My Virtual Dave

So yeah… I’ve been following the rumors that abound regarding the anticipated announcement of Apple’s new tablet device.  It seems a bit dim by comparison to the anticipation of the iPhone’s initial release, but who knows… maybe in the upcoming days/weeks/months it takes Apple to actually polish their announcement the excitement will grow.

Do I sound skeptical?  Yup!  And you may ask why…  You see, one of the biggest reasons for the success of the iPhone was a combination of its revolutionary user interface in the form of capacitive touch, combined with the power of a real computer which when applied to the phone industry (an industry in which Apple had never participated before), it was groundbreaking technology.  The thought of taking such powerful computing to an industry that had been locked up by mega-telco’s putting out 23% of what an end user really wanted (yes that is a made up statistic, but my feeling of what I felt I got out of cell phones prior to the iPhone).

So why the skepticism…  It is because most of the rumors seem to indicate that Apple is taking the iPhone/iTouch to a bigger format.  Wait a minute… Isn’t that the wrong direction?  Maybe and most likely yes.  Not because people don’t want or need bigger; its because the industry gets excited about smaller, faster, cheaper.  However, there would be a reason that Apple is going bigger and that hypothetical reason could be in keeping with the Apple tradition of breaking down market barriers and bringing the unconventional to new markets thereby making it the new convention.

What could the reason be?

How about the re-invention of paper.

Over the last two decades, we have seen the march of time and advancements in technology bring an almost certain death to the Newspaper industry.  Even the surviving newspapers are experiencing subscription/readership rates that are so low, its a wonder that any of them can support the infrastructure costs for the needed physical distribution of their product.  Print advertising has been all but replaced by internet advertising.  Print news in general has been replaced by “read what you are interested when you are interested in reading it” internet media sources.

So what bright new technology could topple such an industry?  Well, if we all think green, take the Kindle as a sign that electronic books are here to stay, combine it with a 4g mobile device for on demand download, and provide a device that can truly mimic the written page; you could not only crush what is remaining in the newsprint industry, but serve up a truly new ability to not only read content, but store it, save it, index it, read it in a familiar form, with full size text, and fonts we have grown accustomed to, while also combining the powerful computing tools needed to manipulate, edit, save, share and publish new media.

Where’s the catch?  Why do I remain skeptical?

Its the rumor of the name  the “iSlate”.  Slates, tablet, touch PCs have always met with limited success.  They are rigid and weighty.  They are not convenient to hold and read on a subway as you are commuting to work.  They are cumbersome and stand out when you use them in public – think of sitting getting your favorite latte at Starbucks and whipping out your iSlate to read a few headlines before heading back from your break.  Even with an iPhone like interface… Even with a larger screen… Even with it being as thin as an iPhone… its not the same.  Just the word slate brings on images of hard, heavy and rigid.

But!  an iSlate using Electronic Paper?  That would be the balls.  Think of a screen that is flexible yet can display vibrant images.  Think of a lightweight, paperthin device that could be held like a sheet of paper, or a newspaper for that matter.  That would be cool!

And I know what you are going to say… A flexible screen like that would not have the same tactile response as an iphone like device.  It could not hold the computing power of a device like that.  It would be limited in its use.

Not necessarily though!  What if Apple made an iSlate which acted as a frame for electronic paper?  the slate portion of the device held all that you would expect from the powerful devices that Apple has historically produced.  Imagine a slot at the top of the device that would allow you to reach in and yank out your electronic paper and the paper itself has enough storage to display for you the content that was downloaded to it that you are interested in reading.

Now THATS a device I would ogle over.  The slate having a glass like rigid pane similar to a picture frame on your wall that gives you that rigid yet smooth surface for the capacitive touch interface.  The images being displayed on the other side of the transparent glass by your flexible Electronic Paper.  The paper acting as the display portion of the screen with perhaps a couple of independant touch sensors that upone removing it from the iSlate would then allow you to flip through your digital content.

Think of a true converged media device.  Your TV, combined with your PC, combined with your Phone, combined with your magazines and newspapers, with an interface that is suitable in all those uses.  Internet everywhere, media at your fingertips, communication friendly, and powerful enough to handle all your computing needs.

Now that would be killer.  If the iSlate is anywhere close to what I described, I would tell everyone to call Rupert Murdoch and tell him to hang up his hat.  But something tells me that if Apple is truly going to take over this industry.  Steve is smart enough to line up his ducks before pulling the trigger, so maybe he has struck a deal with a few magazine publishers and newspaper outlets.  He already has the developers, the music, and the video content.  And to put the final nail in the coffin… how about throwing in a couple of book publishers as a way of dousing the Kindle?

I guess we will have to wait and see.

Over the last year, I have been taking courses at Harvard University under their Extension School program.  I have to admit, it has been nothing but interesting, engaging and fulfilling.  In fact, I have enjoyed the experience so much that I have applied to the program to work toward an ALB.

When I first enrolled in courses, I had made mention of the fact to an old friend and colleague John Luongo.  Interestingly enough, he had given me the idea to take courses to begin with, as he had been working on going to school locally in California.  When I delivered my news to him, he responded with a very pleasant coincidence.  He had decided to switch and continue his next degree at Harvard Extension school as well.

One thing I found was that when he was explaining his decision, I did note a bit of what almost seemed to be him justifying why Harvard Extension was a good choice.  Perhaps it was me reading into what he was saying, perhaps not.  But I had been aware that there has been an ongoing controversy about the validity of the Harvard Extension School program.

We are merely weeks away from entering a new year and the calendars showing the year 2010.  That year is significant as it marks the 100th anniversary of Harvard University’s Extension School program.  If you scour the internet it is not hard to find many articles that either extol the virtues of the program, or seek to demean it due to it not being a degree from “Harvard”.  With a little digging you will find articles ranging from people who are caught “impersonating” a Harvard student, to people misrepresenting themselves on their resumes, to people who just downright treat people who have attended Harvard extension as ivy league “wanna-be”s.

The funny thing I find though, is that much of this controversy is generated by people who are not even associated to Harvard.  I have the luxury of being close enough to the campus where I can freely attend all my classes on campus.  I am not relegated to merely experiencing my education on-line through distance learning due to being in some far away state.  As such, my experience is not merely limited to just having access to the courses.  I interact face to face with my professors, fellow students and enjoy a myriad of what the Harvard campus has to offer.

Perhaps it would be good to clarify a few things.  First, Harvard University has 13 colleges under it’s umbrella.  Harvard Law, Harvard Business School, Harvard Medical School are just 3 of them.  Of course there is the infamous Harvard College.  But then there is Harvard Extension.  It befuddles me to think why on earth there would be such a debate as to whether Harvard Extension is really “Harvard.”  The university itself clearly advertises and states that it is indeed a bonafide and valuable part of the Harvard brand.  So why the controversy?

Some point to the fact that it is driven by the parents of students of Harvard College who have the privilege of paying the high price that comes with being a student that matriculated into the program through its rigorous admissions criteria.  Some say it is because Harvard Extension has an open enrollment policy and as such is reflected in the quality of the students.  For whatever reason though, the controversy exists.

The program itself is excellent.  It is also not as easy as people may think.  To be considered part of the degree program, you do indeed need to show you are capable of doing the work at a high enough level where you have proven you deserve to be there.  So perhaps it is a nice courtesy to let anyone try under open enrollment, but you have to be successful at a Harvard level to go beyond just taking a few classes.

But what of the positives other than just those that the extension student receives?  Does the University as a whole receive any benefit?  The answer in my opinion is clearly a “YES”.  One of the cornerstones of an education at Harvard is its promise of experiencing a diverse group of students and faculty.  That is not unique to Harvard, but it is something they hold in high regard.  The existence of Harvard Extension school bring a degree of diversity to the mix that is intrinsically valuable to the entire campus community, and is a dynamic that should be cherished by all those who walk through that square.

The Harvard Extension program brings people from all walks of life and gathers them into an environment where they can learn from each other, not in isolation, but as a group and community all striving to better themselves.  If you look at the roster of students who are part of this college within Harvard University, you will find successful politicians, business people, investors and executives all learning side by side with young students who can do much worse than to be exposed to the experiences of people working in many different industries from all walks of life.

Perhaps moving into this new century of Harvard Extension’s existence, we can all grow to set aside this meaningless controversy and focus on the primary reason we are all at Harvard University…

To be part of a talented group of people – culturally, economically and socially diverse – all seeking to work together to further our knowledge and bring value to each other and our global society.

As you all know I have been an avid fan of the iPhone since its initial release.  I had the pleasure of having my oldest son present me with one as a gift.  His gift wasn’t that he was buying one for me, it was that he got in line at 7 am on the day of its first release and waited in line all day to ensure I would get one of the first out the door.  Well he was second in line, and since I had already been an AT&T customer, a mere few minutes later I was the first person leaving the store with an iPhone in my hand.

I was very engrossed in this wonderful ground breaking technology.  Being a techie from way back I researched and studied the phone in great depth.  I even participated on the iPhone hack team by performing tests on my phone and sharing the results with the coders that were furiously working to unlock its hidden secrets.

I bought a MAC and downloaded the tools I needed to start coding in XCode and Cocoa as soon as the SDK was available.  I cranked out enough apps to test the iPhones useability and was pleased with the results.

I doubt I could ever claim to have coined the term as it seems so obvious, but I have always believed in the existence of “technocrud”  I have written about it in the past, and Im sure you can find my blog posting about it in my indexes of entries.   It seemed that technocrud was being developed at such a rate that it was mind boggling.

Then the wind began to change… DROID was coming… Or more specifically the promise of a trully open OS for a phone such that the artificial barries that Apple was imposing would no longer exist.  Skeptics claimed that Apple’s foothold would prevent its adoption.  They were down right wrong.

So here I was sitting there in my living room and all of a sudden my son came screaming to me in a fit of excitement… “DAD DROID IS COMING!”

I had seen some of the early Android phones.  I had several opportunities to play with them and I had been watching the myriad of apps that the developers had been releasing.  Yet up until now, none of the phone had ever struck me as being true iPhone like predators.  The screens didn’t work anywhere as nice.  Getstures were clunky, keyboard typing not as intuitive.

So I skeptically went down to the Verizon store, perhaps in hopes of maybe seeing something that really would impress me.  You see… as much as I loved the iPhone, my passion has always been cooled due to the requirement to be on AT&T’s network.  As much as there have been arguments regarding their coverage areas being comparable to Verizon’s, they simply did not stack up compared to what Verizon offered in the areas I frequented.  So me with my skepticism ventured forth.

Upon my arrival, I went to the pod that had this large Droid banner hanging from it and I was immediately faced with two phone options.  One was teh Moto Droid.  Having been a fan of Motorola, I picked that up first.  It was nice.  Very….. well… um…. Wait… Kind of a cross between a Q, Blackberry and Treo.   Ummmm…  Isn’t this kind of bulky?  Did their engineers design this to target people who like the button feel of a keyboard?  Moving parts on the phone?  Sliding screen?  I don’t get it… did any of them ever look at an iPhone?

But I looked over next to it, and my eyes immediately were drawn to this sleek, little, sexy number.  It had this little roller ball that was intermittenly glowing white as if it were calling out “touch me”.  I put the Moto down and lifted this matte finished,  black beauty and it immediately felt at home in my hand.  I pressed the phone button almost instinctively and the screen came to life.  Slide down to unlock…  Here was the test.  Was this going to feel like yet another faker attempting to lure me away from the graceful feel of the iPhone interface?  My thumb traveled down and with a swipe the home screen came to life.

OMG!  The weight, the design, the look, the vibrant display, the smooth touch and glassy feel of the phone made me instantly realize I had my hands on what was soon to be (at least for me) the death of my iPhone.

I must have spent two hours probing the applications and interfaces, email, calendars, contacts, phone, video, internet speeds.  All to which I was looking for that one flaw… NOTHING.  I could not find it.  A quirky smile came across my face and I reached out with my hand in the air, the phone being restricted only by that simple littel security wire and I gestured to the sales clerk… I want this one.

HTC had done it.  I don’t know where they found their engineers, but they were ultimately successful in creating what to me seemed like the very next step BEYOND what Apple had accomplished.

Well to say the least, my sons were happy as when I got home, they were the proud recipients of my two iPhones I had been using.  They dont use them as phones, they merely use them as if they were iTouches.

But me… Everyday I use my wonderful new communication companion, I grow further in love with it.

I tip my hat to both Google and HTC, and hope they can surpass this wonderful device so I may remain loyal as a new follower, adopter and fan.  And I appologize to AT&T.  As much as I like to be loyal… you do need to catch up.  Verizon is a better phone network, especially now since they have drunk the coolade and really know that there are people like me that need and want phones that are open to do with what we please.

Oh… and as a note to HTC… I am always open to having you send me pre-release phones, I would more than enjoy giving you my feedback. (hint hint hint)

Well things are rolling along this year.  I’ve been busy handling many of the things you would normally expect….  the search for new customers, moving forward with my book (yeah… I know.  It seems like a never ending process) and dealing with many changes in and around my personal life.

Now that I have a bit more time on my hands, I will be blogging more often.  (hopefully)

I guess that is it for this post as I do have something I want to write about but I would rather not clutter it up with my letting you all know I am back around for a bit.

Happy reading!