PlayBook goes around the iPad

Research in Motion has announced their PlayBook, and the inevitable comparisons with Apple's iPad begin.

The trade press immediately publish a feature by feature comparison with the iPad, and miss the point, again.

The hardware centric tech press universally predicted that the iPhone and iPad would fail miserably, because other hardware had more technical capabilities, more connections, fewer restrictions.

Most missed the fact that it is the software that determines the success of a product. The ability of the software to meet the needs of a segment of the market will determine which system wins.

Although RIM does not actually have a shipping device, they have included some very interesting software innovations.

1. The Blackberry OS has been replaced by QNX (shades of Apple replacing a creaking OS 9 with a BSD UNIX OS for the Mac) which will provide the quick, small footprint, multitasking environment that will make it an easy platform to support.
2. The very meagre software development environment and developer unfriendly environment of the Blackberry is gone, replaced with options that include HTML5 and AJAX or Java. This should make it easy for developers to develop apps.
3. The hardware which is missing is the 3G connection, however RIM have included the seamless ability to tether the PlayBook to a Blackberry for network access. A great low cost lock in for Blackberry users.

RIM may have produced the software environment that can be customized to meet the needs of its significant niche (about 40% of the smart phone market).

Green Communities Intranet Goes Live

Requirements

Green Communities Canada is a national association of non-profit organizations that deliver innovative, practical environmental solutions to Canadian households and communities.

A key program for GCC is the delivery of residential energy audits using the Energuide for Houses auditing system. Each energy audit is documented in a set of electronic files which must be transmitted from energy auditors to GCC for quality assurance and storage. 

Implementation by RKIL

RKIL developed a web based data base system that allows geographically dispersed Energy Advisors submit information using their own computers and a modern web browsers. The system uses code developed in Ruby on Rails, and a MYSQL data base to collect, verify and store information for the GCC head office to verify and process.

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Apple Replaces the iPad with the iPod Touch

During iPad mania, a quick trip to the Apple store was in order to feel the energy and enthusiasm. 

One of the great ironies of the visit, was the fact that the purchases made through the WiFi system in the store are now being processed on an iPod Touch with a special case that includes a card swipe and bar code reader.

The new Apple devices replaced a Windows Mobile solution that Apple used up until a few months ago.

The hardware that Apple replaced, was from Fujitsu. The brand name of the Fujitsu product, the iPad.

Evolution does not learn from mistakes

The Darwin awards acknowledge people who improve the gene pool of humanity, by accidently removing themselves from it. While winning the award guarantees that the same individual will not try it again, nothing guarentees that the same actions won't be tried again by someone else.

The same thing is true in business.

Evolution only learns from success.

When something is attempted that does not work, it is tough for others to learn from it. Success on the other hand continues, and can be emulated and improved on.