Misc

Palm Pre and iPhone 3GS

Chris Haaker — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:59:09 GMT

I have had the good fortune to test both the Palm Pre and Apple iPhone 3Gs. In my day job I am an architect with responsibilities over messaging and mobility – hence I get to try a lot of new devices in order to evaluate their applicability for our enterprise users. One thing I have come to regard as a universal truth is that ranking mobile devices is almost a waste of time. They are so subjective depending on the personal habits and preferences of the person using them.

There are some things that a certain group of users will find in common - “good email experience”, “works well as a phone” or “good signal coverage and strength.” But even in these general areas there is a wide variety of experiences and preferences. With this in mind I followed all of the hype, tweets and reviews leading up to the release of these two devices. Twitter global searches are a great way to get a feel for how a device is being experienced by the Twittering public. Flaws or cool features quickly bubble to the surface via re-tweets or a preponderance of similar topics across tweets.

I have used both devices for about a week each and here are some of my completely un-scientific observations:

The Palm Pre implementation for Exchange ActiveSync mail is completely unsuited for enterprise companies. There is no support for remote wipe, enforcing password policies,etc. In fact, if you currently force the acceptance of these policies, you will not be able to download mail to your Pre without an exception.
You can remote wipe the device yourself from the Pre website you register at upon starting the phone for the first time. You can also set a screen lock PIN on the device. However, these require the user to enforce them, generally not an accepted company compliance policy.
Exchange email is also very basic in what it offers – which is even less than what the iPhone v1 offered. You can read, send, reply, forward. You can cut and paste.
Outside of the email experience, the Pre operates very nicely. It is mostly responsive and crisp, only slowing when there were more than 5 or 6 apps open at the same time.
I had no issue with the buttons on the keyboard and was able to adjust to using them with my sausage-like fingers in minutes. I also had no issue with the edges of the slide-out keyboard. I did not find it overly sharp or cut myself on it. Perhaps I have thick skin!
The phone is very comfortable in the hand. Much more so than the iPhone.
The iPhone 3Gs is noticeably faster than previous versions. Much faster. Very responsive and crisp when launching windows and switching apps.
The video camera is very nice and I find myself using it often. The resulting QuickTime files look sharp on the phone or computer. You can also trim\edit the files on the phone before uploading them to YouTube. I think we need an app here to merge files and do more advanced editing.
The new camera specs and macro settings are also a nice improvement. I often find myself taking pictures close up of things and this addition really helps.
From an email standpoint there are some nice improvements that have been asked for. They still aren't as far along as Windows Mobile with Exchange support and fidelity but they are getting there.
You can now create calendar appointments and invite others from the corp directory. You can also forward appointments and meeting requests.
You can now type emails in the landscape rotation.
You can now search with Spotlight across your mailbox. It is fast.
From a security perspective, you can now use enterprise client certificates on the iPhone. You can encrypt the user’s profile. You can enforce all settings on the device with profile policies. The iPhone now supports ActiveSync 1.2 policies.

Two things I request of the iPhone team please!

Add unread email counters to the home screen. Almost every other Smartphone on the market has this. I hate having to unlock my phone to see if I have any mail waiting!
Add enterprise strength management capabilities to the iPhone. The cool factor has the iPhone making some in-roads in the enterprise, but this wont last for much longer if Apple doesn't back it up with things like OTA delivery of enforcement policies and a real-time AD-integrated management console or way to tie in to other vendor’s management infrastructures.

Winner: iPhone by a mile!

Technorati Tags: Apple,Palm,Pre,iPhone,iPhone3G,iPhone3Gs,Exchange,Email,EAS,ActiveSync

Microsoft Ads Target Tough Times

Chris Haaker — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:04:31 GMT

Microsoft may finally have a winning ad format in its PR battle with Apple. Their latest ads, to air during the NCAA Basketball Tournament, focus on the price of a PC running Windows vs. the price of an Apple computer, the only thing you can legally run the Mac OS on.

In these tough economic times, I think this is a solid strategy for Microsoft if you really don't have any druthers as to which OS you use, or are torn and are looking for a tipping point to help you make up your mind. However, I know a lot of geeks that love the Mac at heart, but simply cannot afford one. Even though they understand the concept behind this message, if they hit the lottery they would have fifteen Macs in their house in a heartbeat. So I don't know if the message will change anyone’s mind more than it might just point out the obvious to those that haven't considered it yet.

I myself, grew up on a Mac in desktop publishing. I then moved over to Windows as I became a systems engineer. At home, I always wanted a Mac, but couldn’t justify the extra spend and now have a Dell in every room (office + four kids) for the price of a Mac and a half.

Need Cross-Platform Device Note Taking App?

Chris Haaker — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 04:20:40 GMT

Then look no further than Evernote. I had heard about this app for awhile and even had it languishing on my iPhone never to be used. Then I started to look in to it as I tried to find something that would let me merge notes from my Mac and my Windows virtual machines. Not only is it cross-platform, but you can synchronize all of your notes over the internet between desktops, laptops and mobile devices.

It is much more than a note taking app, with the ability to make web clippings and translate the text in the clips. It can also house voice recordings if your device supports making them. But the thing that jazzed me the most was that it has the ability to import notes from OneNote 2007. I love OneNote 2007, don’t get me wrong, but there wont be a version out for my Mac or iPhone anytime soon (also, where is Outlook, Visio and LiveWriter for the Mac??).

I was initially disappointed with the lack of text formatting options and the seeming inability to do numbered or bulleted lists. Once I found this (CTRL+SHIFT+O or CTRL+SHIFT+B) by right-clicking in the middle of the note I was much better off. There are still some improvements to the fit and finish to be made, but overall well done. And of course, the price cannot be beat.

You can also purchase a premium account for $5 a month that let’s you exceed the 40mb limit on syncing data. So if you add a lot of multimedia or photos to your notes, this may be worth considering.

Technorati Tags: evernote,visio,outlook,livewriter,onenote

Casting Call: All MCP's and MCT's

Chris Haaker — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 03:42:54 GMT

Microsoft wants you! Below is a casting call for any MCP's and MCT's in the greater Seattle area for a Microsoft testimonial video. Casting call for video on the value of Microsoft Certification (Seattle area) We are looking for well-spoken Microsoft Certified Professionals or Microsoft Certified Trainers, aged 21 or older, to appear in Microsoft testimonials. The testimonial shoots will last between two to four hours and take place in the greater Seattle, Washington area during the first week of December. Accepted applicants should be within driving distance of Seattle, and will be provided with lunch as payment. A pre-interview is required and can take place over the phone. Applicants will have had a positive experience with Microsoft Certifications, and can tell us why they chose to get certified and how being certified impacted their career journey. Please send your picture, current job position, and a brief description of your Microsoft Certification experience to Monica Kilwine for consideration. Electronic submissions only. Send mail to: v-monick@microsoft.com.

Gearing Up for PDC 2008

Chris Haaker — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:16:29 GMT

Having not ever been to the PDC before, only TechEd (x9), MEC (x2) and WWPC (x2), and I am curious to attend my first one. I have also never been to LA before so this should be a double mint of traveling pleasure. I hope I see some celebrities eating ice cream at a sidewalk cafe like in the magazines my wife always reads! :) Plus I love me some Mexican food and there has to be some good stuff in LA!

I started up the TweetDeck filter for PDC and there is a lot of traffic and a good buzz going already. The weather looks to be nice as well, and since it is getting tres cold here in Ohio some more extended warmth will do me good.

I am looking forward to all the sessions on the cloud services, mesh, soa, windows seven and anything architecture and messaging related. If anyone wants to chime in the comments with some tips on the PDC feel free.

I have missed the last two TechEd so I am also happy to see the GWB team again and say hi. Less than a week away! Moo.

Technorati Tags: PDC,PDC2008,Microsoft,LA,Los Angeles,TechEd,TweetDeck

Apple Announces ActiveSync iPhone OMG!

Chris Haaker — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 03:48:51 GMT

In a move sure to make many an ITPro squeal with delight, Apple announced today that the iPhone will soon be enterprise-ready by licensing ActiveSync from Microsoft and adding remote lock, remote wipe and other requested features. Sign up for the Enterprise Beta program here.

The iPhone will offer full Exchange support, thanks to licenses from Microsoft. The iPhone will also get enterprise-friendly security features, including remote wipe, support for Cisco IPsec VPN, certificates, identities, and WPA2/802.11x support. "Enterprise customers will be pretty excited," says Schiller.

Scha-wing! Now, let's slice another $100 off of the price and we will be in business!

Technorati Tags: Apple,iPhone,ActiveSync,Squirt

The Quality of This Site

Chris Haaker — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 03:22:25 GMT

As I was looking over the main feed and wishing I could be a fly on the wall when D'Arcy takes back that PCMCIA card - I noticed there are a lot of Microsoft MVPs blogging on this web site. Now, I know the measure of the man is not MVP membership, but by and large these people are very bright and know their stuff. Out of the top 13 posters by volume, only five of them are not Microsoft MVPs. And there are a ton (technical unit of measurement) more on the list. Jeff, you have quite a community here. PS This is not a manufactured post submitted in an attempt to keep my post numbers up ...

Microsoft TechNet Briefings in Second Life

Chris Haaker — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 23:20:41 GMT

Some Microsofties are starting to offer TechNet Briefings in Second Life at the Microsoft Ampitheatre. Michael Murphy has the straight scoop at his blog. Personally, I would like to see more of this type of thing. It add an interesting twist to keep the community engaged over the typical mass-Live Meeting webinar. Those are only a step-up from reading a book. Now and again, you will get an exceptional presenter that engages you or a fantastic demo. I tried Second Life once and found it hard to pick up but I am sure with more practice I would get better. Companies like IBM have been using SL for fostering community for its virtual workforce and consultants for quite some time now.

Here is the brief on the Microsoft briefing:

Group Notice From: RobinG2 Proto

Saturday Feb 23 Noon - 1pm SLT (PST) at the Microsoft Island Amphitheater for Part 1 of a 3 Part Active Directory Primer Series with Michael Murphy of Microsoft TechNet.

Part 1:

AD Logical Components

We’ll take a look at the basic AD components; Domains, Forests, Tress and Organizational Units.

We’ll examine the function of each component, how they can be organized to create a comprehensive directory services structure forming the basis of your network Authentication and Authorization Chain.

Technorati Tags: TechNet,TechNet Briefings,Microsoft,Second Life,IBM,Virtual WorkForce

Microsoft SkyDrive Now Bigger and More Widely Available

Chris Haaker — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:25:29 GMT

Windows Live SkyDrive today made two announcements:

You've made two things clear since our first release: You want more space; and you want SkyDrive where you are. Today we're giving you both. You now have five times the space you had before — that’s 5GB of free online storage for your favorite documents, pictures, and other files.

and

SkyDrive is also available now in 38 countries/regions. In addition to Great Britain, India, and the U.S., we’re live in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, France, Guatemala, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Turkey.

They also threw in some bug fixes and improved the speed and reliability. They are so sure of what they have accomplished that they removed the beta tag. So I guess they are not going the route of GMail, which is still in beta.

Technorati Tags: SkyDrive,Windows Live,GMail

Beta Invites for Xobni

Chris Haaker — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:10:41 GMT

After checking out Xobni for a couple of days I have been extended five beta invites. Leave an email addy in the comments and I will send them out to the first five. If I receive more I will post an additional request. Also, sign up to be on the beta wait list by clicking on the badge in the left-hand column and it will go to get me more beta invites to hand out. I will post a further review soon, but so far it has lived up to its billing and is pretty sweet. I just don't know how to tell my wife she is only ranked #10 by the software of the people I email. I wont tell her today! It might spoil our ten year anniversary. Thanks for ten awesome years honey!

Technorati Tags: Xobni,Anniversary,Tin