2 The Next Level

Archive for the ‘Mobile Technology’ Category

Do you have a 3G/4G USB aircard? I have been debating for a minute on how I can justify getting a wireless aircard to allow me to have Internet service in places where I cannot get free Wifi. My cellphone carrier has a web connect plan that I was considering very seriously. This T-mobile plan cost about $49.00 per month and that’s after having to purchase the USB aircard stick for my laptop.

Tethering

I heard this term about 3 or so years ago from a friend of mine who used to get Free Internet access through his cell phone that allowed him to surf the net on his laptop.  Back then you had to be very careful in trying to create a tethering hack for your cellphone. First off you could void the contract of your carrier by doing it and second you could run up a huge phone bill by adding on to the minutes of your data plan.

Android and T-mobile

In doing some first hand research I found out that there were many cell phone carriers that allowed tethering using the Android operating system but my carrier, T-mobile was not one of them.  I finally found a software company that had just released an Android app that was said to work with my carrier.

PdaNet

June Fabrics Technology Inc. had already created tethering software applications for Windows Mobile phones, Palm OS phones and iPhones. I was elated that they had made one for Android but would it work with T-mobile? After a small download of the software on my laptop and then my cellphone I was up and running.

The Test

My first use of this PdaNet tethering software came at a lunch meeting with a potential client.  The meeting location did not have Wifi and part of my presentation needed Internet access to show off some of the WordPress blogsites I had created.  I was at risk of not being able to close the deal do to the lack of a connection to the net.

Tetheriffic

Not only did I have access to the Internet for the close of my presentation but I was amazed at how fast the 3G speed was in the downloading of all the graphics from some of the blogsites I had displayed on my laptop. My client was pleased with what he saw and said that he was impressed with how I used my cellphone to help finish the deal.

Tale of the tethering tape

PdaNet has two versions of its software application for Android phones. There is a Free version and a Paid version. The only difference in the Paid one is that you get to see secure websites. So if you have to pay a bill via a banking website or purchase something from an ecommerce website you might have some problems.  I have not had a need to upgrade to the paid version at this time but I do believe that the $23.95 one time price would be well worth it. It has already saved me money in not having to get an extra monthly web connect plan from my cell phone carrier.

Have you ever tethered your cell phone to get internet access for your laptop? As Solopreneurs we need to be able to save every penny we take in, so tethering could really make a difference in ones bottom line.  Let me know your thoughts on it.

All the best

JB

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First of all, I want to congratulate the Who DAT Nation for winning their first Super Bowl. With that said I have to give my review of some of the Super Bowl Ads.  Ok if you didn’t know it I am a man and I have to say some of the ads were quite sexist to say the least. I won’t harp on how tired the Godaddy ads have been getting but from what the business model say they have been effective.  The the two ads I am going to focus on are both sexy and sweet. These two ads made the most impression on me because they were done with both the audience in mind as well as the audience at large.

The Audience in the Mind of a Male

The first ad was the Motorola MOTO Blur Ad featuring Megan Fox.  Ok now for the disclaimer.. I own a Motorola MOTO Blur phone but I am not being paid for this review…  This ad used the popularity of Megan Fox’s sexuality to bring a point home on what would happen if she were to send out a picture of herself taking a simple bubble bath.  If you have not seen the ad please take a look below and then read on.

This ad uses humor and the power of a man’s imagination run wild. I watched this ad with my wife and we both laughed and agreed that it was very effective. Now here comes the tech part. At the same time of this ad’s airing, I got a text from, who esle Motorola on why I should go to their website to watch the rest of the commercial. I then went to http://www.motorola.com/super-bowl and saw the rest of the ad and I laughed even harder.  This ad was built for the audience in mind which for the most part was primarily male. If Motorola was smart they would be quick to hire Megan Fox to be the MOTO Blur spokes person and do a series of ads that play off this same idea.

The Audience at Large brings Love

Google did an excellent job of not only promoting their search engine but it told a story of how to use Google search to find love. Please view the video below if you have not seen the commercial and then read on.

This ad helped us learn how to use Google search while in Paris. In this case the user wanted to impress a girl who thought the user was cute.  This ad clearly connected to both male and especially female viewers or the audience at large.  I thought this ad was very effective in not only telling but showing  us why we should use Google as our main search tool.  Google has a series of videos called Google Search Stories. Parisian Love was shown on Youtube over 2 months ago and  just repacked by Google just in time for the Super Bowl.  It is now the most viewed of the series at just over 2 million views.

And the Winner Is….

Even though I am a big Motorola fan, I am going to have to go with Google on this one.  Goolge’s ad was more appealing to a much larger audience.  It not only told the story,  it showed you how to use their service and even better why you should use their service.  It was one of the most low budget yet highly effective ways to produce a Super Bowl ad.  All Google needed was a screen capture software, some music and a few sound effects. Motorola on the other hand had to pay for the services of all the actors plus pay Megan Fox. Google can clearly reuse this ad over and over again like it did for the Super Bowl and it will still have just about the same effectiveness.

Although I picked Google over Motorola, I am a MAN and have to say that I look forward to the next series of MOTO Blur ads featuring Megan Fox.. There I said it.. I will now sit my sexist self down…;-)

No offense to the Colts and the Saints but I clearly had more fun watching the Super Bowl Ads this year.

What was your favorite ad?

All the best

JB

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Ok the reviews are all in and the iPad has impressed us all when it was finally unveiled by Apple CEO Steve Jobs on January 27th. All the hype finally came to an end when Mr. Jobs gave a run down of all the great features the iPad has to offer its users. I was just as impressed with many of the specs of this long awaited device.  I have read many reviews that were Good, Bad and even down right Ugly when it comes to the iPad, so here is my take on those reviews.

The iGood
iPad reviewed by Ben Parr of Mashable.
Apple iPad: A Comprehensive Guide

This review is the most comprehensive of the reviews I read. It is very detailed and well thought out. Ben does a great job of first giving an overview of the iPad by showing the introduction video that is also featured on the Apple website.  Ben goes on by breaking down all the specifications of the iPad. He then gives you the pricing, the availability, the closest competitors to the iPad and then finally what the iPad lacks.

Please click here to see Ben’s full review of the iPad.

The iBad
iPad reviewed by Bianca Bosker of The Huffington Post.
Apple iPad Review (PHOTOS): 9 Worst Things About The Apple Tablet

This review gives you a breakdown of all the things that are not so good about the iPad. I like this review because it uses pictures to tell the story of why you may want to think twice before you run out and pre order the iPad. It starts with the fact that Apple chose to name their new device iPad instead of one of the rumored names like  iTablet or iSlate. This review then goes on to criticize all of the many things wrong with the iPad that include the lack of mutitasking, a camera, flash capability and a USB port just to name of few. I thought this review was very creative in bringing more attention to the weaknesses of the iPad.

Please click here to see Bianca’s full review of the iPad.

The iUgly
iPad reviewd by Michael Arrington of TechCrunch.
iPad v. A Rock

This was the funniest review and the most harsh, hence “The iUgly” term used.  Michael goes so far as to compare the iPad to an actual Rock.  Even though this review makes fun of all the things the iPad does not do, it gives  you a cut and dry understanding of why we should not have played into all the hype.  And get this, the  rock almost wins in this side by side comparison.

Click here to see the full story.

The Verdict

When first hearing about and then seeing all the cool stuff the iPad could do I was convinced this device would be the first Apple product I would choose to own. Unfortunately after then hearing about all the things the iPad could not do, I am going to give it a PASS for the wish list this Christmas. Their were a couple of deal breakers but the ones that sealed it were the lack of USB and SD ports on the device without an adapter or docking station, the lack of multitasking and the lack of compatibility with the T-mobile 3G network. I just signed up for T-mobile and even though the iPad is sold unlocked it will not connect to my cell phone carrier. I guess I will have to wait for the iPad II or see what the HP Slate has to offer when it debuts some time this year.

Will you, get an Apple iPad?

If so please let us know why.

All the best

JB

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I purchased my first Android Application for my Motorola CLIQ. I have only owned my new smart phone since this past Christmas and I am finding more ways to use it every day.  I have been filling my phone up with all kinds of Free Applications like SportsTap, Pandora and Foursquare. I decided to buy this App because of one of my all time vices. When I go to networking events..and yes people still go to face to face networking events. I collect a lot of business cards. I then bring those business cards back to my home office and proceed to put them in a card box that is marked data entry. Well I have about 20 of these same card boxes filled with business cards of the past. Some I have put into my database others are just waiting.. and waiting and waiting. Am I alone on this one?

Well since finding scanR for my Android powered phone, I don’t have this problem anymore. scanR is a privately-held company headquartered in Palo Alto, California. scanR lets you use your camera phone to scan, print and fax turning your paper documents and whiteboards into useful digital information. I am now currently going through hundreds of business cards, first scanning them and then throwing them away.

I went to a local networking event and didn’t keep a business card from anyone.  All I did was scan their business card and take a picture using scanR and then I handed back their business card. I then went back to my office and downloaded the business card information and the picture and imported it all into my CRM database.

My next step is not even carry my own business card.  With scanR all I now have to do is scan my own business card and if some wants it I can share it via email or fax. That business card would come to you via email as a text editable PDF file. Ready for you to cut and past into your own database.

So you see now, why I made this application my first purchase.  4.99 per month or 28.90 per year for an unlimited amount of scans.

The only things I don’t like about scanR is that you cannot share the scans with social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter. You can share it with Plaxo but that is not really working yet even though I have it setup on my scanR account. There is also no direct integration with any CRM or Database Management System.

My good friend and Personal Productivity Expert, Peggy Duncan will be very proud of me. She stresses having less clutter and more systems in place to stay more productive and stop wasting time. Well now I am getting rid of the clutter and have a system in place for my business cards that will make me more productive, give me back more time in my day and even save some trees.

What was one of the first smart phone application that you purchased, and why?

Does that application save you time and/or money?

How many applications have you purchased over the last weeks, months or year?

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It has been 4 long years since I had the ability to call my cell phone anything but smart. Today I was fortunate enough to be given a brand new smart phone. Why does it seem such a surprise it has taken me this long to finally get with the program and get one of these remarkable devices.  Well, without going into detail I guess I was waiting for just the right one to come along and give me everything I ever wanted in a smart phone.  Believe me it was a long and drawn out quest to find this phone.

I like most of you toyed with the idea of going First Fruit Phone but I have been a PC man for so long I just new there was something out there for folks like myself.  Then came HTC and the Android operating system by Google and I was hooked. HTC came out with so many great looking phones to rival the First Fruit of Phones and the Android operating made me take notice even more. The HTC G1 was a  huge draw to me and I was 2 minutes from jumping into the deep end of the smart water pool when that first G-phone just looked so darn bulky and down right ugly compared to Mom’s Pie Phone.

It finally took an oldie but goodie cell phone manufacture to get me back. Motorola, king of the cell  phones back in the 80’s. Did you know that In 1969, Neil Armstrong spoke the famous words “one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” from the Moon on a Motorola Radio? And who could forget the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, AKA the “Brick Phone”.

Well Motorola is back with a vengeance and it has taken their new Android powered phone the CLIQ with MotoBlur to bring me back into the smart phone fold for good. Please see my blog post “Social Media Meets Motorola MOTOBLUR” for additional information on this spectacular smart phone.

This Christmas Santa brought me a smart phone that can connect me to my social media network without missing a beat. I watched my first Youtube video, downloaded my first smart phone application, updated my status on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin all while I chatted via Google Talk with two of my best friends.

Motorola I solute you for bringing me back to life when it comes to mobile technology.

All the best and Happy Holidays

JB

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