I am an early adopter of the iPhone. I have been using this device for several months now and now the honeymoon is over. I fully appreciate the iPhone’s many revolutionary and evolutionary qualities. I also now fully believe that Apple placed this phone on the market as something of a test! Think of this version as a well developed beta product which wasn’t quite ready for prime time. There are many reasons why Apple may have felt compelled to place the iPhone in the marketplace when it did; some may have been economic (with more than a million units sold to date this phone has had a distinct impact on the company’s bottom line); some preemptive (buzz about Google’s entry into this marketplace persists). In any event, there is much to like about this phone and yet there are many omissions which range from annoying to “deal breakers” particularly for business class users (which Apple insists is a market they are actively targeting).
Before I continue with my rant, I should let you know the biggest problem I had with the iPhone initially was its inability to synch with my Microsoft Outlook calendar. I followed every possible solution published online over the course of several days and many, many, hours of lost productivity, all to no avail. The best information I found was through the forums at the everythingiphone.com forums. I even called Apple support (a first for me) and spoke with a very pleasant technician who walked through several steps with me over the course of more than an hour. In the end, I was forced to terminate the call because of an obligation. The call didn’t lead to a solution, but I was made to feel that I had a very unique problem. (Google Outlook and iPhone, or check out the forum mentioned above and you will find out I had lots of company trying to get Outlook and the iPhone “talking....” What finally solved the problem...? After downloading three or four iTunes updates which were pushed out in rapid succession (for those of you unaware, iPhone’s syncheverything through iTunes!), and updating the iPhone’s firmware to version 1.1.1, my iPhone suddenly began synching the calendar! (So, after hours of changing things within my Outlook’s PST file, and doing the Apple updates, I can’t categorically tell you which change(s) are responsible for fixing this issue.)
So, in no particular order, here is my wish list for the iPhone Apple is going to try to sell me in 2008. For the record, many of these issues can be solved through software updates which might allow we beta testers to benefit to some degree:
1.) Please give me back my To Do List! I rely heavily on the to do list within Outlook. If we can overcome the synching issues with Contacts and Calendar, the To Do list (and Notes for that matter), should be relatively easy. In fact, Apple should consider swallowing a bit of pride and licensing Activesync from the boys at Redmond to handle this task. ActiveSync is by no means perfect, but it pretty much, “just works” and that is good enough for the legions of Outlook dependant customers who will have to buy an iPhone if Apple hopes to get 10 million iPhones out in the world within a year.
2.) Save voice command, save a life. Being able to dial a number, particularly while driving, using voice command not only is very convenient, it is far safer than trying to dial through the keypad or scroll through your Contact list alphabetically (see wish number three). If Palm, Microsoft, and even Blackberry through a third party app (read wish number four), can integrate this feature, I am sure Apple can make this happen too!
3.) Please allow me to search for contacts using a keypad! You don’t have to give up the current “spinning wheel” interface, just add a find feature for those of us who find that “ballparking” a contact’s information to within a letter or two of the alphabet just isn’t good enough. In fact, a “universal search,” allowing searching through Calendar, Contacts, (and notes and to dos down the road) would be great!
4.) I want my third party apps! To be fair, Apple has recently announced a change of heart on this issue. A SDK (software developer kit) is scheduled for release in February of next year. This is great news but it should have happened at the time of the iPhone’s formal release. Perhaps it actually is since I expect a new version of the iPhone to be released next spring. All smartphones have allowed third party applications for some time. Again, business users in particular rely on some applications
Let me customize my iPhone! The upcoming SDK may go a long way in allowing we poor end users more flexibility in making our iPhone our own, but for now, it Apple’s way or the highway! Personally I like the stock widget (but would like to be able to drill down and get more information on a company which is pretty darn easy on a Windows Mobile device), but I think the new mobile iTunes store icon belongs under the iPod music “menu.” What other applications does Apple have up its sleeve for that unused bottom row on the front screen...? I sure hope one of them is a link to my To Do List!!!!
5.) Nothing beats Blackberry’s email model, but the iPhone can make great strides from where it is today. Allowing multiple deleting of email would be the first great stride. I also miss the Treo’s ability to automatically delete downloaded posts from my POP account when removed from the server from my workstation. Why do I have to handle messages twice? My Outlook folder structure doesn’t get copied to the iPhone! I use these folders extensively to organize the avalanche of email headed my way every day. (Like it or not Apple, business users rely on Outlook; if you want business users, you better support this app!) Let Google build a decent Gmail interface for the iPhone! (Yes Google’s recent implementation of IMAP is a half step in the write direction. I’m looking for leaps and bounds! Don’t get me started on the lack of Exchange support..... By the way, I do know this is really a multiple item wish list, but who’s counting...?
6.) Give me a removable battery, please..... This is an area where style trumped substance. Even if you forget the fact that you must send your iPhone back to Apple and pay $89 if the battery fails to hold a cherge, there is the practical, day-to-day, issue that the iPhone’s battery life marginally handles a long day of use. After all, when you build a device serving multiple needs, you can expect a user to actually use the iPod features, make calls, check email, in other words, use the device as it is designed. I want to be able to purchase a backup battery, keep it charged, and not have to ration my iPhone use as the sun begins to set . I also remain from Missouri when it comes to the idea that this battery will successfully charge nearly eight hundred times which is what the two year purchase agreement with AT&T implies....
One final note, my iPhone did indeed stop holding a charge within ten days of purchase. While getting to an Apple Genius was a story in and of itself, when I did finally get his attention, they agreed to swap out the iPhone immediately rather than put me through the exchange process. Admittedly, this iPhone was less than two weeks old, but this aspect of Apple’s customer service deserves praise.
7.) Bluetooth..... The iPhone supports selective Bluetooth products only and this is an issue for many business users. I rely on a bluetooth Motorola HF850 system in my car to conduct conversations. Not anymore! Even if I turn off Wi-Fi, press buttons on the bluetooth receiver in a convoluted sequence which I read in an unsupported “hack” online, the connection inexplicably works for the first call… sometimes, and then I am back to holding my iPhone or fumbling for the wired earpiece while driving. To be fair, there is a list of “supported devices” (none of which I have tried personally at this point), but I have a big investment not only in the hardware, but also installation of my bluetooth handsfree kits. I also have handsfree bluetooth headphones which I use while running or at the gym. This set up works fine with my last generation Nano, but no joy with the iPhone.
8.) AT&T and the EDGE network don’t cut it. I switched from Verizon to AT&T because of the iPhone with my eyes wide open. Still, the EDGE network is glacially slow. Some of the iPhone’s neatest features are hobbled beyond recognition by the slow EDGE network. Give me a 3D connection and I will be able so show off more of this product’s best qualities and sell more iPhones for you Apple! (I know the Wi-Fi capability is supposed to “balance” the network access issue, but there are simply too many areas where Wi-Fi isn’t available and EDGE is all but useless.) Furthermore, in Nashville, Tennessee anyway, AT&T’s ‘phone network drops far more calls than Verizon. (I miss my EDGE network!) These issue are causing me to go to Verizon today and buy a “back up” cell phone for decent coverage and end of day battery life....
9.) Flash and Java implementation in Safari will make for a far richer online experience. I know Jobs is spouting security concerns, but Windows Mobile devices allow for these ubiquitous software platforms, why can’t Apple? The bottom line is I believe implementation of Flash at least is more of an oversight, something which didn’t get included in the “beta” release of the iPhone.
10.) I know the virtual keyboard is sexy, but it sure isn’t as functional as a tactile keyboard. I have yet to visit with any iPhone user with experience on a Treo, Blackberry or other mobile device, who says their typing is as efficient or easy with this virtual keyboard! I don’t know how Apple may do it, but either this interface needs some work or the Cupertino boys may need to find a way to put “sexy” back into a traditional mobile keyboard. You don’t have to be a teenage IM junky to want to be able to zip off a forty word email quickly. On a related note, the autofill function, designed to anticpate the words you are typing is too slow to keep up even with my two thumbed tapping. This software is a potential aide in the interface, but it needs to be fast, really fast, and intuitive (again I give Windows Mobile a nod in this area, but when Apple hits release six as Microsoft has, they are likely to have really found a way to make this work.)
There are any number of handy utilities I use to streamline the development process and general computing activities which consume much of my time. In many ways, I am not much different than any other “power user” who has assembled various software tools and shortcuts to improve workflow and remove as much repetitive drudgery as possible from daily routines. After all, there is so much fascinating information to review online, not to mention paying work demanding attention, why spend any more time than necessary performing such mundane tasks as filling out online forms and the seemingly infinite number of user name and password screens which present themselves?
Firefox, my current personal browser of choice, offers some built in functionality when it comes to filling out forms and storing user name and password information. The inclusion of these features is most welcome and another significant improvement over the aging Internet Explorer interface. For those of you who haven’t yet tried Firefox, you will soon become addicted to the tab browsing available with this browser but there is so much more. In fact, Firefox is highly extensible and there are a wide variety of plug-ins which allow you to customize the Firefox browser in any number of ways. (Be sure to check out these plug ins online if you have downloaded the browser.) But I digress. I will leave a listing of my favorite Firefox extensions for another article.
I have experimented with several tools which automate the sign in process and have been using a PC Magazine Editor’s Choice, Roboform on a trial basis off and on for a couple of months. The product can be downloaded for free but has limited functionality. The Pro version allows for unlimited username and password creation and several additional features. For a complete list of Roboform’s Pro features, click here. While I am always anxious to find freeware and shareware alternatives, any software which contributes to your productivity, and in this case online security (more on this later), is certainly worth paying for (in this case Roboform Pro retails for $29.95 as of this writing).
If this article were simply an advertisement for the software, it wouldn’t warrant my time or yours. (I never write on behalf of vendors; nor do I ever profit from purchases made through this web site unless I expressly state a link is an “affiliate” link in the body of an article. (The Google Adsense Ads which are clearly listed support this site and are, by definition, affiliate links.) What makes the story interesting is that Roboform appears to have a significant conflict with the latest Firefox release (version 1.06) which is crashing my browser every time it loads. Resolution of this issue, is taking time and negating much of the time savings the program has created for me during my evaluation period. To be fair, it appears some, perhaps all, of the problems I am experiencing are a result of having an older version of this company’s Firefox plug-in installed. A completely new installation may not experience the issues which have taken up several hours of my day. I will certainly publish the solution, and any additional insights as to its origin, when the problem is ultimately resolved.
Still, this software conflict highlights challenges faced by developers and end users...... Please read on.......
Personal Information Managers, or PIMs, as they are often refered to in the acronym filled tech world, have revolutionized the way many of us keep track of critical, and perhaps less than critical, information which helps make each of worlds spin round in an orderly fashion. I know any number of individuals who painstakingly add contacts, calendar events, to do lists and more into their Palm Pilot, Pocket PC, or other handheld device using the supplied stylus. Many of these individuals have mastered the grafitti handwriting system (which actually resembles the kind of stylized printing taught by patient kindergarten teachers in decades past), others peck feverishly using the virtual keyboards which fill the bottom third of most PIMs on command.
As an aside, I have yet to meet anyone who utilizes Microsoft’s Pocket PC Transcriber option on a routine basis. This “too good to be true” manifestation of software engineering is supposed to be able to reliably interpret your cursive writing, scrawled numbers, inspired punctuation, and convert it into accurate machine readable text. Subjecting the Transcriber to my scrawl, which my teenage daughter laughs at when I attempt to write her even a short handwritten note, is an unfair yardstick on which to judge the software’s ability. Still, putting myself and all the doctors and lawyers I know aside for a moment, I don’t know of anyone reliably using this input method. Ditto for Microsoft’s Letter Recognizer. This input method makes less boastful claims and in turn is less useful than either the (relatively) easy to learn Grafitti system which I find fast and intuitive, or even the too small for comfort virtual keyboard alternative.
Inputting data is the key to making these devices useful and therefore one of the first things a proud new owner of a Palm or Pocket PC needs to get comfortable with. Setting aside the poor ergonomic design of many styli we are forced to endure (do the engineers who design these devices actually use these things in the field?), there are two key points recent visits to clients have brought to the forefront once again. Synching with a desktop can save worlds of time and whether you synch and rely on your desktop as your “backup” or not, you better have a backup!!!
For almost everyone, adding information is faster using your desktop tools-- full size keyboard, mouse, comfortable CRT or LCD screen-- then punching away on your PIM’s limited screen using that stylus myself and others rave about. Sure, you can update the occassional email address or ‘phone number for that business or social acquaintance you run into on the fly, but for most, adding a half dozen new contacts directly into a Palm or Pocket PC is a kind of technological water torture. These handheld gadgets were never designed as standalone repositories for your most crucial information! If you have the patience to input meaningful, often business or “life” changing information, into one of these marvels, you will surely be devestated on the day when the data dies. And that day will come. The list of ways to lose your data, any data, but key information which “lives” on your PDA and only your PDA are nearly too numerous and painful to discuss. You can lose the device itself (over the years I admit to leaving a PIM in the front of an airline seat pocket; having another fall out of a jacket pocket while in a cab; yet another was stolen out of my grocery cart when I walked down an aisle for thirty seconds to grab some item from a shelf ten feet away). In two of the three instances, good human nature and the promise of an award for safe return on the units’ splash screens got my precious PDA back to me. In the third instance, the Palm Pilot probably got trashed, but I know the credit card in the unit’s pocket got a BIG WORKOUT before the issuing bank got the all points bulletin to the proper WalMarts and K-Marts in the area.
But there are many, many, more ways for tragedy to strike,
Palm and Pocket PC devices have built in software allowing you to backup your data to memory cards which can be removed and stored for safe keeping. (Other backup options may also be available depending on the specific model and software installed.) This option provides a a decent snapshot of your data at a given point in time. If you rely on this approach, be sure to update your backup periodically (weekly or more often if you are constantly adding important information) and test by restoring your information before it becomes critical!
Recently, I visited a new client who had been struggling mightily with Act! 2005. After several hours of troubleshooting, it became apparent that the root of his problem stemmed from a corrupt, or inappropriate, product update installation. The install had damaged the system’s SQL Database which acts as the software’s data storehouse. Two painstaking manual uninstalls/reinstalls of the software resolved the SQL issue but my client’s data was still inaccessable. After attempting to repair the database using a number of utilities and following FAQ sheets found in the Act! KnowledgeBase, I had to give my client the bad news that his Act! database was unrecoverable.
I asked, already knowing and dreading the response, if a backup existed. He told me he had tried using Act’s built in backup utility but couldn’t access that file (and neither could I). After some discussion, he told me that most of his key contact information was still on his Palm. Since Act! can synch with portable devices, I told him synching into a new Act database should get him back to a productive situation. (I didn’t ask if he had a backup of his Palm data and in retrospect wish that I had.) Act happily created a new database and established a connection with my client’s Palm device. However, the two way synchronization option wasn’t available. (Available help files implied that this is “normal” for a first time synch with a new database.) The conduit connected and wiped the Palm’s database clean!!! One step forward; two steps back! There are at least two morals to this tale. You can never have enough backups and when attempting to synchronize critical data for the first time be sure to have multiple, verified, good copies of the data! I will say that once synchronization has been sucessfully established, the process is usually very straightforward (particularly with recent versions of Microsoft’s Activesynch which ships with Pocket PC devices.
I will leave discussion of some effective, inexpensive, backup strategies to a future article. Now, for those of you patient enough to have read this far, let me explain today’s headline. This time of year I look forward to the official beginning of NFL Pro Football. I try following two teams closely, my local Tennessee Titans and The Denver Broncos. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the entire season of game schedule on my Outlook calendar and Pocket PC? You bet! The idea of typing in all of these “important dates” had little appeal. Off to the internet. It took some digging but this cool site provides links to holidays and sports schedules of all kinds. Not just NFL! These aren’t just schedules, these are files which import directly into your calendar (and with a quick synch your trusty PDA). Very cool and highly recommended.
I make a living fulfilling a variety of functions for my clients. Much of my time is devoted to development and maintanence of web sites for a variety of smaller businesses. I also act as a network Administrator for a couple of clients who have needs too demanding to be met by whoever the “in-house” tech enthusiast is and yet they aren’t of sufficient size to possibly warrant a full time, qualified, network administrator. By way of referral, I have also become a technical resource for a number of clients working in SOHO environments.
I truly enjoy working with clients in smaller business settings. There is an immediacy to the people and work being done which is difficult to sustain in bigger corporate settings. When working with my clients, whether in a formal office or SOHO settings, my work is important to them and appreciated. Long ago, I determined that I didn’t want to be a “reseller” of any kind. In fact, I openly pass on any discounts I might be eligible for when purchasing hardware and software for my clients. This solves a number of real and potential conflicts I see some of my competitors face. Further, I am able to dispassionately look at a client’s current and anticipated future needs and recommend changes and upgrades which truly serve their best interest without regard to my financial well being. This policy has served me, and my clients, well through the years (besides, I sleep better at night knowing my clients are getting precisely what they need and are paying only for my expertise with no hidden charges of any kind).
I mention this by way of background. Today, many clients and small businesses rely on a fundamental set of software tools to accomplish their goals. There are of course exceptions, but many of the small offices I encounter, can accomplish most, if not all, of their computing needs using software in Microsoft’s Office Suite; Corel’s Office software;and a web free web browser be it Internet Explorer, or Mozilla’s Firefox .
An accounting program such as Quicken Premiere or Quickbooks. or are also often needed on one or more workstations. (Quicken Premier Home and Business is often overlooked by many SOHO practitioners. Too often, many of these individuals find themselves thinking Quicken is inadequate for their small business and automatically migrating to Quickbooks which has a steeper learning curve and often has a feature set which is beyond the scope of their needs.)
Every workstation, either through standalone utilities or server driven solutions, needs a trinity of key utilities. Antivirus, Spyware and SPAM filtering solutions aren’t optional for even the most casual user. I recently read that a new, unsecured, system connected to the internet will “survive” just twelve (12) minutes on average before being compromised. (I will detail what I consider to be the best cocktail of critical utility tools, including a number of freeware solutions, in an upcoming article.)
For individuals falling into this end user category-- where real productivity using the kind of software tools described nearby satisfies their computing needs, falling hardware prices becomes a real issue. Dell’s 2400 XPS current Home and Home Office offerings begin at just $299 and offer adequate horsepower to run all of the applications many users require. At this price, the system comes with Windows XP Home Edition pre-installed and a limited, 90 day warranty. If current application software CDs are available for installation and some care has been taken to either have current backups of data files and/or these key files stored on a separate hard drive (either for real time access or nightly backup), purchase of a replacement system should be a strong consideration in the event of almost any hardware related problem (even a failing CRT monitor) and, in some circumstances, software related issues.
The math becomes compelling. At $300 (plus tax but free shipping is often part of the special online offer), you receive a new system, copy of Windows XP, 17” CRT monitor, 80 Gig Hard Drive, 256 KB of RAM, limited warranty and more. Even this entry level system exceeds the specifications of nearly all two and three year old systems I am routinely asked to work on. It is impossible to generalize on the average cost of a workstation repair; there are far too many possible variables; but I think it is safe to say, on average, even relatively routine upgrades and repairs cost $150 and more..... In fact, many cases of workstations overrun with spyware and virus issues, require either several hours of expensive professional clean up or, in extreme cases, a complete operating system reinstallation. These services performed by a professional can easily approach the cost of the entry level system Dell and others now offer.
There are a number of assumptions in this decision; assumptions which are often far from the norm in the offices I frequent (at least initially).
- First, application CDs are physically available and the needed license keys for reinstallation are at hand. Try going into the average small business, why not take a tour of your own office, and compare the CD collection with the installed operating system and application software, you might be surprised how challenging it is to get your hands on all of these “critical application” sources.
- Data files are stored in a way which makes migrating to a new system relatively painless. If data files are strewn across a patchwork of directories, folders, and drives, the migration process becomes more involved and the risk of data loss much more real. These factors often lead to using professionals for the upgrade process which adds to the conversion cost and may well tip the equation back towards repairing the workstation even if the technology is clearly antiquated. The fact of the matter is, migrating from an old system to another is too difficult. There are tools such as Aloha Bob which make the relocation process less painful but these aren’t perfect and, in the case of this software solution, not free.
- The cause of the original problem can be effectively eliminated by the upgrade. Obviously, if the upgrade is driven by a hardware related failure, the problem can be avoided (at least until the new system experiences its own issues). However, if the problem involved severe virus, spyware, software conflicts, or other issues, there exists the very real liklihood the replacement workstation will experience a similar fate unless it is properly set up initially. Even with the best of intentions, getting all of the proper utilities and applications installed and configured properly often falls beyond the expertise of anyone “in-house” bringing a professional IT person back into the equation.....
- Your time is also money! Whether you use your local network or computer repair technician such as myself, or ask your in-house enthusiast to handle the steps needed to replace a damaged PC with a new system, time is required. You may discover that the process takes more time, especially for someone in a SOHO or small office environment who doesn’t tackle this kind of thing routinely, than you are willing to devote. Often the down time involved by yourself or staff is simply not worth “the savings.” This doesn’t mean considering a system upgrade may not be worthwhile, but you might consider including some flat fee installation price which myself and others offer. This may entail sharing the burdeon, allowing a professional to get the new system securely online with critical updates in place, while you or your group take responsibility for reloading application software (or paying an additional hourly fee for this service).
At the very least, I hope this article provides some thoughts and ideas which might get you thinking about how to handle that next crisis. You may want to discuss alternatives with your local computer repair expert. Better yet, before the next tragedy strikes, how about finding those CDs; getting your data files organized; perhaps even considering use of a tool such as Norton Ghost, which can create an image file of your current system which can make the transfer to a new hard drive or new workstation even easier.
As the price of hardware continues to fall while the price of onsite, expert, help, remains relatively constant in today’s dollars, the decision to upgrade or repair becomes more interesting for us all.....