The iPad and Google Apps

I love the look of the iPad, Apple's latest creation but perhaps not for the obvious reasons. It certainly looks smart, appears to have a nice screen, is light and fast with a 10 hour battery life...so far so good. But I recall when the first iPhone came out too..I wanted one that very first day of course who wouldn't , a game changer in every way you can think of.. however I did not get the first generation iPhone because, frankly at 2G, I just know it was not going to work for me..far too slow, no applications I could use as such on the fly...

That all changed with the 3G of course which meant not just the thing moved a lot quicker but by then the App Store was in full flow and it meant we could really make use of the power and the interface and the sheer usability of it all..simply managed though iTunes...Result..

But for me the killer app as it were, was the access via Google APP for the iPhone to all my favourite Google Apps which I use every day to work on Gmail, Docs, Calendar Reader, Talk, Search,Maps, and the partner apps that I use for pleasure too, News, Photo's, Translate, You Tube. In practice this meant I had no need for a lap top at all..on the move it was all in my hand ( vagaries of the O2 network notwithstanding ) and with all day battery life too. .. Result number 2.

When the 3GS came out with even more speed, video, better camera, I was tempted it must be said.. and then crushed by O2's upgrade costs ..( Hint to O2- make it easy for me and I will stick with you.. )

And then the iPad fell to earth after months of rumour and for many of the fan boys driven almost to distraction by the wait for Steve Jobs latest, a massive blog fuelled hangover. No camera, no video, no multi-tasking ,no flash. I admit I was a bit disappointed too at the time ( the No flash thing I can take or leave as it looks like it is on a downward spiral with HTML 5 growing up ) looking as I was and am, for a business case I can present to SWMBO ( sorry that means- She Who Must Be Obeyed ) But my biggest disappointment was No Google App for the iPad, a symptom perhaps of the two great innovators of our time now at war rather than in bed together. Which is a shame as a iPad version of Google APP could be great app and real Must Have ( along with Google Voice Pluuzeeee for the iPhone ) . Perhaps Google will announce something nearer the actual launch date , in which case my Business case may begin to look promising.

But I still may be an early adopter and there are there are three things I have been struck with which may make the iPad a consumer ( if not Pro) success. Firstly, multi tasking on single consumer device is overrated. Having my movie or song interrupted by twitter is not cool ( although I am sure Apple can make this easy at some point..lack of multi tasking is a large back office OS problem for Apple, I suspect they have not solved that yet ). The big promise however is the usability and the metaphor behind the device. Think , no more desk top watching of movies or using a boring old work device ( lap top ) in a strange position in bed, or on the sofa, or on a plane or bus. Secondly , the sight of Steve Jobs relaxing in a chair for the iPad demo was a game changer in itself, perhaps the most appealing to consumers- the whole Internet ( plus my movies, music, books, and the magazines and newspapers to come ) may just tip the device and the format into a whole new world . Finally, it might be an easy entry price in the UK in which case it may find an early fit twixt iPhone and Mac. Here's hoping.

The kids are all right

I had the great opportunity just a few days ago to speak with a room full of 11-15 old kids as part of career service offered by my local secondary school. The idea here is that the school invites speakers from a range of backgrounds and professions to help give the kids some insight into the opportunities that lie ahead. I was guinea pig for a fuller programme in 2010. I like being a guniea pig . I was invited to speak about digital careers and futures. So with 23 kids in room where do you start?

So I thought I would ask them some questions . How many had mobile phones? 22 out of 23 and the 23 had just lost hers. How many were smart phones ? ( I held up a iphone as an example ) 7 out of 22 were some kind of smart device. Brand names? No iphones at all, mostly Samsung and LG , one Nokia.How many had heard of social sites? .We wrote a list Bebo, My space. Facebook, You Tube, Flickr , even Spotify were all mentioned and all had accounts on more than one. Also very popular was MSN ( for chat ) and Hotmail . No one mentioned or had an account with Twitter or GMail .What followed was fascinating QA session. Some samples...Do I need maths? My answer ? No but if you want to programme or do Comp Sci it will do no harm.Will you look my Business Case ( an 11 year old with a plan for a web hosting service . Yes. Which is the best games service? No idea.Coolest phone? Try iPhone or android device What was fascinating in all of this was the insight that the kids were no more or less technically proficient than any other age group. But they were keen on experimenting and had no technofear. Hand them a new device or game and they just go for it..Without instructions or a manual or indeed a corporate training programme . All in a sense got the idea that emergence, imagination , experimentation was a routine methodology. How different I thought to many adults and groups and companies overly obsessed by ROI and Business cases for anything new. All quite happy to waste tonnes of money and risk on the old ways and old tech though. Something not quite right there . What happens after 18 then!