For a variety of reasons we have been increasingly looking at the mobile world of late. We freely confess though that we do not fully understand the need that many people seem to have to be constantly connected. When we were trying to have some down time recently the Facebook app on Susan's iPhone nearly drove us crazy. We really don't care if you have just arrived at the XYZ grocery store and we certainly don't need to have that non-information shouted at us. It does seem to only push notifications for close friends--not all--but we don't want push notifications at all; we did turn of all the push notification options we could find. So if anyone knows how to have the FB app on your smartphone _without_ having the stupid thing keep notifying you of everything please let us know.
That said, we're not complete luddites. We do see a great deal of potential in these devices for personal use and of course for business applications too. We love our iPad. It keeps us entertained and has a big enough screen to allow us to do real work as well, from writing articles to reading emails. We like our iPhone a lot too (not so happy with our Android phone, but that's another story) but can't use it for real work as the screen is just too small for our old eyes. However, it was certainly useful recently when we were shopping for things for our new house. By using the built-in camera and a bar-code scanner app we were able to find reviews of the items we were looking for and compare prices with other stores. That is a useful application of technology.
Similarly many business applications can be enhanced through the use of a mobile application. Consider an insurance assessor being dispatched to view damage to an automobile or house. Using a mobile device he can receive details of the location, navigate there using the built-in GPS, then complete the required forms, attach pictures, voice notes, etc. He can "sign" the paperwork and the whole thing can be wrapped up quickly and efficiently. It would, of course, be foolish to think that our insurance rates would drop as a result but. ...
In our own IBM i world the term "mobile" crops up more often in our mailbox than "cloud" and almost certainly with more justification for the average shop. Just how important is mobile? Well, if you have any doubts take a look at this review of the latest report from analytics firm Flurry. To quote from the review:
" ... the rate of these smartphones and tablets adoption is 10 times faster than that of PCs in the 1980s. ..."
Ten times! And you thought you had problems when people started demanding to connect their office PCs to the system! Think about it, that was a significant problem for many of us not so many years ago.
If you aren't already looking at mobile applications you should be. For some it could be the thing that helps cement the IBM i within your organization. Oh, and by the way, that insurance company application we mentioned? The majority of that can be handled by free software, and you know how we love free! Lansa's free LongReach tool can provide the mobile underpinnings for much of what we talked about in this blog entry. We won't go into detail as we've covered it before, but check it out. If nothing else it might give you some ideas.
That said, we're not complete luddites. We do see a great deal of potential in these devices for personal use and of course for business applications too. We love our iPad. It keeps us entertained and has a big enough screen to allow us to do real work as well, from writing articles to reading emails. We like our iPhone a lot too (not so happy with our Android phone, but that's another story) but can't use it for real work as the screen is just too small for our old eyes. However, it was certainly useful recently when we were shopping for things for our new house. By using the built-in camera and a bar-code scanner app we were able to find reviews of the items we were looking for and compare prices with other stores. That is a useful application of technology.
Similarly many business applications can be enhanced through the use of a mobile application. Consider an insurance assessor being dispatched to view damage to an automobile or house. Using a mobile device he can receive details of the location, navigate there using the built-in GPS, then complete the required forms, attach pictures, voice notes, etc. He can "sign" the paperwork and the whole thing can be wrapped up quickly and efficiently. It would, of course, be foolish to think that our insurance rates would drop as a result but. ...
In our own IBM i world the term "mobile" crops up more often in our mailbox than "cloud" and almost certainly with more justification for the average shop. Just how important is mobile? Well, if you have any doubts take a look at this review of the latest report from analytics firm Flurry. To quote from the review:
" ... the rate of these smartphones and tablets adoption is 10 times faster than that of PCs in the 1980s. ..."
Ten times! And you thought you had problems when people started demanding to connect their office PCs to the system! Think about it, that was a significant problem for many of us not so many years ago.
If you aren't already looking at mobile applications you should be. For some it could be the thing that helps cement the IBM i within your organization. Oh, and by the way, that insurance company application we mentioned? The majority of that can be handled by free software, and you know how we love free! Lansa's free LongReach tool can provide the mobile underpinnings for much of what we talked about in this blog entry. We won't go into detail as we've covered it before, but check it out. If nothing else it might give you some ideas.
Mobile capability is a top priority for FIDM students and we just delivered our first three mobile apps allowing students to access their schedule of classes, college calendar and campus hours All were custom developed in house on our Websphere portal on IBM i on Power 7. We've received great feedback from students including one who said "this is SIQQQ! :-)"
Posted by: Roxanne Reynolds-Lair | August 29, 2012 at 09:51 PM
Jon/Susan, the nice thing about ANY mobile device...it has an "off" switch. Consider using it liberally... :)
Posted by: Don Rima | August 30, 2012 at 07:22 AM
... on IBM i on Power 7. We've received great feedback from students including one who said "this is SIQQQ! :-)"
I don't know where FIDM is, but I'm assuming that they offer courses for students looking for a BS in Computer Science.
I would make it a point ask ALL professors of IT classes to tell their students that this mobile app is hosted on an IBM i on Power 7 - and explain why it wasn't hosted on a Windows solution
Posted by: Dan Devoe | August 31, 2012 at 09:18 AM
@Don - Strange thing is that when you do that it miraculously loses it's ability to act as a phone. Odd that. But removing the FB app completely does work while still allowing the device to work.
@Dan - Thanks for giving me a huge chuckle this morning. FIDM is in LA - and they teach Fashion Design and Merchandising. Not an IT degree in sight.
But I do agree with your basic sentiment.
Posted by: Jon Paris | August 31, 2012 at 09:37 AM
@Roxanne Congratulations - I'd like to hear more about these new apps. DId you do them as web-based or native or ... ?
You guys are always at the forefront - as befits an organization concerned with fashion I guess.
Posted by: Jon Paris | August 31, 2012 at 09:48 AM