The Androids are coming!

If you search for Android in Google there no surprise that the first hit will take you to Google’s Open Handset Alliance page with tons of information and help on Android, and in fact 90% of the first page results are all about Google’s Android. There is one hit that points to the wikipedia page describing a more familiar definition of an Android.

Now if you look at that page, the results from Google are predictive to say the least, but one surprising fact about the page is that there is no sponsored links! Well there is one, sometimes, but there is no one making money from that page.

Now if your business model is based on advertising revenue and you are the number one search engine in the world with millions of hits per second, there’s no wonder you are a leading success and a global brand. Your revenue is based on selling advertising space, your clients pay for the benefit of reaching your vast audience and rely on you placing there ads on the first page in the right place. Of course you have competition, but being number one and staying at number means that you are smart, competitive and understand what the consumers want better than your rivals.

Staying two steps (or more) ahead of the rest means that they are all competing with each other whilst you are defining the next steps and not just waiting for it to arrive.

So who or what will threaten Google? This recent article in Business Week raises an interesting point.

You see according to the article, over two thirds of Americans have experienced Mobile Internet Services and of course this figure is growing. In Europe and in Asia we’ve been doing it for years and faster, but with wireless cities appearing, WiMax on the way, China and India exploding onto the scene and more recently, Cuba, there will be a shift from the traditional PC to the Mobile device. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t likely to be an overnight shift nor will it be a migration from PC to Mobile. What is happening is that more and more of us are experiencing better quality browsers and applications on the mobile platforms and we are embracing it.

According to Gartner, in 2006 there were just under 1 billion mobile phone units shipped worldwide and in 2007 this was around 1.13 billion. With Apple and RIM entering the market the devices are more attractive and functionally stable compared to the browsing experience on early Nokia and Motorola devices. These new devices really are becoming usable and I can at last see the day where I carry a single device.

With the increase in mobility the target audience for the ad execs is now mouth wateringly vast, BUT, the traditional banner ad and sponsored search ad will not do. The billions of mobile and wireless consumers will not accept the same content squeezed into a mobile device display. So, what’s the plan?

Enter Android. Develop a new mobile operating system that will allow your winning business model to thrive. So far, the advertising on Android is anyone’s guess, but personalisation and profiling seems to be the way forward. The recent launch of Blyk from Orange is a good example of how Google’s business model will continue to thrive on the mobile platform and some are predicting a coverflow type of interface that will contain target advertising as well as the content you request.

Same old problems.

I remember back in the late 1990s I worked on a project for GE to deploy Microsoft Exchange. GE at the time made a corporate decision to deploy a single messaging platform throughout the globe to overcome what they saw as a business communication problem. They used the analogy of a representative from GE Plastics walking past the representative from GE Lighting in the corridors of General Motors or Chrysler not knowing that they were both working for the same company with the same client and not being able to share any information. They believed that working together Plastics and Lighting could benefit the customer as well as GE. The case was compelling and the sponsorship of a single messaging platform came from the top, it had Jack Welch’s buy-in!

Reading Andrew McAfee’s post today I was reminded of this age and it occurred to me that we are still trying to solve this problem but this time the technology is Enterprise 2.0 and the use of Wikis and Blogs in a bid to reduce the use of email.

His students responses, in my view, are right on the button and his dissection of the responses make perfect sense. They mention cases where Wikis and Blogs can improve the collaboration between diverse businesses and teams within many different organisations, they highlight how collaboration and knowledge sharing can improve business processes, but I still can’t help thinking that whilst technology is evolving and we have new problems to solve, we’ve not fixed the problems that existed all those years ago.

Looking at it from another point of view, maybe we are solving the problem, but in stages. Email was the first step, but we are far from finished.

Microsoft Zimbra?

I really like Zimbra’s collaboration suite.  I remember looking into Zimbra, amongst others,  a few years ago when I decided to investigate what alternatives corporate Microsoft Exchange users had if they chose not to follow the MS Exchange road map.

At the time many of the alternatives available on the market lacked mobility, archiving and Outlook integration.  These were some of the criteria at the time.

The lack of functionality is no longer the case.  Zimbra now supports true push to Blackberry devices and also incorporates archiving and discovery.  The reality of moving from a Microsoft server platform is becoming reality.

Having said all that, look a little harder at the corporate level and you’ll see that Zimbra is owned by Yahoo and there is a possibility that this could all fall under a Microsoft brand in the future.  So what will become of Zimbra or indeed Exchange (which incidental is in need of a serious overall from the ground up)?

I can’t wait, but I fear we will all have to.

Travel, Technology and Time Machines – My Foot!

I’ve always maintained that travelling is educational and recently my visit to Singapore for the first time taught me many new things. It also stimulated thoughts that would never have been exposed whilst in London.

You see, when at home in London, it is extremely easy to embrace routine and continue to base life around that routine. I personally dislike prolonged routines. It’s okay to maintain a routine, but that routine must also evolve with the times, I believe. Sometimes that is easier said than done. That’s why travelling expands the mind and provides the stimulation to change. It is education as I say.

As a technologist, I once tried to embrace video conferencing in a bid to lower travel costs and of course to be greener, but with that comes a hidden trade off. It is the ability to touch and feel other cultures. There really is no substitution for that face to face experience.

On my recent trip to Singapore I experienced what I can only describe as a Geo-Fusion. Many cities claim they are multicultural and cosmopolitan and most are, but Singapore has a visible harmony to their mix of cultures. The fusion provides a friendly carefree environment that I do believe is an example to the rest of the world.

During my MBA studies I exchanged many discussions with students across the globe based around a topic and I learnt a great deal. It was an excellent transfer of knowledge, but it wasn’t quite the same as experiencing the same topic through the eyes of the students around the world. I took this opportunity to do just that.

A stark difference I noticed was their attitude to technology. Whist Singapore is awash with technology, their consumer habits are not the same as say the US and the UK. E-Commerce is not there yet and yet still they are thriving without it. I say this with little research but simply on the face of my visit.

There is no comparable returns policy in the shops and very little evidence of online shopping and I believe there is a reason for that. There is a rich market environment in Chinatown, Little India and throughout the HBD (council estates) areas. Where the people spend the day socialising over a meal/snack or simply a cup of coffee (as we do in the our cities).

Walking through the HDB areas (which are not visibly segregated in any way they simply blend into the landscape), it was evident how trade continues to thrive with very little change. Singapore historically was a trading port and to this day that culture is stronger than ever. From the Samsui women making a living the only way they know how, to the affluent professionals also making a living the only way they know how, through trading they live side by side in what I can only describe as harmony.

If you ever wanted to experience time travel, Singapore provides the machine. I witnessed supplier, wholesale and retail in one glance at the side of the street as one man cycled up to a weighing station with his wares, exchange his goods for money and another exchanging money for goods to sell to the consumer through the wholesaler. It was simple, effective and fast; golden rules for anyone in business.

Another inspiring sight I witnessed was the business of reflexology. A very successful chain called My Foot provides employment for many local people with disabilities in particular visually impaired individuals that are skillfully trained. These talented therapists provide the most relaxing environment and effective reflexology in the country. My Foot provides an opportunity to an otherwise limited community to earn a good living by developing the skills that are in demand. Having experienced reflexology, it can be quite addictive, particularly if it has cured an otherwise tired pair of feet as it did in my case! I need to find an equivalent in London.

Search for search

Just over two years ago, I embarked on a project to deploy an Enterprise Search engine within the bank. I may have mentioned this before.

During the period of evaluations and proof of concepts, I attended a few seminars and a couple of meetings with Microsoft who were embarking on repackaging their legacy index server as a search engine delivered with Sharepoint.

I documented my findings from these meetings along with other comparisons and conclusions from the products we looked at, unfortunately they are located on the internal wiki and cannot be referenced here. In any case,my findings were in summary, that Microsoft were making a poor and reactive attempt to compete with Google in the Enterprise. Their only hope would be to either go back to the drawing board, in which case they would be late to the market if they were to bring anything innovative to market or acquire a established Enterprise product.

That was around early 2005 and low and behold, here we are in early 2008!

Personally,I think this is a good move. Not sure about the timing commercially, but financially, yes! Let see what Microsoft decide to do with it.

Welcome to Singapore

My first visit to Singapore was met with a welcome I did not expect. First of all a 12 hour 40 minute flight from Heathrow on the faultless (until they flew me) Singapore Airlines felt more like 7 or 8 hours. This was the longest flight I had taken but it certainly didn’t feel that way. The service, the food, the entertainment, the seats and the time I chose were perfect!

Singapore and therefore Singaporeans pride themselves in being somewhat faultless and set an example to the rest of the world from their pioneering ERP traffic system to their chewing gum law (some say crazy, but it works!), and clearly were ashamed when I landed and had to eventually report to the Lost and Found office to report my missing luggage…along with another 20 or so passengers. Mutterings could be heard from a few locals around the baggage claim that this must have been a fault at Heathrow, it could not be a fault of Singapore Airlines. However, no sooner had I arrived in the lost and found office about to fill out the form, when we were informed that our luggage had just arrived on the carousel! The extended wait was not impressive, and the fault was with the container lifts, it broke down just before unloading the last set of cases off… mine!

Of course if there’s is a remote chance that Singapore airline staff are reading this, “You bozos, this is the first time I’ve flow with you to your home country and THIS is the welcome I get? An extended chance to stare at your conveyor belt? Feel free to comment here to apologise and I will let you know my KrisFlyer number for you to apologise in miles.”;-)

Having left the Airport I headed to my sister’s pad just off Grange Road. An impressive tree lined street with modern high rises appearing through the tree tops. Looking out of her apartment there are certain angles that appear as if you are looking down on a mini rain forest. Very impressive.

A quick shower and change and it was off to the Funan DigitalLife Mall. Now, this is an interesting place. Immediately and obviously, it is 7 levels of technology, geek’s paradise filled with everything IT hardware/software and gadgets galore. If you know what you want then this is the place, there’s plenty of options and competitive pricing too. If you are browsing, then after two floors your vision becomes blurred and you will hallucinate and begin to simply see mice everywhere, of the computer kind of course!

A few gems came out of that visit:

- Curry Puffs - A mouth watering smell that was torture for my nephew Sebastian.

- Kaya Toast - Thanks to my nephew Julian for warning me that the filling is green.

- Fresh Sugar Cane Drink

- Coffee-O or Kopi-O – It’s instant, but really delicious with a drop of condensed milk and certainly a caffine boost.

- $10 – 10 minute haircut! Not something I’ve tried yet but intrigued nonetheless. Obviously a Japanese idea for the busy individual who needs coiffure housekeeping but with very little time. A quick tidy up followed by a vacuum (of your head) and your comb as a souvenir, I hear to ensure hygiene, is a must try. Can’t see that model working in the UK; 10 minutes for £10 is not much of bargain, let alone a haircut, and translated; 3 minutes for £3, I hate to think. I will try it out later in the week.

Yes, the things that I was impressed with were the sidelines in the technology mall.

To conclude, dinner at my sister’s place was better than any oriental restaurant I’ve ever visited and to top it off, as I write this, my taste buds are screaming for more, but I can’t remember seeing what happened to it. Arrgg! Begs the question, what is the standard of the restaurants? I’m sure I’ll find out, but credit to Elisa and Juve for cooking up such a taste sensation! Let me know where the left overs are next time .

Anyway, I must try and get some sleep, I’ve got to be up in less than 4 hours to continue my cultural learnings.

Pace yourself

I named this blog “Too Early” for two reasons.  Firstly, the time of day I created it and secondly and more importantly my habit of proposing solutions ahead of time. One might think that being ‘ahead of the curve’ is a good thing and may well be lucrative in certain professions, but in mine, this has become somewhat of a frustration.

I’ve come to realise that whilst I enjoy what I do, I need to construct a consistent delivery and realise the realistic time frames for delivery early on and work to them.

One recent example is based around the team I created and the solutions I aimed to deliver.  Two years ago, I formed a team called Strategic Architecture.  Senior management liked the idea of the team but were not keen on the name, primarily because of the lack of understanding of what an IT architect actually does.  I don’t blame them as this is defined differently everywhere you go, however, having recently dissolved the team internally, senior managment have decided to create a Strategic Architecture group!

One of the initiatives I set out early on was the importance of capitalising on internal intellectual property (IP) and the ability to turn data > Information into a competitive edge for an orginisation.  To achieve this I detailed a plan that involved a foundation of Enterprise Search and collaboration technologies built upon it with a presence backbone.

I believe that to achieve this competitive edge we could unlock the knowledge pools and break down the knowledge silos within the Enterprise in a similar way to the way Wikipedia achieves this across the globe, but with tacit knowledge being the value add through presence.

I’ve been working on this for two years and so far have managed to secure the funding to build the foundation of Enterprise Search.  The rest of the building blocks are of course based around Enterprise 2.0 where boundaries are broken down and communities are built up as it is in a Web 2.0 world, external to the Enterprise.

I aim to pursue this goal, but external factors are hindering the process.  Factors such as the crisis in the capital markets causing the lack of further investment into innovation particularly in the financial sector.  For that reason I see a lull and for that reason I’ve decided to take time out and work aggressively on what I recognise as my weakness in pacing myself against long term time scales.

Visual Radio

Digital radio stations are testing the transmission of pictures alongside the sound according to a recent BBC article. In fact this has been discussed for years. Nokia also has been working on ‘visual radio’ across the cellular networks and have indeed released the service.

The first thing that came to mind as I read the BBC article is.. well.. Television? The next thing that comes to mind is that watching a radio show has to be in the top five of the most boring things in the world alongside watching paint dry or having a drink with an accountant, a chemist, programmer and an estate agent.

Invest more time into this and you’ll soon realise that it is something that works.

First of all, what sort of visual content will a radio station feel compelled to broadcast? Whatever they choose one thing for sure is it’s another piece of real estate for advertising. A term used in the article is ‘glanceability’. This is very important and differentiates visual radio from television or video transmission, , broadcasting the video of a song with sound is not very innovative. Maybe track information, trivia about the artist, some advertising or even current news or traffic news in ticker form. whatever it is, the content must be glance-able.

Glanceability is 1-2 seconds of opportunity to get your message across to a potential audience. On a device that can receives digital radio (or in Nokia’s case FM radio and cellular picture synchronised), broadcasters must ensure that the device itself is visible. Let’s face it, with radio, the receiver is usually hidden, so with visual radio, broadcasters must ensure that the devices are visible. Mobile phones are certainly a target, except of course when driving or in use with a bluetooth ear-piece as many governments are now demanding, but in car entertainment systems certainly.

Right now there is a differentiation, but soon we will be watching content, content that we choose to watch anywhere anytime on any device and the glance-able content will be relevant advertisement.

Consumer meets Enterprise

I’ve written about the fact that many Web 2.0 applications out there in consumer land would be great in the Enterprise. Well, no sooner that those thoughts were published, I find that Worklight have or about to release a Facebook overlay for the Enterprise.

This is a big leap forward to adopting Web 2.0 within the enterprise. not wanting to go into the discussion of whether Facebook should be allowed from within the Enterprise, this product assumes that this is not an issue and looks to use Facebook as an Enterprise social network with all the security you would expect.

Secure sign-on into the application presents you with your corporate network in the same way you are presented with your private social network, but added to that, you are provided with corporate strength communications within the application. It uses the enterprise infrastructure within the application and outside the application it is raw Facebook.

Moving on to the next milestone

Ive just celebrated my birthday, Christmas is approaching and it looks like I am about to depart my current employment. A turning point for me.  I’m going to take some time out and work on a plan to start a business.

A bold move certainly, but I’ve been in the industry my entire career and I’ve seen many succeed where I intended, I’ve also help many others achieve their goal and contributed to the success of their businesses.

I’ve always considered myself an entrepreneur, but in practice I took the low risk path and worked for someone else and fell into the comfort zone far too  easily.

Eight years ago I did start my own business with the intention of growing it into a successful service, but I didn’t have confidence in myself and soon reverted to becoming an employee.

This is going to change.  I have a plan, a soon to be completed business plan and I intend to launch in 2008.

More to come.