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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.

Tags: iphone

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.

Tags: gm, grand prix, rental cars, trailblazer

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?

Tags: appstore, flights, iphone

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’…

Tags: Apple / Mac, iphone, notes, rim

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!

Tags: lotus, mac, pc, windows

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!

Tags: Apple / Mac, interface, iphone, lotus, notes, ui

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.

Tags: Apple / Mac, iphone, lotus, mac

I was talking to a friend who’s at a Notes shop that’s considering jumping to Exchange. This is a movement that’s been happening for a long time and is largely due to an under-utilization of Notes (which is due to a lack of understanding in the company about what Notes can do). I encouraged him to call his Lotus rep and get some people in there who can get them excited about Notes again (which he’s doing). I also offered to stop by and show off some of the stuff I’ve worked on.

But one comment he shared with me from their CEO really struck me. It went something like this: ‘The fact that Lotus doesn’t have a similar product to Exchange that works with the iPhone at or above the level of functionality my Blackberry does today, really demonstrates a lack of understanding of, and responsiveness to, the marketplace.’

Now… that’s not really a fair comment. First, its not entirely Lotus’ fault; some of the blame resides with Apple – although even I don’t have an explanation for why the two can’t work together to fill this need. Second, while I do agree that the iPhone is important, I don’t know that you can pin all of Lotus’ market understanding on the lack of an iPhone product (yes, there is “uber-lite” but he did specify the whole “at or above the level” of his current Blackberry’s functionality – and uber-lite doesn’t really fit that “requirement”).

Finally, while it might be a nice soundbite to say that the lack of an iPhone application that’s on par with Blackberry is why they’re jumping ship – its not the case. It may be the last straw, but its not the root cause (at least in this company’s case).

But it brings up a good point that I see/hear from people frequently: the VIPs of the company are the ones who want the iPhone, are willing to pay whatever the price is and want it to connect to Notes with no reduction in functionality compared to their current phone (in most cases Blackberry or a GOOD based device). These people (CIOs, CEOs, CFOs, VPs, etc.) require special care by IT shops and their inability to have the iPhone causes them to ask questions about Notes. If they’re not deeply committed to Notes, those questions seem to cut deeper into the status quo. And, oh yeah, they’re the people making decisions and holding the checkbooks.

So at the end of the day, perhaps the best reason I’ve heard for why there should be an iPhone-Notes application (one that’s comparable to what’s available for Exchange shops) is simple: because my boss wants it.

Tags: blackberry, good, iphones, lotus notes

Sort of.

A few weeks ago I talked about an application called NotesCal which looked to be a promising application that would deliver my Notes calendar to my iPhone. However, I ran into a common error that many others did. The developer contacted me to tell me that he was seeding a new update to the AppStore and since then, I’ve been waiting patiently.

Today, it arrived. The application has been renamed to NotesPro and its worthy of the name change! Not only does it deliver calendar information (which now works for me, btw) but it also supports email, contacts and to do’s.

Let me repeat that: iPhone application that displays my Lotus Notes email, calendar, contacts and to do’s.

Now, before I go further, let me just say that I’ve litterally tried each and every iPhone-Notes solution out there and this one, in my opinion, comes closest to being “the app” that’s been missing in the marketplace. AND, I’m plesantly surprised that the upgrade didn’t just fix the calendar issue, but threw in some AWESOME value-added tools in the process!

That being said, I think there are some obvious next steps for the app. No, you’re not going to be able to tell your organization you can now support the iPhone. A few more things need to exist, including:

• Ability to delete emails (right now its view, create and reply)
• Ability to create calendar entries
• Ability to create to-do’s (or at least update them)
• Scrolling of the entire “document” on the iPhone. The app just scrolls the text field, not the whole thing. I thought this was going to be a cool feature but it feels like my HUGE iPhone screen just got limited down to about 1/3 the size.
• Ability to accept calendar invites
• Ability to set email/calender/etc. sync schedules (the whole thing works off an agent you need to build in your mail file, so I’m not even going to beg for push email). And then if I had that, I’d want…
• Icon denoting how many new messages in the inbox at the iPhone application menu

Overall, its still a great app and a very strong release (considering that I didn’t even expect ANYTHING else to be in the release other than a calendar fix). The app is a bit slow, but tolerable (and faster, for me, than using the ultralite thing). My contacts also don’t work and give a generic error – but I haven’t followed up on that yet.

So… if you’re looking for a strong iPhone-to-Notes application, this is worth checking out. I have to say, I’m really hopeful for where this will go based on the HUGE step forward since the last update. Who knows … maybe I’ll get my dream list above and more on the next round!

Tags: appstore, iphone, lotus, notes

In another aspect of my life, I came across an article about the Virtual Worlds Expo at which companies like Disney and IBM announced plans for new products (and/or services) that focus on virtual on-line experiences. This article led me to an announcement I hadn’t seen much about in the Lotus blogosphere.

From the article…

“IBM also had an interesting announcement; it’s “Same Time” instant messaging application is going virtual. You may not have heard of Same Time, but it’s a lot like AOL IM, and it has over 100 million individual users, and some heavy hitting corporate clients, from HSBC and Cisco to Ericsson and the CIA and FBI. Called “Same Time 3-D”, it’ll launch within the next year, and it’ll allow users to click from a one-dimensional instant messaging chat over into a virtual conference room. You can hold a meeting in a virtual room or in a grassy field, and you can invite many people into the space from your IM list, with the click of a button.”

Sounds interesting. I’m having visions of meeting with people in my office on-line in a virtual 3D world – just because we CAN meet like that.

Tags: im, lotus, notes, sametime