2009 will be the year of Active Sync

2009 will mark the year of Active Sync's rise to the top of the wireless mobility protocol stack. Microsoft has done an "adequate" job with Active Sync and both platform providers and third-party developers are flocking to fill consumer needs, using AS.

This fact is a good thing. NotifySync will allow BlackBerry users to connect directly to Exchange, Zimbra, Kerio and Communigate mail servers, using this economical connection strategy. By design NotifySync cannot compete in management performance with NotifyLink, however a huge part of the market is telling Notify Technology it wants an AS client for the BB.

If you want to learn more about the differences between the two products, drop us a line.

Novell BrainShare 2009 CANCELLED !

This is the biggest news to hit the IT world in...a week? Novell has finally succumbed to some of lifes realities and has officially cancelled its long running technology show called BrainShare. John Dragoon, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Novell, Inc is quoted in an official Novell release on their website to Customers and partners, "This note is to inform you that Novell will not be holding its annual BrainShare conference in Salt Lake City, Utah that was scheduled for March 2009."

We've attended 9 BrainShares around the world over the years and we will definitely miss the opportunity to meet and mix with other like minded Novell enthusiasts.

So long BrainShare, you will be missed.

Mobility programs are cost effective

With the current economic climate, administrators are being asked to justify expenditures of any sort. These days, your project better deliver either cost savings or increased profits or you probably won't get approval for funding. The logic applies right down to the family level who create small mobility projects of their own.

Mobile technology can save you money when the right products are applied to the process being mobilized. Remembering that a successful mobile program is an equation of mulitple parts, if you're careful you can economize to the point of eliminating some costs entirely by selecting the right products and services. How can you eliminate costs entirely? By choosing the right products and services as the components of your overall mobility equation. The right products are those that give you the most flexibility in choosing the remaining components like devices, service plans and even groupware choices. Flexibility will give you agility in the deployment of your overall mobile program.

Competion among device manufacturers and wireless carriers can work to your advantage if you're not locked into any single program under long term contract. With the pace of change in the wireless industry, long term should be considered to be about 60 days! You can rest assured if you don't like things today...wait a week and there'll be changes.

So once you've selected the right components you should find that some choices actually pay for others so your mobility program enjoys an increased ROI sooner and longer.

Mobile web slow adoption

Mobile Web can be defined as the optimization of application code for small screen input and delivery. Small screen referring to the average PDA ( 240x260).

We've been promised all kinds of interaction with the world through our all conquering BlackBerrys and iPhones. I don't know about you, but I'm just now starting to enjoy the benefits of this technology.

I checked in for a return flight from Amsterdam to Edmonton using my BlackBerry and it could not have been smoother. It was an error free process perfectly suited to my tiny screen. The navigation worked intuitively and I was provided with a confirmation number for check in. At the airport, they FOUND my online registration and confirmation, printed my boarding passes and whisked me away to my destination. As jaded as I am...I was impressed.

Congratulations to Air Canada and their mobile web experience! Some companies get it right.

Ultralight Computer or Heavy SmartPhone?

The lines are merging between today's ultra-light computers and some SmartPhones. Sony Ericsson introduces their beautiful new Xperia SmartPhone at a price of $800 USD with no subsidies available from any carrier.

The Symbian operating system has not proven as popular as developers had hoped with the main players BlackBerry and Windows Mobile holding their own. Newcomer, Apple has also eaten up a big chunk of the pie that once belonged almost exclusively to BB and WM.

Meanwhile Sony Ericsson and giant Nokia, stumble along trying to crack the North American market for SmartPhone PDA's. There's no logic to their lack of sales as their devices are top-notch in every category. The Symbian OS is mature and stable but they just can't seem to get the carriers on side, to support sales with subsription incentives (subsidies).

There are some great choices out there among ultra-light computers that with the addition of an "Internet stick", give users their entire desktop, anywhere they go. The real factor that seems to determine who prefers what device for which activity is user input. Until voice recognition enters the mobile space, keyboards either virtual or physical are going to remain the input mode of choice. Leaving consumers...with an ever increasing variety in choices.

Canadians check your data plan rate!

Our readers in Canada should be aware that data rates are changing dramatically. You can't blame them, but you'll need to reach out to your wireless carrier to learn about the newest data plan rates.

Not only are rates dropping like a stone off a cliff, but the amount of data allowed is also increasing exponentially! My own plan with Rogers went from $90 a month for 250 minutes of voice and 25 MB of data...to 550 minutes of voice and 1 GB of data...for only $70 a month.

Telus just announced an "unlimited personal email, text and web" plan for only $30 per month.

No more overages in data will save you a fortune. When's the last time you checked on updating your wireless data plan?