John McCain Doesn't Do Technology?

This is a technology blog, not a political blog; however, I was reading an article in Fortune Magazine about how successful people work and John McCain was profiled.

Senator McCain made some statements regarding technology and I found his postions intersting considering the fact that he MAY be running for POTUS in 2008.

Check this out... in the article Senator McCain made the following statement regarding his use of technology:

"I read my e-mails, but I don't write any. I'm a Neanderthal--I don't even type. I do have rudimentary capabilities to call up some websites, like the New York Times online, that sort of stuff. No laptop. No PalmPilot. I prefer my schedule on notecards, which I keep in my jacket pocket. But my wife has enormous capability. Whenever I want something I ask her to do it. She's just a wizard. She even does my boarding passes--people can do that now. When we go to the movies, she gets the tickets ahead of time. It's incredible."

I have a few points I'd like to make on the senator's comments considering the world we live in today and the important role that technology plays in the military, business and in the everyday lives of the American people.

1. Communicating via email is a common event for most Americans. Whether it be from a business perspective or family life perspective. Email (and the Internet) have good and bad ramifications on the people of this country. Government leaders need to know how to use this technology to know what it's all about.

2. Everyone needs to know how to type. In today's world, saying "I don't even know how to type," is like saying "I don't know how to write." You can't say "I have people who do that for me" and then try and inspire a country to be on the cutting edge of education and technology.

3. The New York Times (online or offline) is biased news. Find a more objective source for news. Try Google News... that way you can get the best of both worlds.

4. No laptop - no Palm device. This possible presidential candidate prefers note cards. Mr. McCain would find it hard to function in the business world without "staff" to type and send his emails and track his appointments. Can you imagine a young person entering the workforce today saying "I don't type and I don't know how to use a laptop. I don't even have a Palm Pilot - but you should see my notecards!" Wow, I want that person to join my company...

5. Luckily for the country Mr. McCain's wife knows how to surf the Internet. Did you know that you can print a boarding pass for an airline flight and even buy movie tickets online? According to the senator, "It's incredible."

Incredible is right. I think this whole technology thing is catching on and we need to jump in and embrace typing and all of those other cutting edge skill sets. The way I see it, Mr. McCain has about 30 months to go buy "Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing" and head to his nearest New Horizons Computer Learning Center and take a few classes (go to www.newhorizons.com senator - or have a staff person do it.)

All fun aside... our young people need to know how to type, they need to know how to use technology (for the right and productive reasons), and they need leaders that set a positive example. To imply that you don't use technology and that it's okay, is a weak position. To brag about it, is just stupid.

What staffer approved that article?

My suggestion... read www.salestechnologyreport.com and have Mrs. McCain make the senator get his own dang movie tickets online. That would be "incredible!"

TK

March Tech Review - eNook

I found this product in PC Magazine's December 2005 issue on "What's New for 2006." I thought it was a cool concept and design and wanted to review it this month.

Here's some of the copy from the advertising piece on eNook:

"A Gas Station for your Gadgets and a Work Space for You - it charges, it stores and it fits where you don't have a lot of room. It's called eNook, and it's a very multi-talented workspace. eNook has channels for you to plug in and charge all of your electronic gadgetry, like your laptop, cell phones, PDAs and digital cameras. Flip it up to store your laptop and lock it out of sight. Or flip it down and you have a handy desk."

That about says it all... except for the benefits of standing up while you work. I know two people who use this approach to managing their work day. I personally don't have a stand up desk, but when I have to make an important phone call, I stand up. When I want to convey energy and excitement, I stand up and when I want to put my best foot forward (the left one), I stand up.

According to the website, www.standupdesks.com (seriously), here are 3 good reasons to move to a stand up desk:

1. Working at a stand up desk brings immediate relief to lower back pain sufferers.

2. Stand up desks pay for themselves quickly with both increased and improved productivity.

3. Stand up desks will leave you far less fatigued at the end of the day as a result of improved circulation and exercise.

Beyond the benefits of standing up, this is a great product for managing your technology. As much as convergence is taking place with the devices we carry around to sell and do business, I bet most of us still have at least three pieces of technology (be it a mobile phone, smart phone, PDA, laptop, digital camera or MP3.) That's a lot of cords and a lot of recharging going on.

With the eNook you can manage all of your devices in one stable location - while you work. One of the best features of this product is that you can fold it up and lock it shut. If you have little ones running around at home (or the home office), or teenagers grabbing your charging cables for their iPod, this security feature of folding and locking is awesome.

The outer features can be customized with different laminates and trim to match your decor. Check it out at www.anthro.com/enook

TK

BlackBerry Signs Peace Accord

What can better than a half billion dollars buy you these days? Well if you make it $612.5 million dollars it can buy you peace (piece of mind) and settlement of a damaging PR nightmare.

RIM's failure to settle last March cost an additional $162 million dollars. Not a bad return on investment for 12 months for NTP. RIM was losing business, both large and small customers were leaving the service and potential new customers were holding their ground until a resolution was assured.

RIM is out a few bucks... but hey, they have a billion dollars in cash in the bank so they'll be okay. Sales will be picking up quick and their stock was up 14% today in after market trading. That's a big day.

Who else won today beside corporate and individual clients? All 435 members of US House of Representatives and 100 US Senators and their staffs. If the service was shut off these folks had a "free pass" which would have kept their service up and running. Sound good?

Not really. They would have been vilified in the press and rightly so - the world suffers and yet the US Congress gets a free pass? That wouldn't have gone over so good, and the argument that the BlackBerry was vital to the operation of our government is a bunch of bull. There was always the Treo...

Treo (PALM), is perhaps the only loser today. Their stock is down almost 4% in after market trading and the possibility of picking up BlackBerry clients will most likely subside.

Well it's all over now... in a week this will no longer be a story. The good news for everyone is that BlackBerry will hopefully continue to make their product smaller and add a few more key features such as voice activated dialing. Soon the 8700c will spread to other carriers and BlackBerry will have an even stronger position in the market.

Peace - Out.

TK

Who is Buying PDA's?

Remember when this was the bomb in personal technology? They called it a Personal Digital Assistant. The PDA would keep your calendar, contacts and tasks all on one handy little device. It really was a bomb, it literally blew up the growth of companies like Franklin-Covey that were selling paper planning solutions. People began switching from paper to PDA's. I didn't think I could survive a day without my Classic size, Monticello style, Burgandy leather binder from FC - but I did and I'm glad I did.

My first PDA was not a Palm-Pilot like the one above... it was an HP unit called an "IPAQ." I don't know what that stood for but it was pretty cool. It ran Windows software and included versions of Outlook, Word, Excel and played MP3's. It was pretty handy and I never went back to a paper system. Eventually my laptop became my primary source of planning and rather than using a PDA, I switched to a smart phone which I have used for the last 3 years.

Technology being what it is today I have to ask... who is buying PDA's? It makes no sense to carry a PDA and carry a mobile phone. Two devices instead of one means:

• Two devices to lose
• Two seperate power cords (I don't like cords...)
• Two seperate power cords to lose (I really don't like to lose things)
• Two devices to carry around
• Etc.

That's a long lists compared to just carrying one device around that serves as your phone, calendar, address book and tracks your tasks.

The new Treo 700w (top of the line device) at Verizon Wireless runs $399 with a two year contract. A new Palm "LifeDrive" runs $449... there are more economical choices from Palm all the way down to the Z22 for 99 bucks. (Now with the Treo 700w you have an agreement that you have to enter into, but you'll have that same obligation with the mobile phone you have to carry in addition to a simple PDA.)

Go with the smart phone...

Who is buying PDA's? There are people who have special software for PDA's such as realtors who use the Palm to access MLS information and other necessary tasks, but why not use the Treo 650 and have the phone feature integrated into the device that does so much?

It may also be that those people you still see carrying around a day planner are moving slowly into technology and trying a PDA. One feature that a PDA or a smart phone really won't give you - that little check mark when you accomplish a task. There is nothing like taking a real pen (not a stylus) to paper and making that small downward flick followed by a long upward stroke. It just feels like success...

TK