For busy managers flooded with expense report sign-offs and hiring and firing minutiae, the mobile access can be a godsend. It prevents slowed up processes, and also prevents the overloaded email in-box. Making SaaS apps reach the mobile tier -- but in an appropriate way that recognizes the use requirements for "on the go" work -- will become a general business requirement, I expect.
Included in the discussion is my introduction on how to increase value payback, followed by a presentation from Adrian Trenaman, distinguished IONA consultant, on creating RESTful services using FUSE.
Talk about timing ... just as the iPhone hysteria whips into a physical location frenzy near you, a probably more significant development will unfold on Friday.
It was super to be back at the real-time punditry with Doc Searls, Dan Farber, Hugh MacLeod, Mike Arrington, and Ryan Block. But I missed Steve. I tend to dis him whenever I can (because I can) yet his surly contrarian straight-shooting gusto was the secret sauce for Gillmor Gang.
Already, for those watching the U.S. football playoff games, the mobile communications/smart phone competition is delivering a mainstream media ad blitz on current smart-phones, many running Windows CE across the major mobile networks. That's great, because just the specter of the iPhone is already doing more to enliven this business than anything in memory.
It's a longshot, but if they succeed the cell industry will be soon shrinking rapidly into irrelevancy. All that wasted money! Too bad because all things will be Internet Protocol-based -- the best true convergence. The Wi-Fi spots today will burgeon and blossom via new WiMax meshes, and later via satellite-based Internet canopies (for higher "roaming" cost, for sure). Your PC and iPhone (using the same guts and GUIs) will hop along an IP constellation, with certain "visitor" fees applied but no single-provider lock-in.
I practically need a shower after Jobs's awesome demo of the new iPhone. It does it all except that it does not yet appear to act as my mobile broadband connection for my OS X notebook PC.