Apple’s gadgets win adulation, but research shows the sector needs a jolt if it wants to grow

By Wouter Koetzier, global managing director-Accenture’s Innovation Performance Group, and Adi Alon, North American managing director-Accenture’s Innovation Performance Group

Large consumer technology companies are underperforming in the global innovation battle.

The culprit: Widespread flaws in how they manage and invest in innovation.

If tech companies want to grow, they need to invest in breakthrough, high-impact innovations and more systematically and rigorously manage their innovation processes.

This conclusion is based on our daily interactions with clients and recent Accenture research in which we interviewed research and development decision-makers at leading consumer technology companies in North America, Europe and Asia. Collectively, the executives represent companies that generate almost two-thirds of global industry revenue.

The data revealed that innovation is a top priority for companies seeking to grow. But shortcomings in managing innovation, such as not having uniformity of command, are resulting in poor returns on innovation investments.

Accenture believes these poor returns can be turned into profitable, sustainable growth by systematically managing innovation end-to-end — with the same rigor and discipline as other major business processes. According to Accenture’s consumer technology research:

• There is a lack of innovation pipeline management with potentially too much emphasis on incremental versus long-term, large-scale innovation. One respondent indicated that incremental, as opposed to breakthrough, innovation accounts for 60 percent of his company’s pipeline. There was a wide variance among participants in how often product pipelines and portfolios were evaluated.

• There are far too many self-centered business unit silos. These silos impede collaboration on innovation efforts that can benefit the company.  As devices, content and communication technologies converge, cross silo collaboration becomes more critical for successful, ground-breaking innovation.

• There is an overdependence on backward-looking innovation metrics such as the number of patents, revenue realized from new products and the percentage of revenue derived from innovation initiatives versus forward-looking indicators such as sources of ideas, pipeline velocity and project risk profiles.

• There are far too many ad hoc innovation processes, especially for larger breakthrough innovation efforts, making it difficult to deliver value. To achieve excellence and deliver value, innovation needs to be managed as a business discipline with supporting processes and tools; few companies approach innovation in a holistic and systemic way.

So what should consumer technology companies do to generate better returns on their innovation investment? Here are a few ideas:

• Companies can reorient their innovation culture to start with the consumer, rather than the technology, and increase their tolerance for failure in the quest for breakthroughs.

• Companies must manage innovation like other disciplines—some don’t and it’s a major mistake. Innovation must be managed with rigor in an integrated way, blending marketing, customer service, sales, research, operations, performance management and risk management.

• Companies must design and actively manage an innovation portfolio consistent with their strategy, balancing short term incremental innovation with longer term, market moving bets.  Particularly during an economic downturn, the natural tendency of “hunkering down” and investing in short term incremental innovation only compromise a company’s competitive position for years to come.

The typical corporate response in a down economy is to cut costs. But companies cannot simply cut their way to prosperity. They must invest in growth through innovation—yes, even during tough times. Managing innovation well, in a uniform, well-structured fashion, is as important as an act of innovation itself.

Koetzier and Alon are managing directors for Accenture’s Innovation Performance Group, which works with clients on processes for addressing business challenges.  Koetzier can be reached at Wouter.koetzier@accenture.com and Alon can be contacted at adi.alon@accenture.com.

Pretty useful list of Free Tools worth checking out.  I knew a lot of them already, but a few new (to me) gems in there

…introducing…..the future

Like the new (to me, anyway) LinkedIn/Twitter connection.  Need more of those type integrations to solidify all these social platforms….

The other day I referenced a notice about Twitter’s new lists.  Now that I got to use the Beta, I ‘get’ the value better.  Its a great way to decrease the number of people you follow.  For instance, I’m a big college football fan so I created a list of people I followed who write about that.  And now that I have them in a list, I don’t have to follow them any more as an individual, as they just show up on the list’s page.

So a great organizational tool.

I like this new Twitter functionality, but at the same time it seems….quite complex.  You know, for what (is supposed to be simple) micro-blogging…

I’ve been saying this for years.  Though I was a long time MS fan, even I felt let down by Vista, and thus have come to recognize the stability of the Mac OS — just still not the economic value proposition. 

But the whole ‘security‘ thing they go on about in their cutesy commercials is a complete sham. ..

Il consumo di Internet attraverso dispositivi mobili è stabilmente orientato verso nord: crescita esponenziale. Diverse ricerche di mercato sottolineano questo fenomeno trainato dalla popolarità di prodotti quali Blackberry e Apple iPos touch e Apple iPhone principalmente. Secondo quanto riportato nel Meraki Wireless Census, il confronto tra l’estate 2009 e l’anno precedente evidenzia la significativa contribuzione dei dispositivi Apple. In questo caso, oltre al browsing vero e proprio attraverso Safari, molto dipende dall’ampia disponibilità di apps all’interno del negozio Apple. In questa categoria, il segmento delle News è tra i più attivi e gettonati, tralasciando la categoria dominante, i giochi.

Personalmente ho selezionato una mezza dozzina di apps sviluppate dalle fonti informative statunitensi che seguo regolarmente, con mia grande soddisfazione e diletto. Qualora fosse possibile, il mio consumo di contenuto è ulteriormente cresciuto grazie alla comodità e alla facilità di accedere alle notizie. In parte questo è una conseguenza della naturalezza intrinseca nel dispositivo. A ciò si aggiunge il formato video di dimensioni limitate che, paradossalmente, impone una User Interface (UI) molto essenziale, logica e priva di troppi inutili orpelli. Ancora più vincente, la quasi obbligatoria esposizione in verticale dei contenuti e la facilità di scrolling sullo schermo di iPhone e iPod touch rende l’esperienza estremamente piacevole, naturale e gradevole. la combinazione delle due cose mi ha portato a impiegare il mio iPhone  in qualità di news reader attraverso le apps e a considerare la lettura sul device come primo momento giornaliero di aggiornamento e raccolto di spunti e di riflessioni per poi eventualmente approfondire sul Web.

Media Companies come Wall Street Journal (WSJ) e USAToday ovviamente sviluppano contenuti per un’audience di riferimento e non per un canale distributivo in modo specifico. Questo significa che gli articoli che compaiono nelle rispettive applicazioni Apple sono poi ospitati nei siti web delle testate più o meno in modo identico (qualche immagine o elemento estremamente interattivo potrebbe mancare nella versione per dispositivi mobili). Il tema del costo della produzione dei contenuti e della sostenibilità delle newsrooms per gli editori trova in questo contesto un possibile elemento di svolta visto che gli utenti sono abituati a un’esperienza a pagamento per quanto concerne gli smartphones.

Rupert Murdoch il 15 settembre ha pubblicamente annunciato che l’app WSJ diventerà presto a pagamento con importi fissati in $2 per chi non è abbonato al quotidiano cartaceo e $1 per i clienti online. Gratis per chi sottoscrive al quotidiano. Ovviamente un non-sense. In qualità di abbonato alla versione online non ho alcuna intenzione di pagare due volte per lo stesso contenuto, principalmente per una questione di buon senso. E quanto comunicato da Murdoch non mi è sembrato molto sensato. E infatti l’azienda News Corp proprietaria tra l’altro di WSJ ha confermato che l’accesso al contenuto del WSJ attraverso dispositivi mobili sarà gratuito per chi è abbonato alla versione online: logico, corretto e rispettoso del consumatore. E sottoscritto contento di aver ampliato le modalità di accesso al prezioso e apprezzato contenuto del WSJ accrescendo la mia flessibilità e capacità di essere informato.

Qualche numero per definire i contorni dell’ecosistema costruito da Apple in questi ultimi anni:

• 30 milioni di iPhone venduti in 24 mesi;
• 225 milioni di iPod venduti in tutto il mondo;
• 1.8 miliardi di applicazioni scaricate dall’App Store escludendo gli aggiornamenti;
• 100M di account creati su iTunes da 23 paesi;
• 8.5 miliardi di canzoni acquistate (più o meno, $8.5B di fatturato dal momento del lancio del servizio).

Questo per quanto concerne l’area dei contenuti digitali, il punto di partenza della rivoluzione interna all’azienda di Cupertino che in questo ultimo decennio si è trasformata da Computer in Consumer Company. Numeri impressionanti che forniscono una dimensione chiara e inconfutabile del successo di Apple in questi ultimi anni. E la presenza di Steve Jobs sul palco un ulteriore elemento per rendere la giornata di oggi memorabile per molti.

Per un video sull’unboxing del nuovo nano guardate qui.

Pretty easy to set up those recurring,  ‘every Monday/Wednesday calls’ once I realized that new parameters become available once you select a general time structure, first….

I’m not really interested in this ‘verification’ functionality, or even the long-term viability of it.  But I enjoy all the comments of small-minded people challenging the worth of it, and the entrepreneur who created it calmly trying to reason with their claims.

I mean, maybe the venture won’t ultimately be profitable (though I bet it will), but regardless its at least worthy.  There’s definitely been worse ideas afterall, and The Long Tail warrants at least trying it, you know?

Haven’t used this yet, but love the idea.  I’ve always felt that one of the most empowering capabilities of the internet/web is the enablement of consumers — of giving them a voice.  And likewise, enabling forward-thinking companies to be responsive…

This is yet another nifty trick from Gmail’s labs, that I found from searching for something else.

But surprisingly, what I was searching for is simpler, yet doesn’t seem to exist.  And that was simply a way to ‘push’ out an email directly to the calendar (in the ‘description’ field), whereby you could just then assign the date/time parameters as needed.

And yes, I know about copy and paste, but hey that requires like, alt-tab and stuff :^)

Or maybe it does exist and I just didn’t find?  Seems simple enough….

This is the latest idea ever since that Samsung adds a front LCD in our camera for solving the self-portraits troubles. The models are Samsung ST500 that features Rear 3” Touchscreen and Samsung ST550 that features Rear 3.5” Touchscreen. At the same time, these devices offer a unique way to shoot and improve the thirst of your self-portrait photo. Moreover, you can have a tiny 1.5” Front LCD with the capability to place yourself exactly in front of the camera in order to shoot your beloved ones or yourself together.

Click to know about FujuFilm Long Zoom Optical Camera

Even more, both of the models Samsung ST500 and Samsung ST550 look similar and have the same design, a 12.2 Mpix sensor, a 4.6X optical Zoom, Haptic Feedback, 720p video recording capability and IS.

[ More ]

Meanwhile, for those too lazy to follow my instructions, ha ha

Right.  See this is my theory regarding all the social networks.  Their novelty wears off after a while.  I mean, when they’re hot they are no doubt hot, but they then begin to fade over time.

Unless they provide sustainable value (and not just ‘fun’), their usage drops off over time.    LinkedIn is the best example of one that sustains value.  And as much as I at first thought Twitter was dumb, and couldn’t beleive all the hype it was getting, I actually now see some value in it — for the right kinds of users (business, service providers, et al.)

However ‘Johnny’ reporting on what he’s having for dinner, is still dumb, and ridiculously ego-tastic :^)

I find this attempt by Wolfram Alpha fascinating.  In no way should the results of data mining, be held as proprietary.  Not when the results are, at their core, still just a list.

I think it will be  a moot point, from what I’ve seen of Wolfram Alpha, its not that good of an engine anyway

If you want to share your thoughts, you have to leave the page or to do something else. Nevertheless, this is a new thought called as Lynki Conversations that lets you see others what are they thinking about any site or articles. Moreover, you can share opinions and add to the conversations.
At the same time, this allows the user to see the comments about your site and your articles. Besides, you can share your views on the video you are watching or the great blog post you are reading.

Click to Install Firefox Experimental Addons

Here below we have given few of the features of Lynki Conversations:
Discover: Open Lynki Conversations on any page you are browsing to see what other users are saying about that site or news.

Share: Join the conversation. Add your message to Lynki and Twitter

Friends: See what your friends on Lynki are saying and sites they recommend

Save: Quickly save and access your favorite sites

Popular: See the most popular sites and news on Lynki

Click to SOURCE and DOWNLOAD the Addon

[ More ]

Every year, PC Magazine publishes their list of top websites.  This year, PC Mag includes “classic” and “undiscovered” sites in the same list.  I always find this list to be a great resource for discovering new tools to use in work and play.  Enjoy.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2350553,00.asp

A brief history of social technology, and what it means to you

By Gina Bianchini, CEO and co-founder, Ning

Ning's Bianchini says social networks are evolving

At the outset of online social networking, around, say, 2002, early users had to wedge their personalities into static, cookie-cutter profile pages — it was the price we all paid for the convenience of this new and powerful social tool.  How times have changed: Instead of altering yourself to fit the social network, the social network is evolving to cater to you. Here’s a quick look at how companies and technologies have evolved to more closely mirror the human experience.

Social Networking Infancy – The Early Days

Social technology ties people together in new ways. It makes it easy to meet or reconnect with people, discover and share ideas and content, and consume news and events across the Internet. Friendship takes on an entirely new dimension online, and media consumption and sharing –photos, music, and most of all video –are changing and rates never before seen on the Internet. It is a revolution that spawns companies like MySpace, YouTube, Photobucket, and even Facebook.

But the earliest sites forced people to contort and squeeze their personalities into what’s available. The best example of this was Friendster, which forced people into a single profile page and kicked out anyone  expressing their creativity with anything other than his or her “real” identity.

Next, MySpace created a service that let people express their unadulterated creativity and socialize around music, events as well as the single profile they created to represent their life. It was a social technology that served as an extension of one’s personality with a lot more room for creative expression than anything before it. Both Friendster and MySpace provided an easy way to manage a single profile. They have been fantastic at bringing new people into social networking, in the same way AOL was a critical step in getting people online in the first place.

Now, as we edge into the teenage years of social networking, people have come to expect and need more options to express themselves as unique individuals, much like they do in the real world. It’s just human nature if you consider the different aspects of your personality that shine through, for example, when with your family, your college friends, your work friends, your sports team, or your book club. When you are in different contexts, different facets of you shine through – this is what makes each person around the globe the rich and interesting people they are.

Social Networking – The Teen Years
Six years into the phenomenon, successful social technologies are adding more features, customizable options, and most importantly, more ways to seamlessly integrate with other social technologies. This growth stage shows how different social technologies are rapidly emerging and gaining adoption when they do one thing extraordinarily well.
In the case of Facebook, they connect you to people you already know. Waves of college friends, followed by waves of high school friends, work colleagues, elementary school alumni, and your parents have joined Facebook in large part because it connects people who already know it other better than any other social technology.
In the case of Twitter, people are using it to share and discover a real-time stream of news and real-time events. People have always consumed new information and the brilliance of Twitter is that it is enabling a dynamic, rapidly changing mosaic of news and information that you can fluidly follow depending on your current perspective on the world.

Ning, a social platform with more than 1.3 million social networks, gives you the opportunity to present yourself not just in one of the context above, but also express yourself by all of your unique interests and passions. We offer a way to create and join social networks to connect with people around any topic, as well as a way to organize and manage the different aspects of your online persona to mirror who you are – and what you care about – today.

We are finally seeing social technologies moving beyond providing one application, one template, one profile into which you have to squeeze all the different aspects that make you unique. What we are learning from the teen years of social networking is that, just like any fifteen-year-old boy or girl, this is the stage where diversity, choice, and defining the many facets of oneself is paramount. In this new social technology landscape, it’s not about choosing one service, but piecing together multiple services, as you need them, to fulfill different aspects of who you are.

Social Networking – All Grown Up
Ultimately, as social technology matures, it will continue to evolve to fully reflect fundamental human behavior.
Social technologies will grow by specializing in certain areas of human need and working in concert with each other to fully reflect how people live their lives in the real world. Only, in this online world it’s richer, more vibrant, global, and a bigger, more deeply connected version of life.

So far, social technologies have meant taking the diverse person that you are and trying to contort yourself to fit into the technologies provided. They don’t always reflect who you are in the real world: an individual with close friendships, professional relationships, and specific interests and passions that make you unique.

In fact, for most people there is a less than 50% overlap between their passions and interests and their personal and professional friends. That means half of your identity isn’t shared, stimulated or nurtured by the people in your life.

Social technologies will give people the freedom to express themselves as the individuals that they are, and the ability to gather around subjects that they care about such as movies, books, sports, legislation, or even private aspects such as connecting with fellow veterans, adoptive parents, or patient support groups. People want to be multi-dimensional humans, not one-dimensional life-size photos, and they want to find others like them.

As online networking continues to evolve, you will see more social technologies working together to allow you to be the multi-faceted person you truly are and to nurture and fulfill of all your interests and desires for more information and new people with whom you can connect. Social technology will continue to adapt to our needs. There will be more freedom and more ways to fully realize online the best, most fulfilling version of you.

Bianchini is CEO and co-founder (with Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen) of Ning, a Palo Alto-based company that lets people join and create new social networks for their interests in passions.

With the launch of the Flip video camera in May 2007, the camcorder market has never been the same. Flip brought video creation and sharing to the masses, which meant even more footage of cats riding skateboards. (We can’t thank them enough for that.)

Consumers embraced the convenience, simplicity, portability, and affordability of Flip’s “point and shoot” video camera. It has few buttons, records video on an internal chip, and uploads footage to a computer through a USB key that “flips” out of the camera. Software loaded on the device transfers clips seamlessly to the Web. Models start at $150.

Soon the device was grabbing market share from Sony (SNE) and JVC — more than two million of the cameras have been sold — and earlier this year networking giant Cisco (CSCO) snapped up Flip maker Pure Digital for $590 million.

But there’s a new rival on the scene: Apple iPhone 3GS, introduced in early June, boasts a video capture function. And some technophiles are asking if Flip’s days as the No. 1 pocket video recorder are numbered.

There’s no question the iPhone’s video function is one of the coolest new features on the phone. It absolutely competes with the Flip, and in some ways is actually superior.

Unlike Flip, you can edit clips right on the iPhone by moving the start and stop points. You can also share video immediately via wireless email on the iPhone 3GS. Flip can’t do that. And while Flip does have a leg up with its high definition models, the standard definition iPhone is wired for HD. All it needs is a software upgrade (Apple (AAPL) had to leave something for the next version of the iPhone).

The iPhone also has a sleeker design and a larger screen than Flip, and performs a wide range of functions. The price tag reflects that, ranging from $199 to $299 for the phone plus a two-year contract with AT&T (T) easily coming in at $70 a month.  At $230, the MinoHD is the Flip’s most expensive model.

The iPhone can do almost everything the Flip can, and in some cases, even more. In spite of this, tech and camcorder industry analysts don’t believe it’s a threat. Ironically, they say that many consumers are attracted to the Flip precisely because it lacks the iPhone’s panoply of functions and add-ons.

“Much of the strength of the Flip comes from its simplicity and dedicated purpose,” explains Ross Rubin of market researcher NPD group. While Rubin acknowledges the advantages the iPhone’s video capture has over Flip, he argues that “these may not be as important or could be confusing to many Flip users that eschew sophistication in their devices.”

Despite the seeming trend of convergence toward a single multipurpose device, analysts claim many consumers still prefer electronics dedicated to one task. “The notion of the hybrid cannibal device always pops up,” says Chris Chute of research firm IDC. “The consumer doesn’t say to themselves, ‘I’m going to buy one device that does everything okay.’”

Indeed, the entrance of camera phones into the market five years ago sparked speculation that digital cameras would disappear because everyone would be printing photos from their phones. That didn’t happen. And the Flip has held up in a market where digital cameras and other devices capture video, Rubin notes. “The iPhone is simply among the latest devices to offer video recording among its features.”

The iPhone doesn’t have all the edge either. To start, Flip is accessible through many more channels than the iPhone 3GS. Flip’s MinoHD currently holds the No. 10 spot on Amazon’s list of electronics bestsellers. You can’t even buy the iPhone 3GS on Amazon.

As for the design, while the Flip might not be as sleek as the iPhone, it’s nearly the same size and the Mino model is lighter in weight. The Flip is also more affordable and doesn’t require a contract commitment, making it an easier sell to those outside the “early adopter” set.

To those for whom the ability to share video immediately is a real sticking point, the analysts recommend patience. IDC’s Chute predicts that Flip will introduce wireless sharing by the Consumer Electronics Show next January. In the meantime, sharing on Flip is still relatively convenient, especially with its user-friendly software.

The analysts seem certain that the new iPhone won’t challenge Flip’s market position for the time being, but that doesn’t mean the horizon is clear. Creative Strategies analyst Ben Bajarin thinks that video capture in phones could become a problem down the line. “How do they compete if this trend of higher resolution video capture and more shows up in more and more smartphones?”

Meanwhile both Rubin and Chute suggest that a video capture enabled iPod Touch or Nano could be a more dangerous to Flip than the iPhone. “They’re adding functionality to a media player, and the devices are sold at similar places,” explains Chute.

Flip’s direct competitors pose the greatest risk, analysts say. Sony, Sanyo, Creative and Kodak have all launched products in the “Point and Shoot Flash” camcorder category. As Flip looks to expand its presence globally, it will face intense pressure from these contenders, many of whom already have brand equity in international markets.

My baby’s always dancin’
And it wouldn’t be a bad thing
But I don’t get no loving
And that’s no lie

We spent the night in Frisco
At every kind of disco
And from that night I kissed
Our love goodbye

- Michael Jackson (Blame It Own The Boogie)

The recession may be slowing your “baby” down just a little bit. Shaking booties may not be a top priority right now (at least in public). For their own reasons, many people are changing their social habits. They aren’t ”dancin” as much as they used to. They’re spending more time with their families and enjoying the little pleasures of home. If you’re like MJ, you may want to make sure the party in your crib in a good one. And that’s why I’m here.

One thing that the recession is causing people to do is to scratch the plans they had to change Junior’s bedroom into a home theater. I understand your position. However, you may not know that you can still get a solid home entertainment experience without having a custom home theater. You can also do it for much less than you probably thought. Now, keep in mind, I’m not talking about something that’s going to be cheap, just much less than what you probably thought. If you’re trying to keep your baby home, you’re going to have to get some quality goods. My colleague, The Gift Quarterback, can help you gentlemen decide the best way to convince your baby that all of these purchases are for her.

Five Booty Shakin’ Products for Your Home Theater

1. Mitsubishi WD-60735 60-Inch 1080p DLP HDTV, $1099: The WD-60735 is a flat screen HDTV that isn’t as sexy as flat-panel LCDs and plasmas because it can’t be mounted on the wall. Who cares. DLP’s don’t take up much space and they aren’t as heavy as the may look. This TV wieghs 80 lbs. A 60″ plasma weighs about twice that. I love DLP. More screen for your money So consider this TV if you aren’t set on mounting your TV on the wall.
2. Onkyo HT-SP908 7.1 Channel Home Theater System, $650: People often over look the audio part of home entertainment. If you’re going to keep your baby home, you have to stimulate their eyes and their ears. I’m a big fan of Onkyo. Excellent quality, excellent pricing.
3. Play Station 3, $399: The Playstation 3 makes the list because it’s the best Blu-Ray player on the market. It damn sure ain’t the cheapest but you get a top notch Blu-Ray player AND a game console. You can also use it as a media player. Check out the prices on some of the best Blu-Ray players versus what you get and you’ll see why the PS3 is here.
4. Roku Digital Video Player, $99: You all should already know how I feel about this puppy (How to Be A Player), so I won’t even wax poetic. If you have netflix, this is a must have.
5. Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote, $149 or Logitech Harmony 890 Advanced Universal Remote Control, $219: If you don’t have a Harmony remote control, my heart bleeds for you. Harmony remotes change the way you think about universal remotes. You don’t need to know any funky codes or hire a professional to program it for you. Plug it into you computer and  click a few buttons. I can’t begin to explain how much more simple watching TV will become. Don’t ask questions, just go get one.

Slight disclaimer: A few of these links go to the HTGuys website. I have no affiliation with them other than the fact that I enjoy their podcast. Their products are sold through a storefront for Amazon so don’t be scared off. You’ll be buying from Amazon. You will just be supporting their podcasts while buying from a reputable vendor.

By the way, if Junior’s bedroom is empty because he’s now living in your basement, you may have other issues besides the recession. You may want to ignore everything I said, because that light at the end of the tunnel may just be the refrigerator door open. Go crocery shopping instead.

“No matter how hard you hug your money, it never hugs back.” -Quoted in P.S. I Love You

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denity technology solutions
for when you need to choose & use^sm technology
www.denity.com

serving the washington, dc metro area

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Video:

Jackson Five: Blame It On The Boogie

My iPhone (16GB, white) and I got off to a rocky start.

After standing in line (in the rain, the first in 30 days) for an hour and a half, I entered the very-well organized Apple iPhone purchase-and-activation system.* Buy the phone and give the AT&T computers a heads-up that a phone number migration is about to happen. Move to activation station. In less than the time it took to take that picture, my Blackjack had been deactivated (which I discovered when I tried to post it to TwitPic).

Open the box, remove the phone, plug it into one of those laptops, and moments later I hear, “You’re good to go. It will take a few minutes for the phone to show that it’s active.”

Use that “wait time” to pick up screen protection (I choose matte finish) and grippy side/back cover. Wander over to a station with no Apple employee to sync my contacts with my MobileMe account. (I migrated my Blackjack contacts to Apple’s address book, using The Missing Sync.) Phone still showing “not activated” so I connected to my MBP and the store wifi network. Walk through iTunes setup stuff; sync calendar and address book. Check phone. Still not activated.

I’m not yet impatient, but I wander back to my activation guy. He says, “It shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes.” I tell him it’s been more than 15 minutes. He takes the phone, checks that AT&T still thinks it’s activated, asks me to wait a little longer. So I play around with it (Tweet from Safari) and wonder if I’ll ever get used to the keyboard. Typo city!

Another 20 minutes or so, and I go back to my activator. He double checks (again) and then physically turns the phone off and back on. Success! [Of course, it's sad that "when in doubt, reboot" remains a necessary consumer electronics mantra.]

I packed up my laptop and headed out for breakfast. But first I called Mike to tell him I was a proud owner of a new phone! (Voice dialing rocks!) Even without my Jawbone (I’d left it at home), I thought the device worked pretty well as a phone.

The Application Store
Given my experience with Twitter’s web interface on Safari, I went straight to the Twitter utilities. I decided to experiment with TweetDeck because (a) it’s free, (b) I love it on my desktop (and the two can be synced), and (c) other applications had more mixed reviews (even Tweetie). Oh, yeah, that was a good decision! What a difference a dedicated application makes!

As I prepared to eat an indulgent breakfast, I tested the TwitPict application. I think I prefer the Blackjack’s MMS texting, because I could send pictures to TwitPic, Flickr and Facebook with one “push” (the disadvantage to this method was a very short caption character limit). Unless there is an application to share pictures that I haven’t found yet, I have to post a pic to each application separately. (Note: I haven’t checked out Flickr yet, but I have subsequently added the Facebook application.)

While eating breakfast, I noticed that the iPhone sucks battery power. Less than three hours after activation, without constant use, I was at 55 percent battery power. Ouch. That’s not an 8-hour day! Of course, I wasn’t turning the phone “off” when I sat it aside, I merely let the screen go to sleep (because this was my practice with the Blackjack).

Once I got home, I seamlessly connected to our home Verizon/FiOS network. I fiddled with the settings (rearranged the home icons, changed the wallpaper, added passcode access and changed auto-lock time to 5 minutes, added my primary gmail account) and read the “finger tips” instruction booklet.

Day One Advanced
I had a motorcycle safety instructor meeting this evening. Before/during, I discovered the coolness of maps (it’s like a mini-GPS application; I checked my progress when stopped at red lights), replied to my first text message (I was looking unsuccessfully for “reply” — it took me a second look to see the text box and think “tap that”), added some more applications (Flashlight, Facebook, UrbanSpoon), played with the compass and watched a YouTube clip.

Oh, and I published my first photo to MobileMe; well, I thought I did. I had sent a notice of upload to my gmail account; when I clicked on the link in that mail, Apple prompted me for login info! These uploads aren’t public?!? As you can see, there’s nothing “there” in Firefox or Safari. It turns out the problem is the link in the mail: it contains the caption in the string. Of course, the link is to the gallery folder, not the specific, public image. Lame.

I realize that I am getting better with the keyboard (except for the “m” — I keep hitting backspace) and have figured out how to activate the spelling correction. I’ve decided accessing the number or special character “keyboards” is no less bothersome than mode changes on the Blackjack (and the iPhone mode change is far more visible).

The screen clarity is amazing! I now understand why insiders were agitating/hoping for an Apple tablet this summer.

On my to-do list for the weekend:

• Ringtones – doable? I want Mike’s calls to still be the theme from Doctor Who!
• Flickr upload
• MMS
• Play with video

Overall, I’m very tickled!

* One Reservation
There was a long and congenial line of folks who had reserved an iPhone. Apple employees circulated with cookies, granola bars, water (someone had gone to Costco!). They answered questions. All in all, they were very competent, except for one thing: the way they handled the line of people who had not reserved a phone.

After I’d been in line for about an hour, I could see that there was two lines. We joked that we should go get in the shorter (no phone reserved) line, but an Apple employee said something like “they won’t get their phones until after you get yours.” We laughed and said OK. But that was not how the non-reserved line was handled. Employees let two people in from the reserved line and then one from the non-reserved line. Thus, there was a clear time penalty for having reserved a phone. In my opinion, the non-reserved line should not have had store access until 10 am, as long as there were people waiting who had reserved a phone.