• Made in India 

      Posted on 2 September 2010 | 3:49 pm

      It’s fair to say that India has earned a reputation for competency and excellence in technology. New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore are well established research and development centers, yet mostly known (in the West, anyway) for the work they do on behalf of North American and European companies that come to India to take [...]

    • Facebook Fan Craze Sweeps Globe, Lady Gaga More Popular than Obama 

      Posted on 26 August 2010 | 10:00 am

      The race for the most fans between Lady Gaga and President Obama was a hot topic earlier this summer, as they ended June neck and neck with more than 9 million fans each. Lady Gaga has since surpassed Obama, with more than 16.5 million fans to her credit (Barack weighing in at 12.8 million). The race [...]

    • Republicans Take the Social Media Reigns 

      Posted on 25 August 2010 | 12:39 pm

      A recent study ranked the “Digital IQ” of all 100 U.S. Senators based on their presence on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter and the results may surprise you. The study scores each Senator‘s online competence including his or her presence on websites, social media following and sentiment, digital marketing aptitude and search engine optimization skills. The [...]

    • Melissa Burns Decoded… freak love for coffee and PR tips revealed! 

      Posted on 16 July 2010 | 8:28 pm

      Mobility PR’s own Melissa Burns was recently interviewed by PRSourceCode’s tech PR blog The Decoder, which highlights all things in tech PR, including the guys and gals that make the industry tick. Melissa gave The Decoder insight into the tech PR world, how she achieved her professional goals working her way from account coordinator up the [...]

    • Pew Research: How Media Consumption Has Changed Since 2000 

      Posted on 28 June 2010 | 1:47 pm

      The work of PR professionals is changing dramatically, driven by rapid changes in how audiences (publics) are changing their media consumption. This presentation from Pew Research does an excellent job in explaining just what these changes look like, and provides a road map for intelligent PR practitioners to adjust how they approach the strategic [...]

    • Stacy – Our Community PR Maven 

      Posted on 7 May 2010 | 3:10 pm

      Mobility Public Relations prides itself on its close relationship to people within the global mobility technology community. But one member of our team has been using her PR talents to promote causes important to our local community. Stacy, our VP of Administration is the unsung heroine of our team, managing company finances, HR, facilities and [...]

    • Monitoring Television Loudness Issues Revisited 

      Posted on 26 January 2010 | 12:37 pm

      As the CALM Act makes its way through Congress, more and more industry leaders are chiming in on the Act and what exactly it means for cable, satellite, telecom and other providers of multi-channel video. This is a timely discussion should the CALM Act eventually become law, which is likely as it has passed [...]

    • Back to Basics: The PR Biggest Lesson Learned During a Tumultuous 2009 

      Posted on 28 December 2009 | 4:36 pm

      [This post is the first in a series of three for a blog panel comprised of marketing communications practitioners and also includes Frank Strong, Meredith Eaton and Krim Stephenson. All four of us will blog on the same topic on the same day. This first post is on the biggest lesson we learned [...]

    • UPDATE: CALM Act Passes Congress 

      Posted on 16 December 2009 | 12:30 pm

      You may recall a couple of months back a blog post regarding the Cable-Tec Expo show. In particular, I discussed Mixed Signals’ demonstrations and announcements surrounding Sentry’s ability to measure the loudness of TV commercials and programs. “As overly loud commercials have become increasingly problematic, proposed legislation is now before Congress that would require video [...]

    • Weekend Reading – December 11 

      Posted on 11 December 2009 | 7:56 pm

      There Really is an App for That Consumers know that their smartphones can do just about anything. Shopping lists, sports scores, weather, videos, Facebook… There are thousands of consumer apps. But weren’t smartphones originally intended to be business devices? The cover story of this week’s “InformationWeek” magazine is all about the business applications [...]

    • Horizon Telcom Uses RGB Networks’ Video Multiprocessing Gateway to Deliver More HDTV to its IPTV Subscribers 

      Posted on 31 August 2010 | 9:02 am

      Regional Ohio Telecom Transcodes HD Programming with VMG SUNNYVALE, California – MobilityWire® – August 31, 2010 RGB Networks, the leader in network video processing, announced today that Horizon Telcom, a telecommunications provider serving rural southern Ohio for the past 115 years, is using RGB’s award-winning Video Multiprocessing Gateway (VMG) to dramatically increase the number of high definition [...]

    • Rio Tinto to Deploy Spendvision Platform Globally 

      Posted on 24 August 2010 | 9:01 am

      Flexible transaction management solution designed to simplify expense processing, enhance reporting, reduce costs and improve compliance LONDON, UK– MobilityWire® – August 24, 2010 Spendvision, a global provider of total transaction management solutions, today announced that its hosted platform is being deployed globally by leading international mining group, Rio Tinto. The solution will enable more than 20,000 [...]

    • Tektronix Named Candidate for Prestigious 2010 IABM Design Awards 

      Posted on 18 August 2010 | 9:03 am

      Sentry Recognized for Upgraded Audio Level Monitoring Capabilities BEAVERTON, Oregon– MobilityWire® – August 18, 2010 Tektronix, the leading provider of digital content monitoring solutions, today announced that its Sentry® digital content monitoring solution, part of its Mixed Signals family of products, is one of only 10 products selected as a 2010 IABM Design Awards Candidate in this [...]

    • Bitstream Partners with BuzzCity for Mobile Advertising 

      Posted on 16 August 2010 | 4:07 am

      SINGAPORE and MARLBOROUGH, Massachusetts – MobilityWire® – August 16, 2010 BuzzCity, one of the world’s leading mobile advertising networks with over 2,500 publishers across the globe, and Bitstream Inc. (NASDAQ: BITS) today announced an agreement to deliver mobile advertising via the acclaimed BOLT™ mobile browser. Using the BuzzCity Mobile Advertising Network, Bitstream plans to introduce a [...]

    • Tyfone to Speak in First Forum on Alternative NFC Mobile Payment Solutions in Taiwan 

      Posted on 16 August 2010 | 4:03 am

      PORTLAND, Oregon – MobilityWire® – August 16, 2010 Tyfone (www.tyfone.com), the leaders and pioneers in NFC enabled Memory Cards for mobile financial services announced today that their Managing Director, APAC, Prabhakar Tadepalli, will be presenting on the evolution and vision for mobile contactless payments. Tadepalli will address the current mindset in the industry and how alternative [...]

    • Tektronix Shortlisted for a 2010 Cable & Satellite International Product of the Year Award 

      Posted on 11 August 2010 | 9:12 am

      Sentry Recognized in Top Monitoring or Network Management Solution Category BEAVERTON, Oregon– MobilityWire® – August 11, 2010 Tektronix, the leading provider of digital content monitoring solutions, today announced that its Sentry® digital content monitoring solution, part of its Mixed Signals family of products, is a finalist in this year’s Cable & Satellite International magazine’s Product of [...]

    • MobileTrax Heralds appbackr as Wholesale Marketplace for Mobile App Developers 

      Posted on 5 August 2010 | 5:17 pm

      appbackr described as a “a cross between a book publisher and eBay” PALO ALTO, California – MobilityWire® – August 5, 2010 MobileTrax, one of the leading independent analyst firms tracking mobile computing and wireless data communications, today released a new white paper, “appbackr: Creating a Wholesale Market for Mobile Apps,” which explains the business model for the [...]

    • BOLT Mobile Browser Users to Get 70,000+ Free Apps Via GetJar 

      Posted on 5 August 2010 | 12:56 pm

      Bitstream adds GetJar’s branded app store link to BOLT’s “Favorites” in revenue share agreement SAN MATEO, California and MARLBOROUGH, Massachusetts – MobilityWire® – August 5, 2010 GetJar the world’s second largest app store, today announced that it has partnered with Bitstream Inc. (NASDAQ: BITS), developers of the acclaimed BOLT™ mobile browser, to offer users of BOLT immediate [...]

    • Mobility Public Relations Awarded Outstanding Achievement in Public Relations from Interactive Media Awards 

      Posted on 2 August 2010 | 7:32 am

      LAKE OSWEGO, Oregon – MobilityWire® – August 2, 2010 Mobility Public Relations, the full-service PR agency founded specifically to support mobility technology businesses, today announced that it has been awarded Outstanding Achievement in Website Development by Interactive Media Awards™ for its work on MobilityWire®, a proprietary social newswire service the agency built for its clients. Mobile [...]

    • ActiveTrak Makes Protecting All Computing Devices Easy with Newest Version of GadgetTrak Anti-Theft & Tracking Software 

      Posted on 29 July 2010 | 3:52 am

      Designed for families and small- and medium-sized businesses, GadgetTrak 3 uses centralized management to track laptops, netbooks and desktop computers PORTLAND, Oregon – MobilityWire® – July 29, 2010 ActiveTrak™ Inc., a leader in advanced tracking and data protection software for consumer and business devices, today made available GadgetTrak 3 for laptops, the latest version of its acclaimed [...]

    • The Cell Phone Killed…Well…Lots of Things 

      Posted on 16 January 2009 | 6:22 pm

      We all know that a cell phone isn’t really just a phone anymore (c’mon, you’ve seen the Sprint commercial I’m sure). It takes our pictures, sends and receives our emails, plays our MP3s and it even keeps track of our hectic lives with advanced calendar functions. Yes, a cell phone isn’t just a phone.  But before [...]

    • Music, man: The Philco and iPod as distance cousins 

      Posted on 18 November 2008 | 7:40 pm

      The Philco, a shortened version of The Philadelphia Storage Battery Company, was a pioneer in early radio and television and an early manufacturer of transistors, starting in 1953 with the famous Surface Barrier type (SBT). The Philco in our collection originally belonged to Nancy Foltz (her name is still visible on the leather case) and is [...]

    • Mobility technology meets pop culture 

      Posted on 14 November 2008 | 7:58 pm

      We’re culture junkies here at MuMoH. Not only do we live and breathe mobile and wireless but we also enjoy the history of a wide range of topics, including politics, local and national history, punk and new wave music and general pop culture. Sometimes these cross paths and make for an interesting mash-up of technology and [...]

    • From the collection: Mattel’s Football 

      Posted on 22 October 2008 | 8:02 pm

      Museum of Mobility History – Mattel Football from Mobility Public Relations on Vimeo. Every once in a while we will grab an item from our collection and showcase it with video. This post features Mattel’s Football game – a product near to our heart. We fondly remember getting the game as a holiday gift, ripping it [...]

    • You’ve come a long way, baby 

      Posted on 21 October 2008 | 5:49 pm

      Twenty-five years ago on October 13, 1983, the first commercial cellular call was placed to the grandson of Alexander Graham Bell in Germany from the president of Ameritech Mobile Communications at a ceremony held outside of Soldier Field in Chicago. Weighing nearly two pounds and 13 inches long, the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X used on that historic [...]

    • The Y2K that wasn’t 

      Posted on 19 June 2008 | 11:26 am

      MobHappy’s Russell Buckley has a wonderful post that points to a presentation from 2000 that forecasts the future of mobility. Some of the technology: Wireless headset? Check. Pocket MP3 player? Check. Digital camera with built-in modem? Close. Glasses for watching DVD movies? Not quite yet – though on the way – we saw one at CTIA last April. Slides from [...]

    • Portable Computer Ads 

      Posted on 8 June 2008 | 1:18 am

      The evolution of portable computing as told through advertising. 1983 1986 1988 1989 2006 2008

    • OLPC XO 

      Posted on 8 June 2008 | 12:42 am

      The XO-1, previously known as the $100 Laptop or Children’s Machine, is an inexpensive laptop computer intended to be distributed to children in developing countries around the world, to provide them with access to knowledge, and opportunities to “explore, experiment and express themselves” (constructionist learning). The laptop is developed by the One Laptop per Child [...]

    • Kellogg WWI Field Phone 

      Posted on 7 June 2008 | 11:11 pm

      Ask people familiar with telecommunications history and they’ll tell you that the first text message sent from a mobile phone was sent in 1993. But MuMoH has a phone that sent text messages more than 75 years before that! The Kellogg Switchboard Supply Company field phone, model 1917 (and we’ve also seen model EE 3) [...]

    • IBM PC Convertible 

      Posted on 7 June 2008 | 3:32 pm

      Introduced on April 3, 1986, the IBM PC Convertible was IBM’s first laptop computer and was also the first IBM computer to utilize the increasingly common 3.5 inch floppy disk drive. Like modern laptops, it featured power management and the ability to run from batteries. Weighing in at 13 pounds (5,8 kg), the PC Convertible was [...]

    • Are you a Flycell Insider? 

      Posted on 31 August 2010 | 3:27 pm

      Insiders not only are the first to learn about new music and hot artists, but only Insiders can win the Flycell Prize Bag full of CDs, DVDs and more. Just by being a Flycell Insider, each month you get a chance to win the Mystery Prize Bag. Previous prizes include signed Snoop Dogg Vinyls, concert T-shirts [...]

    • Kori from Flycell Annouces Usher & Katy Perry CD Winners 

      Posted on 25 August 2010 | 11:42 am

      Kori gives away Usher’s ‘Versus’ & Katy Perry prize pack with CD, beachball, hand fan and bumper sticker to lucky Twitter followers. It could be you next week! Follow @FlycellMusic now!

    • Flycell.com Exclusives – Gross Tones 

      Posted on 20 August 2010 | 2:47 pm

      Get your Gross Tones now! Flycell has the sickest (literally) and most disgusting ringtones right now. Since school is around the corner you could always annoy your teachers and classmates with some nasty and gross Burppp or Blow Nose ringtones! Maybe you want to take some icky tones on a date to get away from that [...]

    • Top Ten Funny Ringtones 

      Posted on 17 August 2010 | 2:47 pm

      We’ve got the Top Ten Funny Ringtones from Flycell.com

    • Get Us to 250 Followers and You Could Win! 

      Posted on 10 August 2010 | 12:27 pm

      Once Kori at Flycell hits 250 followers she has 3 copies of the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Soundtrack to give to 3 lucky peeps. Check it out, its got Beck, Metric, Broken Social Scene, T. Rex, the Rolling Stones… In case you haven’t heard about this movie yet here is the story and trailer… looks [...]

    • Teen Choice Wrap-Up! 

      Posted on 10 August 2010 | 8:27 am

      We can’t decide which we liked better Katy Perry’s geek get-up complete with headgear or Betty White and Sandra Bullock bustin’ a move and gettin’ low. (We snagged this off MTV.com, check it out!) Movie Trailers – Movies Blog Flycell has a cute Teen Choice playlist for you to check out after you tell us your favorite [...]

    • Back-to-School Already!?!?! 

      Posted on 9 August 2010 | 7:16 am

      We hate to bring you such sad news but it is time to start thinking about school again. We hope you have all enjoyed your summer! Whether you are headed back to high school or rollin’ off to college Flycell has the ringtones to get you in the mood to get your learn on like: blink-182 – [...]

    • Teen Choice Awards – Hope you got your votes in! 

      Posted on 6 August 2010 | 11:05 am

      The Teen Choice Awards are Monday night at 8:00-10:00pm ET/PT.  Be sure to tune in on FOX to see if your votes counted. Of course, get your favorite artists’ tones at Flycell! You can get a look at all the TEEN CHOICE 2010 green-carpet action with a special LIVE webcast SUNDAY 8/8 at 12:30pm ET/3:30pm PT [...]

    • David Garrett Intimate Show 

      Posted on 5 August 2010 | 9:00 am

      Kori from Flycell was invited up to Universal Music Headquarters today and this is what she saw. Violinist, David Garrett performing for industry people at the Universal Music Headquarters in Midtown, NYC. He performed a few from his new album, ‘Rock Symphonies’ available now. Get his ringtones here: http://www.flycell.com/david-garrett-ringtones

    • Kori at Flycell Announces Rick Ross CD Winners!! 

      Posted on 4 August 2010 | 5:18 pm

      Kori at Flycell gave away 3 copies of Rick Ross’s new album ‘Teflon Don’ on CD Giveaway Tuesday! You could be a lucky winner next week. Just follow @Flycell on Twitter! Don’t forget you can get your Rick Ross ringtones at Flycell.com!

    • Marketing 101 - The Hair Stylist 

      Posted on 6 January 2010 | 11:42 pm

      This week I stopped in at my wife’s hair stylist to get my hair cut. I’m trying to get her to use the #3 setting on the clippers like my regular barber does to get a nice close cut in the back.

      The question of marketing came up and how marketing and advertising are not the same thing. She is in business for herself, renting her chair from someone who owns the salon. She has her own collection of clients and contacts. We used her business as an example.

      Who are your customers?

      Let me share with you some of the questions I asked her. You can answer these questions yourself and see how it applies to your own business.

      #1 Q: Who are your customers?
      A: Everyone

      This is a very typical answer for most small business people who are more focused on doing the work and haven’t stopped to ask themselves who their customers really are.

      “Really?” I asked. “Your customers are young and old, male and female, adults and children? You get the same amount of money from each slice of the market?”

      ”Well, no“ She answered, ”They are young“

      ”How young? Under 30 and over 20?“

      ”Under 30“

      ”Male or Female?“

      ”Female“

      ”Local?“

      ”No, they are from around the county and usually not from the local city“

      ”So your typical client is a under 30 woman who lives within the county.“

      ”Yes“

      ”How do you find customers?“

      ”All referrals since I don’t advertise“

      ”Referrals from who?“

      ”All my clients“

      ”All of them or a few? Do all your clients recommend evenly or are there some clients that recommend more than others?“

      ”Well, I’m not sure“

      ”Okay“ I said, ”Write down the name of a client, we will start with me. Do it on a white board or a big piece of blank paper. Make my name inside a circle and then draw a short line to who recommended me to you. In this case it would be my wife. Put her name in a small circle and then connect a line to who recommended her. Do this for each of your clients, writing down their names and then drawing a line to who recommended them.“

      ”When the paper is full, you will notice something immediately. That there are clusters of your customers who are connected and recommend more clients to you than others.“

      Simple ideas

      We then talked about pricing, about which services she performs the most and which are the most profitable, as well as what she felt her speciality might be.

      Once you have these simple things. Who your customers is, where they come from, what they purchase from you and what you are known for, it becomes very easy to focus your business on growing because you know what to sell and who to sell it too.

    • Novell Makes Smart Move and Cancels BrainShare 09 

      Posted on 18 December 2008 | 2:25 am

      I've blogged about Novell's decision to cancel BrainShare and the role GWAVACon will fill.

      You can view it at my new blog site:


      Novell Cancels BrainShare

    • Apple dropping out of Macworld as a sponsor - The changing face of conferences 

      Posted on 17 December 2008 | 1:47 am

      I have moved my blog to http://richardbliss.typepad.com

      Please visit there for the Macworld blog.

    • Amazon Kindle is owning the category 

      Posted on 13 November 2008 | 8:13 pm

      This month marks the one year anniversary of the Amazon Kindle. According to Amazon, the adoption has been iPhone smashing numbers like they hoped, but it has done fairly well in a modest way.

      What it has done is to bury the competition. Amazon doesn't need to worry about the modest numbers. They are all going up and they will keep going up. The Kindle is a winner. It is such a winner that the competition doesn't even know that race is over and Amazon won.

      First, let's not talk about the product itself and its competition. If you want to do that kind of comparison you can visit Top 5 e-book readers compared

      Here are the names of the top ebook readers currently on the market:

      ECTACO-Jetbook
      Amazon Kindle
      Sony 505 Digital Reader
      Sony 500 Digital Reader
      Franklin EBookMan EBM 9-11

      Now, how many of these had you ever heard of other than the Kindle?

      Kindle hasn't sold a lot of devices. Even with massive marketing effort. But that is okay. Because they really have sold the device to most everyone who is going to buy an ebook reader. They have sold it to people who haven't bought it yet.

      When a person reaches a point where they are comfortable with the idea of using an ebook, do you think they are going to go to their spouse and say...

      "Honey, I'd love to have a Sony 505 Digital Reader"

      I don't think so. You can't remember that. But I have had a lot of people tell me that they are thinking of a Kindle, and then when I show them mine, they are now convinced they need to buy one.

      Disruptions take time

      The Kindle is a massive disruption to the traditional book. People take time to adjust to such a radical shift from what they are used to. And ebook readers in the past have been poorly received, so the category as a whole is looked at with suspicion.

      But as that suspicion fades over time, Amazon Kindle is already in the minds of the potential customers. They have already bought it in their mind without even realizing it.

      Amazon got it right and now dominates the mindshare of this category. Only time is needed for them to dominate it with sales as well.

    • Novell GroupWise Cluster support answer 

      Posted on 12 November 2008 | 12:03 am

      Someone anonymously posted a comment on my blog about some troubles they were having with GroupWise. If they want to email, I have an answer. But since I don't know who they are, I have to post this to my blog and hope they read the post.

      Whoever you are, send me an email.

    • Interoperability - Novell Losing the Word 

      Posted on 7 November 2008 | 8:14 pm

      Novell has been focused with their messaging lately. They have told me on numerous occasions that they want to own the word "Interoperability".

      Okay, I can understand wanting to own that word. It makes me wonder if anyone is hearing Novell talk about Interoperability.

      I know one company is - Microsoft.

      This week in eWeek (www.eweek.com) they had a story on the main page.

      Microsoft Pushes Interoperability

      It was in the Linux and Open Source Section. Looks like Novell is getting through to someone and that someone has decided they want that word for themselves.

      At this point Novell is either going to have to fight for the ownership of the word or find a new word.

      First would be to get themselves listed in the top ten on Google ranking for the word Interoperability. That would certainly help. Right now Microsoft is listed as #3 and #4 by Google for the word Interoperability.

      My recommendation is that they pick a new word that Microsoft can't own or doesn't own.

      First choice - Business-Driven Linux
      Second choice Teaming

      Novell GroupWise wants to own the word collaboration as well.

      Novell can win this battle and own a word but it will take some focused effort. Right now they have a big company, Microsoft that wants to take it away from them.

      BTW, GWAVACon, The Novell Teaming and GroupWise conference is just around the corner. www.gwavacon.com to register and get the early bird special. It is in Las Vegas this year, January 2009.

    • Boy chops dad's arm off during World Series 

      Posted on 31 October 2008 | 7:06 pm

      Okay, I'm sure the headline got you. But here is what happened.

      I was watching the World Series game on my TV. I was watching it live on Tivo, meaning I had it delayed by about 10 minutes to skip the commercials.

      I was fast forwarding through the commercials, hit the play button, and for the shortest fraction of an instant I saw something extremely disturbing, I saw a boy with a machete hitting a man.

      At first it was so quick, so sudden, so fast, that I didn't react. The news was announcing it was on after the game and then I was back to the game. And then my consciousness caught up with my brain. What had I just seen?

      I paused Tivo and flipped back and watched it again...sure enough, for about as long as it takes for you to blink, there was an image on the screen.

      I rewound and put it into slow motion...Tivo is great for that...but even in slow motion, the image was only on the screen for a fraction of a second.

      After about six attempts I was able to have the image up in slow motion and then I was able to hit pause, then pushing pause again moved the image forward one frame at a time. There were about 6 frames.

      There was a boy, covered in blood, standing with a machete in his hands. He is standing behind a man who would seem to be his father. His father is sitting in a chair with blood over his head and clothes and his right arm hangs limp. There is a woman in the foreground watching with her back to the camera. The boy has the machete over his head and slashes down on the man's arm/shoulder...an inch before it enters the arm the image flashes to a jungle tower with a man standing guard looking off into the distance. That lasts only 1 frame and is almost impossible to catch.

      All the people in the scenes are black.

      I don't know if it was a Halloween joke, if it was a silent protest of Darfur, if it was an anti-Obama item. It appeared to be a family being forced to torture other members of the family.

      It was grisly, it was shocking, and it was definitely not TV approved.

      I'm wondering if anyone saw it or might have an idea of what it was.

      I've looked on Google for any statement but haven't found anything.

    • Competition is Good - Important lesson for GroupWise partners 

      Posted on 29 October 2008 | 5:31 pm


      Have you ever been to an AutoMall?

      This is where car dealerships, fighting for your money, line themselves up like wall flowers at a high school dance, hoping that they get picked to go home with the prom king.

      Why on earth would such competitive companies subject themselves to scrutiny by a cautious public?

      Because they sell more cars. In truth, by clumping themselves together, it makes it easier to be found, it qualifies the buyer quicker, and it increases their overall sales.

      In this case, they all come together knowing that if you are in the car buying mood, they stand a better chance of being seen, if they are seen with their competitor than if they are isolated by themselves.

      GroupWise Community

      This is a great lesson for the GroupWise community. GroupWise customers tend to be isolated. There are fewer of them than Exchange customers, and they tend to not congregate.

      Two places you can easily find GroupWise technology partners and GroupWise customers in the same place - BrainShare and GWAVACon

      The new GroupWise Open Horizons magazine is the only GroupWise publication and Cool Solutions and NGWList are about the only place that you can find them talking to each other online.

      This is the reason for the GroupWise treasure hunt at BrainShare and the creation of GWAVACon, the Novell GroupWise Technology conference. A place to bring buyers and sellers together.

      But you would not believe how hard it is to convince competing companies that it is in their best interest to get ALL GroupWise 3rd party vendors in the same room. That a GroupWise Partner Mall is better than attempting to go it alone.

      Both GWAVACon in Las Vegas in January and BrainShare in Salt Lake City in March will be a big party for the launch of GroupWise 8.

      Here's hoping that everyone comes to the party.

    • Fear is the new virus 

      Posted on 27 October 2008 | 12:47 am

      Melissa - May 24th, 1999
      I Love You - May 4th 2000
      Code Red - July 13th, 2001

      Maybe you recognize these names and dates. They were some of the most destructive computer viruses ever. Code Red alone is estimated to have done more than $2Bn USD in damages.

      It isn't pleasant to say, but these viruses kept Novell GroupWise in business. As Microsoft systems were crashing and burning around the planet, including companies like Ford, Boeing, and entire cities, GroupWise systems kept on going.

      These viruses helped GroupWise come to the own the word "Secure" in the face of virus and hack attacks.

      The bad news for GroupWise is that Microsoft has improved on the security front. Security is still a reason to keep GroupWise but the reason has grown much smaller.

      New Virus

      There is a new virus stalking organizations around the world. This one is called Fear. You won't find it caught in your Virus quarantine. You won't see it listed on your AV threat monitor. This virus is not called Fear it IS Fear. The kind of fear that creeps into your mind and begins to disturb your sleep at night.

      Every executive of every organization is being struck with it. They are asking themselves if the financial crisis will come at take them like it has taken so many. Are they immune? Are they safe?

      Staying Safe through IT

      When email viruses were crashing servers, executives would come to the IT department and ask if they were safe. And each time, the Novell GroupWise IT person was able to reassure the suits that everything was going to be okay.

      Today, it is happening again. As the crisis strikes one sector of the economy after another, executives are wondering if their organization is going to survive, and one of the departments being asked is the IT staff.

      The question: Will our organization be able to continue to function and meet our growing IT needs if we are affected by the crisis?

      And for those IT managers running GroupWise and relying on Novell technology, they can reliably answer YES.

      As IT budgets are tightened, IT staff are going to be asked to do more with less. Gone are the irrational decisions to rip and replace all hardware and software to put in the latest Microsoft monolith simply because someone wanted to do it. Now, companies are looking at hardware, software, training, support, and business continuity as driving factors. Suddenly, when one vendor like Microsoft is consuming the majority of your IT budget, it become important to ask if allowing Microsoft to dictate the cost and complexity of your IT needs is wise. No, it isn't.

      Fiscal Irresponsibility

      The City of San Diego is broke. Yet they got a new mayor and the first thing he did was rip out GroupWise and install a multi-million dollar Microsoft package. Who's needs were met? Certainly not his taxpayers who had to foot the bill. Not even his own staff that then had productivity cut because of training needs. No, a select group made a decision that cost was not important. Instead, the decision was made to lock the city into a extremely expensive long-term commitment that only benefited Microsoft.

      This is Fiscal Irresponsibility. More and more cities and governments around the world and now saying No to this kind of planning. Governments should be lowering costs and decreasing complexity, while expanding options. Not doing the exact opposite.

      Fear is the new virus

      Today Fear is the new virus. And every IT manager who relies on Novell and Novell GroupWise, should be standing in the door of their executive leadership, reassuring that the decision to rely on stable, safe, and low cost solutions are a truly responsible decision that will keep the organization safe.

    • GWAVACon Berlin a huge success 

      Posted on 26 October 2008 | 12:25 am


      I returned this week from GWAVACon Berlin, the Novell Collaboration Conference. The event was a spectacular success. This GWAVACon was the 9th worldwide that my team has delivered, and each one just keeps getting better.

      I've called GWAVACon the Novell Collaboration Conference because it has begun to grown and expand beyond the traditional GroupWise that are its roots.

      There bulk of the conference is still focused on GroupWise, but now Teaming has become part of the conference and ZENworks has been there nearly from the beginning. This moves the conference from the focus of just GroupWise to a broader discussion of collaboration.

      My keynote theme, like many I've delivered in the past, was the focus on owning a word. I have talked about owning a word in this blog many times and this was an opportunity for the Novell community in Europe to hear it first hand.

      Novell needs to own a word and I believe that word is "Business-Driven Linux"

      Not all in the audience agreed with me. Novell has been attempting to own the word "Interoperability", something the European crowd had a tough time even saying, let alone understanding what it meant.

      Volker Smid, President of EMEA, delivered the keynote on day two and did a great job of emphasizing the ownership of the word Interoperability. He is an talented and enthusiastic presenter, and the audience responded well.

      Feeling Good

      The thing that most people feel coming away from GWAVACon is that they now belong to something bigger. They often feel that they are alone as a GroupWise IT administrator. When they attend GWAVACon they are surrounded by hundreds of other GroupWise enthusiasts and they are not alone.

      In addition, the unprecedented support from Novell makes a difference to the attendees. I use the word unprecedented because in all my 15+ years involved with GroupWise I have never seen the support from all levels of the company like I'm seeing today.

      Novell Marketing Makes a Difference

      Wendy Steinle, as the person responsible for managing the marketing teams for GroupWise and Teaming, has been doing an outstanding job of increasing the overall involvement of Novell in the community. It has been very effective and it is very appreciated.

      Thank you Wendy for hiring great people like Travis Grandpre over GroupWise marketing and Karen Rowell over Teaming marketing. They are both new in their roles, but came to GWAVACon and make an impact to the success of the conference.

      Surprise visitor

      We had a surprise visitor as well at GWAVACon. Mike Morgan from Novell manages the BrainShare event every year. Mike was in Berlin for another conference and was able to spend a day with us. GWAVACon is a very small event in comparison to the thousands that Mike takes care of for a week every year. But we were proud to be able to show off our little conference and the success we have had building it into a voice of influence in the GroupWise community.

      BrainShare and GWAVACon

      It has been asked if GWAVACon competes with BrainShare. My answer to that is that it complements BrainShare. When asked, GWAVACon attendees tell me that they, as GroupWise administrators get to come to GWAVACon while their boss, often the head of IT, gets to go to the much bigger event of BrainShare.

      This has been GWAVACon's purpose. To focus on giving the GroupWise administrator a place to come and be king for a day. And in Berlin, we treated them like Royalty.

    • Mixing your audiences is never a good idea 

      Posted on 24 October 2008 | 12:58 am

      There is a fierce debate about how to reach the CxO level person within an organization. If you are a technology company like Novell, this can be a difficult task due to the tendency to talk tech and craft that message into business speak. A CxO level person seldom seems to be interested in the technology, but instead is interested in the business drivers.

      Novell has been doing a much better job of this than in the past. Their discussion of Interoperability as a value proposition is still a little bit techie but is much better than before.

      My continued insistence that Business-Driven Linux be their message might sound like tech talk, but truly focuses on the area of the mind where a CxO person has limited knowledge of the technical specifics of a Linux distribution but believes they understand the business value that Linux brings by lowering their costs.

      Oil and Water don't mix

      This brings us to the struggle that technology companies have with attempting to sell a technology but wanting to talk business. Where do you have this kind of discussion?

      Novell attempted to have BusinessShare be a part of BrainShare. The first a business discussion to CxOs, the second a technical discussion with IT managers and directors.

      It didn't work.

      For whatever reason, it seems almost impossible to invite Executives to a technical conference and have them find it worth their time. The techies don't like their bosses hanging around, and the bosses don't want to look dumb at a technical conference.

      Birds of a Feather

      If you are planning on selling to both audiences, my advice is to keep them separate. Have two completely separate events unrelated to each other.

    • Kindle - I love it 

      Posted on 14 October 2008 | 8:26 pm


      My wife recently bought me a Kindle from Amazon.



      If you haven’t heard about the Kindle, you can watch a video here:

      Kindle Demo Video

      I love my Kindle.

      It helps that I love books but the Kindle has supercharged that love affair.

      Here is a quick overview if you didn’t bother to watch the 2 minute video link I just gave you.

      Kindle is an electronic book reader...but saying that is like saying the iPod is an electronic music player.

      The Kindle has changed the way I interact with books.

      First, the Kindle has amazing electronic Ink that looks like real ink. When you see the book, like the image up above, it appears to be real ink.

      It has an intuitive interface that allows me to quickly read and even speed read through books. I got so lost in a story today, that I attempted to turn the page at one point, forgetting that I was reading an electronic book.

      These features are nice, but it isn’t what has changed the way I interact with books.

      I’m one of those people who has trouble throwing a book away. Any book, whether I like the book or not. This causes me to hesitate to buy books because I worry that if I don’t like it I will have to go through the angst of getting rid of it.

      I also like to collect books and have a nice collection in my office.

      What the Kindle has done, is to allow me to easily read books that I may not have read before. The price is usually 50-60% off what I would normally pay. The reason I can read these books is because it makes the purchasing of books dead simple.

      I do a search on my Kindle on the Amazon Store (Free cell phone networking is built in), find the book, purchase it, all within a few seconds. And my purchase is downloaded within 60 seconds.

      Now when I go through an airport bookstore, I have my Kindle in hand. I see a book that looks interesting, I read a quick review on my Kindle, then purchase it, and read at my leisure.

      The Kindle device itself will hold 200 books, but that isn’t something you really need to worry about...remember I said I have trouble throwing books away, or even giving them away. With Kindle you never have to worry about that again. Once you purchase a book from Amazon with the Kindle, you get to keep the book forever. Even if you lose your Kindle or delete the book, Amazon will remember your purchase and make it available to you whenever you need to download it again.

      Suddenly my anxiety for buying books doesn’t exist. I never have to get rid of another book again.

      The Kindle must be seen to be appreciated. But once you have it, or if you get within 25 feet of my when I have mine, you’ll be convinced you need one as well.

    • Own a word - BlackBerry Storm vs iPhone 

      Posted on 8 October 2008 | 11:34 pm

    • Free is bad video 

      Posted on 8 October 2008 | 1:17 am

    • NetMass - Backup and Recovery for GroupWise 

      Posted on 7 October 2008 | 12:38 pm

      I just came across a recent press release for a Dallas-based company, NetMass. The press release talks about their latest product, ServerSafe 8. A data backup solution. Here is the announcement:

      http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=76666

      I spoke very briefly with Michael Reagan, their Director of Marketing, about their support of GroupWise. He said that GroupWise has been supported for quite some time and that they have GroupWise customers who have been using it.

      I hoping to get more information from the company to see how GroupWise administrators could use it, since GroupWise does have some unique backup issues.

      They also support Microsoft Exchange and Notes. It is nice to see that vendors are including GroupWise in their announcements and actually telling the world that they support the platform.

      I will post more information when I get more details.

    • Free is not good. GroupWise's ongoing dilemna 

      Posted on 30 September 2008 | 2:21 am

      Years ago Novell established the precedent that add-ons and additional functionality with Novell GroupWise would be free. The clamor for out-of-the-box solutions that come free has been heard at every BrainShare for a decade.

      The problem with free is that it hurts the enduser, the very person who screams for free products or product integration is the one who ends up hurt in the end.

      Free is bad.

      Today Nokia announced the discontinuance of the Intellisync division. The solution that Novell had decided on for their GroupWise Mobile Server.

      Nokia Announcement

      You are building your business, your organization, your reputation, on the solutions that you, as an IT Manager or consultant, recommend. Do you really want to stake your reputation and relationship with your customer, your boss, or your end-users on a piece of "free" software?

      Now, I don' have the room or time to argue the whole Open-Source issue about free vs proprietary. That is not what this conversation is about. I'm here to argue that if you want some thing of high value then you will have to pay for it.

      Novell customers have demanded that they get device syncronization for "free". Well, Novell obligded and provide the opportunity to have a syncronization experience out of the box.

      They got a free solution but now they are faced with a non-solution because Nokia couldn't find any way of making money with the Intellisync product.

      If you want something bad enough, then pay for it. Nokia pulled the plug on Intellisync today which has placed all of Novell's GroupWise Mobile Server users in a tight spot. Their free server doesn't seem to have a future.

      I've never been a fan of Novell offering everything for free even though it supposibly causes them to lose business.

      An ActiveSync process will make more sense for Novell in the future.

    • Fear holds us back 

      Posted on 24 September 2008 | 3:34 am

      Why do smart people do dumb things? Especially when it comes to marketing. Haven't you seen a company that goes along doing really smart stuff suddenly seem like they got a major case of the stupids?

      What causes individual people to not do the right thing when the time comes?

      Fear holds us back. Fear prevents us from stepping out and doing the right thing.

      When Bill Gates famously turned his company around and moved it full steam into the Internet age, he was able to do this because he didn't care and wasn't afraid of what other people would say. Those people included his staff, his employees, his partners, his stockholders, and most importantly, his customers.

      He did the right thing and didn't let fear hold him back.

      Novell found itself paralyzed with fear for years. The people there had grown fat and happy with the way things were. NetWare was generating nearly $1 Billion in annual revenue and things looked sweet.

      Except the bottom of the boat had been ripped out and the ship was sinking. But no one seemed willing to stand up and do something. Fear paralyzed the company. Those making the decisions would say that it wasn't fear, that they were trying to save it. Yes, they may have been attempting to save it, but they were afraid to stand up and say "NetWare is Dead" and then work from that premise. Instead they kept rearranging the chairs on the deck while the ship sank.

      I remember when Chris Stone stood up at BrainShare and said that maybe the future of Novell wasn't NetWare. What a commotion it created. Everyone was in a panic. Even when it was plainly stated, those inside the company continued to tell themselves that Chris wasn't serious. He was just talking. No, he was serious, and wasn't afraid to say it.

      When Ron Hovsepian made the decision to embrace a partnership with Microsoft, he made a lot of enemies. But he wasn't afraid to make a very hard choice that was good for his company and good for his customers. He still has the enemies but he also has success which makes dealing with your enemies a little easier.

      Good people and good companies make bad decisions when they are afraid to rock the boat. When internal Chicken Littles actual prevent action because they are crying about the sky falling in. Seldom does the sky actually fall when strong bold decisions are made. It is the lack of a decision, the inability to get past those that wring their hands and prophesy doom, that leads to disaster.

      If you want to be successful, have the courage to make the tough decisions. You will make enemies but success makes it a little easier to deal with them.

    • GroupWise and the word Free 

      Posted on 18 September 2008 | 4:05 pm

      Novell GroupWise just had its 20 year anniversary. I have worked with and supported the product for nearly all of those 20 years.

      Back in the early days, when the Internet was beginning to emerge, GroupWise sold its SMTP Gateway for $2,500 extra. You could run GroupWise normally but to connect to the Internet you had to pay for the SMTP Gateway seperately.

      That didn't go over well with the user base and the decision was made to bundle the gateway with the product.

      Since then, the sense of entitlement and the expectation that everything should be included for free has been the dominant philosophy.

      A philosophy that has nearly killed the product.

      GroupWise has document management built in for free. Only a fraction of the install base uses it but everyone has to pay for it. And because only a fraction use it, it is hard for Novell, during tough economic times, to justify putting resources into something that doesn't generate a hard return on the investment.

      Oh, sure, some will argue that Novell should have invested more into Document Management and then people would have bought the product. That is what I mean by a hard return. It is nearly impossible for Novell to know who is buying the product for which features.

      Free is still bad

      Today we are seeing ain increasing pressure from the Novell install base to keep putting more things into the product for free.

      GMS, the Novell GroupWise Mobile Server, has been added. But it doesn't support the iPhone because Nokia, which bought Intellisync, doesn't want to have their product support a competing mobile device.

      Don't argue with me that Novell should have bought the technology rather than partner for it. We would be right back where we are with Document Management. Increasing costs without any hard returns.

      I wish everything was free as well. Then I wouldn't have to pay my mortgage, but things aren't free, there is ALWAYS a cost.

      The sooner the GroupWise market can focus on how much GroupWise is saving because things are not free but stronger GroupWise will be as a viable low cost alternative to the monolithic Exchange approach which is draining IT budgets with bloated features that are free but unwanted.

    • Sticking to the story with owning a word 

      Posted on 17 September 2008 | 11:28 pm

      First, I was wrong. A few blog posts ago I mentioned that I thought John McCain's campaign was slow to come up with a word to own, slow to find a central theme, and that their new theme, Original Maverick, while good, may have been too late.

      I was wrong. McCain completely made up for lost time.

      To own a word and keep owning it you have to tell a story that reinforces the word. Stories fill in the blanks and voids that surround a word.

      With the word, Maverick, McCain was going to have to show that his actions matched his story. And with his selection of Sarah Palin, he totally reinforced the word and position. It doesn't matter whether you agree or disagree with McCain's decision. What you have to agree with is that his decision reinforced his position. It continued the story of maverick.

      Depositioning - Changing the meaning of someone else's word

      Remember Hillary's strategy? It was to own the word "Experience". She did a good job, but then along came Obama and he used the word Change to deposition the word "Experience" to mean something different than what Hillary was attempting to say it meant. Obama made Experience come to mean "Same Old Thing".

      But then a funny thing happened on the way to the election. Obama lost the strength of his story.
      When it came time for him to make his first executive decision and demonstrate what his version of "Change" meant, he chose Joe Biden, a long time Washington player and co-Senator. His choice was probably a smart move for the strength of his ticket, but it was a bad decision to reinforce his campaign and ownership word. His actions didn't match his word. Biden did not reinforce the word "Change"

      Now McCain has done to the word "Change" what Obama did to the word "Experience". McCain, rather than attempting to steal the word Change which is still easily owned by Obama, picked the word Reform to augment his Maverick word, and now McCain's Reform story is getting better traction than Obama's Change.

      Changing a word

      I have been seeing the signs at the Obama events. They used to be the word "Change" without explanation. Now they are "Road to Change" or "Ready to Change". McCain has successfully redefined Obama's meaning of the word Change and now the Obama camp is attempting to explain what the word means, when before they didn't need to explain it at all.

      Whoever can tell the better story is going to win this. Obama has a smart campaign team, they should be able to get back on story. McCain has a tendency to not understand how to stay on message, which means he could still squander this momentum.

      It is all coming down to owning a word and telling a story

    • Reading your Email 

      Posted on 17 September 2008 | 11:15 pm

      Since 1986 I have been in the business of reading people's email.

      I personally don't sit at a computer and read it, but I have built businesses and solutions around the concept of reading email for corporations. The reason has been to keep the bad stuff from getting in and to keep the good stuff from getting out.

      But this latest issue with Sarah Palin's yahoo email account being hijacked and then published is something that completely crosses the line.

      This is not free information for public consumption. This is left of someone's personal property, even if it is digital property. And that property is being used for financial gain.

      That is like someone breaking into your house and stealing something that they then sell on ebay and everyone knows it was stolen.

      I am not so naive to believe that the email information can be retracted. Once on the Internet always on the Internet.

      Which brings up a funny incident the other day. I heard about an attorney who has a client in the email security business. He didn't quite know how the whole Google thing works, wanted someone to call Google and have them get rid of some content that was showing up in the search engines. He thought you can just call Google and they will take it off their 'website'. DOH! Welcome to the Internet age.

      I created a saying for GWAVA's archiving product, Retain.

      "Life is short, Email is forever."

      The one lesson we learn from this is to never put something in email that you wouldn't want the entire world to know about. You might not care today but who knows what will happen in the future.

    • Does GroupWise have a future with Novell? 

      Posted on 29 August 2008 | 1:51 am

      For a year and a half, the Novell GroupWise revenue stream has gone one direction...up! For the past six quarters, GroupWise has continued to defy expectations and has steadily increased their revenue.

      There are a lot of pieces to the success, and it is amazing since Bonsai, the next generation of GroupWise has been delayed.

      Novell is also growing. It's Linux business jumped 30%. Now, you find people suddenly saying nice things about Novell and its future. Over at the VarGuy, he isn't even shy about admitting that he hasn't been a Novell fan in the past but might be changing his tune.

      With Novell's success, the question is asked. Does GroupWise have a future at Novell?

      The future of collaboration is no longer focused on Microsoft. Collaboration innovation of the future is being deployed to Linux. Novell has a strong presence in the enterprise space, and especially with those companies looking to drastically reduce their costs and realize the gains from deploying Linux. The market leader in collaboration is all about vendor lock-in and spiraling costs of deployment and maintenance.

      Companies are looking for Linux to help drive down costs and then they are looking for applications to run on Linux to continue to drive down costs. Collaboration, namely the email application is the primary target for major cost savings.

      If Novell can focus GroupWise on this emerging opportunity then GroupWise has a chance to relaunch itself as the collaboration product of the new linux platform.

      The answer is Yes, GroupWise has a strong future with Novell. GroupWise is good for Novell and Novell is good for GroupWise. The future looks brighter for the both of them.

    • If It's Broken - A political marketing message 

      Posted on 21 August 2008 | 11:58 am

      This blog isn't about politics. I don't discuss which party or candidate will do a better job. I do discuss marketing and the successful application of its principals in business and politics.

      This past week McCain has begun to use a new theme in his campaign.

      The theme is Washington is Broken. If you are a McCain supporter this is good news. Finally a message that got McCain here in the first place. The Washington is broken theme will work well with his 'Original Maverick' brand that he is attempting to create.

      One year ago the Mitt Romney campaign asked for volunteers to create a political ad. I participated. Alas, my ad wasn't chosen. They went with a wrap the flag around you feel good ad. Something that I felt was not what Americans wanted to hear.

      Things are broken, our country has some issues to straighten out, and we are going to need someone to lead in a very tough time. The Washington is Broken theme will help McCain get the attention of a lot of people.

      BTW, here is the ad I created a year ago. It is what I felt the marketing message should have been back then and I believe it is still the message. Washington is Broken

    • Original Maverick - Owning the right word 

      Posted on 21 August 2008 | 10:21 am

      It isn't perfect but it is a vast improvement for the McCain campaign. Their new message, "Original Maverick" is starting to hit the right tone and message.

      This, after a disastrous attempt by the McCain campaign to convince the American public that Obama is extremely popular and that is a bad thing. Running ads with Obama's face all over the screen, with massive crowds chanting, "Obama, Obama" and then attempting to slip in a little dig that McCain is better because he is not popular.

      One viewer of the Olympics mentioned to me that as they used Tivo to scim the ads, they thought they just kept seeming Obama ads, not evening getting to see McCain in his own ad.

      Owning a word

      In marketing, to capture the attention of your intended audience you must own a word in the minds of those people who you wish to hear and remember your message.

      Obama owns the word Change. All the candidates have attempted to take this word away from Obama, either by using it themselves or by dismissing it as unimportant. They have all failed. Obama owns this word outright.

      McCain, up until this point has owned the word Old. He hasn't wanted to own the word, but that isn't the way it works. He has continued to reinforce his ownership of this word and the examples are too extensive to mention here.

      A new word for McCain

      But now the McCain campaign has hit upon a new word combination. Original Maverick. The word Original has a similar meaning to the world old. Afterall, the Coke brand is old but it successfully uses Original or Real as a replacement for old.

      McCain, by claiming to be the original, can use his experience and age as an advantage. Maverick can be a good word as well. It speaks of someone who leads with strength of inner conviction and not swayed by peer pressure. There are dangers in this word as well. A maverick is also seen as a contrarian. Somewho who isn't a team player, someone who doesn't work well with others.

      Telling a story

      In order for The Original Maverick to work for McCain, he has to step up and tell us a story that convinces us that he deserves to own this word. I have heard so many times McCain state that the American public knows him and knows his position. Sorry Mr McCain, but most Americans pay very little attention to most senators and their perceived accomplishments while sitting around with the other 99 senators. Americans don't know you and that is part of the problem.

      So tell us a story. Tell us how you are a maverick. We understand the 'original' part, we want to know about the maverick part. Other than the Iraq war, which Americans do know your views, where else have you stepped up, stood out, and been right. Where have you bucked the conventional wisdom, gone out a limb, and then been proven right.

      You are a republican, so being opposed to their ideas won't give you street cred as a maverick. We want to know where you were when controversial republican items were being passed and we especially want to know why you failed to prevent them from passing if you are such a maverick and a great leader. There is a great chance for McCain to show how he has failed to influence and sway his fellow legislators.

      Too little, too late

      I'm still predicting that the republicans took too long to figure this out. And their delay has provided Obama with a lead that isn't showing up in the polls yet. Once the Olympics are over and people turn in earnest to politics, the runway is just to short for the big heavy McCain campaign plane to finally get off the ground.

    • Olympic Advertising - The Good and The Stupid 

      Posted on 10 August 2008 | 11:57 pm

      I've been watching the Olympics. It has been amazing sports competition. I've also been watching the Olympic ads. Some have been great, some have been average and one has been downright STUPID.

      The Good

      Visa - This has been one of my favorites. Morgan Freeman narrates about Michael Phelps not being a dolphin.

      Visa has done such a good job with the Olympics. I got my first Visa card for one reason, to be able to get tickets to the Winter Olympics. They are the leader and they know it and you don't doubt it.

      Budweiser - One of their first ads was a rerun of their Superbowl ad, the horse that doesn't make the team and then works out for a year to get on the team. Great ad, great message.

      Budweiser is struggling with an image issue at the moment due to their sale to a Belgian beer maker, so this was a good angle, reinforcing their role as a world leader in beer.

      Coke - They have several ads, but their overall message has been consistent with their market position. Coke as been around a very long time and is the leader in this category. No doubt about it.

      The Stupid

      Then there is the category winner for the stupidest ad of all.

      McCain - This year the candidates are spending more than $5 million each on ads. McCain didn't just waste his money, he spent it for the other guy.

      The ad starts out with the chanting of a OBAMA, OBAMA with a scene of Obama walking in front of a massive crowd chanting his name.

      The narrator asks, "Is the world's greatest celebrity in the world able to help your family?"

      A unflattering picture of Obama appears on the screen about how Obama is going to raise taxes, how he is going to increase government.

      Then the ad turns to John McCain and talks about energy and something else that I don't remember.

      This ad is STUPID. I'm a republican, but I'm appalled by the lack of fundamental understanding of how to market a candidate.

      Obama's ad isn't anything spectacular. Stuff about all of us working together to solve the future's problems, and then a short about Obama. An average ad.

      But how can McCain's camp keep doing this? They just spent $5 million USD to campaign for their opponent.

      Comparison

      Let's do a quick comparison

      Visa's ad - A picture of American Express with Morgan Freeman saying, American Express is used by a lot of people, but Visa is better because American Express doesn't do as much as Visa.

      Budweiser ad - Picture of Miller Beer, with a bunch of people laughing and drinking the beer, then cutting to Budweiser and saying, yes lots of people like Miller but more people like Bud.

      Coke - Picture of a bunch of kids drinking a cola, then Pepsi appearing on the screen, Narrator saying, "Yes, Pepsi is really liked by lots of kids, but we are the best because people who drink Coke know better"

      If you are the leader, rule #1 is you don't compare yourself to those in second place. And you certainly don't give your competition more air time, face time, logo time, than your own product.

      Also rule #1, you don't concede that your competition is better than you at something. Running an ad admiting that Obama is well liked around the world isn't a good idea, especially when you aren't a very likeable person yourself.

      People do business with people they like. And the same is for politics.

      This strategy by the McCain camp is idiotic and it is causing me to shake my head. How can anyone believe this kind of self-destructive campaigning will get McCain elected.

      Okay, that is my advertising lesson for the day. Now, back to watching the Olympics.

    • Happy Birthday, GroupWise - Some comments 

      Posted on 8 August 2008 | 10:09 am

      Several people have commented on the 20th anniversary of GroupWise. I thought I would post a few of their comments here:

      Blogger laurenceobrien said...

      You know Richard I have been working with this product its whole life and my entire business career.

      Now I am still selling products that work with and around GroupWise, I think we should get Long Service medals at the next Brainshare.

      Here's to 20 more...


      Greg Arnette said,

      My friend Richard Bliss reminded me GroupWise is 20 years old today - launched 8/8/88.

      Although not originally known as GroupWise, the product WordPerfect Corporation launched as PerfectOffice on August 8. 1988 was a revolutionary piece of software for the time. An integrated email, calendar, task system with server components that could run on the popular operating systems of the day: DOS, 3COM, Banyan, Netware, etc. My first experience with Office was an installation at Greater Boston Legal Services. The legal professionals there quickly became big fans of electronic mail.

      WordPerfect reinvented PerfectOffice a few years later as WordPerfect Office 4.0. More features were integrated, gateways for SMTP and dial-up were added, and a truly modern complete collaboration system debuted. It was no small feat to create a multi-platform email system when DOS, OS/2, Windows, Netware, Vines, and other operating systems were all being used in many different configurations. WordPerfect Office quickly became the standard platform for most law firms, and it was an amazing experience to see the effect simple electronic communication had on the work force. Fax, FedEx, Telex and paper memo usage gradually dropped, and email slowly became a trusted communication tool. Today email is a given and used world-wide for all contacts.

      Novell inherited WordPerfect Office and renamed it to GroupWise and has continuously been innovating the platform with the latest release "Bonsai" v8 due to launch soon.


      --
      --- Greg

      Greg Arnette
      Sonian Inc.
      617-694-8787 - Mobile
      617-418-1964 - Direct
      800-275-8794 - Main
      617-275-8705 - Fax
      gregarnette - Skype

      http://www.sonian.net
      http://blog.soniannetworks.com


      James Higley, with MailWise says,

      My first memories of GroupWise was when I was worked for The Allegro Group, at the time, GroupWise connected to another MTA via the async gateway. GroupWise was at version 4.0. Most people could not afford a high speed internet connection, so we provided the link of the clients MTA to our SMTP Gateway (now called GWIA). Fun times! GroupWise you provided me many years of productivity, it's been a blast to watch you grow up! Happy Birthday!

    • 2008 Year End Customer Satisfaction Survey 

      Posted on 31 December 2008 | 2:20 am

      Each year, GWAVA works at meeting its customers needs, especially the GroupWise community.

      This year I invite you to participate in a short GWAVA customer satisfaction survey to help us become better as a company and to become better at meeting the Novell GroupWise community needs.

      Here is the link to the survey:

      GWAVA Customer Survey

      Thank you for your support in 2008 and we look forward to a successful 2009.

    • Charles Taite thread on Stubbing in GroupWise - Content from the NGWList 

      Posted on 12 November 2008 | 1:28 pm

      The following comments are from a stubbing discussion on the NGWList, a Novell GroupWise user email listserv. Charles goes into details about the issues of stubbing.

      ++++++++++++++++++

      Simon,

      It's true that the current conventional wisdom around stubbing in the
      Exchange world is shifting towards only stubbing attachments (even
      Microsoft is recommending it). This is not only critical from a
      performance point of view, it also makes a lot sense since it's really
      the attachment that consumes the space.

      BTW... The initial stubbing API Novell is delivering in GroupWise 8

      read more

    • GWAVACon Success with GroupWise means it costs this year to attend 

      Posted on 11 November 2008 | 6:20 pm

      This is our 5th year in the US for GWAVACon and our 10th GWAVACon worldwide. The conference is still focused on Novell GroupWise but has also become a gathering place for other Novell Collaboration Solutions, including ZENworks, Novell Teaming, and now OES.

      Each year the event has grown in numbers and influence. Last year, Ron Hovsepian, Novell CEO was the keynote speaker to a packed room. This year in Berlin, Volker Schmid, President of Novell EMEA was the keynote speaker.

      read more

    • Microsoft and GWAVA agree - Stubbing to be approached with caution 

      Posted on 27 October 2008 | 1:12 am

      First, what is stubbing?

      The removal of a GroupWise item from the GroupWise message store that is then placed into a third party database, leaving a "stub" that appears to be the message in the GroupWise Windows Client.

      The concept was developed for Microsoft because their databases were growing too large in Exchange and they need to get them smaller. Stubbing was created to move content out of the Exchange message store into something else.

      The problem is now that stubbing has been out there for awhile, problems are appearing. And Microsoft is now recommending AGAINST Stubbing.

      read more

    • Vertigo for GroupWise getting closer to replacing Console One 

      Posted on 30 June 2008 | 1:25 am

      Vertigo from GWAVA was developed by Roel Van Bueren and Ronald De Zwart.

      The product isn't technically a replacement for Console One, but right now, in its current version it is doing a lot of the things that GroupWise administrators wish Console One would do for them.

      The good news is that Vertigo added a Console One Snapin a few months back and can work seamlessly with Console One.

      read more

    • Analyst Firm doing Collaboration Survey - Participate and Support GroupWise 

      Posted on 27 June 2008 | 2:38 pm

      Radicati, a Messaging and Collaboration analyst firm, is doing a survey on the Collaboration Space.

      Be sure to participate to show your support for GroupWise.

      http://www.radicati.com/survey.asp

    • GroupWise Market Research Survey - Win a new 3G iPhone 

      Posted on 20 June 2008 | 2:56 am

      I'm conducting, through my corporation BlissPoint, a GroupWise Market Research Survey. Click here to participate and be entered to win 3G iPhone from Apple.

      GroupWise Market Research Survey

    • Holy Grail of GroupWise - Reload saving the day 

      Posted on 16 April 2008 | 3:53 am

      I recently chatted with a GWAVA customer outside the United States about their hardware failing on a GroupWise Post Office that was nearly 200GB in size and how Reload saved the day. I'm being slightly vague on the details because we are working on getting the story published and I don't want to steal my own thunder...BUT...the story is too good to not say something.

      Reload from GWAVA has been referred to as the Holy Grail of GroupWise. The reason it is called the Holy Grail is due to the unique architecture of GroupWise. Due to its method of storing and retrieving email messages, it makes it hard for GroupWise to recover a single message or an entire post office in an easy, quick way. Also, due to the vast number of files involved, traditional backup software struggles to handle the constant usage of GroupWise to secure a clean back up of the post office.

      read more

    • BrainShare Keynote Live on GWAVA TV 

      Posted on 17 March 2008 | 11:37 am

      The Novell BrainShare keynotes are being broadcast live from Salt Lake City on GWAVA TV at www.gwava.com/gwavatv

      Watch it now.

      Richard

    • GroupWise Market share - How much is it growing 

      Posted on 2 March 2008 | 1:38 pm

      Latest reports, both public and private, coming out of Novell and GroupWise is that the product is seeing double digit revenue growth this past quarter. That is great news.

      Also, Ferris Research is doing an online survey for email collaboration use. We are organizing a response to influence the report in a positive way for GroupWise.

      Visit http://www.ferris.com/2008/02/20/survey-of-support-staff-size-for-exchange-and-notesdomino/ to participate in the 3 minute survey.

      It will make a difference.

      Richard Bliss
      http://gwbliss.blogspot.com

    • TV Everywhere Plays Important Role In New Disney-Time Warner Cable Deal 

      Posted on 3 September 2010 | 12:42 am

      Espn3 Print Ad

      Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) and the Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) stepped to the precipice of blackout Armageddon—and wisely took a giant step back. Instead of risking their standing with subscribers and viewers, they put away the harsh rhetoric, kept working through the midnight deadline Wednesday and made a deal that keeps ABC owned-and-operated stations, ESPN and a host of Disney cable nets on Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) Cable and Bright House Networks without a blip.

      The new deal, described in the announcement as Disney’s “most expansive content agreement to date,” moves beyond broadcast and cable to broadband, gaining berths for ESPN3 and creating a “TV Everywhere” option for ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.

      —ESPN3: The broadband net will be available to all subscribers with access to ESPN—by far the bulk of the two operators’ subs. The operators also will be able to feature cleared content from ESPN3 on a sports tier. ESPN3 has become a live and VOD sports provider, with rights to more than 3,500 live events. ESPN3 usually is offered through cable operators’ ISPs. ESPN also insists on separate payment for ESPN3, treating it like any other network; the fee is believed to be 10 cents a sub. This variation gives Time Warner Cable the ability to say the network is matched to sports, not to broadband distribution. (An ESPN spokeswoman told THR: “We achieved a fair exchange of value while reinforcing the value of the video subscription business.”)

      —TV Everywhere: ESPN3 can be accessed outside the home once an account has been authenticated, although it’s not quite TV Everywhere since its availability is currently limited to PCs and Macs. This agreement adds another authenticated service for linear nets ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU that the companies say will be available through broadband and on mobile devices “like an iPad.” No details yet on the launch; they say “forthcoming.” Notably, there’s no similar provision for ABC or Disney cable content.

      —Expanded VOD: All too often, the lack of a primetime show on cable VOD sends viewers like me online when we should be able to click the remote and watch. This deal adds ABC On Demand to “many markets” with a number of primetime shows for viewing with fast-forward disabled, along with Disney On Demand from its various kids nets. It also includes subscription VOD service Disney Family Movies and “a new transactional VOD service for select content from the Disney/ABC Television Group.”

      What’s it going to cost? Multichannel News sources say the retrans rights for the ABC stations will run 60 cents to 75 cents per sub and that ABC Family and Disney Channel managed “substantial” increases after moving up in the ratings. More details in the release.

    • The Touch Screen Haters Club [Image Cache] 

      Posted on 3 September 2010 | 12:40 am

      Click here to read The Touch Screen Haters Club I've always wondered why some people absolutely loathe touch screen devices, but now I realize that it was insensitive to not even consider that physical limitations play a role in that hate. More »

    • Notifo for iPhone Gets Free User-to-User Messaging, Real Time Twitter Notifications 

      Posted on 3 September 2010 | 12:32 am

      Last time we wrote about Notifo, we called it a “simple mobile notifications platform for anything” — and really, that’s probably the best way to describe it. You take your iPhone, install the Notifo app, hook it up to your favorite services (like Twitter, or GitHub) or any of the “Projects” (read: plugins, like Growl alert forwarding, or Chrome-to-Notifo ), and bam! You’ve got push notifications coming down to your iPhone from just about anything you could imagine.

      All that notification sending takes two things: users to send the messages to, and a message pushing backend to handle all the heavy lifting — the same two things, as it just so happens, that one would need to create a basic instant messaging service. And so they have.

      In an update to their iPhone app that went live this afternoon, Notifo launched a service they’ve had in the making for about four months: free text and picture messaging. Alas, it’s only built for messages from Notifo-user-to-Notifo-user, rather than Notifo-to-phone-numbers — but with all that messaging going on between users and the backend, connecting users with each other was really just the obvious next step.

      Notifo seems to be less excited about the user-to-user messaging, however, than they are about something else this outbound messaging enables: bots. Now that Notifo users can send messages back to the backend, developers can build services that can “do anything” at a users command, using Notifo as the message handling middle-man.

      Additionally, Notifo has tweaked their Twitter alerts system, Push.ly, to use Twitter’s just announced Site Streams beta, making them one of the first to do so. Wondering what the heck that means? In a nutshell: real-time push alerts from Twitter.

      Yep. Now you can learn what celebrities are having for lunch the very second they tweet it out.

      CrunchBase Information Notifo Information provided by CrunchBase

    • Twitter: mobile usage dominated by iPhone and BlackBerry users, not Android 

      Posted on 3 September 2010 | 12:24 am

      Twitter Mobile Usage

      Twitter has realized that mobile is the place to be and has been pushing out mobile clients to all the major platforms over the course of this year. Twitter launched its Twitter for BlackBerry app as a private beta in February and rolled out the official app in July. Unlike the other mobile platforms which were developed by Twitter independently (Android) or via acquisition (iPhone), the Twitter for BlackBerry app was developed in conjunction with RIM. Soon there after, Twitter took on the Android powerhouses of Twydroid and Seesmic when it launched the official Twitter for Android back in April of this year. Last but not least, it acquired Tweetie and rolled out the official Twitter for iPhone in May.

      With official apps in place on Android, iPhone, and BlackBerry, Twitter has been able to track mobile client usage on these three major platforms. Mobile usage is skyrocketing with a 62% increase in the number of mobile users since mid-April. This impressive figure is no doubt the result of the official app (and other third-party apps) hitting the Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone OS platforms during this five month timeframe. These mobile apps are also being used to bring in new users- over 16% of new users now access Twitter for the first time through a mobile client. This is a three-fold increase from the mere 5% that signed up via mobile client before the official apps hit the market.

      Once users get hooked on Twitter, they can not help themselves and over 46% of active users use a mobile client and tweet on a regular basis from their phone. Interestingly enough, Twitter reports that the two most popular mobile clients are Twitter for iPhone (8%) and Twitter for BlackBerry (7%) which outrank even the popular mobile/desktop clients like Tweetdeck and Echofon.

      Twitter for Android is noticeably absent and its absence, though confirmed not to be an oversight, is not explained. It is possible that the issue of Android fragmentation is taking its toll on the Android version as Twitter for Android only works on handsets running Eclair (2.1) or Froyo (2.2). A lot of Android handsets in the wild are running the older android 1.6 and would be exempt from this analysis. Equally likely, the official app may see a low adoption rate on Google’s mobile platform with users preferring the popular Twydroid or Tweetcaster which appear directly underneath the Twitter app when a user searches the Market for the term “Twitter”.

      Though smartphone usage is on the rise, it is still eclipsed by SMS (8%), twitter’s mobile site (14%), and twitter.com (78%). While this is Twitter’s take on its usage, I want to hear from the masses. Do you use the official app on your handset and, if so, which platform? If you have not adopted the official twitter app, chime in and let everyone know the identity of your favorite alternative client.

      [Via Twitter]

      Copyright © 2005-2010 IntoMobile. All rights reserved. Use of this feed is limited to personal use. Portions of this feed may be used with attributions, however, publishing of this feed in its entirety for public or commercial use and/or misrepresentation by a third party is not allowed. p9jxMDO3f0KB

    • Flying YouTube Packets Proves Visualization Can Make Anything Pretty [Visualization] 

      Posted on 3 September 2010 | 12:20 am

      Click here to read Flying YouTube Packets Proves Visualization Can Make Anything Pretty Next time you're watching an inane YouTube video, close your eyes and imagine these graceful dots instead—each representing a packet sent between your computer and YouTube's servers. The video represents only 4 seconds of a RickRoll, slowed 12x. More »

    • Best Buy shows off Verizon's Gem of a phone 

      Posted on 3 September 2010 | 12:13 am

      The Samsung Gem is a low end Android device that will be offered by Verizon, and Best Buy is showing off the device in its current phone buyer's guide...Photos:

    • Ringtone creationism not for sale in iTunes 10, but DIY method still seems to work 

      Posted on 3 September 2010 | 12:11 am

      Not that we've ever been a fan of paying an additional 99 cents to turn an already-purchased track into a seconds-long ringtone, but if you fancied the option in iTunes 9.2.1, we're sad to inform you that yesterday's update seems to have nixed said option. But hey, look at this way, now you can learn a new skill: how to make iTunes 10 ringtones free of charge with some filename finagling. The old method still seems to work just fine (instructions via More Coverage link below), so turn that .m4-frown upside down!

      Ringtone creationism not for sale in iTunes 10, but DIY method still seems to work originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

      Permalink | Email this | Comments

    • iBottleOpener iPhone Case Combines Your Love of iPhones and Beer 

      Posted on 3 September 2010 | 12:00 am

      iBottleOpener iPhone Case

      If you have a slight addiction to alcohol AND your iPhone, have I got the ultimate case for you! The iBottleOpener case (pictured above) combines the goodness of a sturdy case with a bottle opener in the back. Genius! Handy for those times on the weekend when you’re tired of using your armpit or the edge of the table to open your beer… or something. Sadly, the case fits the 3G and 3GS only, no bottle-opening love for the iPhone 4, just yet (a version is coming soon, we’re told).

      The case is available on pre-order right now for $19.99. In the meantime, be sure to check out the corny promo vid below.

      iBottleOpener iPhone Case ($19.99) [iBottleOpener.com]

      [Via: CultOfMac]

      Copyright © 2005-2010 IntoMobile. All rights reserved. Use of this feed is limited to personal use. Portions of this feed may be used with attributions, however, publishing of this feed in its entirety for public or commercial use and/or misrepresentation by a third party is not allowed. p9jxMDO3f0KB

    • Nvidia's GeForce 400M Series Roids Up Notebook Graphics of All Classes [Graphics Cards] 

      Posted on 2 September 2010 | 11:59 pm

      Click here to read Nvidia's GeForce 400M Series Roids Up Notebook Graphics of All Classes Nvidia gave us a taste of what its Fermi-based notebook graphics cards would be like with the GeForce GTX 480M, but now it's time to meet the whole family. That's seven Fermi GPUs, running the gamut from face-melting to face-singeing. More »

    • Huawei launches affordable, Android 2.2 Ideos handset 

      Posted on 2 September 2010 | 11:45 pm

      Today in Berlin, Huawei announced the official launch of its affordable, accessible Android 2.2 handset, the Ideos. The Ideos handset comes complete with a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen display (320 x 240), 528 MHz processor, 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera (no flash), HSDPA 3G, Wi-Fi, 3G hotspot capabilities, and a micro-SD card slot. The device carries the “with Google” moniker (which means no Android skinning of any kind) and Huawei touted that Google was heavily involved in the designing of the Ideos. The company elaborated that Google’s direct involvement with the Ideos would ensure its owners OS updates with minimal delay, Nexus One style. The device will be available in mid-October for right around $175 off-contract; no word yet on whether or not this little guy will be coming Stateside. The phone is obviously meant to make an Android 2.2, touchscreen handset available to the masses… time will tell if the masses choose to oblige Huawei’s efforts. 

      Read

    • This Is Not a Dollhouse [Architecture] 

      Posted on 2 September 2010 | 11:20 pm

      Click here to read This Is Not a Dollhouse It may look like it, but no, this is not a dollhouse. It's a very real, completely full size house. More »

    • Nokia E73 Connection Settings Demystified 

      Posted on 2 September 2010 | 10:51 pm

      E73 Destinations GAN Destination

      I continue to be impressed with the Nokia E73 Mode. I especially like the form factor, keyboard and quality construction.

      The E73 is a variant of the E72 made for and branded by T-Mobile USA. It comes with support for the operator's unusual 1700/2100 3G frequencies and also has a rather nice feature which T-Mobile calls "WiFi Calling" or  "Unlicensed Mobile Access" (UMA) which  lets you  make and receive calls and texts using WiFi.  UMA is not the same as SIP or VOIP, calls and messages made with UMA are charged against your included plan minutes, text bundle  or prepaid balance. Where UMA is most useful is in keeping you connected connected when you are in an area with poor or no cellular service.

      While UMA is a good thing it does require some extra setup steps if you want to be able to use WiFi data for browsing and with data aware apps. The setup is not complicated but it does not seem to be very well documented and the out of the phone's out of box default settings  are not optimal.

      I initially ran into several issues trying to use WiFi data on the E73:

      Connecting to WiFi frequently failed with "J007 Error, "Incorrect Security Certificate", which is a UMA error message. The browser and other apps didn't automatically use WiFi when it was available. I had to manually change the phone or app's connection settings to use WiFi and then change them back to use  mobile network data. I got a different UMA error, "W006.1 ISP error" when tying to connect to public hotspots that redirect you to a web page to sign in or accept term and connections.

      It took a couple of days but I was eventually able to find solutions or work arounds to most of these issues.

      Getting rid of the "J007 Error, "Incorrect Security Certificate" was easy.  All I had to do was upgrade to the latest latest firmware (currently 0.43.001).

      Getting the E73 to automatically switch to WiFi for data should also have been easy thanks to Symbian 3rd Ed, FP2's new "Destinations" feature. A Destination is a group on cellular and WiFi access points arranged by priority order. When the browser or another app attempts to connect it goes through the access points of the default Destination in priority order until it finds one that is active. On most 3rd ed, FP2 phones there is a default "Internet" destination that initially contains your  only operator's packet data access point. When you connect to a WiFi HotSpot, the phone automatically adds that access point to the Internet destination and sets its priority higher than the operator access point. That way the phone will use WiFi if a previously used hotspot is available and fall back to operator data if it isn't.

      W006.1 ISP Error Search For WLAN

      But the E73 oesn't work that way.  The Internet destination contains the T-Mobile packet data access point as expected, but WiFi access points get automatically added to a "GAN" destination.  GAN (Generic Access Network)  is synonymous  for UMA. Because the WiFi and operator access points are in different destinations apps can't switch automatically between them.

      Fixing that was a little tricky .  The first thing I tried was adding my frequently used WiFi access points to the Internet destination.  That seemed to work at first but as soon as I moved out of range of WiFi  the phone became very sluggish.  I could make calls but was unable to switch to or kill any running apps.  When I did a long press on the Home key I saw a mysterious system process called ShareCommServer running that I couldn't kill either.  The only way I could recover was to power cycle the phone. Through trial and error I figured out that if any app tried to make a connection outside of WiFi range the phone would hang.  Apparently the apps were trying to use the non existent WiFi connection and the OS was blocking on the connection request!

      The solution was to remove all WiFi access points from the Internet destination and  add T-Mobile's packet data access point  to the GAN destination.  Here are step by step instructions:

      In the phone menu go to  Setup -> Ctrl. Panel -> Settings -> Connection -> Destinations (image top, left) Press Options - > Default connection and choose "GAN".  The phone will automatically connect to  WiFi access points in the GAN destination if they are in range. Back on the Destinations main page, click "Access Point Add new acc. pt." Say No to the prompt to automatically search for new access points. Choose "Packet data" and enter "epc.tmobile.com"  as the  access point name (prepaid customers may want you use "wap.voicestream.com" instead to get free access to a small walled garden of off-portal mobile sites). Add the new access point to the GAN destination. The packet data access point will automatically be assigned the lowest priority (image top, right) In the Nokia browser menu, open Settings Menu -> General and set the access Point to GAN. In Gravity set the default access point to the T-Mobile access point and enable "Auto-Switch to LAN" Leave all your Java apps Access Point's set to the default of "None" in the App Manager . This tells them to use the default Destination. Leave Opera Mobile's connection set to it's default of "System Default" Nokia Mail is not destination aware and its step up is a bit tricky. Go into Nokia Mail's Options menu -> Settings -> Mailbox Settings -> Advanced mailb. settings  -> Incoming email settings and set "Access point in use" to the T-Mobile access point or  "Always ask" .  Do the same thing for the Outgoing email settings.

      With the above settings the browser,  Gravity and Java apps will use WIFI if available, operator data otherwise. The Ovi Store doesn't have any connection settings but seems to always use the operator access point. Opera Mobile isn't destination aware and will prompt you to pick an access point every time  you connect. Nokia Mail will either use opperator data or prompt you to choose an access point every time it connects, depending on its "Access point in use" setting

      "W006.1 ISP error" was the hardest nut to crack. This error occurs when you try to use a public WiFi access point at a cafe, store, university or library that requires you to open a browser and log in or accept terms and conditions.  Trying to connect to this type of hotspot using the WiFi widget on the E73's idle screen will always fail.  It looks like the phone is trying to talk to T-Mobile's UMA server before it allows a connection to be finalized.  Fixing this will probably require another firmware upgrade but I was able to find a workaround.

      When you get a "W006.1 ISP error" (image above, left), open the browser. In the browser menu, choose Settings -> General - Access point and temporarily set it to "Always ask" Try to open any bookmark or URL The browser will prompt you for an access point. Choose "Search for WAN" (image above, right), select the name of the hotspot and press OK. The hotspot's login or T&C page will load. Follow the instructions on the page to connect (image below, right).

      At this point the browser will work with the hotspot cconnection.  UMA should also automatically connect allowing other apps using the GAN destination to work.  Sometimes UMA doesn't seem to automatically establish a connection.  You can tell UMA is connected by the presence of a  pink globe in a circle icon in the upper left corner of the screen (image bottom, right). If UMA doesn't connect automatically and you want to use it for calling, texting  or as a data provider for another app:

      Leave the browser open. Go to the phone's home screen and click the WiFi  widget. Select the hotspot name from the list of available connections and press OK to connect.  This will establish a UMA connection and add the hotspot to the GAN destination where other apps can use it. The image below, right shows that the "Borders" hotspot is connected. The pink icon in the top, left corner of the screen indicates that GMA is active.

      Borders - AcceptTerms Borders - Connected

      If you found this post helpful, have questions or have discovered other E73 connection tricks please leave a comment.

      Creative Commons License Wapreview.com Some rights reserved.

    • A Flash Drive So Small You Can Leave It In [Flashdrive] 

      Posted on 2 September 2010 | 10:40 pm

      Click here to read A Flash Drive So Small You Can Leave It In Need some extra storage? Sounding like something out of a TV infomercial, LaCie's new MosKeyto (Get it? Geeeet it?) is so tiny, you won't even know it's there! But really, this thing is clever—stick it in and forget. More »

    • Brightkite Teams With McDonalds & Visa For Unique LBS Rewards Campaign 

      Posted on 2 September 2010 | 9:55 pm

      Mobile Marketing Brightkite Teams With McDonalds & Visa For Unique LBS Rewards CampaignBrightkite has teamed with McDonalds and Visa to power a unique rewards program centered around checking-in to McDonalds locations to earn a $5 Visa gift card.

      Following similar programs with brands like Starbucks, The CW, Sharpie and Dentyne, this rewards campaign marks the largest brand play to date for Brightkite.  McDonald’s and Visa got together to launch the ‘Easy’ badge for Brightkite users to earn by checking in to their nearest McDonalds.  The first 500 people to earn the badge  receive a $5 Visa gift card, courtesy of Visa and Brightkite.

      To highlight the campaign, Brightkite is also running a location and activity targeted ad campaign that launches an on-screen spinner that highlights the McDonald’s dollar menu.  The Brightkite campaign is integrated with other media including online and out-of-home.

      While the rewards campaign is unique in and of itself, the ad-creative built into the Brightkite application is innovative as well.  The ads are targeted to fast-food places and activities and clicking them launches a custom spinner that highlights items from McDonald’s dollar menu.  Clicking again links to the Brightkite page to help the user find their nearest McDonalds where they can earn their badge and its subsequent reward.  The campaign is limited to the first 500 qualified users, so head on down to your nearest McDonalds, check-in using Brightkite and take advantage of the offer while you still can.

      Mobile Marketing Brightkite Teams With McDonalds & Visa For Unique LBS Rewards Campaign

      Mobile Marketing Brightkite Teams With McDonalds & Visa For Unique LBS Rewards Campaign How to Drive Business Using SMS

    • BlackBerry Torch 9800 review from the perspective of a Power Socializer 

      Posted on 2 September 2010 | 9:47 pm

      CrackBerry Idol - Brittany

      BlackBerry Torch 9800 Review - Power Socializer

      [ youtube video link for mobile viewing ]

      Coming from a BlackBerry that I loved, I wasn't very excited to switch to a device I wasn't used too. The Torch is completely different from any BlackBerry that I have used and to be honest, it is the best. Being a full time student and working a part time job I need a phone that is reliable, has a million features, and can withstand the wear and tear of teenage girl.

      As we all know, we wouldn't be on crackberry.com if we didn't, that BlackBerrys are perfect devices for any type of person. Whether you are a business man who needs to stay updated on the stock market or emails, or just a leisure user who loves being able to tether on the beach, BlackBerry is the way to go. I have loved having a reliable device no matter what I need done, whether to send an email, check the latest updates on the coolest social networking sites, and to call, text, and of course BBM all my peeps. Using the Torch makes every single one of these easier.

      read more

      CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. BlackBerry Torch 9800 review from the perspective of a Power Socializer

    • Official Twitter iPad App Now Available 

      Posted on 2 September 2010 | 9:41 pm

      The official Twitter app is now available as a free download from the iPad App store. The iPad version of the Twitter app is very different from the iPhone and Android Twitter apps, appropriately so I think as it takes advantage of the iPad's larger screen. In my opinion the application really shines in landscape. Tweets appear in a timeline view in the center of the screen.

      TwitterTimline.PNG

      When you tap a tweet that contains a link, a pane slides in from the right that displays the web page, and to go back to the timeline you simply swipe the pane back to the right. Curiously, when you swipe the pane it doesn't disappear completely, which I find to be one of the most annoying features of the app. If you go back to the timeline the tweet associated with the still open pane remains pinned to the top as you scroll throw the timeline.

      TwitterWebPage.PNG TwitterPane.PNG

      Another cool way that the Twitter iPad app uses the right pane is to create a threaded view for groups of tweets. When you tap on a tweet that is part of a series of @ replies, the pane slides in and loads all the tweets that are part of that series. If you tap a tweet that has no link and no mention you see the profile of the person who posted the tweet.

      TwitterThread.PNG

      New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

    • Vlingo Not Giving In To Google 

      Posted on 2 September 2010 | 9:39 pm

      Before Google released Voice Actions for Android, Vlingo was the only app that supported voice commands on Android phones. When I heard about Voice Actions I wondered what that meant for Vlingo, which was charging $10 for their app. The first thing Vlingo did was to stop charging for their app, and you can now get it for free from the Android Market. One might expect that Vlingo would give up developing their app given the threat of competing with Google, but to their credit they have decided to compete and add more features.

      Today Vlingo announced a new version that enables you to check-in to Foursquare simply by launching the program and saying, "Check in to Ford Field." The new version also supports updating status information to Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare. For an overview of the changes, watch the following video:

      New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

    • Verizon Now Has Prepaid Smartphone Data Plans 

      Posted on 2 September 2010 | 9:33 pm

      Verizon has officially launched their prepaid smartphone data plans. There are two plans, an unlimited plan that costs $30 per month (on par with AT&T's original unlimited iPad prepaid plan) and a 25 MB, $10 per month plan. As is the case with prepaid plans, there is no contract obligation, so you can cancel the plan at any time, and you are billed at the beginning of each month. The data plan costs are in addition to voice and text messaging costs, and you will need to buy the phone at the full retail price.The prepaid data plans are available for all of Verizon's Android phones, Palm Pre and Pixi Plus, and most of Verizon's recent Blackberries.

      Verizon's announcement is the second pre-paid announcement this week. On Monday Clearwire announced prepaid plans for their 4G WiMax data service at $50 per month, $20 per week, or $5 per day. The service works with two devices, a $149 WiFi router and a $99.99 USB stick. The service only works on the 4G network, so it will not work in areas where there is no WiMax coverage. Last month Virgin Mobile U.S., which is a subsidiary of Sprint, launched a $40 per month prepaid data plan for a WiFi router and USB stick. The Clearwire and Virgin Mobile plans only require paying for data service each month and can be stopped at any time, while the Verizon plan announced today requires voice minutes. Personally, I would love to see Verizon extend their prepaid plain to their WiFi router.

      Apple may legitimately claim to be the catalyst behind the lower priced prepaid data plans. When they launched the iPad 3G + WiFi model it included an unlimited monthly prepaid plan at $29 per month. At the time that AT&T iPad data plan was the cheapest monthly price for unlimited data. Several months later, however, AT&T changed the plan to the current one that charges $25 per month for 2 GB of data. The change was part of a broader AT&T initiative to eliminate unlimited data plans, and at the time speculation was that the other carriers would eventually follow suite. The Virgin Mobile, Clearwire, and Verizon plans all have unlimited options at reasonable prices making me wonder whether the carriers have decided to let AT&T hang out on the limb as the only carrier without an unlimited data plan.

      New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

    • Apple posts iPad 4.2 update page, reminds you what’s coming 

      Posted on 2 September 2010 | 9:11 pm

      Today, Apple posted its iPad 4.2 software update page to remind you of the improvements that the next iteration of iOS will have for your tablet device. For those who don’t know, iOS 4.2 will bring: multitasking, home screen folders, wireless document printing, AirPlay (streaming audio/video), Apple’s Game Center, a unified inbox, text search in the Safari web browser, as well as a handful of other modifications. The update is scheduled to roll out sometime in November. If you would like more details hit the read link to view the official Apple page.

      Read

    • Gingerbread is not Android 3.0 – Saved for Honeycomb? 

      Posted on 2 September 2010 | 7:59 pm

      Android 3.0 honeycomb

      Noah from Phonedog just posted an interesting article concerning the next two upcoming Android versions. As it turns out, Gingerbread may not be the official Android 3.0, but 2.3 or 2.5, and that Honeycomb may hold the 3.0 crown. Honeycomb is also said to be the first Android release that would truly be optimized for tablets. So, where does that leave Gingerbread?

      So will Gingerbread remain on smartphones only? Likely not, but it may not be optimized for tablets the way Honeycomb will be. Gingerbread was never officially confirmed to be Android 3.0, and we only heard of Honeycomb about two weeks ago, so this is a mistake many have made. This puts a slight damper on things, but only to some. Those who were looking for a tablet-optimized Android device may be a little disappointed, yet with the complete UI revamp expected with Gingerbread, we doubt many people will be complaining.

      Samsung has shown us that even Froyo can look great on a tablet, so who knows just what sort of standards Google has for a software version to be considered “tablet optimized.” That said, Samsung is also looking to unleash some honeycombed tablets next year already.

      So whatever Gingerbread may be, it’s more than welcome to hurry its way on over, as now users already have another version of the OS to look forward to.  Bu,t for the most part, only the geeks will suffer.

      While I love what Google has done with Android 2.2, Froyo is old news to me and I’m trying to patiently await the next version without peeing a little. Now with the news that Honeycomb is the version we want, I’m wanting Google to hurry it on up. Of course, I’d like the updates to be as final and polished as they can be when released, but a small taste would suffice for now.

      We don’t have much longer until we hit the projected release of Gingerbread – as the month of October has been thrown around – yet we still don’t know when it will actually start trickling down into handsets. Nexus One owners, yeah, you’ll probably get it first, but there aren’t too many of you out there when compared to the competition.

      Guess I’ll be waiting even longer to get a tablet, after all.

      [Via: pic from Mashable]

      Copyright © 2005-2010 IntoMobile. All rights reserved. Use of this feed is limited to personal use. Portions of this feed may be used with attributions, however, publishing of this feed in its entirety for public or commercial use and/or misrepresentation by a third party is not allowed. p9jxMDO3f0KB

    • Samsung Wave 723 flaunts Bada, little else at IFA 

      Posted on 2 September 2010 | 7:46 pm

      Samsung just grew its Bada line with a low-end foil to the original Wave, the so-called Wave 723 -- and we just happened to catch it hanging out tucked away in a distributor's booth at IFA this week. Though the leather-grain flip cover is a classy touch, make no mistake that this one is destined for the bottom bits of the full-touch featurephone market segment thanks to a middle-of-the-road TFT LCD that looks pretty washed out and low-res compared to the Wave's Super AMOLED (interestingly, the 723 is the first Bada phone to use version 1.1 of the platform, whose major addition is support for auto-scaling between multiple resolutions). We were also surprised at how poorly responsive the screen was to touches and swipes; we even thought for a moment that it might be resistive, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Then again, 802.11n support ain't bad, and Samsung certainly seems as committed to Bada as ever, so we imagine they'll sell a few. Hit up the gallery!

      Samsung Wave 723 flaunts Bada, little else at IFA originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

      Permalink | Email this | Comments

    • Sharp Providing 3D Cameras For Mobile Devices 

      Posted on 2 September 2010 | 7:27 pm

      Sharp shared some 3D camera goodness with Pocket-lint, just before they announced it at IFA today. In particular, Sharp revealed that they are working on a prototype for the iPhone 4 and Samsung Galaxy S that will use two cameras built into a mobile device to shoot 3D footage. The concept device uses a lenticular lens to allow viewers to see an image in 3D without the use of glasses, making it ideal for a mobile phone, or other device. Sharp was extremely close lipped about when and where the new camera would start showing up, but the rep did say they were planning on launching something before the end of the year. Sharp is also showing of two other 3D screens today, a 3.8 and a monstrous 10.1 inch.. Neither of which will require 3D glasses to work.

    • Rumor: Samsung Galaxy Tab to retail for €699 and €799 in Europe 

      Posted on 2 September 2010 | 7:10 pm

      Warning: the information we are about to provide you is unconfirmed; please consume with a hefty dose of NaCl. European news and retail outlets are reporting that Samsung’s recently announced Galaxy Tab 7-inch tablet will retail for €699 ($897) and €799 ($1,025) for the 16 GB and 32 GB models respectively.  Those prices are high enough to cause nose bleeds! For comparisons sake: in Germany, Apple’s 9-inch iPad 3G retails for €599 and €699 for the 16 GB and 32 GB models respectively. Hopefully these prices are just speculative and the tablet is closer to the $500 price range when it makes its appearance stateside. What do you think the appropriate price tag is for the the Gally Tab?

      [Via Engadget]

      Read [1, 2, 3]

    • Verizon now offering smartphones on no-contract pre-paid plans 

      Posted on 2 September 2010 | 7:04 pm

      Almost as a side note to Verizon's earlier announcement today that it is offering two new pre-paid data packages for select smartphones and multimedia feature phones, Verizon told us that these new smartphones and multimedia devices will also be available for purchase directly from Verizon without a contract. The newly available devices are: BlackBerry Curve 8330, Curve 8530, Storm 9530, Storm2 9550, Tour 9630, and Bold 9650; Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus; Motorola DROID, DEVOUR, DROID X, and DROID 2; HTC DROID Eris and DROID Incredible; LG Ally, enV Touch, enV3, Chocolate Touch, and VX8360; Samsung Alias 2 and Renown; Nokia Twist; Casio EXILIM. The phones are now available for purchase without a contract from Verizon Wireless retail shops and will be available online on the 28th of September. Read the full story here.

    • Google Music stumbling? Google hasn’t signed any record deals 

      Posted on 2 September 2010 | 6:34 pm

      Google Music for Android could be stumbling

      We had already heard Google Music for Android could see a delay until next year and a new report today shows that the service could be limping along.

      Reuters reports that Google Music hasn’t signed a single music label, which doesn’t portend well for something that will need a large catalog to compete against Apple and its iTunes juggernaut.

      That doesn’t mean Google Music is dead in the water though, as some music companies are giddy at the chance to stick it to Apple.

      “Finally here’s an entity with the reach, resources and wherewithal to take on iTunes as a formidable competitor by tying it into search and Android mobile platform,” said a label executive who asked not to be identified. “What you’ll have is a very powerful player in the market that’s good for the music business.”

      Despite outselling every other smartphone operating system last quarter, even the most ardent Android support can’t say the music experience is as good as that of the Apple iPhone platform. Sure, things like TuneWiki help, but multimedia is still not Android’s strongest selling point.

      Google Music could change that, as it would enable users to purchase tracks from within the Android Market. I would also hope that this would come with a revamped music and multimedia player, as well. Sure, the Amazon MP3 store is preloaded on multiple Android phones but I do think it could be a tighter, more integrated experience.

      Once Google Music is finally rolling (whenever that is), that little green robot could be a rocking and rolling machine. We already know that you’ll be able to stream your home music to your handset, so this could just be a nice cherry on top.

      These deals generally take some time to pump out but let’s hope it gets done sooner, rather than later.

      [Via Reuters, photo]

      Copyright © 2005-2010 IntoMobile. All rights reserved. Use of this feed is limited to personal use. Portions of this feed may be used with attributions, however, publishing of this feed in its entirety for public or commercial use and/or misrepresentation by a third party is not allowed. p9jxMDO3f0KB

    • Keeping Up with Trends in Transcoding 

      Posted on 1 September 2010 | 11:47 am

      With our recent acquisition of RipCode, RGB has gained significant expertise in small screen video delivery technology. Brendon Mills, the former CEO of RipCode, and now RGB’s VP and GM for Mobile, answers some questions about the quickly changing video transcoding market. How has the video transcoding market changed in the last few years? RipCode was started [...]

    • More HD for IPTV Customers 

      Posted on 31 August 2010 | 11:55 am

      Horizon Telecom in southern Ohio may have been in business for 115 years, but they’re not using vintage technology. A business with that kind of staying power knows that in order to keep customers happy and impervious to offers from their competitors, they must deliver the latest and greatest services that customers expect. To [...]

    • Three Cheers for Three Screens at This Year’s CSI Awards 

      Posted on 5 August 2010 | 11:54 am

      This year’s IBC won’t just play host to an impressive 45,000 visitors, it will also be the venue for the 2010 CSI Awards, and the good news is, RGB Networks has been shortlisted! Our Video Multiprocessing Gateway (VMG) is one of the solutions up for the ‘best digital video processing technology’ award in what CSI [...]

    • TV Everywhere Offers Revenue Potential in the Millions 

      Posted on 4 August 2010 | 7:11 pm

      As we move into the busy fall trade show season, TV Everywhere continues to grab headlines, along with the attention of analysts, operators and consumers alike. Here at RGB, we’ve been helping to spread the word, blogging often about the importance of readying your networks with the right tools to deliver the ‘three screen’ TV [...]

    • Multi-Screen, Mobile Ad Insertion and 3D on Tap for IBC 2010 

      Posted on 2 August 2010 | 5:21 pm

      No newcomer to the video industry, RGB’s VP of Product Marketing and Business Development, Ramin Farassat, has taken part in many developments over the years, but today’s market is seeing an exceptional number of transformations, each with its own challenges: “Big changes are taking place in the way video is delivered by operators and how [...]

    • Mobile TV on the Rise 

      Posted on 29 July 2010 | 8:26 pm

      ABI Research released their latest report on mobile TV, forecasting accelerated worldwide adoption in 2012 and predicting up to $20 billion in revenues by 2015. Many believe the last hurdle for cable operators and other service providers to provide live TV on mobile devices is the real-time transcoding of programming from the bandwidth-hefty MPEG-2 into the [...]

    • Three Screens Revolutionized 

      Posted on 23 June 2010 | 6:07 am

      RGB Networks has made an exciting move today, acquiring RipCode, Inc., a provider of solutions for mobile IP video. With the addition of RipCode’s mobile delivery capabilities to RGB’s carrier-class Video Multiprocessing Gateway (VMG), RGB can now offer a very unique solution to all operators migrating to a three screen video environment. As service providers navigate [...]

    • Future in Focus: The Three Screen Revolution 

      Posted on 27 May 2010 | 4:57 pm

      The theme for this year’s Cable Show was centered around “Putting the Future in Focus” – an obvious, yet relevant topic for the ever-evolving and forward-thinking cable industry. At RGB, we were eager to put the future of our three screen video delivery on display as we demoed our Video Multiprocessing Gateway (VMG) to attendees [...]

    • CMAP: Learn the how and why of this super-dense, do-it-all networking device 

      Posted on 20 May 2010 | 2:52 pm

      RGB is a co-sponsor of the upcoming Next-Generation Access Architecture (NGAA) for Cable webinar, hosted by Heavy Reading Senior Analyst, Alan Breznick. Leading cable operators are exploring new ways to pump digital video signals cost-effectively through the cable modem termination system (CMTS), which would enable greater use of IP video and narrowcasting. The goal [...]

    • A busy trade show season highlights interest in video transcoding and the need for cost-efficiency 

      Posted on 18 May 2010 | 9:26 pm

      After a line-up of successful events including IPTV World Forum in London, CANITEC Expo in Monterrey, Mexico, CCBN in Beijing, ANGA Cable in Cologne, Germany and The Cable Show in Los Angeles, the end of the spring trade show marathon has finally arrived! Despite ash clouds, rain and the tail end of tough times, all [...]

    • Happy Australia Day 

      Posted on 26 January 2010 | 7:38 am

      G’day and Happy Australia Day mates! (I really wish you could hear my Australian accent) Australia Day is a national tribute to everything that is great about Australia and being Australian. Call your Aussie friends and family to wish them a happy Australia Day for just 0.020 cents a min with Talkster.

    • Compliment Day 

      Posted on 24 January 2010 | 7:31 am

      How nice of you to visit the Talkster blog today. I can see by your choice of websites, that you are an intelligent person. I love the way you read our posts on your computer or your phone. How wise you are. I bet you smell good too. Yes, it’s Compliment Day. Compliment Day offers the perfect [...]

    • Truly Steeped Savings… January is Hot Tea Month 

      Posted on 20 January 2010 | 7:11 am

      While that perfect cup of tea is steeped in history and tradition, Talkster is offering callers international calling rates deeply steeped in savings! With Talkster you can call China, the birthplace of tea nearly 5,000 years ago, for rates as low as 0.019 cents per minute. Use Talkster to call Morocco, where the national drink is Green [...]

    • Happy Birthday Benjamin Franklin 

      Posted on 17 January 2010 | 7:27 am

      On this day in 1706 Benjamin Franklin was born. He would become famous as a scientist, an inventor, a statesman, a printer, a philosopher, a musician, and an economist. Today, we honor Benjamin Franklin as one of our Founding Fathers whose ideas are still very much alive. Ben Franklin’s personal ideas about economics helped to shape [...]

    • Is it really International Skeptics Day today? 

      Posted on 13 January 2010 | 8:26 am

      Yes. It is. Trust us. By definition, a skeptic is a person who questions or doubts facts and theories. Here at Talkster we deal with skeptics all the time. People wonder, “Can Talkster really save me money on my international calls?” Why yes, we can. That’s exactly why we’re here. The “doubting Thomas” asks us time and [...]

    • Happy Peculiar People Day 

      Posted on 10 January 2010 | 1:25 pm

      Every year on January 10th people around the United States take pause to honor the uniquely different people in their lives on “Peculiar People Day.” Ah, the peculiar people in our lives; the un-ordinary, extraordinary, unusual, strange, odd, uncommon, intriguing, different, abnormal, and downright quirky. Today, we honor them. Today is a day to look for the [...]

    • Talk-Up Your New Year’s Resolutions to Keep Them 

      Posted on 6 January 2010 | 5:23 pm

      Happy New Year from all your friends at Talkster! With a fresh start and a brand new year ahead of us many of you will be making New Year’s resolutions. In our experience the best way to make sure you stick to your resolutions is to clearly state your intentions and share them with friends [...]

    • Our Holiday Gift to YOU! 

      Posted on 22 December 2009 | 8:00 am

      It’s that time of year again… the holiday season! Talkster loves to give the gift of gab to all our loyal customers, especially since we can save you money and help you to stay connected to friends and family all around the world. In honor of the season we announced a new limited time promotional offer [...]

    • Chatting with a techno teen… 

      Posted on 17 September 2009 | 1:08 am

      By James Wanless President & COO of Talkster At the end of the week I had the opportunity to chat with Jeff over at Jeff On The Go a technology blog with a fresh “youthful” perspective on the industry. His perspective is particularly unique as he is a high school student himself. Clearly he’s not your typical [...]

    • USA Today Heralds Talkster as Free Service Worth Using 

      Posted on 29 May 2009 | 5:47 pm

      USA Today featured Talkster this week as a way consumers can save money using technology. In the article, “Here are 7 great freebies you’ll actually use,” USA Today CyberSpeak columnist Kim Komando recommends Talkster as a “legitimate freebie you may want to use again and again.” Other free services that Kim profiles in her article [...]

    • Updated version and more private beta invites! 

      Posted on 24 November 2009 | 1:39 pm

      Thanks to the hundreds of private beta users making thousands of calls over our VoIP service for Android phones, we have been able to make improvements to our private beta application. Now we want to share it with a lot more users. To get the private beta, please check with your favorite Android blog for [...]

    • Tubaloo Explained 

      Posted on 17 November 2009 | 1:10 pm

      Watch Tubaloo CEO Michael Tupper explain and demonstrate Tubaloo on bnetTV at CTIA:

    • Gizmodo: The iPhone-to-Android Switch – 10 Things You Need to Know 

      Posted on 9 November 2009 | 12:15 pm

      This morning Gizmodo posted a sometimes humorous, but entirely accurate column on making the switch from iPhone to Android. Anyone who is on the fence about making such a switch should read this article. The only thing the article forgets is to mention VoIP and the Tubaloo application. http://gizmodo.com/5398942/the-iphone+to+android-switch-10-things-you-need-to-know

    • Tubaloo adds a Facebook fan page to ways we interact with our users 

      Posted on 3 November 2009 | 6:42 pm

      To make it even easier for you, our users, to connect with us at Tubaloo, we launched a fan page on Facebook, which you can join by clicking here. The fan page shares our blog posts, additional information about the Tubaloo application and service, and more Tubaloo fun. Please join us there, and as always, [...]

    • Watch the new Tubaloo video 

      Posted on 30 October 2009 | 6:42 pm

      Tell us what you think of our new video: Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DOk1BNU5qg

    • Update on Private Beta Invites 

      Posted on 30 October 2009 | 6:29 pm

      We’re just a few days into our private beta, and have been very pleased that hundreds of people have downloaded and started using Tubaloo! In fact, we had to give out new invites to a couple of the blogs that are offering invite codes to their readers. In addition to our invite code, tubaloo1, you [...]

    • What do people in Europe, Asia, North and South America have in common? 

      Posted on 29 October 2009 | 1:04 pm

      Wow! We are off to a great start on the Tubaloo private beta. Yesterday we announced the opening of our private beta and offered an invite code in our press release and here on our blog: tubaloo1. Other Android blogs covered our news and offered their own invite codes. The rush to download Tubaloo was [...]

    • Tubaloo announces the private beta of our Android VoIP service 

      Posted on 28 October 2009 | 4:08 pm

      After weeks of making final refinements, Tubaloo is very pleased to announce the launch of our beta service! Our aim is to give you control of your calling, including how much you pay for long distance and international calls. We built a voice over Internet calling service that works with your phone, not as a [...]

    • Anyone care for an Eclair? 

      Posted on 27 October 2009 | 6:37 pm

      Google has announced that their latest SDK for Android now supports Android 2.0 — also known as Eclair. According to the Android Developers website: “Android 2.0 brings new developer APIs for sync, Bluetooth, and a few other areas. Using the new sync, account manager and contacts APIs, you can write applications to enable users to [...]

    • Tubaloo’s VoIP via 3G on Android 

      Posted on 16 September 2009 | 7:42 pm

      PhoneDog.com, the mobile phone news and reviews website, is the first publication to take a look at Tubaloo’s new app for Android: “Amidst the storm of debates surrounding the FCC’s investigation of Apple’s refusal to allow Google Voice into the Apple App Store and the befuddlement over the tech giant’s acceptance of the Vonage client, [...]