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Initial reactions from the Lotusphere OGS…

I don’t think there has been a Lotusphere that I was more interested in seeing what would happen with than LS10. We’ve all been handed a fresh release of  Notes/Domino, a stable Traveler product (answering much of the iPhone demand) and a Sametime release that’s so new it still has that “new car” smell to it. I left for Orlando wondering what they could possibly debut at Lotusphere.

The answer: not a whole lot. And I’m OK with that!

Let’s first cover some of the bullet points I found interesting from the opening general session:

• William Shatner was the guest speaker – he did a great job and reminded me of the power of storytelling in getting your message across. The guy is simply a pro. (He even made fun of his Priceline ads RIGHT as I was tweeting about the same thing)
• WiFi sucked. The APs must have been seriously overwhelmed which is unfortunate. A big part of this event is the community and I found reading the community’s thoughts (via Twitter) in real-time last year to be quite interesting. (Sadly the improved AT&T coverage didn’t help and the fact that I forgot my brand new Verizon MiFi was the final blow to the whole “wireless internet” thing).
• Lots of customer & business partner perpsective stuff. This is a tough thing to do. Unless you can “connect” with the person talking, you tune them out. I personally liked the Xerox story, Panasonic and GM (and the entrance in a yellow Corvette didn’t hurt either). I can really appreciate GM’s willingness to attend this event considering how much PR they’ve had on the company in the last 18 months – not all of which has obviously been positive.
• Notes client – despite being called the foundation of most of the product line, I honestly can’t tell you one single improvement/announcement/feature unique to the client itself (throwing out a few things about integration with other things, LotusLive, etc. and some screen shots from Project: Vulcan). Oddly enough, I’m totally OK with that!
• Quickr – is getting some great attention. I am putting a lot of faith in this product at the office and I’m glad to see improvements being made. I’d like to see them being made faster, but I’ll take what I can get. (Most noteworthy from today was better UI for adding content and iCal support for team calendars.)
• Sametime – This is essentially a whole new product (in my opinion) and it looks fantastic! One “new” thing demo’d was multi-person video conf. support. The term “HD” was thrown out there. I’ve looked at A LOT of systems that do this and Sametime (demo’d with a 3rd party tool from RADvision) isn’t “there” by comparison to other stuff out there. (However, its also much cheaper.)
• Traveler – now supports encrypted messages through a new app in the Apple AppStore.

Other big news included some new updates to LotusLive – all of which were talked  about but only referenced. I’m expecting the “depth” to be in other sessions on that  topic. It looks interesting. I’ve considered LotusLive but felt it was a bit “early” for my tastes. I think its one to watch though!

The biggest news was the announcement of Project Vulcan. Its not a product, its a direction. Simply put – its brilliant! Today’s world is far more transparent than ever before and companies that are making some huge strides in the markeplace are (often) the ones who embrace this and use “being transparent” to their advantage. I expect (hope) this is where Lotus is going as well.

Project Vulcan is a sort of mission for Lotus’ focusing on building on their existing portfolio, converging their products (and how you deploy them either on-premise or in a cloud) and innovations which drive businesses forward (such as social software) – all of which is designed to foster new opportunities.

Its a good move for Lotus because it helps the community understand WHAT they are focusing on. I expect that in the coming months/years we can then translate that into the products and features that evolve as a result of this.

That being said – “Lotus Knows” their audience and knew that they needed to show some screen shots working versions of products to help us wrap our minds around it. And those products look outstanding! (Very “Apple” in a few cases – which I think is good.)

Final thoughts: much like last year, I didn’t walk away excited about new products. It didn’t feel anywhere near an Apple type of event. However I did walk away excited about Alistair Rennie taking over the GM position (he’s hilarious off-script!) and excited about the future Lotus is embarking on!

It will be interesting to see what the rest of the week brings, especially at mini-keynotes and in various technical sessions (which, as they did last year, will no doubt contain many more announcements that simply didn’t “fit” into the OGS).

Tags: lotusphere, ls10, vulcan

When I was asked to wrote my article about Lotus Notes for theInfoBOOM.com (which was a great success, btw – so THANK YOU for viewing/participating in that with me!) I suggested to a few people at IBM that Ed Brill would be a great person to get to write a column as well.

As Ed pointed out in his blog, it was a bit odd that I ended up writing about Notes while he wrote about social media (those topics ended up being chosen completely independent from one another). Now that his article is posted on theInfoBOOM.com I think Ed was quite right in saying that our selection of topics gave us each a more authentic voice. If Ed would have talked about Notes, it could have been perceived as an ad. Likewise, if I would have talked about blogging/social media – it would have had far less of an impact since my posts come from the perspective of someone outside of Lotus/IBM.

Its a good article and I encourage you to go read it and post a comment.

Oh… and see you at Lotusphere! (If you’re like me, you’re frantically finishing up as many projects as possible to have a clear mind down there … and in anticipation of coming back with hundreds of new ideas!)

Tags: blogging, notes, social media

I’ll admit that in every single one of the 8 (I think that number is right) Lotusphere’s I’ve attended, I haven’t given much thought to the LS online tool that’s prepared with the event. Until now.

Perhaps the lsonline.info site has been this good in the past – but this was the first year I’ve noticed it … and WOW is it a great tool! The interface is very easy to use. I was able to scan through the list of sessions and create a calendar of what I wanted to see in very short order (a process that normally involves multiple reads through the materials, scanning for sessions that repeat and generally a good afternoon planning session right after I pick up my Lotusphere registration information).

But the best part was that I could export my schedule as an .ics file which then can be uploaded into Notes so that my calendar is available with me – how handy is that!

It doesn’t end there, they’ve also provided a mobile interface (www.lsonline.info/m) which works fantastic with my iPhone!

Very cool!

Tags: iphone, lotusphere, ls10

Everyone else seems to be posting things that reflect on the last year – so I decided to do the same. Below are the top 10 moments/posts/thoughts that I feel are more noteworthy from this blog. Enjoy.

10. Lotus announces Sametime 8.5 before the end of 2009 (despite me being SURE they’d wait to Lotusphere)

9. Disk savings from DAOS was easy to implement and quite beneficial on disk space usage!

8. Began using Google Voice a utility that’s not all “there” yet but potentially a game-changer for managing phone calls & voicemails.

7. Notes turns 20

6. Realized the using an iPhone is more like integrating something into your life than getting a new phone.

5. Realized that people don’t “search” any more, they “Google.”

4. My alter-ego starred in a video all about “conferences at Disney World” which featured Lotusphere 2009.

3. After much debate (and frustration caused largely by SnowLeopard) I abandoned a Mac in favor of a PC.

2. Notes (Traveler) support for the iPhone was released (and it rocks!)

1. I got fed up with hearing things like “notes is a tarnished brand” and one simple thing to try to make my voice heard for a moment by being featured on theInfoBoom.com along with a companion piece on my blog.

Tags: 2009, daos, google, iphone, lotusphere, mac, pc, sametime, traveler

A few weeks ago I posted an entry asking (begging?) GM to consider an iPhone app that would allow me to start my car from my iPhone. I don’t want it because its cool (well, that’s part of it) but because their basic and advanced remotes have horrible range … and I live in MN, where its cold and the last thing I want to walk within 25 feet of my car, start it, then go back inside to wait for it to warm.

Moving on … this week I noticed a post about an iPhone app Mercedes is working on as a additional remote for their cars. That’s perfect considering my other car is a C-class. Here’s the down-side of this app: no remote start. It simple mimics the functionality you have on your existing key fob. Let’s take a look at the steps needed to start your car for a moment (as I illustrate my point to this entry):

With current key/fob:

1. Remove remote from pocket
2. Press button – car opens

With proposed iPhone app:

1. Remove iPhone from pocket
2. Press button to activate iPhone
3. Slide finger to unlock iPhone
4. Swipe to screen containing your MB remote application
5. Press icon to start app
6. Wait a moment
7. Press button to open car – car opens (I’m just going to assume that it does it as quickly as well – which I somehow don’t think will be true.)

So there you go, GM. Simply hurry up and build the app I talked about and you’ll have a GREAT new feature Mercedes doesn’t even have! Again, I’m available for beta testing. 

Tags: cars, iphone, remotes

I have to admit… once Turkey Day passes I mentally tell myself “Ok, that’s it… Lotus isn’t going to release any new software until Lotusphere.” I mean: why would they?

And yet this year, they did.

Lotus Sametime 8.5 is schedule to be released next week and it promises to be a BIG upgrade. At the top of my list of favorite new features is the zero-footprint install. That’s been the biggest pain in getting people to use Sametime in our organization (they just don’t “get” why they ask for Sametime and get Java errors).

Of course #2 on the list is the pictured iPhone client. I’m anxious to see how that works! I did a usability lab on it last year at Lotusphere and can already tell they addressed some of the issues I had with it. Well done, Lotus!

A bunch of great links are out about the new version, here’s my roundup:

• What’s new in Sametime 8.5
• Sametime 8.5 Features/Benefits (PDF)
• Lotusphere 2010 Sametime Sessions
• Sametime 8.5. How-To Video

One additional note: the YouTube video above is GREAT. Not only is it a great way to show how the product works but its something I can pass out to other users when we launch it. This is precisely the kind of thing that’s extremely helpful to have (from IBM/Lotus) for our team!

Tags: iphone, lotus, sametime, training, video

A few weeks ago, I posted an entry about a conference call of IBM customers (some Notes customers, some not) where one customer on the call said that they felt “Lotus Notes was a tarnished brand.” Many of you ran to the ‘comments’ button to leave your thoughts on that comment – thank you!

Hearing that comment couldn’t have come at a better time. I was struggling to come up with a topic for an article I was writing for theinfoboom.com and this prompted me to have a clear topic to talk about. In the required “300 words or less” I focused on some of the best real-world examples for how & why our company continues to use Lotus Notes in an attempt to help demonstrate that it is FAR from a tarnished brand; rather a thriving product!

Please take a moment to check out this article and leave a comment. In addition, I’ll be hosting a hour on-line chat session Thursday December 10th at 8am central – please join in on that as well if you can!

Your participation will not only help foster some good discussion, but also help me make a point about the power of getting these types of messages out in the IT community at large, specifically to companies who have dismissed Notes based on some very old misconceptions.

Tags: awesomeness, notes

WELCOME to those of you following the link from infoBOOM!

Lotus technologies are the “secret sauce” to the IT dishes our company serves up. And NO, Lotus Notes isn’t just email, there’s so much more! Here are some real-world examples of how and why it is such a powerful component of how we deliver outstanding IT systems…

Mobility & Flexibility
The entire Lotus Notes client can run off a USB memory stick! Simply plug in the USB stick into any computer and an icon appears on the desktop allowing the user to access the full Lotus Notes client experience without installing any software to that computer! Our users can now access Lotus Notes at home or from another computer if they ever have a hardware failure on their primary machine. For users who simply need email access, each email file includes an “iNotes” version which can be accessed via the web. The web interface is nearly identical to their Notes client, so there’s no learning curve!

Operating system agnostic
We have a mix of Windows XP, Vista, 7, Linux and even Mac users in our organization. ALL of these users are able to have the exact same email and application experience by using the Lotus Notes client. The only differences between these operating systems are found in core components (title bars, scroll bars, etc.).

iPhone
Apple’s wonder-phone is closing in quickly on RIM’s BlackBerry devices. With Lotus’ Traveler utility running on your Lotus Domino server your users can use a variety of mobile devices (Windows Mobile, Symbian and many more) including the iPhone! Traveler integrates directly into the iPhone’s mail, calendar and contacts applications and the result is a fast, easy and secure way to access your information … when you’re not playing games, of course.

Getting business done!
Have an ERP or legacy system you need to connect Notes to? No problem. The Lotus Enterprise Integrator (LEI)  is a low-cost solution that is easy to use. Simply point it to your data, establish the type of data link and BOOM your systems are integrated giving Notes a powerful connection to your other key business systems.

Application Development – Easy and Free
Development in Lotus Notes is easy and free with the recent announcement of no additional cost for the Lotus Designer client. Just about anyone can easily design a Notes application in a short period of time – its that easy. However, don’t think that means its “limited” – its not. With support for JavaScript, Java, Lotuscript, XML and much more, Lotus Notes is as powerful as you need it to be!

Cost Cutting
There are many different types of Lotus licensing available making it a cost-effective product for just about anyone. Small/Medium organizations might want to look into Lotus Foundations an all-in-one server solution that is an integrated email, VPN, firewall and file/print solution that’s self-healing, easy to setup and even backed-up all within the one device. Think of it as an “IT department in a box!”

Powerful Web Tools
Notes has progressively become a better web-friendly system. The addition of Xpages allows developers to build powerful, web 2.0 applications within the Notes Designer. There’s even built-in Ajax functionality alongside tools that support CSS, XML, etc. (etc. is not a web standard – didn’t want you to think you had something new to learn).

What’s more, the developer community for Notes is building their own cool applications – many of which you can download for free. The ext.nd project is based on ExtJS and gives you an easy jump-start to web enabling databases with a very contemporary, intuitive user interface that instantly gives users lots of dynamic functionality on the web. There’s also plenty of applications to download from OpenNTF.org, a community of web developers who produce fantastic Notes apps (many web-enabled) for free download.

Project Management & Collaboration
Lotus Quickr offers a web based project management & collaboration system. The result is an easy-to-use, highly configurable utility for managing project teams. Quickr “places” (project sites in Quickr) allow users to control access/security, store files in a library, create/manage gantt charts, calendars and even write their own custom forms.

Quickr also includes “Connectors” – software integration that works with Windows Explorer, Microsoft Office, Lotus Notes and many more. Connectors allow you to check in/out documents from a Quickr place without having to leave the software you’ll use to view/edit the document.

Like much of the Lotus software there’s a strong community around Quickr – and that community is so passionate about the power of the software that they provide free stuff! Quickrtemplates.com offers a number of free Quickr place types (customized Quickr site types for specific uses, like wiki’s, contact management and corporate communications) that will let you quickly download, install and launch great Quickr functionality in your organization.

Lotus software offers so much more than I’m able to type out – or you’re willing to read. The bottom line is this: people who hear “Lotus” and think “Lotus Notes – that old email system” are missing out. Lotus software offers some amazing software and has a community around it that makes the software even more powerful. With systems like Notes, Quickr, etc. you’ll be able to easily, quickly, and cost-effectively make a dramatic change in your IT application landscape. Before you know it, you’ll suddenly realize why its the secret sauce behind powerful applications.

As Ed Brill points out, today Lotus Notes turns 20! I didn’t start using Notes until it was on version 3.something but I feel like I’ve been in on the sort of “ground floor” of Notes for some time now. I’ve used it at several different companies including an IBM business partner consulting firm.

The things I’ve been able to do with Notes over the course of my professional career have been quite amazing. The best part is that MANY (read: nearly all) of the applications I personally developed (back when I wasn’t “management” and actually knew how to develop well) are still in use today. That’s impressive when you consider they were developed in 4.5, 4.6, R5, etc. and running (in most cases) under Notes 8.5.1 today!

I firmly believe that Lotus Notes has been the secret sauce to many of the successes I’ve been a part of in a wide range of IT projects. I also get just as frustrated today as I did “back in the day” when people who don’t use Notes ask if its still around.

So this week’s birthday makes an article that I wrote for theinfoBOOM.com (posting Dec. 8, 2009) perfect timing to help explain why Lotus Notes is still stronger than ever as it turns into its 20’s.

Tags: happy_birthday, notes

Dear GM,

I recently purchased a new Buick Enclave from you and LOVE it! I’ve owned many (MANY!) cars and this one easily makes it into my “top 3″ favorite cars of all time. You really did an outstanding job on the vehicle. Oh, and you’ll be happy to note that this vehicle replaced a Lexus RX, which we opted to not re-purchase in lieu of getting the Enclave. So your ad campaign targeting the Buick brand against Lexus is working (and in my estimation, accurate).

I have only two complaints about the vehicle:
1. The side-view mirrors are far too small for a vehicle that big
2. The range of the auto-start (even the “enhanced” one with the key fab larger than a Motorola Razr cell phone) sucks. A lot.

I’m not sure if you know this or not, but Viper has built a great iPhone app that allows people to start up their cars (among other things) by using their iPhone. Its a great app and I’m quite confident its translating into some nice sales.

That got me to thinking… why don’t YOU do it? You already have the infrastructure in place in the form of the OnStar system which can remotely do all sorts of stuff to a GM vehicle. Why not build an iPhone app that allows us, the owners of those cars, to remotely start/stop the vehicles? You could charge for the app (I suggest “free” but if you’d like to make some money, I’d pay as much as $29.99 for the app) and require an OnStar service contract to be in place (of which, I’m on the fence about anyway – this would throw me over that fence).

Beyond being a forward thinking product, this would also solve the problem of how poorly the range is on your key fabs, including the advanced one which I have purchased for the $200+ price and yet seen only a 3 foot range improvement (exaggeration – but not by a whole lot).

If you’re looking for someone to help test it, I humbly offer my services.

Sincerely,

Me.

Tags: buick, cars, gm, great ideas, iphone