Mobility

Why I chose iPhone over Android

After two years of use and dropping it on concrete floors on several occasions my iPhone 3GS was experiencing problems so I recently upgraded to the iPhone 4S.

I considered an Android based phone however there were several factors that convinced me that sticking with Apple was the best choice for my situation.

1. Like most iPhone owners I have quite a few apps. Some of which (like my navigational and nautical) are not cheap. While I could have likely replaced them, it would have added substantially to my upgrade cost.
2. While I’ve resisted up until now, I’m seriously considering buying an iPad2. The ability to have the same apps on both devices is attractive.
3. Hardware interfaces into my audio system on my bike and in my car will only work with the Apple devices. While I could have just used an audio jack, I would have lost my remote display and control capabilities.

These factors were so compelling that I didn’t give much serious consideration to the Android option.

So far I like the phone. While it has a faster processor, I haven’t really noticed much difference in performance. The SIRI functionality has potential. While it’s the best speech recognition interface I’ve encountered it still needs work.

The developers’ of SIRI do have a sense of humour. After several failed attempts at dictating an email, I told SIRI that it was really f’ing stupid. It responded with “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that”.

Two New Bell Offerings – Yawn & Interesting

Bell
has announced the launch of two new services. The functionality of the new service for Bell Home Phone customers, named Online Voice Mail, will be familiar to IP Telephony and
Internet Telephony users. It permits subscribers to forward voicemails as
email attachments, listen to voicemails via a web browser and to receive SMS or
email notifications of new messages. The Press Release states that the service
will be available for “as little as $3 / month”.

It’s nice to see a faint glimmer of innovation for residential phone
subscribers. It would have been nicer if the service had been added to the
existing voicemail service. Being forced to pay extra for a service that has
been a normal feature of IP Telephony for years, does not enhance value.

With respect to residential POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) there is no
doubt that service quality and reliability is outstanding. In fact, for most
Canadians, residential voice service, offered by the Incumbent Providers is so
reliable that we rarely give it a second thought. When was the last time you
wondered if you would hear dial-tone when you picked up the receiver? However,
even though there have been tremendous advances in communications technology,
residential voice services have remained relatively unchanged for decades.

The other offering is innovative, interesting and could lead to some new and
useful applications. Named, Text to Landline Service, the Bell Mobility
offering enables clients to send text messages to any landline phone. Text
messages are converted into an automated voice message delivered to the
recipient’s phone. The message can then be heard live or is sent to voicemail
if the call is received by an answering machine or voicemail. A confirmation
message is sent to the sender indicating whether the message was successfully
delivered to a live person or a voicemail system. If delivered to a person, the
recipient will have the option to respond immediately by sending a voice
message back to the original sender, who automatically receives a notification
message. The Text to Landline service works with any landline in Canada or the US. Regular text messaging rates
apply.

Mobile services are becoming increasingly more functional, reliable and
cheaper. That, combined with Internet Telephony alternatives and the snail-pace
of innovation in POTS, is combining to convince me that perhaps its time to cut
the cord and save a few bucks a month.

Telus Mobility Switching to GSM?

The Toronto Star is reporting that TELUS is considering switching their mobility network from CDMA to GSM.

I don’t know about the ROI of such a change, the cost of which is speculated to be in the area of $500 million, but the motivation makes sense. TELUS’ ability to lead innovation (a critical requirement with the trend towards openness and increasing competition) is likely to be limited by its existing CDMA network.

I don’t have any inside information but I think there is a high probability that they will make the technology switch.

Rick McCharles
Telecommunications Consultant
Toronto, Canada

Unified Communications – Presence, Mobility and CEBP

I came across a thoughtful article this morning by Art Rosenberg, The Unified-View. In a post named  Rosenberg’s “Third Law” To Impact UC, Art suggests that the most significant change in business communications is a shift towards Unified Communications over mobility, enabled by device and media independence. Art suggests that this change is being driven by innovative devices and the trend towards open systems.

UC and Mobility

I agree, and I have posted previously on how innovation and the move towards openness, exemplified by Apple’s iPhone, Google’s Android, Verizon’s intention to open their network to non-Verizon devices, and new spectrum allocation, are key indicators of a trend towards a richer communications experience. Unified Communications technology is poised to exploit these changes and its effect will be significant to the mobility industry and to employee productivity.

Telecommunications Service Providers will have no alternative but to embrace the change and to develop innovative new business models and technology. It’s not an easy transition for them to make. However, I’m convinced that defensive strategies designed to protect traditional high-margin revenue sources and legacy investments are doomed to failure.

Intelligent Presence Services and associated functional attributes such as, filtering, availability, accessibility, willingness, capabilities, directory services, federation and awareness, are all critical elements to maximizing the benefits of Unified Communications. Persistence and message acknowledgment are also necessary elements of a UC system to effectively address communications between business applications / processes  and humans.

By leveraging capabilities enabled by, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) for example, a carrier could offer a Federated Presence and Directory service that would enhance enterprise UC applications. As an example, a service provider’s Presence service could be leveraged to compliment a city’s Crisis Management Plan.

Upon declaration of the crisis event, the service is invoked. Based on presence status and availability, the system locates and sends real-time notifications to City officials. Notification is expedited since notifications are only sent to officials based on known availability and capability status. If an official is not available on any device during the initial notification, the service continually monitors the person’s status and sends the notification the moment that the availability of the individual has been detected. The service persists until all officials have been notified and all critical notifications have been acknowledged and recorded.

Communications Enabled Business Processes (CEBP)

Art also discusses the UC aspects of integrating business applications and processes with human communications. This is an area of UC that Avaya began promoting heavily in 2007. We are in the very early stages of CEBP, but many are predicting that it is the area from which business will gain the most benefit from Unified Communications. As Art mentions, “business process analysis and consulting are key to using such technologies”.

Understanding a company’s business processes and identifying areas in the business flows that can benefit from the integration of UC applications is not trivial. For the past year, I have dedicated a large proportion of my time and effort in acquiring a better understanding of the value chain elements and business process flows and how UC should be integrated. As I have stated previously, the CEBP element of Unified Communications presents a tremendous challenge to industry vendors, consultants and analysts who have to date, been focused on the infrastructure elements of UC. Those who are not able to adapt will be relegated to the commoditized and low-margin plumbing aspects of UC.

Rick McCharles
Unified Communications Consultant
RIC Services