by admin on October 15, 2009
A colleague and I got into a heated debate last spring after hearing about the specs for the, at that time, upcoming iPhone 3GS. He exclaimed that the launch of this new phone would leave competitors so far behind in respect to technology that Apple would be catapulted into a market leader position.
I explained to him that this is a ridiculously myopic view of the market. Not only did/does Apple hold a tiny fraction of total market share but Android was about to make a splash.
He took to ridiculing the G1 and my thoughts about the issue in front of our colleagues… ‘the Google phone is for engineers and tech nerds and will never get the following that iPhone has’. I told him that within 12-24 months Android would have a greater share of the market than Apple. The ridicule continued.
He didn’t see the big picture. The Android strategy wasn’t about making an ‘iPhone killer’. It was about rapidly getting real estate on a lot of phones by giving away a solid platform and letting hardware manufacturers do what they do best – design hardware. And what does Google get out of all that? More mobile searches, which could be one of its biggest sources of growth in the coming years.
During Google’s third quarter earnings conference call today, one message came out loud and clear: Google’s mobile strategy is starting to pay off. “Android adoption is about to explode,” declared CEO Eric Schmidt, explaining that all the “necessary conditions” are set for growth: There are now 12 Android phones out there (most recently the Motorola Cliq) across 32 carriers in 26 countries.
It remains to be seen, but I think I was right.
by admin on October 12, 2009
RIM has announced that the BlackBerry Widget SDK is now available for download.
The BlackBerry Widget SDK 1.0 Beta 1 contains the BlackBerry Widget Packager 1.0 Beta 1, a BlackBerry Device Simulator, and a lot of documentation and samples.
The BlackBerry Widget Packager 1.0 Beta 1 is a new tool that allows web developers to package up their web assets into BlackBerry Widgets (small, discrete, standalone web applications that use HTML, CSS and JavaScript). A BlackBerry Widget looks, behaves and has the same security mechanisms as a native BlackBerry application. BlackBerry Widgets can be installed on a BlackBerry smartphone like any native application and can be extended to use device-specific information and data using the BlackBerry Widget APIs.
The sounds very similar to what Palm has done with it’s WebOS SDK and I really like where RIM is going with this. As someone with experience managing development of all varieties of mobile applications, (mobile web, thick-client, thin-client), on a variety of platforms including BlackBerry OS, I’m very excited about this new SDK.
Developing native applications for BlackBerry OS has been a pain in the past because of the multitude of OS versions. Trying to test your applications across a variety of BlackBerry devices is always an expensive and time consuming process. Then when you finally launch, managing and updating applications is always a challenge – especially when doing so across an array of BlackBerry OS versions.
On the other hand, a very thin-client mobile web application like Frugalytics Web Launcher, is very easy to maintain and update but device API’s for the mobile web are very limited and the BlackBerry browser in general is very limited in its capabilities (although that will change soon now that they acquired a mobile browser software company).
The HTML/Javascript widget model is a great happy medium that makes developers lives’ a whole lot easier while maintaining a great end user experience. I look forward to working with this new SDK.
by admin on September 10, 2009
Frugalytics now has a deal feed on Twitter of all the hottest deals of the day. Generally the discounts tend to be in the 40-70% off range and you’ll find everything from kitchen knives to a Samsung Bluetooth Headset (81% off). If you haven’t heard about Frugalytics yet, it’s a mobile shopping comparison engine that allows you to compare prices anytime, anywhere.
by admin on September 8, 2009
I was reading Mark Suster’s blog about his thoughts on the necessity of an MBA for software start-up entrepreneurs or VCs (I recommend you check out his blog – it’s great). Mark’s conclusion is that MBAs are not necessary for start-ups and his reasoning is that ‘computer intuition is hard (not impossible) to acquire. Business experience, on the other hand, is better learned hands-on.’
I agree with Mark’s basic thoughts on the issue but would also identify another skill set that cannot truly be learned in an MBA school – implementation abilities. The ability to implement a strategy is equally important to the strategy itself. I have no doubt that MBA graduates from America’s top business schools are great strategic thinkers, but the ability to transition an idea from concept to a marketable product is not something that is easily learned – especially in the tech industry.
The best place to pick up this skill set is to work for start ups and FAIL. I’m sure that anyone who was worked for a grass roots start up and rode the roller coaster to failure will know what I’m talking about. The inherent speed of innovation that occurs in these small teams teaches you far more in a matter of months, than you’d learn in a two year MBA program. I’ve heard some say that one year of start-up experience is equal to five years at a large corporation. That’s because at a start-up you’re forced to wear many hats and learn what it takes to make things happen everyday.
MBA’s do provide great networking opportunities. This is probably the big value add for would-be entrepreneurs. That said, I’d argue experience at a start-up provides a far greater networking opportunity. Don’t believe me? Just check my LinkedIn. Through my years at various start-ups I’ve had the opportunity to work with strategic level management at many Fortune 500 companies such as RIM, Bell, Motorola, ESPN, eBay, the list goes on…
If you’re considering an MBA for a career in corporate finance, then it’s definitely a good choice and to some degree a requirement. However, if you’re considering getting your MBA specifically to learn how to be an entrepreneur or get VC money one day, I say save your money and get involved in a start-up in your specific field of interest. You’ll rapidly learn how to build and market a successful product – and at the same time probably learn even more valuable skills in the category of ‘what not to do’.
Hi, I’m Miron Lulic. I’m a technology entrepreneur living in Orange County, CA and this is my new soap box.
Here’s a little bit about myself. I’m the founder of a mobile shopping site named Frugalytics. We did a passive launch a few months ago and have quickly become the top ranking shopping app on BlackBerry App World. You don’t need a BlackBerry to try Frugalytics though, just visit http://frugalytics.com on your mobile device. We’re also working on new OS specific versions for other operating systems like the Palm Pre, iPhone, and Android.
Additionally, I’m working on a mobile travel site named TravelYay that aims to redefine the travel services industry by combining a made-for-mobile travel booking engine and state of the art in-voyage travel tools.
I plan to share my thoughs and ideas about mobile technology and whatever else comes up.