Several months ago while making a purchase on Staples.com, I saw where I could get a free SunRocket phone after rebate. As a Vonage customer following the patent-infringement headlines, I thought it was well worth it to get a phone for the second-largest VOIP provider, just in case. That backup plan item has fallen off the list with the shutdown of the SunRocket service altogether, which is detailed on their home page.

Cleaning out my bookshelf the other day, I found the phone. It clearly states it will not work on any other service. So what am I supposed to do with it? I don’t want to just throw it away to add to the burgeoning landfills, and paying $10 to recycle it at Staples isn’t too appealing either.

Any thoughts? Maybe someone at the VON conference will have some ideas?

Technology • (3) Comments • Permalink

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.

Business • Technology • (2) Comments • Permalink

Back in July when I wrote a post about Jakob Nielsen not liking blogs, I was not sue then if the title was appropriate. After reading this post on Practical eCommerce's site, Dr. Nielsen does like to reads them, at least the few mentioned.

By reading his blog list, it can be deduced he reads them as Web pages, especially as he suggests Search Engine Land should abandon the blog format. Where I will not argue his opinion, they could take his advice yet still offer its feed with no notice to current feed readers. This points to the value of RSS feeds, whether you are publishing a blog or not. RSS feeds can be added to any Web site to publish any content, including press releases, “what’s new” lists or even as a replacement or addition to email newsletters... such as AlertBox.

I have never been a fan of the term “blogosphere” as it suggests that blogs are on their own and separate from Web sites. The application of technology like RSS helps blur that distinction, and I think this is a very good thing.

Technology • (3) Comments • Permalink

If you have perused the list of “Podcasts I Listen To” on the right side of The Hot Iron, you will only see a few podcasts, but it is a small but mighty list. My favorite is The M Show, a weekly podcast by John Wall covering business and marketing. John is a friend, and I have been fortunate to have been a guest on several of his shows.

As an avid reader of The Hot Iron, you may have heard of or subscribe to the spoken feed from Odiogo, a service that reads blogs and creates a podcast from the content. The link to my Odiogo feed is at the top of the right side of the Web pages.

In a shameless attempt to intro The M Show, I will use the Odiogo reading of this blog post to create a vocal intro for John. Without further interruption to you daily schedule:

Hello, this is the digitized voice of Odiogo at Odiogo.com that reads aloud The Hot Iron blog by Mike Maddaloni at thehotiron.com and you are listening to the best podcast ever, The M Show, with John Wall. I hope that sounded OK?

As I hear the podcasts of my posts after they are created, I don’t know how it will sound. Hopefully it will meet John’s strict quality standards!

Diversions • Technology • (2) Comments • Permalink

A civil debate has been hovering around the blog world for some time about whether full or partial blog feeds are preferred.

What am I talking about you may say? If, for example, you subscribe to The Hot Iron, you are subscribing to the feed of my blog. A feed is merely a file with the contents of each post. Your feed reader scans this feed file, and if there is something new, it is presented to you. If you subscribe to it by email, then you will get an email message when something new is written.

The full vs. partial debate relates to how much of what is written in a blog post goes into the feed file. For The Hot Iron, I use the full feed, so if you see one of my posts in your feed reader or email inbox, it is the complete text and images of what I wrote. If I had a partial feed, you may see the first paragraph or two, and a link back to the Web site to read the entire post.

I choose full feeds as I believe they work to the advantage of the writer and reader. A full feed is a standalone piece, and if it is forwarded to someone they see the entire thought and message. The reader gains as they have everything at once and if the introductory content does not entice them, they may not read it all, where if it is all in front of them, there is a better chance they will read it. My reader of choice is Google Reader Mobile on my Treo smartphone, and here I will see the entire feed formatted nicely on my mobile browser, where if I have to click a link to read more, the Web site that will load most likely will not format well on the small screen. For those who are visually impaired, they have the same benefit of reading the entire post in a reader that is best suited to them, where the resulting Web site may not be.

Using partial feeds requires the reader to view your Web site. I see the justification for that as you can better present your brand and other content, and of course advertising. Where this is an easy way to get people to your site, if this is your goal I recommend wording your posts and adding links that will get people to your site. You may publish separate posts for this reason. You can also add a footer or signature to your posts for this purpose.

Darren Rowse of Problogger has a poll and discussion on full vs. partial feeds and I invite you to participate. I am interested in reading both sides of this debate, though I doubt I will be convinced to change from using full feeds for myself or my clients. I also welcome the discussion here as well, after you read the full feed or course.

Technology • (6) Comments • Permalink