Developers: why you should build for Android tablets — Scobleizer

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A Twitter Client With A Brilliant UI Design

There is one reason I use the Twitter iPhone client over any other, it's a killer user interface design element. Here is the normal stream view

Now, simply slide your finger over any of the Tweets, and a menu of options are opened up. Now I can act on the tweet without having to open it up. Brilliant.

Try it out, very cool.

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Twitter Launches A Client For Windows Phone 7

Twitter released a version of their mobile device client for Windows Phone 7. This version of the client uses a platform and design they call Metro. This application also lets you view your Twitter data through Pivots, described as pages.

From the Twitter blog:

We dug into the platform with a development partner, IdentityMine, who helped us get started creating our application. We used an open source REST API library, Tweet Sharp, as the foundation for our app, and IdentityMine will release some significant improvements back into open source for everyone to use.

Wow, releasing this application back into the community as open source. That will let developers take the code and create their own versions, based off the work Twitter and IdentityMine have already done. Nice to see them ahead of the curve.

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Join Me For #devchat On Twitter

I started a Twitter chat called #devchat, all about the software development business. Right now the time is every Wednesday at 7PM MST. Everyone is welcome, but I'm hoping this will be a very technical discussion. A little background on Twitter Chats here.

Please follow the Twitter user @dev_chat, and use http://TweetChat.com to follow #devchat. No need to register, but you can find more information here.

Please Tweet this, blog about it, post to Facebook, or any other resource you use to communicate with other devs. You can also follow me on Twitter by clicking the Twitter icon in the sidebar at the top.

See you on Wednesday, September 2nd, at 7PM MST.

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Timpanogos Cave Hike

This morning I hiked up to the opening of Timpanogos cave with Gina, Jess, Vickie and Larry. First time for me, and man did it kick my butt. I'll do it again, probably several more times. I really want to take more pictures. I was so exhausted I didn't really care. I did take a few though, below.

[gallery link="file" orderby="ID"]

Here is a link about the cave, the hike, and the area. http://bit.ly/bpuqbj

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Why Microsoft Shouldn't Aim At Google Or Apple

I read this Wired article today, and I had too cringe hearing Microsoft is taking aim at Google and Apple. Why would they want too? They own such an enormous desktop market, and they could own the mobile space too, but not trying to come at it from the rear. Utilize your existing customer base to build the best mobile experience for Windows users. The reason Android is catching on so quickly, besides the open software and the backing of Google, is it's really the only smart phone alternative to the iPhone at the moment. There are other platforms, but nothing at the level of an Android phone.

I'm not foolish enough to think Microsoft doesn't have a huge gap when it comes to mobile market share. I mean they haven't really put any effort into it for years. But that's what's cool about the opportunity they have. If they want to take something from Apple, take the fact Apple goes to incredible lengths to make the user experience the best on the planet. Whether you think that is egotistical, close minded, or plain and simple snobbery, it doesn't matter. They make products that people like. And Microsoft should focus on the same thing.

I think Microsoft is in the perfect position. I really hope they don't blow it by trying to "be" a bigger better Apple or Google, because they will fail.

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The Jedi Rank Of Community Manager

Most companies would balk at hiring someone to manage "their community", and I can understand the resistance. The question of whether a Community Manager (I'll try and refer to the position as CM from here on out) brings value to a company is long standing, and even harder to answer. My answer is an overwhelming yes, and I think it should be a key position.

More and more people are looking for visibility into a company. Customers expect representatives of a company to be in the same places they are. Customers expect some sort of interaction with questions, issues or concerns, and they expect them pretty quickly. CM's can be a great first line between a company and it's customers.

I've been an admirer of ComcastCares (who has also grown to become a celebrity in his own right) on Twitter, and how the group has grown from a staff of one, to an army of Twitter "agents", helping as many of their customers as they can. The trend is obviously there. Many of the largest companies in the world have CM's, and some times several.

But these Jedi usually do more than answer Twitter questions. I had an opportunity to spend some time with Blue Sky Factory's CM, DJ Waldow, and get a small glimpse of what he does, even for just an hour. A few months ago, DJ sat across from me in a now defunct Co-Working space in Salt Lake City, Utah. He's a rock star. He's smooth. He's fast. He knows his company, his product and his customer. But I've also seen DJ interact with the community, and he definitely shares as much as he can. Who else would offer up assistance at 2AM? DJ will. He just had a baby, so yeah he's probably up on occasion. You can find more on DJ at these digital pads; Blog - Twitter - Blue Sky Factory.

I asked DJ some questions, and he gave some great responses.

Community Management can at times seem like a 24/7 job, what have you done to balance work and life?

Had a baby. Just kidding. Actually, not entirely. Being a new dad has helped to shut off and go offline every now and then. I'm not saying that I've figured this out (ask my wife), but it's help focus me during the day a bit. When I pick my daughter up from daycare, I do my best to make it family time. The same goes for weekends and evenings - that's my time with my wife and daughter. Don't get me wrong, I have an iPhone so I'm able to "check in" every so often. Also, I don't have the typical 9-5 job. Some days, I'm up and rolling with my first cup of french press coffee before 6AM. Other days, I burn the candle late into the evening. Either way, most days are blend of personal and professional. That's a key to this gig as much of what I do on a personal level helps with my job as the Director of Community at Blue Sky Factory. Much of community management is about building relationships, connecting people, engaging with fans, critics, prospects, clients, and evangelists.

I see a lot of high tech companies with Community Managers, is this a role only for high tech, or can just about any company use a Community Manager?

A community manager can help any organization, not just high tech. I think of this role as the voice and face of the organization. It's PR, Marketing, Sales, Support, Client Services, Business Development - you name it. Those teams exist in nearly every company, not just in the tech sector. That being said, not every organization needs a community manager - just like social media is not necessary for every company (http://socialbutterflyguy.com/2009/12/16/social-media-is-not-necessary/).

I know you do interact on Twitter a lot, where else do you interact with your companies community? Which do you find is the most critical?

I spend quite a bit of time on blogs - writing for both the Blue Sky Factory blog (http://blog.blueskyfactory.com/) and commenting on other blogs. I also use Facebook to post and have conversations with our community. Finally, LinkedIn is becoming a more integral piece. The group discussions and LinkedIn Answers provide some good dialogue. Most critical? I find that Twitter still gets the most bang for the buck when it comes to generating new business.

CM's have been around for a long time, but were typically volunteers who loved a product or service, and wanted to help improve it, and help others get the most for their money. The role of advocate has dramatically changed. The CM is called on to interact the customers on multiple levels, create more opportunity for product or service introduction, and build an even larger army of advocates. You will also find a good CM utilized internally, communicating with all departments, and helping shape the direction of the company based on true customer feedback.

Personally, I think CM's add enormous value to any company, especially if the focus and direction are parallel to the companies vision and goals. The goal should be more customers buying more products or services, right? It's hard to be the one running the company, building the product or service, and being the sole CM. It's a very important job that should have a dedicated resource. I know many of you will try and manage on your own, and that's very admirable, but you won't see any significant change until it becomes someones sole focus.

Have you interacted with a Community Manager? What was your experience? If you are a Community Manager, share some of your successes, and trials.

I'm going to follow up with some additional posts on this subject. When someone asks me what I want to do after my current career comes to an end, I'm going to tell them I want to be a Community Manager.

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iOS4 Makes My iPhone 3G Virtually Useless

Since upgrading to iOS4 on my iPhone 3G, I've had nothing but problems. And I'm not alone. Complaints from 3G owners have flooded blog posts, Twitter and Facebook streams, and even news outlets are reporting on the problems.

I'm usually one who stays on the edge of technology, but mobile devices are a little different. For me, the cost of upgrading my iPhone has been dependent on my contract with AT&T. Every time you extend your contract you lose options, or those options become more expensive.

But back to the phone issue. As it stands right now, very few of my applications are stable with iOS4. Especial those that use a lot of memory or network services. I don't fully blame the app developers because I think this is an incompatibility with the OS and the phone. I'm sure there are some apps that aren't quite compatible with iOS4, but the apps I'm having problems with are ones have recently been updated, and should be functioning correctly.

This lack of compatibility really drives me crazy. As Scott Lemon stated today, Apple is putting money above quality, similar to Toyota, who put money before quality, and now it has come back to bite both companies.

I like my iPhone, it has changed the way I consume information and communicate. I want to continue using my iPhone, but the complete system failures are very frustrating.

Reviewing options.

[Update] Before I even posted this, my iPhone has crashed, not recognized by iTunes, and I am now restoring from a backup. Incredible.

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Stanford Engineering School Sheds It's Library Books

A couple of days ago I wrote how I thought Libraries should adopt the Netflix model, down size the number of facilities and make as many resources digital as possible. Today, Laura Sydell writes a story for NPR on how Stanford Universities Engineering school library has 85% less materials on it's shelf than it did in 2005. While it's not a large library, they are still seeing the value in making their materials digital. It's not mass acceptance, but it is a start. And the fact it's coming from a school, where the reliance on printed book dates back to the beginning of education, it makes the most sense for these libraries to be models for public facilities.

Thanks to @canyonsdave for sharing the link on Twitter.

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Tweet Chats Cast A Wider Twitter Net

I've been a Twitter user for a few years now, and I have seen the service morph from a conversation tool to an advertising marketing tool. At first it was "What are you doing?" to "Hey, look at what I've done!". I enjoy and sometimes even appreciate links to articles, news items, even events, but the platform isn't the same one I used to love.

There seems to be a movement right now (and maybe has been for a while, I just didn't notice), but Twitter users are starting to host what are known as Twitter Chats, based on a hash tag and topic. Here is how a Twitter Chat basically works. Tweet often carry a hash tag like #blogchat, or some other keyword to describe the Tweet. When a hash tag is clicked, most Twitter clients will create a search based on that hash tag, giving you a view of Tweets that only carry that tag. Fine tuning the stream you are viewing means you can focus on the "Chat" and exclude you complete stream.

Example of what a chat column looks like in Hootsuite:

Most of these Chats have scheduled times, hosts, topics, and even web sites dedicated strictly to the hash tag. I follow several, mostly about writing, and a very cool tag #blogchat. I'm looking for more, and would love any recommendations. Here are the ones I'm following at the moment, and have a column dedicated to the tag in my Hootsuite application.

#blogchat
#writechat
#scifichat
#scribechat
#storycraft

There's a few draw backs to Twitter Chats. One is the increased number of Tweets in your stream that most of your connections don't want to read. The second is Tweet Chats move fast, several thousand Tweets are generated during a chat, and you need to refresh your tool to see all the new Tweets. It's hard to stay involved in a single conversation for too long, and I tend to miss a good number of Tweets and or questions.

My advise is to watch a Twitter Chat a few times. See what people are asking, how they respond, and who is participating. Then jump in. There is no right or wrong way, only that you make sure the Chat tag is included somewhere in your Tweets.

If you use a tools like Hootsuite, or TweetDeck, you can create dedicated columns to follow a topic. You can also use a cool web application like TweetChat.com. This application creates a stream that auto refreshes every few seconds.

Tweet Chats have helped me get excited about Twitter again. I'm connecting with more people, having relevant conversations, and learning more than I have in a long time. Happy Tweeting!

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Library Systems Need To Adopt The Netflix Model

Last week I read an article from a Twitter link (thanks Zach), about Libraries being a waste. I've been thinking about that statement for a few days now, and I must admit I agree. Most library systems are antiquated and cost more to run than they are worth. It's time for an overhaul.

I've been a library user all my life. There are incredible resources available, but the simple fact is most people have no idea what's there. Libraries aren't just books anymore. You can find everything from Music CD's to your local newspapers. More and more libraries are offering digital content, consumable on devices like the iPod or MP3 player. Libraries also offer access to large research databases, this was a surprise to me, and I've used this service on many occasions.

But let's get down to the reality of how most people are using the library these days. Internet access and free video rental (an un-scientific observation). I visited three facilities this week, and at each one, there were more people using the computers, with it's free Internet access, than were looking for books. I casually walked around glancing at what people were doing, and most were using Facebook, or email, or doing some sort of Internet search.

The next largest congregation of people were in movie and music sections. And as sad as it was to see, very few people were looking at books, except in the books on tape/cd. Here is what I think Cities and Counties should do with their libraries.

Go 100% Digital or Deliver
Almost every book that is published also has a digital counterpart. Libraries could save enormous amounts of money by investing in digital assets rather than paper books. Have you looked at some of the technology books on the shelves lately? I've seen books that help someone use Windows ME. What the? While literary books are timeless, the shelves are filled with many books that become irrelevant in a short amount of time. But the libraries insist on leaving them to take up space. Wasted space.

Another benefit to digital is no replacement costs. If a CD/DVD is broken, you have to buy another copy. If a book is torn, or lost, again, you have to buy another copy. Don't get me started on VHS movies in libraries. Who has a VHS machine? The cost of buying and replacing VHS movies is another cost libraries can do without.

If a library really wants to provide physical books, ones you can't get a digital version for, I say offer to ship the book to a patron. They could even charge a fee for shipping the book, or turn one of the now vacant libraries into a distribution hub, or a drop/off pickup point. Force everyone to check out books through the Internet, solving the problem of spending money to be an Internet Cafe, and a stale book shelf.

Partner With Content Service Providers
Rather than keep old VHS or even old DVD's around, partner with a Netflix type of service to offer disk checkout. The cost can't be much more than paying for hundreds of copies of the same movie. Plus you get the added benefit of the partner managing the distribution. Win! Now patrons can check out Blu-ray disks, and I'm not sure if libraries are even offering Blu-ray movies at the moment. Again, a sign that libraries are falling behind in providing relevant and timely content to the people who pay to keep it running.

As a tax payer, in my City anyway, I think libraries are a wast of money. I would rather check stuff out online, get digital versions, or have something shipped to me rather than spend time running around the library building. Managing workers at the library is another discussion, but I see a lot of librarians, is that the technical term still, sitting behind a counter, usually on the Internet, and waiting for someone to walk up and ask for help. How about being proactive? OK, my intent isn't to harass the library staff, but their salaries are part of the overall cost of running a library.

Take a page from the Amazon and Netflix book. Streamline the process of delivering content and medium to your patrons.

Photo courtesy of boltron

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LaunchUp #9 Was A Success

Local entrepreneur and Doba.com executive Jeremy Hanks put on LaunchUp #9. If you don't know what LaunchUp is, it's basically an opportunity for bootstrap early stage companies to give a 7 minute overview of their product or service, then tell the audience what they need to move forward. I've attended past events and I can tell you that Jeremy is in the groove. The timing is on, the presentations are sharp, and he has had some great sponsors.

Tonight we heard from three companies; RawData, O-Codes and Pixelture.

RawData
This company is very complex, at least from my point of view. The gist is they track consumers uses and movements between different types of media (?). I say complex because the amount of data they collect is enormous, and will only grow in size. I love the concept, especially from an advertiser perspective, or someone looking to track demographic behavior on one or more types of media. I need to do more research on this technology, seven minutes just isn't enough time to learn more. http://www.therawdata.com/

O-Codes
The technology created by this company is pretty cool. While the staggering number of people on Facebook and the Internet in general, there are still just as many that consume print media as a form of entertainment or news. O-Codes has come up with a product that will allow companies to place codes on a marketing piece or ad, which a consumer can send via text message (because everyone has text messaging, right?), and in return are sent links and additional information for the product code.

The possibilities are endless here. I like the bridging of non-digital and digital marketing. This type of service doesn't require an expensive smart phone (although without a smart device, you can't really do much), and covers the largest portion of the market (IMHO). I'm looking forward to see how O-Codes grows. http://www.o-codes.com/

Pixelture
The concept of the product from this company was hard to grasp as first. I wasn't real sure what the product was, or the pain they were trying to solve. But near the end of the presentation it finally clicked. I'm not sure I can do it justice, so please visit the web site for more detail information. Basically, Pixelture provides two pieces of software, a client for computer and mobile devices, and a server component. The software allows you to broadcast a screen to multiple devices, almost like a desktop share.

For example, if I was an instructor, I could share my screen with all the students in my class, or I could give students the ability to share their desktop for class room discussion. The service has a much broader application than education, but it seemed the best for the example.

I can see value for this service at large conferences. What if I was out in the hall because I was tired of sitting in the hard chairs, now I can see what the presenter is sharing and participate in the presentation. What about an art gallery that wanted to share pieces of art not on the wall, but you could see on your device from a rotating powerpoint or image slide show. http://www.pixelture.com/

One of the things I like about going to LaunchUp is learning about new companies here in Utah. There are some really cool things going on. I also love the opportunity to network and meet other people interested in building great companies.

Thanks to Jeremy Hanks and all his supporters for making LaunchUp such a great event.

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Following Mashable’s Advice On Marketing Your Small Business With No Budget

 

The steps in this post are pretty simple, no rocket science here. But, for giggles, I wanted to see how I stacked up against their HOW TO.

There are five pieces of advice given in the article; Become an Expert, Cultivate Super Users, Ensure People Can Find You on the Web, and Offer Ad-Funded Payment Options.

Become an Expert

This may be a good time to answer the frequently asked question about “What do you do?” The short answer is I build software. The long answer is, I’ve been in the technology industry for over 20 years. I’ve worked for large companies, and I’ve worked for boot strap startups. I have filled many different roles, and have a love hate relationship with many of them.

I can say I’m an expert in my field, and I know I can do a better job showing you. The article uses YouTube as an example of a place to show off your talents, and I have to agree. I don’t use YouTube in that manner, but I am going to try and make an effort to utilize it more. I can also stand to do more blogging. Services like Twitter and Facebook have pulled me away from blogging. So it’s my own fault.

You can always learn more here.

Cultivate Super Users

OK, so this piece of advice works well if you have a product, but what if you’re a freelancer? What if you don’t have a tangible product that others can gloat about?

I understand the person when a project is completed to a clients satisfaction they will be happy and tell a few people, but it’s nothing like a few million people gushing about your cool service or widget.

I’m trying to change that by doing less freelancing and more product development. Software and Information products. Something I can offer customers, which will allow me to cultivate super users.

Ensure People Can Find You on the Web

This isn’t a problem for me. Google my name or company and you’ll be directed to the right resource. Since I run a virtual company, I have no physical address. Maybe that is a con for freelancers?

Offer Ad-Funded Payment Options

Again, this is really a benefit for a company offering a product. I’m also not keen on this “buy something from someone else and get my widget for free”. I want to think my products have more value than that. Besides, I don’t have the marketing channel in place to manage this.

Wrap Up

Of all the advice this article lays out, the one thing of value to me was the Become an Expert, which isn’t really something earth shattering or new, it’s just a reality check.

There has to be something better than this. A good solid plan. Share with us your budget mindful marketing ideas.

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SMCSLC WordPress 3.0 Presentation Slides

Here are the slides I used in my WordPress 3.0 presentation last night for the Social Media Club of Salt Lake City (SMCSLC).

It was a great event, the audience was great, the other presenters (Dan Garfield @todaywasawesome) and panelists (Jake Spurlock @whyisjake) were awesome. It was a good WordPress night.

Thanks to Darin 'Doc' Berntson (@igobydoc) for putting the event together to coincide with the Eye Care for Kids charity concert after the club meeting. Doc really spends a lot of time promoting and supporting the charity. Take a few minutes to check it out.

View more presentations from Thom Allen.

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Cool Flickr Photos

I’ve been a Flickr member for several years, and have posted several thousand pictures during that time. Here are the top five photos and what they meant at the time I took them.

1. Ductster PDA. So far this photo has been viewed 3053 times. I took this very crappy photo of a note holder made of duct tape. Taken with a Windows Mobile phone. Very popular during my Hipster and DIY Getting Things Done phase.

2. Worlds Largest Diet Coke Can. So far this photo has been viewed 1521 times. I took this photo on a vacation trip to Yellowstone. I honestly can’t remember where it was taken, but I do know it was a gas station off the highway somewhere in Idaho I think. I’m a big Diet Coke fan, and thought this was the coolest picture.

3. 38 Special – Special Forces. So far this photo has been viewed 1420 times. It’s really a snap of album art. I love album art. It’s mostly a dead practice. Most artists today paste their picture on the front and call it good. A lot of musicians drew and painted their own album covers. It has a personal connection to the music.

4. Stewart-Haas Racing Logo. So far this photo has been viewed 851 times. This was a screen shot of the new Tony Stewart NASCAR racing team logo. I’m a huge fan of Tony, and I thought this was a great logo. I hope I never get in trouble for posting it.

5. Just A Geek. So far this photo has been viewed 453 times. I’m a big Wil Wheaton fan. I took a pic of his book after I got it from Amazon. It was a great book, and you should get a copy. He has several other great books. Wish there would have been a spin off of his Star Trek character Wes Crusher.

One picture that I really like is the one I took with Brandon Sanderson. Brandon is a Fantasy author who lives in Utah. He is also the author asked to finish Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. This photo was taken after I interviewed Brandon (along with Jeff Norris, for iscifi.tv) at Life, the Universe & Everything writers symposium at BYU.

There you go, just a random post about some photos I’ve taken. Please head over to my Flickr page and see the rest. Let me know what you think.

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BuddyPress And The Missing Admin Bar: Solved!

I’ve been working on a few BuddyPress projects lately, using custom themes. Actually, I’ve used a great new plug-in, BuddyPress Template Pack by Andy Peatling to help with custom themes. While this great plug-in got me down the road (it basically turns your existing theme into a BuddyPress compatible theme), there were a few things missing. I wanted to share one I solved, and how.

Once I installed the theme and started working on it, I noticed that there was white space at the top of all my pages, enough room for the BuddyPress admin bar. So I knew it had something to be missing code that wasn’t displaying the admin bar. A quick search on the BuddyPress forum site and I found the solution: Make sure the wp_footer() reference is in your template file.

My theme needed a reference to wp_footer(). There was a reference to get_footer(), but that doesn’t help the admin bar. Once I added the reference, the bar shows up as desired. I call this code snippet in the custom theme where the footer should appear.

<?php
function custom_footer() { ?>
    <div id="custom_footer" class="accentBorders">Copyright &#169; 2010 All Rights Reserved.</div>
<?php
    wp_footer();
}
?>

Find more BuddyPress goodness at http://buddypress.org/support/topics/.

By the way, BuddyPress is a set of plug-ins that give your WordPress site the ability to create a community.

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New For PodCampSLC 2010

Today, PodCampSLC is excited to announce to new additions. Here are the new things happening with the event:

• New web site. Thanks to CrowdVine, we now have a new website for PodCampSLC. This site incorporates many of the social networking features you have grown to appreciate.


• New sponsors on board: PressDev, Mozy.com, eBay, Neumont University and SLUG Magazine. Please take some time to visit these companies, and we really appreciate the support.


• The schedule is really starting to come together. We are covering everything from audio and video recording, live streaming, social media, and a lot more.


• Phil Windley has agreed to hold the March CTO breakfast just before PodCamp.

Again, I really want to thank Tony and team at CrowdVine for the new site. We are working very closely with them to resolve any problems that may come up, so please be patient.

Please visit the new site and register today.

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Google To Stop Supporting Older Browsers

I just got an email from Google stating that starting March 1st, their web applications will no longer support older browsers, instead, pushing the new HTML5 standard. Here is what they said;

In order to continue to improve our products and deliver more sophisticated features and performance, we are harnessing some of the latest improvements in web browser technology.  This includes faster JavaScript processing and new standards like HTML5.  As a result, over the course of 2010, we will be phasing out support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 ​as well as other older browsers that are not supported by their own manufacturers.

Google Apps will continue to support Internet Explorer 7.0 and above, Firefox 3.0 and above, Google Chrome 4.0 and above, and Safari 3.0 and above.

Starting this week, users on these older browsers will see a message in Google Docs and the Google Sites editor explaining this change and asking them to upgrade their browser

I applaud this. As a web developer, trying to create sites that work with a dozen web browsers is nearly impossible. I hope more companies take this stance, and help push new technology along. Google has a strong enough presence with their own applications (i.e. GMail and Docs), that they can control what browsers they will support and which they won't. Here's hoping others will follow.

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In Search Of The Ultimate Mobile Developer Machine

Here we go, please take a ride with me as I search out the ultimate mobile developer machine. Why mobile? Because I hate being tied to a desk. I have desk top machines, but I want something with equal power I can take with me. Here is what I am looking for:

Nothing larger than a 15 inch screen. Yes, 15 inches. Any bigger and it's like lugging around a desktop.
At least 8GB of memory. I would love to have the ability to upgrade to 16GB or even 24GB. Memory is a developers best friend. Next to CPU speed, it's the key to all goodness.
A hard drive fast enough to keep up with the RAM. I really like what is happening in solid state drives (SSD).
A CPU, well, let's look at 4, that will allow me to compile in a split second, let me stream video, rip a DVD, all at the same time.
I would love to have built in 3G connectivity, but the more I think about it, the more I would hate to be tied to a specific carrier. So maybe just a USB card will work.
Ability to read just about any memory card. At least 4 super fast USB ports.
Lightweight. This is a mobile machine, remember?

Honestly, that's about it. Nothing spectacular. The real trick here will be to find one that doesn't weight as much as your Mothers Cadilac, and doesn't cost as much as my last Child.

There are really two flavors, an Apple Mac, like a Mac Book Pro, or a PC which can run Windows or Linux. Since I do a lot of Windows development, Linux probably isn't a viable option. And I don't want to own a MBP just so I can run Windows on it. You think the simple choice is to go with a PC. But there is more too it than that. I have to make some additional choices, to make the right choice.

First, will I choose to stop developing Windows applications. Honestly, that's the key question. I can develop everything but Windows applications on a Mac. I know, I know, running Parallels or VMWare Fusion gives me a Windows machine on the Mac, but I don't want to do that. It doesn't work all that well on my iMac, and I know it doesn't do any better on a MBP.

Throw my hat in a ring, and stay there for a while. Honestly, I'm not sure 100% which ring the hat will fall in today. OK, enough of that, off to find The Ultimate Mobile Developer Machine.

What would you recommend?

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Facebook Pushes Out New iPhone App

A long awaited update to the very popular Facebook iPhone application was pushed out to the App Store today. This new version has several new features which you may or may not like; Push Notifications, and contact syncing.

The contact syncing is a great new feature that pulls data from your Facebook friends, and adds or updates there information in your iPhone Contact app. I like that it includes the photo of the person, because I always forget to take a profile pic when we meet. This new feature also elminates the need for a second app I was using to do a sync.

The other major feature is push notification. The little popup messages that notifying you that of an update on Facebook. There are a couple of issues with push. It's a great way to stay informed, which means I don't have to check Facebook to see what is going on. But the way Push Notification works, it generally requires you to respond to the notification before you can do anything to the screen under it. This can be annoying if your playing a game, or typing a message. So you'll have to see if push works for you.

This application is so good you could bypass using the web at all. Get it on your iPhone through the App icon, or through iTunes.

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