UPDATE: Traveling Without a "Net"

UPDATE: AT&T Website Stops Selling iPhone in New York City

I remember visiting NYC back in March and complaining about the terrible reception I was receiving with my iPhone. It struck me as odd that I was in one of the most visited cities in the world, a cosmopolitan destination, and I could barely send and receive data, and kept dropping calls.

I've been following the recent cell coverage war between AT&T and Verizon, and independent studies have shown that AT&T does in fact have a faster network (coverage is a different story), but it appears they still don't still don't have the coverage problem sorted out in NYC.

Another angle on this story is the recent rumblings from AT&T that their network is "overwhelmed" with "data hog" users. The smartphone market (specifically, the iPhone) is growing faster than AT&T can expand their network. AT&T CEO Ralph De la Vega has gone so far as to say that AT&T is experimenting with the idea of charging for data usage -- very similar to how cell phone minutes are currently charged.

One would think that fixing the the coverage problem in NYC would be a good investment for AT&T, and not that difficult of a fix. Turning your back on the smartphone market as it continues to expand is probably not a good business decision. Charging users for data usage is not something I'm too excited about.

March 1, 2009

The title is a little dramatic, and not entirely true. Traveling
without a net, what does that mean?

It means since I have started blogging again this is the first time I
have traveled without a laptop -- hence, without the net and the
ability to post to a blog. Get it?

So what? Well, I'm writing this post on my iPhone, sitting in a plane
in Charlotte, NC. Once finished, I will send it to my blog for posting.

I can tell you are not impressed, but the amazing thing is that I am
posting to a web site (my blog) simply by sending an email.

I'm sure to most veteran bloggers this is not all that big of a deal.
To me it was a revelation of the power of Web 2.0. Think about, no
access to a browser, but I can continue to write and post thoughts to
my blog.

So, maybe not traveling without out a net, but traveling with a mobile net...

Post note: I wrote this blog on Friday, 27 February with the intention
of posting it once I arrived in NYC. However, upon arrival in the
city I found that my 3G connection, actually, cell phone connection in
general, was spotty. How strange is that, I get better cell coverage
in Jacksonville, NC than I do in NYC? AT&T, can you hear me now...?

UPDATE: What Gordon Gekko Can Teach Us About Smartphones

UPDATE: "Morgan Stanley: Mobile Internet Market Will Be Twice The Size of Desktop Internet" and With a New Phone, Google May Challenge Apple"

I found these articles interesting because they speak to my "If your are not connected, you are not connected" philosophy. The Morgan Stanley study is pretty definitive about the projected growth of the smartphone. Google's recent overtures into building a smartphone, as opposed to just supplying the Android operating system for them, is telling of how important they think the future smartphone market will be. It's coming folks... Eventually, being constantly connected to a network is going to be the the rule, and not the exception.

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June 2009

TECHNOLOGY: "Smartphone Rises from Gadget to Necessity," by Steve Lohr, New York Times, 10 June 2009.

For a growing swath of the population, the social expectation is that one is nearly always connected and reachable almost instantly via e-mail. The smartphone, analysts say, is the instrument of that connectedness — and thus worth the cost, both as a communications tool and as a status symbol.

If someone would have asked me two years ago if I would spend my money to buy a smartphone, I would have told them they were crazy. I've been issued Blackberrys for work, and that is how I got my first "taste" of, what I refer to as, my "mobile brain." However, I wasn't ready to spend my hard-earned money on a personal smartphone. Then I began commuting to work in DC on the train/metro and AT&T offered me a Blackberry for thirty dollars -- it's been all down hill since then.

I used the Blackberry for about seven months and then traded up to an iPhone. I couldn't survive without it now. My personal and professional lives depend on having constant access to the network.

Some may scoff at this notion, but before you pass judgment ask yourself: Could you survive without your cell phone? I would venture that many would say yes they could, but if you dig deep and really think about how much you rely on your cell phone, I think you would have to admit that it would be difficult.

It's the same way with a smartphone, which is essentially a cell phone on steroids. The main difference between a regular cell phone and a smartphone is the smartphone's data plan, which provides access to the internet.

Now, let me cut to what I really want to talk about, which is the nature of the world some live in now, and most soon will live in in the future. The days of constant connectivity are coming, and it's going to be very difficult to avoid it. Sure, you can go Ted Kazinsky and check out of society -- please don't send letter bombs to people -- but few are disciplined enough to pull this off.

For the rest of us, we're going to be expected to be connected ALL the time. Just look at the rise of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. We are living in the age of the constant stream of information -- real time information. I've said it before, knowledge is power; those that have the knowledge, have the power and the advantage. Being constantly plugged into the network is the means for obtaining the knowledge. Smartphones are becoming the delivery mechanism for maintaining the constant stream of information.

Gordon Gekko, Michael Douglas's character in the movie Wall Street said it best. In a discussion with Bud Fox, Charlie Sheen's character, Gekko said, "The most valuable commodity I know of is information. Wouldn't you agree?" Gekko proceeds to tell Fox that if he wants to be a player he needs to start getting information. He finishes the discussion by telling Fox, "If you are not inside, you are outside."

My point here is that it's important to feed your brain, and more and more this is happening through smartphone-like devices. To paraphrase Gordon Gekko: If you are not connected, you are not connected.

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Web Tools for Staying Productive and Organized

I am an admitted web tool junkie. Put out a new wizbang tool and I'm all over it. However, there is a method to my madness when it comes to web tools. Before going crazy with a new tool, I must see the practicality of it. How will it make me more productive and organized?

Below is a list of tools I am using to make myself more productive and organized:

1. Gmail - I made a gradual shift from Hotmail to Gmail a couple of years back. This was difficult for me because I have had the same Hotmail account for ten years. Gmail is such a superior product, and the folks at Google continue to improve it.

2. Google Reader - Google Reader is the base for all of my daily read material. I am a voracious consumer of information ranging from national security issues, to pop culture, to fantasy football and reader makes it possible. I spend a lot of time fine tuning (adding and subtracting) my RSS feeds to maintain a fresh flow of relative and timely information.

3. Google Calendar - A great tool to keep your life organized, and keep you on time.

4. Google Documents - Google Documents has just about supplanted the Microsoft Office suite for my word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation requirements.

--The beauty of ALL the Google tools is their ability to synch with my iPhone.

5. Toodledo - My electronic brain. I'm a big list maker and Toodledo is my list maker of choice, and it has a great iPhone application.

6. Twitter - I just started using Twitter recently, so I'm still learning the Twitter ropes. I am using Twitter to connect socially, keep track of my thoughts, learn from others, and share my knowledge. Twitter has multiple iPhone applications.

7. Facebook - I use Facebook to communicate with old friends and make new friends. Facebook has an iPhone application.

8. Blogger - Much like Twitter, I use Blogger to keep track of my thoughts and exercise my brain.

9. Evernote - I am still learning the power of Evernote as an organizational tool, but I can see its power. Evernote also has an iPhone application.

10. delicious - delicious is a great tool for keeping track of your bookmarks if you are jumping from computer to computer.

These tools are but a few that I have found supremely useful. What do you use to stay productive and organized?