Six lessons from 2013 that the iPad, Android, and Surface 2 could learn from each other

Jack Wallen takes a look at lessons that major tablet platforms could learn from one another. 

 

The year 2013 was a big one for tablets, because they finally usurped laptops as the go-to mobile tool for business users. During that time, Apple, Android, and Microsoft jockeyed to get their products into the enterprise. Each platform experienced successes and failures -- some big and some small -- and there are definitely lessons here that can be learned. That's right, all three platforms should turn an eye toward one another and educate themselves on how best to move forward with their products. In the end, however, the results could be a complete game changer for one or more of the platforms.

Let's examine each platform to find out what they can learn from their competition.

iPad

The iPad is the king of business tablets. That doesn't mean it has perfected the mobile experience. In fact, the iPad can learn a couple of very important lessons from its competitors.

Android: If anything, the iPad could take a page or two from the book of flexibility that is Android. With the iPad, you know what you're getting into -- you work Apple's way or no way. If you don't like working the Apple way, your only hope is to find another platform. Apple might want to re-think this plan of attack and allow users more configuration options to better serve specific needs.

Surface 2: The Surface 2 has one major lesson it can teach the iPad -- expandability. The Surface offers both a MicroSD and USB 3.0 port to help expand the tablet. With the iPad, you get nothing of the sort. Apple needs to seriously learn that business users need to be able to connect via USB. For the life of me, I can't understand why Apple refuses to add USB to the iPad.

Android tablet

Android is doing a great job of stealing market share from the iPad. It offers everything the iPad doesn't. However, Android shouldn't rest on its growing reputation. Instead, the flexible platform needs to keep its eyes trained on both Apple and Microsoft and learn from what both platforms offered in 2013.

iPad: When the iPad Air was released, it completely wow'd consumers with its size, amazing display, and power. The iPad's A7 chip is a 64-bit mobile powerhouse that has placed Android in a serious state of catch up. If Android is going to keep up in this race, it's going to have to have a piece of hardware that can stand up to the iPad Air. At the moment, it has nothing of the sort.

Surface 2: If there's one major lesson to be learned from the Surface 2, it's the inclusion of a powerful, functionable, office suite. All Android tablets should be sold with a complete set of tools that enable mobile business users to do everything they need -- without having to install a single piece of software. This could mean the inclusion of something like Kingsoft Office.

Microsoft Surface 2

The Surface 2 is much improved over the Surface RT. In fact, the Surface 2 is very close to being one of the best mobile options for business users. However, it still has a few lessons to learn from the other competitive platforms.

iPad: If the Surface 2 needs to learn anything from the iPad it's that gimmicks never work. A little kickstand and a keyboard that looks like a toy will never have a tablet seeing the enormous success the iPad enjoys by employing such gimmicks. The Surface needs to take a page from the Apple marketing handbook and channel its powerful connection to the business class user – and not try to suck dry the well of hipper (not hipster) users that flock to the iPad.

Android: What Surface 2 can learn from Android is how to make the user interface not only highly configurable but efficient. The Windows 8.1 interface isn't the most efficient use of a users time and energy – especially when on the road. Yes, the Surface 2 has all the tools a mobile power user needs to get serious work done, but if the Surface 2 enjoyed a similar interface that the latest iterations of Android has, working on the go would take on new levels of power and efficiency.

Each of the major mobile platforms have their strengths and weaknesses. With so many improvements happening in 2013, it was a great year for those platforms to learn from one another. Although none of the above companies would admit to getting “educated” by the competition, you can be sure they are closely watching and learning. Little do they know, their individual efforts do add to the collective whole that is the tablet experience.

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Five reasons why the Ubuntu tablet could shock naysayers in 2014

Jack Wallen offers five good reasons why a tablet running Linux could really shock the naysayers in 2014. 

 

With a recent proclamation by Mark Shuttleworth that an “interesting set of household brands' are looking at putting Ubuntu Touch on their own phones and tablets,” the mobile landscape has become quite interesting. Prior to this, it seemed like the Ubuntu Phone was having serious issues gaining any traction with major brands. However, with Ubuntu 14.04 placing a major focus on honing the Ubuntu tablet experience, things are going to get interesting.

I truly believe that a tablet running Linux could really shock the naysayers in 2014. If you don't believe me, I'll give you five good reasons why this could be the case.

1. It will actually happen

Yes, there's still a big question mark looming over the actual date we'll see the first Ubuntu tablet for sale on the market. But by the end of 2014, we should at least see images available for installation on numerous tablets. This will silence the naysayers who fully believe that the Ubuntu tablet is the latest vaporware to tease the fans and users. Canonical and Mark Shuttleworth have put way too much focus and effort into the tablet for it to fail. When the images for various tablets become available, the naysayers will be silenced.

2. An Ubuntu tablet will be user-friendlier than the competition

I've used the Touch interface. Although it's still a bit rough around the edges, it was amazingly user-friendly-- more so than the Android tablet or the iOS interfaces. I know this sounds like fan-boy speak, but the developers have done an great job of creating a highly intuitive interface that will have users saying, “That's what a tablet interface should be like!” Another shocker will be how polished the UI is when it's released. That should go without saying, considering the length of the Ubuntu Touch's development period. By the end of 2014, I wouldn't be surprised if the initial release was version 2.0.

3. An Ubuntu tablet will out-flex Android

Android has long been heralded as the most flexible of all tablet interfaces, because users are able to make it look and behave exactly how they want. I believe that title will be given to the Ubuntu tablet when it's released. With the power of open source behind it, you can bet that the Ubuntu tablet will be keen on flexibility.

4. An Ubuntu tablet will run Android apps

At one point, Shuttleworth claimed that the Ubuntu tablet would not run Android applications. He has since recanted that stance, and it looks like Ubuntu tablet users will be able to have the best of both worlds. It's not clear if this will be made possible with the help of Windroid or if another layer will be created to facilitate the running of Android apps. Either way, this will be a serious feather in the cap for the Ubuntu tablet. With the entire line of Android apps at the ready, the Ubuntu tablet won't suffer the same fate as Microsoft Surface RT -- that is, too few apps to make it useful.

5. The Ubuntu tablet will be a near-desktop OS

Because the Ubuntu tablet platform will use the same core technology as the Ubuntu desktop, it's an easy leap to assume that users will have desktop-like power at their fingertips. This should mean that applications meant to run on the desktop will also run on the tablet. No other tablet platform can claim this (though the Microsoft Surface 2 platform does come very close), and it will help catapult the Ubuntu tablet into heights no other tablet has before seen. And for those accustomed to the Ubuntu desktop interface -- Unity -- this will be a full-on no-brainer.

The Ubuntu tablet will happen. When it does, there should be a lot of naysayers out there redacting their claims of doubt. I, for one, am excited about the possibility of the Ubuntu tablet. The tablet space is in dire need of something as powerful, flexible, and secure as a Linux tablet. If Mark Shuttleworth and Canonical have their way, 2014 will be the year to silence the naysayers.

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A radical idea for Mobile Device Management: Don’t bother

Patrick Gray explains how you can save yourself the headache of trying to apply 1980's device management to increasingly prolific, mobile, and personal end-user devices.

As tablets and mobile devices began to flood the enterprise, IT vendors and management took a predictable approach. Much like the desktops and laptops already connected to the corporate network, IT regarded the tablet as another “asset” to be tracked, managed, updated, and logged. A whole crop of software tools has emerged that attempt to bring desktop- and laptop-like management to these highly mobile and often disconnected devices, creating frustration for the IT staff who are told to manage these devices and for the users who are trying to accomplish various tasks.

Services, not hardware

The concept of device management seemed sensible during the dawn of IT, when most IT departments were part of or offshoots of finance, and early desktop computers and associated peripherals were very expensive. This hardware was truly an asset to the company, requiring careful tracking, oversight, and depreciation. Data were also generally localized to the devices, making theft of the device an even more pressing concern.

Now, devices are increasingly playing the conceptual role of dumb terminals, with application software and data stored outside the device. This might come in the form of a modern cloud application or enterprise data that are captured in ERP, CRM, and other transactional systems. Many devices access the enterprise services that store and manipulate data rather than performing those tasks locally.

This is even more common with mobile devices, where limited storage and processing power often necessitate lightweight applications that access the computing power of an enterprise backend or cloud. In the extreme, yet not uncommon case, application and desktop virtualization truly renders the device a "dumb terminal” that does nothing more than present a screen.

A $1,500 solution to a $300 problem?

If sensitive enterprise data are stored externally to a device, and tablets are now cheaper than a boardroom chair or piece of artwork (assets that are tracked with far less rigor than tablets in many organizations), why are we spending so much time and money attempting to manage them?

Arguably, there are still data on these devices, such as local copies of corporate email that might contain sensitive information. However, does the risk of unauthorized access to the average user’s email account and the loss of a $300 piece of hardware necessitate specialized technologies and a cadre of staff to implement and monitor them? Most security people would argue that there’s a far greater risk of an employee giving away passwords to an authoritative voice on the other end of a phone than a carefully orchestrated theft of a mobile device.

MDM as a Band-Aid

In some ways, Mobile Device Management (MDM) represents a Band-Aid solution to consumer tablets and mobile devices entering the enterprise. The “old way” at most IT shops assumes the endpoint as a trusted and secured component of the IT infrastructure, and they believe that maintaining the integrity of the endpoint is a battle worth fighting. In the new world, endpoints are merely terminals that are accessing services -- they require authentication and good application and data design but assume and requiring nothing from the endpoint itself.

Rather than frantically trying to gain control of a doubling or even quadrupling of endpoints (if most of your users acquire a smartphone, tablet, or both), assume endpoints are an unknown and untrusted commodity and that the services your enterprise provides should act accordingly. With this mindset, your company’s applications will be ready for any type of endpoint, be it a tablet or a partner interface, and you’ll save yourself the headache of trying to apply 1980’s device management to increasingly prolific, mobile, and personal end-user devices.

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The 2013 tablet holiday guide

Patrick Gray offers a quick review of what's new in tablets and what he's still waiting for.

One of the benefits of the reorientation of IT toward the consumer is that hardware and services are now refreshed on an annual cycle, with major releases coming just in time for the holiday shopping season and right in the middle of budgeting for next year for companies on a calendar-based fiscal year. Here’s a quick review of what’s new in tablets and what I’m still waiting for.

Fresh Apples

The headliner on the tablet front is usually Apple’s iPad, and the company recently released an anticipated refresh to its iPad and iPad mini lines. The refresh follows the track record of a post-Jobs Apple, with most details leaking in advance of the announcement and incremental improvements to the hardware rather than major changes.

Check out these additional tablet resources

• ZDNet: State of the slate - A tablet guide for newbies
• CNET: Tablets dwarf other holiday tech gifts in CNET survey
• CNET: Tablets to carve out nearly half of PC market next year
• CNET: Tablet buying guide - know your needs (video)

Enterprise users will like the lighter weight and slightly improved battery life on the iPad Air and a higher quality screen on the iPad mini. The major caveat for enterprises is the inclusion of iOS 7, which has only been in the wild for a few months and already experienced a few security-related patch releases. Missing from the new iPads is Apple’s fingerprint recognition technology, which first appeared on the new iPhone 5s. While I’ve heard somewhat mixed reviews, workable biometric authentication on a mobile device like a tablet would be a boon to enterprises.

Kindle Fire HDX

While it’s tempting to completely dismiss Amazon’s tablet offerings, and I won’t recommend a Fire for the vast majority of enterprise users, the Fire HDX deserves attention for some of the groundbreaking services that it offers. Amazon has cracked the nut of moving applications and the OS out of the way of the user and is using its Fire platform to disseminate and sell content. The company is also innovating with live video chat and a support agent who can take control of the tablet to offer assistance. Imagine connecting your field personnel with a live agent who could help them repair a down unit in the field, demonstrate a product on the other side of the world, or capture troubleshooting information in real time.

With enterprise tablets, too many in IT are worried about nuances of operating systems and development environments rather than taking an Amazon-like approach and looking at the tablet as a platform to deliver new and innovative services.

Android and Windows

There haven’t been many new developments for the holiday season on Android tablets, other than continued innovation in form factor by the variety of Android OEMs. In contrast to Apple’s two tablet offerings, the various Android-based tablet manufacturers offer a host of screen sizes, laptop-like and convertible tablets, and even devices that run “regular” Windows in one mode and Android in another. While Android offers more extensibility and access to its OS, Apple has received the majority of the attention from enterprise software providers like Salesforce and SAP, although that's quickly changing as Android gains market share.

On the Windows front, Microsoft continues to pitch its Windows RT variant, which has become a bit more exciting with a recent update that includes “real” Outlook and other components of the Office suite. Microsoft has refreshed its own Surface hardware, and recently-acquired Nokia has also announced an RT tablet. Microsoft has also refined the experience of transitioning between the traditional desktop and the more touch-friendly Modern interface, continuing to make a play for one device that does it all. I like Microsoft’s vision for a single device that marries the best of the tablet and desktop into one device, but the company is still lagging behind due to its initial struggles with execution and lack of market share.

What's missing in tablets?

As another year draws to a close, the major innovation on the tablet front has been Microsoft’s rocky launch of Windows 8 and Windows RT. Apple and Google have refreshed their tablet operating systems, but both were refreshes or user experience overhauls rather than fundamental shifts in tablet technology.

We’re still missing a high-quality ink experience, save for a few Android and Windows tablets. Perhaps I’m a Luddite, but I still see taking notes and annotating documents with a pen being preferable to a finger or “squishy” capacitive stylus.

Seamless local collaborative technology also seems to be missing. I’m amazed that I still walk into meetings in 2013 and spend the first 15 minutes wrestling with projectors, emailing missing handouts, and often resorting to printing hard copies. As tablets increasingly appear at meetings, it’s unfortunate that I can’t easily share documents wirelessly to participants and projectors, without dealing with network configurations and proprietary protocols.

As tablet form factors and operating systems have largely stabilized, hopefully more attention will be paid to these enterprise-friendly features. While Apple and Google may be hesitant to acknowledge the enterprise market for fear of forsaking the consumer, 2013 was most definitely the year tablets became a routine participant in my meetings rather than a noteworthy and unusual item.

What tablets due you think will gain the most love this holiday shopping season? Share your opinion in the discussion thread below.

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Enterprise tablet apps: Swiss Army knife or sniper rifle?

Should your company build a single application that provides a multitude of functionality or multiple, single purpose apps? Patrick Gray provides some insight.

As tablet applications become more prevalent, many companies are struggling to decide if they want to build a single application that provides a multitude of functionality or multiple single-purpose apps. This debate occurs both with customer-facing applications and internal use apps.

The "one app" approach

A single application delivering a multitude of functions has some immediately compelling benefits. Users searching for applications from your company are not presented with a confusing array of different application choices, and you’re able to present one user experience and set of branding. From a technical perspective, you can employ a common set of functionality that can be reused across different application functions and have only one codebase to maintain and update. In short, one "tool" serves a variety of functions, much like the popular Swiss Army knife.

This makes a great deal of sense if your organization provides a relatively cohesive set of services. For a company like an airline, a single application that ties flight searches, bookings, check in, and airline information benefits from a cohesive experience. For companies that have a broader set of products or services, this begins to make less sense, especially as you consider internally-targeted applications. Suppose you want a single internal application for your company. How do you integrate functionality that might be as diverse as displaying financial performance, booking meeting rooms, or entering a new IT support ticket?

The single purpose application

Much like a purpose-built sniper rifle that's designed to hit a narrow target, some companies choose to create purpose-built applications that serve a very narrow function. Your sales force might require a very different user interface and functionality than your supply chain staff, and thus different applications may make perfect sense. For public-facing applications, highlighting specific products might drive a purpose-built application or a desire to get some piece of functionality, however small, to your customers sooner rather than later.

Deciding between the two

To decide between the two broad categories of applications, start with the following questions:

• Who is my audience? Determine the audience for your application, and if they'll have similar expectations for your application and similar requirements for information. While the aforementioned airline app has a very broad audience, they all represent travelers on my airline.
• What are their expectations? While your audience may be in the same demographic -- for example, people who work for your company’s European office -- they may have dramatically different expectations as to what they hope to accomplish with your mobile application. A current customer for your company might expect deep support and troubleshooting capabilities, while a prospect would expect flashy imagery and product information. Internally, someone in the back office might expect internal support functions, while someone in field sales would expect access to customer and product information.
• What's our timeframe? A "Swiss Army knife" may sound like the right approach initially, but sometimes getting some functionality out the door is better than getting complete functionality. Conversely, if the resources are available, shipping an app that offers minimal functionality and low benefit might sour your customers to future apps, steering you toward a more complete solution.

There’s really no perfect answer as to whether a highly functional single application trumps optimized, point solutions in every case. Spend the time considering the three questions above and, like most areas of technology, you’ll find the solution that best suits your company and its current circumstances.

Which is the best fit for your organization and why? Share your feedback in the discussion thread below.

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Five ways Surface RT beats Android tablets

Donovan Colbert highlights five reasons why he's increasingly been using Microsoft's Surface RT more than any of his Android devices.

For the past several years, I chased after an Android future that never really materialized. I went through a number of Android convertible tablets (like the Transformer TF101 and TF300), and I tried Webtop on my Motorola phones as a full PC in a Lapdock. Android came very close, but I kept feeling like the devices were coming up just a bit short. When Microsoft's Surface RT came out, I watched closely but was turned off by the steep price. A year later, when prices finally started to come down, I bought one from Craigslist. 

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Budget-friendly Android tablets

James Sanders takes a look at a few of the more powerful, budget-friendly, full-size Android tablets that are being produced in Asia.

On October 22, 2013, Apple unveiled the iPad Air -- the fifth iteration of Apple’s 9.7” tablet series. While the iPad Air packs some impressive specifications in a rather small size, as is standard for Apple hardware, it does so at a premium price. The 16 GB iPad Air is $499 (USD), which is the same price that previous iterations of the full-size tablet were at launch, but that SKU won’t get you any cellular connectivity or (also standard on Apple hardware) expandable storage. 

Since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, the 4 GB SKU was discontinued with the original iPhone, and the last model to feature an 8 GB SKU was the iPhone 4S. However, the baseline configuration of 16 GB has persisted since the introduction of the first generation iPad in 2010. For comparison, the Surface RT’s introductory model is 32 GB, and it has a microSDXC slot for the same introductory price.

The world of Android tablets is a bit different, as there are a great deal of options and expandability to be found and at prices much easier on the pocketbook than the iPad or Surface. To find these values, we must look outside the big box stores and look for options from some of Asia’s best device designers.

Archos 97b Platinum HD

The Archos 97b Platinum HD should look familiar -- or, more precisely, the screen inside it should look familiar. It has the same 9.7” IPS 2048x1536 display found in the Retina display iPad models, including the iPad Air. Interestingly, mass-market Android tablets from larger brands have eschewed the 4:3 screen ratio, making the Archos 97b the first widely-released Android tablet with that screen size. Archos does have the advantage of being somewhat more mass-market than other low-cost vendors, as their products can be regularly found on Amazon and Newegg. Note: The corporate headquarters of Archos is in France, though the devices are manufactured by Archos in China.

Ramos i9

The Ramos i9 is something of an odd duck, as tablets go. It’s not terribly common to see Android tablets powered by Intel processors, though the ASUS MeMO Pad FHD 10 uses the slightly lower-spec Atom Z2560. Actually, the two tablets are exceedingly similar. The aforementioned ASUS product uses the same GPU and display panel, and it's also limited to 32 GB of expansion memory with a microSDHC slot. The only discernible differences between the two products are the lack of microHDMI output on the i9, the type and placement of the camera on the Ramos (2.0 MP front vs. 1.2 MP front on the ASUS, with identical back 5.0 MP camera), and the bezel not being tapered on the Ramos i9. As for cost, the MSRP of the ASUS tablet is $329.99 (USD), where the Ramos i9 is available from the manufacturer at $229.99 (USD).

The use of an Atom processor would typically indicate that particularly industrious people could install Windows 8 or some manner of Linux distribution on the tablet. Ramos has stated that this isn’t supported. However, what the manufacturer does and doesn't support rarely has any bearing on how typical IT pros proceed. Your mileage may vary.

Onda v975

Onda’s latest offering, the v975, is better suited to less processor-intensive tasks, like eBooks, basic web browsing, and other lightweight tasks, such as using shopping apps or updating a food diary on services like MyFitnessPal. However, it’s very easy on the pocketbook. You can find it available for $189.90 (USD), even though the MSRP is $229.99 (USD).

Cube U39GT

The Cube U39GT is an interesting device that only costs $199.99 (USD), and it packs a decent amount of features inside. The U39GT has some rather impressive specifications, including a quad-core 1.8 GHz Rockchip RK3188 processor and 2 GB of faster DDR3 RAM onboard. It is, unfortunately, still limited to microSDHC, so with the 16 GB of NAND Flash onboard, you won’t be able to get more than 48 GB of internal storage. While the U39GT looks like a great tablet, it does have one major setback: the back of the tablet is an aluminum-magnesium alloy, which looks great but limits the power of the Wi-Fi radio onboard.

Parting thoughts

There's a wide world of tablets popping up from various manufacturers in Asia all the time, far more than the ones featured here, though these represent the more powerful and budget-friendly of full-size tablets. While these tablets don’t have the processing power of more expensive, cutting-edge devices (at their launch, these all compete fairly well with the current generation Google Nexus 10), they're certainly capable devices to use as your daily driver.

Did we mention your favorite budget-friendly Android tablet? Share your experience in the discussion thread below.

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Tell your prospective customers a story with StoryDesk

StoryDesk offers sales and marketing teams a mobile platform for creating and delivering media rich presentations via their iPads.

After writing about how to deliver dynamic sales presentations with Showpad, I heard from Jordan Stolper, CEO of StoryDesk, about an opportunity to evaluate his company’s product. The launch of the iPad Air with its improved display and hardware specs should help open up more discussions about the iPad as a mobile presentation platform, and StoryDesk is definitely worth checking out.

The StoryDesk iPad app is free, and there's also a tiered pricing plan on the StoryDesk web site to accommodate everybody: Lite (free for individuals), Standard ($29.00/user/month for teams up to nine people), Enterprise ($39.00/user/month for teams of 10+ people), and Publisher ($999/month for teams of 100+  people, which include large sales and marketing organizations that want centralized control over presentations). While writing this post, I used the Standard plan. Both the Enterprise and Publisher plans include a standard implementation with two live training sessions, an assigned customer success coach, and setup of your first presentation for a one-time fee of $2500.00 (USD).

Creating a StoryDesk presentation

StoryDesk opens on the iPad with a page that breaks down the basics of how the app works and some quick useful tips. Considering the sales and marketing audience that this app serves, I like the fact that this job aid appears first.

Tap New in the top right corner to begin creating a presentation in StoryDesk. The Choose an Interactive Template screen will appear (Figure A).

Figure A

Choose an Interactive Template.

The templates are all very visual, and I recommend spending some time during the StoryDesk evaluation period to explore them and mock up some sales and marketing presentations for your organization. For the purpose of my trial, StoryDesk was kind enough to set my account up with media. However, you have the option to upload your own media through the StoryDesk cloud management backend. Some templates of note I found include:

• File Manager for storing PDFs within a StoryDesk presentation
• Video Category for creating a video gallery for a StoryDesk presentation
• Vreeland, a visually appealing template for presenting text and graphics within the right proportions (Figure B)

Figure B

Using the Vreeland template.

When I was tooling around with the app, adding media and assets to presentation templates (Figure C) was a quick and easy download via my home Wi-Fi network. StoryDesk does include offline support for mobile sales teams who have intermittent online access. 

Figure C

Add assets to a StoryDesk template.

When I was writing this post, I was also testing out the new iOS 7 version of Keynote. The presentation options and user experience in the StoryDesk iPad app nearly keep pace with Keynote. If I was to poke a hole in the StoryDesk app, it has too many creative options (a “first world” iPad app problem)  -- and this could be a concern for companies with sales and marketing people who might break from the approved corporate message when it comes to creating and editing external customer presentations.

Assembling a presentation might feel a bit complex at first, if you're new to iPad-based presentation creation. However, StoryDesk shouldn't be that difficult to master, even if you just practice during an evaluation period.

Sharing a StoryDesk presentation

Currently, the only option for sharing a StoryDesk presentation is via email (Figure D). When you share a presentation, the recipients receive an email message directing them to download the free StoryDesk iPad app and a login that includes their email address and an auto-generated password.

Figure D

Share Presentation option.

Speaking as an iPad geek, I’m the first to say that not everybody feels the same as me. StoryDesk could benefit from some other presentation sharing options, such as via PDF, their cloud backend, or other third-party platform. 

Another thing missing in StoryDesk is a workflow-based review mechanism for approving new and edited presentations. Letting mobile users work on sales and marketing presentations is one thing, but it's another thing to have features that enable an Admin (or other designee) to approve presentation changes before a prospective or current customer sees the new content. You can rely on user role to govern what users can make what changes to a presentation, but an approval process seems to be a missing feature in the application.

Backend management features

The StoryDesk iPad app has its merits, and there's a very clean and well laid out cloud management interface for the platform. When I look at tools like StoryDesk, I want to find backend tools that don’t require a trained system administrator to operate. The cloud interface for StoryDesk includes:

• Assets, where you can upload the images, videos, audio, and documents that comprise your sales presentations and other collateral
• Simple account and payment management options
• User management, including roles (Viewer, Editor, Admin, Owner)
• Permissions for managing presentation options
• Analytics that give a view into the usage of presentations

These backend management tools should fit into the tools of any sales operations or sales manager who works with cloud-based tools.

Final thoughts

While I’m impressed with StoryDesk and its focus on templates, I still wouldn’t recommend this app for just any sales and marketing team. It offers too many options and definitely could be an exercise in setting user permissions, depending on the sales and marketing organization. However, StoryDesk does get a firm recommendation for me as a solution for sales and marketing teams that have a requirement to deliver dynamic (and frequently changing) presentations to prospects and customers.

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Here's why Windows 8 tablets really do have a future, in business at least

 Retrieved from TechRepublic / US .

Windows tablets have struggled to compete with cheap Android devices and Apple's iPad but that may be about to change.

Windows tablets have until now struggled to generate much demand in what should be home territory – business. 

Some of this is down to badly thought out products – indeed, Microsoft was so underwhelmed by the hardware manufacturers poor attempts at Windows tablets that it had to build its own, the Surface, which has so far had limited success in the marketplace.

Other reasons for limited take-up include cash-strapped businesses being unwilling to splash out on yet another device, the lack of clear business benefits of tablets and the unexpected willingness of staff to buy their own devices instead.

But whatever the reason, the result has been that around 85 percent of the tablets used in business are either iPads or Android devices (or Amazon's Kindle Fire version of Android). And while PC makers have struggled to compete with either cheap Android or the more expensive Apple devices, they could soon find some respite in the business market.

When asked "Is there a real demand for Windows 8 tablets in business?" TechRepublic's CIO Jury of tech decision makers voted 'yes' by a margin of nine to three, suggesting Windows 8 tablets may gradually start to make an impact with business users at least.

Matthew Oakley, group head of IT at Schroders: "The ability to have a full (secure) corporate build laptop in a tablet with handwriting recognition that actually works without training is significant. Suddenly OneNote makes sense...Surface Pro2 is a bit heavy, we prefer the Lenovo – but the idea is one whose time is dawning (finally!)."

Michael Hanken, VP of IT for Multiquip added: "It's the natural extension of the desktop to mobile without the need to develop mobile applications on another OS. This is especially interesting for manufacturing environments and we will start deploying rugged devices soon."

Delano Gordon, CIO at Roofing Supply Group said "I believe they are viable replacements for Windows based laptops in certain industries if the business application stack allows it," while Juergen Renfer, CIO at Kommunale Unfallversicherung Bayern said the tablets would allow businesses to rely on the same applications across PCs, laptops and tablets.

Some tech chiefs have already started to make the move to Windows tablet. For example, Shawn Beighle, CIO at the International Republican Institute said: "I've already moved off my laptop and am now working exclusively off of a Surface Pro 2. Using a USB 3.0 docking station, I have two full sized monitors going, which gives me three monitors total counting the Surface itself, a full size keyboard and mouse, external speakers, hardwired Ethernet network connection and an external printer."

He added: "So far this little machine has taken everything that I've thrown at it, including running QuickBooks 2013, Lync, Skype, OneNote, Outlook, Excel, iMindMap, all while streaming music from Pandora and watching two different video streams on YouTube, and all at the same time. The cursor hasn't even stuttered."

Beighle said that he is continuing to test the device. "If it holds up, we're going to begin allowing staff to choose between a desktop, one of the new Dell Latitude 7000 Series Ultrabooks or a Surface Pro 2 for replacements of equipment at the end of its lifecycle."

Andrew Paton, group manager IT services at Rondo International, said his organisation has also set its sights on a Windows tablet.

"Why Windows over iOS or Android?  Well for me it's all about a common platform used across the enterprise and a common toolset to manage them."

Paton said he saw limitations with the iPads in the corporate environment and has security issues with Android. "We see Windows based tablets as the future 'tool of trade' for our mobile sales reps, replacing traditional laptops in the field. This niche area is still evolving as vendors work out what form factor provides the best fit for the enterprise. In many cases they are pursuing a combination of paths from traditional tablets with various add-on bits and pieces through to the hybrids that offer traditional laptop keyboards but with screens that separate and pull off."

He said while the Surface Pro 2 still has some limitations this may be resolved particularly with Microsoft's recently acquired access to Nokia hardware expertise. 

"You only have to look at the new Nokia 2520 RT-based device to see that they know their stuff when it comes to making hardware devices. Surface 2 and Pro 2 needs to be thinner and lighter, keyboard better quality, one more USB port, place holder for the Stylus in addition to the power connection, of and instead of a kick stand with two positions why not make it three or four, but it does have the underpinnings of a great device. Full laptop power under the skin. MS just needs to listen to its customers more closely and work on the obvious."

Not all CIOs are seeing the same level of demand: Rohit Kilam, CTO, Masam Group, said some business users want to experiment with a tablet as an additional device while John Rogers, IT director at Nor-Cal Products, said: "In our company I wouldn't say a greater demand as much as more interest in what a Windows 8 tablet can do for them versus iPad or Android tablet. Some of my peers have also been seeing an uptick in interest. In our case we will be bringing in Windows 8 tablets because they fit our needs better since we are a Windows/Microsoft shop."

But not all are convinced. Michael Spears, CIO at NCCI Holdings, said: "Users needing the full PC experience are sticking with their ultrabooks," but said that the full PC experience is not what most users are looking for. "I've been using a trial Lenovo Windows 8 tablet for a few weeks. The hardware is very good, the experience however, is greatly lacking."

One issue for CIOs is that not all applications necessarily make sense on a touchscreen. Jerry Justice, IT director at SS&G Financial Services, said: "There will continue to be a need for a variety of devices because they have different use characteristics. These devices provide a bridge between PC and pure tablets. Also, industries still have many core apps that are not even close to being mobile or touch oriented."

Darryl Roberts CIO at SEMO Health Network, believes certain jobs that require a full keyboard: "In some industries maybe it's got a shot, but in healthcare and other areas where old fashioned data input is the key, no."

Duncan James, infrastructure manager, Clarion Solicitors, said users are learning from experience that specific devices are better suited to certain environments. "What our users really want are bigger multi-screen displays, or the ability to extend off their cramped laptops in order to digest the noisy barrage of information that hits them every day.

"Microsoft is building great foundations for the infrastructure that supports the management of the Surface family devices, the price just needs to be lower for businesses to take these devices seriously."

He the need to support third party legacy business applications is also holding back the move to Windows 8.1. Some of these apps just won't work on the new OS, even in compatibility mode, or others don't suit a touchscreen environment.

This week's CIO Jury was:

Delano Gordon, CIO, Roofing Supply Group

Juergen Renfer, CIO, Kommunale Unfallversicherung Bayern
Matthew Oakley, group head of IT, Schroders
Jerry Justice, IT director, SS&G Financial Services
Michael Hanken, VP of IT, Multiquip
John Gracyalny, VP IT, SafeAmerica Credit Union
Shawn P Beighle, CIO, International Republican Institute
John Rogers, IT Director, Nor-Cal Products
Rohit Kilam, CTO, Masam Group
Michael Spears, CIO, NCCI Holdings
Darryl Roberts, CIO, SEMO Health Network
Andrew Paton, group manager IT services, Rondo International

Want to be part of TechRepublic's CIO Jury and have your say on the hot issues for IT decision-makers? If you are a CIO, CTO, IT director or equivalent at a large or small company, working in the private sector or in government, and you want to join TechRepublic's CIO Jury pool, or you know an IT chief who should, then get in contact. Either click the /var/wwwntact link below or email me, steve dot ranger at techrepublic dot com, and send your name, title, company, location, and email address.

 

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Surface RT keeps Microsoft in the game for mobile devices

Donovan Colbert believes that Surface RT keeps Microsoft in the game for mobile devices and that IT pros need to plan for RT showing up as BYOD devices in the enterprise.

The general release of Windows 8.1 was rolled out on October 17th, 2013, but the lack of media buzz around this significant upgrade to the Microsoft platform was extraordinary. I’ve read several opinions that say that the newest wave of Atom-based Windows 8 tablets make Windows on ARM a redundant, crippled, and senseless platform for Microsoft to support. I don’t agree.

Here's how the logic works: The latest round of Atom processors are nearly as cool and efficient as ARM. They don’t require fans, they deliver great battery life, and they also support legacy Intel Architecture (IA) code. This means they address all of the advantages that ARM brings, while avoiding the one major liability -- the lack of legacy Classic desktop app support. 

This logic overlooks important details. On consumer-oriented tablet devices, ARM has an advantage and removes most of the traditional liabilities of the Intel Windows platform. Over the last five years, I’ve owned and reviewed dozens of Android and iOS mobile devices. It's become routine for me to factory reset, reconfigure, or perform major OS upgrades. Although Microsoft will get a lot of bad press for the way the Windows 8.1 update rolled out, the other platforms can’t really throw stones. Let's be honest, death, taxes, and Microsoft blowing it on SP1 releases are three certainties in life, and Windows 8.1 is not where they’re going to break this streak. 

My experience with the difficulties of upgrading Surface RT from Windows 8.1 preview to general release highlights the difference between ARM mobile devices and Intel platforms. In particular, performing a refresh and even a full-factory reset were dead simple, quick, and far less of a hassle than trying the same thing on legacy Intel platforms. PC vendors, Intel, and Microsoft have all come up with various schemes to make this kind of thing easier, with varying degrees of success. IT professionals know that once you lose a real PC, getting it back to exactly the state it was in before the disaster can be a challenge.  

Atom-based Windows 8 tablets are real PCs, and so they’re just as prone to these issues as any Intel Core platform. They have the legacy ability to run Intel x86 code -- but only the most basic. More powerful Classic apps are still going to require Core CPU performance. However, despite the fact that Atom isn't powerful enough to run apps like Photoshop, AutoCAD, and other programs that require true 64-bit Intel multi-core processing, they're perfectly capable of running the true Intel code that you do not want to execute, like virus and malware apps. Atom has some “improvements” that might be considered huge liabilities on closer inspection. The sole advantage that I see of Atom tablets is the ability to run VPN software, which is something that could surely be addressed on ARM platforms.

The Surface 2 indicates that Microsoft doesn’t see ARM as a dead end. My experience with upgrading RT to Windows 8.1 supports this. Troubleshooting a Microsoft-built product with a Microsoft OS through Microsoft support was far easier than trying to get support for my Lenovo Yoga. Because the apps are all default apps or Modern Apps, and because my personalized settings are stored in the cloud, I was back to my defaults quickly after a refresh or factory restore. The small local storage of mobile devices insures that big data gets offloaded to cloud or removable storage -- in my case, a 64 GB MicroSD -- so, I didn’t lose any irreplaceable data. This is the kind of recovery and data protection that makes mobile computing more robust, despite less powerful hardware. 

Contrast that to TechRepublic blogger Deb Shinder, who had the same problems with her Surface Pro as I had with RT. She was prepared for Intel-specific issues and had media and keys ready to reinstall. However, she still wasn’t completely back to her original state after two days. The simplicity of ARM platforms is as much an advantage as it is a liability.  

Beyond that, working with Surface support illustrated that most IT pros who complain about the limits of RT are simply unfamiliar with how powerful the Classic back-end is. I asked the tech if there was a Microsoft course on Windows 8 administration, and he was unsure. There are a whole suite of new commands, utilities, and techniques that allow you to troubleshoot the guts of Modern from the Classic OS, I just don’t think most of us know them yet. 

Microsoft is on the right track with ARM and RT. It makes a lightweight device that will run cool for hours, that's quick and easy to recover to a previous state, and has world-class manufacturer support behind it. RT keeps Microsoft in the game for mobile devices that will eventually show up as BYOD devices in the enterprise, and IT pros need to plan for that.

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The rise of Tizen: A new competitor in the mobile market segment

Tizen, the mobile OS developed by Samsung and the Linux Foundation, appears to be heading towards an initial device offering for consumers.

There are numerous players in the mobile and tablet market, though that number is starting to dwindle. Android and iOS are at the front of the pack, with Windows Mobile 8 and RT in third place, and then BlackBerry BB10. Gone is LG webOS (formerly Palm, then formerly HP) as it has traded hands again and is rumored to pop up in embedded systems and smart TVs.  

Despite all of this, there are still organizations motivated enough to challenge the status quo: The Linux Foundation and the Tizen Association, which is a consortium comprised of Asian technology firms Samsung, Huawei, Fujitsu, NEC, and Panasonic; telecoms KT (Korea Telecom), SK Telecom, Orange, Vodafone, NTT docomo, and Sprint (now mostly owned by Japanese telecom SoftBank). 

The name Tizen may be new, but the underlying technologies have been in development since late 2007, as LiMo (Linux Mobile), Enlightenment Foundation Library, and Samsung’s prior Bada project. Application development in Tizen is done in HTML5, and developers have a great deal of flexibility using Tizen’s fork of jQuery and jQuery Mobile from Tizen 1.x, a native application framework in 2.x, or the Enyo 2 development framework. Applications for Tizen can also run on Mozilla’s Firefox OS, Ubuntu Touch, and webOS. 

In order to entice developers to write applications for Tizen, Samsung and Intel announced a contest for developers to write applications for Tizen, giving away $200,000 to the top-ranked game app and $4 million total in prizes. The contest ends December 8th, 2013.

As Tizen hardware goes, what's available has adequate specifications (compared to the entry-level specifications of Firefox OS phones), but there are more rumors than presently available hardware.

Systena's Tizen tablet

In late October, the Japanese IT firm Systena released the first Tizen tablet with a capable 10.1” 1920x1200 display, quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor clocked at 1.4 GHz, 2 GB RAM, and 32 GB Flash, with a somewhat dated front VGA camera and 2 MP rear camera, and microSD for expansion storage. Systena hasn’t announced a price, as sales are for developers only.

Tizen on Samsung Galaxy S4

Samsung has been actively maintaining a port of the Tizen 3.0 beta on their flagship Galaxy S4 phone, according to leaked photos obtained by Tizen Indonesia. According to Bloomberg, Samsung has plans to release a Tizen-based smartphone in 2013, though the early window mentioned in the article -- August or September -- has come and gone without any product announcement. Importantly, Tizen 3.0 is still in development, with Tizen 3.0 Milestone 2 expected later this year. The Galaxy S4 running Tizen is running the Tizen 3.0 branch, which lends easily to speculation that Samsung may be waiting for 3.0 to reach gold master to ship a device, rather than shipping with the stable Tizen 2.2 release.

docomo abandons Symbian, or Symbian abandons docomo

NTT docomo, the largest mobile phone network provider in Japan, was fully committed to Symbian until Nokia abandoned Symbian under the management of Stephen Elop. Consequently, NTT docomo has transitioned away from Symbian to Android. In NTT docomo’s recently announced winter lineup, all of the phones announced run Android --  there were no Symbian (or Windows Phone) offerings to be seen.

For those unfamiliar with the Japanese mobile market, NTT docomo wields an astonishing amount of control over the phones sold for use on their network -- one that carriers in the United States would be envious of. All of the smartphones in the winter lineup use docomo’s proprietary LIVE UX home screen interface, including the two offerings from Samsung, who is notorious for pushing the TouchWiz interface on all of their Android offerings in the United States. 

The relationship between NTT docomo and Samsung does not end there: Samsung is also releasing the Galaxy J, a Japan-exclusive variant of the Galaxy S4, which contains 3 GB of RAM and tuners for 1Seg and NOTTV digital television services. In addition, the Galaxy J has a slightly modified industrial design from the S4 and NTT docomo branding on the front of the device. 

This is far and beyond what Samsung has done to accommodate U.S. carriers for a flagship phone and suggests a deep working relationship between the two organizations. Considering that both Samsung and NTT docomo are part of the Tizen association, with Samsung being at the forefront of the Tizen push, it is entirely conceivable that NTT docomo could push toward Tizen offerings in the future -- and with their position as market leader, they could drag much of the rest of Asia along with it.

Final thoughts

In closing, I think it would be fitting to draw a parallel to the days of 16-bit home computers, the last time that there was true consumer choice between a handful of mutually incompatible ecosystems. At the time, it was a fight between the Apple Macintosh, Commodore Amiga, BeOS, and Microsoft Windows / IBM PC (among others). However, in Japan, the competition was primarily between the NEC PC-9801 series, the Sharp X68000, and Windows / IBM PC. From this historical standpoint, it's entirely plausible that Tizen could carve out a niche in the Asian technology market, yet have a low impact in Europe and the United States.

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Five best email apps for Android tablets

Jack Wallen highlights his five favorite email client apps for Android tablets.

Email is one of the single most important means of business communication on the planet. In fact, having an efficient, reliable email client can mean the difference between working and not working. As you might expect, there are numerous email clients for the Android platform. Some of them are quite good, but others are worthless. I've gone through a large number of those applications to find the cream of the crop. Some of these clients are limited to a single account/service, whereas others are able to connect to multiple accounts/services. Regardless of what email you use, you'll find a solid client for your Android tablet in this list.

1. TouchDown HD

TouchDown HD is an Exchange-only email client that does a great job of connecting with different flavors of Exchange (though 2013 is problematic at the time of this writing). TouchDown can sync your Exchange email, calendar, contacts, and tasks (Figure A), plus it gives you access to each of these pieces from within a single interface. 

Figure A

TouchDown HD on a Verizon-branded Samsung Galaxy Note.

For power users, TouchDown's interface is a real time saver (no more switching back and forth between apps to view email, calendar, contacts, or tasks). TouchDown is highly configurable (Figure B), offers SD card support, has plenty of widgets to add to your home screen, and supports Exchange ActiveSync policies such as PIN, remote wipe, data encryption, and storage card encryption. 

Figure B

The Settings window for TouchDown HD.

You can give TouchDown a try with their 30-day free trial, or you can dive right in and pay $19.99 (USD) for the Exchange by TouchDown Key.

2. K-9 Mail

K-9 Mail is an open source email application that supports IMAP, POP3, and Exchange 2003/2007 (with WebDAV). K-9 Mail is one of the most highly customizable email clients for the Android platform, and it offers the following features: Search, IMAP push email, multi-folder sync, flagging, filing, signatures, bcc-self, PGP, mail on SD, unified inbox, and much more (Figure C). 

Figure C

The K-9 Settings window.

The user interface is easy to use and very efficient (Figure D). 

Figure D

The K-9 interface is clean and efficient.

You'll find little clutter or confusion here -- it's simple email power. One aspect I really appreciate with K-9 is the ability to quickly add CC and BCC to outgoing email. The K-9 email client is free and works well on both tablets and phones.

3. Boomerang

Boomerang is a free email app for Gmail and Google Apps accounts only, but it offers so many outstanding features that you'll forgive its single-mindedness. Boomerang greatly expands upon the default Gmail Android app with features like support for "Send as," account specific themes, customizable multi-gesture support, snooze email messages, schedule messages to be sent at a later time, track responses to the emails you send, search through all messages across all Gmail folders (Figure E), access to all labels, multi-account support with easy account switching, and much more. 

Figure E

The Boomerang main interface.

Boomerang's unique take on email allows you to send out an email and keep tabs on whether or not you're waiting for a reply. You can set up actions based on elapsed time since the email was sent, and you can also configure the actions based on swipe direction (Figure F). 

Figure F

You can set up swipe actions in Boomerang.

Boomerang currently only works with Gmail, but future iterations will include Exchange, Yahoo, and other email account types. 

4. Emoze

Emoze is a free and friendly email client that focuses on push email and supports multiple accounts, including Exchange, OWA, Google, Y!, Hotmail, Outlook365, IMAP, and POP3 (Figure G).

Figure G

Supported accounts for Emoze.

Emoze has a well-designed interface (Figure H) and offers rich text email composition, syncing of contacts and calendar, push folder selections, attachment previewing, an attachments folder, Global Address List (GAL) search, a personalize inbox with Facebook pics, in-app translation of messages (25 languages), and much more.  

Figure H

The Emoze main screen. 

Security is also a plus with Emoze. One feature businesses will appreciate is the SIM card replacement alert. Once you receive the SIM card replacement alert, you can remotely wipe the tablet (or phone) to keep sensitive company data from gracing the gaze of nefarious users. 

5. Aqua Mail

Aqua Mail supports the likes of Gmail, Yahoo mail, Hotmail, plus IMAP, POP3, Exchange, Lotus Notes, and more (Exchange and Lotus require IMAP to be enabled). One of the best things about Aqua Mail is its ability to keep you organized. It has an intuitive interface that allows you to quickly navigate around the client (without removing your hands from either side of your tablet, I might add -- Figure I), which makes managing email on a tablet incredibly efficient. 

Figure I

The Aqua Mail interface is very easy to navigate.

Another very handy feature of Aqua Mail is the built-in database compact. With an overly large inbox, that database can cause the email client to become slow or unresponsive. By compacting the database, you can improve performance and save space. In the Aqua Mail Settings window, you can also set up Smart Folders and configure numerous aspects of this email application (Figure J).

Figure J

The Aqua Mail Settings window.

The lite version of Aqua Mail is free, but it limits you to two accounts. The Aqua Mail Pro Key, which costs $4.99 (USD), removes that restriction, allows you to use identities, and removes the “Lite version” signature on outgoing email.

If you're tired of scouring through the Google Play Store for stellar email clients, look no further than any one of the above applications. Some of them can only serve up a specific email service (such as Gmail or Exchange), but they do so with efficiency, power, and reliability. Give one -- or two -- of these a go, and see if they don't change your mind about the default email client on your Android tablet.

Which email client do you prefer on your Android tablet? Share your opinion in the discussion thread below.

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