Mobile Working Experiences
The realities of remote working
Thursday 27 September 2007, 2:11 PM
IDF - Final Thoughts
Belated wrap up on thoughts of the IDF '07 jamboree...
Final day marked a change in atmosphere at IDF - Justin Rattner made a radical switch from blue to Hawaiian shirt and even began his key note from Second Life. His talk centred on the 3D Internet and raised some really interesting issues about how and why we would be using this medium in the future. It was a pleasant relief from the barrage of product announcements (and nice to have a speech that did NOT include another shiny 30inch wafer) . It showed Intel clearly have an appetite to track user behaviour and determine where their products have relevance. Based on other keynotes - they have already identified security, mobile working, form factors and power management as key themes driving user demand - now they are looking further afield.
However - I was left underwhelmed by some of the examples - Qwaq (www.qwaq.com) - the enterprise version of second life looks rather like an application in dire need of a user need but I would love to be proved wrong when they are purchased by Google for $xx billion.
So - first time visitor view of IDF?
Very impressive event, choreographed to perfection and executed to a very tight set of objectives. Intel's pedigree and investment in technology genuinely commands respect. However I would have loved to have seen more user involvement (not just bland testiomonials up on screen), more recognition of markets outside the US and my experience with the striking cleaning workers makes me think Intel need to work a little harder to shake off their 'paranoid' tag...
Finally - thanks to zdnet for sending me out there!
Wednesday 19 September 2007, 7:56 PM
IDF - Day 2 - Gloves are Off
Day 2 marks a change in direction for the '07 IDF. The morning kicks off with a bullish keynote in which Intel's SVP of Ultra Mobility, Anand Chandrasekher, sets his sights on the ultra mobile sector. In line with other predictions he maintains that mobile internet will be the 'killer app' for mobile computing. Quoting Comscore data - he cites that 25% of internet traffic is now on social networking sites, but 95% of this is done via PC, rather than via mobile devices.
His agenda is then revealed, he quotes comment on the cellular networks connectivity offering as a 'big mess'. He goes on to quote research data citing that 61% of handheld devices with internet browsing functionality are never used for this function - claiming users are frustrated or confused by the poor connectivity available. He then shows Intel test bench data that reports 'error frequency' comparing Intel's Silverthorne+Menlow platform with ARM's mobile processors. He shows download speeds comparing WiMax with US mobile data speeds.
I can see the commercial motives, but it seems grossly unfair to lay the blame for the limitations of mobile internet solely at the feet of mobile operators and processor manufacturers. The mobile internet experience is far from perfect, but in many cases the websites are not rendered for mobile devices, and to compare WiMax to mobile networks without including 3G just seems like a very uneven playing field. He is wrong to assume that because mobiles are not being used for web browsing the user experience must be to blame - perhaps some of those mobiles were purchased to make phone calls with.. not to surf the web...
The WSJ is spot-on today with an article highlighting Intel's 'new rivals' both in graphics technology (e.g. Nvidia) and processors (ARM). It is interesting that AMD has barely been mentioned in any of the keynotes so far - is Intel looking to pick fights with new contenders? are they right to be so critical of the operators and processor manufacturers in delivering a poor user experience for mobile internet?
Wednesday 19 September 2007, 2:36 PM
Intel Developer Forum - fly in the ointment?
Leaving the Moscone to grab a half decent cofffe - an orange flyer is given to me outlining details of a strike by laundry staff employed by Prudential Overall Supply - the company that washes the factory garments for Intel's workers. In highly controlled environments, specialist laundry processes are key to keeping lab environments clean.
Prudential OS are reported (www.serviceworkersrising.org/prudential) to be enforcing unfair working practices including harassment, discrimination, illegal suspension and wages below the 'poverty line' Basically - workers want Intel to flex their corporate muscles and get Prudential to change their ways.
I barely read the flyer until later in the morning inside the Moscone, when an Intel employee tried to take the flyer away from me saying she had been instructed to remove them from the building, after an awkward conversation she very reluctantly allowed me to keep it. I also noticed the police were called to 'encourage' workers to move further away from the Moscone.
I am curious as to why Intel were so concerned about the display? it is not a direct reflection on the corporation... yet they made strenuous efforts to remove any evidence of the protest.
Wednesday 19 September 2007, 2:19 PM
Intel Developer Forum - Day 1
2007 marks 10 years of the IDF and judging by the number of annoucements from Intel the speed of advances has barely slowed. The 45nm platform will be superceded by the 32nm sandybridge and westmere platforms by 2009. Future releases will see the desktop and notebook architectures released together - reflecting Intel's forecast that by 2009 worldwide notebook shipments will have surpassed desktops.
I still have the nagging sense that Intel are somehow imprisoned by their obsessive pursuit of processor advances - in the knowledge that it will have to end at some point. Granted that the media elite, extreme gamers and high end business users will always support demand for the newest processors but what if an economic slowdown were to impact on consumer electronics sales? how would this impact on a model so dependant on volumes to offset the mind-blowing R&B investment required.
From a user perspective - USB 3.0 caught my eye, the inclusion of optical connectivity could have real benefits and it is good to see backwards compatibility at the forefront of this advance. Also good to see the continued investment in the ultra mobile segment - where small form factor and low power consumption are key. WiMax looks very interesting although surely Intel should at least acknowledge the importance of 3G for roaming workers.
The procession of buttoned down, blue shirted execs from the industry is disrupted by a terribly enthusiastic founder of a gaming graphics company. Their demonstration of the next gen of PC gaming technology shows the insatiable demand for processor advances to drive the amazing advances in resolution and speed.
Tuesday 11 September 2007, 10:07 AM
Proof that mobiles are not to blame
Science magazine has reported research that mobiles are not to blame for the collapse in bee colonies - it turns out it is a virus transmitted by movement of bees and royal jelly.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1146498
Great to see some sound science unravelling the real effect of mobiles. Too often, mobiles seem to become the popular suspect for a range of poorly diagnosed ills in society. However I am sure that it will not be long before campaigners find a target for their consipiracy theories, typically based on a load of circumstantial evidence. What I find frustrating is that the media 'noise' caused by the initial scare often vastly exceeds the coverage of the science that identifies the real culprit.
In a very desirable street near my home in N4 (not near enough unfortunately..) one of the operators is looking to erect a 3G mast. This has prompted a vociferous campaign by wealthy residents claiming all kinds of impact on health, the environment, children walking to school, dogs, cats etc.. In reality these houses have a superb view of London that adds considerably to the value of their homes and they do not want a mast interfering.
Great opportunity for zdnet to collaborate with some of the scientists to champion an open minded approach to analysing the impact of mobiles...
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