Mobile

Recession or not, we can still give thanks for technology

Years ago, writing a “grateful” journal was all the rage. Helps to keep things in perspective (at least, that’s what Oprah told us). So, given that it’s been such a tough year for business, I thought I’d step back and see what I could find to be thankful for. Here’s my list.

5. I’m thankful for the idea of a Microsoft-free world (not that it would ever happen.) But, finally I see business ready for some changes in the technological hierarchy, experimenting with open source applications and operating systems. Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are fiercely competing with Internet Explorer – and are holding their own. It may be a long road, because legacy programs die hard, but the possibility is on the horizon.

4. I’m thankful for GOOGLE and its ability to just keep getting it right. The search engine giant with incredible apps (for both business and pleasure) introduced the G1 Google phone this year. Google is taking on Apple and Microsoft with browsers and search engines – and is now competing in the mobile device ring, welcoming open source applications. I must also thank the company for providing us with small-talk topics (“So, have you tried out the new Google Goggles?”) and connecting us with our peers on GTalk.

3. I’m thankful that we had a real example of how Web 2.0 and social networking could change the world. We saw the impact social networking and the Web generation had when it came to the election. Text messaging, Facebooking, blogging and Twittering were used by the masses to connect and promote – creating quite a stir and forever changing the way candidates campaign. From online health records to wikis, we are using the Web to manage our lives and keep us informed.

2. I’m thankful we’re all more aware of security risks. This year we’ve experienced everything from the San Francisco network lockout to concerns about VoIP and unified communications. The Emerging Cyber Threats Report for 2009 warns us of an even rockier future – estimating that 15% of online computers will be botnet-affected this year. There are no rose-colored glasses for looking at security – we know the risks.

1. I’m thankful that despite the economy, technology continues to flourish and companies continue to innovate. Even though budgets are getting cut and IT innovation is becoming more difficult, people are making it work. Costs can be cut by moving to green IT, virtualization and SaaS applications. Not too shabby

If my glass-half-full approach didn’t satisfy your appetite, check out this year’s list of tech turkeys compiled by Rachel Lebeaux, associate editor of SearchCIO.com.

Geekin’ out with Google’s G1

On Wednesday, the G1 Google phone for T-Mobile with Android – the first “free, open source and fully customizable mobile platform” – was made available in stores to the general public. A geek at heart, I was anxious to check out the much anticipated Android Market, which allows third-party developers to create applications with the Android-provided source code.

I trudged out to T-Mobile to pick one up. When we walked in, I was greeted by the store manager in his limited-edition G1 T-shirt. “Hi, welcome to T-Mobile, what can I help you with today?” As if he didn’t already know.

Within 45 minutes I had my G1 and, with a sigh, I turned off my beloved BlackBerry (stripped of its SIM card) for the last time. Leaving my BlackBerry behind was bittersweet – such a reliable phone … never had a problem with it.

So if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it? Absolutely not. Although I had gotten used to the reliability of my BlackBerry, it was a stagnant sense of “fine.” Nothing was wrong, but things could get better. Things like open source applications and no one dictating which apps “belonged” to the platform. The possibilities are endless.

In an ironic twist, the day before the G1 hit stores, Microsoft declared it “Anti-Piracy Day.” Digital rights management schemes invoke negative reactions from many end users, which made me wonder — here’s the ironic part — if going open source would eliminate the licensing and piracy efforts companies like Microsoft are concerned with? Open source allows developers to create and edit without the licensing issues.

But, of course, it’s not just the Microsofts of the world that are affected — piracy harms the open source community as well. The need for creativity and the feeling of “giving back to the community” provided by open source could be harmed if people aren’t paying exorbitant prices for their pirated copy of MS Office (getting it free or at a reduced rate) – why bother working towards a change?

So, don’t be a software pirate and look forward to the possibilities of open source — think of all the apps!

Are CIOs finding Apple’s sex-appeal, appealing?

How important is it, as a CIO, to have a fashion-accessory phone? What about if said phone is sexy – unlike some of the more boring models?

Windows Mobile is boring. According to Mikael Nerde, head of the accessory and developer program for Sony Ericsson, “Win Mobile has so many great functions, but it just looks really, really boring.”

Efficient and well-known, but boring nonetheless. Just look at how Apple represents Windows in the Mac commercials – pocket-protector clad, bumbling, nervous Windows up against a younger, more confident Mac.

What is the Apple appeal? Apple showed the world it’s entirely possible to be smart and sexy with their “sexed up smartphone”—the iPhone. What makes the iPhone such a hit? A Handango Inc.- sponsored panel discussion decided it’s a “mixture of Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ marketing ‘mojo,’ the success of its App Store, integrated functionality and more.”

Smart, sexy and functional? Sounds great. But is sexiness necessary for those using their phone primarily for business purposes?

Well, for the mobile competitors, sexiness is necessary. That is, if they want to compete with the “one to beat” iPhone in the mobile world.

Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) introduced a new member to the BlackBerry family – the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220. Available later in the year, the “not just for business users” model is smaller, more stylish and still retains the features you would expect in a BlackBerry.

Sprint Nextel Corp. is also releasing new phones later this year. Three of the five new consumer phones will have a new user interface called Sprint One Click. One Click is similar to Apple’s carousel functionality; it allows users to drop the icons of commonly-used applications on their home screen for one-click access.

OK so Win Mobile is boring and Apple is sexy – but do CIOs really care about how sexy their mobile device is? I don’t know, you tell me.

All in all, it seems mobile phones are bringing sexy back – and using the iPhone as a benchmark.

Will Mobile mania go the way of the Marlboro Man?

This just in: Mobile phones may cause cancerous brain tumors.

How many times have we heard that? Over the years, as mobile phones became increasingly popular, studies have linked them to cancer and then further studies have extinguished the fear. Most recently Dr. Ronald Herberman, the University of Pittsburgh’s Cancer Institute director, has sent out a memo to his staff members warning them of the possible link between mobile phone use and brain cancer development.

Dr. Herberman has also compiled tips to help you limit your exposure to electromagnetic radiation emitted from mobile phones. The list includes switching ears while talking and avoiding mobile phone use in public where you could possibly harm others (secondhand electromagnetic radiation?).

To those of you who scoff at the cancer possibility and were first in line for the new iPhone, take a second and think about it like this: Could this be another ‘Marlboro man’ situation?

Don’t get me wrong, I won’t be ditching my mobile link to the world anytime soon, and I wouldn’t expect you to. Even if we wanted to, how could we? We’re busy, we’re constantly on the go and so is everyone else. Plus, you’ve seen some of the newer phones (music, downloads, mirrors!). They’re cool and everybody’s doing it. What’s the problem?

Up until the second half of the 20^th Century, the adverse health affects of cigarettes weren’t widely known. And even after the studies started rolling in (and continued plowing right over Joe Camel), people continue to smoke. Oh right, they have nicotine. They’re addictive. Isn’t it a stretch to compare them to mobile phones?

Have you ever heard the slang term crackberry? (crack cocaine+BlackBerry, you get the picture).

We all rely on our mobile phones so much, it would be almost impossible to remove them from our lives completely – cancer or no cancer.

Then again, it could be one of those “don’t sit so close to the TV” type deals. Either way, I’m sure Dr. Herberman will let us know. Or at least send it out in a memo to his staff.