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It may be quite a leap in technology and functionality from Miller Lite and Bud Lite to Database Lite, but with IBM's announcement of its DB2 Everywhere initiative, all the leading database companies including Oracle and Sybase have entered the race to develop small footprint or fingerprint (take your pick) applications that run on Windows CE and Palm-size PC devices.
The potential benefits of this Database Lite technology are extremely seductive. Imagine, for the sake of argument, a Miller Lite salesperson being able to input a sales order into the database application their handheld and then synchronizing it with the back-office database via a fax/modem, Ethernet card, or even wireless modem. No time wasted re-inputting information into a different format and then calling the office to make sure they had received the order. And, just as important, no risk of the mistakes that almost inevitably occur when data has to be keyed in to another system.
Still, despite all the hype from the vendors, we are only in the very early stages of this Database Lite revolution. Companies will have to make large investments to build up the IT and communications infrastructure necessary to support such systems, and mobile workers will have to be trained in how to use their devices. Perhaps something for the harried CIO to think about as he lifts his glass to celebrate the successful completion of his company's Y2K project.
R.I.B.
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For me, one of the most stressful parts of owning a color Palm-size PC is the constant worry I have about damaging its beautiful (and expensive!) color screen. I'm quite a clumsy person at heart, and I have to pay extra special attention whenever I pull my precious device out of its case to make sure I don't do anything stupid like dropping it or putting it screen-down onto my desk.
Now I can at least rest a little easier thanks to the new WriteRight Screen Protectors from ConceptKitchen when I'm using my color device. Claimed by ConceptKitchen to be the top-selling PDA accessory in the world, WriteRight Screen Protectors are clear overlays that fit directly over the screen of your color Palm-size PC and protect the screen from scratches.
Each WriteRight lasts approximately one month and you can purchase a twelve-pack for US$27.99 from the ConceptKitchen website. Be sure to check them out!
R.I.B
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If you've got a Windows CE Handheld or Palm-size PC, I strongly recommend that you go directly to the Microsoft home page and download ActiveSync 3.0.
ActiveSync 3.0 is the latest version of the synchronization software for Windows CE, and having installed it myself on my own PC earlier today, I can confirm that it is a huge improvement over previous versions. Not only is it much easier to install, it also comes with a much more user friendly interface and delivers much faster synchronization performance.
ActiveSync 3.0 is compatible with all versions of the Palm-size PC and with versions 2 and 3 of the Handheld PC. You can also order an ActiveSync CD for $8.95 shipping & handling.
R.I.B
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When doing the research for different portions of this website I rely on a variety of resources. Primarily, however, I use the web and direct contact with the companies to provide as complete a picture as possible of their product or service.
I have to admit I'm quite often disappointed by the amount of information on CE vendors' websites. I feel that they frequently miss what I often consider to be crucial specs in the buying decision. I also often get the impression that they do not take the time to do due diligence on their competitors information provided. If your competitor has three times the details and specs on his site for a similar product category it always makes me feel that you might be hiding something.
OK so the company website sucks… I'll just contact them and have them provide the additional product information to me in an email. I have actually got replies from vendors asking WinCEbiz to provide our mailing address so they can pass on the required info. Are people who sell Windows CE related products missing the entire point?
The Windows CE OS was primarily designed for form factors that would enhance the ability to be portably connected. I don't want to wait 10 days for your surface mail brochures to come to me in my mail box and then retype the needed information off of the brochure and then make an even worse scan of the product picture. Did the designer who made your brochure get the specs he used from a napkin you wrote on over lunch one day?? If that is sadly the case, make sure he passes on the files to you after he's finished creating them!
WinCEbiz may not be CNET but I'm sure you've got something on file around the office that you do make available for press or customers. WinCEbiz provides an opportunity for vendors to promote their product to a wider audience that is specifically interested in Windows CE; so get a little aggressive and show off your stuff!
T.J.B
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16 August 1999
JOT Handwriting Recognition software proved be the most popular input method for Palm-size PC users in this week's survey, achieving 47% of the vote. 31% of respondents said that they use the software keyboard while the remaining 22% have installed a third-party Handwriting Recognition application on their device.
I used to be a loyal user of JOT myself until I decided to try out Calligrapher Version 5.3 from Paragraph. I find the overall performance of this application a lot better than JOT and strongly recommend it to any Palm-size PC user. To try out a test version (and for the chance to win a free copy), please click through the 100x100 icon on the front page of our website.
If you want a comprehensive list of the growing number of Handheld and Palm-size PC medical resources on the Internet, take a look at the new edition of the "Guide to handheld and palmtop computing resources for health care professionals". You can find out more information about this 57-page booklet and purchase it from the Guide's website at:
http://themedicalguide.hypermart.net
It's been quite a few years since I last watched Star Trek, so perhaps that's why I erred in describing Seth Godin's "pointed Dr Spock-like ears" in last Thursday's journal entry. Of course, I should have written Mr Spock, and I would like to think one of our readers for pointing out this error.
R.I.B.
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With his shiny bald pate, pointed Dr Spock-like ears, and intense brown eyes, Seth Godin, Vice-President of Direct Marketing for Yahoo! and the author of Permission Marketing, looks (no doubt deliberately) every inch the modern day marketing guru. But if you expect him to provide in this book a paradigm-shifting strategy that will propel your business into the stratosphere, you'll be disappointed.
What you will get, however, is an informative primer on how to upgrade your existing relationship marketing programs such as Direct Mail and customer loyalty schemes to take advantage of the lower costs and extended reach of email and the Internet. That, in itself, makes Permission Marketing a very useful book, though hardly ground-breaking.
So what exactly is Permission Marketing, in any case? It simply means persuading people to agree to learn more about your company's products and services by, for example, participating in a contest or signing up for a newsletter, and then using this permission to build a close relationship with them through regular and relevant communications and incentive programs. The ultimate objective, of course, is to sell them more products and services.
Compared to traditional marketing techniques such as print and TV advertising (which he calls Interruption Marketing), Relationship Marketing programs are a lot more flexible and cost-effective. And Godin shows in the book how contests and other Web-based promotions programs conducted by his previous company Yoyodyne achieved far higher response rates than the 2% you'd expect from a Direct Mail campaign. But even Godin has to admit that you still have to use Interruption Marketing techniques to attract customers in the first place before you can start building a relationship with them.
To me, the most significant lesson from this book is that there are no magic bullets for marketing success. Attracting customers and creating a strong bond with them is becoming increasingly difficult as competition heats up in the market place, but you cannot rely on a single technique or medium to accomplish this. Judiciously implemented, Permission Marketing can deliver enormous value to a company, but it complements rather replaces other marketing methods and techniques.
R.I.B.
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Perhaps it's because I've always had to survive on a very limited budget. But I've never had very much time for marketing people who spend huge amounts of money on flashy TV and print advertising campaigns and go to all the top parties organized by media publisher and advertising agencies. Sure, it must be a lot of fun shooting an expensive commercial at an exotic location or playing golf at Palm Beach courtesy of a grateful advertiser. But does it sell product?
So I was happy to see at least some of my prejudices confirmed by two recent books I've read on the subject of marketing. The first one, The End Of Marketing As We Know It, was written by Sergio Zyman, the two-time head marketing honcho of Coca-Cola, who, among other things, was responsible for the launch of New Coke. In a refreshingly direct style, Zyman vigorously cuts through the smoke and mirrors that marketers have cloaked their discipline in. And he makes the startlingly obvious, yet all too often forgotten, point that the purpose of marketing is not to build up awareness or enhance image; it's to make more money by selling more products. Simple isn't it?
Zyman gives excellent advice on how to manage your advertising agency and how to continuously create and communicate new messages showing consumers why they should buy more of your products. But he hardly makes any reference at all to the Internet and email, and their value as tools for building and enhancing customer relationships. Fortunately, there's an excellent book on this very subject called Permission Marketing. I'll write more about this in my journal tomorrow.
R.I.B.
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If you want to view news and information downloaded from the Internet on your Palm-size PC, ignore the Mobile Channels icon on the Programs menu of your device and opt for AvantGo.com instead.
Sure, downloading and installing the AvantGo.com application on your device takes a while, not to mention precious memory space. But, by far, it offers the best selection of high quality content from the Web. Only today, Slate Magazine has announced that its content will be available through AvantGo.com, following swiftly on the heels of Salon Magazine, a personal favorite of mine.
Other recent additions targeted at meeting the needs of the business traveler include the ability to download interactive maps and driving directions using AvantGo.com and Vicinity's MapBlast!™ site as well as city Snapshots provided by www.ontheroad.com. Featuring a quick overview for one city, one week, including the best restaurants for conducting business, as well as arts, entertainment, and business events, these Snapshots provide a very useful source of information whenever you need to organize a business trip.
So, if you're on the go use AvantGo.com to keep yourself up-to-date on all the latest news and information. You can also check out the review on our website for the full scoop on this ground-breaking application.
R.I.B.
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Is battery life the Achilles Heel of Windows CE? That's the question I'm asking myself after analyzing the results of our latest survey. A full 50% of our respondents told us that battery life was "not enough" on their device, while a further 36% said that it was "adequate". That left only 14% who replied that their device had "plenty" of battery life.
Of course, phrases like "not enough" and "adequate" are hardly scientific measures. And while battery life of eight hours might be considered plenty by some people, others might regard it as inadequate. But still, it's difficult to ignore the overall conclusion of the survey: At best battery life only just about meets the requirements of Windows CE users. It would be difficult for even the most gifted advertising copywriter to put a positive spin on that finding!
As for me, I'd say that the battery life on my HP Jornada 820 HPC Pro is adequate at around seven hours; enough, for example, to last a long plane ride or a full working day. But that hasn't stopped me from putting in an order for an extended life battery as well. At just under US$140, it's pretty expensive. But there may just be a time when I'll need it!
R.I.B.
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If you're looking to get yourself a color Palm-size, now is a great time to buy! According to an article on CNet, prices for color Palm-size PCs have fallen dramatically over the past few weeks, with HP reducing the estimated retail price on its Jornada 420 to $449 and Philips expected to discount its Nino 500 to $349. The only color Palm-size PC that's still not quite so easy to find is the Casio E-100/105, which is the clear market leader with its great screen and multimedia features.
Along with the growing number of home pages set up by fans of the Casio E-100/105, such as the Casio Color Ce Site, there's now a new site devoted the HP Jornada 680 Handheld PC Pro device. Called Jornada 680 Club Passion, the site has been set up by two French guys, Laurent Molinier and Pascal Goubier.
If you've got a basic knowledge of the French language, Jornada 680 Club Passion is pretty easy to understand and navigate and it contains a lot of excellent information about the HP Jornada 680, including some useful comparisons with Psion machines. You can also join the Jornada 680 Club Passion by registering at the site.
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We're getting a very strong response to the battery life question that we posted on the front page of the Windows CE Business Solutions Home Page last Saturday. So strong in fact that we have decided to extend it for another week.
Based on the input we've received so far, battery life (or lack of it) appears to be the main complaint that users have about Windows CE. Only 12% say that their device has "plenty" of battery life, while 52% say it is "not enough". The remainder says that it's "adequate" -- hardly a ringing endorsement.
As I mentioned above, we're going to continue running this question for another week to see if we can confirm these trends through a larger data sample. So, if you haven't done so yet, please click through to our front page and zap us your answer.
R.I.B.
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