Mobile Applications

SalesNOW from Alltel

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:59:58 -0500

Alltel has become the first U.S. carrier to offer small business customers SalesNOW, a customer relationship and contact manager that carries information from a central database to web sites and Blackberries owned by small to mid-sized business employees. The application will be available for $25 per month for individual users, and $40 per month for corporate users (each with the appropriate underlying mobile data plan). With functions that allow not only for managing contacts, but for managing customer-oriented business processes, SalesNOW promises to bring big-CRM productivity gains to even the smallest businesses.

For more on SalesNOW:
- Read the new service news at CIO-Today

Apple and IBM team up against Microsoft

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:59:58 -0500

Lotus Notes is coming to the iPhone and iPod Touch, and both Apple and IBM hope that the result will make you want Microsoft solutions a little bit less. If the mere presence of the new client isn't enough to convince you, the price might: $39 per client for new customers, and no charge at all for customers who've already implemented Lotus Web-access. The benefit for IBM is obvious; for Apple, it's increasing the perception that the iPhone is a good enterprise-class platform. For customers, it could mean having a good excuse for buying an iPhone on the company tab. Sounds like a win-win-win to me.

For more on the new Notes client for iPhones:
- Read the whole news story at DailyTechRag

A coming bandwidth drought?

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 06:59:56 -0500

Are the good times coming to an end? A recent study by Nemertes Research says that limits to Internet bandwidth could leave VoIP callers on permanent hold and the rest of us twiddling our thumbs while waiting for email to download. What's the reason for the coming bandwidth shortfall? It's a number of things, but the big reasons are the rapid expansion in residential broadband deployment and the rising use of bandwidth-intense applications like streaming movies, video conferencing, and mobile VoIP. And just when we were finally starting to get the hang of this whole Internet thing…

For more on why you should be afraid of the bandwidth going away:
- Read the study report at eWeek

The end of desktop browsers?

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 06:59:57 -0500

For nearly 15 years, the Internet has been defined by the words and graphics that show up in World Wide Web browser windows. Mosaic, Mozilla, Internet Explorer, Safari, Opera, Firefox, and more have come to be the interfaces through which users meet the information stored on the Internet. With the rise of smartphones and mobile Internet devices, however, desktop browsers may have finally hit the end of their long run at the top of the Internet heap. Research into the way people are using portable devices to reach the Internet indicates that shifts are happening, but they're shifts from desktop and laptop browsers to wireless device browsers that bring a rich browsing experience into the palm of the user's hand.

For more on mobile browsers:
Read the hands-on analysis at WirelessWeek

7 steps to highly effective mobile

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 06:59:56 -0500

It's not quite the same as 7 habits, but there are 7 steps a network manager can take to make sure the organization's wireless network segments are as effective as possible. Step one? Recognize the risks of wireless and implement your wireless network around them. Next, know the limits of the technology involved, and protect your data from loss through wireless or other means. Develop metrics for making sure that your network is operating as it's supposed to and to ensure regulatory compliance. Finally, measure your results so you'll know when you're succeeding, and stay flexible as the technology changes. These are simple principles to keep in mind, but they'll serve you well as you move forward with wireless deployments.

For more on effective mobile deployment:
- Read the complete list at eWeek

Google's iPhone interface

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 06:59:58 -0500

In some ways, Google's wireless developments remind us of a certain advertising rabbit--they just keep going and going. Google is moving in a number of new directions, with its upcoming 700 Mhz spectrum bid, the Android application platform, and now, a special interface solely for the Apple iPhone. With its search portal running in native mode on the still-hot phone, Google is moving more strongly to play a dominant role in mobile search.

For more on Google's new iPhone interface:
- Read the complete news at NewsFactor

Flawed iPhone wins corporate converts

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 06:59:56 -0500

Corporations have had time to take a long, objective look at the Apple iPhone, and despite acknowledgment that the high-style device isn't perfect for enterprise applications, many are liking what they see. When Apple opened up the iPhone to third-party software--like the just-released application from SAP--it made a huge difference, and now the enterprise apps (and enterprise acceptance) are starting to grow.

For more on corporate iPhone acceptance:
- Read the enterprise analysis at eWeek

Amazon Kindle sells out

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 06:59:58 -0500

While all industry eyes have been on Google and its newest product rollout, Amazon has captured the imagination of the market with its new Kindle portable reader. Despite early critical questions about the $399 pricing and available library, a notice on Amazon's website indicated that the first run of the device had sold out within the first week of the Kindle's availability. With continuous connection to Amazon through an always-on EV-DO link (the service is included in the purchase price and carries no additional fee), Kindle can be re-filled with content from subscriptions or spot purchases. The initial success is apparent; what's less clear is how Kindle will be received by consumers who aren't first-movers.

For more on the Kindle:
- See this DailyTechRag article
- Read the new product news at CIO-Today

Mobile phone payments next

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 06:59:58 -0500

The days of the mobile phone acting primarily as a tool for voice communications are taking another step into the past with the promise of the phone as an e-commerce tool moves closer. Using technology already being trialled in Japan, and similar to that used in point-of-sale terminals at which you wave your RFID-enabled credit card, your cell phone becomes the medium of payment for purchases made at a wide variety of merchants. Cool, huh? Well, it could certainly be convenient, and teenagers would almost certainly jump immediately to embrace the method, but some experts are still waiting to be convinced that the cell phone can be as secure as more traditional payment methods.

For more on cell phones as electronic wallets:
- Read the new technology article at Mobile-Tech-Today

WiFi or cellular data?

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 06:59:57 -0500

If you're an enterprise IT director, one of the most important questions that you face is how will your employees' mobile devices connect to your enterprise applications? When away from the office, will they take advantage of WiFi connections, will they use a high-speed cellular data network, or will you issue devices that do both? As products for the fixed-mobile data convergence market increase in number, carriers and vendors will find it necessary to add functions and features to attract customers. Look for fleet-management, increased security, and custom application support to be among the features added to attract your business to one network or another.

For more on the WiFi or cell question:
- Read the hands' on analysis at WirelessWeek