Dear Palm,
Please make unlocked versions of your smart phones.
Regards,
Mike

Last week Palm introduced the Centro, the latest addition to their Treo line of smartphones. This model is only $99, and has features of many of the pricier models. However, this model is only available to Sprint customers in the US.

When a phone of any model only works with a certain network, it is considered a “locked” device. This is nothing new, and has been the case in the US for years. In Europe, most phones are unlocked, where you can use them no matter who you get your service from. So if you change service providers, you don’t have to buy a new phone. Sure, in the US you can get some version of a free phone if you switch, but why bother if the old one only ends up in a landfill?

It has taken the Apple iPhone to raise the issue of locked phones. The iPhone is only available to AT&T customers, so if you want to use the new phone, you have to switch. This prompted people around the globe to work to unlock the phones, much to the dismay of Apple. Their response was cool, only saying software upgrades will render an unlocked phone useless, and more electronics to the landfill.

A locked phone does that – it locks you to a network. As mobile phone service seems to be a commodity these days in the US at least – I’d say the exception is T-Mobile, whom I have – a locked phone and a cancellation is the only way providers retain customers, not on the quality of their service. But if your phone will work elsewhere, it is not only allowing you to choose the best service, but the best phone for you as well. This fact has not resonated with the mobile companies in the US, which would also explain why they still call themselves “wireless” and “cellular” and not mobile.

There are plenty of reviews out there on the Centro, and I won’t be able to contribute to the discussion as I won’t be able to buy one. I still own and like my Treo 680, which unfortunately is the only unlocked model sold by Palm. But the insanity must stop, and unlocked phones must become the standard, as it’s well documented we are running out of landfill space.

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The next likemind coffee will be next Friday, September 21 in dozens of cities around the world. In Chicago, it will be at Intelligentsia Coffee, 53 E. Randolph, at the corner of Wabash.

I call likemind it a gathering of creative-minded people, from various disciplines including Internet, advertising, art, et. al. Coffee is free, provided by your gracious host Clay on behalf of Anomaly.

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What seems like many moons ago now, as I was preparing to take on my first role where I had the word “manager” in the title, I sought advice from my good friend RJ. He had been a manager for several years at that point. I asked him for one piece of advice to give me, and he said, “people leave.”

What? “People leave?” Is that it? What sounded oversimplified would resonate with me for years.

After I challenged him on this 2-word statement, he proceeded to detail to me what was behind it. People leave – they quit for whatever reason. In the short-term, it will have some impact on the organization, team, group, etc. (I’ll use “group” from here forward). But in the long-term, it should not, and that’s where the role of a manager comes into play to ensure the continuity of the group.

The more I thought about this, the more sense it made to me. Everything a manager does not only ensures the success of a group, but also prepares for when there changes in its members. From hiring people into it, to managing people and process to understanding what people do, the manager is the central figure that should understand what is going on all the time. How the manager executes can vary, and that’s a whole other topic for another time.

When people leave a group or want to leave a group, in my opinion it is too late to try to keep them. Many times managers spend too much time trying to keep someone and may even make a counteroffer, all in the name of keeping the group as it is. What they don’t realize is the very fact that a person wants to leave has already changed the group dynamic and trying to keep them may do more harm than good. If a person’s decision to leave is final, asking for a long period of time before they actually walk out the door also is not in the group’s best interest. The age-old “2-week notice” is not law, and should not be, and Jim Carlini says it better than I can.

Many managers oversee what work is done and don’t spend a lot of time on managing people. When a person is hired, you are not just bringing in a skillset, but a living, breathing human being with emotions and a life outside of the office. Keeping this in mind, and spending time on getting to know the person and keeping their best interests in mind, will lead to a more successful execution of their skillset. Or at least that is my first-hand experience over the years!

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I just got in on the early bird registration for DOMAINfest, a conference for the domain name industry. It will be January 21-23 in Hollywood, CA. Many companies, consultants and individuals (commonly referred to as “domainers”) will be there.

As you may have read from my past posts on domain names, this is an area I have great interest in and spend much time working with clients in selecting and managing their domain names. I hope from the tracks and presentations to gain a greater insight into the industry, and meet many of the people in person who write the blogs I read on a regular basis.

And did I say it is in January in southern California? Not that it will be much different in temperature from Chicago!

Please let me know if you or anyone you know are going to DOMAINfest. Early bird registration ends at the end of the week.

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If you haven’t heard, we have had some rain here in the US Midwest. As well as some flooding, downed power lines and everything that goes with it. And as wet as the last few weeks have been, there is more to come.

Woven into just about news account of the storms are interviews with people who are almost always surprised at the high water levels and damage, many saying they have never seen anything like it in their life. Fortunately these people and everybody else has lived through this as the loss of life has been minimal to none. Going forward, hopefully these experiences will help us prepare for similar future events.

In addition to reviewing my disaster recovery plan, a couple of new thoughts came to mind as a result of the storm that I hadn’t considered before:

Infrastructure – Part of I-94 north of Chicago (known locally as the Edens Expressway) was closed due to flooding caused by a power outage at a pumping station alongside the highway. Outdoor highways have pumping stations?

Transportation – Commuter trains were stopped due to debris and power lines on the train tracks. Other trains had to go extremely slow due to crossing gates being blown off by high winds. Whenever storms come, I have always thought trains were the safest and most reliable way to go.

Communications – Last night I was to attend the monthly meeting of Chicago networking group Circle of Progress. I did not go due to the weather, and I was going to help the organizer as he was dealing with weather issues at home. Ideally canceling the meeting would be the way to go, but the meeting is managed using Meetup.com, and nowhere in a Meetup user’s account is a field to store a phone number or emergency/last minute contact method.

Much of the things in our lives are defined as a reaction to something, whether they are laws or designs. Now I have a few more things to think about and plan for.

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