I’ve been a big fan of Parallels ever since I started using a Mac. The software allows you to run Windows inside your Mac operating system and each release of the software has a number of great improvements that help blend your Windows and Mac environments together quite nicely.

I’ve also used VMware to do this, but found that the team at Parallels are really focused on coming up with stuff I didn’t realize I needed until they wrapped it into their software - much more so than what VMware offered.

Their latest version (4) is no exception. The user interface has been much improved with all new controlls/icons that really look nice (albiet a bit VMware-esque).

In addition, they have a new control panel area that allows you to see a somewhat live thumbnail version of all of the virtual environments you’re running. This is a great example of something I would probably have passed on if I saw a feature request for it and were in charge of development - but now that I’ve seen it, I think its REALLY handy!

Finally, they have an all new set of “status” icons at the bottom of the screen with lights that appear below the icons showing you exactly what’s going on with your machine. Again, very handy!

Beyond the UI improvements are a number of new features, stability improvements, etc. If you use Parallels, I’d highly suggest doing this upgrade. One note: the first few times it loaded after the upgrade, it took quite some time for Windows to actually be usable. I threw more RAM at my VM instance and the problem went away completely. I’m not sure if that was conincidence or some background tasks - but I thought it was noteworthy.

We have a need. We’re not entirely sure where the need starts and ends but we know that we’d like to better manage projects. Some of these projects are very large, some are small, most are somewhere inbetween. Each project has a team, tasks, meetings, etc. Each project also has documents associated with it - sometimes just a simple Word doc, other times everything from PowerPoint presentations to CAD drawings, which by the way, can get quite large.

In the past, we’ve looked at Domino.Doc, a product that would really go a long way to solve this need. However, it requires us to all agree on a taxonomy, which we can’t because of the breadth of project types.

We think that either Connections, Quickr or some combination can help us address this need. We’ve been playing around with Quickr for some time and have a pretty good understanding of that. However, as I worked with various people at IBM/Lotus, I kept hearing that Connections is something we should look at.

I attended a proof of technology (PoT) event last week at IBM on Connections. I LOVE that IBM puts these on. They are always excellent ways to learn about IBM solutions and they’re often structured in a way that managers and executives could attend the first day and get a great overview of the product, while admins/developers can stay for the rest of the days and go into a bit more of a deep dive into setup/configuration of various products.

Coming out of the event, I’m slightly more clear on when you would want to use Connections vs. Quickr. However, by IBM’s own admission, there’s a lot of overlap!

Blogs, profiles, connecting with others in your organization - all of those things are best done using Connections.

Managing documents, schedules, team calendars, etc. - all of those things are best done using Quickr.

For us, our larger projects seem to make sense to exist in Quickr. The structure and layout of Quickr lends itself better to things like check in/out, revisions, etc. - all of which you’d expect in a document management tool.

However, small and medium projects could really exist in both. Infact, Connections has a neat “Activities” feature which works like a really fancy to-do list and integrates into Notes. You can even have sort of activity templates which are a pre-made list of things someone must do for particular activities. An example of this would be a check-list activity of things a manager must do when hiring a new employee. Each time that event occurs, you can simply add the template activity to your list and work your way through the checklist.

Connections seems to be built a bit more around activities that close out eventually and have no value in sticking around on your system. In the example above, there would probably not be much value in keeping that checklist 6 months after the person was hired, assuming all of the activities had been completed. However, in our case, many of our projects have multiple versions that span over years; so the need to keep a history of all documents, tasks, etc. is really important.

It’ll be interesting to see how we go about thinking about fitting either, or both, of these products into our environment in the upcoming weeks. Right now, when the topic comes up, we need to stop and remind ourselves about the similarities and differences before we can start thinking about how to use either in the organization.

Regardless, they’re both great products that are quite impressive from a design, function and admin perspective and if you’ve put off looking at either one, I’d highly suggest asking your IBM/Lotus rep about a proof of technology event near you!

Not exactly sure when this was posted but Lotus has released a beta version of their Symphony office suite for the Mac. For me, this couldn’t come at a better time as I’ve been struggling with some odd Microsoft Office issues for about a week now. The issues have prompted me to downgrade (Office ‘04), then upgrade (Office ‘08) and side-grade (move to iWork ‘08) to try to find software that would open, and more importantly, save documents properly. I continue to be frustrated with Microsoft Office on the Mac (any version) for a number of issues (at the top of the list is how easy it is to loose your document and menus if you take advantage of “spaces” on a Mac). iWork is a promsing product, but their spreadsheet utility, Numbers, takes some getting used to.

Enter Symphony for the Mac. The Symphony download was much smaller than the bloated Microsoft Office install (or for that matter, the total of the many updates I needed to download right after the install). I found the use of a single icon a bit unusual, but I’ve gotten used to it pretty quickly. The software starts somewhat quickly and the fact that everything is contained within its own window resolves my issues with spaces. I have to say, I’m pretty impressed and am actually excited about using the product to learn more!

Meanwhile, Kevin Kavanagh blogged some key updates from the DNUG keynote speach. One drew my attention:

“Sync version of iPhone being actively worked on.  Demo will be available soon (I’m reading Lotusphere but don’t hold me to that)”

Wow! Consider me holding my breath for good news!

The first menu screen on the iPhone has one application slot open. I like to think of this space as being reserved for the MVP in my application list. Apps that have earned a spot here included iNotes über lite and NotesPro.

But today I stumbled on a new one that earns a spot there: FakeCalls

As the name suggests the app will make it look like you’re getting a call allowing you to excuse yourself from an unwanted conversation.

So far “Bono,” “The President,” and “The 80’s” have called me.

One of these days, I’m going to start a blog about cars. In the mean time, you get the benefit of my random thoughts. (I know, lucky you.)

I had two rental cars recently. The first, a Chevrolet TrailBlazer; a car I guess I knew was still in production, but yet didn’t really remember was still being sold. Its undergone very few changes as of late, but one is quite unique … and odd. Note the circle just to the left of the stereo. Its a logo. For the TrailBlazer. - Really? Of all the cars that deserve a logo, I’m not sure this is one of them.

The next rental was a Pontiac GrandPrix, a car I wanted so badly I could taste it back in the day (that was the day they started with those “wide track” commercials). This is a fairly big 4 door car and yet it felt like a really bad use of all that space. I felt like stuff on the dashboard was competing for my attention. And yet, the digital displays (off to the side of the spedo) didn’t care if I paid attention to them or not.

When you start up the car, the top display you see below says “GP.” (Again, what’s with GM logos in cars these days?!) After that, it has a number of display functions, all of which aren’t that important - despite the fact that the display placement is in a highly visible area when you’re driving.

Below that is the stereo display, one that most people pay quite a bit of attention to when driving. I could barely see the station number I was on, had to stop and lean in to see the rest of what was on the screen, and found that I was spending far too much time trying to figure out what was on that thing vs. actually driving.

Finally, as you can see from the photo, there’s not really a good angle to be able to see either of these displays without at least one of them getting reflection from stuff outside.

No point, just random rental car commentary.

I’ve been searching for a really good “flight status” application for the iPhone. Ideally, I’d want a free one; but I’m starting to think this might be one area I’ll need to shell out some money for. Until I find that wonder-app, I’ve been using PocketExpress.com. They have an iPhone application (which doesn’t yet have the travel piece built in) and an iPhone version of the site (iphone.pocketexpress.com) as well.

Generally speaking, I really like the interface. As I used it for a recent flight, I couldn’t help realize the time old conundrum about flights: their schedule often changes and often doesn’t make exact sense to the common non-pilot type.

Exhibit A: Note the flight below. The actual departure time is 15 minutes late and the actual arrival time is 4 minutes ahead of schedule. That’s right late start, early arrival. Yes, there are many reasons for why that is possible, although it still just looks strange. Regardless, it underscores my need for an application that keeps track of this for me. Any suggestions?

From Gizmodo: iPhone surpassed RIM (Blackberry) in sales. RIM sold 6.1 million, iPhone accounted for 6.9 million (for the quarter).

Significance? Ever since I’ve started my - ok, I’ll say it “rant” - about the importance of the iPhone in business and the need for a native Lotus Notes solution that matches what Exchange can do on the iPhone, I’ve recieved many comments and even more emails from people who are quick to point out that Blackberry devices are the “business” standard. The inherit comment there is that more attention should be put into that device instead of the iPhone.

Now, the sales data above does NOT include a breakdown of percentage of purchases for business use versus personal, although both companies have a significant amount of both. I get that. But it does reflect a trend and impact of the device in the market in general.

Just wanted to provide yet another reason why SOMEONE should be working on resolving the iPhone v. Notes problem (and do it on a level that’s comparable with the iPhone’s capabilities with Exchange and/or matches what Blackberry devices do today).

I’m just sayin’…

Wednesday afternoon my Mac went to sleep, as it normally does when I’m not around. I disconnected it (with no drives pluggedin) and went to my local coffee shop to finish out several emails I needed to respond to. When I got there, my Mac refused to wake up. I did the usual fixes but nothing work - which resulted in my visit to the Apple store.

Since then (and since my Mac is @ the Apple store for the next several days), I’ve been using a Sony Vaio we had laying around the office. Its a nice, lightweight machine with a Centrino Duo processor and XP. But within minutes, I started to make a list of the things I miss from my Mac and things I forgot I liked about PCs.

Missing about my Mac…

• Placement and funciton of control/command type keys
• Not having to deal with a static “start” bar that consumes a lot of space (and I think “auto hide” makes it worse)
• Spaces - I never realized how much I used that until now
• Auto-scrolling speeds on the mouse (the Mac adapts to the speed at which you move the mouse - the PC is one-speed-for-all based on what you set it to be)
• CMD+SHIFT+F4 (brings up a screen capture utility)
• Quicktime being “there” already
• Smooth fonts
• Spacebar preview (in Finder)

I forgot PCs are nice because…

• Applications are easier to find (when you need to install them)
• “Windows” key functionality like “WIN+R” to bring up the “run” command. Quicksilver does that on a Mac but I don’t think it does it as well.
• Network drives are MUCH easier to deal with on a PC (why do I have to MOUNT a network drive on a Mac each time I want to use it!?)
• Full Lotus product support (Quickr connectors, Notes 8, etc. - they’re all here on Windows and work great)

Despite realizing that there are things I miss from the Windows/PC world, I’m still anxious to get my Mac back!

Sir Paul Mooney proposed that perhaps it was time to rethink the Lotus Notes user interface. He provided suggestions and others have as well. I wanted to weigh in on the idea…

I actually think the chicklets are great. Infact, I’m not the only one who thinks its a good idea. There’s one other company that has a device which has been applauded as a phenomenal device that features a similar interface. This one has a square icon representing a unique application (just like Notes), the ability to move to different groups (or tabs, like in Notes) where more application icons can be stored and the ability to move the application icons themselves from one screen/tab to another (just like Notes). Perhaps you haven’t seen the device I’m talking about:

Now… if Notes wants to make their icons look more cool like the iPhone, I’m all for it. But I think its somewhat appropriate that Lotus Notes (which was originally partially based on UI concepts from Apple) has kept this interface despite attempts to make it more contemporary in R5, 6, 7 and now 8 … and Apple chose it for one of their products.

And in my book, when Apple has an interface idea - its probably a great one!

I’m standing in one of my most favorite, and yet least favorite, spots: the Apple store.

I love being in this place except when it’s like it is today: in front of the Genius Bar waiting to find out why my Mac refuses to work.

While waiting, I’m struck with a few thoughts:

• Nearly any area of the store can be instantly turned into a training center. At the moment, there are 6 classes going on where people are learning everything from video editing with their own camcorder to Mac basics. The guy behind me appears to be learning how to bookmark his favorite business websites. Man, there’s money to be made in training isn’t there?
• The new Mac laptops are nice. They all finally look like a unified family. I’m not crazy about the glossy screen on the 15″ but the design and trackpad are amazing. How Apple continues to innovate “the mouse” stuns me. If you haven’t used it first hand, stop in a store sometime.
• I don’t know what I would do without my iPhone. Waiting here I’ve caught up on email, scheduled a meeting, checked yesterday’s performance metrics, caught up on my RSS feeds, played a game and now blogged. All from the same device. I’ve almost forgotten that I’ve been waiting for a half hour. Almost.