Tretakoff Musings
Saturday, January 10, 2009
What do Palm and Doug Flutie Have In Common?
I've always been a huge fan of Doug Flutie. I grew up right down the street from the very stadium he played his college ball (and made his legend). I followed him through both the CFL and the NFL. In fact, I even flew hundreds of miles, just for the chance to see him play. No matter how successful as a pro he was, everyone always remembers Doug Flutie for the play that put him on the national stage: the Hail Mary pass that won the Bowl.
I've always been a huge fan of Doug Flutie. I grew up right down the street from the very stadium he played his college ball (and made his legend). I followed him through both the CFL and the NFL. In fact, I even flew hundreds of miles, just for the chance to see him play. No matter how successful as a pro he was, everyone always remembers Doug Flutie for the play that put him on the national stage: the Hail Mary pass that won the Bowl.Years later, while he was setting record after record in Canada, his team even brought the recipient of that pass, Gerard Phelan, to the team. Was Phelan that great? Not at all. Did Flutie need a great receiver? Absolutely not. But the team wanted the public to recapture their sense of awe and wonder at this display that changed the world by evoking the connection of that Hail Mary.
This week, another former champion, known for taking the world by storm, took the stage again for one last Hail Mary pass: Palm. Similarly, it was a desperate situation: Palm had practically owned the smartphone game with the Treo, but in recent years, the brand, company, and products faltered, and desperation set in. With all of the gravitas of that last second chance, Palm staged their Hail Mary this week at the Consumer Electronics Show. The lights came down, the stage lit up, and the pass was launched high over the heads of the curious, anxious spectators...and, like Flutie, it delivered the score when it needed to.
This is the last, desperate hope of a company that introduced the world to the smartphone, a concept we take for granted now. At this year's CES, the CEO of Palm, Ed Colligan, pointed out some of the innovations Palm was once known for. For instance, when the Palm Pilot was first introduced, the competition was not a laptop or other smartphone; it was pen and paper. The near-legendary story goes that, when designing the perfect interface and form factor for the Palm Pilot, Ed and the other team members carried around a block of wood, pretending it was the perfect device. From that, the UI became intuitive, and the PDA was born. Similarly, when getting into the smartphone space, others tried to shrink the laptop; Palm tried to instead expand the range of the PDA, and it worked.
With all of that, Palm's Hail Mary is the Palm Pre: a completely new smartphone. The market has changed, so Palm's approach with the Pre has changed. Today, we have the iPhone, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile phones, as well as Google's Android platform just launching. Palm hired Jon Rubenstein away from Apple and focused on building an innovative product to take back the space that Apple had claimed, and the Pre does just that. It innovates in several excellent ways, and builds on both Palm's expertise and experience, in a way that is unique.
If you think of it, today's smartphone market is actually a selection of Frankensteins: each of the popular phones was an evolution of a solution to a specific problem. The iPhone is the mobile communication expression of the iPod: a device who's roots are in music, media, and smooth interaction with the Apple application universe. The Blackberry is the ultimate expression of an e-mail-only device, with media and web functions bolted on. Windows Mobile tries to be the familiar desktop operating system, on a smaller screen, for those who need that level of comfort. Android is..well, very raw and powerful, much like all of Google's great apps. But all of these are evolutions from a specific set of roots; the Pre is not. Here's some examples:
- In almost every popular mobile smartphone platform, the interface is modal: whatever you are doing completely takes over the screen at all times. Part of this is a result of programming for small screens, but mostly it's familiar. The Pre is not: alerts, emails, alarms, SMS...they all flow neatly into the edge of the screen, allowing you to expand their focus when you want, but not distracting you from finishing that e-mail or watching that video. In a mobile platform, that is incredibly powerful, and much more useful; only Google's Android even comes close to this.
- Apple innovated the touchscreen incredibly well with the iPhone. The Pre does better, simultaneously introducing intuitive gesture based navigation, while hearkening back to Palm's touchscreen/input area roots. No Save buttons; the Pre assumes everything is saved, always, and gives you access to all of your data or apps with a single finger flick.
- In every other platform, Search is an option. In the Pre, it's the default. Start typing, anywhere, and it immediately gives you the things that match. Application names, contacts, emails, songs, or web searches...no separate searches or even a search application; it just looks, and gives you the options. I have over 3000 contacts alone; being able to simply type whatever I am thinking, whether it be to settle a bet or make a phone call, and have the Pre do the work of finding it, is far, far better than having to bring up a phone app, scroll through the list, find the right number...
- Palm knows sync; in fact, they brought the concept to the world. As they point out in the keynote, the world's sync problems are different now. When the Palm Pilot came around, it was about digitizing your rolodex and syncing with your PC. Now, it's about keeping your social web in sync with your address book. The Pre assumes your data is "in the cloud;" it focuses on seamlessly, intuitively syncing your address book with Facebook, or Gmail, with little to no effort from you. To me, this is the most powerful feature: it's like Plaxo and Xobni in the UI of a phone. It makes the phone the central hub, not an add on, which reflects more and more the truth of smartphone users.
- The Pre does a lot of what they are calling "synergy." This means, for instance, if I get an SMS, the Pre shows me, but it also shows me if the person is on IM or e-mail. I can choose to carry on the same conversation, platform to platform, regardless; it focuses on the conversation, not the medium. This means if I get an IM, but the person signs off, I can continue the same conversation, in the same screen, over SMS or e-mail.
- The hardware is very well thought out. 3.1" screen (about .4" smaller than the iPhone) gives plenty of real estate. Slide out keyboard is a real winner and an iPhone killer, especially for those business users for e-mail. Form factor focuses on compact but not crowded: very elegant use of space, and very slim. Standards abound, from the headphone jack to Micro USB expansion slots. A removable battery, allowing the user to never be without. And, to my mind, best of all, wireless induction charging, allowing you to simply rest the phone on a small paperweight and it charges: no cables to plug in, no contacts to line up.
This device needed to be all that it is, and Palm delivered. It takes a radically different approach to the smartphone, and pays off in a revolutionary way, one that will yield dividends. As we felt when we saw the iPhone, this device changes everything. Ironically, it came the same week as the most lackluster Apple keynote since Steve returned to Apple, and the similarities of this keynote were startling. It was like the reality distortion field dissipated in Cupertino and reformed in Las Vegas: Ed Colligan did a great Steve Jobs, and Jon Rubenstein was a fantastic Jonathan Ives.
So, the $1,000,000 question: having been a true iPhone fanatic since the launch, and having completely come over to the Apple world, would I be willing to chuck the iPhone for a Palm Pre? The answer is a very surprising, but highly conditional, yes. Yep, I like what I see, and I can see this device answering a slew of problems I have. So why conditional?
- No one knows how much this device will cost. Rumors range from $99 to $399. Given that they are going after the iPhone and Android, it should cost about $199-$249. However, Palm has a shaky history on pricing: the new model Treos have routinely been at the $499 range, before they have lowered the price to something normal. To hit it out of the park, I'd say $199 is the magic number.
- Sprint is the only carrier, to start with. To be fair, I have little recent info on them, but Amy's Kindle uses Sprint's data network for it's connection, and that's been pretty poor where we live. I'm sure it's far better in the city, and, like my iPhone, I mostly use WiFi at home and the office. However, switching carriers is a big question mark for me, and I'd have to be seriously convinced of the reliability. Gotta say, I love the idea of having access to the NFL's exclusive mobile content to Sprint, though.
- In all of the cool demos, there was not a single shot I could find of the device's ability to play video. Honestly, this is one of the killer apps of the iPhone: watching movies or video podcasts is a no-brainer, and they look great. I find the lack of video demo suspicious, and makes me concerned about using the Pre as a media player.
- Likewise, the music player looks good, but the iPhone/iTunes sync is really what sets it apart. All I can think of, based on their insistence that this device is meant to be it's own stand alone, and the presence of a big internal memory, as well as expandability to other storage, means that there is no "music sync;" you just put it on the device, and manage your music there. Given their stress on "all Pre applications will have internet connectivity," I can only hope a native podcast client will also be part of it. With those, I could see freeing myself from iTunes.
- When does this thing come out? First half of 2009; um...huh? This is one area Apple excels at: they announce the device, and set the date. Between now and "then," we could have a whole new firmware revision to the iPhone (vastly increasing its capabilities); a slew of new Android phones (with a wealth of new applications), and more. This should have been ready to buy Feb. 1.
There are still lots more questions. How well will it support Exchange? I saw Chapura prominently listed as a partner up there; that makes me concerned that Exchange support will not be native. How powerful will the apps be? The iPhone has some serious hardware to take on even gaming consoles, but the Pre looks to be more lightweight, but easier to develop for. Given it's power to be the hub, how effectively does it back up? I lose or break my iPhone, and I can just plug in a new one, and it restores it perfectly. What will the PC/Mac interaction be? Or will there really need to be, given that you can mount it as a USB drive? Like I said, still lots more...
The Palm Pre looks to be a touchdown pass. It's focus on truly intuitive use, full seamless anticipatory integration of multiple social and personal sources of data, it's purported ease of development, and it's hardware all make it look like the Hail Mary we hoped for. But the lack of details I've outlined here will determine where Gerard Phelan lands with that ball cradled in his arms: the endzone, or out of bounds. I'm hoping, desperately, that this returns Palm to the forefront and adds to the legend.
For those of you that would like to see the actual CES hour long unveiling and full demo of the Pre, here you go, courtesy of Engadget. It's as enjoyable as any Apple keynote, and fascinating to see the real deal.
With all of that, Palm's Hail Mary is the Palm Pre: a completely new smartphone. The market has changed, so Palm's approach with the Pre has changed. Today, we have the iPhone, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile phones, as well as Google's Android platform just launching. Palm hired Jon Rubenstein away from Apple and focused on building an innovative product to take back the space that Apple had claimed, and the Pre does just that. It innovates in several excellent ways, and builds on both Palm's expertise and experience, in a way that is unique.If you think of it, today's smartphone market is actually a selection of Frankensteins: each of the popular phones was an evolution of a solution to a specific problem. The iPhone is the mobile communication expression of the iPod: a device who's roots are in music, media, and smooth interaction with the Apple application universe. The Blackberry is the ultimate expression of an e-mail-only device, with media and web functions bolted on. Windows Mobile tries to be the familiar desktop operating system, on a smaller screen, for those who need that level of comfort. Android is..well, very raw and powerful, much like all of Google's great apps. But all of these are evolutions from a specific set of roots; the Pre is not. Here's some examples:
- In almost every popular mobile smartphone platform, the interface is modal: whatever you are doing completely takes over the screen at all times. Part of this is a result of programming for small screens, but mostly it's familiar. The Pre is not: alerts, emails, alarms, SMS...they all flow neatly into the edge of the screen, allowing you to expand their focus when you want, but not distracting you from finishing that e-mail or watching that video. In a mobile platform, that is incredibly powerful, and much more useful; only Google's Android even comes close to this.
- Apple innovated the touchscreen incredibly well with the iPhone. The Pre does better, simultaneously introducing intuitive gesture based navigation, while hearkening back to Palm's touchscreen/input area roots. No Save buttons; the Pre assumes everything is saved, always, and gives you access to all of your data or apps with a single finger flick.
- In every other platform, Search is an option. In the Pre, it's the default. Start typing, anywhere, and it immediately gives you the things that match. Application names, contacts, emails, songs, or web searches...no separate searches or even a search application; it just looks, and gives you the options. I have over 3000 contacts alone; being able to simply type whatever I am thinking, whether it be to settle a bet or make a phone call, and have the Pre do the work of finding it, is far, far better than having to bring up a phone app, scroll through the list, find the right number...
- Palm knows sync; in fact, they brought the concept to the world. As they point out in the keynote, the world's sync problems are different now. When the Palm Pilot came around, it was about digitizing your rolodex and syncing with your PC. Now, it's about keeping your social web in sync with your address book. The Pre assumes your data is "in the cloud;" it focuses on seamlessly, intuitively syncing your address book with Facebook, or Gmail, with little to no effort from you. To me, this is the most powerful feature: it's like Plaxo and Xobni in the UI of a phone. It makes the phone the central hub, not an add on, which reflects more and more the truth of smartphone users.
- The Pre does a lot of what they are calling "synergy." This means, for instance, if I get an SMS, the Pre shows me, but it also shows me if the person is on IM or e-mail. I can choose to carry on the same conversation, platform to platform, regardless; it focuses on the conversation, not the medium. This means if I get an IM, but the person signs off, I can continue the same conversation, in the same screen, over SMS or e-mail.
- The hardware is very well thought out. 3.1" screen (about .4" smaller than the iPhone) gives plenty of real estate. Slide out keyboard is a real winner and an iPhone killer, especially for those business users for e-mail. Form factor focuses on compact but not crowded: very elegant use of space, and very slim. Standards abound, from the headphone jack to Micro USB expansion slots. A removable battery, allowing the user to never be without. And, to my mind, best of all, wireless induction charging, allowing you to simply rest the phone on a small paperweight and it charges: no cables to plug in, no contacts to line up.
This device needed to be all that it is, and Palm delivered. It takes a radically different approach to the smartphone, and pays off in a revolutionary way, one that will yield dividends. As we felt when we saw the iPhone, this device changes everything. Ironically, it came the same week as the most lackluster Apple keynote since Steve returned to Apple, and the similarities of this keynote were startling. It was like the reality distortion field dissipated in Cupertino and reformed in Las Vegas: Ed Colligan did a great Steve Jobs, and Jon Rubenstein was a fantastic Jonathan Ives.So, the $1,000,000 question: having been a true iPhone fanatic since the launch, and having completely come over to the Apple world, would I be willing to chuck the iPhone for a Palm Pre? The answer is a very surprising, but highly conditional, yes. Yep, I like what I see, and I can see this device answering a slew of problems I have. So why conditional?
- No one knows how much this device will cost. Rumors range from $99 to $399. Given that they are going after the iPhone and Android, it should cost about $199-$249. However, Palm has a shaky history on pricing: the new model Treos have routinely been at the $499 range, before they have lowered the price to something normal. To hit it out of the park, I'd say $199 is the magic number.
- Sprint is the only carrier, to start with. To be fair, I have little recent info on them, but Amy's Kindle uses Sprint's data network for it's connection, and that's been pretty poor where we live. I'm sure it's far better in the city, and, like my iPhone, I mostly use WiFi at home and the office. However, switching carriers is a big question mark for me, and I'd have to be seriously convinced of the reliability. Gotta say, I love the idea of having access to the NFL's exclusive mobile content to Sprint, though.
- In all of the cool demos, there was not a single shot I could find of the device's ability to play video. Honestly, this is one of the killer apps of the iPhone: watching movies or video podcasts is a no-brainer, and they look great. I find the lack of video demo suspicious, and makes me concerned about using the Pre as a media player.
- Likewise, the music player looks good, but the iPhone/iTunes sync is really what sets it apart. All I can think of, based on their insistence that this device is meant to be it's own stand alone, and the presence of a big internal memory, as well as expandability to other storage, means that there is no "music sync;" you just put it on the device, and manage your music there. Given their stress on "all Pre applications will have internet connectivity," I can only hope a native podcast client will also be part of it. With those, I could see freeing myself from iTunes.
- When does this thing come out? First half of 2009; um...huh? This is one area Apple excels at: they announce the device, and set the date. Between now and "then," we could have a whole new firmware revision to the iPhone (vastly increasing its capabilities); a slew of new Android phones (with a wealth of new applications), and more. This should have been ready to buy Feb. 1.
There are still lots more questions. How well will it support Exchange? I saw Chapura prominently listed as a partner up there; that makes me concerned that Exchange support will not be native. How powerful will the apps be? The iPhone has some serious hardware to take on even gaming consoles, but the Pre looks to be more lightweight, but easier to develop for. Given it's power to be the hub, how effectively does it back up? I lose or break my iPhone, and I can just plug in a new one, and it restores it perfectly. What will the PC/Mac interaction be? Or will there really need to be, given that you can mount it as a USB drive? Like I said, still lots more...
The Palm Pre looks to be a touchdown pass. It's focus on truly intuitive use, full seamless anticipatory integration of multiple social and personal sources of data, it's purported ease of development, and it's hardware all make it look like the Hail Mary we hoped for. But the lack of details I've outlined here will determine where Gerard Phelan lands with that ball cradled in his arms: the endzone, or out of bounds. I'm hoping, desperately, that this returns Palm to the forefront and adds to the legend.
For those of you that would like to see the actual CES hour long unveiling and full demo of the Pre, here you go, courtesy of Engadget. It's as enjoyable as any Apple keynote, and fascinating to see the real deal.
Labels: cell phones, Facebook, gadgets, GPS, hardware, iPhone, Palm, social networks, Treo
Saturday, May 31, 2008
iPalm
As an iPhone owner, I am one of the thousands waiting anxiously for the June 9th unveiling of iPhone 2.0, and the applications it will bring to the iPhone. Sure, I've enjoyed unlocking my iPhone, and using some interesting apps, but, as the commercial says, ain't nothing like the real thing, baby.
However, today brought a new announcement that add even more anticipation. StyleTap will bring it's Palm OS emulator to the iPhone. Why is this good? I have invested literally hundreds of dollars over the years in Palm apps, and some I miss every day. Sure, iPhone 2.0 will open the floodgates for many (eWallet among them), but there's some great Palm OS games and apps I would dearly love to have again, and it looks like WWDC will bring me both new native iPhone apps, and restore some of my beloved Palm ones.
Of course, this is wonderful for me, but essentially kills Palm. Why would you spend for a Treo, when you can have an iPhone with a Palm in it, as well? It's already the most popular phone since...well, ever. But add the library of thousands of Palm apps? And all of this while Palm's big innovation has been the Centro? Uh, for anyone holding Palm stock, now would be the time to short it, I'm afraid.
So, goodbye Palm, hello iPhone 2.0.
However, today brought a new announcement that add even more anticipation. StyleTap will bring it's Palm OS emulator to the iPhone. Why is this good? I have invested literally hundreds of dollars over the years in Palm apps, and some I miss every day. Sure, iPhone 2.0 will open the floodgates for many (eWallet among them), but there's some great Palm OS games and apps I would dearly love to have again, and it looks like WWDC will bring me both new native iPhone apps, and restore some of my beloved Palm ones.Of course, this is wonderful for me, but essentially kills Palm. Why would you spend for a Treo, when you can have an iPhone with a Palm in it, as well? It's already the most popular phone since...well, ever. But add the library of thousands of Palm apps? And all of this while Palm's big innovation has been the Centro? Uh, for anyone holding Palm stock, now would be the time to short it, I'm afraid.
So, goodbye Palm, hello iPhone 2.0.
Labels: cell phones, iPhone, Palm, Treo
Sunday, January 06, 2008
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
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
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!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The Treo 680 Gets Updated
Yep, it's here.
What's in it?
This software update provides device enhancements including improved Bluetooth® wireless performance for some headsets and car kits, audio quality, and media file functionality in Messaging. In addition, you'll get brand new features such as Push To Talk, for walkie-talkie functionality, and Microsoft's Direct Push Technology to get your latest email, appointments, and contacts sent directly to you, and more.
* Push to Talk – With Push to Talk, you can use your Treo 680 like a walkie-talkie to talk to one person or a group of up to 29. A quick glance at your smartphone shows whether family, friends, and coworkers are available to talk before you call.
* Corporate email as it arrives – Have your corporate email delivered to you with Microsoft® Direct Push Technology. Accept or decline meeting invites on the go and have your work calendar updated automatically. With the ability to access your company directory wirelessly, you can quickly address an email to a colleague just by typing a few letters.
* IM on your Treo smartphone – Access your instant messaging service from AOL, Windows Live Messenger, or Yahoo! A tabbed graphical Mobile IM interface makes it easy to log in to your instant messaging accounts and quickly switch between IM communities3.
* Easy access to additional services – Easily access extra services on your Treo smartphone such as TeleNav GPS Navigator and MobiTV for watching live TV4.
* Power saving enhancements – Helps conserve battery life with improved power management and updated default system power preferences.
* Supports larger expansion cards – Carry more of your work, music, photos, and other files, with support for up to 4GB SD expansion cards (including the SDHC format), sold separately.
* Enhanced ringtone support – MP3 and other sound files purchased from the web or sent from friends can now be set as ringtones and alerts. Supported ringtone formats include MP3, AAC, AAC+, MIDI, WAV, and AMR.
* Cingular, now the new AT&T – You’ll notice updated graphics reflecting the new AT&T branding, including a new look for the Xpress Mail application.
* Three updates in one – This update incorporates three previously released software updates: Treo 680 Camera Update (January 2007), Daylight Saving Time Update (February 2007), and Treo 680 Software Update 1.09 (May 2007).
Trying it now...
UPDATE: Well, after several false starts and the installer hanging, the upgrade is complete.
The good news:
- The apps are all installed
- The IM support is stunning: all three major IM services, with a slick interface to tab between them, and you can even leave it running while you make calls, etc.
- The Push To Talk functionality is all there.
- Haven't been able to figure out how to use MP3's as ringtones yet, as it does not seem to recognize them on the SD card. Installing them to the Palm now, thanks to Filez.
- Overall performance seems a bit more sporty, especially when recovering from a soft reset.
The bad news:
- It wiped my Treo clean. Yep, nothing left. However, doing a restore HotSync brought most of it back. I used Resco Backup to restore the rest. Make sure you backup your Treo before you sync.
- There is definitely some lagginess. Sometimes the Treo simply locks, for up to a minute. On playback of MP3's, you get a skip and a stutter every 20 minutes or so.
- Bloatware. I don't want MobiTV. I don't need the TeleNav. Leave those "trial" apps off my ROM, please.
Overall, the functionality outweighs the bad stuff, so I applaud AT&T & Palm for releasing new functionality that dramatically enhances the Treo experience. Well done.
Yep, it's here. What's in it?
This software update provides device enhancements including improved Bluetooth® wireless performance for some headsets and car kits, audio quality, and media file functionality in Messaging. In addition, you'll get brand new features such as Push To Talk, for walkie-talkie functionality, and Microsoft's Direct Push Technology to get your latest email, appointments, and contacts sent directly to you, and more.
* Push to Talk – With Push to Talk, you can use your Treo 680 like a walkie-talkie to talk to one person or a group of up to 29. A quick glance at your smartphone shows whether family, friends, and coworkers are available to talk before you call.
* Corporate email as it arrives – Have your corporate email delivered to you with Microsoft® Direct Push Technology. Accept or decline meeting invites on the go and have your work calendar updated automatically. With the ability to access your company directory wirelessly, you can quickly address an email to a colleague just by typing a few letters.
* IM on your Treo smartphone – Access your instant messaging service from AOL, Windows Live Messenger, or Yahoo! A tabbed graphical Mobile IM interface makes it easy to log in to your instant messaging accounts and quickly switch between IM communities3.
* Easy access to additional services – Easily access extra services on your Treo smartphone such as TeleNav GPS Navigator and MobiTV for watching live TV4.
* Power saving enhancements – Helps conserve battery life with improved power management and updated default system power preferences.
* Supports larger expansion cards – Carry more of your work, music, photos, and other files, with support for up to 4GB SD expansion cards (including the SDHC format), sold separately.
* Enhanced ringtone support – MP3 and other sound files purchased from the web or sent from friends can now be set as ringtones and alerts. Supported ringtone formats include MP3, AAC, AAC+, MIDI, WAV, and AMR.
* Cingular, now the new AT&T – You’ll notice updated graphics reflecting the new AT&T branding, including a new look for the Xpress Mail application.
* Three updates in one – This update incorporates three previously released software updates: Treo 680 Camera Update (January 2007), Daylight Saving Time Update (February 2007), and Treo 680 Software Update 1.09 (May 2007).
Trying it now...
UPDATE: Well, after several false starts and the installer hanging, the upgrade is complete.
The good news:
- The apps are all installed
- The IM support is stunning: all three major IM services, with a slick interface to tab between them, and you can even leave it running while you make calls, etc.
- The Push To Talk functionality is all there.
- Haven't been able to figure out how to use MP3's as ringtones yet, as it does not seem to recognize them on the SD card. Installing them to the Palm now, thanks to Filez.
- Overall performance seems a bit more sporty, especially when recovering from a soft reset.
The bad news:
- It wiped my Treo clean. Yep, nothing left. However, doing a restore HotSync brought most of it back. I used Resco Backup to restore the rest. Make sure you backup your Treo before you sync.
- There is definitely some lagginess. Sometimes the Treo simply locks, for up to a minute. On playback of MP3's, you get a skip and a stutter every 20 minutes or so.
- Bloatware. I don't want MobiTV. I don't need the TeleNav. Leave those "trial" apps off my ROM, please.
Overall, the functionality outweighs the bad stuff, so I applaud AT&T & Palm for releasing new functionality that dramatically enhances the Treo experience. Well done.
Friday, December 07, 2007
Cruise on down to Nokia Avvenu
Interesting news, as Nokia has purchased Avvenu. Not familiar with Avvenu? Not surprising, if you weren't a Palm OS user. They make a little program that lives on your PC, making the files available to be accessed with a mobile phone. The revenue model was invisible, so it was always a little headscratching. As to access, well, it was OK, but never amazing. And the idea of having all of your files open to be accessed by anyone hitting a URL and entering a username and password always seemed a bit harebrained to me.
On the odder side, Nokia immediately discontinued access outside the US and killed Avvenu's streaming music service in favor of their own.
Here's what they had to say:
Interesting news, as Nokia has purchased Avvenu. Not familiar with Avvenu? Not surprising, if you weren't a Palm OS user. They make a little program that lives on your PC, making the files available to be accessed with a mobile phone. The revenue model was invisible, so it was always a little headscratching. As to access, well, it was OK, but never amazing. And the idea of having all of your files open to be accessed by anyone hitting a URL and entering a username and password always seemed a bit harebrained to me.On the odder side, Nokia immediately discontinued access outside the US and killed Avvenu's streaming music service in favor of their own.
Here's what they had to say:
Dear Avvenu Customer,
As a registered user of the Avvenu service, we wanted to let you know that Nokia and Avvenu have signed an agreement under which Nokia has acquired Avvenu Inc.
Nokia intends to continue the Avvenu Access 'n Share service, and enhance Avvenu's secure remote access and private sharing capabilities moving forward. The sharing features of the Avvenu Music service have been discontinued, as Nokia already offers a separate music service.
During the transition it is necessary to limit access to those users based in the United States. We plan to resume service in most other countries within a few weeks. Until that time, if you reside outside the United States, you'll be unable to remotely access your PCs. If you'd like to be notified when service is restored in your country, please go to http://www.avvenu.com/countries.php and register for email notification.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact customer support at http://support.avvenu.com.
More information on the acquisition is available at http://www.avvenu.com/acquisition.php.
As all of us at Avvenu join Nokia, we look forward to bringing you improved access and sharing services.
Best Regards,
Avvenu Customer Support
Thursday, November 01, 2007
iTunes on Treo
I've been a podcast consumer since before they had a name. While this is not quite as outrageous a statement as recent Nobel Prize winner Al Gore's claim to have invented the internet (which, ironically, is almost true), I used to commute 120 miles, each way, 3x a week. At that time, podcasts were the exclusive property of Audible.com, using DRM-wrapped MP3's, but I consumed programs like the WSJ, Car Talk, and more. With the podcast revolution, the landscape has exploded with amazing timely content, and I bask in the glory of CNET's Buzz Out Loud, Bill Maher's Real Time, and more.
As my biking has ramped up, I have relied heavily on podcasts to keep me company. As I am loathe to have multiple devices, I use my Treo 680 with Pocket Tunes, streaming wirelessly over Bluetooth to my Motorola HT280 headphones. All good, but updating podcasts on the 680 with QuickNews has proved to work, though much slower and more cumbersome than is really practical. On the other hand, the best podcast manager application, in my opinion, is Apple's iTunes: subscriptions are easily managed, new subscriptions easily browsed and found, and Smart Playlists allow rules-based playlists (i.e. 5 most recently updated podcasts). The downside: it lives in the Apple ecosystem, so it syncs only with iPods. So, how to get iTunes to manage podcasts on my Treo?
Enter the Mass Storage Synchronizer, a small macro-based program that does just this...sorta. It allows you to define a playlist in iTunes, named "Treo smartphone," and add the content of your choice. Yes, it can also be a Smart Playlist. Now, here come the useful, if not slightly kludgy, step. Got an SD card reader? Good, you need it. Pop your SD card in, and make sure there's a folder named Audio on it. Double click the Mass Storage Synchronizer icon, and up comes a window, suspiciously DOS-looking. It protests a few times; just keep clicking Continue. Finally, it quietly thinks for about 10 seconds, and the alerts you everything has been updated. Yep, the contents of your playlist are now on the SD card.
Note I said "contents." That means that the actual playlist did not transfer, so you are left to your own devices (ahem) to create the Playlist on the Treo. For me, I use this tool to get podcasts on my Treo, so it's a simple matter to use Pocket Tunes to just create or edit a playlist on the Treo and add in all the content with the genre "podcasts." Then a little reordering, and I'm good to go.
Overall, this solution has a lot going for it. For one, it works, which is more than I can say about Pocket Tunes' Windows Media integration (works once, but never again). For another, it's fast: mere seconds to transfer big podcast files. And finally, it's got the magic price point: free. Who can argue with that?
Personally, I think Apple's got to eventually expand iTunes to non-Apple devices to continue adoption of their leadership role in digital content. I'm not saying this year, or even next, but as NBC recently showed, without critical market mass, the whole inexpensive content supply dries up. Apple can sell as many iPods and iPhones as they can, but if they want to continue dictating pricing and terms to big content providers, they have to show they are the only game in town. That means playing nice, at least in a limited fashion, with Zunes, Sansas and the like, or risk Amazon or Microsoft stealing their thunder.
For now, I'm happy with this workaround. That iPhone keeps looking better and better...but, for instance, this is just one of many blog entries written entirely on my Treo. I'll stick with the keyboard...and the poor man's iPod for that alone.
As my biking has ramped up, I have relied heavily on podcasts to keep me company. As I am loathe to have multiple devices, I use my Treo 680 with Pocket Tunes, streaming wirelessly over Bluetooth to my Motorola HT280 headphones. All good, but updating podcasts on the 680 with QuickNews has proved to work, though much slower and more cumbersome than is really practical. On the other hand, the best podcast manager application, in my opinion, is Apple's iTunes: subscriptions are easily managed, new subscriptions easily browsed and found, and Smart Playlists allow rules-based playlists (i.e. 5 most recently updated podcasts). The downside: it lives in the Apple ecosystem, so it syncs only with iPods. So, how to get iTunes to manage podcasts on my Treo?
Enter the Mass Storage Synchronizer, a small macro-based program that does just this...sorta. It allows you to define a playlist in iTunes, named "Treo smartphone," and add the content of your choice. Yes, it can also be a Smart Playlist. Now, here come the useful, if not slightly kludgy, step. Got an SD card reader? Good, you need it. Pop your SD card in, and make sure there's a folder named Audio on it. Double click the Mass Storage Synchronizer icon, and up comes a window, suspiciously DOS-looking. It protests a few times; just keep clicking Continue. Finally, it quietly thinks for about 10 seconds, and the alerts you everything has been updated. Yep, the contents of your playlist are now on the SD card.Note I said "contents." That means that the actual playlist did not transfer, so you are left to your own devices (ahem) to create the Playlist on the Treo. For me, I use this tool to get podcasts on my Treo, so it's a simple matter to use Pocket Tunes to just create or edit a playlist on the Treo and add in all the content with the genre "podcasts." Then a little reordering, and I'm good to go.
Overall, this solution has a lot going for it. For one, it works, which is more than I can say about Pocket Tunes' Windows Media integration (works once, but never again). For another, it's fast: mere seconds to transfer big podcast files. And finally, it's got the magic price point: free. Who can argue with that?
Personally, I think Apple's got to eventually expand iTunes to non-Apple devices to continue adoption of their leadership role in digital content. I'm not saying this year, or even next, but as NBC recently showed, without critical market mass, the whole inexpensive content supply dries up. Apple can sell as many iPods and iPhones as they can, but if they want to continue dictating pricing and terms to big content providers, they have to show they are the only game in town. That means playing nice, at least in a limited fashion, with Zunes, Sansas and the like, or risk Amazon or Microsoft stealing their thunder.
For now, I'm happy with this workaround. That iPhone keeps looking better and better...but, for instance, this is just one of many blog entries written entirely on my Treo. I'll stick with the keyboard...and the poor man's iPod for that alone.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Bob Geldof Was Right.
I don't like Mondays.
Well, Monday came and went with no Treo update. Sigh. However, in signing up for Palm's MyPalm service, I was alerted to an older update to the Treo, offering improved battery performance and a new camera application. Despite my misgivings, I installed it.
While I don't see much change from the update, I was surprised about the process. First, the update took about 30 minutes, with frequent Treo reboots as part of the process, making it more reminiscent of a Windows update than a Palm one. Second, quite annoyingly, the update either wiped out several applications, or lost the registration info on others. Paired Bluetooth headsets? Gone. Serial numbers? Reset. It took over an hour to recreate...argh.
If this is what I have to look forward to for the next update, I'll make sure my old Boy Scout motto gets put to use, first.
Well, Monday came and went with no Treo update. Sigh. However, in signing up for Palm's MyPalm service, I was alerted to an older update to the Treo, offering improved battery performance and a new camera application. Despite my misgivings, I installed it. While I don't see much change from the update, I was surprised about the process. First, the update took about 30 minutes, with frequent Treo reboots as part of the process, making it more reminiscent of a Windows update than a Palm one. Second, quite annoyingly, the update either wiped out several applications, or lost the registration info on others. Paired Bluetooth headsets? Gone. Serial numbers? Reset. It took over an hour to recreate...argh.
If this is what I have to look forward to for the next update, I'll make sure my old Boy Scout motto gets put to use, first.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
What the...Palm's updating the 680?
What the heck is in the water at Palm? After literally years of malaise, first they chuck a product that the market clearly didn't want, then they introduce a $99 smartphone that people actually seem to like, and now comes word that they pushing out a free update to the 680 (my Treo) with actually cool features people want! Is this a signal that Palm is on its way back?
According to Treonauts, 10/22 (Monday) will bring us AT&T 680 owners a bevy of new goodies:
The embedded multi-service IM client newer Treos have? MP3's as ringtones? I never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait for Monday!
What the heck is in the water at Palm? After literally years of malaise, first they chuck a product that the market clearly didn't want, then they introduce a $99 smartphone that people actually seem to like, and now comes word that they pushing out a free update to the 680 (my Treo) with actually cool features people want! Is this a signal that Palm is on its way back?According to Treonauts, 10/22 (Monday) will bring us AT&T 680 owners a bevy of new goodies:
Maintenance Release for the Treo 680 Available 10/22 (current record)
* Enables PTT feature
* Places Stub applications on the devices in support of:
o IM clients (Yahoo!, AIM, Windows Live)
o TeleNav
o MobiTV
* Ability for a MP3 or any sort of music file to be translated as a Ringtone
* Will be available as free download for all AT&T Treo 680 customers
o SMS blast from AT&T will alert customers in addition to traditional channel and Customer Care messaging
* Requires a desktop computer –the download cannot be executed via OTA
The embedded multi-service IM client newer Treos have? MP3's as ringtones? I never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait for Monday!
Sunday, September 09, 2007
What's stopping me from an iPhone?
So…the obvious question I get, being both a big fan of Apple's design, and my obvious lust for the ultimate mobile convergence device is: will I buy the iPhone? Obviously, with the recent price cut, I continue to get these questions in ever increasing frequency. Instead of giving my regular "Well..." answer, I've decided to take a critical look if I can be an iPhone user by looking at the applications and functions I use every day in my Palm Treo 680, and see how my current solution set stacks up. I'm going to score each of these, and, at the end, if the iPhone has a high score, I'm headed to the Apple store for a test drive.
Contacts. I have over 6000 contacts in my phone. I know, it seems insane, but I'm like the packrat of all time when it comes to contacts. Plus, I keep notes on each, photos, etc. Finding a contact in the Palm is easy: just start typing. With 6K+ contacts, it can be a little laggy, but generally not an issue. With the iPhone, while you can easily sync with Outlook, the only way to find a contact is either in your Favorites, or to use the scroll and flick method: no direct typing. Yikes. Score: Palm: 10, iPhone: 2.
Calendar. My lifeblood. I've got so many meetings and calls to keep track of, I'd be lost without it. The Treo is a champ: multiple views, including one I can see openings; different colors for different categories, and perfect Outlook sync; even time zone adjustment. The iPhone does a pretty good job, as long as you are not really interested in entering new appointments on the phone itself too often. In other words, as a view only for my Outlook data, it'd do the job...but that's it. Score: Palm: 10, iPhone: 3. By the way, great video review on this:
Tasks. Well, no contest here: no iPhone equivalent. However, to be fair, I rarely use tasks on the Treo, as I track and check off either in Outlook or Salesforce. Score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 0.
Podcast player. I listen to podcasts on my bike rides, and rely on them for primary entertainment. With the Palm, I use a combo of pTunes to play them, and Quick News to automatically download direct to the Palm, late at night. The results are pretty good: pTunes is an OK media player with clever functions like skip ahead 10, 15, 30 or 60 seconds, but playlist management is a bit kludgy. And Quick News, while great, can sometimes not download a podcast for any one of a dozen reasons. Not to mention it's slooooow, as it's doing so over AT&T's network. The iPhone, on the other hand, shines, thanks to iTunes integration. I'm hopeful that the new improvements to the iPhone will allow downloads direct to the iPhone over WiFi, but even without, syncing is blazingly fast, and there's no arguing with the iPod UI. Score: Palm: 7, iPhone: 10.
Music player. Occasionally, I prefer music to podcasts. My 4GB SD card usually holds a bunch, and I can swap out for another with most of my music on it. pTunes handles the player duties. But let's not kid ourselves: Apple's got this one locked. And with 8GB onboard, I think SD cards are a thing of the past. Score: Palm: 6, iPhone: 10.
Movie player. Yep, I watch movies and TV shows on the Treo. While I miss my old Palm TX's large screen, the Treo is actually a little better performer. TCPMP handles the Treo movie playing, including Divx and Xvid codecs, but it chokes a little on MP4 content, so I'm limited to ripped movies sans DRM. The iPhone totally gets the nod here: big screen, lots of content, vibrant display, and great battery life. Score: Palm: 7, iPhone: 10.
Calculator. Sad, ain't it? Maybe I need that Nintendo DS Brain Age thing. In any case, it's a wash here: both the Treo and iPhone have one. Score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 5.
eWallet. Passwords, codes, numbers: everything goes into eWallet with it's special encryption, easy recall, and perfect PC sync. I'd be lost without it. With the iPhone, there's no app for this, so I'd have to rely on a web based app for this. And web based apps for this kinda data...not so good for security. Plus, ubiquitous web access ain't quite here. Score: Palm: 9, iPhone: 1.
Memos. I use it for writing blog entries on the go, jotting down a note, or recipes. Pretty much a wash here, but the Treo gets a slight advantage because of the tactile keyboard. If only the iPhone's memo app wasn't so damned pretty...Score: Palm: 6, iPhone: 5.
Texas Hold 'em Poker (and other games). Yep, got to have something to do in those idle moments. The Palm one is pretty decent, and keeps me entertained. iPhone one...wait...what's that? There are no games for the iPhone? You have to be kidding. Yes, I see that there are some web-based ones, but that, again, requires connectivity. And how can I say this...theres not a lot of signal strength usually in most restrooms. Score: Palm: 7, iPhone: 0.
Email. Using SnapperMail (not the included VersaMail, thank you), I can manage all of my email, from multiple accounts, while traveling. No Blackberry push, or course, but extremely powerful. iPhone's mail app has been pretty much derided as too lightweight for real emailers. For instance, Engadget's comments:
Still, it does support Yahoo push email and Gmail's full Ajax interface, so you get some definite upsides. But for a device that is all about all in one for mobile professionals, this might be the Achilles heel. Oh, and remember: the keyboard is screen based, not tactile. Score: Palm: 8, iPhone: 5.
Bluetooth. Yes, both have it. But the Treo lets you use any cell headset, sync wirelessly, beam data, and, with the help of Audio Gateway, even streams audio to my Bluetooth headphones. The iPhone? Talk on a BT cell headset. That's it. Ugh. Score: Palm: 8, iPhone: 4.
Camera. Edge to iPhone here, but barely. Quality is certainly better than the Treo's, but you can only send as an attachment to an email from the iPhone: no MMS. Score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 7.
eReader. I buy and read ebooks all the time on the Treo. Great for traveling. On the iPhone, there is no option. None. Ugh. And, even if there were, even with that great screen, you'd have to read them two handed: turning the page would require a flick of a finger, instead of a one handed hold and click operation. Score: Palm: 7, iPhone: 0.
Google Maps. Available on both, but no question it's sexier on the iPhone. Better integration, as well, not to mention faster over WiFi. Score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 7.
GPS. My Treo uses TomTom software and Bluetooth to talk to a small receiver. When I'm in a new city, I pop out the GPS, fire up TomTom on the Treo, and I'm driving like a native. iPhone: did I mention it's got Google Maps? Hope that'll keep you happy, 'cause there's no sat nav happening here. Score: Palm: 9, iPhone: 0.
Travel Tracker. Venerable champ on the Treo, but requires entry of data on the Treo, which is painful. It does, however, seamlessly sync with the Calendar app, so my appointments and flight show up already integrated. iPhone has nothing in this regard, but it's implementation of the Safari web browser means I can use TripIt, which blows away Travel Tracker. Downside: requires a connection, of course. Score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 6.
And finally, the Web. I read the news, catch up on the NY Times and SFGate, check out Yelp...you name it. The Treo advantage is that I can turn off images when the connection is slow, and that sites with a mobile version automatically detect my browser and redirect me to that optimized view. The experience is definitely limited, though. The iPhone has the Web down cold, with Safari, tabbed browsing, and Ajax support. All great when you are on WiFi, but I'm guessing a little painful on EDGE. Still, how can you argue with a full browser? Score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 9.
Final score: Palm: 124, iPhone: 81.
Now, this is completely subjective. And, it does not take into account the other iPhone-only functions, like widgets or YouTube. This is meant to see how much I lose by going to the iPhone, and if I can stand the loss for the increase in sexiness. Based on the above, I think I'm still staying with the Treo. If the iPhone gets it's email in gear, and offers a solution for an eReader, and, critically, adds some games, we might be talking again.
So…the obvious question I get, being both a big fan of Apple's design, and my obvious lust for the ultimate mobile convergence device is: will I buy the iPhone? Obviously, with the recent price cut, I continue to get these questions in ever increasing frequency. Instead of giving my regular "Well..." answer, I've decided to take a critical look if I can be an iPhone user by looking at the applications and functions I use every day in my Palm Treo 680, and see how my current solution set stacks up. I'm going to score each of these, and, at the end, if the iPhone has a high score, I'm headed to the Apple store for a test drive.Contacts. I have over 6000 contacts in my phone. I know, it seems insane, but I'm like the packrat of all time when it comes to contacts. Plus, I keep notes on each, photos, etc. Finding a contact in the Palm is easy: just start typing. With 6K+ contacts, it can be a little laggy, but generally not an issue. With the iPhone, while you can easily sync with Outlook, the only way to find a contact is either in your Favorites, or to use the scroll and flick method: no direct typing. Yikes. Score: Palm: 10, iPhone: 2.
Calendar. My lifeblood. I've got so many meetings and calls to keep track of, I'd be lost without it. The Treo is a champ: multiple views, including one I can see openings; different colors for different categories, and perfect Outlook sync; even time zone adjustment. The iPhone does a pretty good job, as long as you are not really interested in entering new appointments on the phone itself too often. In other words, as a view only for my Outlook data, it'd do the job...but that's it. Score: Palm: 10, iPhone: 3. By the way, great video review on this:
Tasks. Well, no contest here: no iPhone equivalent. However, to be fair, I rarely use tasks on the Treo, as I track and check off either in Outlook or Salesforce. Score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 0.
Podcast player. I listen to podcasts on my bike rides, and rely on them for primary entertainment. With the Palm, I use a combo of pTunes to play them, and Quick News to automatically download direct to the Palm, late at night. The results are pretty good: pTunes is an OK media player with clever functions like skip ahead 10, 15, 30 or 60 seconds, but playlist management is a bit kludgy. And Quick News, while great, can sometimes not download a podcast for any one of a dozen reasons. Not to mention it's slooooow, as it's doing so over AT&T's network. The iPhone, on the other hand, shines, thanks to iTunes integration. I'm hopeful that the new improvements to the iPhone will allow downloads direct to the iPhone over WiFi, but even without, syncing is blazingly fast, and there's no arguing with the iPod UI. Score: Palm: 7, iPhone: 10.Music player. Occasionally, I prefer music to podcasts. My 4GB SD card usually holds a bunch, and I can swap out for another with most of my music on it. pTunes handles the player duties. But let's not kid ourselves: Apple's got this one locked. And with 8GB onboard, I think SD cards are a thing of the past. Score: Palm: 6, iPhone: 10.
Movie player. Yep, I watch movies and TV shows on the Treo. While I miss my old Palm TX's large screen, the Treo is actually a little better performer. TCPMP handles the Treo movie playing, including Divx and Xvid codecs, but it chokes a little on MP4 content, so I'm limited to ripped movies sans DRM. The iPhone totally gets the nod here: big screen, lots of content, vibrant display, and great battery life. Score: Palm: 7, iPhone: 10.Calculator. Sad, ain't it? Maybe I need that Nintendo DS Brain Age thing. In any case, it's a wash here: both the Treo and iPhone have one. Score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 5.
eWallet. Passwords, codes, numbers: everything goes into eWallet with it's special encryption, easy recall, and perfect PC sync. I'd be lost without it. With the iPhone, there's no app for this, so I'd have to rely on a web based app for this. And web based apps for this kinda data...not so good for security. Plus, ubiquitous web access ain't quite here. Score: Palm: 9, iPhone: 1.
Memos. I use it for writing blog entries on the go, jotting down a note, or recipes. Pretty much a wash here, but the Treo gets a slight advantage because of the tactile keyboard. If only the iPhone's memo app wasn't so damned pretty...Score: Palm: 6, iPhone: 5.
Texas Hold 'em Poker (and other games). Yep, got to have something to do in those idle moments. The Palm one is pretty decent, and keeps me entertained. iPhone one...wait...what's that? There are no games for the iPhone? You have to be kidding. Yes, I see that there are some web-based ones, but that, again, requires connectivity. And how can I say this...theres not a lot of signal strength usually in most restrooms. Score: Palm: 7, iPhone: 0.
Email. Using SnapperMail (not the included VersaMail, thank you), I can manage all of my email, from multiple accounts, while traveling. No Blackberry push, or course, but extremely powerful. iPhone's mail app has been pretty much derided as too lightweight for real emailers. For instance, Engadget's comments:"There's no other way than to come out and say it: we are extremely disappointed in the iPhone's email app. So much so, in fact, that despite the keyboard and the rest of the things the iPhone lacks in the features department, its mail support may be the largest factor in killing its status as a productivity device. Don't get us wrong, the application is just fine for anyone who wants to do light email, but it lacks the power and convenience that frequent-emailers require."
Still, it does support Yahoo push email and Gmail's full Ajax interface, so you get some definite upsides. But for a device that is all about all in one for mobile professionals, this might be the Achilles heel. Oh, and remember: the keyboard is screen based, not tactile. Score: Palm: 8, iPhone: 5.
Bluetooth. Yes, both have it. But the Treo lets you use any cell headset, sync wirelessly, beam data, and, with the help of Audio Gateway, even streams audio to my Bluetooth headphones. The iPhone? Talk on a BT cell headset. That's it. Ugh. Score: Palm: 8, iPhone: 4.
Camera. Edge to iPhone here, but barely. Quality is certainly better than the Treo's, but you can only send as an attachment to an email from the iPhone: no MMS. Score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 7.
eReader. I buy and read ebooks all the time on the Treo. Great for traveling. On the iPhone, there is no option. None. Ugh. And, even if there were, even with that great screen, you'd have to read them two handed: turning the page would require a flick of a finger, instead of a one handed hold and click operation. Score: Palm: 7, iPhone: 0.Google Maps. Available on both, but no question it's sexier on the iPhone. Better integration, as well, not to mention faster over WiFi. Score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 7.
GPS. My Treo uses TomTom software and Bluetooth to talk to a small receiver. When I'm in a new city, I pop out the GPS, fire up TomTom on the Treo, and I'm driving like a native. iPhone: did I mention it's got Google Maps? Hope that'll keep you happy, 'cause there's no sat nav happening here. Score: Palm: 9, iPhone: 0.
Travel Tracker. Venerable champ on the Treo, but requires entry of data on the Treo, which is painful. It does, however, seamlessly sync with the Calendar app, so my appointments and flight show up already integrated. iPhone has nothing in this regard, but it's implementation of the Safari web browser means I can use TripIt, which blows away Travel Tracker. Downside: requires a connection, of course. Score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 6.
And finally, the Web. I read the news, catch up on the NY Times and SFGate, check out Yelp...you name it. The Treo advantage is that I can turn off images when the connection is slow, and that sites with a mobile version automatically detect my browser and redirect me to that optimized view. The experience is definitely limited, though. The iPhone has the Web down cold, with Safari, tabbed browsing, and Ajax support. All great when you are on WiFi, but I'm guessing a little painful on EDGE. Still, how can you argue with a full browser? Score: Palm: 5, iPhone: 9.Final score: Palm: 124, iPhone: 81.
Now, this is completely subjective. And, it does not take into account the other iPhone-only functions, like widgets or YouTube. This is meant to see how much I lose by going to the iPhone, and if I can stand the loss for the increase in sexiness. Based on the above, I think I'm still staying with the Treo. If the iPhone gets it's email in gear, and offers a solution for an eReader, and, critically, adds some games, we might be talking again.
Labels: Apple, cell phones, iPhone, Palm, Treo
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
A Tale Of Two Companies And Loyalty
Publishing this in both of my blogs.
Two very interesting things this week happened that illustrated how two consumer electronics companies view being loyal to their customers...with surprising differences.
The first is Palm. Now, I'll preface this by saying I have been a very loyal Palm user for many years. I was entranced by the Palm III, years ago, and I have stuck with it: A Palm V, a Palm Vx, Handspring Visor, Handspring Visor Prism, VisorPhone, Tungsten T, Palm TX, and now my Treo 680. Through them all, I have always marveled at Palm's singleminded focus on usability and features: I have looked at alternatives every time, and settled on Palm's offering. Yet there's no denying that Palm has clearly lost any shred of a leadership position: the Danger devices, the ever improving (but still painful) Windows Mobile, and now the iPhone have all eclipsed Palm's innovation. Heck, even the new Blackberrys are getting in on the act.
Palm's answer? The Foleo, which was a device in search of a need. Basically a stripped down laptop with some interesting sync capabilities, was recently announced with near universal derision. This was Palm's big attempt to become relevant again? Releasing an overpriced, underpowered laptop that gave you all of the overhead you hoped to leave behind with your Treo, and none of the benefits (no movies on the Foleo; GREAT for those cross-country flights)? This was a major disappointment.
Now, take for a second the contrast with Apple, the second company in my discussion here. Everyone knows the story: after being beaten down to inches of their life, and having to take a bailout from Microsoft just to survive, visionary Steve Jobs proceeded to start to take bold risks with devices that filled needs for the customer base. It started with the iMac: an all-in-one computer that showed style, class, and affordability. But the really big hit came with the iPod; sure, there had been MP3 players on the market for years, but nothing like this. Easy to use, powerful, and paired with a real application to manage your media, the iPod became ubiquitous. In a short amount of time, every other company combined could not compete with Apple's iPod sales.
They continued to listen to their customers, and innovate with devices they wanted. Watch movies on the iPod? Got it, and, oh, by the way, a whole digital movie and TV store to go with it. Want smaller? Welcome to the Nano and Shuffle. And yes, unless you have been living under a rock for the last 3 months, the iPhone arrived to great fanfare and awe inspiration, outselling all other smartphones in the US in just its first month of existence, at almost twice the price of others. In short, the iPhone represented the crowning moment of Apple's recovery: they completed one of the greatest corporate comebacks of all times, with fanatically passionate customers and incredible innovation.
Now, what if I told you that this last week:
A. One company listened to its customers, focused on its amazing tradition of innovation, ruthlessly pursuing its focus, and was willing to take a financially risky move to try to ensure its continued success.
B. The other company continued to alienate its core customers, pushing away from true innovation, and selling itself out to a technology that had already been panned by many critics and leaves core users with a sense of unease about the future and if the company can be trusted.
Your answer to A. would be, instinctively, Apple, and B., Palm, right?
Wrong. Exactly the opposite.
Let's look at A. Palm heard the early reviews of its core customers to the Foleo, and decided to kill it before it ever reached the market. Period. The CEO announced the decision in his blog, as well as the estimated $10 million it cost to develop. He knew that he could not afford a flop, and could not afford to alienate the loyalty of his core customers. Instead, he not only killed the Foleo, but announced a refocusing of efforts around the Palm platform, reducing their involvement with the ever diluted Windows Mobile space. Palm knows that, without loyal customers who feel the company is responsive to their needs, and focused on the great devices, it will die. In truth, it may die even so, but releasing the Foleo would be the albatross that would pull down any hopes of a recovery. It took guts, determination, and was a direct reflection of the responses of loyal customers, and it was cautiously applauded by all.
As to B., well, you might have heard by now. Apple introduced the iPhone 2 months ago at $600 and, by all accounts, it continues to sell faster than any other smartphone. With no truly groundbreaking follow up, Steve Jobs decided to cannibalize his loyal customer base by announcing an unprecedented price cut: a full third of the price lopped off the phone, 60 days after it was released to, arguably, the greatest hype ever. Yes, there were some other variations on the iPod theme too, but the real story has been the absolute smack in the face Apple delivered to the thousands of customers who camped out to get their hands on a $600 phone that is, well, beautiful, but not meeting the expectations of the target audience it was priced for.
After days of uproar, his Steveness issued the most backhanded apology, mollifying as best he can those that saw $200 wasted with a promise for a $100 credit on iTunes media. Now, is this the way you apologize to your most loyal customers?:
Worse, language like the above was paired with a a promise that the details of the $100 credit would be worked out soon ("Stay tuned."). How did a company that built itself back from death's door not realizing by throwing their best customers under the bus that they better have a medical team standing by to assist? They are "working it out?" This should have been anticipated and announced at the same time as the $200 price cut.
We've seen two companies who rely on loyalty from customers take very different approaches this week, and we have seen the results. Taking your loyal customers for granted is extremely dangerous, and both these companies should know: both had over 80% of their respective markets at one time, and both fell to disastrously smaller levels. One rebounded, but has not seemed to learn from the mistakes; the other is just beginning. There is only one sure thing here: both made very grave errors with their loyal customers, and the responses usually dictate the future.
Two very interesting things this week happened that illustrated how two consumer electronics companies view being loyal to their customers...with surprising differences.
The first is Palm. Now, I'll preface this by saying I have been a very loyal Palm user for many years. I was entranced by the Palm III, years ago, and I have stuck with it: A Palm V, a Palm Vx, Handspring Visor, Handspring Visor Prism, VisorPhone, Tungsten T, Palm TX, and now my Treo 680. Through them all, I have always marveled at Palm's singleminded focus on usability and features: I have looked at alternatives every time, and settled on Palm's offering. Yet there's no denying that Palm has clearly lost any shred of a leadership position: the Danger devices, the ever improving (but still painful) Windows Mobile, and now the iPhone have all eclipsed Palm's innovation. Heck, even the new Blackberrys are getting in on the act.
Palm's answer? The Foleo, which was a device in search of a need. Basically a stripped down laptop with some interesting sync capabilities, was recently announced with near universal derision. This was Palm's big attempt to become relevant again? Releasing an overpriced, underpowered laptop that gave you all of the overhead you hoped to leave behind with your Treo, and none of the benefits (no movies on the Foleo; GREAT for those cross-country flights)? This was a major disappointment.Now, take for a second the contrast with Apple, the second company in my discussion here. Everyone knows the story: after being beaten down to inches of their life, and having to take a bailout from Microsoft just to survive, visionary Steve Jobs proceeded to start to take bold risks with devices that filled needs for the customer base. It started with the iMac: an all-in-one computer that showed style, class, and affordability. But the really big hit came with the iPod; sure, there had been MP3 players on the market for years, but nothing like this. Easy to use, powerful, and paired with a real application to manage your media, the iPod became ubiquitous. In a short amount of time, every other company combined could not compete with Apple's iPod sales.
They continued to listen to their customers, and innovate with devices they wanted. Watch movies on the iPod? Got it, and, oh, by the way, a whole digital movie and TV store to go with it. Want smaller? Welcome to the Nano and Shuffle. And yes, unless you have been living under a rock for the last 3 months, the iPhone arrived to great fanfare and awe inspiration, outselling all other smartphones in the US in just its first month of existence, at almost twice the price of others. In short, the iPhone represented the crowning moment of Apple's recovery: they completed one of the greatest corporate comebacks of all times, with fanatically passionate customers and incredible innovation.Now, what if I told you that this last week:
A. One company listened to its customers, focused on its amazing tradition of innovation, ruthlessly pursuing its focus, and was willing to take a financially risky move to try to ensure its continued success.
B. The other company continued to alienate its core customers, pushing away from true innovation, and selling itself out to a technology that had already been panned by many critics and leaves core users with a sense of unease about the future and if the company can be trusted.
Your answer to A. would be, instinctively, Apple, and B., Palm, right?
Wrong. Exactly the opposite.
Let's look at A. Palm heard the early reviews of its core customers to the Foleo, and decided to kill it before it ever reached the market. Period. The CEO announced the decision in his blog, as well as the estimated $10 million it cost to develop. He knew that he could not afford a flop, and could not afford to alienate the loyalty of his core customers. Instead, he not only killed the Foleo, but announced a refocusing of efforts around the Palm platform, reducing their involvement with the ever diluted Windows Mobile space. Palm knows that, without loyal customers who feel the company is responsive to their needs, and focused on the great devices, it will die. In truth, it may die even so, but releasing the Foleo would be the albatross that would pull down any hopes of a recovery. It took guts, determination, and was a direct reflection of the responses of loyal customers, and it was cautiously applauded by all.As to B., well, you might have heard by now. Apple introduced the iPhone 2 months ago at $600 and, by all accounts, it continues to sell faster than any other smartphone. With no truly groundbreaking follow up, Steve Jobs decided to cannibalize his loyal customer base by announcing an unprecedented price cut: a full third of the price lopped off the phone, 60 days after it was released to, arguably, the greatest hype ever. Yes, there were some other variations on the iPod theme too, but the real story has been the absolute smack in the face Apple delivered to the thousands of customers who camped out to get their hands on a $600 phone that is, well, beautiful, but not meeting the expectations of the target audience it was priced for. After days of uproar, his Steveness issued the most backhanded apology, mollifying as best he can those that saw $200 wasted with a promise for a $100 credit on iTunes media. Now, is this the way you apologize to your most loyal customers?:
"There is always change and improvement, and there is always someone who bought a product before a particular cutoff date and misses the new price or the new operating system or the new whatever. This is life in the technology lane. If you always wait for the next price cut or to buy the new improved model, you'll never buy any technology product because there is always something better and less expensive on the horizon. The good news is that if you buy products from companies that support them well, like Apple tries to do, you will receive years of useful and satisfying service from them even as newer models are introduced."
Worse, language like the above was paired with a a promise that the details of the $100 credit would be worked out soon ("Stay tuned."). How did a company that built itself back from death's door not realizing by throwing their best customers under the bus that they better have a medical team standing by to assist? They are "working it out?" This should have been anticipated and announced at the same time as the $200 price cut.
We've seen two companies who rely on loyalty from customers take very different approaches this week, and we have seen the results. Taking your loyal customers for granted is extremely dangerous, and both these companies should know: both had over 80% of their respective markets at one time, and both fell to disastrously smaller levels. One rebounded, but has not seemed to learn from the mistakes; the other is just beginning. There is only one sure thing here: both made very grave errors with their loyal customers, and the responses usually dictate the future.
Labels: Apple, business, gadgets, iPhone, Loyalty Lab, news, Palm, Treo
Friday, June 08, 2007
Use your Treo as a Modem for your Laptop
While I'm on the road, I use my laptop vigorously. I choose hotels based on their WiFi coverage and inclusiveness. This trip, I noticed my email from my corporate server can be downloaded, but not sent. Why? My IT guy reports that many WiFi ISP's block port 25, to prevent spammers from "wardriving," finding a free hotspot, and blasting away. So, thanks to Palm, Bluetooth, and my Treo, I wired up to my Treo 680 as it's own Bluetooth hotspot. Sure, it's no WiFi, but my mail gets out.
Damn, that was easy.
While I'm on the road, I use my laptop vigorously. I choose hotels based on their WiFi coverage and inclusiveness. This trip, I noticed my email from my corporate server can be downloaded, but not sent. Why? My IT guy reports that many WiFi ISP's block port 25, to prevent spammers from "wardriving," finding a free hotspot, and blasting away. So, thanks to Palm, Bluetooth, and my Treo, I wired up to my Treo 680 as it's own Bluetooth hotspot. Sure, it's no WiFi, but my mail gets out.Damn, that was easy.
Labels: cell phones, lifehacks, Palm, Treo
Friday, June 01, 2007
Make your Smartphone Smarter
This week, Palm attempted to prove they are still relevant in the mobile computing space with a newly announced device. Foleo is, in essence, a halfway device: it's not a laptop, nor is it a smartphone. Instead, its a slim, sleek instant-on device that is designed to pair seamlessly with your smartphone to provide laptop-like functionality. The idea is that there are times you need a full keyboard and a larger screen to use, but rather than invest in a separate laptop (with Windows bloatware and laptop weight), this device relies on your nearby smartphone to provide it with connectivity.
Positives:
Negatives:
See for yourself:
It's an interesting play. Foleo does fill a niche: the trend towards convergence is clear, but there are times you simply need the full keyboard and larger screen. It's not a groundbreaker, but it is intriguing. My prediction is a failure (see the Palm LifeDrive, for instance), but it will gain a surprising audience of hackers who figure out how to use the hardware to run Ubuntu and turn this into a full fledged ultralight network laptop.
The truly interesting part of the announcement is how it focuses on the cyclical nature of the computer business. See that photo to the left? It's the Apple PowerBook Duo 280c. It was my mainstay, a decade ago. Designed to bridge the gap between a desktop and a laptop, it offered an ultralight body with decent power and expandability. It's true value, however, was in the office: slide it into the dock, and seamlessly small motors pulled it in, making all of the necessary connections, and you had a full desktop machine, complete with additional hard drive space and power. To this day, while laptops proliferate, there is nothing like it: you still have endless cables and connections. Even the docks they sell are simply brute stands, that you have to fumble with connectors and wires to make work. Apple, as always, was ahead of its time.
The Foleo is taking a cue from the same philosophy, but going a different way. while I applaud the sentiment, I can see myself picking one of these up...after the price cut has happened and the happy hackers have started to make this the device it's meant to be.
This week, Palm attempted to prove they are still relevant in the mobile computing space with a newly announced device. Foleo is, in essence, a halfway device: it's not a laptop, nor is it a smartphone. Instead, its a slim, sleek instant-on device that is designed to pair seamlessly with your smartphone to provide laptop-like functionality. The idea is that there are times you need a full keyboard and a larger screen to use, but rather than invest in a separate laptop (with Windows bloatware and laptop weight), this device relies on your nearby smartphone to provide it with connectivity.Positives:
- The "instant on" is immediately appealing. Hell, most of the time, my laptop at work stays on the desk, as waiting for it to come out of sleep mode in a meeting seems to make Windows behave like a bear roused early from hibernation.
- It is definitely a minimalist device: good for travelers, for instance, who just want to watch a movie, catch up on email, or take notes in meetings.
- The Linux-based UI seems to be a hybrid of Palm's legendary ease of use and the familiar Windows interface.
- WiFi is built in, so you have the option of using your smartphone's connection or a handy hotspot.
- In a clearly desperate, though savvy, bid to remain relevant, the Foleo is designed to talk to lots of smartphones, not just Palm ones. That means Blackberrys, Windows Mobile devices, and...yeah, you guessed it...iPhones.
Negatives:
- 5 hours of battery life? C'mon, while that's good, it's not great, especially for cross-country flights.
- The price is ridiculous. At $500, you can get a cheap laptop with tons more power and flexibility. This needed to be $299.
- 2.5 lbs of weight? Remember, we're not talking about a full laptop here. High end notebooks are around that weight. Needed to be under 2 lbs, minimum.
See for yourself:
It's an interesting play. Foleo does fill a niche: the trend towards convergence is clear, but there are times you simply need the full keyboard and larger screen. It's not a groundbreaker, but it is intriguing. My prediction is a failure (see the Palm LifeDrive, for instance), but it will gain a surprising audience of hackers who figure out how to use the hardware to run Ubuntu and turn this into a full fledged ultralight network laptop.
The truly interesting part of the announcement is how it focuses on the cyclical nature of the computer business. See that photo to the left? It's the Apple PowerBook Duo 280c. It was my mainstay, a decade ago. Designed to bridge the gap between a desktop and a laptop, it offered an ultralight body with decent power and expandability. It's true value, however, was in the office: slide it into the dock, and seamlessly small motors pulled it in, making all of the necessary connections, and you had a full desktop machine, complete with additional hard drive space and power. To this day, while laptops proliferate, there is nothing like it: you still have endless cables and connections. Even the docks they sell are simply brute stands, that you have to fumble with connectors and wires to make work. Apple, as always, was ahead of its time.The Foleo is taking a cue from the same philosophy, but going a different way. while I applaud the sentiment, I can see myself picking one of these up...after the price cut has happened and the happy hackers have started to make this the device it's meant to be.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
In Praise of the Treo 680
Well, it's been nearly a month with my new Treo 680, and I'm pleased to report it's been a significantly better device than I had anticipated. I was moving from a Palm TX, with it's big screen and integrated WiFi, with a Bluetooth connection to my Sony Ericsson Z520 as backup. My biggest concerns were the sacrifice of speed of WiFi and the lack of screen real estate, as well as the purported disastrous Treo 680 battery life. I'm please to report that all of those concerns have been addressed.
Ok, let's start with the obvious. The keyboard is phenomenally easy to use, and makes mobile email a reality. Yes, I am now getting enticed by the prospects of checking email at any moment, but even for things like Twitter or detailed messages, it's extremely workable. The form factor of the Treo is the right balance of size and sleekness to me: it allows me to slip the Treo in a blazer pocket or the front pocket of my jeans, equally. Having never had another Treo, I can't comment on the lack of antenna that people praise the 680 for, but it certainly feels smaller than it is. Battery access is readily available (more on this later), and the stylus is VERY well integrated into the body. I also appreciated the ports being the same as the Palm TX, so I could use my chargers, etc. Other nice touches: a physical switch that allows me to switch the 680 to "vibrate" mode, without having to navigate menus, etc. VERY handy for meetings with clients. Advantage: 680.
Let's get the speed stuff out of the way: I hadn't realized that I was only on GPRS with my Sony, not EDGE. It makes QUITE a difference. Is it like DSL? No, but it is absolutely equally as fast as my TX's WiFi connection. And, without the overhead of the Bluetooth connection, it seems to be even more responsive. The keyboard, responsiveness, and EDGE performance do not make me miss my TX at all. The one concern I had was in downloading podcasts, but QuickNews lets you sync on HotSync updates, so no real impact. Advantage: 680.
Screen real estate. Yep, the 680 is noticeably smaller. Watching widescreen movies is a joke, though downloaded TV shows are perfectly acceptable. The screen is incredibly vivid, and very high resolution, even with a screen protector. Still, for multimedia, it's a hard adjustment. Advantage: TX.
SD card support. The 680 adds a very helpful cover to make the SD card slip unnoticed into the body. Despite my trepidations, it supports my 4GB card…most of the time. About once a week it can no longer "see" the card, and I need to reset it. Can be very frustrating, especially when it happens on a bike ride where I'm using PocketTunes to stream to my Bluetooth headset. Advantage: TX.
Bluetooth. My Sony phone was not all that comfortable with the Jawbone, but did offer voice dial support for Bluetooth headsets. For some reason, this is not a function allowed by Treo's (asinine). I'm trying some software solutions to see if they will help, but the phone at least keeps the pairing with the Jawbone. The Motorola Bluetooth headset is definitely more troublesome: it frequently loses the connection, but this may be more of a result of the updated software program. It does, however, stream sound from movies over Bluetooth, whereas the TX choked. Advantage: Tie.
Other miscellaneous issues have been reported as poor battery life, though I don’t have an issue with it: I have chargers at work and home, so it's fine. It does get a little addled with a lot of activity, but that's OK.
Downsides:
Overall, I am extremely pleased with the 680. The convenience of having an all in one device, along with the enhanced data usage and keyboard, and the elegant form factor, make me very happy with the choice. Do I miss the TX? Well, with it's broken reset button and overtaxed OS, it was getting long in the tooth in any case, but no, overall, I do not. I highly recommend the 680 for anyone.
Well, it's been nearly a month with my new Treo 680, and I'm pleased to report it's been a significantly better device than I had anticipated. I was moving from a Palm TX, with it's big screen and integrated WiFi, with a Bluetooth connection to my Sony Ericsson Z520 as backup. My biggest concerns were the sacrifice of speed of WiFi and the lack of screen real estate, as well as the purported disastrous Treo 680 battery life. I'm please to report that all of those concerns have been addressed.Ok, let's start with the obvious. The keyboard is phenomenally easy to use, and makes mobile email a reality. Yes, I am now getting enticed by the prospects of checking email at any moment, but even for things like Twitter or detailed messages, it's extremely workable. The form factor of the Treo is the right balance of size and sleekness to me: it allows me to slip the Treo in a blazer pocket or the front pocket of my jeans, equally. Having never had another Treo, I can't comment on the lack of antenna that people praise the 680 for, but it certainly feels smaller than it is. Battery access is readily available (more on this later), and the stylus is VERY well integrated into the body. I also appreciated the ports being the same as the Palm TX, so I could use my chargers, etc. Other nice touches: a physical switch that allows me to switch the 680 to "vibrate" mode, without having to navigate menus, etc. VERY handy for meetings with clients. Advantage: 680.
Let's get the speed stuff out of the way: I hadn't realized that I was only on GPRS with my Sony, not EDGE. It makes QUITE a difference. Is it like DSL? No, but it is absolutely equally as fast as my TX's WiFi connection. And, without the overhead of the Bluetooth connection, it seems to be even more responsive. The keyboard, responsiveness, and EDGE performance do not make me miss my TX at all. The one concern I had was in downloading podcasts, but QuickNews lets you sync on HotSync updates, so no real impact. Advantage: 680.Screen real estate. Yep, the 680 is noticeably smaller. Watching widescreen movies is a joke, though downloaded TV shows are perfectly acceptable. The screen is incredibly vivid, and very high resolution, even with a screen protector. Still, for multimedia, it's a hard adjustment. Advantage: TX.
SD card support. The 680 adds a very helpful cover to make the SD card slip unnoticed into the body. Despite my trepidations, it supports my 4GB card…most of the time. About once a week it can no longer "see" the card, and I need to reset it. Can be very frustrating, especially when it happens on a bike ride where I'm using PocketTunes to stream to my Bluetooth headset. Advantage: TX.
Bluetooth. My Sony phone was not all that comfortable with the Jawbone, but did offer voice dial support for Bluetooth headsets. For some reason, this is not a function allowed by Treo's (asinine). I'm trying some software solutions to see if they will help, but the phone at least keeps the pairing with the Jawbone. The Motorola Bluetooth headset is definitely more troublesome: it frequently loses the connection, but this may be more of a result of the updated software program. It does, however, stream sound from movies over Bluetooth, whereas the TX choked. Advantage: Tie.
Other miscellaneous issues have been reported as poor battery life, though I don’t have an issue with it: I have chargers at work and home, so it's fine. It does get a little addled with a lot of activity, but that's OK.
Downsides:
- The case is smooth. Too smooth. When one-handed typing, I am always afraid it'll slip out of my hand like a bar of soap. There is one rubberized point, but it only helps if you hold the Treo in your left hand. I'm probably looking at a "skin" case in my future.
- What the hell is with the radiation this thing throws off? Every had your cell phone close to a landline telephone or a speaker, and heard that buzzing? You quickly move your phone away, and all is fine, right? Not with the 680: this sucker needs to be FEET away from the interfering speaker. It seems just OK if I have in my pocket, and I sort of push my body between it and the phone, but it's amazingly stronger interference than any other phone or device I have ever had. I have to solve this, as clients are getting tired of having their eardrums ripped apart.
- Who stole the reset button? Look, I know we all want Palm devices to never need a reset, but with the crap I load in, it is an unfortunate necessity. Granted, the unplanned resets are less (not nonexistent, however) with the 680 compared to the TX, but the only way to reset the Treo is to pop out the battery and put it back in. Pain in the ass.
- Laggy UI. When the Treo gets bogged doing multiple things, it starts responding sluggishly to the keyboard. Yes, it catches up, but very frustrating.
Overall, I am extremely pleased with the 680. The convenience of having an all in one device, along with the enhanced data usage and keyboard, and the elegant form factor, make me very happy with the choice. Do I miss the TX? Well, with it's broken reset button and overtaxed OS, it was getting long in the tooth in any case, but no, overall, I do not. I highly recommend the 680 for anyone.
Labels: cell phones, Google Maps, iPhone, movies, music, Palm, podcasts, Treo, TX
