Posts Tagged 'messaging'

My facebook identity

At noon Saturday I picked my new facebook vanity url and from now on I’m facebook.com/dvirreznik. Simple and precise. According to facebook, 15min into the action, some 500,000 people registered their urls, at a staggering rate of 550 per second!

The question you need to ask is ‘what facebook has in store for us next?’ Having your own vanity url has been around for couple of years now, with LinkedIn, Flickr, SlideShare, Gmail, Twitter, Qik and many more. Being a number is so 1984, and facebook realized that. In my opinion (and others) facebook are working on something bigger, that would increase the loyalty of its friends – something like an email service.

And why the heck not? According to recent data facebook has some 200,000,000 loyal users and growing, built-in chat services, strong eco-system of developers – the only thing missing is messaging. And when you pick your vanity url you basically decide your email address: dvirreznik@facebook.com.

If you have other suggestions I’d love to hear them – drop a comment below.

First 48 hours with Lotus Notes Traveler

It’s been just over 48 hours since I started using Lotus Notes Traveler over my Nokia N95 and I have this to say – it’s addictive and I love it!! I’m using Lotus Notes Traveler 8.5.0.0, with Lotus Mobile Connect for VPN to IBM network (which also gives me access to our intranet – cool ;-), and it has changed the way I work.

Now, some friends might say I’m a ‘connection-junky’ – must be online all the time, but they are blowing it out of proportions a bit. I do have fring, twibble, gmail, FB mobile, Lotus Sametime Mobile, Opera Mini and other mobile applications that keeps me connected – because it’s easier to access them when I want, where-ever I want. Also, I’m not connected all the time because my N95’s battery will die after 4 hours of usage..

I must say that the Lotus Notes Traveler setup is pretty easy, no technical knowledge required. Define your Domino server, how you connect to the network, what you want to sync (mail, calendar, contacts), always-on (push mail) or by-demand, and you’re set.

So, after downloading this cool Symbian screenshot application (thanks Yoav), I’ve taken some screenshots of what Lotus Notes Traveler can do. All those screenshots (and more as time progresses) are available at the facebook album.

Links:
Lotus Notes Traveler post
Lotus Notes Traveler product page at ibm.com
Lotus mobile solutions
Lotus Notes Traveler Album

Nokia and IBM announce Lotus Notes Traveler for Symbian S60

IBM and Nokia will announce very soon that Lotus Notes Traveler will be available for Symbian S60 devices before the end of this year. Excellent news for our customers, who have been waiting patiently for a proven and secure messaging solution, suitable for Nokia devices, after the introduction of Lotus iNotes for the iPhone.

I can’t wait to get my hands on this release and put my Nokia N95 to the test…

From ZDNet.com:

Lotus Notes Traveler will have a plug-in for the standby screen on devices like the E71 and will also appear as part of the standard Nokia messaging client where you will see Lotus Notes Traveler in your list of email accounts.

Nokia devices compatible with IBM Lotus Notes Traveler:
Nokia E71, Nokia E66, Nokia E90 Communicator, Nokia E70, Nokia E65, Nokia E63, Nokia E62, Nokia E61i, Nokia E61, Nokia E60, Nokia E51, Nokia E50, Nokia N96, Nokia N85, Nokia N79, Nokia N95 8GB, Nokia N95, Nokia N82, Nokia N81 8GB, Nokia N81, Nokia N78, Nokia N77, Nokia N76, Nokia N75, Nokia N73, Nokia N93, Nokia N93i, Nokia N80, Nokia N91, Nokia N92, Nokia N71, Nokia 3250, Nokia 5500, Nokia 6290, Nokia 6110 Navigator, Nokia 6120 Classic, Nokia 6121 Classic, Nokia 6122 Classic, Nokia 6124, Nokia 6650 Fold, Nokia 5320 XpressMusic, Nokia 5700, Nokia 6210 Navigator, Nokia 6220 Classic.
[from the Nokia press release]

Links:

Ed Brill: Lotus Notes Traveler News Coming this Morning
ZDNet: Nokia and IBM announce Lotus Notes Traveler for S60 devices
IBM Lotus Notes Traveler
Lotus iNotes for the iPhone
Press release: Nokia extends IBM Lotus email access to 80 million mobile phones

Lotus iNotes on iPhone

You asked for it, and it’s (finally) here:
Lotus Notes support for the iPhone.
And it’s not just us (aka IBM) saying so, Apple are also in the picture.
Update:
Got some responses from readers over the weekend, so, just to clarify:
I’m not talking about full Lotus Notes client on your iPhone (like a pre-installed software), but rather a web access (through a browser) to your inbox/calendar/contacts (Domino Web Access, version 8.0.2).

Investing in collaboration & messaging

Selling Lotus Notes in Israel is not an easy task, and that’s probably the hardest part of my job, since taking this position 11 months ago.

Although personally I don’t use Outlook at home, I’m familiar with Microsoft’s stronghold in the local messaging market, respect them as a competitor and value their selling tactics. From the feedback I hear (friends, family, customers), it seems as if Microsoft is perfect. THE messaging solution we all crave for in our dreams. But is it really the case?

When it comes to messaging platforms, IBM and Microsoft hold the majority of the market, with 42% and 47%, respectively. Both offer roughly the same functionality, in terms of email, calendar and address book, but holds a different approach – IBM is selling an extensible messaging platform whilst Microsoft is selling a messaging application. And there is a difference.

A platform means you embrace composite applications, and enable your user to custom-built his/her workspace, thus becoming more productive. It’s like a web-portal, only in a client-server mode (Lotus Expeditor anyone?). And a platform also means you’re open (client and server) to other vendors, who might compete with you, but offer functionality you can’t (or won’t) provide.

Over the last 2-3 weeks I heard several Lotus customers saying they’re ‘looking into other messaging options‘. That’s cool, and I respect that, it’s an open market.
When I ask why, the reasons vary:

  • It’s too expensive to maintain
  • Hebrew
  • Not a strong UI (user interface)
  • Missing functionality
  • All my colleagues are using Microsoft
  • Our CEO likes Outlook better

I write down all the reasons (to answer afterwards), and then I ask them:
Why won’t you invest your budget in new collaboration and communication technologies?
There are so many new and innovative solutions out there, already mature enough for the corporate marketplace (Enterprise 2.0), that are worth looking at, and maybe even adopting in a small scale: instant messaging, location awareness (twitter), social computing, social bookmarking, building internal communities, team collaboration, web-portals, etc.
Why replace one messaging solution for another?

Here’s a comparison chart I found, that outlines the major differences in Lotus Notes and Domino 8 vs. Microsoft Outlook and Exchange 2007. Highlights:

  • Supported platform: IBM supports Windows 2003, IBM AIX, Linux (on Intel), Linux (System Z), IBM i5/OS, IBM z/OS, and Sun Solaris. Microsoft only supports 64-bit Windows Platform in production.
  • Virtualization: IBM supports both Hardware and Software virtualization. Microsoft doesn’t support virtualization.
  • Clustering type: IBM – application level (more flexible). Microsoft – OS level.
  • Encryption: IBM offers up to 4096 bit RSA encryption keys and 128 bits symmetric keys. Microsoft offer some type of encryption, but optional.

The full chart is available at the website.

Bottom line:
Both solutions have their strengthens and weaknesses, that any customer will evaluate prior to making a purchase decision. But, when you already implemented a messaging solution, why not explore new collaboration solutions? that empower your workforce?

Almost forgot, my answers:

  • It’s too expensive to maintain – when you buy an IBM software, you receive a life license to use the software. Each year you can (not must) renew your Subscription and Support, which entitles you to get free updates for your software and support from IBM specialists. Have you looked at Microsoft’s costs? do you get a life license or need to pay the full cost every year?
  • Hebrew – IBM has been putting a lot of emphasis on Hebrew over the past 3-4 years, and all Lotus solutions are available in Hebrew (input text and user interface). We have a local translation center in Israel, working with the various development teams, and Hebrew is released 2-3 months after the official announcement of the software.
  • Not a strong UI (user interface) – Lotus Notes and Domino 8 was born out of user group feedback – you. The customers told us what they wanted to see, and our dev team’s blog got over 20k hits per month. You can’t get a perfect interface, but hey, we’re here, listening.
  • Missing functionality – There’s always something missing. We are getting the feedback from customers and trying to incorporate some in future releases. Lotus development cycles are relatively short, and we announce new versions 3-4 times a year.
  • All my colleagues are using Microsoft😉
  • Our CEO likes Microsoft🙂




Mobile & Media Consultant. I help startup companies launch products to the consumer market. Reach out: dvir.reznik [at] gmail.com
Website
About

Archives

Disclaimer

This is my personal blog. The postings here do not represent the thoughts, intentions, plans or strategies of my past employers or of my clients. It is solely my opinion.