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Thursday October 22, 2009
Topic: Information Management
Reference: Snyder, Bill. "Must-Have Apps."BusinessWeek SmallBiz. October/November 2009, p.34.
A major factor in consumer marketing today concerns the relevance of products; not to something generally, but to the individual specifically. Relevance here is determined by how valuable the product or service is to individuals specific needs. It represents the continuing trend toward mass customization, always on and always available. If the threshold of relevance is not reached, then consumers take their business elsewhere. The interesting thing about relevance is that it is relative to a number of factors including usage, interest, and impact. These factors make developing a useful basic product set more and more challenging and argue for rapid deployment and innovation at lightspeed. Enter the new suite of application stores now available on Smartphones.
Thursday October 22, 2009
Topic: Information Management
Reference: Snyder, Bill. "Must-Have Apps."BusinessWeek SmallBiz. October/November 2009, p.34. A major factor in consumer marketing today concerns the relevance of products; not to something generally, but to the individual specifically. Relevance here is determined by how valuable the product or service is to individuals specific needs. It represents the continuing trend toward mass customization, always on and always available. If the threshold of relevance is not reached, then consumers take their business elsewhere. The interesting thing about relevance is that it is relative to a number of factors including usage, interest, and impact. These factors make developing a useful basic product set more and more challenging and argue for rapid deployment and innovation at lightspeed. Enter the new suite of application stores now available on Smartphones. They demonstrate on a daily basis how relevance impacts consumer choice. With so many choices, consumers are free to adopt the applications that are most relevant to them, at any time, and at an affordable price point. This has opened up a brave new world in information management. Things are no longer searched for; information is now pushed to users based on relevance. Where email and attachments were the giant app just a few years ago, much of that functionality has been replaced by Social Media sites, portals, and other more efficient information management channels/devices (e.g. thumb drive). In the referenced article the commentator alludes to these developments and makes it clear that all apps are not created equal. Some have much more relevance than others. The commentator focuses on the 85,000 applications available at the iPhone App Store, but it applies to other versions as well. "[I]'ve scoured iTunes and the Web for ten of the best. Each is designed to solve a specific small business problem, and by and large, they are inexpensive and easy to use." Some of his findings include: (1) Credit Card Terminal (process credit cards; (2) Roambi (business intelligence reports, charts, and spreadsheets); (3) Salesforce.com (customer data); Quickoffice (access to files for edits and updates); and Harvest (create track billings and invoices). There are a number of incredible offerings available that are limited only by your own imagination. I think that the major thrust is that the computer landscape has been changed by the Smartphone device, there are a lot easier ways of doing things, and whatever you want is just about available. The key is to invest in the search and to adopt a trial and error approach to finding the right apps for you. It is literally your world. Let me know how you are using and adopting apps to make yourself more productive and effective. Apps are what make phones smart!
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