting them to Flickr, as well.
Some random comments:
- For those who have been following my Twitters, I'm sure you've had enough of my complaints about US Air, but for those who missed them, I advise avoiding them at all costs. Even though I had significant frequent flier miles with them, I will avoid flying them, ever again, if possible. Atrocious service,substandard aircraft, and their Phoenix hub is like a third world country. We ran a bit late, got to the counter 44 minutes before the flight, and were denied boarding becuase we had luggage to check. Result? An unplanned overnight stay inthe stunning airport La Quinta,at our cost.
- Dude, I got my Dell. A sweet Inspiron desktop from the Dell Outlet. Dual core processor, huge hard drive, extra 128MB video card and more, for less than $350. Man, is this thing QUIET, and stylish. One surprise: why the complaints about Vista? After all the hype about how bad it is, I expected horror, but I have been very pleased. The Aero interface is great, and it recognized all of my peripherals upon just plugging them in, or linked me directly to the driver site for those I needed to download.
- With the Dell installed, the technology train moved down: Amy got my old P4 2.4 GHZ machine. We moved the ultrasmall HP Windows Media Center to the kitchen, turning the LCD TV into a ginormous monitor for watching movies, tv shows, playing music, etc. The networked DVD player headed to the living room, allowing us to watch the movies on the PC's on the big screen, as well as stream music to the stereo. All in all, a totally networked house.
- Some great holiday gifts, including the aformentioned USB Doomsday Hub. Red Steel for the Wii, as well as two Wiimote chargers (pictured), to keep us from investing in endless AA batteries. And some great clothes and an REI shopping spree, to boot!
Next up: a trip to Hawaii (our first) for a mix of work and pleasure.
Some random comments:
- For those who have been following my Twitters, I'm sure you've had enough of my complaints about US Air, but for those who missed them, I advise avoiding them at all costs. Even though I had significant frequent flier miles with them, I will avoid flying them, ever again, if possible. Atrocious service,substandard aircraft, and their Phoenix hub is like a third world country. We ran a bit late, got to the counter 44 minutes before the flight, and were denied boarding becuase we had luggage to check. Result? An unplanned overnight stay inthe stunning airport La Quinta,at our cost.
- Dude, I got my Dell. A sweet Inspiron desktop from the Dell Outlet. Dual core processor, huge hard drive, extra 128MB video card and more, for less than $350. Man, is this thing QUIET, and stylish. One surprise: why the complaints about Vista? After all the hype about how bad it is, I expected horror, but I have been very pleased. The Aero interface is great, and it recognized all of my peripherals upon just plugging them in, or linked me directly to the driver site for those I needed to download.
- With the Dell installed, the technology train moved down: Amy got my old P4 2.4 GHZ machine. We moved the ultrasmall HP Windows Media Center to the kitchen, turning the LCD TV into a ginormous monitor for watching movies, tv shows, playing music, etc. The networked DVD player headed to the living room, allowing us to watch the movies on the PC's on the big screen, as well as stream music to the stereo. All in all, a totally networked house.
- Some great holiday gifts, including the aformentioned USB Doomsday Hub. Red Steel for the Wii, as well as two Wiimote chargers (pictured), to keep us from investing in endless AA batteries. And some great clothes and an REI shopping spree, to boot!Next up: a trip to Hawaii (our first) for a mix of work and pleasure.
