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Business • (7) Comments • Permalink

After several weeks with a Nokia E75 mobile device, from the kind generosity from the folks at WOM World/Nokia I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I took this device on planes, trains and automobiles – even ferries – and was my only camera at a wedding. A few blog posts here at The Hot Iron were written on it too. Still, I was having a hard time deciding what I thought of the device.

Then it hit me; it isn’t for me.

It was while waiting for a train from Chicago to Milwaukee when I realized this. Standing in the tiny Amtrak lobby, I saw many people typing away on keyboard device models by Samsung and LG among others. As I observed their pecking away on their device’s full keyboards, I noticed the keys were smaller than those on the E75, which are much larger than most devices out there. The people using them were probably in their 20’s and 30’s and were very adept at “texting” as we call it in the States. As I looked at the E75 in my hands, it then dawned on me why it wasn’t for me.

Here’s my conclusion – the E75 is for the business user who isn’t comfortable with the small size of keyboards such as those on a Blackberry or even like on the Nokia E71.

Now I don’t base this on anything I have read elsewhere, only my own brainpower. As I consider myself a high-end tech user, and love the E71 the issues I had with using the keyboard on the E75 were due to the fact I was trying to use it like I did the E71 – fast, and with one hand. This is not what the E75’s slide out keyboard was designed for.

My evaluation process was more utilitarian than scientific. I simply charged the E75, put my T-Mobile SIM card in it, synced my contacts and calendar and started using it as my primary device during the trial. I did install Qik and tried the Ovi Store – actually I did them in the reverse order as I was unable to install Qik from the Ovi Store, so I went directly to Qik’s Web site to initiate the install.

As a mobile phone, the E75 works well. The best way to describe the keypad is that is similar to shingles on a house. I’ve never seen this concept before and it worked for me. The Navi key was familiar to me as I used it on the E71. Much of the use of the E75 was like the E71, including a camera on the front as well as back, ideal for self-portraits and recording video of one’s self.

It seems the main selling point of the device is the slide out keyboard. The actual sliding part was solid as the device is overall. Down the middle of the keyboard is a metal bar which I presume is for stability. When the keyboard slides out the action buttons on the phone keypad remain active as well as the Navi key, but the remaining keys are disabled. This is too bad, as it’s difficult to quickly key numbers on the keyboard and leaving them active would have alleviated this issue.

Here’s some specific regarding the E75 keyboard. There is only one function key, which you need to get to the alternate characters on keys, namely numbers. This made it hard to type traditionally or with thumbs as you would on a smaller keyboard. It was also hard for my fat fingers to press the top row of keys as it kept hitting the edge of the top of the phone from where the keyboard slides from. On top of it all, the flat keys prevented “feel” typing.

As for the camera, overall it was good and much better than I anticipated. It took decent photos in daylight as well as good video. Photos at night were somewhat grainy and those from a distance were a little blurred. I didn’t try any of the settings on the camera as I used it in auto mode always. I have uploaded some photos to a Flickr group for your perusal. I was able to get some great photos and video of my friend’s wedding which was a good thing.

Thus my conclusion that the E75 is for a low-tech business user who thinks standard keybaords on mobile devices are too small. Any other takers on this opinion?

So E75, it’s not you – it’s me. There is a match for you out there, and you two will make a great pair. Your older sibling the E71 is more my type, or it’s half-sibling the E72 may be the one for me?

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Business • Mobile Technology • (1) Comments • Permalink

I just registered for – and paid for – TECH cocktail 11 on Thursday, August 6, 2009 at John Barleycorn in Chicago’s Wrigleyville section. Note I highlighted “paid for” as this had up to now been a free event. When I went to register I didn’t realize it was no longer complimentary admission.

And you know what I say to that? It’s about time!

TECH cocktail (TC) is where I have met many people I consider everything from friends to colleagues in Chicago. It brought out the best of the city’s tech and creative communities. As word got out of their success – not to mention open bar – they got more and more crowded. It has been harder to have conversations with people, let alone get to the tables of the presenters and sponsors. By charging a nominal amount and no longer having an open bar (you get 2 drink tickets with admission) I am sure it will keep away some people, and my gut feeling is those are people you would want to keep away! All things considered, I have no doubts TC will still be a lively and successful event.

Will I see you on the 6th?

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Announcements • Business • Technology • (0) Comments • Permalink

After reading Emily Brackett’s series of blog posts over at the Design Advances Success blog about online printing and namely printing of business cards I have been thinking quite a bit about business cards and observations I have made over the past few months, which are not really different from ones I have made over all the years I have been in the working world.

About the business card itself:

May be your sole physical presence – In some cases, your business card is the only real physicality of your business. As many business are virtual or home-based, other than computer equipment a business card is the only real-world tangible item that shows you exist.

Business cards are cheap – Compared to other costs of running your business, the cost of designing and printing business cards is relatively inexpensive, whether you go with a commercial or online printer.

A business card is not a contract – Why would I state this? Read on and you’ll see why.

When you add people to the mix of business cards, here are some unfortunate observations I have made:

Some people don’t have business cards at all – I don’t know how any times I have been to a networking event and a person tells me they don’t have business cards in any way, shape for form. They will proceed to ask me if they are expensive to order, and where should they order them. Some are embarrassed, but most simply have a “whatever” attitude.

“I just ran out of cards” – This is another think I hear. Business cards are small, and fit neatly in a pocket, wallet or purse. If you have them, why not make sure you have enough, especially at a business event? I keep a business card holder on my desk, as pictured, to remind me to keep plenty on hand.

Someone says they ran out of cards but they just don’t want to give you one – This ties into my statement above about a business card not being a contract. I believe some people think if they give someone a card, they have entered into some form of relationship they could never get out of. From my past experience, I hear from less than 1% of the people I give business cards to.

Poor quality business cards – Where the design of a card is subjective more than objective, I have received cards that are either physically damaged or simply don’t have any contact information for a person. Just putting a Web site URL on a card may be creative, but it does not make a personal connection.

If you don’t believe me, Jason Jacobsohn has no shortage of articles on business cards and networking on his blog Networking Insight.

Spending a little time on creating a clean, clear and professional business card will go a long way towards your success in networking and business.

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Business • (3) Comments • Permalink

I am proud to announce that Dunkirk Systems, LLC yesterday launched the Active Travels blog and forum!

If you are looking for more than a stroll down Main Street at Disneyland, Active Travels is for you. Steve Jermanok is a travel journalist and has written several book and has contributed to the Boston Globe, Men’s Journal and Outside among other publications. Through Active Travels he shares his experiences over the years with unique travel destinations throughout the world on his blog. The forum, aptly named Go Play!, will “fill in the blanks” as he calls it and allows people to discuss destinations and activities. Simply browse the conversations and register to participate.

You can subscribe to Active Travels by RSS feed or by email or visit the site at activetravels.com. Though launched yesterday, it has had a soft launch over the last several weeks and there is already a wealth of travel information and destinations to read about. I think I found my summer getaway already, maybe you are next?

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Announcements • Business • Technology • (2) Comments • Permalink