Six months ago I wrote the blog posts iPad Global Road Warrior Experience I, II and III. About 1MM iPads had been sold compared to an estimated 8-10MM today. Re-reading the posts reminds me of how fast things are changing and yet how much of that change is not visible to the great majority. As I shared on Facebook today: “Holding on to the past is easier then imagining the future”. Never had that problem.
We rarely as a society go back in time to check if what was said, forecasted or just imagined have become true. In all meanings of the word. So why not, with a great bottle of Chateau Langoa Barton 1997 and a couple of minutes to spare I’m inclined to make that journey.
Below are the “shortcomings” I found when on the road with the iPad for the first time and what has happened since then:
- Exporting to PPT in Keynote was added a few weeks ago and makes a difference when working with enterprise clients
- Editing Google Docs online was released today but the offline experience is still very limited to downloading and editing but no really good upload or sync. Rumors say that Memeo is working on updating their Connect for iPad
- Skype introduced free calls over 3G a few months ago which works amazingly
- iOS 4.2 Beta (to be released November 24 to the public) introduced multi-tasking which enables Skype to run in the background for inbound and outbound calls
- The new native Google Voice app makes inbound messages (calls and SMS) easy to monitor and act upon - wherever in the world I am
- I did buy an iPhone 4 recently to use as on-the-move and pocket-friendly mini-iPad. The camera / video recorder is really the killer app with associated photo apps as well as the most basic communication tools
- I was tempted to buy the new Air to be able to download files and edit Google Docs on the road but thanks to iCab (an iPad/iPhone browser) and today’s new mobile editing I’ll stick to my iPad and iPhone
- And I did install the iPad in one of our cars using a ProClip mount, for road trips when Google Maps and other apps add value. Took 5-minutes and is just beautiful
The only of my “shortcomings” that hasn’t been solved as of yet - without jail-breaking the iPad - is to demo web apps or mobile apps live on an external screen via VGA out. The first is solved by iCab, the latter only for Steve Jobs or individual app developers by adding a string of code leveraging the built in mirroring in iOS.
Things are happening faster then we think! ;)
AT&T’s latest anti-consumer changes to their data plans made me start to think how I could leverage the Mini SIM I’ve in my iPad 3G for my iPhone. I currently pay $39.99 per month for my iPhone plan plus an additional $10 in fees and taxes. That includes 50 anytime minutes, 200 text messages and unlimited data (the old $20 plan). This plan is not publicly available just used when frugal consumers - like myself - complain and threatens to leave.
But I don’t need text messages or voice thanks to Skype and Google Voice. I just need an unlimited data plan for my iPhone, just like I’ve for the iPad. A few minutes later with my favorite search engine I came up with the following solution:
- Create a SIM card out of a Mini SIM, cancel your current plan and subscribe to the iPad’s data-only plan. Aaron Nelsen has outlined how in his awesome post “Using a Micro SIM in a iPhone 3G”
- Get a new Mini SIM by reusing the one in your iPad, call AT&T and get a free replacement or buy a $15 replacement card online
- Signup for the $14.99 or $29.99 data-only plan - these will change by June 7 as per this announcement
- Signup for Google Voice and forward all calls as transcripts and text messages to your email inbox
- Download Skype which now offers free calling over 3G until the fall
Initially the savings of about $20 per month might seem paltry but it stops AT&T from charging exorbitant fees for additional calling, international voice mail, text messages, data usage et cetera. In reality the average saving should be around $50 per month as few users still have access to the $20 data plan and the low voice calling plan. An additional benefit with reusing the data-only plan is that you can cancel anytime - there is no contract.
I recently wrote about my minimalist iPhone and Desktop setup. Now it’s time to turn my Chrome browser into a social productivity machine. I’ve picked 7 extensions to replace an infinite number of open tabs. Nothing beats just having one window / one tab open to increase productivity.
Diigo - great to quickly share articles and research with different projects groups. Highlight and bookmarker
Feedly - shows how many RSS articles I have in the pipe. Usually where I start my day reading
GMail - Notifies me in a subtle way when I have new emails. Access to inbox
Twitter - direct access to direct marketing. Also shows new number of tweets
Facebook - direct access to my live feed, wall and notifications. What else is there (see image)
Calendar - shows when my next appointment is
Google Voice - shows any new voice or text messages. I can also call or send text messages directly from the pop-up. If I call, my iPhone rings when the recipient picks up…
All of these extensions opens up within the browser, pop-up style, which is fast and effective. No reason to go directly to the web page. The also work as an early-morning and late-night task manager, reminding of which core services you need to monitor to stay on top of things.
The only downside is that all these services might be too accessible but who are we kidding, communication and sharing with your network is both fun and valuable.
All of these obviously follows me seamlessly as I move from desktop, to Air to iPhone. Who said that life needs to be complicated.
Inspired by MinimalMac, I now only sport 12 applications on my iPhone home screen. The criteria to be included in my digital hall of fame was solely based on utility and frequency of usage. All these app I use on a daily basis.
- Calendar - I picked the iCal over the Google Calendar based on speed.
- Things - my to-do list is just a must. Probably my most used app.
- Facebook and LinkedIn are obvious to stay in touch with everyone.
- Skype for free calls when outside the States.
- Foursquare to share my whereabouts. And it’s darn fun.
- Tumblr for my blog posts. Duh.
- Amazon as I’ve committed to reading 101 books this year and gotta fill up my reading list with interesting ideas.
- Mint in staying connected with my finances and avoiding fees.
- Byline for my RSS feeds but also notes and offline reading. Awesome as it syncs with Google Reader.
- The Camera for those awkward photo moments.
- Finally Safari. Gotta have a browser for everything else.
The only I’m currently missing is an app that connects me with all my Google Docs for editing and sharing. I’ve been looking at ReaddleDocs as an option. That way I don’t need to travel with my laptop anymore, just my iPhone.
In addition to the above apps I’m sticking to the basic Phone, Mail, Messages and iPod apps. But as soon as Google Voice becomes available for the iPhone I’ll swap Phone and Messages for GV.
Ivan Seidenberg’s admission to having seen the light comes late amid his position in the industry. Many times I wonder about the quality of the oxygen in the upper echelons. Isn’t this exactly what he is handsomely paid for to figure out.
The number of landlines has been in decline since 2001 and it’s estimated that the last landline will be disconnected in 2025. The first step for people is to go from landline to cable and cellphones. But the ultimate step is to just let the Internet manage all your calling via products like Google Voice and Skype.
I sense that everything we talked about in the end of the 90s regarding how the Internet would change the world is actually happening right now: decline of paper publishing, virtual work, watching video via the web, the death of command-and-control organizations, market transparency et cetera. If you haven’t already read The Cluetrain Manifesto, please do.
The outrage over the rejection of Google’s iPhone Voice App has hit Apple and AT&T right in the face. Who was the clever dude at either of these companies that thought that they could fly under the radar with declining Google one of their most sought after apps?
The spin is now in full effect as AT&T is denying any involvement and Apple coming up with a very lame excuse: “GV is hurting iPhone’s distinct user experience”. Apple is in quite a pickle: they need to play nice with their business partner AT&T (who is known for having the worst customer service in the galaxy) while not making their *fans* turn on them. Speed is of essence here (as always) as there is a global tidal wave building up not see since the days of Gil Amelio.
When the news about this story hit the tape I smiled. It illustrates so well one of the reasons I love the web: transparency. Dirty deeds done dirt cheap will be hard to get away with in a meritocratic, transperant and authentic world.
Any startup understand these three things. Your brand is who you are, how you act and what you do. It’s very clear to people / customers / users if a company / brand is authentic or not.
We are far away from being in a world where transparency, authenticity and merits rule. Food processing companies are still refusing to let their customer know if the food they are selling is genetically engineered. Telecom companies have monopoly and overcharges on SMS that are virtual free. The banking industry refuses to come clean about how much toxic assets they have on their balance sheets.
It would be cool to enter a world where business is actually creating value w/o hiding, spinning or cheating customers. It’s great to see FCC finally doing their job (SEC, take a note) and I hope we’ll see the Google Voice app in the iTunes store really soon. It’s a great service, good for competition and the right thing to do.
