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MobiMarketing Hits Twitter "It's Alive"

MobiMarketing "It's Alive" on Twitter.

J.D. Power & iPhone Business User Satisfaction?: a Statistical Fluke

Apple proudly announced in a full page ad in today's Wall Street Journal that J.D. Power and Associates, which rates consumer satisfaction in numerous markets, "...ranks [Apple's iPhone] highest among business users."

Apple, however, left out two sub-headers in the J.D. Power release. "One-Fourth of Business Smartphone Users Report Experiencing a Software-Related Issue with Their Current Device."

"The study finds that one-fourth of users report experiencing at least one software-related issue or problem with their current smartphone device. The software-related issues reported most often include the need to reboot the phone, application malfunction/freeze and issues related to touch screen malfunction. Among those owners who have experienced a software problem, 44 percent report having to reboot their device at least once on a weekly basis during the past 12 months, while 34 percent report experiencing either an application malfunction or application freeze at least once per week. "

The survey of 1,388 "business smartphone users" rated six smartphone manufacturers: Apple, RIM (BlackBerry), Samsung, Motorola, HTC and Palm. The iPhone was rated 778 on a 1,000 point scale, RIM's BlackBerry's at 703 and Samsung just below RIM at 701.

J.D. Power conducted the survey before the release of RIM's BlackBerry Bold (AT&T) in July, the G1 (T-Mobile/Google) in late August and the BlackBerry Storm, which only recently hit Verizon stores. Other smartphone manufacturers such as Nokia, which holds a 38% share of the world's mobile phone market amd Sony-Ericsson at 23% were noticeably absent from the study, most likely due to low availability rates in the U.S.

J.D. Power and Apple fail to define the "business smartphone" market. Despite the iPhone supporting exchange server syncing and security protocols--mandated by IT managers--neither J.D. Power nor Apple define a "business smartphone user." Most likely, the majority of iPhone users surveyed are self-employed, work for a small business or use the iPhone along with an approved business handset, such as the BlackBerry, in larger companies, where few IT managers have yet to approve the use of iPhones on company servers.

Another statistical fluke not addressed in the survey release is skewed ratings. Apple has only released a single smartphone with fewer than 10 million in use. HTC, Samsung, Nokia and others, on the other hand, have distributed hundreds of millions smartphones worldwide.

As the number of rated smartphone handsets rises, the overall rating of the iPhone, bolstered by Apple's promotions and hype, rises higher than the rest as a whole, because the iphone ratings are based on one handset out of dozens.

I searched Phone Scoop for handsets I consider meet the minimum "business smartphone" requirements for U.S. carriers.

All phones: *

• have Calendar
• have Data-Capable
• have Email Client
• have Multiple Numbers per Name
• have Packet Data (EDGE or 1xRTT or 1xEV-DO r0 or 1xEV-DO rA or WCDMA (UMTS) or HSDPA 1.8 or HSDPA 3.6 or HSDPA 7.2)
• have PC Sync
• have To-Do List
• have WAP / Web Browser

More than 20 phones met the minimum requirements. Click here to view them.

As I've written before in MTM and elsewhere, Steve Jobs and Apple are masters of marketing hype. But they can't legitimately escape the laws of statistics. The iPhone, although a breakthrough device in many ways, represents a drop-in-the-bucket in mobile telephony.

* Some phones listed may not be available from U.S. carriers. Check eBay and other sources on the Web.

Tired of Prank Phone Calls? Want to Find Lost Relatives or Friends?

This may sound like heresy, because I've run call centers and inside sales departments in my career. But if you're like me, you're tired of telephone solicitation and other unwanted calls. In many cases, you don't know who's calling you before answering because callers have disabled call readout.


Many people, then, refuse to answer calls without a readout on their cell or land line telephone lines, but the calls continue. Quite often, multiple calls from the same person or company flood the same numbers again and again. Trying to obtain information about who's calling is often difficult, if not impossible.

Legitimate telemarketing companies purge their lists of phone numbers registered with the Do Not Call Registry. Not only is this a good business practice, but telemarketing firms and other sellers face significant fines if reported.

Meanwhile, I've been searching for some time to identify unwanted callers, and I finally found one. The service provides the names, addresses, cellular carriers (if mobile), cities, states and additional information about the caller and company.

You can also find names, addresses and other information of long-lost relatives, classmates or business associates, saving you countless hours searching the Internet.

Check out the service here.

Google's G1 vs. the iPhone: Major Construction and Design Flaws Emerge (Revised 11/2/08)

Unlike the the V1 iPhone, running on AT&T's slow EDGE data network, T-Mobile/Google's G1 hits the street 3G enabled. (T-Mobile's 3G network is now operational in the San Francisco Bay Area and numerous other metros around the U.S.)

Application developers, who take advantage of Google's open Android OS, is also in question. Currently, over 3,000 applications have been written for the iPhone, and Google and T-Mobile have a strenuous journey ahead to convince developers to write code.

I had an opportunity today to visit a T-Mobile store and check out the G1 more closely. Two concerns immediately came to mind: The G1's flat, non-tactile keyboard and its plastic casing. When I first picked up the G1, its lightness alerted me to potential problems, since I had just come from an AT&T store checking out the 3G iPhone again.

Would You Give Up Your Laptop/Desktop for a Mobile Device?

Here's something to chew on. At what point would you give up your laptop or desktop computer for a mobile device? What capabilities and performance would you require?

That's a recent question I posed to the MobilOpen group on LinkedIn.

Since the release of the iPhone and similar mobile devices, many visionaries have proposed a day when personal computers, as we know them, will be replaced by mobile handsets. What features and performance would it take for you to take the leap into mobile space?

Here are three answers from MobilOpen group members:

Shaun said:

"Personally I don't think that would happen unless we could type on a virtual keyboard and have a hologram screen.. and that sounds like a bit of SciFi.. so I would say for the moment at least.. I don't want my PC replaced. But I love the mobility of a mobile device. I always found PDAs like what Palm and Windows based devices to clunky and not sexy.. What is coming out now be it from Apple or other mobile makers like LG is the perfect complement to my PC life. I really don't use in the same way so that is why there is two devices. But I do watch movies on my iPhone, listen to music, etc..."

Brent responded:

Shaun touched on it - screen size is the limit for me. I have an HTC Mogul and I use it for a ton of stuff, but I can't mothball the laptop until I can have a screen big enough that I don't have to scroll all over the place to see what I am doing.

There are already DVD systems that have glasses that simulate a 60" screen. When they can couple that to a mobile device they will be well on their way. As it is a 19" widescreen some times runs out of real estate, fix that problem and the rest of the problems are minor in comparison."

And Nicola commented:

"Hi, I've been thinking about trying to do that this year. I am playing around with a project to see if I can create my own notes editor for the phone. However I would need a keyboard if I was typing lines of code all day. I'm using tv-out on my phone so that I can view the code on my tv, whilst the mobile projectors are still being developed (and hopefully retailed at under $600). However another example of where mobile isn't working quite so well for me is the mobile-only social networks, they are not easy to search for people, browse photos on a regular smartphone if you don't have a tv-out or projector option. Would I go mobile-only then ? I don't know but it would be more likely."

My response to the three comments:

"Very interesting responses. While I tried to focus my question on functionality (ex. 5 hour battery life, Word-like word processor, 3Mbps Internet download speed, BlackBerry-enabled email,etc.), the responses relate more to handset screen size, input/output devices and so forth.

I think Shaun best points out the main quandary ditching PC's for mobile devices ("I don't want my PC replaced. But I love the mobility of a mobile device."). Brent sounds like he might jump ship if his mobile device screen was larger and offered the functions of his Mogul, while Nicola needs keyboards and visual displays that moves her from mobile space to home turf.

Maybe it's like Star Trek. If you're a fan like me, you've noticed that some devices on the ships are "mobile," like the communicators, including voice interaction with a computer, while touch screen panels are used for navigation, security and zapping the enemy with photons.Shaun gets more than his hologram screen; in fact, he gets an entire world of holographic people and objects that appear real.

I wrote a blog post on eBay in 2006 dealing with multiple devices for different functions. I've also written a lot of posts about the effects of mobile technology on people in my MarketingBeyond TypePad blog. I find the convergence of computer/communications technologies with mobile fascinating and continue blogging and podcasting on the subject.

So how about you? When would you throw away your laptop or desktop for a mobile device? What would you absolutely have to have to take the plunge?

iPhone 3G Dropped Call Problem: Understanding Mobile Devices

Without contributing to angry 3G iPhone customers worldwide--nor criticizing Apple, the carriers or Infineon, the chipset maker currently under siege--let me reduce the "irritation thermometer" a degree or two.

First, I must make clear that I'm not defending Apple, AT&T, other worldwide carriers, Infineon or God. Without divine knowledge, I can tell you that everyone else preceding God is working on the dropped call problem currently attributed to Infineon's chipset. The reported problem appears to relate to iPhone connection transfers from cell tower to cell tower. This explanation may change as Apple, the carriers and Infineon further investigate.

Mobile phone users need to understand that signal-related problems with cellular devices usually stem from a number of related factors--not just one. Here are the main factors:

1. Components
   
   Mobile devices contain a myriad number of individual components--some related to signal/RF functionality, others to cameras, music players, chipsets, displays and other components. The components, as with your PC or Mac, interact with each other, sometimes causing system crashes, dropped calls, weak signals and other problems. Generally speaking, the non-RF components, such as a camera, are unrelated to RF components, such as the phones antenna or 3G chipset. Components, similar to computers, are chosen from numerous suppliers and frequently change as the mobile device evolves: more features, identified buggy components, cost, etc.
   |
   
2. Firmware
   
   Firmware are the hard-coded chips built into a mobile device, controlling video displays, RF signal output, touch screens and most other phone functions. Firmware manufacturers, such as Infineon, provide flash firmware updates to fix problems or increase performance. Wikipedia's short article on firmware is a good introduction to the subject.
   
   
3. Software
   
   Little need be said here. Mobile users--especially iPhone users--are very familiar with the software already embedded or occupying internal memory on the iPhone. But keep in mind, especially with the opening of Apple's new Application Store, that adding any software to a mobile phone, just like a computer, has inherent risks. Application developers have rigid protocols for testing software before release, but it's inevitable you will eventually load a software program on your iPhone that causes problems. Software problems are easier to diagnose and fix. First step: remove the software and see if the problem goes away. Like firmware, software developers release upgrades and updates that resolve problems and increase functionality.
   
   
4. Carrier Infrasructure (Towers, cellular radios, etc.)
   
   If you read my previous post here on MTI, you're aware of AT&T's steps to install more cell towers, 3G radios and other RF devices that control its network. However, AT&T, as with all carriers in the U.S. and abroad, rely on roaming partners (covered next) that handle cell phone call pass-offs as you move out-of-range of the current tower.
   
   
5. Roaming Partners
   
   Cell phone carriers share towers and other RF equipment with other carriers to avoid duplication, effectively increasing the geographic areas offering coverage. Without roaming partners, U.S. and other other carriers would have significant coverage gaps, resulting in an increase in call drops. 3G or broadband coverage areas are one of the weaknesses in U.S. coverage and that, in part, accounts for both voice call drops and slow data downloads, most especially on a data-intensive device such as the 3G iPhone. Until recently, T-Mobile, which uses AT&T and other roaming partners, didn't have its own network. It piggy-backed off coverage supplied by its roaming partners. (Check out GSM World, a great site that explains roaming and lists carrier roaming partners.)
   
   
6. Location
   
   "Location, location, location"--the often-used explanation for real estate prices--is even more true with cellular. Forget the carriers' TV commercials ("More Bars," "Best Network," "Fewer Dropped Calls"). Cell phone RF strength varies from moment-to-moment, especially when you're mobile, and no carrier can predict the strength and quality of the signal on your handset at any point in time. Generally, speaking, you'll get a stronger, more stable signal, if you're outside away from buildings, trees and other RF obstacles, but RF signal strength and call drops are unpredictable, despite the coverage maps carriers show on their websites.
   
   
7. Weather
   
   Inclement weather affects RF signals from your handset to-and-from cell phone towers. As you move through space in your car, bus, train or walking, weather conditions, as with tower locations, will affect signal strength, call quality, 3G availability and, yes, dropped calls. Read this short article on weather and other factors affecting your mobile phone.
   
   
8. Voice & Data Traffic
   
   (See my previous MTI article on the 3G iPhone straining AT&T's network.) In general, as greater demand is placed on mobile carrier networks, performance deterioriates. The carriers continue monitoring network quality, making adjustments in cell tower switching, installing additional antennas and adding roaming partners. RF propagation is very complex, as you've probably sensed by now.
   
   Before U.S. users started rapidly switching from wired to wireless phones, the problems encountered were due primarily to old analog networks (TDMA is a one example.) When the carriers went digital, they improved call quality and coverage, but U.S. users increased dramatically. Penetration is now approaching 85% of the entire population with 260,000,000 handsets in use.
   

For an excellent summary of how cell phones work, check out "How Stuff Works," a great site that answers questions on almost any topic.