First Impressions - Verizon’s first 4G LTE Mobile hotspot now available

I personally had been waiting so patiently for a new 4g Hotspot.  My Verizon contract on the 2200 has been up for a while, but I didn't see any need for a change without a big performance gain; aka 4g.  The Samsung 4G LTE SCH-LC11 released on March 31st,

 

no fanfare, no lines on the first morning of availability, hmm, actually kind of boring non event.  It’s initial release was only through a Verizon store, I would have liked to pick it up at Best Buy to get the points...  The Verizon store reps while nice and charming enough, knew nothing about the device.  I asked questions as they setup the new device to replace my existing 3G model;

1)   Does it need to be fully charged before first use?

2)   Is it configured the via a cable like my 2200 was?

3)   How is the battery life

all answered incorrectly by multiple people including their SME on wireless modems.  After a few hours on the charger, my first use lasted about two hours and then it died.  A bit disappointing since they were promising 230 minutes.  Also, his was with 3g since I don't live in an area that has 4g yet.  After a recharge, I was ready to go again and see what this puppy could deliver.  So today, I am up in Boston and  after an initial problem where the WiFi radio didn't come up, I powered down and powered back up and wow!  It is fast.  I don't typically play video over my modem, but I had to see how fast it was.  Let's put it this way, no buffering issues, in fact if you are watching something you are not sure you want to watch, you may as well watch the whole thing, becuase it will be downloaded before you can decide if it was worth it (ie YouTube clips, not necessarily a full length movie).  I stand impressed.  I am not sure however I like the way you configure the modem or it's choice of a default ip subnet.  These choices, it seems to me, are ripe for conflict.  In fact, that was my initial concern when I couldn't connect to it in the hotel.   Also, the online manual is horrible.  You can not be sure what some of the settings represent as well as whether a change you make will disconnect you from the modem until a hard reset.  Samsung and/or Verizon needs to address this.  Regarding the battery life, i figure a couple of charge cycles are necessary before knowing what the battery will deliver, but it is replaceable so I can always carry a spare for those expected heavy load days.  Oh, and if you're wondering why I wanted 4g if it wasn't available yet where I live; I don't need it for where I live, I need it for where I travel :-)

http://bit.ly/h45mWs

Firefox 4 Launched for Android

I have been using this new version (4) of Firefox for a little over a week on both my pc and mac.  I love the streamlined interface w less space lost (aka more efficient use of) above your actual browsing space.  On the computer(s) side, I love the integrations with yoono, evernote, readit, stumbled upon, etc. all with the fact that I can have them match on both platforms.  I am looking forward to installing and trying out on my Incredible to see how well this all flows.

Regardless, both ie and safari have been relegated to the background for browsing unless an installed app triggers them.  Firefox and Chrome (or more importantly Flock's version of Chrome) are far superior browsing platform choices and I think that is the key, they are platform choices.

http://blog.mozilla.com/blog/2011/03/29/mozilla-launches-firefox-4-for-android-allowing-users-to-take-the-power-and-customization-of-firefox-everywhere-2/

Initial thoughts on Implications for IBM's Watson on a chip within a decade

I was thinking about Watson’s Jeopardy performance earlier this week.  A quick summary for those who missed it; a clear human former champions whupping with odd calculations at best on the math risk/reward side.  A win by brute force, not tactical savvy.  I was pondering the implications of Watson's availability on a chip within 10 years.  You will have a Cyberdyne T.50 (point 50), the first in the Terminator series, able to carry out a conversation about anything, perform research through vast quantities of information providing insights never before seen but not quite able to calculate the probability of the human race as a danger unto itself.  We are safe for now.

Eleven Tips++ = Ten Tips: Great Restructuring Winners plus my thoughts too

As I read Rich Karlgaard’s Innovation Rules column in the Feb 28^th Forbes, a few thoughts were flying around in my head.  Some companies did indeed flourish, take root, etc. during past recessions and I am sure the same will be true as we emerge from the current one. Rich has ten tips for what the winners do right instead of focusing on what the losers didn’t do or did wrong.  I could not agree more with his focus.  But it is not just about what they did right, it is also very much about the attitude and the mindset of those companies.  I also believe this does not just apply to a company and it’s products, at a personal level these tips can help improve the success of BrandMe† (our personal brand) as well.  So, to Rich’s list of 10 tips, I’d like to add a few modifiers and an additional tip.

1)    The first one is an adjunct to “Design”; You Can’t Innovate Like Apple, but you should try.  The link above is to a great article I read some time ago in an issue of Pragmatic Marketing.  I kept the issue and revisit it time and again to remind myself of what it takes to make great products.  

2)    I consider this next point part of both “Brand” and “Purpose”; I don’t know where I got this from, but I live by it.  I reinforce this message with employees, peers and my children whenever it’s seems an appropriate teaching moment.  If you don’t put enough of yourself into a project that you can proudly sign your name on it, then don’t bother doing it.  Quite frankly it’s the reason I refuse to paint or wallpaper, I suck at both.  Our work is our legacy, be it analog, digital, in the kitchen, with power tools, pen and paper, paint, the actual canvas does not matter.  When you are through, can you sign your name for all to see, shouting out that this work, my work is an extension of your personal brand?

3)    Buck the trend, Invest when things are down.  A while back I listened to a podcast out of Stanford, “Forty Years Of Computer Science, A Retrospective”. As part of the podcast, there was some visionary reminiscing of the computer revolution’s early days.  One thing in particular stuck with me; during a downturn, when everyone else is cutting back chasing profits, you should be investing for the coming upturn.  People are hopeful but tolerant for performance when things are bad, but by investing during the downturn, you can come out faster and stronger, exceeding expectations while others struggle to recover or return to normal.  The markets will reward you for this insight.

We should all strive to be the winners, downturn or not.  Great brands result from great ideas turned into great products with full support of the company behind them.  Let these tips power successful navigation of good times and bad for your brand’s success.

†BrandMe, our personal brand, our self as the product discussed in previous blogs and articles.

Referenced links:

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2011/0228/opinions-rich-karlgaard-innovation-rules-restructuring-winners.html

http://www.pragmaticmarketing.com/publications/magazine/6/4/you_cant_innovate_like_apple/?searchterm=apple