Last weekend I was off the grid. It wasn’t my plan to be without Internet or mobile access to all my digital pursuits (crutches) like Twitter and Foursquare and Tumblr. But Apple made it all possible by bricking my iPhone.
To be clear and fair and upfront, it’s not really Apple’s fault. It’s mine. I’ve been running a jailbroken and unlocked iPhone since the marvelous device came out. I have nothing against Apple, but I am loathe to do business with AT&T as they create moving targets in their terms of service, their data and voice plans and their overall presence in the marketplace.
As an example, they recently rescinded their promise that unlimited data plans for the iPad would be the norm. Now, if you buy an iPad you’re locked into a proprietary carrier (even though Apple and AT&T beg to differ and say your device is unlocked) and a horrid data plan.
That’s right. The SIM card in the iPad is only available as of this writing via AT&T in the United States. And the data plans offered now cap at 2GB of data use. How stupid is that? (By the way, T-Mobile might get the next iPhone)
Well, for a company that wants to make money it’s not stupid at all. AT&T probably saw that HD video and other content was coming for the iPad and wanted to capitalize on the added useage. They tried to explain that this pay-for-what-you-use model was better for most users. What they didn’t really tell the general public was that the heavy users of these devices are the ones who are most vocal in new media, most aware of technology limitations and restrictions, and most likely to fight for ALL users’ rights if restrictions were put in place.
I’m one of those users – though I don’t have an iPad yet. I have a USB modem with which I regularly go past the 5GB limit (lucky for me Verizon is true to its word and has grandfathered me into a true ‘unlimited’ plan which is what I pay for).
But I digress. How did I get bumped back into the 1970s? I’m an idiot. I tried to get my 3G iPhone to work a little better and upgraded it using some software at iClarified.com. This has worked a bunch of times in the past and the folks at iClarified are geniuses. They even told people like me that it was better to wait before upgrading because the risk of damaging your iPhone was pretty high until after the release of Apple iPhone OS 4.0.
I didn’t listen.
I flew too close to the sun.
I wanted speed and wanted to use applications that would only run on 3.1.3 as that number was growing and my older OS (3.1.2) was leaving me with more and more apps I couldn’t run.
So I did the upgrade and now my iPhone is a heavy iPod Touch with a camera. No SIM card works in it (except an AT&T one) and I had to buy a Droid over the weekend just to make phone calls.
Well, what’s the purpose of this mini rant? Do I want Apple to reward me for hacking their phone? Do I want AT&T to wake up and reinstitute unlimited plans? Do I just want to share my idiocy with the masses?
A mix of all of that. Right now I feel like a dolt because I’m using a Droid phone that doesn’t work nearly as well as the iPhone and I’m a little bitter.
I’m also acutely aware that I never want to be hostage in a no-grid situation. I will gladly put my Internet away and unplug, but I want it to be on my terms.
What’s the marketing takeaway here? That in order to remain in control of your digital life, you must spend a good amount of time researching your options, be aware that you are going to run into tech regret from time to time, and that speaking loudly about injustices like measured data plans is the only way we’ll ever enjoy true tech freedom.
I wandered around a bit here today. What are your thoughts on measured service, tech hacking, Apple and other Web-related news? Share in the comments.
What do you do when you find yourself face-to-face with someone you have only met on Facebook or Twitter? Tipping Point Labs made me answer that question on tape.
When it rains, it pours. Luckily and happily it’s not raining today on the first day of Bike-to-Work Week. But what is flooding my schedule this week are speaking engagements and appearances. I might be better served putting this info up on WithJeff, but that’s more of a community calendar and here is where I share social media news and other info.
So, what am I talking about? Let’s just detail the week…
Last night I was on The Bean Cast. This marketing podcast always has smart people on it and somehow I snuck past the guards. The show last yesterday had Ken Wheaton, Bob Knorpp, Joe Jaffe and Erik Proulx on it. And me.
Here’s the link to the show. Give it a listen and feel free to fast forward when I’m talking. Bob was kind enough to say I was making sense, but it took me another hour after the show to stop my brain from hurting – those guys were saying so much smart stuff.
In about three hours, I’ll be doing a show with Matt Mamet of Edit.me. His product is a collaborative blogging tool made for organizations that have teams of people (or at least more than one) creating content. Since I manage 20+ blogs on my own and put content up in newspapers, magazines, radio and online, he wanted to have me on to talk about content.
The show’s going to be fun and you can listen live at Noon Eastern today.
Then there’s a book launch party with Diane Darling – I contributed to the book.
The party is on May 18. And finally there are a pile of events at the end of next weekend and into next week. Those are the Eat, Drink and Be Social parties and sessions.
Last summer, as part of my ongoing quest to have new adventures and meet new people, I hooked up with Ray Chang. He was doing an experiment with a Ferrari 360 Modena and I got to go along for the ride. A ride, literally. Sadly I didn’t get to drive it.
Here’s the audio from my trip in the car…
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Well, the interesting thing about hopping in the Ferrari and doing an event for Ford (I hosted a Tweetup for the launch of the 2010 Taurus SHO last summer) is the approach. Ford knows its demographic and their goal is to get people excited about a car.
What Ray has done is used social media and a fantastic vehicle to get people excited about an experience. He’s not in this to sell cars, he’s in it to sell marketers and advertisers an option when it comes to messaging. Essentially, this is experiential marketing. Get someone in the car – appropriately branded with NASCAR-esque decorations and ads – and perhaps they’ll take away an image or a slogan or a memory that somewhere down the line compels them to buy a product or a service.
Does it work? I’m not sure. It’s a cool alternative. And as Ray told me, the supercar as advertising media is proven, tried and true.
I bought into the entire feeling of eyes on the car and on me in the seat as we buzzed around the Fenway area. It was like I was a celebrity. Now imagine that my logo or URL was on the car. Eyeballs would move to the car as it passed, and they would see some people in the car having fun, but they might also take away a message or be moved to check out the site.
Ray says he’s going to continue this program – he even has a site on Facebook to help promote it – with other cars and different locations.
For me, as a consumer, would it get me to buy something? I don’t know. I took a TON of photos (see below) when I was just walking around the car. So it definitely got my attention. What would make it better? If I got to drive.
What do you think of promos like this as effective (literal) vehicles for messaging? I think it’s a way to bring social and the real world together. Only time will tell if the road ahead is bumpy.
Verizon contacted me with the request that I review their new phone – the HTC Droid Incredible – and of course I said yes. I had planned to shop the review to some of my other outlets, but MobileMag.com already had an Incredible in house and were doing their own review of the Google phone. So, here’s my take – and a quick video showing how quick the phone is in comparison to my iPhone.
**I DID NOT GET TO KEEP THIS PHONE – IT IS BEING MAILED BACK TO VERIZON TOMORROW**
First off, it’s slim. As you can see from its profile as it sits next to the iPhone, it’s tiny. It fits easily in my pocket and the only drawback right now is the limited number of cases for the phone. There will certainly be dozens of case manufacturers jumping on board, but in many instances they don’t want to fill the market with cases for a phone that might not be a great seller. I think this phone will be.
Let’s go through the pluses and minuses.
Pluses
Size. It’s slim and easy to use.
Operating system. It’s on Google and allows users to download apps from the Android/Google Marketplace.
The OS also makes it fast as does the onboard memory – 1GHz processor and 32MB of available memory.
Network. It’s on Verizon and I found the signal strength and 3G availability during my test to be great. This isn’t a knock on other carriers, just a comment that Verizon’s network near Boston is pretty strong.
Camera. An 8MP camera took fantastic photos and also allowed me to take videos with ease.
Lock screen. The lock screen was as easy to use as the one on other phones…even the iPhone…and used a swiping, pattern recognition instead of a typed in password to unlock the phone. Cool as well.
Google integration. If you’re a gmail user, this phone syncs immediately and easily so that all your information is suddenly in the palm of your hand. This is fascinating and a little scary. Just remember to lock your phone. But it helps you keep your calendar, contacts and mail all within reach at all times.
GPS/Location. I use Foursquare and Gowalla a lot. The innards of the HTC Incredible had no issue finding me and finding me quickly. This made checking in a breeze. It also made apps like Google Sky Map AWESOME. Imagine pointing the phone at the sky and being able to identify star formations from what the phone tells you. Love that app.
Minuses
Battery life. It didn’t really last as long as I had hoped it would. But I was using bluetooth, Wifi, all sorts of apps and definitely putting the phone through its paces. If you shut down the haptic feedback, vibration, volume, screen brightness, bluetooth and Wifi, you’re sure to get much better longevity.
Size. Not the phone’s actual size, but the keyboard size. Keys – although they are onscreen and not physical – are small just because the form factor of the phone is tiny. I would have liked a key profile that was a hair bigger, but then where would you add the space?
Keyboard function. I’m used to the iPhone and how you use different key sets to get to special characters. With the Incredible, that isn’t the case. To get a hash sign, an exclamation mark or a number (and many other symbols and digits) you must hold a key down. This is most frustrating when you’re typing in passwords that have different characters in them. After a while I imaging typing would become natural, but it also irked some of the folks I let try the phone during my evaluation.
Random stuff….
In all, I like it. Were I not such an Apple fanboy, I might switch today. I have a Verizon account and could well justify moving to a phone that consolidates all my Google data in an instant.
The camera is cool, works fast and has a flash. All great points.
Contrary to what iPhone folks say, the Google Marketplace has a TON of apps and games and useful stuff in it. I was expecting to go there and find two minesweeper games and a maps app. There are radio streaming apps, the aforementioned star chart thing, Twitter, Foursquare, Facebook and other social networking apps and much more. You won’t be wanting for stuff to load on this phone.
So take a look at the video I took, think about the $200 price tag, and make your own decision. I would say this phone wins in my book. At least until iPhone ups its processor and adds more carriers.
Back in the 1980s a friend of mine was really excited about a concept called distance learning. The process was effectively teaching folks using technology. It allowed for entire classes to be in disparate locations while still interacting. The company that was introducing this concept has since been swallowed up, but the concept is more sound than you might realize. Especially if you or your organization has divisions or professionals all over the world.
Let’s take a look at a few ways people can learn anything from social media to food preparation using new tools.
First, there are Webinars. These are discussions led by masters in their field (you hope) on topics as varied as healthcare compliance to bike maintenance. I’m guest hosting a webinar on what to do with your Website after you launch it so it doesn’t languish. You can find me on Monday, May 17 at this location – sign up now if you want to attend.
Other companies are using them to pimp products, share knowledge and build a follower base. Firms like Awareness and Hubspot use them a lot to create buzz around their organization and their company’s products and services. What they offer that you can’t get from attending a conference in person, is the ability to streamline your learning.
It’s great to spend face time with people in the lobby of a hotel, but if you’re looking for targeted knowledge, these online routes are more effective ofttimes.
But how can you sift through the mess, short of spending entire mornings clicking around the Web Googling the word Webinar. Well, that’s where another friend of mine comes in. Rachel Levy started a company called Webinar Listings. This site aggregates a huge collection of these online learning programs so you can tell in a glance what’s happening when and how to sign up.
In fact, if you’re in the Boston area, Rachel is planning to present this company and concept to the attendees at a real-world event on Wednesday, May 12 in Waltham. The event is MassInno and it begins around 6PM…oh, it’s also free to attend.
Going beyond webinars, you can learn in a more formal way by taking classes at online colleges and universities. The one that jumps to mind is University of Phoenix. While these institutions might have been seen as fly-by-night in the past, they now carry accreditation and respect. You can take nearly any class you want and pursue many degree programs from your own living room. Which brings me to the biggest resource of all – the Internet.
While you might be digging around looking for the perfect webinar or session or conference, most of the content from these events and programs is archived somewhere on the Internet. Using Google or Bing or AddictoMatic, you can dig up information on myriad topics that can inform and entertain you for hours, days, weeks or months.
I’m NOT saying that this is a great resource because it’s all true. I’m saying the Internet is a great resource because it has such a breadth of knowledge at your fingertips. When I teach companies, universities and news outlets about social media, I’m very careful to explain how it’s a ‘buyer-beware’ environment on the Internet.
But once you’ve adopted some caution, you can find slide decks of presentations, past podcasts of shows featuring smart people, and even publications from every corner of the world. Your next step is to sit down and digest all this stuff. And become smarter.
What are your favorite resources on- and offline? Share them with others here in the comments.
Diane Darling is charming and upfront about her skillset and her mantras. She wants to see people succeed and has a vision in how that can happen. For even experienced networking and social media professionals, Darling’s tips and insight can be valuable.
For instance, in her most recent book…
DISCLAIMER, I CONTRIBUTED A SECTION TO THIS BOOK
…Diane gets down and dirty in how professionals at all levels leverage their skills and outgoing nature to make connections and ultimately make themselves more successful financially and emotionally.
Give it a read…even if you buy it just to see my section…it’s a nice primer for those who are a bit skeptical that traditional networking still can get the job done. I believe a mix of traditional and new media is the right route, but I’m a tech-head early adopter, what do I know?
ALSO, there’s an event coming up on May 18 where you can meet Diane in person and get your book signed. I expect that I’ll be there too and will sign anything you bring in – doesn’t have to be a book.
If you’d like me to help with a book, or even contribute a complete section or be a co-author, I’m always willing to listen. Gimme a shout in the comments here.
If you’re not familiar, I also run an eating microblog. The site – What Would Jeff Cutler Eat – details many meals and is often sponsored.
This year, for Mother’s Day, my family got together and instead of firing millions of food photos up on the blog I wanted to share here. So here’s what we had…
*by the way, links on WWJCE cost $250 per week, minimum of 21 mentions.
It’s really my third book, but who’s counting. This month I got another author credit when the book Age of Conversation 3 came out. The book was a collaborative effort with the authors listed below and was a lot of fun to put together. If you’d like a copy, I’ve put links below the list of authors and below the picture of the book cover.
Thanks for your support – without the energy of great people around me I’d never have the constant flow of creativity that keeps me churning out content!
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