Less Then Successful Tech

Smartphones, iPads, iPods, and notebook computers are some of the must-have products of the last five years. However, for each successful must-have product there’s a tech failure. Organizations take a chance when they send a new piece of technology into the market. There is absolutely no assurance that no matter how cool or practical a gadget is that it will become popular with the buying public. That being said, listed here is a glance at some of the most commonly known technology failures of the last decade.

Famous tech failures

• Apple
  TV: This product gives users the power to purchase entertainment from iTunes then stream it to the device of their choice. Good idea? Possibly, if it wasn’t so limited to iTunes.

• Sony Mylo: You will possibly not recall the Mylo. That’s because it came and went without eliciting much reaction from consumers. This Wi-Fi-enabled mobile device permitted consumers to connect to the Internet, send e-mail, and hold online chats. In addition, it came with Skype for free Internet calls. Sadly for Sony, the iPhone and its huge app store simply overwhelmed the Mylo.

The Segway peters out

• Segway PT: It was believed that the Segway PT would replace cars in cities. It made it easy for people to just zip to the market or make the short commute downtown. But it never quite caught on. Unfortunately for the manufacturers, people thought balancing on two wheels made them look a little silly.

The CueCat doesn’t purr

• CueCat: The CueCat was a handheld barcode reader shaped like a cat. Consumers could use it to scan any barcode and it would navigate them to the company’s website. This did not catch on but did it pave the way for QR codes?

The iPhone 4S: Revolutionary Or Evolutionary

Do you remember hearing the first disappointed comments following the iPhone 4S announcement?  To put it simply, everyone was a bit dissatisfied that the new iPhone was not going to be a full-blown revamp of the iPhone 4. Some were concerned that it would just be an iPhone 4 with a few simple upgrades, suckering gadget-junkies to stand in line for hours only to discover that the 4S was fundamentally the same as its predecessor, with only a few more bells and whistles.  Well, the truth is, the new iPhone is a bit of both.  It is not a revolutionary product like the original iPhone – or even the iPhone 4.  Rather, it’s more evolutionary with several impressive upgrades.  Here’s a quick look at 3 of the upgrades Apple has created in the 4S – and whether or not they’re worth standing in line for.

Software

Maybe the most noticeable of the iPhone 4S upgrades is found in its speed and power.  The 4S features a dual-core A5 chip found in the iPad 2, which makes opening apps, loading the browser, scrolling through home screens and countless other operations much faster and smoother.  Apple states that the iPhone 4S is twice as fast as the iPhone 4, and exhibits seven times its graphical prowess.

Siri

Probably the most compelling reason to upgrade to the 4S is the addition of Siri – a “personal assistant” who can parse the information you tell it through a mere conversation. For instance, should you tell Siri, “Please tell Jodi that I’m running late”, it would know who Jodi is and which meeting you’re talking about, and contact her to reschedule. It’s a pretty cool feature when it works.  However, when Siri doesn’t work, it makes you realize that it’s still a work in progress. Although Siri shows its personality in its humorous answers to questions it can’t yet answer, you just want it work.  For more on the topic, visit http://www.forbes.com/sites/benzingainsights/2011/10/17/is-siri-seriously-awesome-or-seriously-flawed/

iCloud

Another cool aspect of the iPhone 4S is that it has basically made MobileMe a stock feature. All Apple products from now on will have access to iCloud. This means that it no longer matters which device you use, you have access to any piece of information you’re looking for, whether it’s an mp3, a photo, app or document.  It’s truly remarkable, until you stumble upon some of its unwieldy aspects. The most frustrating of these is the fact that MobileMe has already created a user ID that iCloud doesn’t recognize.

Furthermore, if you have an email address through Yahoo or Gmail, it won’t recognize them because they don’t have a me.com address. All new technology comes with learning curves, but the fact that we think Apple should be above these frustrations makes them all the more, well, frustrating.

In the final analysis, the iPhone 4S will of course be a huge commercial success. But, are the upgrades worth the wait? In the end, it depends on who you ask. If you’re a Mac-addict, forever in need of the most up-to-date and coolest toy, then of course, it’s worth the wait.  With its improvements in power, efficiency, speed, software and upgrades, the 4S is an impressive machine. However, if you’re able to get all you need from your old 3G(S), there’s really nothing completely revolutionary about the iPhone 4S. As an evolutionary device, it’s still pretty cool.

Creative Collaboration in the Cloud

When you think of the ways the cloud has changed businesses, creativity is not what usually comes to mind first. You will be surprised at how beneficial the cloud has been for people in creative industries. The cloud allows for a massive amount of information to be stored and accessible to people quickly from almost any location. And thanks to the popularity of tablets, people can access that information and share it at the simple touch of a button. Here are a few ways that the cloud and tablets as a team have improved the way that creative people do business.

Portfolios
The size of someone’s portfolio was previously confined to what they could physically carry.   Because of this size limitation, there were limitations to the content as well. Now, thanks to the cloud, they can create separate files tailored to each client’s needs, which they can quickly access from a tablet. This mobility can lead to more business more quickly.

Creative Collaboration
In the past, collaborating with people in different time zones was very difficult. It required sending huge files through email, working on them independently then sending them back. This created multiple versions and duplicate copies, which was confusing. Cloud computing users can work on the same file simultaneously. This speeds up the collaborative process and keep everyone on the same page, so to speak.

Brainstorming
Mindmapping is a great way to brainstorm and when done in conjunction with the cloud, the amount of people that can give their input is not limited. You can access these files on tablets, work with local colleagues, and update the shared file for everyone. These elements break down the distance barrier that has limited idea brainstorming in the past.

When you diagram cloud computing and add the mobility of the tablet into the mix, there are almost no limitations to where creativity can happen.

NetEffect Wins Business Excellence Award for Las Vegas Hosted Cloud Computing

In recognition for it’s Las Vegas hosted cloud computing platform, NetEffect has been selected by the North Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce for their annual Business Excellence Award. The awards are given in five categories, and NetEffect won the Innovation through Technology Award.

We’re very honored to be recognized and we very much look forward to the awards celebration on October 13th at Texas Station!

NetEffect provides business-class IT support, computer consulting, and business phone systems for VoIP. We’re the first and only Nevada-based company to offer a fully hosted, cloud computing solution. For a free network consultation call us at 702-318-7700.