Showing posts with label pyxis mobile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pyxis mobile. Show all posts

Enterprise Mobility - A Tank Half Full

Communicating with Pigeons
Seriously, I am talking about tanks.  Tanks as in Abrams, Tiger, T-34s or Shermans.  Did you know that at the beginning of WWII allied tanks did not even have mobile communications.  They had NO mobile radios.  Tanks were sent out into the battlefield with no effective way to communication with them or ask them to change plans, directions or missions.  Early tanks even used pigeons to communicate.

German forces on the other hand had mobile radios in all of their tanks and could communicate with HQ, nearby troops and aircraft.  This capability enabled them to provide real-time feedback and visibility into real-time events, which enabled rapid adaptation to changing situations in the field .  In addition, real-time mobile communications enable combined activities and collaboration between tanks, troops and aircraft that were never before possible.  This capability revolutionized military strategy.  This new capability enabled innovative strategist to develop new tactics.  

My new slogan this year is, Mobile Technology without Tactics is Wasted. 

The allied forces had mobile radios and communication technologies.  They had just not deployed them sufficiently, nor developed any new tactics designed to take advantage of them.  How many of today's enterprises have mobile technologies, but have not developed new strategies or tactics to take advantage of them?






Upcoming Events

Virtual Mobility Summit - September 27, 2011
Field Mobility 2011 Australia - October 25 - 27, 2011
Enterprise Mobility Exchange, Las Vegas - November 2 - 3, 2011
Kevin Benedict Speaking Tour, Tokyo - November 14-15, 2011
Kevin Benedict Speaking Tour, Singapore - November 17-18, 2011
Kevin Benedict Speaking Tour, San Paulo, Brazil - December 4-9, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
Healthrageous Mobility Case Study
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform

Ruggedized and Industrial Mobile Device Articles

Consumer Smartphones or Industrial Smartphones?

*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
- No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Kevin Benedict's Video Comments: Mobility Without Tactics is Wasted

In this segment I share my thoughts and research around mobile technology as it relates to competitive decision making, adapting to changes, business intelligence and managing the real time enterprise.



Upcoming Events

Virtual Mobility Summit - September 27, 2011
Field Mobility 2011 Australia - October 25 - 27, 2011
Enterprise Mobility Exchange, Las Vegas - November 2 - 3, 2011
Kevin Benedict Speaking Tour, Tokyo - November 14-15, 2011
Kevin Benedict Speaking Tour, Singapore - November 17-18, 2011
Kevin Benedict Speaking Tour, San Paulo, Brazil - December 4-9, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
Healthrageous Mobility Case Study
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform

Ruggedized and Industrial Mobile Device Articles

Consumer Smartphones or Industrial Smartphones?

*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
- No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Mobile Expert Podcast Series: Toa Technologies' Yuval Brisker, Part 2

This is Part 2 (see Part 1 here) of an interview with mobility expert and  Toa Technologies' CEO Yuval Brisker.  In this segment we drill down into cloud computing, versioning, total cost of ownership and enterprise mobility.



Upcoming Events

Virtual Mobility Summit - September 27, 2011
Field Mobility 2011 Australia - October 25 - 27, 2011
Enterprise Mobility Exchange, Las Vegas - November 2 - 3, 2011
Kevin Benedict Speaking Tour, Tokyo - November 14-15, 2011
Kevin Benedict Speaking Tour, Singapore - November 17-18, 2011
Kevin Benedict Speaking Tour, San Paulo, Brazil - December 4-9, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
Healthrageous Mobility Case Study
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform

Ruggedized and Industrial Mobile Device Articles

Consumer Smartphones or Industrial Smartphones?

*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
- No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

Mobile Expert Podcast Series: Toa Technologies' Yuval Brisker, Part 1

In this two part segment of the Mobile Expert Podcast Series, I interview the CEO/Founder of  Toa Technologies, Yuval Brisker.  Yuval shares his thoughts on enterprise mobility, cloud computing, HTML5 and much more.  Listen to Part 2 here.



Upcoming Events

Virtual Mobility Summit - September 27, 2011
Field Mobility 2011 Australia - October 25 - 27, 2011
Enterprise Mobility Exchange, Las Vegas - November 2 - 3, 2011
Kevin Benedict Speaking Tour, Tokyo - November 14-15, 2011
Kevin Benedict Speaking Tour, Singapore - November 17-18, 2011
Kevin Benedict Speaking Tour, San Paulo, Brazil - December 4-9, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
Healthrageous Mobility Case Study
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform

Ruggedized and Industrial Mobile Device Articles

Consumer Smartphones or Industrial Smartphones?


*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
- No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

More Mobile HTML5 Apps for Your Review

This week we have found more mobile HTML5 applications for your review.  If you are like me, you want to see what others have done with HTML5 so you can start understanding how you can utilize HTML5 apps in your own enterprise.

Touch Salesforce

Salesforce has just announced a new application based on open standard HTML5 technology. The app will be available in 2012 and will run on most popular mobile devices. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says “The change in hardware is also being complemented by a huge change in software – and that software is HTML5. This software will give us the ability to build applications that run natively on mobile devices, but are also managed as a service…”

http://www.salesforce.com/touch/

LinkedIn Mobile

A new HTML5-based mobile website has been developed for Android and iPhone users by business social network LinkedIn. Users may access LinkedIn via the web on their mobile devices at touch.linkedin.com.

http://www.linkedin.com/static?key=mobile&trk=hb_ft_mobile

PocketMarket

Displays the latest prices for the commodities traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX).

http://www.pocketmarket.info/ or http://download.cnet.com/PocketMarket/3010-31713_4-75553623.html

WiFi Speed Meter

This app measures the speed of the user’s iPhone internet connection.

http://www.wifispeed.info/ or http://www.apple.com/webapps/utilities/wifispeedmeter.html

Morse Code Generator

A fun web app that translates any English sentence into Morse Code.  I must say this sounds like the ultimate geek app.

http://www.pjnation.com/iphone/morse-code/ or http://www.pjnation.com/

Scrabtis

A cross between Scrabble and Tetris.

http://openappmkt.com/app/4c5903deb77f912f790004f3/Scrabtris

Previously published articles on HTML5

HTML5 Apps
What Can HTML5 Offer Mobile Developers?
HTML5 - What I am Learning
Projections for and Demonstrations of HTML5
HTML5, Enterprise Mobility and Visual Effects
Challenges with HTML5 for Mobile Applications
More on HTML5 for Mobile Application Developers
What Can HTML5 Offer Mobile Developers?
HTML5 - What I am Learning




 
*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
- No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Mobility ROI Weekly - Week of August 29th

This weekly ROI (return on investment) report includes ROIs that I come across in my weekly enterprise mobility and mobile data collection research.  My goal is to create an archive of mobility related ROIs that we can all use when we need them. I hope you find this useful.

Mobile Fleet Management Cuts Costs

Fleet Advantage provides fleet services to Costco Wholesale that includes installing electronic sensors in freight trucks and trailers.  Equipping vehicles in the shipping industry with sensors to better manage deliveries is a growing trend.  The ROIs resulting from mobile fleet management are:
  • Improved fuel efficiency
  • Analysis of driver behavior that enables improvements to be made that drives down operating costs
  • Detailed reports that enable companies to see when holding on to an old truck costs more than leasing a new one – again this helps drive down operating costs.
  • Data gathered by sensors that allows companies to better make cost comparisons between buying or leasing delivery trucks.
Read original source

Mobile Imaging App Helps Reduce Costs and Improve Efficiencies

Mobile image cloud apps (MIC) on smartphones are becoming more popular among companies in banking, healthcare and insurance.  Since 2000, cameras on smartphones have been used to photograph documents such as bank checks, hospital records and insurance claims.  Lately, this has become more popular and more companies are adopting strategies for turning smartphone cameras into basically scanning devices.  The anticipated ROIs are:
  • Digital photographs taken by smartphones can eliminate a lot of paperwork that was once needed including handling deposited checks, photographing driver’s licenses, insurance claim forms and other documents.
  • Photographs of documents saved on a network make them quickly and easily available to anyone with access to the network no matter their location.
  • Insurance companies can expedite refunds and insurance payments to customers.
  • Patients may be able to use this technology to quickly photograph medical receipts for expedited reimbursement.
Read original source

RFID Proof of Concept Delivers Big Returns

American Apparel conducted a pilot test program that gave RFID tags to 50 stores nationwide testing the usefulness of tracking merchandise.  The ROI on RFID-enabled stores was no more than six months. Here are the areas that are reported to have driven the ROIs:
  • Improved security and a 75 percent reduction in theft.
  • The RFID system has proven to reduce shrink, improve stock levels and reduce employee turnover.
  • Better visibility of merchandise on the floor led to better customer service.
  • Stores with the RFID program were able to increase sales an average of 50 percent more than stores without RFID tracking due to better stock management and the reduction of loss.
Read original source




*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
- No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Enterprise Mobility Solutions with Depth and Width

Some enterprise mobility solutions are "containers", "shells", "frameworks", "libraries" or "scripts."  They don't in themselves have a lot of business logic or business process expertise.  These kinds of enterprise mobility solutions often provide interesting low cost efficiency improvements, but the efficiency gains are typically small incremental improvements.  Enterprise mobility vendors, however, that bring to the table depth and width in their business logic and business process expertise can revolutionize the way a company operates and significantly impact the company's bottom line.

Often companies will start with simple low cost mobile solutions to test the waters and to demonstrate some efficiency improvements, but the best in class will move beyond that and research how the new world of mobility can actually revolutionize their business.

Let me provide as an example of depth and width, an excerpt from ClickSoftware's recent software update announcement.

This offering optimizes the deployment of the entire workforce; not just those employees out in the field, but also those who are office/plant based, using the same Workforce Management Platform. This means that employees can be quickly aligned to company objectives across any number of businesses or departments regardless of their role. 

This update reaches beyond just dispatching work orders to mobile service technicians, it now seems to include the ability to optimize the schedule and deployment of all workers in all departments  This requires sophisticated and complex business logic (depth and width).  These new kinds of optimized workforce scheduling solutions also include mobile clients.  Here is more on that:

ClickSoftware’s Mobility Studio now allows enterprises to build and configure mobility applications that utilize the latest HTML5 standards so that they are device agnostic.

It is my opinion that the business logic and business process expertise is where the most value comes from in any mobile solution.  The more you can simplify the enterprise mobility component the better.  Here is more on that topic:

Version 8.1.5 adds to this the Business Views Engine enabling business users with no technical ability to create and configure modular mobile applications with no coding, and using drag and drop wizards to meet role-based requirements.

To truly revolutionize your business, you need depth and width in your mobile applications that provide sophisticated algorithms, in-depth business logic and business process expertise.  Revolutionary mobility is not usually simple mobility.  It takes some thought and execution to be best in class.

Upcoming Events


Build vs. Buy:  Mobile App Development Webinar - August 24, 2011
Field Mobility 2011, Sydney - October 25 - 27, 2011
Enterprise Mobility Exchange - November 2 - 3, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
Healthrageous Mobility Case Study
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform 

Ruggedized and Industrial Mobile Device Articles

Consumer Smartphones or Industrial Smartphones?

*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

ClickSoftware field service management software
- No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Mobile Expert Video Series: Zenware's Rod Puzey

In this video interview I ask Zenware's COO, Rod Puzey about some of the mobile applications that companies are asking Zenware to custom develop.  The Zenware team is an expert in field mobile data collection and gets involved in many strange and interesting mobility projects.



Upcoming Events


Build vs. Buy:  Mobile App Development - August 24, 2011
Field Mobility 2011 - October 25 - 27, 2011
Enterprise Mobility Exchange - November 2 - 3, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
Healthrageous Mobility Case Study
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform 

Ruggedized and Industrial Mobile Device Articles

Consumer Smartphones or Industrial Smartphones?


*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
- No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mobile Expert Video Series: Zenware's Dave Wasden and Rod Puzey

I was honored to be able to spend time with my friends, and some of the mobile industry's most experienced developers and product managers this week at Zenware.  Between Dave and Rod they have been involved in several hundred mobile software development projects over the years.  It is hard to find a mobile use case or project they have not worked on.  They have developed both the muscles and the scars from these projects and really know what they are talking about. 

In this video interview Dave and Rod discuss their work with HTML5 and Sybase's Unwired Platform.  They have been working with Sybase's mobile technologies since 2004.



Upcoming Events

Build vs. Buy:  Mobile App Development - August 24, 2011
Field Mobility 2011 - October 25 - 27, 2011
Enterprise Mobility Exchange - November 2 - 3, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
Healthrageous Mobility Case Study
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform

Ruggedized and Industrial Mobile Device Articles

Consumer Smartphones or Industrial Smartphones?

*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
- No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Kevin Benedict's Video Comments: Enterprise Mobility Impacts Everything

In this 7 minute segment of Video Comments, I share insights that I found particularly useful from Aberdeen Group's report called Mobility in ERP by Kevin Prouty and Nick Castellina.



Upcoming Events

Build vs. Buy:  Mobile App Development - August 24, 2011
Field Mobility 2011 - October 25 - 27, 2011
Enterprise Mobility Exchange - November 2 - 3, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
Healthrageous Mobility Case Study
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform

Ruggedized and Industrial Mobile Device Articles

Consumer Smartphones or Industrial Smartphones?


*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
- No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Open Text and Their Evolving Mobile Strategies

Many of you know Open Text.  They are an important SAP Partner and leader in the enterprise content management space.  Did you know they are also developing mobile applications and acquiring mobile technology companies to expand their mobility capabilities?  In March 2011 they announced their acquisition of UK based WeComm.  Here is WeComm's description, "WeComm offers a cross-platform development platform, called Wave, for creating mobile applications that can run on iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Symbian or Java-based smartphones."

Even before this acquisition, Open Text had their own internally developed mobility solution called Open Text Everywhere.  Here is its description, "Our mobile solutions provide your workforce with the ability to access and manage business content, keep workflow processes moving, and stay up-to-date with colleagues by using social collaboration capabilities within a single native application designed specifically for your Enterprise Content Management (ECM) deployments."

I had the opportunity last week to spend some time with Oliver Surrock and Micah Kalen with Open Text and to discuss their mobile strategies.  In September of 2010, I had the privilege of interviewing Micah Kalen about Open Text Everywhere.  You can read the interview here.

One of the reasons that Open Text purchased WeComm is to get WeComm's mobile application development platform called Wave.  They will be using the Wave Platform to develop future versions of Open Text Everywhere (OTE) and many new mobile applications.  Wave gives OTE the ability to support hundreds of mobile devices.

Wave also enables Open Text to develop and support mobile applications that have not even been imagined yet.  This is important in the dynamic and fast growing enterprise mobility market.  Here is their currently stated value proposition, "By marrying your enterprise content management and mobility strategies, you can realize a higher return on investment (ROI) through increased user adoption of your content management systems that results from your workforce having meaningful mobile access to your enterprise. Furthermore, content chaos can be avoided by keeping content consistent across Web, desktop, and mobile environments."

I asked how the Wave Platform compares with Sybase's Unwired Platform (SUP).  They described it this way, "SUP is primarily focused on "structured" mobile data, while the Wave Platform is largely focused on managing "unstructured" mobile content such as documents, photos, videos, etc.  Yes, there is some overlap, but that is true with any mobility vendor in the SAP ecosystem.  I dug a little deeper with questions about how Open Text and SAP were going to work together around mobile applications.  Their responses were that SAP is a very important partner and there are many discussions.

Oliver shared that Open Text hopes systems integrators will find the Open Text Mobile Wave Platform to be an attractive development environment.

I love the concept of mobile enterprise content management.  Until I interviewed Micah last year I had not even considered a mobile version of enterprise content management, but there certainly is a value and need.

I want to thank Oliver and Micah for sharing their time and thoughts with us.


*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
- No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Build vs Buy: Mobile App Development and Enterprise Mobility

TL Neff
Build vs Buy is one of the oldest and most complex questions that businesses debate for every IT solution.  In the context of enterprise mobility the discussion gets even more complex as there are many different devices, operating systems, versions, mobile middleware platforms, development environments, integration strategies, etc. In this upcoming webinar, myself and T.L. Neff will discuss the full lifecycle requirements and total cost of ownership in mobile app development.
  • The tradeoffs of build vs buy across the full lifecycle of native mobile apps
  • The hidden details that impact total cost of ownership in build and buy strategies
  • Best practices in implementing a mobile app development project
Wednesday, August 24th at 1 PM EDT - Register Here!


*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
- No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Mobility ROI Weekly - Week of August 8, 2011

This weekly ROI (return on investment) report includes ROIs that I come across in my weekly enterprise mobility and mobile data collection research. My goal is to create an archive of mobility related ROIs that we can all use when we need them. I hope you find this useful.

UK based freight companies John Lewis and Waitrose both implemented fleet telematics systems on their trucks in 2010. Their investments into telematics solutions were for the purpose of improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions. To date the reported ROIs are:
  • Reduced driving times
  • Reduced truck maintenance requirements
  • Reduced carbon emissions from shipping trucks by 4%
  • Reduced fuel costs
Read original source

The results of a new vehicle tracking survey shows that businesses using fleet GPS tracking systems are saving money in many ways. The ROIs reported are:
  • 70% of survey participants saw overall reduced operational costs due to an increased awareness of driver habits and actions.
  • 15.3% of businesses reported that the telematics solution reduced the amount of overtime claims that employees filed.
  • 13.3% of businesses reported lower communications costs as a result of making deliveries more efficient and manageable.
Read original source

UPS recently announced that it has been using a fleet management system that allows the company to view data on how each vehicle performs mechanically, as well as the driver’s route and behavior behind the wheel. UPS reported the following ROIs:
  • An overall fuel savings of 3.3% per package delivered after routes became more efficient through vehicle tracking.
  • Savings of 15.4 million minutes of vehicles idling, this also increased overall productivity with less unproductive driver time used.
  • Eliminated 63.5 million miles of unnecessary driving after supervisors were able to more carefully monitor drivers and their delivery habits.
Read original source

Mission Foods, the world’s largest supplier of tortillas and other food products recently made the switch from disposable wooden shipping pallets to reusable plastic containers that are significantly more expensive. In order to keep track of the plastic shipping containers and to prevent losses Mission Foods installed RFID tracking tags to each unit. The overall cost to equip containers and warehouses with RFID technology was $100,000. Their reported ROIs are:
  • Savings of $15 million within the first five years resulting from being able to reuse the new plastic RFID-enabled containers compared to the previously disposable units. 
  • A 91% decrease in energy consumption by Mission Foods activities.
  • A 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Read original source

Upcoming Events

Build vs Buy: Mobile App Development - August 24, 2011 1:00 PM EDT
Field Mobility 2011 - October 25 - 27, 2011
Enterprise Mobility Exchange - November 2 - 3, 2011

Psion EP10
Enterprise PDA
Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
Healthrageous Mobility Case Study
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform

Articles on Ruggedized and Industrial Mobile Devices

Consumer Smartphones or Industrial Smartphones?

*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
- No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

Syclo Conversation about Trends

Syclo's Joe Granda
I caught up with Syclo's EVP of Global Marketing, Joe Granda today.  There are a lot of things happening at Syclo this year.  They are busy building support for Sybase's Unwired Platform (learn more here) and adding Android support for all of their mobile solutions.  They also just finished their largest user conference of all time where they offered over 44 different educational sessions.  Next on their schedule is SAP's TechEd where they will have a booth.

I asked Joe about trends he is seeing these days in the enterprise mobility space.  He named three:
  1. The increasing demand for tablets in the field services industry.
  2. Android is now the number one shipping smartphone.
  3. Increasing desire for customers to want mobile B2C (business to consumer) apps.
These trends have emerged just over the past few months.

Upcoming Events

Field Mobility 2011 - October 25 - 27, 2011
Enterprise Mobility Exchange - November 2 - 3, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform
3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
The Future of Enterprise Mobility
Healthrageous Mobility Case Study
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access

Ruggedized and Industrial Mobile Device Articles

Consumer Smartphones or Industrial Smartphones?

*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
- No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

The Enterprise Mobility Exchange in Las Vegas - November 2 and 3

I wanted to point out to everyone that there is going to be an extraordinary speaker line-up at The Enterprise Mobility Exchange in Las Vegas this year.  The conference is scheduled for November 2nd and 3rd.  I am lucky enough (you must request to be invited) to be attending this exclusive mobility event and look forward to learning from these mobility experts.  Here are some of the speakers that I look forward to learning from:

Onyeka Nchege
Vice President, Chief Information Officer
Coca Cola Bottling Company Consolidated
 
Tony Winston
Senior Manager Mobility Solutions
American Airlines
 
Eugene Signorini
Vice President, Research
Yankee Group
 
Ken Bodenhoefer
Senior Manager, Business Process & Technology Integration
Southern California Edison
 
Christian Kane
Research Analyst
Forrester
 
Stephen Malowney
Enterprise Financial and Operations Solutions Manager
Sempra Energy

Scott Taylor
Director of Field Service
Vivint
 
Matthew Berardi
Managing Director, Field Technology Operations
FedEx Ground
 
John Leabeater
Lead Technical Analyst, AIDC & Mobility
Coca Cola Bottling Company Consolidated
 
Joe Chung
MobileConnect Program Lead
PG&E
 
Divya Mahajan
Director Architect for Enterprise Integration and SOA
Philips International
 
Shawn Crossley
Senior Enterprise Architect
PG&E
 
Ted Johnson
IT Manager, Mobility Support
Exelon
 
I hope to see you there!  If you are attending, let's meet up.
 
 
*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
- No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Death by Mobile App

I came across an article about an interesting mobile app this week called Death by Car and Murder.  It is the kind of mobile application I have long wanted and even written about.  A mobile application that augments my reality by telling me what is around me, plus what has happened in history around me.  I want an application that tells me if I am in a reasonably safe neighborhood, or am I just asking to be the next crime statistic.

Wouldn't it be interesting to know if the neighborhood you are walking in has a high crime rate (and what kind of crimes), or if the road you travel is higher than others in traffic fatalities?  I would like to instantly see the "safest routes" to walk and drive.

I would like a geo-spatially aware walking encyclopedia that would augment my reality with useful information that I can select and configure.  Today, it seems we are limited mostly to local businesses or tourist landmarks.  I want to know the demographics, history, statistics, behaviors and trends of the people sitting around me in an outdoor cafe.

I would also like to better understand the environment around me.  If I am in a new neighborhood, tell me the history of the community and the economic and business statistics.

We all have unique interests, limited time, limited resources and are mortal.  Wouldn't it be interesting if we could use knowledge about our surroundings and environment to better manage our experiences?  I know this might not seem at first romantic or adventuresome, but it could be.  It might also provide a statistically safer life that better aligns with our interests.

What do you think?







Upcoming Events

Field Mobility 2011 - October 25 - 27, 2011
Enterprise Mobility Exchange - November 2 - 3, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
The Future of Enterprise Mobility
Healthrageous Mobility Case Study
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform

Ruggedized and Industrial Mobile Device Articles

Consumer Smartphones or Industrial Smartphones?

*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
- No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

More on HTML5 for Mobile Application Developers

We’ve already explored some HTML5 features such as media playback, offline mobile data support, and 2D graphics capabilities.  Let’s now explore two additional advantages.

Geo-Location

HTML5’s geo-location application programming interface (API), is to me one of the most interesting features.  It enables mobile web sites to access a mobile device’s GPS technology.  The W3C geolocation API specification was published in September, 2010.  (http://www.w3.org/TR/geolocation-API/)

Google Latitude for the iPhone is one example of a pure HTML5 web application using these features (It’s also available on iPad and Android-powered devices).  Latitude lets users share where they are and see where their friends are on a map.  Read more at http://code.google.com/apis/latitude/ and http://www.google.com/mobile/latitude/.

Some other application scenarios for using HTML5 geolocation are:
  1. Finding points of interest in the user’s area
  2. Showing the user’s location on a map
  3. Alerts when points of interest are in the user’s vicinity
  4. Turn-by-turn route navigation
Forms

There are more than a dozen new input types and new features that can be used in HTML5 web forms. One of the features enables developers to create and display a placeholder in an input field. What is a placeholder?  It is a hint as to what input is expected and what the format should be.  When you highlight the field, the placeholder disappears and allows the input. 

Another feature is the addition of form validation.

There are many new data inputs supported in HTML5:
  1. Search – To prompt users to enter text they want to search for.
  2. Email – For entering a single email address or a list of email addresses.
  3. Color – For choosing color through a color well control.
  4. Number Slider – Turns the input field into a numeric slider.
  5. Web Addresses - Now fields requiring a web address can provide a custom keyboard on iPhones made for entering URLs.
  6. Numbers - You can now specify minimum and maximun numbers allowed in a particular field, plus what "steps" or increments you allow (i.e. 0, 2, 4, 6 or 0, 5, 10, 15).
  7. Native Date Picker Control - This eliminates the need to use javascript libraries to pick dates and times.
  8. HTML5 Form Validator - Now you can validate data in a field from within HTML5.  Invalid data will launch an error message from within HTML5, not an external javascript.
  9. HTML5 Required Fields - Now HTML5 can be configured to produce an error message if a required field is not completed.  No longer is it necessary to use an external javascript.
I have worked on many, many custom mobile applications that are used for inspections, assessments, surveys and field data collection.  Ensuring accurate and valid data input is critical.  We developed a lot of custom code to ensure accurate and valid data in the past.  These advances in HTML5 will make developing these kinds of applications faster and easier.

Previously published articles on HTML5

What Can HTML5 Offer Mobile Developers?
HTML5 - What I am Learning
Projections for and Demonstrations of HTML5

Upcoming Events

Field Mobility 2011 - October 25 - 27, 2011
Enterprise Mobility Exchange - November 2 - 3, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
The Future of Enterprise Mobility
Healthrageous Mobility Case Study
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform

*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
- No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Mobility ROI Weekly - Week of August 1, 2011

This weekly ROI (return on investment) report includes ROIs that I come across in my weekly enterprise mobility and mobile data collection research.  My goal is to create an archive of mobility ROIs that we can all use when we are called upon for them.  I hope you find this useful.

John Deer Factory Uses Wi-Fi Sensors to Increase Efficiency

John Deer has increased productivity in a factory in Illinois by employing Wi-Fi enabled sensors that track the progress of materials along the production line.  The sensors are specifically designed to help notify welders throughout the manufacturing stages when materials are running low.  The reported ROIs are:
  • The company has seen a 40 percent increase in efficiency in welding due to improvements in material replenishment and fewer delays caused by waiting for materials in its welding areas.
  • The system has reduced the amount of time to assemble an average row-crop planter vehicle by 5 percent
  • Provides awareness for the number of materials left in a “kitcart” so that supplies never completely run out for assembly workers.
Read original source here.

Electronic Ear Tags Help UK Farms Detect Sick Animals

Newcastle University is testing a new way to detect sick animals by using electronic sensors attached to animal ear tags.  By monitoring the amount of time each animal spends at the feeding trough farmers can observe animals with unusual eating habits.  The expected ROIs are:
  • The ability for farmers to detect sick livestock before animals are too ill to recover.  Helps extend the life and production of the animals which increases the value of these assets. 
  • Early detection prevents the spread of disease which helps maintain a healthier and more valuable herd.
  • Allows farmers to efficiently monitor the status of the herd remotely.
Read original source here.

RFID Sensors Help Mining Companies Eliminate Paperwork

Ascendent ID recently introduced an RFID tracking system for companies involved in the mining industry.  The system is designed to track materials being shipped to and from mining sites by large trucks.  The reported ROI's are:
  • RFID tracking has allowed mining companies to eliminate a significant amount of paperwork and administrative costs that were required when shipping materials.
  • RFID tags can be used as physical access permits that allow them into construction zones and mining site.  This improves security, safety and loss by authorizing only trucks with tracking tags to enter these areas. 
  • Using RFID sensors increases efficiency by automating data logs and eliminates time spent on paperwork.
  • Eliminating data entry and paper processing errors through automated data collection improves the accuracy and efficiencies of many business processes.
Read original source here.



*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
- No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Mobile Expert Video Series: Jon Reed, John Appleby and Kevin Benedict

Click to View
Jon Reed of JonERP.com recorded a fun video this week with three SAP Mentors (Jon Reed, John Appleby and myself) on the topic of SAP and enterprise mobility.  The video podcast is available here:

 http://www.jonerp.com/component/option,com_mojo/Itemid,57/p,102/#more-102

Upcoming Events

Field Mobility 2011 - Sydney, Australia - October 25 - 27, 2011
Enterprise Mobility Exchange - November 2 - 3, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

Healthrageous Mobility Case Study
3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
The Future of Enterprise Mobility
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform


*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
- No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Interviews with Kevin Benedict