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‘Michael Gartenberg’ Stories

Two weeks of travel, Ten iPad lessons

, May 13th 2010 Discuss [45]

A while back, I tried traveling on business with nothing but the help of three smart phones. I quickly ran into the headroom of those devices and, by the time I was home, I had a huge list of tasks I needed to deal with that could only be done on a computer. I wondered how I would have fared had I carried an iPad with me instead. So over the last two weeks, I’ve done just that, carried an iPad on my travels and left the laptop at home. Here are ten lessons of the iPad I learned from two weeks on the road with it.

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Why I like Kin

, Apr 28th 2010 Discuss [6]

Recently, Microsoft unveiled a new mobile platform and two new devices built for it. It’s called Kin and it’s targeted at a younger demographic with a focus on social communication. It’s also been one of the most controversial releases I’ve ever seen. Many folks who’ve weighed in on the topic weren’t too impressed. They cite a lack of features ranging from a calendar to no support for third party applications, most notably games. I don’t share those views (although I do think it’s not a good idea for middle aged Microsoft executives to go with a shirt untucked and unshaven look while presenting) and I think Kin has a good chance of being successful in the marketplace. Here’s why.

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The Droid Incredible is, well, Incredible

, Apr 19th 2010 Discuss [2]

At the beginning of the year, Google called a group of reporters and analysts to Google HQ to announce a new phone, the Nexus One. A joint effort of HTC and Google, the N1 was a slim device, running a speedy Snapdragon processor and an AMOLED display. Running the latest version of Android, 2.1, it was state of the art, at least for January.

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Is Moore’s Law Still Relevant for PCs?

, Apr 7th 2010 Discuss [5]

It’s been more than thirty five years since Gordon Moore, the co-founder of Intel, observed that the transistor density of semiconductor chips doubles roughly every 18 months. This observation was both accurate as well as profound and became known to us as Moore’s Law. The effect of Moore’s Law has been simple, new PCs are almost twice as powerful as the prior generation. This in turn led to mass market adoption as PCs became more powerful, capability and functionality increased and appeal widened the market for new adopters with every generation of hardware and the software functionality it enabled. It appears Moore’s Law remains in force and by most accounts will continue for at least some time. But I often wonder whether there is still benefit for most users and in what ways will raw speed empower them?

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Gartenberg: iPad is Here and it Delivers

, Apr 3rd 2010 Discuss [0]

It’s the device that fueled nearly a decade of rumor and speculation. While the iPad isn’t officially available until today, I’m been pleased to have a final, production unit ahead of the formal launch. I’ve been testing a 64GB iPad WiFi device and so far I’ve been impressed with what Apple has delivered.

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When you leave your laptop behind

, Mar 24th 2010 Discuss [4]

We’ve all heard how the phone in your pocket is really a PC. Well, a few weeks ago I put that to the test literally. I left for a week of heavy business travel in three cities to see if my phone (actually a series of phones) could replace my MacBook Pro. For my tests, I carried an iPhone 3GS with a Mophie JuicePack Air, a Palm Pre Plus and an HTC HD2. I also had a Stowaway Bluetooth Keyboard which works with the HD2.

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Breaking Windows is a good idea

, Mar 17th 2010 Discuss [2]

I have been reading a lot of critiques of Microsoft’s mobile strategy lately, especially among those who think that breaking compatibility with older versions of Windows Mobile is a bad idea. Some of these opinions are just wrong, showing little knowledge of technical architectures. (If it’s CE based, how come I can’t run my old apps? Sheesh; CE was used in many different mobile devices, none of which could run Windows Mobile apps). For those that are dependent on some Windows Mobile app, Microsoft is wisely keeping the 6.5.x platform around for a while meaning folks can make a smooth transition as they need to.

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The Palm Paradox

, Mar 12th 2010 Discuss [0]

It’s been a rough few weeks for the folks at Palm. First false rumors about Palm shutting down production lines, followed by less than stellar results have once again started the usual suspects putting Palm on either some death watch or have them about to be sold to (insert vendor’s name here _____). Regarding the second, I don’t believe Jon Rubenstein came out of retirement to build a world class product only to have it sold to (insert vendor’s name here _____). But with regards to the whole death watch theme, Palm reminds me a lot of TiVo these days. It’s not just the death watch meme that’s plagued TiVo for years, it’s the fact that Palm suffers from their own version of the TiVo paradox.

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Dirty Fingers Sexy Screen Wash and ET: more in common than you think

, Mar 3rd 2010 Discuss [0]

It’s a great urban legend. In September 1983, the Alamogordo Daily News of Alamogordo, New Mexico, reported in a series of articles that between ten and twenty semi-trailer truckloads of Atari boxes, cartridges, and systems from an Atari storehouse in El Paso, Texas were crushed and buried at the landfill within the city… it has been speculated that most unsold copies of E.T. are buried in this landfill, crushed and encased in cement.

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Buzz-kill

, Feb 24th 2010 Discuss [1]

Recently Google entered the world of social media with their own service called Buzz. Buzz put Google directly in the real-time and social spaces, combined with a strong mobile component. Their approach is tied directly into Gmail on the desktop with a mobile website, and integration into various flavors of Google Maps. It would seem like a no-brainer and a success. Except I stopped using it almost immediately. Here’s why.

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Why there is no Zune Phone

, Feb 17th 2010 Discuss [3]

The big news out of Barcelona this week was Microsoft’s announcement of Windows Phone 7 Series, the heir to Windows Mobile and Microsoft’s platform of choice to evolve their mobile strategy. With a UI that’s looks very familiar to users of the Zune HD, I think Microsoft has done an excellent job re-inventing their mobile strategy. It’s clear they are no longer playing in this market, they’re playing to win. It’s also clear that this year will be a major inflection point for mobile and Microsoft has gotten off to a good start, much better than what we’ve heard so far this week. The key will be execution and delivery on the things they’ve shown us this week. You’d think that would be enough for most folks, but it’s clearly not. It seems there are some out there that are still looking for more.

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When the PC is a Toaster

, Feb 10th 2010 Discuss [1]

It hasn’t been that long since Apple announced a computer that was more appliance than traditional PC and we’re still feeling the shocks. It was a “closed” system and the digerati panned it. Some said it would hurt future generations who would lack the tools to tinker and program. Others decried a new metaphor for dealing with information as too limiting and toy-like. Universally, it was agreed that it was way overpriced for what it offered to the market. Now you might think I’m talking about the introduction of the iPad a few weeks ago. Actually, I’m referring the introduction of Macintosh in 1984.

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