John's New Tech Product Review: The iPad

I first talked to you about the iPad Phenomenon in April 2010 when it first hit the stores.

Back then I wondered if I really needed one at all. I expected that the real key to its success will be those amazing new apps that most of us hadn’t even yet imagined.

I also said I was going to wait before buying and wait and see how the next generation model would do. As you know, there is always a next-generation model.

Well, I waited a few months but temptation got the better of me and I bought an iPad over the summer.

I think it’s cool and a lot of fun. I can surf the web on it. I’ve watched sports on it.

Yes, there are a ton of useful apps on there but, to be honest, I still haven’t found that one “killer app” that says “Buy me” on it.

The best part for me, however, is the “instant on” access to the web and email.

It's nice to be able to flick it on and I’m on the Internet instantly. I don’t have to wait for it to boot up and I don’t have to go to my office computer and open a browser.

Being able to send and receive emails on the iPad is also a big seller to me. It means I’m literally not chained to my office or my desktop computer anymore to keep in touch with friends, clients, and colleagues.

Right now, we just leave the iPad lying on the kitchen counter or in the living room and its really become a part of our lives in such a short time. We like the fact that we can check anything we want quickly on the Internet – whether it’s email, a news item, sports scores, or even recipes.

It’s always on and always handy.

Would I recommend the iPad?

Yes. It’s a nice item to have but . . there are always buts:

1. I still haven’t found that one “killer app” that shouts “SOLD!” in my mind.
2. I’ve heard rumours that the next version will have two cameras for making video phone calls over the Internet. It’s really just a matter of time because the new iPhone already has this capability when you call from one iPhone to another.

If you can wait, I’d say wait . . unless you’re like me.

Ray Ozzie’s Dawn of a New Day: How I See It

On October 28, 2010 Ray Ozzie, posted a blog called, Dawn of a New Day, which caused quite a stir in the IT industry:

Ozzie wrote that the PC-centric/Server-centric model we have today is beginning to crumble due to its complexity as he asked us to imagine a “post-PC” world.

He wrote: "Complexity kills" and "Complexity sucks the life out of users, developers and IT.”  

What’s most amazing about Ozzie’s post is that, although he has just announced he’s leaving, he replaced Bill Gates as Microsoft's Chief Software.

In the blog he stated “. . . I see a great, expansive future for our industry and for our company – a future of amazing, pervasive cloud-centric experiences delivered through a world of innovative devices that surround us.”

How I see it

Think about it – the chief software architect from the world’s biggest software company which makes the bulk of its money selling PC and server software, endorses the cloud computing model!

When the PC first emerged to replace those earlier computing monstrosities, its key selling points were its simplicity and broad approachability.

Ozzie believes the next wave "toward a world of Internet-connected continuous services and appliance-like connected devices . . . would likely arise again from those very same facets.”

Ozzie says we must move away from thinking of computing as meaning "PCs, CD-installed programs, desktops, folders and files.” We’re moving toward another new world, he writes, where:
1) cloud-based continuous services connect us all and do our bidding, and
2) appliance-like connected devices enable us to interact with those cloud-based services.

Smart phones and the tablet systems are the first visible signs that he is correct as they already connect wirelessly to websites and online services. We can only imagine what will be the next new technological wave.

Ozzie believes the next model will consist of simpler devices which are always connected and services that are always available. He basically tossed down the gauntlet and challenged his own company and all the others out there to start building systems and devices that embrace the concept of the cloud paradigm. 

Microsoft has already taken the first steps in that direction with its Windows Live services and now there’s the up-and-coming Office 365 service. We'll talk about the significance of Office 365 in a future post.

Anyway, that’s How I See It.

I'm Back!!

Yes, I’m back and now I’m here to stay.

I’d like to say I was away on some exotic holiday but truthfully, I was really busy with a number of ongoing projects which I’ll soon share with you.

This is my first entry in what will be many over the coming months and years. I plan to keep you posted on a number of new developments in the IT field but I also want to share a number of exciting new technological gadgets and electronic offerings out there right now.

I will, of course, be speaking to you about Cloud Computing. This is a topic that won’t go away and rightly so. You’ve already most likely had experience with some form of cloud computing if you have a web-based email account such as Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo and so on. There have been a number of new developments since I last wrote about it in April, including cloud-computing connected gadgets, devices, and appliances.

I’ll also be giving out my honest opinion on technology gadgets, such as the iPad and anything I find interesting out there in the news as it happens.

Once a month, I will bring to your attention, something in that is creating a stir in the media, I will then tell you “How I See It” simply because, as I’ve been told around here, I seem to have an opinion on everything. I don’t expect you to agree with everything I’ll say. In fact, I welcome comments, arguments, and any opinion you may have on any given topic I choose to write about.

In addition to three to four blogs a month, I will also be sending out a monthly newsletter on things I find interesting or exciting in our business. Our field, as you know, changes almost daily with new advances and new ideas. We’re never bored and we’re never really done but that’s a good thing.