Rick Cooper, The PDA Pro

Top Ten Computer Flops

Miguel Carrasco's Real World lists the top ten computer flops of all time. If you're a techie, you might find this interesting. There's also a lesson here about perseverance.

Thanks to Andy Gray, CTO of Conselleo, for passing this along.

The Future of Wireless Networking

I've shared my opinion on the state of the wireless web, but Ed Hardy, Editor-in-Chief at Brighthand, has a more positive view. In an editorial, Ed states:

"In the coming years, you'll pay just one company that will let you wirelessly access the Internet -- and make phone calls -- wherever you go.  Unlike today's wireless networking standards, this will be so fast you won't feel a need for a wired connection to the Net, even on your home PC. And it will work whether you are in your back yard or Peoria. "

I would agree that simplifying and consolidating payment for internet access across devices will encourage further usage. And clearly, faster access on handheld devices is needed. Wi-Fi access on PDA's is nice, but is not available on a smartphone except in some instances where you can buy a card to insert in the memory slot.

My experience has been primarily through using a browser on my Palm Treo 600 and it's pathetically slow. I often select a web page, put my PDA back in its holster, and then check it a few minutes later to see if it finished downloading. Some text based sites, such as for news, will load quickly. But, the average website can take over a minute to load. So much for productivity.

I am hopeful that wireless networking will improve. Only then will we experience the wireless revolution that has been promised for years.

Palm User Groups

If you're interested in learning more about how to use your PDA, consider visiting a user group meeting. There are Palm User Groups across the U.S. To find a Palm User Group in your area, visit the PalmSource Palm OS User Groups.

In a recent conversation with John Waller, Founder and President of the Silicon Valley Palm Users Group, we discussed the value of training and coaching people on using their PDAs and smartphones. John trains people in the San Francisco Bay Area on using their Palm PDA. We both strive to help people use their PDAs to increase their productivity.

John is also a strong advocate of using Bluetooth headsets. Visit his company website Mobile Connectivity for more information on headsets.

List of CIO Resolutions Excludes Mobile Technologies

ComputerWorld shares the top ten 10 CIO resolutions for 2005 from Gartner. It offers some keen insights into what level of support you can expect from your IT staff if you work in a large company. If you own a business, it provides some perspective on how your competition may be using technology. The article states,

"Legacy systems and legacy attitudes about how IT staff should function—as separate from business decision making—are seen by corporate chief executives as blockades to business agility, the analysts said. Technology complexity is viewed as another hindrance to companies' ability to quickly change directions, and Gartner predicts that simplification of IT systems will also be on CIOs' to-do lists for the coming year. "

Disappointingly, there is no mention of mobile technologies, even though mobility is a key to achieving business agility. One resolution is "Get hands-on experience on new key technologies." That's a fairly broad statement, however.

What does this mean to sales professionals and other corporate employees? Don't expect support from your IT department when you can't access email on your phone. You'll probably have to rely on other tech savvy employees to help you resolve issues with your PDA or Smartphone. Find a Technology Mentor who is willing to help you.

If you're hunting for a job, ask about the level of IT support employees receive. The ability to perform your job is becoming more dependent on how effectively you can use technology. You don't want to spend more time trying to learn new technologies than actually using them. That's not a winning proposition.