We're Witnessing a Fundamental Change in Computing

To say that personal computing has been basically the same since IBM rolled the first one of the assembly line in the early 80's is certainly oversimplifying. Innovations like the mouse, Windows, and the Internet have propelled computers into every household and onto every desk. But the basic structure of the computer has remained relatively the same over the last thirty years... a keyboard and a monitor.

What we are witnessing today is a fundamental change in that paradigm. Touch screen smart phones like the iPhone, Palm, and HTC have started us down the path. Talking on my iPhone is probably what I spend the least amount of time doing. I keep in touch with friends and colleagues through social networks, emails, texts, read up the latest news, track my todo's, among other things. I do this anywhere, at any time, and its genuinely just because I can. The technology makes it possible.

So let's take it a step further with the introduction of what essentially are the larger format smart phones. The iPad for one. There have been other touch pads in the past, but the iPad is the first that has really captured the consumers imagination. But it won't be the only one. This week, HP acquired Palm and their WebOS operating system currently used on the Palm smart phones. Their intent is to use that same light weight operating system in their own version of the touch pad. And you can put money on the fact that other hardware manufacturers will be using Google's Android for the same.

In business practices, you can see tremendous benefits and applications for these devices. Doctor's can look up patient records and entered hand written notes without the need of a clipboard at the end of every bed. Or the drawings and diagrams you brainstormed in a meeting are instantly shared with the participants. Or you just wake up, want to view a quick report from CNN, check the business wire, read two or three of your favourite newspapers, buy flowers for your better half, and check which planets will be visible in the clear night sky tonight -- all before you put your slippers on.

These touch pads and their possibilities are still a work in progress. Better handwriting and speech recognition will go a long way to improving them. But we're not that far off from what not to long ago seemed like futuristic science fiction penned by Gene Roddenbury. It's an exciting time to be a technology professional, and I'm thrilled to be living through what later will be called a significant social and technological shift.

Is iPhone the Flash-killer?

An interesting article popped up this week about the airline Virgin America (read it here). Virgin American is an example the change in corporate thinking concerning the use of Flash on their consumer websites. The popularity of the iPhone (and presumably the iPad once it gains some traction) and it's lack of support for the Flash platform is sited as a significant reason for dropping Flash from their website.

One has to ask, is the popularity of Apple's iPhone combined with Apple's refusal to support Flash going to be Flash's eventual downfall? I think it will be a contributor, but not the only factor. As consumers continue to incorporate the use of smart phones into their daily routine, companies will continue to simplify the display of their websites so they can be viewed across multiple platforms including the PC, smart phones, games systems, cable boxes, and tablets. By reducing the end-user complexity, and this includes dropping Flash, they will reach a wider audience.

There are other factors at play too, including the emergence of HTML5 as a way of delivering multimedia, and general consumer indifference toward the use of Flash on their phone. Let's face it, not supporting Flash hasn't hurt iPhone sales, and likely won't. The likely consumer reaction will be to simply not use sites that don't display properly on their phone, so the onus will shift back to the companies to make their websites more friendly to all platforms. And that's what Virgin American has done. Others will too.

iPad Isn't Flash-y

Everyone is a-buzz about the new iPad recently introduced by Apple. While there is no doubt it will be a hit and get other companies thinking about the same format tablet (or netbook without a keyboard) much like iPhone did for HTC, Samsung, LG to name a few, I can tell you that I won't be buying one anytime soon.

The entire reason that I would consider getting an iPad would be to have it do the same types of things my iPhone does (play games, browse the web, read email, etc.) and I would expect them to perform better on the larger format. I could use it around the house, or pop in my briefcase for those trips to Starbucks, my office away from the office.

When it comes to web browsing, I would want it to perform and behave just like a netbook or a laptop that I can take anywhere. Yes, iPad can browse websites, just as long as they don't contain any flash content. Somewhere in Cupertino, Apple execs are refusing to add flash support to the iPad (and iPhone, iTouch). 30% to 40% of all websites have some Adobe Flash content in them (video players, music players, photo galleries, or entire web sites). And it's completely useless trying to use these websites with the iPad.

Come on Apple. You will have more success and happier clients with the iPad if you make the browsing experience on par with other browsers. And if you could do it for the iPhone, that wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Windows 7 for Non-Profits

On October 22nd, Windows 7 will officially be released. From the early reviews, its a tremendous improvement over Vista. You can read a couple of the reviews here and here.

For those of you familiar with the non-profit sector, you will also be familiar with Techsoup.org that provides a portal to purchase software from partners like Microsoft, Symantec, and Adobe at tremendously discounted non-profit rates.

Techsoup has posted Microsoft's Windows 7 non-profit rates on their website. You can purchase licenses for $8 or $9 depending on the version you need for your organization. Even if you have already used your yearly Microsoft donation this year, they will be making an exception for Windows 7 until January 31st, 2010. You can see the details here.

Upgrading to Windows 7 will bring you many new features, but planning the upgrade in your organization will take some forethought. Many companies decided to skip Vista and are still running Windows XP on their computers. The issue here is that Microsoft has not provided an upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7. So here are some things to consider:

• If you are running Windows XP, Windows 7 will be need to be a fresh install on each computer. This is a good time to implement a desktop installation strategy if you don't already have one.
• Some older hardware may not run Windows 7. A lack of drivers or enough computer power may mean some computers will need to be replaced.
• Some older programs may not work in Windows 7. Installing Windows 7 on some test computers with all the software your organization runs will avert deployment disasters that may leave users unable to do their work.
• Retraining for your user community. Technology departments can often overlook this, but Windows 7 is different enough from Windows XP that training sessions should be provided to your users.

A well thought out plan can make the transition to Windows 7 a smooth experience that is considerate of the needs of your user community and will keep your organization up to date.

Virtualization -- the saviour of legacy systems

Virtual servers are here to stay. From bridging computers into clouds that be deployed and expanded at will, to consolidating existing infrastructures into fewer servers that are easier to manage, reducing their energy footprint, and making equipment replacement much less onerous then what had been the accepted norm prior to their existence.

But virtual servers have an unexpected benefit to legacy systems that are on their last legs. You're familiar with these computers... they sit in a closet and run batch jobs, send automated emails, pipe faxes to suppliers, and fulfill other various forms of mundane tasks that the IT staff has long forgotten about. They are old and tired, and running old software on tired operating systems. You want to replace them, but you can't -- because the software vendor doesn't exist anymore, or the operating system you are running doesn't play nicely with any new hardware, or the cost is prohibitive, or any number of other reasons.

Virtual servers (like VMWare's suite of products) can rescue you. By providing a layer of hardware abstraction, they can mimic older hardware and run older operating systems in virtual computers that are in fact installed on very fast, very new hardware. You can keep using solutions that in place without reinventing the wheel, while not worrying about old hardware failing. You save money by leveraging your existing systems and you save money by avoiding downtime caused by old hardware failures. Virtual servers = win-win.

TomTom Completes My iPhone

I sometimes marvel at how technology has been an enabler in my life. From better and stronger power tools that help me with my woodworking projects, to digital cameras that have completely transformed my love of photography. But the one tool I marvel at the most is the smart phone, which in my case is the iPhone.

Since I started using the iPhone some time ago (not my first smart phone), I have already taken advantage of so many of it's features -- calendars and reminders that help keep our household running, banking online, searching eBay for goodies, listening to music, taking and sharing pictures, tweeting, tracking the time I spend on projects, and even invoicing my clients -- all from my phone. Gone are the days when I felt compelled to have my laptop with me at all times.

But as great at the iPhone is at being an all-in-one portable device, the one thing it lacked was a GPS navigation system for taking on those road trips. That's all changed now. With the release of the iPhone's new version 3.0 software, companies with navigation systems are stepping up to the plate with new applications.

TomTom is one of the companies that has been making in car navigation systems for some time now, and is a leader in the field. Today I ordered the TomTom iPhone software from the Apple app store, loaded it on my phone, and took it for a test run. I have to say it's very impressive. With maps for all of Canada and the United States, it piped accurate directions through my iPhone and gave me mapping visuals to get me where I was going. It also has many common navigation bells and whistles, like favourite places, roads to avoid, and scenic versus fastest routes. Best of all (and this is where it definitely beats Google maps on the iPhone), the maps are built in, so you don't need need a cell connection to download maps as you go. Nice.

So the device convergence continues and my iPhone can do more for me today than it did yesterday.

Click here to visit the TomTom iPhone site.

Oneimage Solutions Welcomes Alpha Music Services

We are pleased to welcome Alpha Music Services as our newest client. Well known in music circles, Brian Usher and his team have combined for more than 80 years of music experience. In addition to preparing young minds for Conservatory Canada examinations, Alpha Music produces music and audio tracks in their state of the art recording studio.

Brian notes, "When it became necessary to re-develop our website design and function, the creative concepts that were presented by Oneimage Solutions were exactly what we needed to assist us in achieving our corporate marketing goals. Oneimage listened carefully to our concerns and addressed them in a most professional manner. We look forward to working with them on our web presence to drive business value for our studio."

You can reach Alpha Music for studio recording time and other services at 519-685-0161.