The Teckki Says

Yesterday Adobe, the maker of Flash software, announced that it was no longer going forward with mobile software development. While this is "eyes glazed over" news to most non-technical audiences, it is one of the most significant developments for users of tablets and smartphones. Apple won the battle over Adobe on whether Flash will play on its iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) devices, and as the 800-pound gorilla, Apple sways how mobile development will be done on all mobile devices.

This is not a technical battle where your web developer throws in a different kind of poof dust and your website displays with no problems – many businesses, especially those with all or mostly Flash websites, will have to have them redone. In addition, Flash was the best in the business in terms of animation, which is why it was so widely used. Today’s tools aren’t as robust or finely developed, which means many websites will take a step backwards in animation.

So what does this mean to the average business, who wants a very attractive site that attracts loads of customers, requires little maintenance, all at a reasonable price? It means you are still living in a fantasy world, but here are five things you need to know as you look at your future website needs:

(1). Stop insisting on Flash websites. Clients don’t ask for Flash per se, but they ask for Disney-like animation, video and stuff that moves and twinkles. That’s usually Flash. A better question to ask is, "Will my site display on all smartphones and tablets?"

(2). Get used to a new alphabet. Most people I know understand the term HTML, the code used to make stuff appear in web browsers. HTML5 is the new term. It also would not hurt to know video formats, in particular the format of the video you are supplying to your web developer. Then you might know beforehand if you need to shell out additional bucks for a conversion. Some videos are supplied in Flash formats.

(3). Flash will no longer be a selling feature on Android-based platforms. Yes, Droid does Flash, but most websites will want to do iPad and iPhone. Unless you’ve got the deep pockets to do both, you’ll probably want your site to display on Apple devices first. And don't buy into the hype that there are more Droid devices than Apple devices. The surveys are nuanced, with many referring to units shipped to stores as opposed to customers actually using them.

(4). If your website contains a significant number of Flash elements, it will probably have to be redone. One way to find out for sure is to right-click on any element you think might be Flash (hint: it’s probably animated). If you get Flash player information in the popup, you’ve found it.

(5). Open up your wallet. The new technologies will cost money. You could, of course, stick to the old, basic website, and you can probably get a good deal on one from your hosting company. They can be splendid to view, but that’s all they are.

The decision by Adobe is more than a capitulation. It is a sea change for many business owners. Web development can now focus on a single presentation that will work well in most browsers, mobile and desktop. However, Flash-based websites are on the other side of that presentation, and as more developers ditch Flash, or not take it up, it will become a legacy platform on the mobile device that will become expensive to maintain.

In reading that HP folded its tablet after one month, I was shocked that a serious and well-funded competitor faltered so badly. This comes with other fumbles: Samsung misjudged the market. Motorola shot itself in the foot with its' pricing, and Verizons’ decision to charge for initial Wifi access. RIM’s Playbook was reviewed so poorly that recommendations basically said leave it on the shelf. The iPad, which had a year's lead, seems to be getting another. I knew that Apple would continue to lead the pack. What I didn't expect that competitors would be so inept as to yield it so willingly. Despite the fact that these tablets have some things that iPads don't, namely the ability to play Flash videos, USB ports, or SD card slots, by the time competitors come up with a viable and worthy tablet to challenge Apple, it won't matter. Cloud connectivity and storage will make USB and SD cards figure less, and many more websites will convert to HTML5 video to accommodate iPads. Those features currently masquerading as "benefits" will no longer matter.

Why did these other tablets fail so miserably? One reason was the geek factor. Tablets were so much trying to be mini-computers that they missed being what they are - tablets. Tablets were meant to be e-readers, web browsers, photo galleries and video viewers. When Apple first introduced its tablet, it was criticized as not having more "computer-like" features. Apple stood its ground. When Motorola introduced its Xoom, Apple brought out dual cameras and a faster processor. Still no USB or SD Card slot. And definitely no Flash. Apple was roundly criticized by many pundits for not including these features on its second generation device, but Apple couldn't keep the product in stock. Wait times for online orders were over a month, and customers camped overnight outside of stores. Xooms, Playbooks, Galaxy's and Touch Pads were always in stock. If SD slots, USB and Flash mattered, you couldn't tell by the demand of this crop of tablets.

Another reason was the price factor. This showed up in two ways. First, competitor tablets were priced same as iPad pricing. Reviewers howled at this, as Apple products were deemed worthy of premium pricing, while other tablets were thought of as PC-like, and the expectation of commensurate pricing. If the plan to overcome this was to convince purchasers they were getting more features, like SD card slots, USB connectivity and Flash for the same price, it can now be considered a failed strategy. Also, tablet pricing was interspersed with laptop pricing. This brings the obvious comparison of should one purchase a tablet or a laptop, and leads to cannibalization within product lines. Apple suffered no such cannibalization, because its PC's and laptops are generally priced above their tablets. Apple's biggest pricing strategy, however, was forcing competitors into a pricing box in the first place. Everyone and I mean EVERYONE, thought that the first Apple tablets would be around $1000 or more. When Apple announced pricing at half of that for its entry level model, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE was stunned! Since consumers had anticipated a higher price, they didn't need to make choices, they could have their iPad, and money left over.

It remains to be seen when other manufacturers will catch up. In some cases, it doesn’t even seem that they have studied an iPad at all. However, that might be due to patent wars that are going on in technology. But to get it so wrong after a year? I’m not putting a lot of confidence that next year will be any better.

About a month ago, Verizon Wireless ended its unlimited data plans for mobile devices running over its cellular network. With AT&T ending its plan a year ago, you can no longer get unlimited data plans from most carriers.

While Sprint is the only carrier to still offer unlimited data, it does not sell the iPad, so hookup is via MiFi. I hook up my iPad to cellular via my iPhone, so this arrangement is not a bad option for those who need it. However, if you spotted the extra $130 for a cell-based iPad, going with another carrier is against the grain.

I recently had the opportunity to question AT&T's Illinois President Paul La Schiazza regarding a statement he made to a business group concerning the explosive growth in phone apps. Apple had just made the announcement that it would be releasing its newest operating system, Lion, via its app store. At over 4GB, anyone downloading it by cell would blow past data caps. His response to me was to reiterate the justification of the pending acquisition of T-Mobile, the fourth largest mobile carrier. His answer was that AT&T needed the spectrum T-mobile now owns, which to me was like needing more highway lanes to handle the traffic, but no mention of lowering the tolls (raising the data caps). Interpretation: Don't cut your landlines too soon.

All of this reminds me of two sore points that Apple has been criticized for: Not allowing Flash to play on its tablet, and that of one of its newer features, Facetime, to be WiFi only amongst its tablet, phone and Touch devices. We'll tackle Facetime first. As a video chat, you know this app is going to be a data hog. When my daughter first got her iPod Touch, she downloaded Skype and spent several hours chatting with friends. Had she been on a cell network, I would have been a very unhappy parent when that bill came. Since it was over WiFi, my bill was the same as it always was. Although my carrier placed caps on broadband a couple of months ago, she still would have come significantly under the cap, which is about 75 times greater than most cell plans.

Flash is another story. It's not phones that users have to worry about, because if performance is dismal, which it is on underpowered phones, people will avoid the website. On a tablet, Flash plays like it does on a larger computer. As a web developer, the only protocol one follows when designing a Flash piece is that it works. Most developers don't have formal training, and aren't taught to think a 2MB movie can work just as well as 10MB one. If you don’t know, all it will take is a couple of phone bills for your site visitors to realize that surfing you is the one costing them money, where you will see minimal traffic or outright avoidance take place.

If you want to know what cellphone companies are thinking, all you have to do is remember the launch of Motorola's tablet, Xoom, earlier this year. It had mixed reviews, but was seen as worthy competitor to the iPad. Then Verizon did something extraordinary, sure to sour sales right from the gate - it charged $20 to unlock WiFi, something unheard of with any WiFi-capable device. Motorola also incensed potential buyers by charging nearly $800 for its 32MB tablet, pricing it exactly the same as the 64MB model from Apple. Other competitors have learned from these mistakes, but these missteps have given Apple another years’ head start on top of the year it already had. Still, the cellphone companies trudge on. Verizon is offering plans that are $5 more than AT&T's plans. Gotta feel for you guys that purchased Verizon iPads.

These developments make the case for two things - one, don't cut your broadband cord. You'll need it to do the big tasks that cellular will make you pay dearly for. Two, keep you map of hotspots handy, because at the end of your billing cycle, you're going to need it.

In this post, I want to talk about some accessories you should have with your iPad - specifically a case, a keyboard and a docking station, but not necessarily in that order. The docking station will determine what type of case you will get, so I will discuss it first.

I purchased Apple's docking station, which at $30 seems excessive for a highly polished slab of plastic. In fact, all Apple's accessories seem to be at that price point, regardless of the function or type of materials used. Your first thought is that you are already paying a premium (along with a wait) for the iPad - Isn't Apple price-gouging on their accessories?

Moments after setting up the iPad onto the dock, my answer to the price-gouging question was answered - ooh, its soooo worth it! Apple knows how to engineer its products! It's more than a plastic slab. It holds the iPad at such an angle so that you can sit for hours and experience minimal neck, back and arm pain. The dock has two connections, one for power, and another for audio output. The dock is a perfect companion, albeit in the portrait orientation, for viewing, surfing, typing and other types of light office activity.

This brings me to the next device - a keyboard. There are many out there, but the one I am using is the Apple Bluetooth keyboard. This is the same model that comes standard with their desktops, and again, at a premium price. Again, worth it!!! My minor complaint is that is has no numeric keypad (this is left to a third party vendor). Hookup is as easy as pairing it's Bluetooth signal to your iPad. The keyboard is solid, with raised keys and brushed aluminum backboard. It is far superior to the iPad's keyboard on the screen, even in landscape. If you are going to do a lot of typing, such as I am doing in preparing this post for the blog, an external keyboard is a necessity. At $70, both the dock and keyboard will be set back about a hundred dollars, but your hands, arms, back and neck will thank you for the way you feel after having typed a long document.

Since the dock fits snugly into the iPad, getting it will dictate your choice of cases. I purchased a case that you put your iPad in, not a slip-cover type. You will have to remove the case in order to use the dock, which ruled out the slip-cover cases. I also got a case that allows me to slip in my iPod Touch and occasionally, my iPhone in a side pouch, along with other items like paper and business cards.

This setup, while mimicking a PC or Mac, does not replace it. Microsoft Word and other industrial strength word processors depend on keyboard shortcuts, which many can be duplicated on an iPad. However, you don't realize how dependent word processing is with a mouse, and the experience doesn’t always correlate to finger swipes. Notwithstanding, many word processing software functionality is overkill, and for most routine tasks, like web surfing and answering email, the iPad, and in many cases an iPhone, will do just fine. I wouldn’t recommend ditching the laptop, but reserve it for things that really require it, like editing a spreadsheet with all of those macros.

One of the things I am experiencing is that I always seem to be spending more money on one more thing, and by now, I could have purchased a laptop and then some. However, new computing experiences do matter, and sooner or later, we'll all be going this route as the post PC era has begun. Until then, get one and try it yourself. See you soon with the next post!

Last time, I wrote about Five Things to Keep in Mind When Buying a Tablet. My tablet of choice is Apple’s iPad 2. There is more to a tablet than web browsing and watching videos, but if the choice is between a computer and a tablet for simple tasks, the tablet wins. Here are five ways you can be more productive with a tablet.

(1). Power starts. Tablets power up and wake faster from sleep mode. For those who turns off their laptops when the work is complete, or tries to awake ones from sleep mode, you could catch a bus to Timbuktu and back waiting for laptops to come back up. Unless you have hundreds of apps on your tablet, something that I advise against having, your tablet will power up quickly, and allow you to start being productive much sooner.

(2). Web browsing. Contrary to many beliefs, web browsing is a valid business activity at many firms. We have to maintain websites, blogs, social media sites and manage email. Most of it starts within a web browser, and getting to it quicker means getting it done faster. For those who criticize iPads for not displaying Flash, most major sites have adjusted to this - nothing like the sales of over 25 million iPads, with a million or more being sold each month, to get a company to think about which side of the fight they are going to be on - their sites will support both Flash and non-Flash devices. This would be true even without the iPad, as other mobile devices, such as smartphones, don’t handle Flash-intensive sites well, forcing the development of alternate sites.

(3). Apps. Tablet screens scream to be touched, and apps needing touches are not all games! Drawings apps, learning apps, presentation apps, in other words, apps with REAL business uses, yearn for the experiences of touching, swiping and moving. This has revolutionized the computing experience is such a way that going back to some of these programs on a computer is not viable. There are limits: Garage Band is great on the iPad, and is fantastic for learning and sketching out ideas, but serious music making belongs on a PC or Mac, and many touch experiences belong on musical instruments that produce real sound.

(4). Saving Trees. I have to attend meetings where pages of supporting documentation can run into the dozens. Given the choice between a 19 oz tablet versus printing a hundred pages for a one-time use, this is a no-brainer. The tradeoff is that paper doesn't need batteries, but if the meeting is that critical and dependent on the information, I'll can carry both.

(5). Show Time. I have done several sales and/or status meetings with my iPad. Clients love the presentation, and the iPad. You can do multiple things quickly, such as present photos, surf the web for information, shoot out emails, and of course, do a slideshow presentation, all with one device, and interactively. You can do that with a PC too, but "pinch, swipe and drag" from hand motions brings in energy that a mouse can't match.

There are obviously more things you can do with a tablet to be productive, and I can't list them all here. But you can! Let me know if you have a tablet, and share some of the interesting things you are doing with it to be more productive. See you in the next post!