Walk on Water by Daniel Hoang » iphone http://www.danielhoang.com Making the impossible possible, one step at a time... Thu, 20 May 2010 00:44:01 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc Traveling Consultant? There’s an App for that. 10 apps for business productivity. http://www.danielhoang.com/2009/07/08/traveling-consultant-theres-an-app-for-that-10-apps-for-business-productivity/ http://www.danielhoang.com/2009/07/08/traveling-consultant-theres-an-app-for-that-10-apps-for-business-productivity/#comments Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:17:45 +0000 Daniel Hoang http://www.danielhoang.com/?p=432 Post image for Traveling Consultant? There’s an App for that. 10 apps for business productivity.



There’s an app for everything. As a traveling business consultant, I rely on my iPhone more than most people. I depend on a core set of apps that help me remain productive during down times: waiting at the airport, waiting for a meeting to start, and “shhhh…” while commuting home. My upgrade to the iPhone 3GS include new features that make working offsite much more pleasant, specifically faster connectivity, faster processor, more storage space, GPS, and a camera that can focus. That last feature, a focusing camera, is by far, the most useful function in my opinion. It allows for easier capture of notes and brainstorming sessions.
Below is a list of 10 (technically more than 10 but I grouped them) apps that I rely on a daily basis.
  1. Mail/Calendar/Contacts. The core apps built into the iPhone for mail, calendar, and contacts is a traveling consultant’s dream. The recent 3.0 software update allows for subscribing to CalDav calendars (like Google Calendar), as well as initiate meeting invites in Exchange using ActiveSync. At any given moment, my iPhone provides the same data that I get from my laptop connected to the network. In fact, during this post, I responded to five client emails while at StarBucks.
  2. Maps. Another core app that just functions really well. With the addition of the GPS unit in the newer iPhone 3G and 3GS, Google Maps is essential to finding your way around a strange new town. Street view gives you a graphical view of the location before arriving so you can orient yourself before arriving on site. The routing option also gives you the opportunity to route based on driving or walking/transit.
  3. Evernote. I originally delete this app because the original iPhone’s camera couldn’t focus and made taking photos of documents impossible. With the new iPhone 3GS, I’m back to using Evernote to capture whiteboards, business cards, and anything I run across. It syncs up information I grab from the iPhone to my other computers, as well as making it available online. Also check out Drop Box for syncing files between your computers and having it accessible via the mobile site.
  4. Tweetie/Tweetdeck. Two different apps, one purpose: build relationships and meet new interesting people via Twitter. I use Tweetie for quick tweets, search keywords, and view trending topics. I use Tweetdeck to sync my “groups” between my desktop app and my iPhone app. In other words, I follow hundreds of people, but group them into interest groups to filter out the noise.
  5. Facebook. Use this much less for business and more for personal relationships. Monica Guzman (@moniguzman) said it best, ”Facebook is for people you already know, Twitter is for people you will know.” The Facebook app is useful for me to keep in touch with people I already know, mostly on a personal level.
  6. Beejive IM. Although one of the more “expensive” apps on the app store ($15.99 original, on sale for $9.99), Beejive consolidates all your IM accounts (AIM, GTalk, MSN, Yahoo, Jabber) into one. The new push notification lets you stay logged in but still receive messages when your phone is on standby.
  7. Flip Clock. A much more simplistic app but incredibly useful for meetings. It displays a simple classic flip clock. This is especially useful when I’m doing an interview with a limited time. It lets my interviewee know that I’m conscious of their valuable time.
  8. WB Capture. Although the new iPhone 3GS camera captures much better images, I still use this app to filter the scribbles on the whiteboard. The app runs a filter that sharpens and clarifies the writing. Clients love it when I take an image of the board and send it right to them during the meeting.
  9. Google Reader. Google doesn’t have very many real apps, instead, their applications are web-based and access via Safari. I created an icon on my home screen to access Reader to keep up with my subscriptions when I’m waiting in line, waiting for a meeting to start, etc.
  10. FlightTrack, Yelp, OpenTable. Not really one app, but a few of my favorite apps on my “travel” page. I use FlightTrack to monitor my flight status, Yelp to look up places to eat, and OpenTable to reserve a table once I find a place to eat.

One more bonus tip: I use Google 411 by dialing 1-800-GOOG-411 to do the voice directory search. It’s free and fairly accurate, useful when you’re driving (use a headset).

]]> http://www.danielhoang.com/2009/07/08/traveling-consultant-theres-an-app-for-that-10-apps-for-business-productivity/feed/ 0 The Day After 7.11.2008 – When Apple Failed http://www.danielhoang.com/2008/07/12/the-day-after-7112008-when-apple-failed/ http://www.danielhoang.com/2008/07/12/the-day-after-7112008-when-apple-failed/#comments Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:18:43 +0000 Daniel Hoang http://www.danielhoang.com/?p=128



Yesterday, 7.11.2008, is day that shall be remember as the day that Apple missed the mark with the iPhone 2.0 launch. In an attempt to do a world wide single day launch extravaganza, the demand caused Apple’s servers to crash and left many current iPhone users hoping to upgrade in the dust and would-be owners to come home empty handed, or worse, with the phone but not activated.

Let’s see what went wrong

  1. Apple chose to launch the iPhone 3G worldwide – In a massive launch date and celebratory fashion, the new iPhone was going to be launched in more countries than before and even with more anticipation.
  2. Apple released the App store earlier than the iPhone 2.0 firmware upgrade – Users were able to browse through the App store, and even purchase apps, but were left waiting for the firmware upgrade. The firmware was actually leaked the day before and a few brave souls actually successfully upgraded.
  3. Both iPhone and 3G iPhone users were competing to upgrade at the same time – For the iPhone owners who chose not to upgrade to the 3G iPhone, they could upgrade to the 2.0 firmware. In order to do so however, the iTunes had to wipe the phone, install the software, and reactivate the phone. That’s where the catch lied. Not only did the the lines of 3G iPhone buyers had to activate their new phones, the millions of current iPhone owners upgrading their software were forced to activate their phones, all at the same time.
  4. Everything launching occurred within the 24-48 hour window of time - As we all know, Apple customers are fanatics. They’re not going to wait unti next week when the lines die down to buy, they want it now. For current iPhone users, they wanted it six months ago when Steve Jobs first announced the new software enhancements and the App Store.

What Could Have Happened

  1. Phase the Launch of the 3G iPhone – Rather than release the 3G iPhone to so many countries all at once, Apple could have devised a slow roll out plan. However, that would have left potential customers angry and continue to put pressures on illegal exporting of unactivated phones.
  2. Release the iPhone 2.0 software upgrade a month after the 3G iPhone launch – Current iPhone users would not be competing with the 3G iPhone activations during the 24 hour period. This is after Apple decided to cut the iPhone from $499 to $399 and then created a better and faster phone for $199. *Slap to the face*
  3. Release the iPhone 2.0 software before the 3G iPhone launch – The flip alternative to option 2 would have been to “thank” the loyal iPhone customers with a sneek preview of the 2.0 software and App Store, creating hype around the new iPhone. However, thinking with an evil marketing and business development mindset, that would have reduced the number of iPhone upgrades. After installing my new 2.0 software on my 1st generation iPhone, I’m satisified with what I have. There’s no more desire to upgrade for 3G and GPS.

What Next

After the dust settles and the techies at Apple are working full steam ahead, we’ll look back and say that the launch, while full of problems, was a success. In fact, the whole blogosphere, twitter streams, and  social media was clogged full of iPhone stories. The last 48 hours would have been extremely annoying for Blackberry owners or anyone who didn’t care for the iPhone. For everyone else, it was fun to see such excitement in traditional media and in the blogosphere.

It will take some time to determine the true success of the iPhone, and what alternatives will be coming out of Apple’s pipeline. Will there be a smaller “mini-iPhone?” What about a flip phone? What about a tablet iPhone? Will enterprises be quick to adopt the iPhone as the de-facto standard, or will the Blackberry continue to reign dominance?

In my next post, I’ll review the iPhone App store, focusing particularly on Application “spam.” How will Apple control the number of Apps available, specifically reducing the number of useless apps?

]]> http://www.danielhoang.com/2008/07/12/the-day-after-7112008-when-apple-failed/feed/ 6 Don’t Regret Buying iPhone 1.0 http://www.danielhoang.com/2008/06/09/dont-regret-buying-iphone-10/ http://www.danielhoang.com/2008/06/09/dont-regret-buying-iphone-10/#comments Tue, 10 Jun 2008 03:24:40 +0000 Daniel Hoang http://www.danielhoang.com/?p=118



What’s new with the new 3G iPhone? Well, 3G of course and GPS. There’s a list of slightly incremental enhancements such as the black back, flush head phone jack, rounder shape, and so forth; but there’s still a few key missing features:

  1. More disk space – same 8 and 16 gig versions
  2. Better camera – same 2MP, no autofocus camera (which is almost useless for advanced features)
  3. No video recording – which might be able to be upgraded via software
  4. No MMS – are you serious?
  5. Copy and paste – a huge mistake but again, possible via software upgrade.

What is good about the 3G iPhone?

Other than the 3G and GPS as stated above, it has better battery life. 10 hours on 2G vs. 8 hours on old phone; and it has 5 hours on 3G. Oh, one more big thing, ATT is subsidizing it. The iPhone is now:

$199

Ouch, I can live with that, but what’s in it for me?

Early adopters, no worries. If you bought the iPhone after May 27, 2008, you can swap it for the new iPhone. If you bought it even earlier like me, you’re stuck. You can pay $199, sign another 2 year contract (which voids your old contract and the clock starts over again).

Most of the most exciting enhancements will be via software 2.0, to be released in early July. Some of the most exciting updates will be:

  • Enterprise support for MS Exchange Server
  • Applications, and some really cool games
  • Better e-mail app – including bulk delete/move
  • Contacts search
  • Scientific calculator
  • E-mail attachment support for iWork and MS Office
Also very promising is mobile me, a personal enterprise solution of push e-mail, contacts, calendar, and more. It’s an update to the .Mac service. I look forward to doing a more in depth review of this feature when it comes out. It allows your phone to sync up with many different computers and with your phone.

Final regrets?

Finally, I am sad that I didn’t wait, but these past six months have been the best years of my gadget loving career. I love the iPhone and don’t regret jumping on the bandwagon early. I look forward to the software update. I also will likely buy a 3rd party GPS adapter that likely will be built soon.
]]> http://www.danielhoang.com/2008/06/09/dont-regret-buying-iphone-10/feed/ 1 Google Reader is the Tivo of Blogs http://www.danielhoang.com/2008/05/29/google-reader-is-the-tivo-of-blogs/ http://www.danielhoang.com/2008/05/29/google-reader-is-the-tivo-of-blogs/#comments Fri, 30 May 2008 03:29:32 +0000 Daniel Hoang http://www.danielhoang.com/?p=98



I stopped using browser bookmarks. Reading blogs by visiting the site is comparable to watching TV live. Using an RSS reader, particularly Google Reader, I am able to pull the posts and “aggregate” them into one simple to use interface. While this isn’t any particularly new technology, the new site designed for the iPhone is amazing.

The site is still in beta so visiting Google Reader on your iPhone won’t get you there. You’ll have to type in this link directly: http://www.google.com/reader/i/

How to organize your feeds

Not surprisingly, I organize my feeds similar to the categories for my site: technology, career, investing, and productivity. For posts that I enjoy, I’ll click share (which also gets shared on this site). You can also “star” your feeds and most importantly, Google Search through all of them.

Why the iPhone beta site works so well

There are lots of slow moments in my day where I’m waiting for things, whether it be for a meeting that starting later than expected or sitting in traffic. A quick click and I’m scrolling through all my sites and keeping up on the updated content: being productive by reading about productivity.

Some of my favorite feeds:

]]> http://www.danielhoang.com/2008/05/29/google-reader-is-the-tivo-of-blogs/feed/ 1 Why DVDs Don’t Make Cents http://www.danielhoang.com/2008/04/25/why-dvds-dont-make-cents/ http://www.danielhoang.com/2008/04/25/why-dvds-dont-make-cents/#comments Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:13:45 +0000 Daniel Hoang http://www.danielhoang.com/?p=84



Video rentals use to mean driving to the movie rental store, walk around the shelves and looking for the latest releases (hoping that all copies weren’t check out), driving the DVD back home, watching it, and then returning it (more often than not, paying a late fee). While not a new concept, various providers are marketing downloadable movies. Faster broadband connections means a movie can be downloaded in about 30 minutes, or less with a fast connection. I recently tried out two services: Apple iTunes movie rentals and Amazon.com unboxed on Tivo. The selection isn’t always complete but as the services mature, it appears that the latest hits are available.

Amazon Unbox on Tivo

I was able to browse, albeit slowly through the Tivo interface, a small selection of movie rentals on Amazon. Rentals are approximately $3.99 and can be as low as $0.99 for less popular or special deals. Tivo requires the download to be complete before you can start watching the movie. Once downloaded–about 30 minutes–I was able to watch my movie.

Apple iTunes

Similar to Amazon, iTunes operates the same way. Once downloaded, you have 30 days to watch the rental and once the movie plays, you can watch it as many times as you want in a 24 hour period. The resolution is 640×480 and works on iPods and iPhones. After the rental period, the file is disabled and removed from your system.

Benefits

While quality is not DVD, it works well for a quick download before a flight, or packing it along on your iPhone for some entertainment while on the road. I also found it very convenient compared to the traditional movie rentals. For all you green folks, it’s one less car trip to the store and back.

Bottom Line

The price is very fair: $3.99. Selections are decent. The selling factor is convenience. Unless you’re looking for theater quality viewing, the experience is good enough.

]]> http://www.danielhoang.com/2008/04/25/why-dvds-dont-make-cents/feed/ 0