Linux tried it, it did not work, Google has taken its shot, Apple has been at it for decades with no luck. And it actually abandoned that fight. It is 2011 and the world still runs on Microsoft Windows with a dose of UNIX/Linux helpings. The problem here is that people seem too fixated on the result of user access rather than the origin of such access. Yes, we have the cloud, yes, almost everyone has an isomething, but at the end of the day, many of us will still plug our ithingy into our computers to sync or do whatever, and we will still access that “cloud” with a “PC”. And the last time I checked, the “PC” was still overwhelmingly running Windows.

Many users will still need their desktops/laptops/netbooks/servers to access that “hub” of their digital life that resides in the “cloud”. So we now have folks who gloat that “our data is the computer” as if that data is just floating on it’s own out on the ether. The bad news for these “cloud as an independent existence” folks is that the data centers where that hold our digital life still run an operating system, and most run, you guessed it, Windows.

What these Apple worshipers who perpetually pray for the demise of Windows seem to forget or fail to understand is that not everyone is happy or willing to shell out $500-$800 for a piece of plastic shell from a manufacturer too greedy to even include a miserable $5 charger with their product. For those people, the iCloud will not kill Windows. Does anyone really believe the drivel that “Jobs is going to sacrifice the Macintosh in order to kill Windows. He isn’t beating Windows, he’s making Windows inconsequential”?

How is Apple’s spin on a concept that has been around for quite a while suddenly mean the making of Windows inconsequential? We said the same about Linux, did we not? About how the emergence of Linux was surely going to be the end of Windows? Wasn’t the ChromeOS going to banish Windows to irrelevance? The iPhone was going to destroy the Windows desktop;  and the iPad? Oh, Windows was surely going to be wiped out.

The predictors of the demise of Windows and proponents of cloud everything seem to be making the assumption that the world has low-cost Internet access, which it does not; that everyone has or cares about an iSomething, which is totally not true; that we all have fiber-optic pipes into our offices, and that our mobile devices have speed-of-light broadband always – wishful thinking at best, at least for now in the “developed” world, and definitely not any time soon in the “developing” world.

Even here in the U.S., we still have areas that are untouched by broadband and/or are heavily reliant on VSAT. I do not know how much productivity you would get from a 256 Kbps modem.

When Apple claims that with the iCloud there is “No syncing required. No management required. In fact, no anything required. iCloud does it all for you”, are we really to believe that?

From my reading on the announcement, the iCloud is no different from offerings from Microsoft’s Mesh (now Skydrive), Dropbox or several other syncing tools out there which allows you to access and manipulate files anywhere from anything that has an internet access. When you make changes offline, the folders are synchronized the next time you are online. The Mesh from Microsoft did this a long time ago, although on a limited level.

Apple’s idea of the cloud is a variant of the push  or publish/subscribe technology. A clearing house if you will, where the iCloud acts as a hub or repository for everything Apple- apps, music, video, calendar and “wirelessly pushes them out to all your devices”. This is merely a revival of an Apple v Microsoft rivalry about the PC a “hub of our digital life”. Just that now, Apple has replaced the PC with the iCloud.

The hope is that we will all move our data to the cloud, but that is not going to happen any time soon. It is like banking where a lot of people feel comfortable banking online and some prefer going to the bank and yet others prefer keeping their cash under their mattresses. In some cases, the cost of using the cloud may far outweigh the benefits especially in a highly regulated industry.

With the constant threat of privacy invasion and data breach, what are the odds that users would warm up to the idea of their data constantly streaming 24/7? As more cloud storage snafus are exposed, what effect will that have on the willingness of users and businesses to “trust” the cloud?

What we have here are two viewpoints about how users will access their data: Apple believes we are moving to the device as the central point of access and Microsoft still works on the premise that the “PC” will be with us for a while. One tends to cater more to consumers (home users) and the other leans heavily toward the business user. One has a target market of hipsters, the other caters more to the masses.

Plus, the biggest gloss-over of all by the “Windows is Doomed” crowd is that there are folks out there that just plain do not like Apple and will never use their product.

I have my issues with Microsoft but we should commend the effort the company has made in recent years to get its act together. So all this talk about “killing Windows” is becoming annoying.

I don’t think Windows is going anywhere soon in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. In addition, the “PC” is not going away anytime soon for the same reason many of us still pick up a book even though we have an eBook reader. There is so much you can do on a small screen, and you can have so much patience with pecking at a tiny keyboard, especially a virtual keyboard.

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The lofty goals of this acquisition according to the AT&T Press Release are as follows:

• Provides Fast, Efficient and Certain Solution to Impending Spectrum Exhaust Challenges Facing AT&T and T-Mobile USA in Key Markets Due to Explosive Demand for Mobile Broadband
• Enhances Network Capacity, Output and Quality in Near Term for Both Companies’ Customers
• AT&T Commits to Expand 4G LTE Deployment to an Additional 46.5 Million Americans, Including in Rural, Smaller Communities, for a Total of 294 Million or 95% of the U.S. Population
• Provides 4G LTE Service for T-Mobile USA’s 34 Million Subscribers
• More Than $8 Billion in Incremental Infrastructure Spend by a U.S. Company over Seven Years, Enabling Nation’s High-Tech Industry, Innovation and Economic Growth
• Creates Substantial Value for AT&T Shareholders Through Large, Straightforward Synergies

These look like commendable goals and there is certainly enough data to justify why this merger makes sense. But what are the implications for small business owners? For many who have used AT&T’s services, there is no joy about the customer service of the company, especially in the wireless arena. Many have been so frustrated that they switched to T-Mobile. How ironic that they would now be “forced” to deal with AT&T after all.

I do not believe that this has much to do with subscriber base as much as it has to do with the dwindling capacity of AT&T’s infrastructure to handle the the load the success of the iPhone and the tendency of subscribers to opt for “Unlimited” data plans saddled the company with. Notice the hype that surrounded Verizon’s iPhone offering because AT&T could not hold  a call long enough for most users to have a meaningful conversation.

What are the implications of this merger for small businesses who currently have T-Mobile?

The simple answer is that they will have to, at least during the early phase, deal with the crappy customer service they thought they escaped from. There is also the issue of data plans. It could mean that “Unlimited” data plans will either be more expensive or unavailable altogether. This could affect mobile productivity, especially e-mail utilities like Microsoft Exchange and Outlook synchronization. There will also be additional cost involved with the clamor for iPhones, because, as overpriced and over-hyped as they are, everyone wants one.

On the flip side, there may be the need for convergence where everything from internet, telephone, wireless services etc. are now under one vendor – AT&T. I won’t be surprised if the tried to push some element of VOIP and remote services on small businesses.

But more important is the fact that T-Mobile customers will have to buy new handsets and here is why: Spectrum.
According to AT&T’s press release:

Addresses wireless spectrum challenges facing AT&T, T-Mobile USA, their customers, and U.S. policymakers

This transaction quickly provides the spectrum and network efficiencies necessary for AT&T to address impending spectrum exhaust in key markets driven by the exponential growth in mobile broadband traffic on its network. AT&T’s mobile data traffic grew 8,000 percent over the past four years and by 2015 it is expected to be eight to 10 times what it was in 2010. Put another way, all of the mobile traffic volume AT&T carried during 2010 is estimated to be carried in just the first six to seven weeks of 2015. Because AT&T has led the U.S. in smartphones, tablets and e-readers – and as a result, mobile broadband – it requires additional spectrum before new spectrum will become available. In the long term, the entire industry will need additional spectrum to address the explosive growth in demand for mobile broadband.

The bottom line here is that although T-Mobile and AT&T each use GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) technology, the carriers also use different bands of spectrum to deliver their services. Specifically, T-Mobile uses the spectrum it bought in the AWS (Advanced Wireless Services) spectrum auction in 2006 to build its 3G wireless network and AT&T uses its 850MHz and 1900MHz spectrum which the company also bought at the 2006 auction to deliver its 3G service.  So part of the reason that AT&T wanted T-Mobile in the first place was to get more of the AWS spectrum for its LTE (Long Term Evolution) network.

The rub here is that T-Mobile has no additional spectrum to deploy LTE, since it’s been using the AWS spectrum for its 3G service. What this means is that once AT&T and T-Mobile merge, AT&T will have to move all of T-Mobile’s existing 3G customers (which includes the supposed 4G HSPA+ customers) to AT&T’s 850MHz and 1900MHz spectrum.

As cnet’s Marguerite Reardon notes, the existing T-Mobile 3G HSPA and 4G HSPA+ handsets will no longer work on the AWS spectrum. Hence the need for new handsets.

Charles Golvin of Forrester Research pretty much sums up what to expect, at least during the initial phase of the merger:

For some period of time, customers from either network may find that the quality is not what they would like. [ ...] I think what might be more painful for some T-Mobile customers is that they were T-Mobile customers because they didn’t want to be AT&T customers.

 

The internet, however, came to the rescue and I got a few pointers that I added to what I did to revive my phone.

• The first thing I did, as soon as it happened was to pull the phone out of the water. No “Oh my God, what just happened?” or “Shit, my phone fell in it” and then proceed to stand there and stare at the thing for several minutes kind of stuff! Reach in and pull the damn thing out of the water whether it’s a swimming pool, sink, lake – probably with the help of a very good swimmer or a scuba diver since it’s just a phone and there is no sense drowning yourself too, or toilet (please, put on gloves). Eew.
• Take the battery out of the phone if it has a removable battery. That, by the way, is my biggest gripe against the iPhone and its ilk that do not have removable batteries and why I do not own one.
• Next, I got out as much of the water as I could. Mine has a slide-out keyboard, so I opened the phone and dried off the water with a gentle shake, using absorbent napkins.
• I strongly resisted the urge to immediately turn the phone back on (OK, after I read that it was not a good idea to do so)
• I put the phone near an open window to air-dry for about 15 minutes. Some suggest using compressed air – the type you use on your keyboard – to blow out the water. I tried it and it got quite a lot out. But I was also worried that the air may push water to more sensitive areas, further causing damage to the phone. So, your mileage may vary. Quick note: if using compresses air, make sure the can is upright as a tilted one can dispense freezing liquid which may not be good for your phone.
• I resisted the temptation to put it in the microwave or use a blow-dryer. Do not put your phone in a microwave, or use a blow dryer on your phone!
• Finally, as ridiculous as it initially sounded to me, I put the phone and its battery in an air-tight box (a jar would also work)  and covered it with uncooked rice. Apparently Rice is very good at absorbing moisture. There is also some sort of drying compound you can use, but rice was available and I really did not feel like ordering some compound that would take several days to show up.
• I let the phone sit in uncooked rice for an endless 72 hours! That was pure torture. If you only have one phone, I will pray for you. I never knew we depended on the thing this much. I totally felt disoriented the first couple of hours – no calls, no emails, no web browsing, no text messages, no twitter, no voice mails, no games. Luckily, I had several decommissioned phones around that I could use as “temps”.

Believe it or not, after 72 hours, I put the battery back on the phone and heard the most beautiful music in the whole world – a start up chime that indicated my phone was alive. I did it. I saved my drowned phone.

FYI, the weasels who manufacture these phones have inserted a tool that lets them know whether your phone went for a swim. Somewhere on your phone, usually below the battery, there is a white little circle or dot. When your phone gets wet, this dot changes color depending on the severity of the water damage. Some turn to pink (salvageable), others turn super red (God help you). Mine was half-n-half. My thinking is that this tool allows the phone manufacturers to laugh at you when you try to claim that the phone “just stopped working” and demand a replacement after you washed it with your laundry. Most phone warranties do not cover water damage.

As a business person, I am always on the move – seminars, conferences, client visits etc. At the same time, I need to keep up with what’s happening and more importantly keep up with trends in the industry. To that end, my smart-phone is virtually my computer and speed is essential. I get my emails on my phone, hold video conferences on it when possible and browse the web. To make these a little faster, I disabled flash and JavaScript on web browsers and disabled HTML rendering on my email client.

Lately, due to an ever tighter schedule, I have had very little patience for emails, newsletters and web sites that insist on using JavaScript, Flash and  HTML rendering or nothing. They would not open for you to at least get a gist of the content. My guess is that this is all driven by the need to track users or capture some ad dollars, but the inexperience is annoying, to say the least. The easiest thing to do is immediately move away from the web site of simply delete the email or newsletter. This is sad because some of them do have great content that one would like to read. But as soon as I see:

Oops! You may not be able to view this message in your mail client as HTML. Please copy blah-blah-blah to the address field of your browser

I just hit the delete button. If in 2010, some people are too lazy to program their messages to render as plain text if HTML is not available, they do not deserve my time. As a matter of fact, I am so disgusted with some that I simply unsubscribe from their list. It does not have to be pretty for people to get your message. Just get the message across as many have found ways to do. I read the newsletters and emails of these folks who get it. If I am interested enough and want more information, I go to the web site and put up with the annoying Flash or JavaScript, and the stupid request for my life history before I can download a crappy 2-page “White Paper”.

The same goes for a web site. Unless you have JavaScript and/or flash enabled, some sites just remain blank! No text, no static images, nothing. This is the height of laziness. Just because you bought a flash or JavaScript infested template does not mean you should not do some work to at least show something. When I encounter websites like these, I simply leave. They do not deserve my time no matter how great the content may be. A simple online search for the topic gives me equally great sites and content without the hassle of JavaScript and/or Flash. These technologies are meant to enhance a web site, not be the web site.

The Symbian Foundation has announced the availability of its web application development toolkit for the open-source Symbian^3 mobile platform. The new platform allows programmers and web developers to augment their skills with the use of “just a few more JacaScript APIs” in order to access capabilities like contacts, camera, location etc. on a symbian powered handset.

According to a statement from the foundation, anyone who can create a web page can create an app for Symbian^3, as coders only need standard development tools including HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

“Now anyone can create fantastic applications for devices such as the Nokia N8, the world’s first Symbian^3 device. These Symbian web application development tools provide an ideal entry point for web developers targeting the vast, new development opportunities offered by the Symbian^3 platform and the wider mobile marketplace, where compelling applications are proving their ability to fuel communities,” Symbian Foundation chief Lee Williams said in the statement.

The Symbian web app development toolkit is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. Other web development environments can be used to write apps for Symbian, but the foundation is promoting features of its toolkit that include mobile-specific application preview, debugging and deployment capabilities”.

Read the rest of the story here.