Curious Voyager - Live like you mean it!

Tablet Tools – OnLive Desktop

Some time ago a friend told me about OnLive Desktop. An app that will allow access to Microsoft Office tools; Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

I have listened to podcasts that have discussed it and there was a concern that Microsoft would not allow this app. This week the Cincinnati Enquirer ran an article about OnLive and I finally downloaded the Standard (or FREE) version.

I am impressed!

Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint versions 2010 with all the needed capabilities (and more than needed). As long as you have a good Wireless connection this is fantastic. The one major drawback can be the wireless connection. I tried using it on our corporate wireless and I was actually better off at Starbuck’s.

Now if this was an app that was on my tablet – WOW! I could use it offline.

If you want to pay $4.99/month then you can even use Dropbox for storage and that would just add more power. With the paid version you also get Internet Explorer and that would please me. I am a Google Chrome user however on these tablets the browsers leave a great deal to be desired.

See, I am already talking myself into upgrading.

Since I have used Word as my word processing tool of choice (30 years) this is right up my alley. Excel is also the top of the line spreadsheet tool and PowerPoint is the presentation tool of choice for many users.

Note: I can hear Bill Gates now: “Once we give them the Word they can then Excel and ultimately make a PowerPoint. This gives everyone a good Outlook!”

I know, it’s my vision of history.

The only thing I missed in the OnLive Word program was the blog template which I was hoping for. Tablets are missing some power in blogging tools. I am hoping that Live Writer* does become an app that can be used on ‘ALL’ devices.

Are you listening Microsoft? Yea, right, I know better.

Microsoft is way too late to the App market. Word, Excel, PowerPoint Lite (as on Skydrive) would have made great apps and should be available on all OS’s. Perhaps I would have paid more than the $9.99 for Pages and Numbers. They are good apps and are only on the iPad. That is until OnLive Desktop.

Right now OnLive Desktop can be installed on the iPad as well as Android tablets. Hmm, I wonder if I would have strayed away from the Samsung Galaxy Tablet?

* Please note the link to Live Writer (above) is to Wikepedia since I do not know how long Windows Live will be around.

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Related articles

• App of the Month: OnLive Desktop (inc.com)

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Weekend Reading

In Om's 7 things to read this weekend there is a link to early communications systems. If you have not seen it you should take a few seconds to look back. I do not remember the 'speaking tubes' however as a kid I remember seeing the pneumatic tubes in downtown department stores, they lasted a long time. I believe that banks still use them.

The time frame from discovery to acceptance to implementation is what fascinates me. Then step back into today and see the speed of acceptance of today's changes. If you are not paying attention one day you just might feel like Rip Van Winkle. Check out Om's link here to see the article referenced by Om Malik.

> http://www.officemuseum.com/communications_equipment.htm

We need to be aware of changes going on in all facets of Life, Living, and Work. READ!!

Speaking of reading: I discovered a great book this week, "Steal Like an Artist" by Austin Kleon. It is a short read (2 hours for the first time through) and I am sure I will start this weekend to re-read and make notes. I really would like to buy this for everyone I know but my controller would object so look it up on Amazon. I purchased my copy on the Kindle and read it on my Kindle App for the iPad.

Enjoy Memorial Day - and remember why we celebrate Memorial Day.

IBM stung by BYOD pitfalls — Cloud Computing News

Update: This post relates to an articel in GigaOm. See link below.

I think I just posted something about this. One unfortunate part to this scenario is that the employee is beginning to know more about the latest technologies than IT. Very true.

I think it is safe to believe that you will not be able to keep them out forever so rather than walls we need to work with the employee.

The last line has the most intriguing question: Who wins then? Neither the employer or the employee - who will be a bit disgruntled and will believe that the company doesn't know anything. That the company is behind times and not future oriented. Perhaps it is time to move along.

Link to original article at GigaOm: IBM stung by BYOD pitfalls

Starbucks And The Noise

I came back to Starbucks for the coffee however the noise is still it's greatest distraction. I guess one has to bring Noise Cancelling Headphones when coming to Starbucks to read or concentrate on anything. It amazes me they sell newspapers, must be to their deaf clientle.

What is worse is that I know my hearing isn't the best, just ask my wife.

I don't ask for silence, it is the music they play. Sometimes I think I have gone to a rock party. I have been told I can ask to have it turned down however that should not be the patron's job. There should be a reasonable DB requirement and second the music selection should not be intrusive.

I know, Panera Bread does not have that music issue. Tomorrow Panera, the coffee is good also.

Will Employee/Consumer Drive IT Crazy?

It has been my belief that the Enterprise IT control is changing. The past shows that IT determined what would prevail with regard to technology and pretty much had it’s way. Today that is not the case in many places.

The Enterprise is feeling the shift away from IT control to Employee/Consumer demands – and that is going to cause issues.

Today’s Computerworld post by Matt Hamblen, Consumerization trend creates IT worries, worker benefits, takes note of these changes.

We are beginning to fly high with BYOD – Bring Your Own Device.

Most of these articles appearing lately reflect on the hardware; iPhone, iPad, Android. There is another aspect that is as meaningful as the hardware and that would be the software/apps that these devices can run.

I am not the only one that uses an Android phone and, at the same time, an iPad. This makes it difficult for the software/app developers. Today you must develop for ALL platforms. Unfortunately some of this power is being missed (or overlooked) by providers of software/apps.

I really do believe in Power To The People and I think in some quarters we, the People, are taking that power back.

One really big change is the people at the top are using these tools and they feel the power and they will not be dictated to.

I personally think this is a great time for IT however to be a leader one must keep on learning. It never ends. All good leaders are learners. They pay attention to their industry but also look outside for potential innovation and they are also consumers.

This could also be where Microsoft loses it’s grip but that is another story.

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Related articles

• BYOD: No Longer a Four-Letter Word to Enterprise IT Leaders? (blogs.cisco.com)
• Five reasons why iPad and iPhone are THE choices for BYOD - ZDNet (blog) (zdnet.com)
• BYOD will revive network-access control idea, Gartner predicts (infoworld.com)
• BYOD: The Promise and Specter of IT's Brave New World (video) (zdnet.com)
• The Consumerization of BYOD will result in the Consumerization of The Cloud (itsecurityrisksandsolutions.wordpress.com)

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Microsoft Can Help Get This Country Back To Work!

The reality is that Microsoft has some really great products that can help the recently unemployed get back to work. The word is not getting out.

What is needed is Microsoft to connect with state and federal unemployment offices and make a concerted effort to get their online products in front of the right people.

I have worked with the recently unemployed, people who have been working for the last 15 to 30 years. They now find themselves out of work and applying for jobs.

The burden for these recently unemployed is that the last time they applied for a job they did it with a paper resume, or stood in line at a personnel office.

Today one needs computer access, an email address, knowledge of how to use Internet Explorer (browser), and more importantly how to search for a job on the Internet.

Once they find that job they then need to be able to type a digital resume, attach it to an email or upload it to a service, and perhaps even print it.

All the ‘How-To’ is being taught via the employment offices and local adult training services, church groups and others. Local libraries also provide training and computers as well as internet connection.

What these agencies can’t provide are the software tools that are needed. Microsoft can!

For the recently unemployed this is a cost burden, they need to pay bills, feed families with the funds they have from unemployment or severance.

These tools are available from Microsoft and these tools are FREE.

• Email: Hotmail: www.hotmail.com
• Online storage for files: www.skydrive.com
• Software: Again Skydrive @ www.skydrive.com – Microsoft Word and Excel 

They can learn these tools and can increase their value in the market place while at the same time making in-roads into getting jobs.

We should also be promoting the online video’s and services for supporting getting people back to work.

Microsoft get involved and help this county get back to work.

Two notes;

1) Yes, there are a lot of other services out there that can also provide the email address for free; Google, AOL, Yahoo, and others however they cannot provide the access to Microsoft Word which is still today the office tool of choice. This is needed so that the resume writer does not get lost. The majority of HR or Personnel offices do not use Google Docs or Open Office.

2) I know that Skydrive provides PowerPoint and OneNote as well however right now what is needed is Word and Excel – they rest can follow.

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Will Androids Ice Cream Sandwich Be For Me?

More importantly is the question: Will I leave Android? Is it time for a change?

First let me say that my carrier is Verizon and I am very happy with Verizon. It is the phone I speak of here.

In November of 2009 I acquired my first smartphone, it was the Motorola Droid. Since that time we have moved up to the HTC Thunderbolt. In a few more months we will be eligible for an upgrade. Choices abound and we are a bit more knowledgeable this time around.

You can read back how much I really liked (and still do) my HTC Thunderbolt – but that was yesterday, and yesterday’s gone. Not only have the available products become better tools we have become more educated in their use. It is no longer ‘just a telephone’ and perhaps that term should be dropped. The device I carry in my pocket is truly a PC, Personal Communicator – both with the outside world and to me. It could be the real Personal Computer.

Let’s see how do I uses my Personal Computer:

• Check email – both and reply & send
• Text messages – both incoming and outgoing
• Address book / Contact List
• Get quick answers from the web
• Dictionary / Thesaurus
• Make notes to myself (paper?)
• Calendar
• Scanner (and a very good one)
• GPS – Maps for travel (used quite frequently)
• Review documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Apps for finding places, making reservations, and checking the weather.

The list goes on and I have not even mentioned ‘make and receive phone calls’. Of my telephone usage I would say that less than 10% is for taking or making phone calls. I can’t leave home without it.

So the quick overview is that in less than 3 years the ‘communicator’ in my pocket has become an indispensible device.

So what would I like to see in the next one?

• A little bit bigger screen
• Good (or better) resolution
• “BETTER” battery life – I currently have to use an extended battery and my wife’s phone dies in the middle of the day.
• SPELL CHECK is a necessity and I do not mean Auto-correct.
• Multi-tasking should be easier
• Mobile Hotspot
• Unlimited Data Plan at a reasonable rate (I mean if you are going to wish)

I do not care if the phone comes with 1 million apps I want ‘good’, ‘productive’, apps – and I do not mind paying.

One really important feature would be for the various carriers to give us the ability to easily dump the apps that come with the phone that are useless to us. I do not need to upgrade apps I do not use like Blockbuster, however my phone keeps telling me to do that.

Suggestion: If it’s important to the operation of the phone don’t make it an app. Make it part of the phone and then update it as necessary without us having to be involved.

On the update note;  let us have the OS updates as they are available. My contract comes up every 2 years and I will get a new phone anyway – that’s the way we are.

I do not know anything about Ice Cream Sandwich, other than what we have all read, however I have learned a few lessons over the past two-and-a half year and I am going to apply them when the time comes.

If you read this column you know that I just moved from the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Tablet to the iPad (3rd edition) and that I am quite happy with that move. The prime reason for the move was in the way that I use the tablet – nothing wrong with  the Galaxy Tablet. The iPad provided me with what I needed – and that’s the way it is.

I am being loyal to me and my needs and I can’t wait to upgrade.

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Related articles

• Verizon Promises To Upgrade These Android Phones ... Someday ... Maybe (VZ, GOOG) (businessinsider.com)
• HTC Thunderbolt update leaks - Not Ice Cream Sandwich (androidcommunity.com)

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Checking Out Typepad For Composing

It would appear that Typepad (web composing) is not any different than all other things - no Spell Check. I know when I am on my Windows PC there are a number of editing tools so that one could compose within the Typepad editor however I am here and there are no tools. In order to add a hyperlink, or a block quote, I would have to be able to use hte HTML editor. Is it the Safari browser that I am using? Is it the iPad that I am using? Or is it Typepad? I wonder what editing tools there are at Blogger? I think I will check that out. It would appear that on one front we are making great headway however on the working front everyone is dragging their feet. The only outcome for this is that the next time one pruchases a device change partners to get what you want. Get the best tool for what you want on that specific device, loyalty to one system is out of line. It appears that Apple, Google, and Microsoft are more willing to sue on patents rather than spend the money on developing better products and getting them to market. The user is not the end target - the stockholder is and the user suffers.

Microsoft's New Skydrive Connection and The Power of the Tools

After listening to Paul Thurrott and Mary Jo Foley on the Windows Weekly show I went in and upgraded my Skydrive account on Windows Live. I love the folder that it puts on you computer now (Windows PC), just like Dropbox and Google Drive.

As usual I am using all 3 at this point and have been impressed with all. I was more impressed with Skydrive this morning when I installed the Skydrive app for the iPad and it worked well. I was able to open PDF's, pictures and a Word Doc. 

I have not used it extensively however I went to edit a Word docx (2010) in Pages (Apple) and it locked up the Pages app. I had to shut down the iPad and restart to get back to pages. The edit did take place however I did not place it back in the Skydrive folder from whence it came. 

I have come to the conclusion that being able to have my files in the cloud and available on any (or all) devices is the best for about 80% of the users today. We have gone way past the shock and awe of what we can do with a computer like device and now we need to be able to use them like the tools they are meant to be.  

One of the re-occurring thoughts that I have is; Do we need all the power of Word? Or Excel? We are getting our information on a screen of some sort and although all those colors (or presentation capabilities) are nice - how much do we really need or use them? All the POWER of Microsoft Word was good for the printing part of our output however today that is not necessary. Who really prints? This is a declining number witness the paper businesses closing.

I can make something bold if I want to, or italic or even underline (this is being processed in an iPad email app). Sooner or later I will be able to annotate a document on the fly with an app that only costs $9.99 (or $14.99). Do we really need to buy an Office Suite? The Office Suite in my mind is overblown, too cumbersome not available on all devices, and maybe just not needed anymore. 

Google Docs, MS Office Lite on Skydrive, and Pages attest to that. If you have read here before you know that I have been a MS Word user for over 25 years. I teach it and today believe that it is overkill for the above average user. I am not overwhelmed with Google Docs however I do like Pages. 

Times change and so do the tools that we use. They need to get lighter, faster, and ubiquitous (I love my spell check). I can connect with anyone, anywhere, anytime. I need to be able to insert a graphic, a picture, or a sketch (which I can do on most all tablets) into an email or document. However when was the last time 80% (90%?) of the people used footnotes, endnotes - or even a bibliography? 

Hey guys, lighten up the software but make it reasonable. We do have to be able to use this, not all of us have Admin.'s and will not in the future.

Times Are Changing

We have watched as Kodak lost the film business to digital and now we are watching the book industry do the same, from paper to digital. The screaming and fighting wasn't there with Kodak but is there with the publishing industry. They do see the hand writing on the wall and want to fight and hide from the oncoming change. 

Everything changes eventually. 

The publishing industries time is coming at a hight rate of speed. Best they find how they will benefit because the fighting will not win the war. 

Perhaps more books will be sold with ebooks. Perhaps more people will have the opportunity to crash the party. Books become more of a conversation, personal story telling. Niche writing is now better than ever. The cost is so small we can have more people reaching more people in their special niche. 

Writing is back to being an art not something where only hand picked people get to play.