Not Your Grandmothers Radio

Last week I reported to all you IT management avid bloggers out there about my recent traumatic accident. Well, it was more tragic for my Jeep and my left wrist than for me. Since last week I have purchased an awesome 2008 Jetta from Dublin Volkswagen (thanks Ryan). It’s so cute and nice inside, and I will be the first to admit that it’s a chick car, but pretty much the sweetest chick car out there.  Besides its engine stuff, great gas mileage (25/gallon) sleek interior, it comes with something I never even knew I wanted- Satellite Radio!

Since its inception several years ago I have been interested in this form of media. Television and radio have always been favorites of mine due to their constant nature and background noise.  It’s just a matter of transitioning to a format that I’m not used to that never pushed me into this new realm. I’m happy to see this venture becoming successful, I feared we would lose it due to people like me- nerds who want it but are too lazy to do anything. Sirius and XM have recently joined to become one satellite powerhouse.  It took a year of litigation to approve of this merger due to anti-trust laws and fear from old school radio networks. Although I’m pro mom and pop operations and against Walmart-esque monsters taking advantage of capitalist America, I feel that there is enough room and desire for Siri-ex (not sure how they have combined names, I like my idea).

My Jeep Grand Cherokee (Rest in Peace 1994-2008) had been sans radio for the last year, not to mention the persistent check engine light, humming at fast speeds, clicking noise which I could not locate and random shutting off of all music for no apparent reason. Poor girl needed to go the way of “old Yeller”, but I never had it in me, so instead I rear ended a Dodge Van in 580 morning commute! That being said, it’s not surprising that when I drove my 2008 Jetta for the first time and heard the awesomeness of satellite radio, that I no longer minded the hour long commute from Danville to Berkeley. I never realized that I would enjoy non -stop progressive techno at 8am, or Led Zeppelin blared at full volume, but I do.  Whomever decided that people enjoy listening to DJ’s talk about why Britney Spears is crazy, what happened on Dancing with the Stars the night before or any other topic on the repetitive laundry list of morning DJ programming, obviously doesn’t commute every day.  Just give me music. So if any of you hundreds of thousands of Bayareaitmanagement.com blog readers out there are on the fence about satellite radio, ditch your grandmothers radio and move into the future, your sanity will thank you!

More on Sirius and XM Merger:

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/mar/25/business/fi-xm25

Which way to go mobile?

One of the most common question I get asked by my customers and prospects is regarding mobile devices. Most of my small business clients are using an e-mail platform called Microsoft Exchange, which has a huge market share and an enormous amount of benefits for businesses of all sizes. If you do not run Microsoft Exchange, please see my next post which will be regarding the advantages of using MS Exchange versus other options. For those that are using exchange, choosing your mobile device is all but a no-brainer.

MS Exchange has built in technology called Active Sync. Active Sync is software that enables all MS mobile devices to seamlessly and securely interact with an exchange server. This immediately narrows down the options for mobile devices to those that run on Windows Mobile. The following link is a good resource to check out the latest Windows mobile phones; however, I find it easiest to simply visit your wireless service provider and ask them to show you the latest Windows Mobile devices. My favorite is the BlackJack by Samsung.

If a user must have a BlackBerry or Goodlink device, that’s OK; but the user should understand the real cost of this luxury. To implement either of these two devices properly requires a separate physical server, an additional Windows Server license, and special expense software from the vendor. By the time you add services to get it set up, it would not be unrealistic to count on a $10,000 investment to get in functional. That’s just the beginning. The ongoing support costs also pile up. At Endsight, we estimate that it costs a small business $2400/year to manage that additional server.

Regardless of what technology you decide on, it is important to standardize across your entire company. If you go BlackBerry than EVERYONE uses BlackBerry….if you decide on Windows Mobile as suggested than all mobile users standardize on Windows Mobile.

Related Article - Microsoft unveils enhancements to Windows Mobile

Hail to the Tablet PC

I’ve been using my HP tc4200 for about a year now and it’s easily the best laptop that I have owned.

The tc4200 is a great machine and has a terrific form factor. It’s small, sleek, light, sturdy and has a swivel screen that makes it easy to give presentations on the fly. I’m hard on my computers and two previous machines (made by another manufacturer) had already started to fall apart within a year.

While the form factor of the tc4200 is cool, it’s the tablet software that really makes this baby rock and roll. By far the most useful feature is the Windows Journal. This application allows you to take handwritten notes on your screen and store them as a digital file. Others rave about how good the hand recognition software is, but I’ve found that just saving my handwriting is enough. I average about eight meetings per week and generate copious notes. In the past, I used notebooks and legal pads that inevitably got lost among the stacks on my desk. Storing my notes digitally has made recovery fast and easy and has been a huge advantage for my productivity.

I’ve also saved an enormous amount of time in dealing with the documents that come my way requiring signatures and fax-backs. Before, I had to print the document, sign the document, and fax the document somewhere. Now I simply open it on my computer, sign the screen, and e-mail it back.

Any business whose sales staff, consultants, or other professionals depend on the exchange of ideas and notes will benefit from tablet PCs. For reference, I’ve included a link to the HP site for more information on the tc4200.

Related Article:

Desktops becoming a less viable business