Posts

Showing posts with the label smart phones

Throwing Your Food Away and Mobile Applications

Image
In Jonathan Bloom's new book American Wasteland he reports that the US produces about 591 billion pounds of food each year of which about 50 percent goes to waste somewhere along the food supply chain.  This includes unused restaurant food, food in the field and vegetables and fruits in the grocery store as examples.  Grocery stores throw away an estimated 30 million pounds of food each day.

Mobile Middleware for Instant Value or Mobile Micro-Apps

Image
Mobile middleware is more than synchronizing databases and providing basic application integration. It needs to include support for business process extensions, and it must provide a set of features and functions that support lightweight, "Instant Value" or "Mobile Micro-Apps" smartphone applications.   There are many features and functions that are needed by mobile workers that are not easily supported by smartphone operating systems like iPhone or BlackBerry. Often the data set is large and the software application is an ERP.  The mobile user does not need access to the full ERP or the full data set, just a subset.  In these cases it would be useful to have a mobile middleware layer that recognizes the needs of the mobile user and provides an optimized mobile application with functionality that supports either browser based or mobile micro-apps. It seems there is a need for a new middleware layer that is designed to support a wide range of requirements to addr

Sybase, iPad and an Analysis - I am Not Usually Snarky

I am mostly nice on this blog, but come on Sybase!!! What were you thinking with this report, "...Sybase has announced the results of a survey on mobile device usage, commissioned by Sybase and conducted by Zogby International. The survey, which was compiled from an online survey of 2443 adults with a mobile phone, 770 of which own smart phones, uncovered that the #1 reason U.S. consumers would use a device such as the Apple iPad is for " working on the go ." Sybase, the next time you want to commission such an in-depth report please call me. I will conduct it for at least 10% less than Zogby International and come up with the same findings. More, "...the study demonstrates that consumers want more access to information and work applications on their mobile devices." OK, with that level of analysis, perhaps I would need to add another 5% to my proposal. I looked up the definition of the word snarky . Sybase's report makes me feel that way. If you want to he

Dynamic and Mobile Inventories and Location Based Services

On the blog, Mobile Applications Australia , the author discusses the concept of dynamic and mobile inventories and location based services. The idea is some products may not have enough demand from one store location to sell out. They may have ordered too much inventory and even with discounts the product does not have enough demand at one store to sell out, but the demand across 10 stores may be sufficient to sell all of the inventory. The excess inventory can be loaded into delivery vans and as the inventory nears each store location LBS alerts can be sent out to each subscriber's Smart phone or other mobile device announcing the availability of discounted inventory for a limited time. It seems to me that LBSs may be able to revolutionize a lot of retail processes over the next 5 years. *********************************************** Author Kevin Benedict Independent Mobile Strategy, Sales and Marketing Consultant www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict http://kevinbenedict.ulitze

Mobile Field Services Score Cards

Mobile score cards for field service technicians. That is an interesting notion that is written about in this article . You combine mobile work order management applications, with mobile business intelligence dashboards and perhaps even mobile customer surveys. The results are a score that is shared company wide to all field service technicians. In this scenario, everyone can see the total number of work orders a technician has completed each week, plus the results of customer satisfaction surveys and the totals of any products or services each technician has sold. This score is presented on a mobile dashboard on each of the technician's mobile handheld computers or Smart phones. The idea is that a competitive spirit and peer pressure will encourage and motivate field service technicians to do the things that most benefit the company. The customer service survey, each service technician must have the customer fill out on the screen of the mobile device, helps keep the service t

Smart Phones, Mobile Software, Coupons and Grocery Lists

Image
I can hear it now! Readers complaining that I should already know about this category of mobile applications, but I don't so I apologize in advance. I want to be able to go to a grocery store (food store) and take out my iPhone, photograph the bar code label (UPC code) and have my GPS location uploaded to a website that will instantly provide me with all the discounts, coupons and rebates available for that product (UPC code) in that specific store location (GPS coordinate). I want to take advantage of any savings that are available. I should not have to clip coupons from newspapers, file them and browse through different websites. I want the best price for the products on my shopping list for today only. Hummm , let me think about that. Perhaps if complementary products were also on sale that could prove useful. OK, let's add that feature and make it so it can be active or inactive in set-up. It would also be useful to know how many of my products could be purchased for less,

Peer-to-Peer Mobile Computing and Field Services Automation, Part 1

There are a lot of times when the supervisor or owner/operator of a SMB (small to medium sized business) is not at his or her desk staring at the computer screen. They are often in the field working with customers and their service teams. The problem with this is that it prevents visibility to other projects that may benefit from the supervisor's real time advice and oversight. Let's now talk about some possible solutions to this issue. In many field service automation or work order management software applications, the design and architecture of the software is in a client server model. Information and electronic service tickets are wirelessly dispatched to mobile handheld computers and Smart phones, and the service technician completes the electronic service ticket and the information is synchronized back to the server in the office. The problem with this design again is that the supervisor who is most interested in viewing this real-time work order information is not in th

The Future of Mobile and Route Sales Applications for Smart Phones, Part 2

This article is the second in a series on Mobile and Route Sales Applications for Smart Phones . You can read part one here. In this recent article I described my need to know when the New York Times newspaper arrived at the local Starbuck's Coffee shop. I wanted an email or text message telling me that my paper arrived at 7:44 AM. Why? I wanted to buy a copy before it sold out. If it was sold out, I wanted to know the next closest location that may have one in inventory. This required some application integration and clever real-time notification systems, but it was very doable. The route sales/driver also would appreciate the above application as it would sell more papers and there would be less to pick-up and transport back to the warehouse for recycling. In this second article in the series I want to focus on the use of business intelligence and business analytics as it relates to mobile applications. If you are driving a vehicle and/or using a Smart Phone, you do not want to

Mobile Applications that Move Things

There is a new category of mobile software applications for Smart Phones and handheld computers that physically move things. I love it!!! Zip Car, a rental car service, allows you to use your iPhone to both find and unlock the rental car. Zip Car's business model is they park their rental cars around a metropolitan area and people can register and pay for the rental online, then they are provided with a list of locations where these cars are parked near them. Once there, they can enter their rental code into their iPhone and the Zip Car is unlocked for them. In this USA Today article , a California company has now created an application called Viper SmartStart that can replace your car keys. Your iPhone will now be able to lock, unlock and start your car. Again, your Smart Phone is controlling mechanical movements. Next I can see throwing away my garage door opener, TV Remote and using my iPhone to start up and warm my car during the dark of winter. I have read in other ar

Mobile Applications and Location Based Systems for Supply Chain and Inventory Management

In an article I published recently about grocery stores using LBS (location based services) on mobile devices and Smart phones, I proposed there were additional areas that large enterprises could benefit from real-time data collection, B2B integrations, business intelligence and location based services. Let's take a look at a couple of additional scenarios: 14 trucks are delivering perishable products on routes Truck #7 has a customer that has an unexpectedly high demand for a product Truck #7, using a mobile handheld computer, requests additional inventory from the SAP ERP (enterprise resource planning) software in the central office. The SAP ERP reports inventory levels on all 14 trucks based upon the real-time synchronization of data with each of the handheld barcode scanners of the trucks It is determined that truck #9 has excess inventory of the needed perishable product The GPS service in the handheld computer used by truck 9 identifies it's position and a meeting loca

Mobile Coupons and Gambit Mobile - I Love it!

This mobile coupon concept by Subway is BRILLIANT! I found this excerpt in a press release from http://www.gambitmobileinc.com/ . Big brands such as Subway have embraced mobile coupons. The thing Subway likes the best about the mobile coupons medium is that it can reach its target audience when that audience is most likely to buy. Subway sends text messages to its opt-in database just before lunch time when workers are deciding where to go for lunch. Receive a mobile coupon and it’s almost already decided for them. They time their mobile coupons to hit the Smart phones and other mobile devices when your stomach is growling and you are watching the clock for lunch time. I love it! Give the customer exactly what they need, on a mobile device, exactly at the time they need it. *********************************************** Author Kevin Benedict Independent Mobile Computing, EDI and B2B Consultant www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict http://b2b-bpo.blogspot.com/ http://mobileenterprisestrat

54 Questions to Help You Select the Right Mobile Handheld Computer

Mobile computing requires mobile computers. Which brands and models you select can be a hard decision. The following list of questions are designed to help you think through some of the big issues that will enable you to narrow down the selection list. The first big question you should answer is what is the primary purpose of the handheld or mobile device. Is it barcode scanning, GPS, RFID, surveying, map reading, voice calls, email, digital signatures or field data collection? The second big question is what is the environment that the device will be used in. Is it used in the office, clinic, warehouse, cold storage or out in the rain on a construction site. There are a large number of very good handheld computers, PDAs , Tablet PCs, laptops and Smart Phones to select from, however, the key to getting the right mobile device is to research the business purposes and the environment in which the solution will be used before making a selection. The following questions should help you

Mobile Software SDKs and Toolkits for Handheld PDAs and Smart Phones

In the recent article by Peter Wayner of InfoWorld called iPhone development tools that work the way you do , he describes the value of using a mobile application SDK or framework. He lists 4 new toolkits to help mobile application developers develop applications faster for use on handheld PDAs and Smart phones. This is a market in which I am intimately familiar. The challenge with the market for mobile application frameworks and SDKs is that very few developers want to spend money on an SDK from a small vendor, and even fewer companies want SDKs or are willing to fund long term custom development and support projects internally. Companies want a finished product that works with their ERPs, database and accounting applications. They don't want to invest in a non-standard mobile framework. They want mobile extensions to their enterprise applications. SAP is addressing this with their NetWeaver based mobile infrastructure. This provides SAP users with a standardized method for exten

Mobile Software Applications, Supply Chains and Medicine Delivery

Image
When a person typically associates mobile devices, iPhones , Smart Phones, PDAs and other hand held computers with medicine they envision a medical clinic or a hospital environment. However, mobile handheld computers and medicine are also used in remote locations and in medicine supply chains that you may not have thought about. Let me first share an article I read this week that describes some of the challenges incurred while delivering medicine in Brazil. Armed raiders attack medicine shipments in Brazil Author - Phil Taylor 27-Jul-2009 A delivery truck carrying medicines was attacked by bandits in Sao Paulo, Brazil on July 19, resulting in a heavy exchange of gunfire with armed escorts. There were no fatalities and the raiders failed to make off with the shipment, which was valued at around $530,000 and contained products from several different companies, according to information received from pharmaceutical industry sources. The bandits, in two vehicles, forced the driver to open

Mobile Software, PDAs, Rugged Handhelds and SAP

SAP is one of the largest software company in the world, and yet, SAP cannot easily process a simple work order or field service ticket. Think about it! Millions of people use SAP and it has difficulty processing an invoice from a plumber that fixed your office toilet. Let's explore this more. The poor plumber completes his work, pulls out his rugged handheld PDA and fills out the electronic work order. Once it is completed he has the customer sign the screen and prints an invoice on his mobile printer. The customer (SAP user) takes the invoice and gives it to the Accounts Payable department. The Accounts Payable department looks to see what purchase order the invoice is associated with and finds none. There is now an invoice dispute. I see this challenge with companies receiving invoices from law firms and in the Oil industry (Upstream). Both industries submit many invoices to firms using SAP and these invoices are rarely associated with a PO. What's the answer? I invite your

Enterprise Mobile Software Solutions for Handheld PDAs and Smartphone Report

Aberdeen Group reports that 80% of survey respondents are planning for increases in handheld PDAs and smartphones with wireless access and more complex devices with data applications and network connectivity. These new devices require management of the full life cycle from sourcing, procurement, connectivity assistance, applications support, security, data back-up, device replacement, through retirement. In an earlier blog article I wrote in detail about the support requirements of enterprise mobile software solutions. Companies simply need to understand that mobile handheld PDAs and smartphones and wireless networks often come with a new and fresh set of support considerations. iAnywhere / Sybase has invested heavily into developing enterprise solutions for managing mobile devices called Afaria .

MobileDataforce Announces a Reseller Agreement with Abox for Mobile Software

MobileDataforce announces today a reseller partnership with Abox . In this agreement Abox will resell MobileDataforce's mobile software, the PointSync Mobility Platform in Spain, Portugal, France and many areas of Africa. We are very excited about this relationship. This will help us provide our customers and sales prospects with localized sales and technical support across a significant geographical area for our mobile software solutions used on handheld PDAs and Smartphones. MobileDataforce's market for handheld PDA and smartphone software has been growing rapidly around the world with offices in North America, Sydney, Australia and Den Bosch, The Netherlands. Our channel partners are the key to our success. They provide localized business knowledge as well as vertical expertise.

Airlines and PDAs

NEW YORK (CNN) -- From cell phone use to high-speed Internet access, the connected life is spreading to the skies. In January, Emirates airline plans to launch mobile phone usage in its planes, making it the first airline to allow passengers to make cell phone calls on its flights. And Australian carrier Qantas plans to start evaluating technology that lets fliers use their cell phones and PDAs during flight early next year.