EverythingSteve.com

A) I agree with Dennis Howlett; B) I have not been sniffing glue

I love competition, and I really like Google. But to read all the hoopla regarding Google's announced forthcoming OS, despite all its limitations, is annoying. I applaud Google's initiative and hope they're successful in the long-term (they clearly won't be in the short-term). But for crying out loud, it's not like these guys just invented Ziploc bags or something.

The most intelligent wrap-up I've seen of this hype to date? Look to the oddly humorous yet abrasive, and always irreverent Dennis Howlett for a great post on this news.

Great To Be Back!

This Grasshopper 'Entrepreneurs' Video is Viralling Itself Around Quickly

And for good reason. It's simple, high quality, inspiring, and moving.

Torn Between Three Lovers

Stacey from Arizona writes, "This is something you would know... i need a new phone/BlackBerry... what should I do? I have Verizon right now but covet the iPhone and now with the Palm Pre I am so confused..."

Stacey, how the heck would I know? I don't own an iPhone or a BlackBerry or a Palm Pre. But...I do have an opinion on most everything, I DO own an iPod Touch, my wife owns a BlackBerry, and I'm a BlackBerry alum. So here goes.

1) The amount of froth regarding the new iPhone 3G S and the new 3.0 OS is simply unbelievable. At the relatively late hour of 9 p.m. Eastern I saw Tweets crossing at the rate of 150 per hour asking, "When is the new 3.0 OS going to be available?" But this frenzy is understandable. I defy you to play with the iPhone/iPod Touch OS, sample a few applications, and walk away concluding that this platform hasn't changed the face of computing forever. Simply put, it's fun, easy to use, simple, and enjoyable. Oh, and for developers it's where the momentum is, at the very least for consumer-facing applications. And companies like Oracle (my employer) are continuing to build and advance business apps that extend capabilities for remote users, such as sales people. But if you're a heavy typist, live and breathe on email, OR only care about a phone, why bother with an iPhone? I know someone with an iPhone who has no apps or music on it. She is awesome, but that doesn't quite make sense to me.

2) But the BlackBerry proves that in a rapid growth market like smartphones, many ships can sail just fine. Actually, that's not giving the Blackberry nearly enough of its due. The BlackBerry continues to be a business force and has gained a following among consumers as well. The email power user continues to love these things. But the Web browsing experience leaves much to be desired. That said, RIM has unveiled BlackBerry App World as its alternative to Apple's App Store. And there are a growing number of useful apps for this device.

3) The Palm Pre looks to be the coolest kid in the neighborhood. But I hear qualms from many people about whether it's the best long term choice. And extensive app support for this device may never come. Apple lowering its prices for the iPhone just days after the big Palm announcement was a definite buzz kill.

4) I'm sorry.I forgot to lead with the most important element, the issue of networks: Verizon versus AT&T versus Sprint. First of all, let's dispel the myth. Sprint isn't going anywhere. If by chance it doesn't remain an independent company Sprint users won't be abandoned. Therefore I don't think this should enter into the equation. Only one thing should, and it's painfully obvious. Signal--where you live, where you work, where you travel. When I lived in Menlo Park, California, AT&T's signal was 'acceptable.' But here in San Carlos, it's pretty good. So I've stuck with AT&T all along. But if you live in the Northeast...say suburban Boston, from what I understand it's a Verizon world.

So what do I own? Ummm....none of the above. I've got a Samsung Blackjack II running Windows Mobile II. It runs flawlessly. It pains me to say so, but when I make the move to an iPhone I know the user experience won't be this good. So why bother? Easy. I'm a music head, and the iPhone is where it's at, not just for storing your purchased music with the soon to be available 32 GB model, but to use apps like the Public Radio Tuner, Slacker, Pandora, and stream stations like Radio Paradise. I recently spent more than $200 to upgrade my nine year old Acura so I can plug in an MP3 player or iPod and listen to 3G streaming while driving. It is pretty darned cool to listen to Absolute Radio out of the UK while prowling Redwood City. So to the iPhone I will go even though I'm happy with my Samsung. I love the app experience. It gives me a platform in my pocket to showcase what my company is doing, business software-wise. It stores all my music. I'll be able to shoot short videos and beam them up. I'll be able to take higher quality photos and beam them up. And it gives me an excuse to reply to emails with only curt responses.

Look, I'm a former Apple loather. But enough is enough. This is where the party is, for both play and work. And so it is where I'm going...finally.

Stacey, I hope this helps. And Mary MacGregor, thank YOU.

[Editor's Note: This post also appears on my new, more professionally oriented blog, steve3dot0.com.]

Feelin' Just Ducky!

Feelin' Just Ducky!, originally uploaded by stevesancarlos.

You never know who's going to show up at the Jamba Juice in RWS CA.

What's in Between Me and a Nap?

What's in Between Me and a Nap?, originally uploaded by stevesancarlos.

My Playlist for Running Tomorrow Morning...

...shall sound like this.

 

Want to Know What's Funny? #3

Thanks to KFo for this great catch.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
End Times
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Newt Gingrich Unedited Interview

Is Bing 'Delightful' Enough?

For the past week I've been trying to figure out what to say about Microsoft's new Bing search engine (not to be confused with the real B-b-b-bing pictured on left). My nine-point summation is as follows:

1. I don't want to plagiarize but I have to agree with Ad Age's David Berkowitz, who concluded that Bing is hardly a "decision engine" as Microsoft is proclaiming, but more like a "search portal." Although for folks who already have entrenched Web behaviors, I wonder how much it will even serve as THAT. Case in point, I do the lion's share of my online shopping at Amazon.com--period. So that's typically my first destination point if I'm looking to buy something. And in general, it means that Bing will not exactly be a place that I never leave until I "absolutely have to."

2. On the other hand, more competition is great in Search, as it is in almost any market. Microsoft will keep Google and Yahoo! on their toes, and we'll benefit from more innovation...more quickly.

3. Don't underestimate Microsoft. They now have a few heavy hitters from Yahoo!, who are alums of Inktomi, which was a serious Search brain trust until its sale to Yahoo! in 2003 (disclaimer: I'm an Inktomi alum as well).

4. But is there really enough in Bing to "delight" and get a mass of folks to switch long-term? Based on what I've sampled, I'm not convinced.

5. From what I see, image search is pretty compelling (no need to click on subsequent pages). And video search, with its ability to view videos in the search window, is quite cool. But I see similar features in Google. And I don't see many other elements in Bing worth squawking about. Some folks will like the clever UI, with the lovely picture that changes daily. But others (like my wife) prefer the simplicity and clean lines of the Google screen. And still others will shun Microsoft and go to specialized start-ups for unique capabilities so they can be the cool kids on the block with the stuff on their laptops nobody else has.

6. More importantly, despite what some of the pundits say, I still see Google delivering far more relevant results. In fact, a video search in Google and Bing for anything related to the new iPhone 3G S was not a pretty sight for Bing, which had mostly old and dated content. But I was quickly able to grab the latest official videos and pundit pap from Google Video Search.

7. The "real-time Web." It's here. It's real. But can you search for Tweets in Bing? Not from what I've seen.

8. Microsoft is clearly pouring a pile of money into promoting Bing (note yesterday's "Bingathon" on Hulu.com for one). Perhaps Team Ballmer will move the needle, but arguably this will come at Yahoo!'s expense. And some folks have questioned how long Bing's temporary rise over Yahoo! will last. Me? I question just how much people care, especially people who think the current state of Search is 'good enough.' Hallway chatter yesterday was far more focused on the newest iPhones. Few people (I'm talking technology-savvy people) that I speak with have even checked out Bing, and a ridiculously informal poll I conducted yesterday afternoon on Twitter and Facebook yielded no responses.

9. My predictions: a) a few points in share? Yes. b) A major disruptor? No. 

But again, this is all good..errr....DELIGHTFUL...provided that Microsoft keeps pushing and investing. It's a safe bet they'll do just that.

[Editor's Note: This post also appears on my new, more professionally oriented blog, steve3dot0.com.]

How to 'Howl Train' Your Puppy

Want to Know What's Funny? #2

This isn't laugh out loud funny. It's smile wide funny. I'm sure a lot of people shake their heads at this campaign. I do too...affirmatively and with much appreciation.

R.I.P. Koko Taylor

Awesome bluesician.

(Source: about.com)

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you...BILL O' REILLY

Otherwise known as O'Reilly, the notorious "Brain Cell Killer."

Is Twitter Going to Make It?

Sure, that seems like a preposterous question. Twitter has well over 5 million users and a rapidly growing family of more than 10,000 third party apps supporting it. And yet, the company has not articulated a coherent monetization strategy, its technology could easily be co-opted by other companies, and its developer community could outgun it.

Two colleagues and I recently attended the two day "140 | The Twitter Conference" event in Mountain View, California. Yes, it was highly stimulating. We learned a lot and came away with a fair number of ideas we can incorporate in our CRM product marketing initiatives. And we saw a lot of really cool ideas and invigorating entrepreneurialism. Incidentally, the operative term here is "saw." Two large monitors were ablazing with different apps throughout both days. Now...how these ideas convert to revenue is another story. The "if you like what you see, please donate via PayPal" approach seems earthy and neat, but I wouldn't want my mortgage payment to depend on that. However, don't take my word for it. Go here and enter in "#140tc" so you can see the chatter firsthand.

Ultimately, for me the most compelling and memorable words were those of Forrester's Jeremiah Owyang (in the picture above). He gave a speech that used the Groundswell approach as the basic construct. (Let me diverge for a second. If you haven't read Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies, what the heck are you waiting for?).

But he also said the following, "Twitter doesn't matter. What matters is the Web, which is real time, mobile, and global." He then intimated that you'll see Twitter as a very successful stand-alone company, or as a feature in many different Websites, or it will dissipate altogether." He also helped "define" Twitter for many folks--e.g., it's a microblogging site, a CRM system (optimally for real-time customer support), a research and listening tool, a viral marketing tool, etc.

In summary, the buzz about Twitter can get annoying. Heck, I heard two guys at my gym this morning condescendingly dismiss it as a fad. But ultimately it's also quite fun to see where this Twitterverse is going. One final comment in this eclectic musing: Yes, I work at a "big brand" and big companies were frowned upon when they first glommed onto the Web in the mid-90s. And they seem to be getting dissed as they seek ways to harness the commercial potential of Twitter now. But from my biased perspective, these big guns are also bringing some order to the mayhem. They have to answer to several higher authorities (no, not like Hebrew National hot dogs!) given that they're public companies. This is in stark contrast to network level marketers, get rich quick hypesters, self-proclaimed motivational coaches, and even dog trainers...so many of whom are hyping their often questionable wares on Twitter.

[Editor's Note: This post also appears on my new, more professionally oriented blog.]

Them Folks at Yelp Are Nasty Nasty

Those dirty bastards at Yelp made some big-assed faux pas this morning, sending out a weekly newsletter with a rather crude headline (see below). Arguably the biggest "error" was their correction of it, which only attracted more attention to the original lapse in judgement. I say "arguably" because the ironic fact that this newsletter was sponsored by "SF Women Against Rape" must have royally pissed off that organization.

You know...I'm a rather crude dude, but I must admit I shook my head with a sneer when I first saw the message headline this morning, and didn't bother opening the email. In any event, the correction, sent out at 12;32 p.m Pacific time, read, "Due to an editorial oversight, an earlier version of the Weekly Yelp contained a headline that was inappropriate for the context. We apologize for the mistake." Aye caramba.