Monday, March 1, 2010 
The famous Oscar Mayer truck made a surprise visit last week just in time for lunch. This is one of several "Wienermobiles" that travel around the country promoting the Oscar Mayer brand. I also got a chance to sit inside the famous Wienermobile. Fun stuff!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 
Back on January 27, the entire tech world was all a buzz with the announcement by Apple of the iPad. I can't remember another Apple product introduction that has elicited so much negative response in the tech blogosphere. Many tech pundits and enthusiasts lamented the fact the "the iPad is just a big iPod Touch" and "can hardly be called a tablet computer." Even many of my friends on Twitter have expressed their doubts that the iPad will be a product that people will want to buy.
I'd like to offer a different point of view and say the the iPad is not a tablet computer. The tablet computer format has been around for some time now and has not gained traction in the eyes of consumers as a useful or viable computing platform. I think what most people are missing here is the iPad is not meant to be a tablet computer. It is a whole new device category. Basing the iPad on the iPhone OS is a smart move by Apple. Many times, I've wished I could have access to a larger screen iPhone. The simplicity and ease of use the iPhone OS offers has made it my go to mobile device. It just works.
The iPad is a device for the rest of us. It's not designed for the hardcore computer geek who enjoys tinkering with the OS and software and can act as their own sysadmin. It gets the computer part out of the way and makes an excellent user experience the primary goal. Laptops and net books are still the way to go for those users who want a true computer with all the bells and whistles. Usability is the key with Apple products, particularly with the non-computer products. It just works. Due to the locked down platform, the apps and OS work as expected without conflicts. It's all about the user experience. Instead of focusing on what the iPad is missing and trying to make it fit an existing computing paradigm, we need to think more "outside the box" and realize this is a whole new category of mobile device. It is certain the iPad platform will evolve over time. Apple is famous for not delivering features unless the user experience is perfected and enhanced.
Time will tell whether the Apple iPad is a success. As for me, I'll put my money on Steve Jobs. I welcome your comments.
Thursday, January 28, 2010 Monday, January 25, 2010 
