IBM Social Computing Guidelines

This is how IBM is empowering IBMers around the world in engaging online.

Blogs, wikis, social networks, virtual worlds and social media

In the spring of 2005, IBMers used a wiki to create a set of guidelines for all IBMers who wanted to blog. These guidelines aimed to provide helpful, practical advice to protect both IBM bloggers and IBM. In 2008 and again in 2010 IBM turned to employees to re-examine our guidelines in light of ever-evolving technologies and online social tools to ensure they remain current to the needs of employees and the company. These efforts have broadened the scope of the existing guidelines to include all forms of social computing.

Below are the current and official "IBM Social Computing Guidelines," which we review periodically so that they may evolve to reflect emerging technologies and online social tools.

Introduction
Responsible engagement in innovation and dialogue
Online collaboration platforms are fundamentally changing the way IBMers work and engage with each other, clients and partners.

IBM is increasingly exploring how online discourse through social computing can empower IBMers as global professionals, innovators and citizens. These individual interactions represent a new model: not mass communications, but masses of communicators. Through these interactions, IBM’s greatest asset–the expertise of its employees–can be shared with clients, shareholders, and the communities in which it operates.

Therefore, it is very much in IBM’s interest—and, we believe, in each IBMer’s own—to be aware of and participate in this sphere of information, interaction and idea exchange:

To learn: As an innovation-based company, we believe in the importance of open exchange—between IBM and its clients, and among the many constituents of the emerging business and societal ecosystem–for learning. Social computing is an important arena for organizational and individual development.

To contribute: IBM—as a business, as an innovator and as a corporate citizen—makes important contributions to the world, to the future of business and technology, and to public dialogue on a broad range of societal issues. Because our business activities provide transformational insight and high-value innovation for business, government, education, healthcare and nongovernmental organizations, it is important for IBM and IBMers to share with the world the exciting things we’re learning and doing.

In 1997, IBM actively recommended that its employees use the Internet—at a time when many companies were seeking to restrict their employees’ Internet access. In 2003, the company made a strategic decision to embrace the blogosphere and to encourage IBMers to participate. We continue to advocate IBMers’ responsible involvement today in this rapidly growing environment of relationship, learning and collaboration.

IBM Social Computing Guidelines

1. Know and follow IBM’s Business Conduct Guidelines.
2. IBMers are personally responsible for the content they publish on-line, whether in a blog, social computing site or any other form of user-generated media. Be mindful that what you publish will be public for a long time—protect your privacy and take care to understand a site’s terms of service.
3. Identify yourself—name and, when relevant, role at IBM—when you discuss IBM or IBM-related matters, such as IBM products or services. You must make it clear that you are speaking for yourself and not on behalf of IBM.
4. If you publish content online relevant to IBM in your personal capacity use a disclaimer such as this: "The postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent IBM’s positions, strategies or opinions."
5. Respect copyright, fair use and financial disclosure laws.
6. Don’t provide IBM’s or another’s confidential or other proprietary information and never discuss IBM business performance or other sensitive matters publicly.
7. Don’t cite or reference clients, partners or suppliers without their approval. When you do make a reference, link back to the source. Don’t publish anything that might allow inferences to be drawn which could embarrass or damage a client.
8. Respect your audience. Don’t use ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, or engage in any conduct that would not be acceptable in IBM’s workplace. You should also show proper consideration for others’ privacy and for topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory—such as politics and religion.
9. Be aware of your association with IBM in online social networks. If you identify yourself as an IBMer, ensure your profile and related content is consistent with how you wish to present yourself with colleagues and clients.
10. Don’t pick fights, be the first to correct your own mistakes.
11. Try to add value. Provide worthwhile information and perspective. IBM’s brand is best represented by its people and what you publish may reflect on IBM’s brand.
12. Don’t use use IBM logos or trademarks unless approved to do so.

Detailed Discussion

The IBM Business Conduct Guidelines and laws provide the foundation for IBM’s policies and guidelines for blogs and social computing.
The same principles and guidelines that apply to IBMers’ activities in general, as found in the IBM Business Conduct Guidelines, apply to IBMers’ activities online. This includes forms of online publishing and discussion, including blogs, wikis, file-sharing, user-generated video and audio, virtual worlds* and social networks.

As outlined in the Business Conduct Guidelines, IBM fully respects the legal rights of our employees in all countries in which we operate. In general, what you do on your own time is your affair. However, activities in or outside of work that affect your IBM job performance, the performance of others, or IBM’s business interests are a proper focus for company policy.

IBM supports open dialogue and the exchange of ideas.
IBM regards blogs and other forms of online discourse as primarily a form of communication and relationship among individuals. When the company wishes to communicate publicly as a company—whether to the marketplace or to the general public—it has well established means to do so. Only those officially designated by IBM have the authorization to speak on behalf of the company.

However, IBM believes in dialogue among IBMers and with our partners, clients, members of the many communities in which we participate and the general public. Such dialogue is inherent in our business model of innovation, and in our commitment to the development of open standards. We believe that IBMers can both derive and provide important benefits from exchanges of perspective.

One of IBMers’ core values is "trust and personal responsibility in all relationships." As a company, IBM trusts—and expects—IBMers to exercise personal responsibility whenever they participate in social media. This includes not violating the trust of those with whom they are engaging. IBMers should not use these media for covert marketing or public relations. If and when members of IBM’s Communications, Marketing, Sales or other functions engaged in advocacy for the company have the authorization to participate in social media, they should identify themselves as such.

Know the IBM Business Conduct Guidelines. If you have any confusion about whether you ought to publish something online, chances are the BCGs will resolve it. Pay particular attention to what the BCGs have to say about proprietary information, about avoiding misrepresentation and about competing in the field. If, after checking the BCG’s, you are still unclear as to the propriety of a post, it is best to refrain and seek the advice of management.

Be who you are. We believe in transparency and honesty; anonymity is not an option. When discussing topics relevant to IBM, you must use your real name, be clear who you are, and identify that you work for IBM. If you have a vested interest in something you are discussing, be the first to point it out. But also be smart about protecting yourself and your privacy. What you publish will be around for a long time, so consider the content carefully and also be judicious in disclosing personal details.

Be thoughtful about how you present yourself in online social networks. The lines between public and private, personal and professional are blurred in online social networks. By virtue of identifying yourself as an IBMer within a social network, you are now connected to your colleagues, managers and even IBM’s clients. You should ensure that content associated with you is consistent with your work at IBM. If you have joined IBM recently, be sure to update your social profiles to reflect IBM’s guidelines. You may not use IBM logos or trademarks as a part of your postings, including in your identity on a site, unless you are approved to do so.

Speak in the first person. Use your own voice; bring your own personality to the forefront.

Use a disclaimer. Whenever you publish content to any form of digital media, make it clear that what you say there is representative of your views and opinions and not necessarily the views and opinions of IBM. For instance, in your own blog, the following standard disclaimer should be prominently displayed: "The postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent IBM’s positions, strategies or opinions." If a site does not afford you enough space to include this full disclaimer, you should use your best judgment to position your comments appropriately.

Managers and executives take note: This standard disclaimer does not by itself exempt IBM managers and executives from a special responsibility when participating in online environments. By virtue of their position, they must consider whether personal thoughts they publish may be misunderstood as expressing IBM positions. And a manager should assume that his or her team will read what is written. Public forums are not the place to communicate IBM policies to IBM employees.

Respect copyright and fair use laws. For IBM’s protection and well as your own, it is critical that you show proper respect for the laws governing copyright and fair use of copyrighted material owned by others, including IBM’s own copyrights and brands. You should never quote more than short excerpts of someone else’s work. And it is good general blogging practice to link to others’ work. Keep in mind that laws will be different depending on where you live and work.

Protecting confidential and proprietary information. Social computing blurs many of the traditional boundaries between internal and external communications. Be thoughtful about what you publish—particularly on external platforms. You must make sure you do not disclose or use IBM confidential or proprietary information or that of any other person or company in any online social computing platform. For example, ask permission before posting someone’s picture in a social network or publishing in a blog a conversation that was meant to be private.

IBM’s business performance and other sensitive subjects. Some topics relating to IBM are sensitive and should never be discussed, even if you’re expressing your own opinion and using a disclaimer. For example, you must not comment on, or speculate about, IBM’s future business performance (including upcoming quarters or future periods), IBM’s business plans, unannounced strategies or prospects (including information about alliances), potential acquisitions or divestitures, similar matters involving IBM’s competitors, legal or regulatory matters affecting IBM and other similar subjects that could negatively affect IBM. This applies to anyone including conversations with financial analysts, the press or other third parties (including friends). If you’re unsure of the sensitivity of a particular subject, seek advice from your manager or legal team before talking about it or simply refrain from the conversation. IBM policy is not to comment on rumors in any way. You should merely say, "no comment" to rumors. Do not deny or affirm them (or suggest the same in subtle ways), speculate about them or propagate them by participating in "what if"-type conversations.

Protect IBM’s clients, business partners and suppliers. Clients, partners or suppliers should not be cited or obviously referenced without their approval. Externally, never identify a client, partner or supplier by name without permission and never discuss confidential details of a client engagement. Internal social computing platforms permit suppliers and business partners to participate so be sensitive to who will see your content. If a client hasn’t given explicit permission for their name to be used, think carefully about the content you’re going to publish on any internal social media and get the appropriate permission where necessary.

It is acceptable to discuss general details about kinds of projects and to use non-identifying pseudonyms for a client (e.g., Client 123) so long as the information provided does not make it easy for someone to identify the client or violate any non-disclosure or intellectual property agreements that may be in place with the client. Be thoughtful about the types of information that you share, which may inadvertently lead others to deduce which clients, partners and suppliers that you are working with. This might include travel plans or publishing details about your current location or where you are working on a given day. Furthermore, your blog or online social network is not the place to conduct confidential business with a client, partner or supplier.

Respect your audience and your coworkers. Remember that IBM is a global organization whose employees and clients reflect a diverse set of customs, values and points of view. Don’t be afraid to be yourself, but do so respectfully. This includes not only the obvious (no ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, etc.) but also proper consideration of privacy and of topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory—such as politics and religion. For example, if your blog is hosted on an IBM-owned property, avoid these topics and focus on subjects that are business-related. If your blog is self-hosted, use your best judgment and be sure to make it clear that the views and opinions expressed are yours alone and do not represent the official views of IBM. Further, be thoughtful when using tools hosted outside of IBM’s protected Intranet environment to communicate among fellow employees about IBM or IBM related matters. Also, while it is fine for IBMers to disagree, but please don’t use your external blog or other online social media to air your differences in an inappropriate manner.

Add value. IBM’s brand is best represented by its people and everything you publish online reflects upon it. Blogs and social networks that are hosted on IBM-owned domains should be used in a way that adds value to IBM’s business. If it helps you, your coworkers, our clients or our partners to do their jobs and solve problems; if it helps to improve knowledge or skills; if it contributes directly or indirectly to the improvement of IBM’s products, processes and policies; if it builds a sense of community; or if it helps to promote IBM’s Values, then it is adding value. It is best to stay within your sphere of expertise, and whenever you are presenting something as fact, make sure it is a fact. Though not directly business-related, background information you choose to share about yourself, such as information about your family or personal interests, may be useful in helping establish a relationship between you and your readers, but it is entirely your choice whether to share this information.

Don’t pick fights. When you see misrepresentations made about IBM by media, analysts or by other bloggers, you may certainly use your blog—or add comments on the original discussion—to point that out. Always do so with respect, stick to the facts and identify your appropriate affiliation to IBM. Also, if you speak about a competitor, you must make sure that what you say is factual and that it does not disparage the competitor. Avoid unnecessary or unproductive arguments. Brawls may earn traffic, but nobody wins in the end and you may negatively affect your own, and IBM’s, reputation in the process. Don’t try to settle scores or goad competitors or others into inflammatory debates. Here and in other areas of public discussion, make sure that what you are saying is factually correct.

Be the first to respond to your own mistakes. If you make an error, be up front about your mistake and correct it quickly, as this can help to restore trust. If you choose to modify content that was previously posted, such as editing a blog post, make it clear that you have done so.

Adopt a warm, open and approachable tone. Remember that much of IBM’s image is developed by the public’s interaction with real IBMers. We all want that image to be a positive one. Your tone, your openness and your approachability can help with that, just as they can with your own personal "brand".

Use your best judgment. Remember that there are always consequences to what you publish. If you’re about to publish something that makes you even the slightest bit uncomfortable, review the suggestions above and think about why that is. If you’re still unsure, and it is related to IBM business, feel free to discuss it with your manager. Ultimately, however, you have sole responsibility for what you post to your blog or publish in any form of online social media.

Don’t forget your day job. You should make sure that your online activities do not interfere with your job or commitments to customers.

*Virtual worlds present a number of unique circumstances, not all of which are covered in these guidelines. Please refer to the companion, "Virtual worlds Guidelines" for additional guidelines around identity, behavior, appearance and intellectual property.

http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/guidelines.html

Thoughts on the Kindle – why I bought one

I got the iPad last year, and to be honest, I was blown away. I’ve never bought a gadget like it. With it, I’m teaching myself how to paint, and I’m drawing digitally in a way I never could with a Wacom tablet on my PC/Mac. I never had the patience. But with the iPad, it’s taught me the basics and given me the know-how to advance my craft on the Mac and PC with the Wacom tablet. I’m pretty sure would-be musicians will learn to play musical instruments or learn how to compose music using Garageband on the iPad 2 as well – too bad Garageband doesn’t work on the iPad. I was doing a lot with the pad, using it to write (I’d gotten the Apple wireless keyboard for this purpose), and even planned my wedding on the pad.

It was, to be sure, magical.

I couldn’t do everything I wanted to do on it, but no matter, I could do most of what I wanted to do, on a device I could carry everywhere.

I could even read. I carried with me a veritable library. So why did I buy a Kindle?

When the Kindle was introduced in the winter of 2007, I was a little intrigued, but also felt a little blase. Why would anyone carry that? I have several smartphones I was reading on at the time. I was convinced no one would want it. Then I saw one, and saw what e-Ink was. It was nice, for a first iteration. I still didn’t want one. But it unsettled me in a way most gizmos rarely do. It’s attempting to mimic something I’m passionate about – real books. The assimilation of the printed word is as close to a book as it ever got.

Then Amazon released the Kindle 2. It was a thing of beauty, reminiscent of the original iPod, white in front, metallic behind. It featured, in all, a more pleasing design, not the awkward -ogonal shape of the original. And the screen had improved tremendously. I was tempted. All year, I remained tempted. This was before the iPad. So when the iPad came, I lost all reason to own a Kindle.

I have always loved books, but my reading habit had stopped. Never mind the countless distractions in my life. I just didn’t want to have to carry another print book to the list of things I had in my laptop bag, which is almost as heavy as a one-year-old baby. I carry, on average four or five devices with me daily – my laptop, the iPad, two smartphones, sometimes an additional iPod. I’m not even counting my sketchbook, which I now scarcely bring with me anymore. To my original point, I can’t carry any more stuff, so another book is out of the question, no matter the thickness of the tome. Not War & Peace; not Infinite Jest; not Mason & Dixon; not Pride & Prejudice; not even The Little Prince!

Then something odd happened. One by one, my buddies began buying the Kindle 3. The Kindle 3 has become even smaller than the Kindle 2, and the screen, while not perfect, is the best there is today. I was sorely tempted, playing with a unit every chance I got. It looked and felt more like a real book than ever. Even luddites in my circle of acquaintances are taking a step back, and going: “Whoa. That looks real good.”

Now, up to this point, I had been using the iPad on and off for reading, but there’re several problems. The iPad can do so much, it’s often distracting reading on that device. For another, it’s heavy. I’m reminded of that each time I try reading in bed. I prop it up on my chest, and with my brittle bones and Ehlers Danlos (two disorders I suffer from), my chest starts to ache after a while. And lastly, and rather importantly, the screen’s just not that great. It’s a decent screen for doing a great many things, but for reading for long stretches, it tires your eyes, and not for the reasons others have raised, such as the LCD being glaring and all (which can be mitigated by the brightness setting within iBooks itself). But its low resolution makes the fonts more fuzzy than necessary, and the screen’s super reflectiveness makes it hard, not to read just under the sun, but also under all kinds of ambient lights that begin to dance in front of your eyes – not quite what you want when you’re absorbed in a book.

So when my buddies, even those with iPads, declared the Kindle the best reading device, who am I to bestow “Dunce” on them all? These were smart, thinking human beings, people who read! I put an order for one in January.

A friend said: “This is going to be the best purchase this year.”

I don’t know. It didn’t quite have the effect of my iPad purchase from last year (which I’m using to write this blog entry), but it comes quite close. We’ll wait for that pronoucement when the iPhone 5 arrives

This is one nice little gizmo. Initially, I was flummoxed at the slow speed of the thing, the slight primitive feeling it gave me, which sorta brings to mind my first Palm PDA. Why can’t I write? Why can’t it surf the Web faster? Why was it freezing every time I added a bookmark (I had thousands of books on it at the time, and to solve it, I put the books I didn’t quite want to read just yet in another folder within the device)?

Remember this – the Kindle is a book. One doesn’t ask why they can’t do more of a book. You just open it and absorb its contents. I had to remind myself that this was what it was. It’s not a do-all tablet. And bearing that in mind, it’s a great device. A great book I wouldn’t mind carrying, because it’s light.

I also bought the Amazon Kindle cover with the built-in light. It’s a nice cover that protects the Kindle. The problem? I can’t really use the light feature in the dark, because it’s just too glaring in a darkened bedroom, and wakes up my wife. In this situation, I typically fire up my iPad, and dial down the brightness setting in iBooks to the lowest, which is bright enough to read but emits little to no glare. Happy sleeping wife.

So happy was I with the Kindle, I bought one for my wife, who now enjoys reading on it. And she’s not even a reader! This device just invites you to do it.

This week, Amazon is opening a beta version of its Appstore (name pending as Apple’s filed a suit against Amazon; they don’t like people using “app store” or the like, the bullies), an Android store that will be curated by Amazon. This tells you that Amazon’s next Kindle will likely be an Android tablet. Makes sense. All reviews of the Kindle praise its nice e-Ink screen, but question how it’ll compete with the likes of the iPad and the Nook and all the other tablets out there. Hopefully, Amazon will do two things: one, offer an Android tablet with a good non-reflective, high-resolution screen for a good reading experience; two, continue offering an e-Ink option for those who prefer it. I love tablets, but e-Ink is quite something to behold. The only thing that will make me give it up is when all tablets offer something like Retina Display. It won’t solve the issue of reading under the sun, but it’ll be pleasing to most eyes.

Amazon, unlike most tablet makers, actually have the retail presence to pose a threat to Apple’s dominance in its digital offerings of movies, music and books. With apps, Amazon has a better than average chance of succeeding. I’m a newly converted Amazon supporter. I used to wonder why that web store in Seattle needed to make things complicated, but having experienced it as a customer, and being a very satisfied one, I’m beginning to like the idea of Amazon putting up a good fight. Here’s to the Kindle 4.

What’s in a name? – My review of the iPad

Image from Apple's site

My response to Jobs’ unveiling of the iPad a few months ago, like many, was lukewarm. I didn’t know if I wanted one or needed it for any reason. I have a PC desktop at home, a Powermac, a MacBook, two more older Apple laptops sitting on the sidelines, and I’m not even including the other computers in the household. I also carry two smartphones – an iPhone and a BlackBerry, which I use for writing on the move. Do I really need another device?

Apple tablet concept created by fans

And while the iPad is pretty cool, it’s not in any way mind-blowing or revolutionary. Some of the concepts driven by users have been even more exciting. Also, at first brush, Apple’s tablet has an odd shape. It’s more squat than I would have imagined a tablet would be. Face it, most of us thought it would have the same proportions as the iPhone or iPod touch, made larger. And what’s with that wide black border around the screen? And what? No Flash support – look at those glaring holes when Steve Jobs showed off the home page of the New York Times – and no multitasking? For shame.

But there’s a reason for everything. Bear in mind, it’s early days, and very few of us have practical experience using a tablet.

Like I said, I wasn’t sure I wanted one. The rest of the world said pretty much the same thing. You go on thinking that until you touch one. I did. And so did about two million Americans and many, many international consumers apparently, because that’s how many Apple’s shipped. And Apple achieved that in two months. Jobs claims that one iPad is sold every three seconds. You better believe it. People are getting a chance to hold one, play with it and realizing that it’s – hold the chuckle – (in Jobs’ words) “magical”. It really is.

There’s no comparison to the actual experience of using one of these babies until you actually do. Jobs’ quip that netbooks aren’t really good at anything is an exaggeration, but you have to admit they don’t make for very good computing. They’re slow, not terribly comfortable to use, most get too hot, battery life isn’t terrific, and high definition (HD) movies have a way of punching netbooks in the face.

Apple’s tablet addresses what users do most on their computers and capitalizes on the utility to weight to power ratio perfectly. You can carry it anywhere, do most of what you need to do and battery life lasts forever. I barely charged mine for three days, which I used intermittently for photo browsing, web surfing, writing, games and more. And with a brittle bone condition, I still managed to carry this with me everywhere with the littlest inconvenience.

And while smart phones have their place in mobile computing – and they’re getting more and more powerful – they’re limited by the size of their screens. The large screen makes all the difference. Developers can leverage the larger screen to provide greater depth, sophisticated UIs and power to users. Sometimes, size is everything.

But let’s address some of the issues with the iPad.

The shape of the thing. It’s actually perfect. People who have used the JooJoo tablet, which has a conventional 16:9 ratio, which everyone thought the iPad would and should have now understand that one, web pages look odd in both landscape and portrait orientations (which would also impact the ebook reading experience), and two, holding it just feels less natural. Holding a tablet that’s meant for multiple purposes, you really don’t want one that feels like it’s home theater-wide. It just doesn’t work.

Here's how my home screen looks

The uber wide bezel. You begin to appreciate this purposeful design choice because you know what? Your thumbs have to rest somewhere, and not having the bezel means you’re gonna click on things by accident, flipping pages and what not. Booyah.

Flash. I said I didn’t need it and don’t care about it, and I really don’t want to get on a rant, because it’s been done to death by people with bigger heads than me (read here and here). I’ll just tell you my own experience with it. A few days ago, Steve Jobs spoke with Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher at the D8 conference, and I wanted to view the video highlights on Engadget. It was a fabulous session, and Jobs was in top form. I needed to hear the man speak. I couldn’t. The darn videos were embedded in Flash. Now, I’m not a big fan of Flash (the interactive web “standard”. I am however a big fan of the Flash, the cocky comic book speedster), not on the Mac, and generally not anywhere else. It’s bloated and often not used very well. But you do feel its absence when you want to access content, especially videos, but can’t. It’s going to change, but it’s not happening fast enough. For a Murdoch funded event (Rupert Murdoch introduced Mossberg and Swisher on stage), you’d think that with his conglomerate’s relationship with Apple, especially in light of the iPad, the video highlights would be made accessible to iPad users. You be wrong, my friend. Anyway, let’s hope time would wound all heals…

Multitasking. Big complaints as highlights of every major and minor review. It’s coming to the iPhone and iPod touch in the summer, and the iPad in the fall. So shut up. Please. With a pretty cherry on top.

With those initial thoughts out of the way, I want to talk a bit about the experience of using the iPad itself. The first thing that struck me aside from the tactile sensation of holding one is the thing vibrates in your hand when you’re listening to music or playing movies. It’s not a knock on the iPad, but you certainly don’t expect it. A friend held one when sound was emitting, and she said: “It’s vibrating. Is it normal?” Yup, it’s normal, and the vibration gets even more crunchy when you play action movies on the iPad. Ladies, just don’t use this for a different purpose, ok? *wink*

As for sound quality, I have to say the it’s pretty impressive through headphones, and about as good if not better than a 13-inch MacBook Pro through the speakers. In terms of volume loudness, the iPad’s speakers are on par with my MacBook. However, there’s minor distortion when the bass gets heavy, but no user in their right mind would expect crystal sound out of these babies.

Another thing I was surprised with was getting slightly different behaviors from the iPhone in certain instances. To access iPod functions when the screen is turned off, on the iPhone, you simply double-click the home button. On the iPad, doing this will merely turn on the screen. You essentially need to double-click the home button only when the screen is lit up. Now, thing is once you’ve activated the iPod controls on the locked screen, they stay there, even after the screen is turned off and on again. This doesn’t happen on the iPhone.

Video functionality hasn’t changed a lot. The larger screen and the additional support for 720p movies is sweet. One of the reasons I wanted the iPad was for viewing photos and images as art reference for when I sketch. I love to get inspiration from looking at artwork by my favorite artists, and so far I’ve loaded more than 28,000 images to the tablet. There’s the slightest stutter when I start up Photos because of this but otherwise scrolling though thousands of images is butter smooth. What’s more, Apple doesn’t down-size the resolution of photos like it does on the iPhone, so images remain extremely sharp even zoomed in, which is perfect for my use.

Most people will tell you they prefer writing in landscape orientation on the iPad. I can’t do that comfortably. My thumbs are fairly long and stretchy and the best way for me to input text is to use them to write in portrait mode. In fact, this whole review was written on the iPad in Notes (I haven’t gone ahead with the Pages purchase yet). And it’s been a fairly good writing experience. I can write much faster here than I can on the iPhone, which I’ve found to be lousy for writing. In fact, I would rank this method of mobile writing as good as on the Blackberry, or better.

The Wi-Fi issue. It’s a software problem, folks. It’s documented by Princeton University here. The problem that affects users is the iPad appears to lose its wireless connectivity and the only way to get it going again is to turn off the Wi-Fi and to turn it back on again. iPod touch users already know this pain. It’s a problem that has afflicted iPods since iPhone OS 3.2 (I had this problem even with OS 3.0), and Apple hasn’t fixed it. But they have suggested some workarounds. One of these which worked for me is to switch from using WEP to WPA in securing your wireless network. Since I switched to WPA, I haven’t been affected for more than 12 hours. The problem happens rather frequently otherwise (I’m talking every few hours here).

One of the things Apple doesn’t tell you is what’s missing on the iPad. So you thought not having a camera was bad? Well, so are quite a number of Apple apps, chief among them the calculator, voice memos, weather, compass and others. Even iBooks isn’t included by default. You need to download Apple’s eBook reader from the App Store.

Minimizing glare during reading by dimming the screen

iBooks is a really good eBook app, but it’s got a few shortcomings. Using it is simple enough. You pick a book you’ve purchased or converted from your own library (such as those from Project Gutenberg and converted to the ePub format using a free app like Calibre) from your shelf and start reading. Apple also offers many free literature classics in its bookstore to get you started. You can look up words with the built-in dictionary, and insert bookmarks easily. But there’s no good way to organize your visual bookshelf by any criteria, or search for a book without leaving the visual bookshelf. To do that, you have to go into your list of books, where a search field is made available. Unlike other ereaders, you don’t get a quick view of the last books you’ve read or are reading. I’ve more than 400 books in my library and to get back to the latest book I’m reading, I have to search for it every time. Insert sad smiley here. And with these many books, the library does stutter a little when I open it.

So how does the iPad fare in terms of speed? Obviously, the more content you have, the affected apps slow down a little more, but doesn’t impact overall device performance, unlike other platforms. So I’ve more than 5000 songs, 400 ebooks, and 28,000 photos, so as I’ve mentioned above, the iPod app, iBooks and Photos choke a little during startup but is otherwise very smooth during operation. I also have more than 1,200 notes and contacts. Nothing chugs. Not the way it does on a netbook, or a lesser computing platform.

What are my concluding thoughts? I love the iPad! I can’t imagine not having one from here on. It’s the only mobile computer I’ve no trouble carrying with me everywhere I go, and it’s definitely a platform I’ve enjoyed using very much. And it can only get better as Apple makes future versions of the iPad even more powerful. I’ve barely touched my MacBook since I got it a few weeks ago – only needing to check in at my desktop when I want to, you know, watch Steve Jobs’ video interview with Mossberg and Swisher at D8…

[UPDATE] Steve Jobs’ full interview with Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher at the D8 Conference is now available and viewable on the iPad (published on June 7, 2010). Check it out here.

Is this really the iPhone 4G?

Could this be the next iPhone?

Engadget has uncovered what appears to be the next iPhone. While the internals seem valid, together with the front panel (with front-facing camera) and glass-based back (ooh, a drop will either shatter the screen or the back), the external aesthetics seem to be mere placeholders.

Referring to a “lab” photograph of the iPad that was leaked weeks ahead of the iPad launch, Engadget spotted this purported iPhone 4G within, thereby confirming the authenticity of the latest leak both on the Web and on Twitter.

You realize the leaked iPad photo doesn’t show a very pretty iPad, so the iPhone 4G is very likely going to look much better than these leaked shots. *fingers crossed*

Check out the full story here.

The Macbook Pro launches today

April 13, 2010 10:18:44 PM

The Macbook Pros

Finally! The new Macbook Pro (MBP) notebooks are out. As usual, there’re more disappointments than surprises. In fact, there are practically no surprises. The Core i5 processors are only hitting the MBP 15- and 17-inchers (all get Core i5s at up to 2.53GHz, and strangely, the Core i7 is only available as a high-end standard config for the 15-inch, not the 17-inch, which is incidentally cheaper than ever, coming in at around S$3,400).

The 13-inch MBP remains Core 2 Duo only, but is still the fastest 13-inch MBP Apple has ever shipped, offered at up to 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. If you’ve been eyeing an upgrade for an Apple laptop in this size, this is the one to get. It also has the longest battery life in a Macbook Pro – 10 hours.

All MBPs sport new Nvidia processors – 320M on the 13-inch and 330M on the 15- and 17-inch laptops. The 15-inch seems like the only reasonable laptop to get right now. But if you think getting any of the newer Core iX MBPs is “worthed it” in any logical sense – it won’t be. Not if you compared it to the latest cutting edged laptops, like those from HP, for example, which come in dual or quad core configurations. These MBPs also don’t have USB 3.0. Apple used to be the leader of the pack, adopting the latest technologies, and driving some honest folks nuts. Today, they’re making us nuts for very different reasons, and Macheads seem to be grabbing at whatever scraps Apple cares to toss at us – oooh, SD cardslot! Is that an SDXC cardslot? Uh, probably not. But we’ll take it!

In fact, the updates for Apple’s MBP line has been so long and far between (the last update was June 2009), it kinda reminds me of when Apple got really sick of waiting for those Power chips. I’m wondering if Apple will ever tire of Intel’s push for its integrated graphics chip – really, probably the primary cause of this delay, that made Nvidia find ways to “integrate” its discrete GFX chipset into the whole framework so Intel’s proprietary tech will play nice – and ditch Intel all together.

Now back to what matters to you MBP-heads out there (me included). Buying a 13-inch today feels like you’re getting cheated. And you are, if you measure specs with the PC boys. But you’re an MBP-head for a reason; you’ve been jonsing for an Apple-built unibody laptop, incidentally the only notebook you can get in this price range that can be used as a weapon if the world ever got populated by zombies, then this is it.

But if you want a middling Core i-whatever MBP (not quad core), then go for the 15- or 17-inch MBP. They’re a bit large for some of us (definitely not good for my ole brittle bones), but if you are planning on getting an iPad, a large laptop shouldn’t be an issue. Take the iPad around the house, leave the bloody beast of a laptop on the desk.

eBooks will never be the same again

There’s no better book to illustrate the interactive possibilities of a digital library. Bring art and art together and that’s what you get. Me, I’m still waiting to get my hands on an iPad. Soon. The only decision: 3G or Wi-fi only?

Quick thoughts on iPhone OS 4

Apple’s announcement of iPhone OS 4 this past week was rather exciting. They’ve made a lot of things users have always wanted real – multitasking, a unified inbox, home screen wallpaper, Bluetooth keyboard support! I love all these features, especially the latter. I used to buy keyboards for my Palm and Windows Mobile PDAs. Now I’m even less tempted to buy the iPad. Sure, it’s a bit ridiculous to use the iPhone as a tiny laptop but an additional input option never hurt anyone. What wasn’t mention was whether the iPad dock with keyboard would support the iPhone.

I was also disappointed nothing was mentioned of a UI refresh. Would be great if Apple did some work to put the iPhone’s UI design on parity with the iPad’s. One of the reasons I’m keen on getting the iPad is the beautiful UI. I’m not just talking about how the Calendar and Address Book apps look like real books, but the subtle touches, say, on Safari – light grey navigation panes vs the pale blue that’s seen on the iPhone’s version of Safari. I’m harping on this aspect because Apple’s mobile OS has the same problem that OS X used to suffer from – a set of UI design elements that’s too diverse. Take a look at the New York Times app. The UI is black. In Safari, it’s blue, and in others, it’s grey.

The big BUT in this announcement is that the iPhone and iPod touch just got even more powerful and for many of us more indispensable than ever. And for many, some of the complaints that users and reviewers alike who have levelled complaints at the iPad for its lack of multitasking – well, they’ve been silenced.

Even without these added features, the iPhone is truly close and precious to some of us who have grown so fond of not just using it as a phone but enjoying the little things we do – play games, read books, watch videos, IM, browse the web, dabble in social media – simply because we can that we don’t realize how difficult it can be when we are parted with it.

This hit close to home when my fiance’s iPhone broke down two days ago. It’s likely a hardware issue, judging from the error indicator that pops up when we try to do a restore. We tried performing a restore on three different computers, her MacBook and mine, and my PC. All came back with the same error (error 23). She’s so upset because she does an awful lot on that phone. I’ve never seen her use any gadget more. Hopefully, we’ll get this sorted out at SingTel (god help us) and she’ll be able to get back to enjoying her phone. But I already know this: she can’t wait for iPhone OS 4 to get here soon enough. And I’m pretty sure she’s already got her sights set on the iPad.

Making your own newspaper

The iPad version of Instapaper

I’m a sentimental fellow. I like collecting things, even the detritus we come across on the web. I’ve tried Evernote for saving bits: images, excerpts from the web (or even whole articles), hyperlinks and so on, and also similar microblogs – Tumblr and Posterous – for the same purpose. Most of these saved clips are meant for later reading. I have no patience sitting at the computer reading articles I’ve come across, because I do that all day in the office already. I want something that allows me to take information with me so I can read it when I have a breather – at the train station, or while waiting for someone at a cafe.

Today, I discovered Instapaper. Many of you probably already use it, but if you haven’t, what Instapaper is is this: It’s an article saver.

It provides you with a “Read Later” droplet in your browser of choice, akin to a bookmark but instead of saving links to articles or sites you come across, it saves the articles from your browser on your PC, Mac or iPhone, and syncs them to the Instapaper app on your iPhone for reading at leisure on the go.

Instapaper is a side project of Marco Arment, creator of Tumblr. It’s a thoughtful app if there ever was one. It is available in free and paid versions (USD4.99) and will soon be available for the iPad. If you already own the Pro version, you’ll be able to use that on the iPad for free, complete with tweaks made for the tablet device on day one.

The paid version only let’s you save up to 250 articles, so I’m guessing you can’t save too many pieces in the freebie. But try it out. I think news is what’s important to you, not what the paper tigers tell you, so grab this fantastic app and start making your newspaper your own.

Blog: what’s a blog good for?

I got pinged by a friend today who wanted to know if I blogged. If you consider my scant entries blogging, sure. She was drawing up a list of bloggers in Singapore, like a good PR consultant in the digital age should. But to her question: do I consider myself a blogger, like so many of those familiar faces who show up at blogger events – friends and friend-nemies alike – who like all professions, have a secret handshake in the way of a nod? No.

I don’t have the discipline and cajones to be a blogger. It takes a lot to put your thoughts, sometimes, your personal life, out there, naked, raw, to public fire. Back in the late 90s, when this blogging phenomenon started, I got hooked and even entrenched in an inner circle of bloggers I was following.

I got in touch with some bloggers – it’s hard not to when you’re following the lives of others. You talked to them, encourage them in their personal endeavors, congratulated them on their personal successes, commiserated them on their failures or life’s ills. You had a peek. You got involved.

Many eventually gave up because their online sharing seeped into the real world. Virtual got too real. It never stops getting real.

Over the years, I’ve tried several attempts at writing online. But writing online always feels like you’re walking the streets with your fly open. I keep checking if I’d made a mistake, if what I posted was kosher. Yeah, I’ve made mistakes online, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Windows Live Messenger where I’ve said things that were hurtful, things that might have sabotaged myself – shot myself in the proverbial foot – but blogging is different. The online audience draws an unconscious distinction on what was tweeted in the impulse of the moment vs what was written in an online piece, with thoughtful deliberation.

You know you lie when you said it, we will call you out on it. The digirati is brutal. Online verbiage is anonymity is cowardice. That affords honesty you can’t pay for.

So, back to my friend who asked if I was a blogger. She said she wanted to start a blog. She hasn’t found an idea on what she wants to focus on yet. I hope it doesn’t get too personal or troublesome. Julie & Julia, yeah that movie (also a real life story, however glamourized), serves as good inspiration what a good blog idea could be. In this case, it eventually turned into an idea for a book cum movie.

The promise of the iPad

Nevermind the fodder-ish iPad moniker. It’s a name that’s in line with Apple’s line of iPod/iPhone OS products in any case. This is a device that you and I have been talking and reading rumors about and clamoring for. Now that it’s official, it’s a device that has people debating about the features, many of whom are now saying: “Do I actually want a third device (other than a phone and laptop)?”

I say: Make up your f-ing mind.

You asked, Apple gave. It’s not a perfect device, as Walt Mosspuppet had said it would be, but it’s a device that holds great potential. It’s quite obvious (to me) Apple’s event this week was simply priming the public. Talk about the tablet had reached feverish heights. And there’s that pesky thing about Apple needing the FCC approval for the 3G version of the iPad to pass before offering it. And going to the FCC means leaks. Remember the iPhone announcement? It was done months ahead of the actual availbility of the device, before the phone went to the FCC. And remember how the software had evolved between the initial announcement and the June event that year? Likewise, it’s highly likely the iPad’s software capabilities (as have the iPhone and iPod’s) will evolve. And both of those devices will also achieve some parity with the iPad as well – such as desktop-type backgrounds as opposed to the current vapid black.

Note also the lack of new content deals? The list of publishers was blah, like when TV shows and movies were first made available for the iPhone/iPod touch. Remember how miserable the content offering looked back then? Disney was the primary studio supporting Apple’s efforts. And we know how that turned out. I suspect we’ll hear about more publishers jumping onboard with content deals in the upcoming weeks. That bookshelf is going to fill up. Imagine reading Men’s Health or Vogue or Time. The New York Times app showed at the keynote floored me. It’s beautiful and the team only did it in three short weeks.

This week’s keynote event is merely a pre-cursor to something even bigger, better. Even though quite a bit was covered, many questions were left unanswered and the event didn’t feel quite complete. That’s just a sign.

The iPad holds promise. It’s a journal, a sketchpad, a book, a newspaper, a pda, a makeshift laptop. It’s the most portable, intimate computer you will own and use. We all seem to be sitting on the fence, taking a wait and hold approach and that’s fine. I just think the naysayers are writing it off way too early, without thinking about its potential. Remember what the iPod touch was when it was first announced? It was a poor man’s iPhone, hobbled, pitiable. But today, it’s the bestselling iPod. And look: If Apple could turn a little contact and calendar app into things of beauty as seen on the iPad (as are the iPod and iBook apps), just wait till developers have had time to tweak and develop apps specifically for the iPad.