What Set Top Box Is In Your Living Room?

Droid Eris vs iPhone vs Droid vs Blackberry Storm

I have been in a very unique position the past few weeks to be able to run consistent comparisons of these 4 phones together and I have tweeted about it and while I love Twitter and Facebook, questions about my feelings on the 4 phones can't be explained in 140 characters or less.

Sorry for all the pictures, but they kindof tell the story.  I will break this down into a few categories:

Apps

Time wasting apps

Games

Social Media Apps

Productivity Apps (searching, maps, etc.)

Web surfing

Multi tasking

Business usage

Call quality

Service

Network Speeds

Ergonomics

Now, that's a lot of categories, but I think across them it can tell the story of which phone is best for you.  That's what this is really about.  Not one phone is the best phone period, because like all things, the value is in the eye of the beholder and ultimately the consumer will decide.

I encourage you all to read all of the categories though as they will help you all get the best perspective.

APPS:

I will knock out time wasting apps first, now these account for 99% of all apps on the Apple App Store, the Blackberry App Store and the Android Market.  Each phone has good to adequate apps for weight management, media streaming (Pandora, Slacker Radio, etc.) however the iPhone just has more of them.  Will you use them outside of the major ones, probably not, but they are there and choice is a good thing.

Games:

This is where I see the iPhone truly outshining every other device and to be honest, I don't know if any Android device will ever be able to compete.  Blackberry, well, let's just move on because the games on the storm are simply embarrassing.  The iPhone is always a specific OS on a specific screen with specific hardware, so you can have great games even if the hardware is better on an Android device.  It's akin to games on PCs vs. games on Consoles.  Console games are generally just better because they don't have to code for different hardware and components, etc.  I see the Android games improving, will they ever match iPhone games, I am doubtful.  The coming of Flash to both platforms will make this more interesting, but for the foreseeable future, this category is squarely with the iPhone.

Both Android devices have basically the same games available to them and while vastly superior to the Blackberry, they don't have all the titles that iPhone boasts.

Social Media Apps:

This category seemed to cause a big stir for me with several DMs on Twitter and even a couple of calls, but here goes.  I have to give the edge here to the Droid Eris.  The Motorola Droid comes in second with the iPhone third and the Blackberry in a distant 4th.  Each platform has apps for all of the major Social Media apps and most of the peripheral apps.  The biggest miss I see is no Gowalla app on Android although they say one will be out shortly.  I personally use Foursquare, but that is a different topic for a different day.

The Droid Eris comes integrated with Twitter and Facebook out of the gate and from there, each new Social network integrates throughout the platform so that I can share pictures or videos right from my photo library along with being able to email or MMS them.  The iPhone requires you to open each app and then browse your libraries.  I always have found this painful and annoying.  The Droid can be easily configured to do the things the Eris does, but the Sense UI adds some pieces onto Android to make this just a tad smoother.  The only knock I have on the Droid is the Facebook app is weaker than it's iPhone counterpart.  It is going through regular revisions that have improved it drastically over the past couple months, but it's still not as "snazzy" as the iPhone version.  Twitdroid has a 4.75* rating with 21,000+ ratings as a twitter app and it's easily as good as any of the best Twitter apps for the iPhone.  The Blackberry, well, it's apps are just bad in comparison.

A big issue I have with the iPhone is the way that notifications are generally done.  They did a great job with email and how you can control if you get a push, audio and/or vibrate.  Now imagine having that same control for each and every social media outlet you have.  Yeah, that's what Android does.  I am sorry, it's just better.  I carry both phones all the time and I find myself using my Eris the most for most of what I do.

Productivity Apps:

I didn't know how else to name this category, but things like Google Latitude, Voice, Maps, Searching, etc.  These are some of the apps I use the most and being a google phone, obviously, the Droids do these things better, but for the life of me, I don't know why the iPhone has denied these services.  The way that you can easily just speak something like "Chipotle" or "Buckeye Nissan" and it pops it right into Google maps with the ability to make the call or get Google results.  The iPhone has some of these services, but they can't be backgrounded and that really hurts their productivity.  For instance, if I need to know if my wife is getting the kids or if I am by just looking at Latitude.  This makes a big difference in a busy family where we both have to be flexible.  The Droid edges out the Eris here because the Eris is still on 1.5 vs. 2.0 of Android, so Google Goggles, which I think will revolutionize searching, is only available on 1.6 and up for Android.  This will be moot in mid January as the Eris is being upgraded.

Web Surfing:

Overall, this category is a matter of preference, however, having a truly tabbed browser on Android that loads consistently is nice.  Mobile Safari on the iPhone is an absolutely outstanding browser that renders amazingly.  My only complaint is that when you switch "tabs", it nearly always forces a reload.  I use my browser to read the news a lot and this always bugs me.  There are lots of "browser wars" posts showing speeds of page loads, but I think this is difficult to show because there are so many factors at play.  In general, I have done numerous speed tests and AT&T is generally faster downloading and Verizon is faster uploading and is more consistent.

Multi Tasking:

Multi Tasking can mean a number of things to a number of people, but I think the AT&T commercial nails it.  I have found that being able to look something up while on a call is nice and it's a limitation of the Verizon CDMA network.  I give the nod to the iPhone here.

Business Usage:

Are we talking about Blackberry?  Yeah, this is probably the only category I will give to the Blackberry.  Enterprise activation is a nice thing for IT administrators and not requiring a Gmail account or an iTunes account is a good thing for business.  The mail and calendar aps on Android and iPhone have improved significantly, but they are not as strong as Blackberry.  Good technology has mentioned that they will be releasing an iPhone app and an Android app which could make this comparison moot, but that won't get around the need for a gmail account or an iTunes account.

Call Quality:

I have to give the iPhone a 0 here.  Stopping sales in New York and I have mapped out the 3 spots where I drop calls daily on my way home have me saying this is AT&T's biggest issue.  It's not data because they seem superior (to me) there.  It looks like the new software update on Blackberry to 5.0 has them MUCH better, but I am still having shivers from 4.7.  I have never lost a call on Android and call quality is crystal clear.

Service:

Service for iPhones is an ongoing issue.  Verizon will ship you a phone immediately if there is a problem and not require you to give a credit card, etc.  You can be without a phone for days if you have a problem whereas with Verizon, you will have a new phone the next day.  Combine this with all your data being on the cloud and the Android solution makes for seamless transitions from phone to phone whereas with iPhone you have to restore from a backup with iTunes and this process is a bit scary for most consumers.  The Mobile me service (at $99/yr) makes this much better, but should you really have to pay for this when Google and Blackberry make this free?  I have to give the joint nod overall to the Droids here due to the fact that if you aren't in an enterprise situation, the Blackberry is a bit of a black hole from a restore process.

Network Speeds:

I have a post on this, but that was just with the Storm.  I have been running on-going tests and I have a basic summary of avg speeds:

iPhone: 2000 KBs Down/190 KBs Up

Droid(s): 1500 KBs Down/900 KBs Up

Blackberry: 300 KBs Down/300 KBs Up

Overall, I give the nod to the iPhone here, but at those speeds, it doesn't much matter unless you are watching video.  Unless you jailbreak though, most of this is locked down whereas tv.com's Android app allows you to watch any CBS TV show live over the network.

Ergonomics:

The iPhone is just beautiful, but I have to say that I find myself liking the Droid Eris better.  It's a little smaller and the nice backing is rubbery and doesn't slide around so much when it's in the car.  I think the iPhone is just a little too wide for easy 1 hand texting.  I am a little faster on the droid eris with 1 hand texting.  The Droid is definitely not a 1 hand texting device, it's more of a mini computer with the keyboard.  If you are just using the phone like a netbook, the Droid is superior.  The Blackberry's push in screen is just annoying to me.  It makes fast typing nearly impossible.

Conclusion:

So, there you have it.  Overall, I find the Droid Eris to be the overall most friendly and useful device if I had to choose just one.  However, I am not a big gamer on my phone and I am a big Social Media user.  The tight Android integration is the "killer app" for me and all of the other drawbacks or advantages cancel eachother out.  If I had to choose just one device, I would likely select the Eris.  I would put the Droid a close second, mainly because the nice Sense UI and smaller profile of the Eris is more to my liking, but the Droid is a fantastic phone.  Third, I have the iPhone which is mainly in third as a result of no backgrounding and hence weak Social Media integration vs. Android and the AT&T handcuffs of call quality.  I have the Blackberry a distant last and I think RIM is in serious trouble.  I see both Palm and RIM becoming hanger-ons with Enterprise users and the mainstream will be a 2 horse race with iPhone and Android.

This blog post goes against all my rules of length, but there is a lot to talk about.  Please let me know your thoughts :)

Cheers!

Content Management and eCommerce

I feel like I have been doing Content Management for my whole life.  It actually has been a long time, but the real calculation places me just short of 1/3 of my life.  In that time, I have run the gamut in terms of "What is Content Management".  I have been through Web Content Management, Enterprise Content Management, Records Management, Catalog Management and more.  Content Management can take many forms, but I wanted to look at it a little closer and see what makes "sense".  What makes "sense" in this world of ever reducing costs is to be able to do content management better, faster and cheaper both today and in the long-run.

The first thing I look at is we need to agree that following the KISS method is of the utmost importance. (Keep It Simple Stupid).

The second thing to look at is your Information Architecture.  After realizing that Content Management needs to be easy, this is the most important in order to understand so that all of your base level pages, media types and content items can be defined.  Your solution should be able to accept new media types and the addition of pages should be simple and straight forward.  By identifying your content types and what pages they live on, new pages and new content can be easily automated.

Many people feel strongly that the creative defines the content management system, however this is one of the biggest mistakes in the field.  Since we all know the only constant in life is change, we can assume that the creative will change and in some cases change significantly.  When this happens, it is important that the content management solution doesn't need to be rebuilt.  Content types should be defined by what they are, not how they look.  Defining content in this manner is called loose definition and it allows for the best reuse of content and the most flexibility.  Most pure content sites can be handled with less than 5 content types (navigation item, media item, article item, and promotion).  CSS can and should handle the details.  Since we know the sites will change every 12-18 months, changing the out the content management system (CMS) as well makes even having a CMS questionable based on the cost to implement one.  there is no ROI in saving 500K by having a CMS if it costs you 700K to implement it every 12 months.

The next question is eCommerce.  Products are just content at the end of the day, and should they really be managed as anything other than as another content type?  The obvious answer is no.  I am amazed how often I see content and products managed by different systems.  The cost for something like this is almost unimaginable.  Now, a product may be a more strictly defined content type depending on the requirements for making attributes searchable.

“Keeping it Simple” means keeping your content simple and keeping the number of solutions simple.  If multiple solutions are in place for products and other content, it might be time to re-evaluate your solution to something like ATG (Art Technology Group) as a solution that handles all content within a single application.  Additionally, if your system has more that 10 content types, it might be time to re-evaluate your solution to see where things can be streamlined in order to not have the cost of implementation become a barrier to entry for updating your site and keeping your brand fresh.

OPEN E-Commerce

People always ask me about tying the new trends of the OPEN Brand or Social Commerce into what is reality in the technology world of E-Commerce.  I found myself sitting at the Partner conference for ATG in January this year while the ATG leadership team was talking about the future of their platform and how it was the last platform you would ever need.  This got me thinking how that would become a reality due to the cost ramifications when I know that my client’s best interests are my number one objective.  It suddenly dawned on me this week as I was working through a myriad of E-Commerce issues as it relates to a number of my Retail clients that this new world of E-Commerce should be MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE, both to build and to maintain.  Given budgets this year, this is extremely important.

The first question that comes to mind is just how can I do all things social and be where my customers are while maintaining costs?  It seems we can’t touch our core E-Commerce solutions for less than 7 figures… That, however, IS the answer.  You DON’T touch your core Commerce functionality.

Your CORE E-Commerce functionality should be these things and these things only: •    Catalog •    Checkout (Payment and Fraud) •    Inventory Management •    Fulfillment •    Back Office Integration The things I find myself being asked to change the most are things like this: •    Facebook Applications/Fan Pages •    Path to Product/Checkout •    SEO •    Personalization/Scenarios •    Search Implementations (Endeca, Google) •    Advertising Campaigns The previous items are the most common pieces that drive conversion and sales for marketing organizations.  Let’s face it, Back Office integration is more of a cost of doing business vs. something you can show true ROI on, at least in the short term. How do you DO IT? I have long been a fan of the acronym KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid).  The running norm is to try and build everything into the Core Commerce system, which generally ends with everyone being less than pleased.  Boiling the ocean is not something anyone should undertake.  An E-Commerce solution can be broken up into 3 basic layers: •    Front-End •    Commerce Enablement •    Back Office Segregating these layers allows for a scalable and organized approach to not just e-commerce, but commerce in general.  Back Office pieces such as Data Warehouse, CRM, Inventory Management, Warehouse Management, etc. are all core competencies of your business.  These areas would be managed and run as they are today, but with the new approach, there would be significantly more clarity about what needs to be done. Commerce Enablement is all about connecting these Back Office systems to your commerce system in a consistent way so that the inputs and outputs are always a known quantity.  By settling on what these inputs and outputs should be, clear lines of delineation can be drawn, simplifying your organization and minimizing your need for overhead. Clients should focus on the only exposed items of your E-Commerce system to be your catalog being available and REST APIs being available for the following things: •    Add to cart •    Remove from cart •    Check Inventory •    Checkout •    Get Confirmation These are the core functions necessary to be able to checkout a customer.  Everything else is something extra and it can generally be done for a lot less than trying to build it all into the Core Commerce system.  The separation will allow front-end applications to be built, upgraded, modified, and extended without affecting the core commerce experience.  What does that end up meaning?  Everything costs a lot less. This sounds too good to be true… There are some drawbacks to this approach.  Personalization would not be done via the core commerce platform, however there are lots of SaaS based personalization services from ATG that are available for your promotions that are significantly easier to implement into your code base. The upsides are endless… Point of Sale registers can be easily replaced by a web based system that will eliminate long and difficult closing processes and it will allow for cross sell and upsells from the register and even in the dressing room.

I like to always say that a picture is 1,000 words.  In this case, it's less than 1,000 :)

Next up..  RFID

via www.neurosurgical.com

Dish Network Horror Story - my Dish Customer Journey

This is my letter verbatim to Dish following a horrible night which ended in me not only canceling my service, but writing a blog post and posting extensive angry tweets about Dish.  SO, in this one evening, I went from being just a customer that would have probably stayed with them for a long time based on not wanting to deal with change to someone who would write all this up.  For those of you scoring at home, this is a customer service disaster...

I joined Dish several years ago and early on I was a very happy customer.  I raved about the service and the customer service with the Sirius channels and all.  I had DirecTV in the past and cable and friends of mine have others like UVerse, etc.

I started with a single HD DVR and a couple of HD receivers and this was great for awhile.  Once Dish offered the 922 box with Sling Box, I had to have it.  I am big on TV and I think its great to have the option to stream your TV everywhere.  I replaced one of my low end boxes with the 922 and was in love.  

It worked AWESOME for about 8-9 months and then one day the hard drive blew up on it.  I called Dish and they promptly replaced it.  The first unit I got didn't work well, so they sent another and this one became the bane of my existence.  I am EXTREMELY technically savvy and I have extensive AV setups in every room of the house including Google TVs, Apple TVs, 2 Home Theatre/Projector setups.  SO, needless to say, I know my stuff when it comes to A/V things.  

The 3rd 922 box would work great for a day or so and then all the sudden the guide would come up, but the tuners wouldn't pull up a show.  The only fix for this seemed to be hard resetting the whole box.  This was discovered after a series of calls with Dish Tech Support.  Eventually a pattern emerged where the receiver would work for about 8 hours and then it would die in the same manner.  The Dish people told me I needed to call Sling (even though they own Sling and they are Sling) but they gave me an 800 number to call.  I tried 3 times to get through and each time I ended up on hold for 25+ minutes and never got to speak to anyone so I eventually gave up and haven't used my sling service since.  Dish can confirm this in their usage logs.  The irony of this issue comes up at the end.  I am assuming when I added the 922 box, my contract was extended somehow secretly or they buried it in some long "listen to my 120 second terms and conditions".  Of course, the date that this happened is unknown and the only way to get said date is to call and ask.

Today:

The US National Soccer tem is on playing Scotland and since I am a big soccer fan, I wanted to see the match..  Unfortunately, on Memorial Day Weekend, it was only on in Spanish unless you subscribe to the top level of Dish.  DOes anyone else get the irony there?  How un-American can you get.  So, I post my irritation on Twitter and some guy from their Social Media tries to help and he says to try ESPN 2.  I am initially excited that they were paying attention and I thought, wow, I am impressed.  After I tell him that ESPN 2 is actually showing some odd form of racing and not soccer, he said it was on channel 159 which is an NBC Sports station that is only available if you pay for the full subscription of 250 stations (I only get the 200) which ironically blocks out History 2, Military, History international and a few other channels I really like but I had to draw the line somewhere...  So, if you only spend $123.99/mo you don't get any of that AND you can't watch the US National team.  How incredibly insane is that?  At this point, I am now annoyed and I start thinking about what my options are.

First phone call - I was disconnected and didn't get a user ID.

Second Phone Call:  User ID: 8UF - Front-Line person - I called about contract - was told I don't have a contract since I was past my 2 year agreement with Dish.  I also called to complain about it being Memorial Day weekend and I needed the 250 channel plan in order to see the US National team in English.  I had them on 4 stations in Spanish.  I also asked again about Fix issue with my 922 receiver - and I asked about the Hopper vs. my current setup.  They transferred me to Advanced service.  For those of you that don't know, the Hopper is Dish's answer to the whole home DVR and it's a very nice system.

Advanced Support:

User ID GVT - I asked again about the Hopper vs. DirecTV due to 922 issues and being out of contract - He walked me through issues on 922 and offered to replace or send a tech out for free.  I told him I wanted to talk it over with my wife before I had them send a replacement or do the hopper.  This individual was very nice and helpful in was trying his best to give me every option to stay with Dish.

Call One to DirecTV

I then talked to my wife and called DirecTV.  The cost was determined to be right at about $70/month vs. $123/mo on Dish with all the receivers included and no cost at all on the equipment.  The service is similar to a hopper and 3 Joeys (which is not an option) - so I would need 2 Hoppers and 2 Joeys.  Based on cost and the DirecTV solution appearing smoother and everything involved, I decided to switch.

Third Phone call:  Cancellation line:

User ID: RMS - I called back to cancel.  Upon hearing I wanted to cancel, I was advised I do have a contract.  This was the FIRST mention of a contract at all.  I asked for a supervisor.

Supervisor Andy

User ID: ZTH - Andy got on the phone and made it clear that he was a no nonsense guy and that I was wasting my time asking for anyone else.  He said I was under contract and if I wanted to cancel, it would be $60.  There is no recourse to my being told by all previous reps that I wasn't under contract AND it's impossible to find out your contract status unless you call in.  Since I was told one thing before I was going to cancel and another thing after, it's obvious to see why I am upset.  

I asked Andy if there was any worse company than Dish - He advised me DirecTV was worse than dish because their ETF fees are worse and they don't waive anything.  I asked him how this helps me at all since nothing is being waived for me.  I asked for his supervisor and he advised me they don't take calls and this was a take it or leave it situation.  Since I have already signed up with DirecTV, I was left with no option but to pay the $60.  If the card that I signed up with 3+ years ago wasn't still good, I would be billed for the $60 plus any additional fees needed to cancel.  Obviously your card numbers change when your cards expire and I am pretty sure any card I had 3+ years ago has changed and he didn't even know what card it was.  So, using a scare tactic, I felt compelled to give him my credit card for the $60 and given how this discussion was going, I REALLY didn't feel comfortable giving him my information.  However, if I didn't, he implied my costs would escalate to cancel.  Andy further told me that any future deals with Dish would be null and I would have to pay more to get back in with Dish since I was canceling early saying something like I would have to pay in advance for service or something like that.  At this point, I was completely disgusted with Dish and I didn't really even understand what he meant.  I also decided it would be a good time to document and Andy became excessively evasive.  He would only give me User IDs (not even first names) of the people I spoke with previously and I had to identify what each conversation was about before he would acknowledge anything.  For those of you at home, your shady meter should be on over drive at this point.

I know this will go nowhere because I am just one customer who has had a horrible experience with a person who was an incredible jerk given what I have had to deal with (broken 922 receiver and being told I was no longer under contract, etc.).  However, I figure if this goes into a file where there are other complaints maybe someday someone will read this and take corrective action.  Needless to say, I am basically done with Dish for good because with Andy's threats of me not getting deals again, any advertising you do to me is going to hit deaf ears.  This whole situation is a terrible way to deal with customers though and I am hoping I heard him wrong.

I hope this diatribe goes somewhere in helping someone else avoid getting into this situation with Dish and essentially avoiding them as a provider.  My last Day with Dish is Wednesday, May 30 2012.  I will update you all on my conversion to DirecTV and what my thoughts are.  I will try and avoid the Honeymoon phase that is sure to occur.

One extremely frustrated former Dish customer.

Top 10 Android apps vs Top 10 iPhone apps and what is missing in both

My ongoing review of Android and iPhone side by side has compelled me to look into what I think are the top apps (that I use regularly).  I figured the best way to look at this is what the top apps that I use on both phones, apps only on iPhone and apps only on Android.  I am going to exclude email and calendar for this post.  Both platforms have good, but not great functionality.

Top apps on BOTH phones:

Facebook:  This is the app I would say I am on the most outside of E-mail and Calendar.  Overall, as I have said previously, the iPhone version of the app is superior in most ways to the Android counterpart.  The design of the iPhone version is crisper and the iPhone version has chat whereas the Android version does not.

Twitter:  On the iPhone, I use Twitbird pro 2.2 which is a paid app.  On Android, I use Seesmic which is a free app.  Both have all the major Twitter functionality including trends, searches, lists, etc.  As I have said before, Android integrates twitter better into the experience by running it in the background which gives updates, etc. in your status bar without having to use push notifications.  I find push notifications annoying on the iPhone as they takeover whatever I am doing, so I have largely disabled them.

Barcode scanner for Shopping:  I used this A LOT this Christmas season and I found it absolutely a game changer.  It's so easy that my mother even uses this on her Motorola Droid.  Barcode scanner is a free app for Android and it works incredibly well.  It is fast, efficient and it find the best prices everywhere.  Red Laser is a paid app on the iPhone and isn't very good on the iPhone 3G due to the camera, however on the the 3GS, this seems to be fixed due to to the 3GS camera can focus on close up objects.

ESPN Radio app:  This is a paid app for Android and iPhone ($2.99).  You can listen live to over 16 ESPN radio stations as well as over 35 on demand podcasts and on-demand Sportscenter.  A must have for any sports fan.

Google Reader app.  Byline on iPhone is simple and elegant.  NewsRob on Android is probably the most powerful Google Reader app I could imagine.  At the end of the day though, both are great for what they do and you get your feeds efficiently.

Photoshop.  This is a free app for Android and iPhone.  This is an excellent photo editor.

Wikipedia.  I am a geek and I have a need for a plethora of useless facts at my fingertips.  This is a free app for both platforms and both apps work great.

Speedtest.  This is a free app on both and since I love to test Verizon's and AT&T's network constantly, I am a heavy user of this app :)

Amazon Mobile.  Both platforms provide an excellent app for shopping Amazon's extensive catalog. You can buy via one click purchase and all your options online are in the mobile versions.

Pandora Radio.  Pandora is a recommendation engine for music, letting listeners create radio stations based on their particular tastes. If you like AC/DC, create a station based on the Australian rockers to hear songs like "Highway to Hell," but you'll also get songs from bands with a similar sound pedigree, such as Black Sabbath.

iPhone Only apps I love:

Overall, the iPhone has A LOT more apps than Android and this list could be long, but I am focusing on apps I actually consistently use over time.  Mostly these are games as the gaming platform on the iPhone is vastly superior to Android today.

Kindle.  I love the Kindle on the iPhone.  I was amazed at how easy it was to read a book on it.  I have read several books on it and I feel it's a nice eReader.  It looks like no Kindle on Android is a victim of politics thus far due to the Nook.  These things are subject to change over time, but as of today, this is a miss for Android.

Air Mouse.  There are some alternatives on Android, but nothing is as good as Air Mouse.  This can take the place of a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.  I find this to be a great app and I use it a lot.

Alarm.com.  I use this app every day to interact with my home alarm system.  It won't do anyone any good unless you use Alarm.com.  This is a great app though and you can set, disarm and track statuses of your alarm as well as get live video from ay camera on your network.

Civilization Revolution.  This game is based on the XBOX 360 game.  The graphics and game play are actually more usable and better on the iPhone than on the Nintendo DS and the gameplay is better than on the 360.  My wife can attest that this has been a HUGE time waster for me :)

Real Soccer 2010.  This is a great soccer game for the iPhone and while I wouldn't take it over a Wii or an XBOX version, if I were on a plane or away from home, this is a really fun game.  I find it better than the EA version.

Tiger Woods 2010 golf.  I hate touting something by Tiger right now, but this game is absolutely sick.  One could spend HOURS playing this game alone.

Quicken.  I could live without the other apps I have listed, however Quicken is something I can't live without.  I am in this app every day and its fantastic for checking in where you are financially.  The only issue I have is that I have to login daily (it doesn't save that info).

Android Only Killer apps:  iPhone has some browser versions of these apps, but those are just a stopgap because Apple won't let these apps on the iPhone.  I am not including jail broken iPhones which open the iPhone to a lot of possibilities.

Google Goggles.  Google Goggles is a visual search app.  Instead of using words, take a picture of an object with your camera phone: we attempt to recognize the object, and return relevant search results. Goggles also provides information about businesses near you by displaying their names directly in the camera preview.

Google Maps.  While iPhone comes with Google Maps, it lacks most of the reall strong features that Android's Google maps includes.  GPS Navigation, Latitude, US (only) is included which gives views of: compass arrow, scale bar, terrain layer, and more.

Google Voice.  Google Voice for Android lets you place calls and send SMS showing your Google number. Listen to voicemail and/or read transcripts from the Google Voice inbox. Google Voice account required, currently only available in the US.

PDA Net.PdaNet allows your computer to go online through the Android phone's data connection. Supports USB Tether and Bluetooth DUN. No root access needed and runs on all Android phones. Mac&PC.  Your phone does not need to be jailbroken to support this app.  Free version works on port 80, but a one time fee of $29 allows for VPN and SSL connections.

Super Nintendo Emulator.  SNesoid is an emulator for the Super Nintendo game console. It runs most games at a very much playable speed in full screen mode with sound.  It turns your Android phone into a Super Nintendo without needing to Jailbreak.  The Emulator is $3.49 on the Android market.

Talk to me.  Avoid language barriers by using a real-time speech-to-speech translator.  You speak into this app, and it translates for you into a new language.  VERY cool.

This is a problem on iPhone where sometimes apps just crash or things just "seem" slow.  You can get to the processes if you jailbreak, but Android allows this out of the box without needing to jailbreak.  While most users wouldn't use this feature, advanced users love this option.

Conclusion:  I think that the iPhone is an amazing device on the cusp of it's fourth iteration and it's obviously had a lot more put into it in terms of a developer's community and the platform as a whole.  For some reason only known to Steve Jobs, they are continuing to lock out Google.  That's like having a mall and saying no Les Wexner, I don't want any of your stores or anything you created.  That means no Limited, Victoria's Secret, Henri Bendel, Hollister, Abercrombie, Bath & Body Works, etc. You get the picture.  You could have an amazing mall, but without these stores, you are very exposed to competition.

Google is zeroing in on the weaknesses of Apple and attacking them hard.  There are only a few reasons to jailbreak your phone and all of those reasons are fixed in Android and those are: Backgrounding apps, Tethering, Google apps, Emulators for games, control over processes (killing tasks)  Apple will have to figure out these issues in the 4th generation iPhone.  Android needs to work on it's developer community and come up with an "easier" way to build apps the way Apple has with Coco.  Will it matter?  We will know by mid 2010 which I see as the year for the smartphone race to become a 2 horse race between iPhone and Android with Blackberry, Palm and Microsoft falling further behind.

RFID in an OPEN world

RFID has been around for several years and my first introduction to it was several years ago when I had the pleasure of working with some visionaries at Simon Property Group.  We were looking at RFID to track kids in the malls for their parents.  RFID has come a long way since then and I am still amazed it hasn't really caught on.

If you read my last post on OPEN E-Commerce and you take that approach, implementing RFID in your retail locations and showing immediate ROI on it is within easy reach.

I read a really good blog post on the subject here: How to Implement RFID in a Store Quickly.  They go over, in detail, how your employees can even install the system.  They mention the big thing in retail which is reduced shrinkage.  At the touch of a button, you can know where every item in your inventory is.

What would really make the ROI extreme though?

If your store is setup with a wireless internet connection (this can be done very easily even with a Verizon myfi), installing small, netbook type computers into the dressing rooms with the RFID sensor at the door will pay for itself in spades.

Scenario:  Customer walks into the dressing room with some size 4 jeans and 2 medium t-shirts.  The RFID will automatically sense how many items and what items are present.  This can be displayed on the screen with ratings and reviews (which could also be added right there in the dressing room) as well as recommended cross sell and upsell items.

Lots of information can be garnered just from what a customer takes into the dressing room.  For instance, we know she is a woman, looking for casual wear and she is a size 4.  By feeding this information into an engine such as ATG recommendations, the system will use it's Artificial Intellegence (AI) features to call out what things would go with the items best.  All of this information will also help you on-line as the additional information feeding into the recommendations engine will create better recommendations.

Talk about wow-ing your customers and making sure they know that you care about them and are giving them the most OPEN and transparent information they can get.

If you are in Retail, it's about moving the dial and nothing will move the dial like this will!

Step by Step - Updating iOS 4.x Beta to your device

This seems to be a general problem that people figure out by word of mouth and I couldn't find and good instructions on how to do it.  Once the 3rd person asked me (after I had to ask a friend of mine), I decided to do a little post on it.

Notes:  

To download the beta, you need to be a paid member of the Apple developer program ($99/yr)

The file you download is a DMG file (disc image), so, that's probably the most confusing part.

Go do the Developer apple site and grab the latest beta:

http://developer.apple.com

Now, once it's downloaded (it's a BIG file 500+MB), it's a DMG file, so you need to double click it (just like you were installing it).  This will mount the disc image for you.  In Finder, you should see this:

The DMG file is mounted and you see the .ipsw file, which is what you need to select from iTunes to update your iOS.

Next, open iTunes and connect your device.

Hold down the "Alt" key and click "Check for Update" This will open a finder window for you to select a file.

Select your mounted image file and the .ipsw file is inside.

Select "Update" and just wait.  iTunes will take care of the rest.

If anyone has problems with this, let me know.

Changing the conversation on oil

I really enjoyed this article and I felt that it does a great deal to highlight where the real issues are with gas prices and it paints a realistic picture.  There is one interesting thing that I am honestly SHOCKED I haven’t a lot more of.  Since we know we can affect the market forces in terms of oil costs, why aren’t the politicians changing the market?  Amazingly, I did see a little of this with McCain’s new battery push, but I mean a real investment in alternative fuel solutions like Honda’s FCX car.  If the government gave several billion dollars and tight timelines around making these cars (and an array of vehicles) affordable, accessible and serviceable, dramatic change could occur in the next 5-6 years.

I looked at this report:

I retrieved the following data:

Automobiles:

USMS members report 2.17 cars per household. 49.4% report having 2 cars, with 19.7% having 1 car and 19.6% having three cars. 51.9% of households report buying a new car every 5 or fewer years. The average length of time between car purchases is 6.3 years. Given the average number of cars per household we can extrapolate that USMS households purchase a new car every 3 years, on average. Japanese car makers are the preferred automobile provider. 43.9% of members report preferring Japanese cars, 33.6% of members prefer American cars, and 14.2% prefer German cars. 8.3% prefer “other” countries of origin.

If we do something significant like provide a $5,000-$10,000 tax credit to ALL people (not tiered by income) in order to drop the barrier to entry somewhat on a new car purchase, I think we could affect that 6.3 years.  Since the car already exists by Honda, they could step up production significantly within the next 1-2 years and within the next 2-3 years most manufacturers could follow suit and we could change the market.

I would personally love to see the market changed vs. looking at how to fix something that is inherently broken and finite.

Additional notes:

Consumption Article:  http://www.usms.org/admin/surveys/May2006/consumption_report.pdf

Article Link:  http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2008/db20080619_412349.htm

Honda FCX Clarity:  http://automobiles.honda.com/fcx-clarity/

The 3G wars AT&T vs. Verizon

I have always had a cell phone it seems and I was definitely one of the first to get a "smartphone".  I feel that over the years, I have had a phone on all of the "major" networks, but never have I had the opportunity I had today.

While driving home for Thanksgiving, my beautiful wife agreed to drive giving me the chance to get a lot of work done.  During that time, it dawned on me that I should take this chance to see what network really was faster over time over a distance.

So, I hit areas from Columbus to Toledo to Ft Wayne, IN consistently testing Verizon's network vs. AT&T's network.  I am a long-time Verizon customer, so to say I was surprised by the outcome would be a massive understatement.

Stop One:  North Columbus

Verizon 3G:  288 down 271 Up

AT&T 3G:  2814 Down 371 Up

North of Delaware, OH:

Verizon 3G:  351 down 317 Up

AT&T 3G:  984 Down 281 Up

South of Toledo, OH:

Verizon 3G:  91 down 86 Up

AT&T Edge:  271 Down 34 Up

Just East of Indiana/Ohio border:

Verizon 3G:  72 down 71 Up

AT&T Edge:  149 Down 39 Up

OK guys and gals, these are the facts.  I haven't changed anything.

Apps/Phones Used:

Blackberry Storm

Potential excuses for slowness - Connected to corporate email server

No other apps running

Apple iPhone 3G

Potential excuses for slowness - Connected to corporate email server

No other apps running

Conclusion:

I guess if I were Verizon, they can claim that something is 3G when maybe it really isn't so fast?  I have "felt" that my phones were slow on Verizon's network (I have had 3 blackberries and a Palm Treo) and all of them felt slow, but there was no good way to benchmark the speed.  The wireless cards appear to be good and I have usually been able to pull 300KB down on them and 300 up with the rare exception I have gotten them to 700 KB/s down.

Truth in advertising:

TRUE:  Verizon's 3G coverage appears to be larger in space than AT&T's 3G coverage. (Several times above in VERY rural areas, I dropped to Edge as you can see in my results)

TRUE:  AT&T is the fastest 3G network

Questions:  What is 3G?  Most people claim Edge is "2.75G", however it appears that Edge has better download speeds than I am getting on Verizon side by side, but slower upload speeds.  I guess the answer is up to interpretation, but if you believe ads, well, then..  ummmmmmm dot dot dot, you are naive :)

Happy Thanksgiving!