Diving Into the World of Dial-Up….Again

By Mark Evans in Web-based Services 2 Comments Tags: , ,

When I started using the Internet in 1995, there was no high-speed access, which probably strikes many people as difficult to believe.

Instead, there was dial-up access in all of its 28K or 56K glory. It delivered the Web in an agonizingly slow way but we were so amazed by this thing called the Web that driving in the slow lane was just fine.

That said, dial-up was not only slow but it tended to stop working for a variety of reasons. If someone picked up another extension, the connection would crap out. If someone called and left a voice-mail message, the connection would disappear. These Web interuptus tended to happen with alarming frequency when a download was 98% completed, forcing you to download the software again, which could take 30 minutes as opposed to 30 seconds.

This nostalgic look at dial-up burst on to the scene last week after learning a much-anticipated high-speed connection at a beach house in rural Prince Edward Island was, in reality, dial-up. The pain, the agony, the molasses-like slowness of it all.

After the purchasing of a U.S. Robotics modem (the last one apparently to be found on PEI), extensive support from Bell and some painful configuration issues, we finally got the dial-up connection up and running.

Well, I wouldn’t describe it as running; it’s more like a languid stroll or relaxed amble. Each page requested appears with glacial-like speed. In other words, it’s agonizing for anyone who takes a high-speed connection as a god-given right.

The upside is it makes multi-tasking easy because there’s so much time between the appearance of Web pages – there’s no instant gratification each time you decide to look at a different Web site.

That’s the crazy part about speed; the faster the connection, the less appreciation about the size and speed of the pipe. For anyone who thinks today’s high-speed connections leave something to be desired, try living with dial-up for an hour, let alone a day.

Of course, any kind of Internet access is better than no access if you’re digitally engaged and make your living from being connected. So for the next week, I’ll live with dial-up access even if means taking a long time just to check e-mail. And the best part is when I get home, my high-speed connection will seem ultra-fast.

Topify and the Beginning of the End for Twitter?

By Mark Evans in Social Media 1 Comment

Is the end of Topify the beginning of the end for Twitter?

It’s an interesting question given Topify is a small but useful service that notifies Twitter users via e-mail about new followers. It’s one of the thousands of services that leverages Twitter’s API.

Last week, Topify said its service will shut down on August 5 after Twitter made changes to its back-end. The decision was made after Topify approached Twitter to see if there was any flexibility so Topify could continue to operate. The answer was “No”.

In the scheme of things, Topify is flea riding on the back of a big dog. But symbolically, Topify could an important telltale sign about Twitter’s future.

One of the key reasons Twitter has thrived is the tremendous support from the developer eco-system, which has enhanced the Twitter platform with services that have made it more valuable, interesting, entertaining and useful.

In many respects, it is akin to how Windows became the preeminent operating system by letting the developer community create applications that made Windows more valuable, useful and popular.

Twitter, on the other hand, has an increasingly love-hate relationship with its developer community. On one hand, it recognizes the role third-party services play to make Twitter more appealing. On the other hand, however, there is an antagonism towards developers because they have successfully outflanked Twitter by creating popular services that Twitter does not or will not offer, as well as figuring out ways to make money from many of these services.

It is the money that troubles Twitter because it has gone through a well-documented struggle to come up with viable business model ever since it started. Twitter has been hosting a terrific party but it has been sitting in the corner by itself while its guests have been meeting new people and dancing up a storm.

Finally, Twitter is putting its foot down by changing the rules about how its API and back-end can be used. No more Mr. Nice Guy. Instead, Twitter has decided to take control of the party even if it means some of its guests need to disappear or change how to operate. If it means companies such as Topify decide to walk away, so be it.

The danger for Twitter is by making it more difficult for developers, it makes the platform less useful or interesting. At the same time, it also opens the door for a competitive service to emerge that will be far more developer-friendly.

The high-tech world is a fickle place. One day, you’re king of the world; the next you’re chopped liver. Twitter may be riding high but developers and users will think nothing of switching teams if something better, more useful and user-friendly comes along. If Twitter continues to squeeze its developer ecosystem so it can continue its battle to become a business, it could mean the end of the Twitter Empire.

What’s Next for RIM Other Than Not Surrendering?

By Mark Evans in Wireless 2 Comments Tags: , ,

Amid the debacle of Nortel Networks’ slide into a telecom has-been, the most shameful chapter was that CEO Mike Zafirovski and the board conceded defeat rather than using bankruptcy protection to remake the company into a smaller and viable telecom supplier. Sure, creditors and bondholders are a happy bunch now but it shouldn’t wallpaper the fact Canada’s flagship high-tech company has disappeared.

With this lesson front and centre, the worse thing RIM could do in face the wake of many challenges is wave the white flag. There is no doubt RIM is struggling given pressure from the iPhone and Android, as well as the weak-ass, half-baked PlayBook that has failed to create even a small ripple in the tablet market.

But the answer for RIM is not to surrender or take major steps backward but to battle on. One truth about the high-tech market is the landscape can turn on a dime. One minute, you’re the star of the show; the next you’re forgotten. Many people forget, for example, that Apple nearly crumbled before Steve Jobs returned to orchestrate its miraculous comeback.

This is not to suggest RIM will enjoy a similar rebound but it would be a mistake to assume that just because RIM is currently struggling, there is nowhere else to go other than downhill.

That said, RIM needs to pull the trigger on some important moves over the next year to avoid becoming irrelevant.

1. Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie should lead the business but not operate it. While there has been calls to appoint an independent chairman, another more significant and bold move would be appointing a new CEO to replace Laziridis and Balsillie. This would be a major move given RIM is their baby but at some point every founder has to step back to allow fresh blood into the mix.

2. The BlackBerry doesn’t have to reinvented or overhauled but it does need to become more of a Swiss Army knife that does a variety of things well rather than an e-mail client/phone device. At the very least, the BlackBerry needs a fantastic Web browser, as well as user-friendly and accessible video and music players. At the same time, BlackBerry World needs to have a strong portfolio but doesn’t need 100,000 apps to be successful.

3. RIM shouuld not only push ahead with the new QNX operating system but start to educate the marketplace on why it will a big leap forward, and how it has the potential to not only bolster the BlackBerry but also wireless devices as well.

4. RIM has to completely overhaul its marketing efforts. It needs to take a completely fresh approach to the consumer market where its efforts have been as awkward as a teenager at a high school dance. RIM’s consumer marketing seems forced rather than playing on its strengths. It is like RIM has adopted a new personality that doesn’t work. The campaign for its BBM service, which the young’uns love, fails to hit the market because RIM isn’t effectively reaching out to the target audience in a natural way.

5. RIM needs to focus on opportunities in international markets but avoid being Friendster-ized. For those of you who remember, Friendster was the leading social media network before it was shoved aside by Facebook. While Friendster is still alive today, its only exists in a handful of Asian countries. While RIM is seeing strong international growth, North America is a big, important market so it needs to create the right devices, marketing plans and, as important, relationships with carriers to stay in the game.

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