IncTechnology.com > Mobile Computing

Should You Create an iPhone App?

Kim Boatman — 2009-10-21T17:11:34-05:00

Tripware, an online travel management company, recently started the design phase for its new iPhone application. The company focuses on business travelers, and many business consumers rely on BlackBerry smartphones. But, says Dean Wright, vice president of marketing and brand, “All the buzz says iPhone.”

Debbie Robertson Bialick, founder of Sweet Dog Organics, an online organic dog treat store, thinks iPhone apps are “cool,” but she’s not investing in development. She doesn’t see an app driving business to her company.

A ubiquitous iPhone commercial rattles off a list of functions, repeatedly telling viewers, “There’s an app for that.’’ And indeed, there’s a tsunami of apps flooding the market, with the count in the Apple iPhone Apps store approaching the 100,000 mark. And just as small and mid-sized businesses have had to decide what their presence will look like in social networking media, many are evaluating the value of an iPhone app.

While it might infer a bit of status at the gym or among friends and family, an iPhone app needs to be about more than buzz or coolness to add value to your business. Developers, advertising experts and small business owners who’ve gone through the process advise running through a checklist before you begin the process.

Know your customer

Wright, the Tripware vice president, lobbied for his company to develop a Research In Motion app first since so many businesspeople rely on Blackberrys. “I think people in Marketing are too iPhone happy,’’ he says. Understanding your customer’s online behavior is essential, says Dan Neumann, emerging platforms strategist at interactive advertising firm Organic. “How does your target use digital? Do they have iPhones or Blackberrys or a combination of the two? Do they spend their time on Facebook or in e-mail?’’

Define your goal

The vast majority of apps developed by businesses today are about marketing rather than function. Large companies might be able to afford to develop an app that is little more than a gimmicky marketing tool, but that’s a luxury ill-afforded smaller businesses. Your business will be better served if you develop a useful app, says Mohamed Alkady, CEO and founder of after10studios, an interactive media firm. “Please give a value to your user,’’ he says. “You’ll never see us doing an app for the sake of doing an app. Ask yourself ‘Is this an extension of your business to make your customer’s life easier?’”

While being able to order a dog treat with an iPhone might make life a bit more convenient for her customers, Bialick figured it’s not the sort of task people necessarily have to do on the go. “Once the novelty of a new app wears off, successful iPhone apps seem to be used regularly for recurring tasks, tasks that need immediate attention, tasks that you can’t do using the mobile function of the phone, or tasks that cannot wait until you get home or to your office,’’ observes Bialick. “Ordering dog treats does not fall into any of these categories.”

However, apps for both the iPhone and the Blackberry are absolute necessities for JumpForward, a company that assists college coaches and the athletes they recruit in managing the often byzantine recruiting rules of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Mobility is a way of life for coaches, so JumpForward needs to push its information from the web site to mobile solutions, says co-founder Adam McCombs.

Develop a budget

Demand for iPhone developers has sent costs skyrocketing. Big brands are spending as much as $100,000 to develop an app, says Chris De Vore, co-founder of AppStoreHQ, an app search/discovery site that also hosts a developer directory and a developer matching service. A custom app is likely to cost your business $20,000 to $30,000.

For a small business, it might make sense to take advantage of the burgeoning market of app templates. Services such as Sweb Apps allow you to build a basic application, even creating a virtual storefront that will accept PayPal transactions, with no technical expertise. Using what amounts to a cookie cutter app won’t generate buzz or excitement, but, says Alkady, the developer, “It’s a good way for a very small shop to test the water.”

Using a toolkit, you can likely get to market within 30 days, says De Vore. Plan on a three- to six-month timeframe if you’re developing a custom app.

Separate yourself from the crowd

If you’re using the app to generate new business, you face a big hurdle. “The phenomenon is huge, but how do you get eyes on your application?” asks De Vore. “With the flood of information, it’s very hard to make your information stand out. The biggest problem with the iPhone is discovery.”

That’s one reason Wright, the Tripware executive, thinks a presence in the BlackBerry App World would make sense for his company. With far fewer apps with which to compete, Tripware would stand out, he reasons. So, Tripware will likely develop a BlackBerry app next. Meanwhile, Wright will promote the upcoming iPhone app through Twitter, the company’s website, its listings on business directory websites and e-mails to existing users with a promotional offer for downloads and referrals.

At after10studios, Alkady says he’s a bit choosy when it comes to accepting clients. He’s looking for customers who understand the need to come in with a well-developed concept that will have appeal for their customers. He’s looking to create buzz-worthy apps that attract attention, such as the after10studio-developed Viper SmartStart, which lets you open and start your car from your iPhone with the use of an in-car receiver. “Everybody jumps on the wagon because they think they’ve got to have it,’’ he says. “An app has to be an extension of your business value.”

Is Your iPhone Backup Adequate?

Kim Boatman — 2009-09-28T14:23:37-05:00

The rush is on. With more than 75,000 applications and counting, the iPhone serves as a new frontier for business development.

Thousands of these apps promise to transform the way small and mid-sized businesses operate, allowing for convenience, streamlining operations, improving customer satisfaction, cutting costs, and much more. But the apps are developing so rapidly and the market is evolving so swiftly that businesses aren’t often taking proper security measures into consideration before they move operations to the iPhone.

“I worry that more and more people are rushing off to use the wealth of applications that are out there,’’ says Mark Kadrich, CEO of The Security Consortium, which advises companies about security. “I just don’t think people have taken the time to ensure that those applications are secure, trustworthy and reliable.… Some of this stuff is two to three guys banging out code in a garage somewhere.”

Evaluating your risk

In general, says Kadrich, small businesses don’t take adequate security measures. “If you look at most large organizations, most have a business continuity plan or disaster plan in place to deal with something catastrophic happening,’’ he says. “Small businesses don’t tend to have the IT depth they need to do those kinds of things.”

Couple a lack of attention to security with what Kadrich sees as the risky nature of the iPhone platform, and some caution is in order when moving business functions to the iPhone. “It’s a constant balance. Is the benefit a business owner sees on a day-to-day basis, the financial returns, worth it to the point if something happens and the business is off line for several days?” asks Kadrich, author of Endpoint Security (Addison-Wesley Professional 2007).

Understanding what’s at stake

Consider what would happen if the data you’ve moved to iPhones is breached or lost. What sort of liability do you have if you compromise a client’s confidential information? What happens if you submit a legal bid, only to have the information altered somewhere in the process? Even the smallest business needs to understand the risk and build a continuity plan, says Kadrich.

Like other hand-held devices, the iPhone can be easily lost, stolen or misplaced. “Small business owners with sensitive information on their iPhone, especially customer information, should be very cautious,’’ warns Alex Moazed, CEO of Applico, which has developed Aurkon, a backup application for Blackberry smartphones. “If lost or stolen, it is relatively easy to hack into the iPhone and break security protocols.”

Mitigating risk

If you’re going to operate on the cutting edge of iPhone development, it makes sense to minimize your exposure. Taking these precautions can help:

Vet your vendor-- Ask plenty of questions. Just because an app is available doesn’t mean it is secure. “Any developer should provide a detailed abstract of the project, outlining the exact functionality of the application, features, as well as a plan for ongoing development of new features and maintenance,’’ says Tony Nestor, CEO of Progress Technologies, Inc., and a software developer. A single fixed quote with a brief sketch of the proposed project is a sure warning sign, Nestor says.
Understand contingencies -- What happens to your data if the developer goes out of business or the business is acquired by another company? An app developer should have data retention and privacy policies.
Make backup plans-- Ask if your data is backed up on a daily basis or on a real-time basis. Test whether your data can be reconstructed from a backup. Ask developers how they back up their servers. “Missing the backup routine in a scope of work is a huge indicator that the project has not been fully put to concept,’’ Nestor warns. “This is the equivalent of building a house without any plans to refer to.” It’s also critical to sync and back up information such as contacts or documents. MobileMe’s iDisk, from Apple, lets you access, store, and share files online or through the iDisk app for iPhones. Data is synchronized daily using iTunes. “You can drop the phone in a swimming pool, get a new one and sync it with the computer,’’ says Michael Miora, founder of ContingenZ, which offers companies training and management for disaster recovery and security threats. The DataViz Documents to Go app offers two-way file synchronization, says Miora. Kadrich has found the MobileMe backup buggy, so he now resorts to syncing his contacts by returning his iPhone to the cradle each day.
Get the patches-- Stay current on security patches and software updates from Apple.
Use the remote wipe -- For iPhone 3.0 users with MobileMe accounts, Find My iPhone’s Remote Wipe lets you issue a remote command to erase the phone’s data if the phone is lost or stolen. This isn’t fool-proof. For instance, a data thief could keep the phone from connecting to the Internet, thus not allowing the data removal.

Recognizing the potential of the iPhone as a business tool means acknowledging there can be downsides too, says Kadrich. “For whatever reason, people have gotten it into their heads that because the format of the device has changed, the underlying care you should take isn’t there.”

Can You Run Your Business from an iPhone?

Kim Boatman — 2009-08-24T16:52:55-05:00

While the economy limps along, Chris Cunningham’s heating and air conditioning business in suburban Indianapolis is enjoying unprecedented success. Business at Service Plus Heating and Air Conditioning is up 40 percent since Cunningham passed out a new tool to his technicians earlier this year.

Moving much of his business to iPhones has transformed his operation, says Cunningham. “It has really set us apart locally, set us light years ahead of my competition,’’ Cunningham says. “It has changed everything. I’ve been able to hire two extra technicians.”

Business applications for iPhones are expanding at a mind-boggling pace. You can manage your payroll, bank accounts, transactions, appointments, communications, and more from an appliance small enough to slip in a pocket. But does it make sense to move almost all of your business operations to an iPhone? Is it possible to be too reliant on the iPhone and its many apps?

The answers, say the experts, depend much on what type of business you’re running and what sort of functionalities you require.

Putting mobility in new hands

The ability to conduct business via the iPhone or a smartphone is bringing connectivity to the blue collar workforce -- or at least the blue collar workers who toil from location to location, notes Luc Vezina, director of product marketing for Protus, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) business communications company. “I’m always amazed at how often it’s the people who aren’t in the office setting who are using this stuff,’’ says Vezina. “Now you can give a smartphone to an employee where it didn’t make sense to give them a computer. You have people who were before doing paper-based tasks and giving them a smartphone isn’t costing you as much as providing a computer and an Internet connection.”

For businesses that move functions such as service orders and credit card processing to an iPhone at work sites, the benefits are readily apparent, says Cunningham. He notes these improvements:

More efficient customer service. With the flick of a thumb, his technicians can show manufacturers’ websites with furnace specifications. On a standard proposal, each model number links back to the manufacturer’s site. Bills, pricing forms, and estimates are loaded and ready to go. Cunningham, who says wryly, “I’m not a computer programmer,” spent a weekend creating the forms using FormSpring’s Web form builders. He spends just $30 a month for the FormSpring service. “My guys can produce three or four estimates effortlessly,” Cunningham says.
Quicker turnaround. Businesses that rely on writing orders in the field can particularly benefit from using iPhone apps. “We used to have to do a paper carbonless copy, and it would take a 24-hour turnaround,’’ says Cunningham. “Now, when a technician hits send, I know instantly what he’s done, what he’s charged.
Mitigating human error. Handwriting can be difficult to read. Workers without any great love for completing forms can be sloppy or forgetful. “We had a great office staff before, but the road block was always my technicians,’’ Cunningham says.
Cost savings. Cunningham spent $1,200 on six iPhones and pays about $700 a month for AT&T service, less than his phone bill was before. He saves the money he spent printing orders, and he figures the expense is a far cry from the $10,000 to $15,000 he would have spent on other automation systems he considered.

Performing so many business apps on iPhones and smartphones clearly works well if you’re not tethered to an office. Vezina sees real estate agents, truck drivers, and construction supervisors taking advantage of the apps. Marc Cantell and his Chinook Materials team use Egnyte, a virtual file server, to pull up architectural drawings or contracts at construction sites in suburban Portland, Ore. The best business apps are single purpose and easy to use without much of a learning curve, Vezina advises.

When using an iPhone doesn’t make sense

Still, there are times when an iPhone won’t suffice. An iPhone or a smartphone work well when you’re not trying to enter a significant amount of information, points out Vezina. Trying to write a lengthy e-mail? Working on multiple files at once? Manipulate a complicated website? You don’t want to abandon your laptop or PC just yet.

For folks who work extensively with spreadsheets, the trend is actually toward bigger monitors, Vezina says. Cunningham still uses an office PC to run Quickbooks.

And while some business apps are a revelation and are transforming the way we do business, others are downright buggy, says Mark Kadrich, CEO of The Security Consortium, a business security consulting company. He particularly dislikes the inability to effectively edit documents. “Yes, there are apps that allow you to edit documents, but give me a break!” he says. “They’re buggy and difficult to use. There’s no way for you to see how a doc looks, not to mention being able to print something.” Kadrich and others also caution that they still have security concerns about vulnerabilities in the iPhone platform.

Reliability is an issue as well for Tony Nestor, CEO of Progress Technologies, Inc., and a software developer. Enjoy the benefits of connectivity, but remain a bit cautious, he advises. Back up data elsewhere and have an alternative appliance readily available.

“As a small business owner, I have found our iPhones and Blackberry devices to be crucial to staying connected while on the move,’’ Nestor says. “Er, that is until they stop working. I would say moving everything over to mobile is a lot like the old saying, ‘Putting all your eggs in one basket.’’’

Which Cell Phone Is Smartest for Business?

Marc Saltzman — 2009-07-30T12:34:46-05:00

Smartphones are big for small business. In fact, many mobile workers now depend on these all-in-one digital Swiss Army Knives that offer support for third-party applications, messaging, Web browsing, GPS navigation, media playback, and photo and video capture.

Oh, and they make calls, too.

But there are a growing number of different platforms on the market -- including BlackBerry, iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile, Palm Pre and others -- therefore deciding which one is best for your small or mid-sized business could be an overwhelming endeavor. So we turned to a couple of tech experts to discuss what a mobile worker should look for in a smartphone platform.

The basics

Smartphones are an increasingly popular choice for business use, but regardless which of which operating system you go with, the handset must meet a few key minimum requirements, says Scott Steinberg, publisher of Digital Trends.

"Battery life and wireless coverage are two big ones," says Steinberg, who is based in Atlanta. "Because of all of its features and integrated wireless radios, smartphones can consume a lot of power, and the last thing you need is to be on the road or at a trade show and there's only one bar left."

As for coverage areas, which can greatly affect call quality and data speeds, Steinberg suggests to do your research by visiting the websites for carriers -- such as Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint -- and click on the map that shows coverage areas. "Many people assume the smartphone will work the same everywhere in the U.S., and elsewhere, but this is simply not the case," he explains. "It's also not a bad idea to talk to colleagues or friends on that network to hear first-hand about coverage, as the last thing you need is to be on the road and you can't access your e-mail from client about a cancelled appointment."

Ted Schadler, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, a Cambridge, Mass.-based technology research firm, says before deciding which smartphone to invest in, figure out what applications your business requires and if they're supported by the platform. "The horizontal app is e-mail, of course, but after that you'll need to list any other apps you'll want to run," says Schadler. A small or mid-sized business "will also work out the cost per device, how many you need for your staff, the cost of the data plan, and any device management software or mobile middleware you might need."

Consider being device agnostic

Schadler, who has just published a report entitled Technology Populism Fuels Mobile Collaboration: When IT Supports Personal Mobile Phones, Mobile Collaboration Ensues, says the trend is moving towards a "bring your own smartphone" practice. In a survey completed by more than 2,300 IT decision-makers in the U.S. and Europe, one in four are now supporting an employee's personal mobile device -- so long as the applications are platform-agnostic and meets the company's security protocols. The gotta-have-it iPhone from Apple is the "big disruptor" for this paradigm shift, says Schadler.

Deciding which smartphone platform to go, however, might be dependent on the industry you're in, adds Schadler. If you're in regulated industry -- such as health care, pharmaceutical, insurance, or financial services -- you might have strict privacy requirements, such as protecting customer data, remote wiping of device if the smartphone is lost or stolen, and so on. "There are many, many different kinds of policies in these industries so you have to be careful about which phones you're supporting to ensure they meet regulatory compliance," says Schadler.

"If you want managed devices, you really only have one choice, which is BlackBerry," adds Schadler, "as RIM supports more than 450 policies -- but it'll cost you a license fee per month, per user." He adds, "Otherwise, Windows Mobile and iPhone are basically free if you're running Exchange."

Steinberg agrees with Schadler on the additional requirements for any smartphone consideration. Your priorities should be "security and privacy issues must be addressed, support for enterprise-level e-mail, and whether or not you easily sync your data with a PC," he says. "And depending on what you need, access to the company's Twitter or Facebook account while on the road might be important or GPS to find your way to a meeting or wireless or on-demand software purchases at an app store."

Pros and cons

The following are a few thoughts on each of the major smartphone operating systems:

BlackBerry

Pros: Reliable, fast and secure "push" e-mail; physical keyboard in most models; good battery life; supports multiple accounts.

Cons: Browser not the greatest; App World doesn't offer great selection or intuitive interface.

Windows Mobile

Pros: Supported by the broadest range of devices; Outlook and other Windows programs sync smoothly with a PC.

Cons: Interface and stability issues; fewer apps than most other smartphones.

iPhone

Pros: Elegant and intuitive touch interface; more than 65,000 apps in App Store (many of which are free); great consumer device.

Cons: No physical keyboard is obstacle for many; battery life trails other smartphones; still no MMS support in U.S.

Android

Pros: Powerful and versatile open-source operating system; seamless presentation and access of online Google apps; good user-interface.

Cons: Not a lot of supported devices or software; Android Market not as intuitive as Apple App Store.

Palm webOS

Pros: Open-source operating system anyone can develop for; can support multiple apps open at once; offers both physical keyboard and touchscreen.

Cons: Unproven for business because newest OS; poor selection of software and only one device (Palm Pre).

Tech Talk: Mobile Platform Delivers for Furniture Co.

Elizabeth Wasserman — 2009-07-16T14:16:41-05:00

Homeworks, the upscale furniture chain that does business as Arhaus, is based on the outskirts of Cleveland and has expanded into 12 states with 30 stores. During this period of growth, the dispatch staff shrunk from six to three full-time employees and the company was able to more accurately provide customers with delivery times due to the use of software to help manage delivery trucks and staff in the field, John Roddy, Arhaus' vice president of logistics, tells IncTechnology.com.

Elizabeth Wasserman: What was the logistics operation like when you started at Arhaus?

John Roddy: I started as the chief logistics officer 10 years ago. We had about 12 stores in four states. We had six full-time employees in dispatch routing about 12 drivers to deliver our furniture.

Wasserman: How has technology helped you manage growth?

Roddy: We invested in TOA Technologies' mobile workforce management software a few years ago, and that has done quite a few things for us. It's helped us reduce staffing in the dispatch office -- we currently have 2.5 full-time dispatchers and one router. And we've gotten better at providing service. We communicate with the customer quicker. We make about 4,000 deliveries per month. That's a lot of phone calls we have to make to set up deliveries. On a nightly basis, our software makes an automated two-minute phone call per customer informing then of the expected delivery time. It also gives them the option to speak with a human if they would like to. Externally, on the road with our drivers, it lets us keep track of them without using a GPS solution. The drivers punch into a phone the start time with the customer and punch in the finish time. We started adding more delivery times to the drivers. We went from 10 to 12 stops per delivery truck up to 14 to 16 per day. This gives us a significant advantage in the industry. It's helped us reduce costs. It can help us provide better information to our clients -- for example: if a driver is running late we can let customers know. And we make sure our drivers are doing what they're supposed to be doing.

Wasserman: How does the software work?

Roddy: It's primarily a Web-based system. My IT department's involvement has been very minimal, from four to eight hours total and that involved building a communication bridge from out system to the TOA system. The software makes automated calls. It sounds like a real human being and they go over the exact address and exact product that is being delivered. For our drivers, they use a cell phone to enter their information about where they are and when they have finished with a customer.

Wasserman: What have the results been?

Roddy: We've had some significant savings and our customer service has been enhanced. In the furniture industry, on time is measured if you ordered from us and we said we would deliver sometime between 12 and 2 p.m. We were running in the low 80 percentage of on-time deliveries. We currently average 96-98 percent of actually delivering to the customer at the right time. We've actually been able to reduce the number of days we deliver each week from six down to four or five days per week. Even when sales go through the roof, we're now typically on a four-day delivery schedule.

Wasserman: One of the most annoying things about ordering furniture is having to wait all day for a delivery. How has the software impacted your ability to give customers a window of time for delivery?

Roddy: Just before I started here, my wife had ordered some furniture and they ran about seven and a half hours late. She wound up spending the entire day at home. So I know how annoying that can be. At Arhaus, they had a four-hour window when I first stared. But in today's environment, when both parents are often working, it was crazy to offer a four-hour delivery window. Our window is now two hours and I'm getting even more aggressive with it in certain markets, much to the chagrin of my fleet manager. We've been playing with a one-hour window in the Cleveland market. In Washington, D.C. we have two hours. In Chicago we have two hours. In Boston we have two hours. In the furniture industry, I don't think anyone else is offering that in those markets.

Thumbs Down: Mobile Device Hazards

Michelle V. Rafter — 2009-06-27T14:51:35-05:00

James Hofheins loves his job as a social media representative for a Utah retailer. All workday long, the veteran customer service representative monitors Facebook and Twitter for people talking about his company. If there’s a problem, he follows up to make sure things get taken care of.

Hofheins is so enamored with social media he stays on Twitter long after the work day ends to keep tabs on world news, tweet friends and retweet interesting tidbits that float across his Twitter stream. Away from his desk, a Palm Treo is his keyboard of choice for tuning into Twitter, sending email and texting.

But all that connectivity is taking a toll on Hofhein’s thumb, his right one to be exact. The 45-year-old uses it exclusively to type and text and lately he’s been on Twitter so much it hurts. “It throbs from the tip to the bottom joint where it connects to the hand,” he says. “It’s stiff, it’s hard to extend and sometimes the tip is numb,” he says.

Ouch. As more people use an iPhone, Palm Treo and other smartphone and PDAs for social networking, e-mailing and texting, they’re developing aches and pains, including a few ergonomics experts haven’t seen before.

‘iPod finger’ and other aches and pains

In addition to sore thumbs, Tamara James, ergonomics director at Duke University and Health System in Durham, N.C., has heard people complain of “iPod finger,” overusing their index finger to spin the selector wheel of an iPod player. iPhone users have come to doctors complaining of tennis elbow-like symptoms, what one woman with the problem calls her “iPhone elbow.” The American Physical Therapists Association has discussed how typing on itty-bitty keyboards leads to “BlackBerry thumb” since 2006.

While some early research has shown younger people could possibly develop stronger thumb muscles from all the emailing and texting they do, it’s way too soon to tell. “They could be protecting themselves for the future or setting themselves up for problems later on. We don’t know,” James says.

James is taking precautions just case. As one of her duties, James manages a group that collects data on Duke employees' work environments. When a group member complained of hand cramps from using the skinny stylus that came with the PDAs they use in the field, James found a fatter model with a more comfortable rubber grip. “We have to practice what we preach,” she says.

For small business owners, it could pay to be diligent. In the 1980s and 1990s, the appearance of office PCs led to a wave of carpal tunnel, RSI, and other musculoskeletal injuries that tapered off once workers, HR and tech support teams figured out the importance of proper wrist support, seating and posture, and federal and state worker safety agencies passed ergonomics guidelines.

Remedies for an aching thumb

If your thumbs or hands hurt from too much emailing or texting, the first thing t o do is stop. “That’s the most important thing,” James says. “If it hurts, don’t do it.”

Other remedies:

Maintain a neutral posture. Some thumb and elbow pain is caused by holding the joint in a fixed or awkward position for a long time. “If you’re getting numb, compression of the nerve between the hand and the phone causing it,” James says. Alleviate it by using sitting or standing correctly as you type, she says.
Support your arms. If you’re sitting to type emails or text for an extended time, use a pillow or other prop to support your arms and hands while you work.
Take frequent breaks. When desktop PCs became ubiquitous, people had to be taught to take breaks to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome and related maladies. The same holds true for iPhones and PDAs -- taking breaks often to give your hands a rest, James says.
Switch things up. If you normally use one hand to type or text, give it a break and type with the other one.
Do stretching exercises. The American Society of Hand Therapists recommends a variety of stretching exercises in a consumer education bulletin on hand-held electronics and video game injury prevention tips. They include:

Opening your hands and spreading your fingers are far as possible, then holding for 10 seconds. Repeat several times.
With hands laced together, turn your palms away from your body and extend your arms overhead. Stretch your upper torso through your shoulders to your hands. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat several times.

When the computer mouse came along, work that people did with two hands became concentrated into a few fingers moving the input device around. With the advent of smartphone keypads, that effort is now being directed into one lone digit not designed to do such work. “The thumb is the least dexterous part of the hand. It doesn’t move as well or do as much as other digits,” James says. “So to make it do what an index finger can do, you have to make it work harder.”

Hofheins, the Utah social media rep, is coming to terms with his late-night Treo habit – and his sore thumb. He’s started taking ibuprofen, but has yet to a doctor, saying: “I’m afraid they’ll tell me to stop.”

Design PowerPoint Slides for Smart Phones

Michelle V. Rafter — 2009-05-26T15:13:50-05:00

Death by PowerPoint. We’ve all been there: forced to sit through one slide after another crammed with text, all those awful bullet points and no visuals for relief.

B-O-R-I-N-G.

If that sounds bad, imagine a PowerPoint presentation shrunken down and smashed onto the an iPhone’s 480 x 320 pixel screen.

Well, get used to it because the more popular the iPhone and other smart phones get, the more people are using them for business, including presentations and Webinars.

But by sticking with a few tried and true design principles, it’s easy to tailor PowerPoint decks for the small screen that look good, and even more importantly, get your point across, according to graphic design experts.

Whether it’s a slideshow or Webinar, when you’re designing for the smart phone, the No. 1 rule is show, don’t tell. “If a picture’s worth a thousand words, it’s worth 10,000 on the small screen,” says says Paul Stannard, CEO at SmartDraw.com, developer of a business graphics software program that’s used for creating PowerPoint presentations.

The ideal PowerPoint slide has three words and one or two images, says Rick Altman, a design guru who’s built a career teaching people how to fix what ails their PowerPoint presentations. “If you’ve got too much text on the screen, you can’t compel an audience in any emotional way at all,” says Altman, author of the just released Why Most PowerPoint Presentations Still Suck & How You Can Make Them Even Better.

PowerPoint design tips

Other suggestions:

Bigger is better. Use a big enough type size so text you include are easy to read. A recent PriceWaterhouseCoopers study found that newspaper readers held extremely pessimistic views of reading papers on e-books or mobile phones due to the poor quality of the presentation, including tiny text.
Include audio. Don’t mistake a slide deck for a presentation – the presenter’s own voice is the most important element of a presentation, so make sure whatever you’re creating includes some kind of audio track, Altman says. Otherwise you’re better off creating a Word document someone could download as a .pdf file, he says.
Be creative. One option: enlarge a photo so it takes up the entire area of the slide, then run the text in black in a section of it, such as the sky. “Suddenly you have a slide that looks totally different and it creates a different experience for the audience,” Altman says.
Use diagrams. Visuals don’t have to be just photographs, drawings or clip art. If you’re trying to describe how your company is organized or the process you use to ship products or solve problems for customers, use charts, timelines or other types of diagrams, SmartDraw.com’s Stannard says. For example, “You could create a map that’s integrated with Google Maps with data points showing all your retail outlets in southern Florida” he says.
Use high contrast colors. Daylight or other bright light can make it hard to see what’s on the screen of an iPhone, so compensate by using a high contrast colors, Stannard says.
Work back channels into your design. If you’re designing for a Webinar or other live presentation, consider that at least some people tuning in will use Twitter as a back channel to ask questions or live blog the event. If you want to encourage that kind of participation, create a Twitter hash tag for the event and include it your design, Altman says.

Finally, don’t be intimidated. Altman works with small businesses on a weekly basis and at the vast majority the people creating PowerPoint presentations aren’t trained designers. “You’d be amazed at what people who think they can’t design their way out of a paper bag do when they’re liberated from thinking” they can only put text on slides, he says. “They think creatively for the first time and realize it doesn’t take that much.”

SIDEBAR: PowerPoint Design Resources

Here are some resources for learning how to create PowerPoint presentations for smart phones:

Screen tests -- If your presentation is stored somewhere on the Web, you can plug the page’s URL into a mobile phone screen emulator application to see what it would look like. This list from mobiForge links to nine mobile emulator sites for iPhones, Blackberrys, other smart phones and different mobile Web browsers.

Presentation design blogs -- Get PowerPoint presentation design ideas from experts on blogs such as Nancy Duarte’s Slideology.com, Presentation Zen or by looking at presentations on Slideshare, the YouTube of PowerPoint presentations.

Training -- Bone up on the subject by taking a class. SmartDraw.com, the business graphics software vendor, offers 14 free e-mail courses on subjects such as using PowerPoint and choosing the right visuals. Rick Altman runs an annual PowerPointLive conference, which features tutorials and presentation makeovers; the next meeting is Oct. 11-14 in Atlanta.

Smartphone Showdown: iPhone 3G vs. Storm

Marc Saltzman — 2009-01-27T10:05:15-05:00

Many handset makers have attempted to deflate the immense popularity of the almighty iPhone (from $199 with two-year AT&T plan), yet most have not succeeded.

Whether it’s the iPhone’s large touch-screen, fast 3G and Wi-Fi speeds, thousands of downloadable apps from the App Store, or integrated media player, this trendy phone has become a cultural icon with consumers and increasingly, among corporate types, too.

That said, many mobile workers who rely on a BlackBerry smartphone for its secure and fast push e-mail have been reluctant to make the switch to Apple's trendy device.

Now, BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) is hoping it has struck gold with its newly-launched BlackBerry Storm ($199 with 2-year Verizon plan), a smartphone that attempts to offer the best of both worlds for customers who want it all: the reliable BlackBerry operating system with support for secure e-mail that’s pushed to the phone, as well as an iPhone-like touch-screen interface to navigate through content.

In fact, the BlackBerry Storm’s touch-screen is the first that actually depresses when you press on the soft QWERTY keyboard and with an audible "click" to confirm letters or numbers have been selected. Some users believe both of these extras make it easier to type messages compared to the iPhone.

So, are these fancy screen features -- as well as expandable memory and a removable battery -- enough to unseat the iPhone? Has RIM created the “perfect storm” to win over the working world? We spoke with a couple of technology analysts for their professional opinions.

Carrier concerns

According to Michael Gartenberg, vice president and research director at the New York-based JupiterResearch, now part of Forrester Research, deciding which smartphone to invest might not be too difficult a task.

“For many, the carrier you’re with might determine which of these two smartphones you’ll pick up,” says Gartenberg. “Unless you’re willing to switch carriers -- for yourself or the entire company -- Verizon customers might opt for the BlackBerry Storm while AT&T customers will go with an iPhone.” In other words, the network might be the leading factor, says Gartenberg.

Company support

If carrier is not an issue in your decision to buy a BlackBerry Storm or Apple iPhone, it might boil down to what your company supports.

“What’s on the backend of these devices, what it connects into, will help you make a smart smartphone decision,” explains Gartenberg, who suggests talking to your company’s IT person about server and e-mail support.

“Apple is trying to make inroads into the business space, such as announcing Exchange ActiveSync with full Microsoft Exchange support for push e-mail, contacts, and calendar,” confirms Tim Doherty, associate research analyst for small and mid-sized businesses at IDC, a Framingham, Mass.-based research firm.

“With the Storm, RIM is extending its reach into the consumer market and the touch-screen space, but remains firmly anchored in its framework of enterprise features and functionalities on a robust operating system,” continues Doherty. Small and mid-sized business customers seeking a touch screen experience have a rock-solid business platform to consider; RIM does not have to convince the market that its device will work in a business environment, he adds.

Doherty says the mobile applications your company relies upon will also be a key decision maker when choosing a smartphone.

Personal choice

After carrier consideration and backend support, buying a smartphone for business comes down to personal preference.

“The iPhone’s media playback and third-party app selection is much greater than the BlackBerrys,” says Gartenberg, “plus the iPhone offers Wi-Fi when the BlackBerry Storm does not.”

But not everyone likes the iPhone’s touch-screen interface -- especially when it comes to typing lengthy e-mails (which must be handled vertically). The BlackBerry Storm’s built-in accelerometer, on the other hand, will automatically flip the QWERTY keyboard horizontally when holding the device sideways for e-mail.

There are other issues, too. “Despite Apple’s efforts, it has some shortcomings as a business device,” believes Doherty. “The iPhone lacks copy/paste functionality -- a big deficit for even moderate volume e-mail users from any size company.”

“And the iPhone's lack of voice dialing could be a sticking point for field force and sales force workers who travel between multiple job locations or client visits,” Doherty adds.

There are, however, many third-party apps that remedy these known iPhone shortcomings.

Ultimately, says Doherty, there will likely be room for both devices in the small and mid-sized business market.

Texting on the Company Tech

Alice Osborn — 2008-11-26T14:56:06-05:00

More people text than make phone calls these days and it’s easy to see why since texting is easy, fast, and discrete. According to Nielsen Media, 77 percent of wireless subscribers use texting technology. In business, texting is valuable for collaboration, confirming deliveries, and sending quick information to customers via Twitter and text reminders. But as with any new technology, users need to be reminded of texting’s do’s and don’ts.

Texting do’s

Ideal For Quick Messages. Lisa Creech Bledsoe, director of Calvert Creative and brand manager of Calvert Holdings in Cary, N.C., uses texting for business and is an active member of the Twitter community, the free messaging microblog social media tool. She texts via her iPhone while on the road and contributes to her community using AIM Chat and Twitter while on her desktop. Through texting, Bledsoe receives links and quick, frequent answers to single, simple questions such as, “I need a good webinar application.” She adds that texting is great for directions or for information about a client as you’re heading out the door. Texting is also an important tool for managers who need to send urgent messages to staff, says Andy Klassman, director of project management at TeleMessage.com, in Acton, Mass., which offers messaging services and products for service providers and enterprises.
It’s Polite. “Texting is so great when you’re surrounded by other people and don’t want to disrupt, but still need to communicate," Klassman says. "Another key strength of texting is that people always have their mobile nowadays.” Geoff Doyon, information systems administrator at the Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA in Encinitas, Calif., texts via his work phone for business and tells his friends and family to contact him on his personal phone. “Texting allows me to communicate to others without the intrusion of a phone call," Doyon says. "Also, text messages provide an ‘audit trail’ of sent and received messages.”

Texting don’t’s

No Inappropriate Messages. Most people in business know it’s not a good idea to send inappropriate messages via text, even if they are masked in texting jargon. Most companies have an Internet use policy which applies to text messaging and it’s a good idea that all employees feel familiar with this policy. “Don’t communicate anything you don’t want the Pope to see,” Bledsoe says.
No Texting While Driving. Employees may also need to be reminded not to text and drive. Bledsoe uses Jott.com, a voice-to-text technology as well as her hands-free headset so she can text while in traffic. Businesses must also consider their state’s no-texting-while-driving laws to set up explicit written policies that will not hold the employer liable if the employee causes an accident while texting and driving.
Too Long a Message. Texting is not the right medium for sending a complicated message since you’re limited to 160 characters. Being concise is taken seriously in the texting world. “One must communicate clearly to avoid sending a message that may be misinterpreted by the recipient,” Doyon says. If you can’t be concise or if the message is complex, then it may be a good idea to pick up the phone or talk to the recipient face to face.
When Customers Haven’t Signed Up to Receive Texts. No one wants to receive text spam that they have to pay for. Administrators need to ensure that their customers have opted in to receive reminder emails and that they have confirmed to pay the service fee.

Compliance issues

As more people are texting for business and for personal use on the company time, businesses are trying to figure out how to manage texting issues, such as what can or can’t be sent via text message. The American Management Association says that 77.7 percent of major U.S. companies keep track of employees’ communication, including e-mail and Internet use. This is particularly true in the banking, healthcare, financial services, and government sector where confidentiality is key. These industries have strict Internet use policies and regularly monitor and archive employee text messages using text encryption services. Businesses outside these industries would also be wise to initiate Internet use policies so they can not only protect their corporate image and presence, but also protect their employees.

Mobile Workers Use GPS "Points of Interest"

Marc Saltzman — 2008-11-26T14:47:51-05:00

Whether it’s a stand-alone unit or built into a smartphone, GPS navigation can be a reliable tool to help get from point A to point B without getting lost. For a mobile businessperson, a GPS unit could mean the difference between getting to an important meeting on time or sauntering in 30 minutes late and blowing the deal before you shake hands.

Many of us already know the advantage GPS technology brings: voice and visual turn-by-turn instructions, built-in maps for all of North America, and the ability to immediately get you back on track towards your destination in case you veer off-course.

But what you might not appreciate are the millions of “points of interest” (POIs) (pronounced “poys,” which rhymes with “boys”), which includes access to surrounding establishments such as restaurants, hotels, bank machines, gas stations, and the like. Every GPS offers these POIs, regardless of the manufacturer and model.

Not just for consumers

POIs can help a mobile worker find relevant locations with the push of a button. “GPS points of interest have long allowed drivers to more easily navigate to their favorite restaurants or shopping outlets, but now POIs are becoming increasingly valuable for business use,” says Tom Murray, vice president of market development for TomTom, the maker of GPS navigation systems.

Say, for example, the client you’re entertaining says she has a hankering for Thai food for your lunch meeting. Many GPS units not only show nearby eateries but they’re often broken down into nationality or food type (such as vegetarian).

Carly Baltes, spokesperson for Garmin International, another GPS manufacturer, says POIs can help cut travel time and save your business money. “Our devices come preloaded with more than six million points of interest, so whether a user is looking for the closest gas station, a new restaurant downtown or an airport in another city, our hefty POI database... helps drivers reach their destination effortlessly,” she says.

Nathan Dyer, senior analyst for enterprise mobility at the Boston, Mass.-based Yankee Group, says POIs can also help provide a level of familiarity and comfort for the traveler. “The business traveler might feel isolated from the new city they’re in world, but smartphones and GPS devices can help limit that feeling,” says Dyer. “Location-based services can help you plan itineraries, get from one meeting to another, find your favorite coffee shop or look up the address of an old friend -- basically making you feel connected to the world while in a new environment.”

Advanced features

GPS unit manufacturers are taking POIs one step further by letting you customize and share relevant points of interest.

“TomTom’s proprietary Map Share feature empowers drivers to create their own customized POIs dedicated to everything from a business partner’s headquarters to the site of an upcoming industry tradeshow,” explains Murray. “In fact, Map Share lets road warriors generate POIs and make them available to others online via TomTom Home. This ability to share customized POIs with colleagues is tremendously valuable when many workers need to reach the same destination.”

On a related note, Garmin offers something called “POI Loader.” “This free software for your computer allows users to update their compatible Garmin device with the latest restaurants, retail outlets and more, plus users can also configure proximity alerts that will provide visual and audio alerts when you’re within a certain distance of a POI,” says Baltes.

Business opportunities, too

On the flipside, POIs can also help a budding business to become “seen” by millions of GPS units.

“So long as you proactively and dynamically maintain a relationship with POI data owners, and update your info often, you can take advantage of GPS technology to help your business,” says Carmi Levy of AR Communications, a Toronto technology marketing communications firm.

“Creating a POI for your business makes it easier to connect with people who are in your neighborhood and can take advantage of your services or products,” Levy says. “Basically, the more you can communicate with people nearby the more likely they’ll come to your store.”