As anyone who knows me well will attest, I’m not a fan of Apple. While I feel their products and user interfaces are top shelf, I do not agree with their overall business practices. However, that does not mean that I don’t respect what Jobs has done or admire who he is.

Steve Jobs was about more than the products and the companies he created. Jobs is legendary for how he lived his life. He was a man of principle. He had a vision of how to make the world a better place for everyone through technology and had the conviction to see it through no matter what the obstacles.

While I could illustrate this through numerous examples, I am going to pick one that has created a passion for me – the mobile phone. Jobs had a vision that the device we carry around with us everywhere we go could be more than a simple phone if it could be freed from the restrictions the carriers placed on it. Instead of talking about what could or should be done, Jobs took his vision and implemented it. In the face of opposition from carriers, existing manufacturers, and doubters (like me at the time), he had the conviction to take on the establishment to change the world. In four short years, he transformed the mobile industry from a slow moving, carrier controlled environment to a fast moving, Wild West environment where the only limit to what can be done is your imagination.

His vision and conviction has opened the mobile industry up for thousands of developers across the world to put a power in our hands that would have been unimaginable five years ago. It has revolutionized an industry and given me a canvas on which to build my own dream and vision. Without the vision and conviction of one Steve Jobs, that canvas would not exist. Even though I never had the opportunity to meet him, I would only have one word to say to him: Thanks.

In memory of Steve Jobs, I’m going to close with “one more thing”. In August, when Steve Jobs stepped away from Apple, I was reading through the many tributes paid to him at the time. One video that particularly struck me was the commencement address he gave at Stanford in 2005. It’s only 15 minutes long, but it’s worth watching every minute of it. Not only does it give you insight into the kind of person Steve Jobs was, but it will also inspire you. Enjoy.

We’re proud to have worked on the site with their team as well as 1000 Watt Consulting. To meet the specifications from the Michael Saunders’ team, we added new technology to our platform that really pushes the envelope for “app-like” solutions that runs in the phone’s browser across multiple platforms including iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry. This was a fun project for us as it challenged us technically and we got to work with a great team. Below is a copy of the official press release…

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Michael Saunders & Company
Launches New Mobile Web Site

Empowers Consumers To Browse For Properties
On The Go From Any Web-Enabled Phone

SARASOTA, Florida—(May 3, 2011)—With the official launch today of its new mobile web site Michael Saunders & Company just made it easier and more efficient for buyers to actively search for properties on the go throughout Southwest Florida.

People arriving at michaelsaunders.com using the latest generation of hand-held mobile devices— an iPhone, Android, Blackberry or almost any other current make or model of  web-enabled phone—will now enjoy an online experience that makes it easy to search for properties anywhere, at any time, right from the palm of their hand.  No downloads are necessary to begin using the new mobile version of the Gulf Coast’s most-frequented real estate web site.  Consequently, getting there is fast—and free.

Consumers need only go to michaelsaunders.com from their smart phone to preview any property in Southwest Florida, provided it is listed on the MLS.  Their phone will automatically convert the site into the hand-held mobile version.  The site is people friendly, specifically enhanced to be viewed on a small screen and is completely free of advertising.  Buyers can search for properties anywhere; or zero-in on properties nearest their location.  They can also find open houses by neighborhood, location; and save properties of interest for future reference.

“It’s no secret that mobile Internet usage is growing,” says company founder and CEO, Michael Saunders in announcing the new service.  “But what you may not be aware of is the breathtaking speed at which this is occurring.  Within 18 months, more people will access the Internet through hand-held mobile devices than more traditional desktop or laptop computers.  That’s a massive shift in how buyers search for properties; and why we are proud to offer this new technology tool as yet another service to our buyers and sellers.”

In creating the new mobile web site, Michael Saunders & Company partnered with 1000 Watt Consulting, the California-based interactive marketing communications and design agency whose dedicated focus on the real estate industry makes it one of the most sought-after firms of its kind in the business.  1000 Watt Consulting was also instrumental in creating the new michaelsaunders.com, which debuted in August, 2010.

Also partnering in the creation of the new mobile web site was Aumnia, one of the nation’s premier mobile web companies, also headquartered in California.  Aumnia’s software platform enables businesses to “go mobile” by extending their existing web presence onto web-enabled mobile phones and mobile internet devices.

“We invest in the most innovative web technologies as a duty to our buyers and sellers; and indeed to our agents,”  Ms. Saunders explained.  “As such, we studied mobile web sites produced by other real estate companies around the country throughout our research and development.  After carefully weighing the options, we decided that a mobile web site was the most practical way to deliver the best experience to the largest number of consumers in our market.  It is available to any web-enabled mobile phone, not just some of them, and we can update it instantly.  We are very proud of our collaboration with Aumnia and 1000 Watt Consulting and what it has yielded for our clients, customers and agents.”

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About Michael Saunders & Company:

Now in its fourth decade of service to Southwest Florida, Michael Saunders & Company has grown from a single small office into a network of 24 full-service offices—with more than 500 professionally trained associates and 150 staff members.  Powerful world-wide affiliations—including Christie’s International Real Estate, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, Luxury Portfolio International, Mayfair International Realty and the European Real Estate Network (EREN)—extend the company’s message to qualified buyers globally, ensuring the broadest possible exposure for our properties.   

Michael Saunders & Company is ranked as the 52^nd largest brokerage in dollar volume in the latest Real Trends 500 Survey of the 500 largest brokerages in the U.S. for 2011; and is included among the 35 most influential Realtors in luxury real estate.

For more information about Michael Saunders & Company, please call 1-888-552-5228 or visit us on the Web at MichaelSaunders.com.

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This is a repost of an article Gregg published on our miniListings blog that I want to share with all of you.

Did you decide that 2011 was the year you were going to focus on getting fit? Now that we are four months into the year, how are you doing?

For a lot of people, this is around the time when those New Year’s resolutions start to fade. How do I know? I see it at my local gym. It starts filling up during January, reaches a peak in February, and then fades through March and April. In fact, when I was at the gym this morning, it was about half as full as it was in mid-February.

If you’ve fallen behind in your fitness goals, or just want to keep better track of them, your smartphone can help – a lot! Devesh and I have been using a few fitness apps this year, and for this month’s app review, I wanted to highlight the apps we’ve found particularly useful.

My Tracks

I got a Golden Retriever last summer and somehow got appointed as the official dog walker for the family (long story, don’t ask). As I went on my various walks, I became curious how far I was going and thought it would be neat to track it. Enter an app called My Tracks.

My Tracks uses the GPS in your phone to track how far you walk and where. It also keeps stats for your walk such as time of walk, speed, elevation, average speed and max speed. I particularly like that I can upload each walk to a Google spreadsheet. Then, at the end of the month, I can tally up my results and see how far I walked.

In addition to walks, you can use My Tracks to track any outdoor activity – running, hiking and biking. So if you’re trying to set goals for yourself, this app is a must. For example, my walking goal started at 50 miles per month at the beginning of the year, and I’ve since moved it to 70 miles. Once you can track your progress, it’s fun trying to beat it.

My Tracks is a free Android-only app, but the iPhone has an equivalent call RunKeeper that Devesh uses.

MyFitnessPal

I use MyFitnessPal on my iPhone and obsess about it daily. It’s a really easy way to track your workouts and food intake on a daily basis, so you can make sure your meeting caloric goals. The keys to MyFitnessPal are its easy-to-use interface and large database of crowd-sourced foods which make tracking my daily caloric ins & outs simple… basically eliminating all excuses not to use it.

MyFitnessPal let’s you create a public or private profile with your fitness targets, basic things like height, gender, current weight, target weight, activity level, etc. It then sets your Net Calorie Goal based on the amount of weight you want to lose (if that’s your goal… it’s mine) and the amount you plan to workout every week. It takes only 5 mins to download and setup. Then you simply start entering whatever you do or eat. Simple (I’ve used that word a few times because it really is).

Using MyFitnessPal, I also monitor my daily nutrient breakdown so I know what type of foods to eat so I can stay on target. It’s obviously an honor system thing, but to see what you are eating in writing definitely guilts you to stay true. The app also lets you see your weekly performance and has a social media component built in that pushes messages to your “friends” on your positive AND negative progress. The best message is “Devesh has not logged in for 3 days”… oops.

MyFitnessPal is a free app available for the iPhone, Android, and Blackberry. You can get more details on the MyFitnessPal website.
 

Daily Burn

Daily Burn is very similar to MyFitnessPal. It helps users track workouts, calorie intake, and review progress. I used this app first for about 6 months before switching to MyFitnessPal. The best feature of Daily Burn is it’s workout tracker – I could setup workout routines and the interface walked me through each exercise easily. When I was using it, the interface for food entry was too slow and complex so I wasn’t motivated to keep using it… basically gave me excuses to cheat.

Daily Burn has a free version and then paid versions that unlock more sophisticated tracking features. I have a feeling the paid version fixes some of the issues I mentioned, but I didn’t want to pay since I found a free app that works – MyFitnessPal.

It’s possible that you could have different findings than me, so if you want to give Daily Burn a try, visit their website.
 

The Habit Factor®

At a recent networking event, someone told me about The Habit Factor®. I just got around to loading it on my phone and am anxious to start using it.

In a nutshell, The Habit Factor® encourages you to set goals that you want to reach, and then track the habits to reach those goals. It is based on the book The Habit Factor® written by Martin Grunburg.

For example, you might have a goal to lose 10 pounds or to run a 5K. You set your goal and then create the habits to reach it. To lose 10 pounds, your habits could be walk two miles per day, eat 2 pieces of fruit, consume less than 2,500 calories, use MyFitneesPal, etc. The app tracks your progress and provides reminders.

One of the best parts is that you can use it for more than fitness. If you have other personal or business goals, you can track them and their associated habits. You can also just track habits that you want to establish, even if you don’t have a goal associated with them.

I like the concept of the app and hope to incorporate it into my daily routine (hey – my first goal!). The opening screen has great quotes about setting habits. Here’s a couple samples:

• “We first make out habits, and then our habits make us.” – Charles C. Noble
• “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Rohn
• “Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.” – Vince Lombardi

There is a “lite” (free) version for Android and iPhone, and a premium version that you can upgrade to once you get more serious.
 

Your smartphone can be a powerful ally in your quest to keep your resolutions this year, and these are just a small sample of the apps available. Devesh and I would love for you to share other fitness apps that you’ve found useful – please leave them in the comments.

Good luck getting back or staying on track with those fitness goals for 2011!

(I’d like to thank Devesh for the MyFitnessPal and Daily Burn reviews)

All development projects should be evaluated based on ROI. With the unprecedented growth we’re seeing in the mobile market, I feel like many businesses skip this necessary due diligence to follow media hype. Building something will get results – that I believe. But the real question needs to be, how can a business maximize their results based on a fixed budget.

Here at Aumnia, our clients are consumer-facing businesses that want mobile solutions to drive either customer acquisition (marketing/branding) or customer satisfaction (service). These businesses typically don’t charge consumers for mobile services since the business really has one goal when it comes to mobile… reach as many consumers as possible. The rationale being that with increased exposure, consumer-facing businesses have better odds to engage their target customers. Now coming back to the Mashable article, the author goes through a basic analysis and calculates the number of potential people a given mobile solution can reach for every dollar invested. He finds that businesses with a mobile website have the potential to reach 5x more people per dollar invested:

• Mobile websites: 2839 people per $
• Mobile app (iPhone only): 527 people per $
• Mobile app (iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry): 599 people per $

The calculation assumes average development costs of $30K for a cross-platform mobile website and $30K per mobile application. To see the rest of the assumptions, read the article.

I’m really excited to see an article like this come out. I hope it encourages more businesses to take the time and really evaluate their mobile strategy.

(This post was originally posted on our miniListings blog. Since it contains pretty generic advice, we decided to post it here in case you missed it over there.)

After months (and months, and months, and months, and…) of rumors, Verizon and Apple announced yesterday that the iPhone will be available on Big Red starting February 10. The first question for many people now is what do I do? Well, it depends on your situation. Here are a few scenarios I’ve come up with and my personal recommendations based on reviewing the announcement and various media comments.

Scenario #1: I already have an iPhone, should I switch to Verizon?

I’ll spend the most time on this scenario, as it the one facing most of you. A lot of you are fed up with AT&T’s service, especially in cities like New York and San Francisco. However, in the majority of places, AT&T’s service has not been bad. My recommendation is that unless you are getting downright awful service from AT&T, don’t run out and switch. Keep in mind the following:

• If you upgraded to an iPhone 4 last summer, you will have to pay a hefty early termination fee to leave AT&T. Ask youself, is the AT&T service really that bad that I am willing to drop the $200 (or more) it may take to leave AT&T?
• Your existing iPhone is not compatible on the Verizon network, so you will also need to purchase a new phone when switching. This is going to cost you a minimum of $200 for the 16GB model. You may be able to offset some of the cost by selling your old phone, but I am guessing there will be a lot for sale in next couple of months, driving the price down.
• If you surf the net while on the phone, you will be very disappointed with the Verizon iPhone. Due to technology limitations on the Verizon network, you cannot access data services while talking on the iPhone.
• If you do a lot of travelling overseas, the Verizon iPhone will not work in countries that use GSM instead of Verizon’s CDMA technology. This includes all of Western Europe and the majority of Eastern Asia. Heavy overseas travelers are best served sticking it out with AT&T.
• In general, CDMA phones are slightly slower than GSM phones, so you may notice that the Verizon iPhone may be a little slower than your AT&T iPhone.

So when would it make sense to switch?

• Your iPhone is unusable in the places you need to use your phone most (like your home or office) because AT&T’s coverage is poor or non-existent. If Verizon’s coverage is better, spend the money so your phone is usable.
• If your company has a corporate Verizon plan, it may be cheaper to switch to Verizon rather than paying your own way on AT&T. You will need to do your own analysis to see how long it would take to break-even on the switch over.
• If you are no longer under contract with AT&T (meaning you have the iPhone 3G), then you are in the best position. AT&T and Verizon are in a brutal fight over market share to be #1, so you can play them off each other to get the best deal.

Scenario #2: I’m already a Verizon customer and have been waiting for the iPhone to upgrade.

To begin with, you are the big winner – your dreams have been answered! However, before getting caught up in the euphoria and immediately purchasing an iPhone, be aware that Apple regularly refreshes the iPhone every summer. I suspect this summer will be no different and that we will see the iPhone 5. What will it bring? It could bring support for Verizon’s upgraded LTE network, a faster processor, and/or a better form factor. No one knows for sure as Apple closely guards all future device plans. Rumor also has it that Verizon is putting some hefty termination fees and upgrade restrictions on the iPhone. Make sure you understand what the upgrade restrictions and fees are so you can make an informed decision about your purchase.

Consider this: The iPhone 5 will most likely be available in July. You’ve already waited 4 years for the iPhone to land on Verizon, what’s another 6 months?

Scenario #3: I just upgraded my phone on Verizon, should I switch to the iPhone?

In short, my answer is no, unless you are completely tied into the Apple environment with a Mac, iTunes, Apple TV and more. In other words, you are a die-hard Apple loyalist (or fanboy as many people refer to you). Android has significantly closed the gap on Apple in terms of functionality, and Verizon offers the best Android phones out there. Unless you have a really good reason for switching, you may be disappointed to find out that the iPhone is not that much better than the Android device you just got, and in some areas could even be worse (gasp!).

Scenario #4: I like the carrier I’m on (T-mobile or Sprint), but want the iPhone, should I jump to Verizon?

Wow, this is a good question and quite the dilemma to be in. Well, we know that the exclusivity with AT&T is over, so I would expect that it is only a matter of time before the iPhone shows up on Sprint and T-mobile. If you’re under contract, I would recommend waiting it out. If you’re not under contract, it’s a personal decision on how bad you want the iPhone. I suspect that if you weren’t already desperate enough to switch to AT&T, then you can wait – at least until the iPhone 5 comes out.

In summary

To be blunt, the iPhone showing up on Verizon is a bigger deal to the media and financial analysts than it should be to you. I am sure that you will see many pundits talking about how important this is for Apple and Verizon. I’m sure you will also see people lining up outside Verizon and Apple stores leading up to the February 10 launch.  Make sure you don’t get caught up in the hype and make an informed decision that you won’t soon after regret.

If there are any other scenarios you’d like me to weigh in on, feel free to ask in the comments. I’d be more than happy to give you my two cents and help you with your decision process!

I was back home in Vancouver for the holidays and spent a good chunk of time reading, especially trying to clean out my blog reader that had “1000+” for every category. I powered through fascinating articles about mobile growth, usage, and trends. Rumors of new handsets expected this year. And, enjoyed discussions and hypothesis of what we can expect in 2011. The general consensus seems to be that Android is taking over the world, Apple will be Apple, and RIM leaves us scratching our heads. I came across a few articles that provided contrarian viewpoints, but the bulk of analysis pointed in the same direction. By the time New Year’s came around, I felt like I had a good grasp on what’s going to happen in 2011. Well.. that was until Jeff Yee (Aumnia’s head of engineering) sent me an email from Vancouver about his OBSERVATIONS during the holidays. Here’s a direct cut & paste of what he sent me…

“One thing that I found interesting was that BlackBerry users tend to stick together and I think it is because of the BlackBerry messenger app. If your friends use BlackBerry, there is a high probability that you will also use a BlackBerry. Because everyone in the group is using BlackBerry messenger to chat.

During the holidays, I went to a party with about 20 people. Almost everyone had a BlackBerry. Only 1 iPhone in the crowd. I was surprised. Then I went to another party with a completely different group of friends. And most of them had iPhones, a few BlackBerrys. What was even more surprising was that no one I ran into in the past 2 weeks had Android.

And then there is another group of friends with BlackBerry and iPhones, but they have no data plans. They only use it for voice and SMS.

And then there is my uncle. He has a BlackBerry but has no idea what that is and could care less. He only uses it to make phone calls because the phone was free, no data plan.”

As you can read, the email is pretty simple. But I believe Jeff’s observations have serious underlying statements. Is our perception of the mobile market simply dictated by our  circle of influence? Do consumers really know (or care) about the differences in mobile platforms?  We’re still in the early adoption phase for data plans, so when will mass market adoption occur? So much for all the reading and analysis I did over the holidays. Jeff’s harmless observations kicked up a bunch of questions in my head that I can’t wait to explore this year. If you have an opinion, let’s here it.

In other comments at the conference, Verizon inidcated that tiered pricing for mobile data usage is coming within the next six months. With Sprint CEO Dan Hesse hinting at the same thing for his network, I am fearful that carrier greed could become the biggest impediment to mobile broadband adoption. I understand that the carriers need to make money, and that networks cost money to build, but if consumers start getting charged by the bit to download emails, access the web and watch streaming content, I suspect that mobile broadband adoption will slow – considerably. Lets face it, the internet as we know it today didn’t really take off until flat rate broadband pricing to the home was introduced. If the carriers begin metering users, many of the most innovative services that are being developed for mobile, like streaming content, will suffer and could die, killing innovation. In other words, the biggest impediment to carriers signing up more mobile broadband customers are most likely the carriers themselves.

Finally, I want to wrap up this week with another fun video featuring Dot, “the world’s smallest stop-motion animation character.” At first glance, this would appear off-topic on a blog focused on mobile, except for the fact that it was shot using a Nokia N8 cellphone equipped with a microscope attachment. I can still remember the days when my Dad had to carry around not only a TV studio-sized camera but also the entire VCR unit itself to shoot home movies. Now they can be shot on a device that not only produces better home movies than that old video camera but also takes pictures, plays music and lets you talk to anyone in the world at anytime. Truly amazing when you consider the progression of technology over the last 30 years!

In other handset news, Nokia and BlackBerry maker RIM, two manufacturers that are falling out of favor with investors, made major announcements last week. At their self-hosted Nokia World Show, Nokia touted that they are still the industry leader with 260,000 smartphone activations a day (compared to Android’s 200,000 and iOS’ 80,000). Unfortunately, perception is reality, and while Nokia still has the lead, they are suffering from a perception problem that John Biggs at MobileCrunch so eloquently describes. Along those same lines, RIM announced earnings last week. While the results blew past analyst expectations and a bright future was painted by management, the reality remains that Android continues to rapidly close the gap on RIM’s dominance in North America according to the latest ComScore stats. Both RIM and Nokia had better not be content to rest on their laurels because as they say in the mutual fund world – “past performance is not an indication of future performance.” I’m not surprised that Nokia and RIM are doing well when you look at past and current stats. When you look at trends, though, both Nokia and RIM should be concerned, and I mean very concerned.

As usual, I wanted to wrap up this week on a fun note. Motorola is launching a Star Wars themed R2-D2 Droid handset later this year on Verizon. While the hardware and wallpapers for the device look cool, they are not nearly as cool as this prototype Star Trek Communicator themed Nokia device. It’s quite a shame that only 14 were made back in 2008. I’m not even a Star Trek fan, and I found this concept prototype just too cool. Definitely worth spending the 9 minutes to watch the video.

Kicking things off, rumors about the iPhone becoming available outside of AT&T continue to grow, which given the results of a JD Power and Associates study highlighting AT&T’s poor network performance, can’t happen soon enough for many people. The chic rumor is that the iPhone is coming to Verizon given Apple’s orders for CDMA chipsets. While this is what most people want, another possibility raised last week is that Apple is creating a “world-phone” iPhone. In other words, one device that is compatible with mobile networks around the world. I think this a better possibility than a Verizon iPhone. A “world-phone” iPhone could also lead to the phone landing on T-mobile, which is another rumor that is gaining momentum. Of course, Apple’s lips are sealed, so I don’t suspect that we will know anything until the day after it happens, at best!

Speaking of AT&T, executives at the company have implied that the new BlackBerry Torch sales are not meeting expectations. Not a good sign for BlackBerry, who is continuing to struggle against the rising tide of Android devices. It is also rumored that many of BlackBerry’s best customers, like financial institutions, are starting to experiment with iPhone and Android devices. As I mentioned before, BlackBerry would be best served to keep their “bread-and-butter” enterprise customers happy and forget about competing in the consumer market.

In Android news, T-mobile announced the G2 device – the follow-on to the G1 who many consider “the original” Android device. The device looks great on paper, but the best part could be that it will run a stock Android build. In other words, no carrier crapware or special UI’s like Sense, TouchWiz or MotoBlur. If my NexusOne is any indication, this means that it will be one of the first devices to get new Android builds, which I’ve found to be one of the best, if not the best, feature of the NexusOne.

Another hot rumor last week is that Microsoft will launch Windows Phone 7 October 11 in a flashy New York City event. Microsoft has committed over $500MM to the launch of their latest mobile OS, so I would expect this event to be quite the party. Unfortunately, I don’t think that I’ll be on the invite list, but I’m willing to tag along as someone’s guest if you need company for the week….

Finally, Nokia is preparing to launch the Nokia N8, their latest attempt to head off the iPhone and Android juggernaut. In order to build buzz for the device, they released a rather racy, but not over the top, interactive video featuring a self-described “sizzling hot” model. Is Nokia worried that the N8 cannot stand on its own, or is this a genius move by Nokia to create buzz about the device? I’ve embedded the video below, and I’ll let you be the judge.

Both companies really should be more concerned about potential new competitors. One such company is Huawei, the largest telecom equipment manufacturer in China. Huawei is releasing smartphones into the US market and is working on some very interesting concept phones (see video below from Andoid and Me). I have experienced working with Huawei firsthand in a previous career, and they are very aggressive when entering a market and determined to win, at any cost. With Huawei entering the market, all the current major players – Nokia, Apple, HTC, Samsung and Motorola – need to pay close attention to Huawei’s next move. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them get very aggressive here in the US and Europe with their smartphone offerings, particularly on price. Make note of the name . Huawei’s first smartphones should show up on T-mobile later this year.

Finally, for those who like green initiatives, one innovative person came up with a new way to charge a cell phone – by hamster! I’ve seen phones that use solar to charge, or movement, but this is the first time I’ve seen a phone charged by hamster. Who knows if it’s real or not, but it sure makes for an entertaining video.