Shared Spaces ... the Collaboration Advisor

Office Closed through January 23 2006, Take 2

Okay, let's try that again. See you on the 23rd!

And have a Happy New Year, y'all hear?

Vocality 1(10) Distributed, Dec 31

The December 2005 edition of Vocality, the free monthly newsletter from Shared Spaces, has just gone out. If you haven't signed up, please do so, and if you did sign up but haven't received your copy, please let me know.

Quick Links, Dec 31

Positions

• Mike on Workspaces and Activity-Centric Collaboration ... Mike is writing about the workspaces model within activity-centric collaboration. Collaborative Thinking


• On Business Process Management ... A discussion of BPM (business process management) in the enterprise, along with explorations of some BPM products. CIO Today


• Web 2.0 ... ??? ... John asserts that the term "Web 2.0" does not meaningfully define the evolution of the Internet. It is intended to reflect a set of technologies that are driving current offerings. eWeek


• Microsoft in 2005 ... BetaNews reviews the highlights of 2005 for Microsoft. BetaNews

Other Industry Happenings

• SHARE Goals for 2006 ... The SHARE User Group has a list of wants for 2006. Items include: (1) email improvements (via improved identity management, accountability and authentication); (2) interoperable calendaring; and (3) more enterprise sophistication in open source. eWeek

Quick Links, Dec 28

Positions

• Open Text's Strategy ... David writes about changes in direction at Open Text, and how Open Text is a serious player in the collaboration space. Open Text has partnership agreements with Microsoft and SAP, a win for joint customers, and David writes about a key competitive differentiator ... investing in customer success, not just selling software. Collaboration Loop

Vendor Moves

• PTC Strategy ... Parametric Technology Corp., a provider of engineering product development lifecycle management software, is branching out toward the general information submission-and-retrieval functions of Documentum and others. ProEngineer and Windchill are key products today. PTC recently acquired Arbortext, a provider of document updating software. MSNBC


• BEA Strategy ... BEA is working to integrate content management, collaboration, search and process management capabilities into its infrastructure software. It will integrate WebLogic Portal and Plumtree Corporate Portal over the next 12 months, with interoperable portlets and page elements in 1H2006, and common services for collaboration, search, and more in 2H2006. BEA is hoping to play nice with its specialist content management, search and business process management vendor partners. Intelligent Enterprise

Other Industry Happenings

• RIM Customers Look Elsewhere ... RIM customers are starting to talk to other providers of wireless email, so that they have back-up plans in the situation that the BlackBerry service is turned off in the US. NZ Herald

Microsoft Extended Desktop PowerToy for Tablet PC Doesn't Work Out, Dec 28

Microsoft offers a number of free add-on programs ... called PowerToys ... for various editions of Windows, including a set for Tablet PCs. Given my success with dual monitors earlier this week, Eric asked me to try out the Extended Desktop for Tablet PC powertoy (a 2.23MB download), which is described as follows:

If you like using an extended desktop with your Tablet PC, then this utility is for you. The Extended Desktop for Tablet PC allows you to use the tablet pen to access the portion of the extended desktop that displays on an external monitor. This PowerToy will create a window on your Tablet PC that shows a duplicate image of the desktop on the external monitor. You can then manipulate the objects on the extended desktop within this window.

I installed it on my Tablet PC, and after using it for a few minutes, have decided that it doesn't live up to what it seems to promise, and have removed it. Here's how it works, and what I experienced:

• Unreliable Refresh. The Extended Desktop is a window that opens on your Tablet screen (rather than the external monitor), and is supposed to show a mirror image of what it on the external monitor. Even though I played with the refresh settings, I could not get the Extended Desktop window to reliably show what was on the external monitor. For example, I dragged MindManager across to the external monitor, and it did not display on the Extended Desktop window until I manually forced a refresh.



Caption: A print-screen of both monitors, with the Tablet PC on the left (at 1400x1050) and a Philips 20" on the right (at 1600x1200). MindManager has been dragged to the Philips monitor, but has not refreshed correctly in the Extended Desktop window on the Tablet screen. Click for a larger version (172KB).

• Doesn't Give That Much More Space. Look again at the image above. The MindManager map has been set to the exact size of the Tablet screen, without clicking Maximize. I've then dragged it across. Sure, there is some additional screen real-estate on the Philips monitor, but not a huge amount. This is because the Tablet supports such a great native resolution, and my Philips 20" is only 200x150 pixels larger. I really buy into the idea that larger screens aid productivity, but I don't think you'll get much of a productivity boost unless you go for a much larger screen, such as the Dell 24" which goes up to 1920x1200. In this situation, though ... I'm not convinced.
• Ink Quality is Stink. When writing in the Extended Window on the Tablet screen, for example in Sticky Notes, the ink quality is very low. I tried to write the same sentence under dual conditions ... firstly in the Extended Window when Sticky Notes was on the external monitor, and secondly with Sticky Notes directly on the Tablet screen. See the image below for the difference. Writing directly on the Tablet PC screen was VASTLY superior.



Caption: The first "This is an attempt to write" was written on the Extended Desktop window with Sticky Notes on the external monitor. Quality is very poor. The second "This is an attempt to write" was written directly into Sticky Notes when it was on the Tablet screen.

• Ink Doesn't Always Work. With a MindManager map on the external monitor, I was able to select an item via the Extended Desktop, but was unable to (a) modify it via the pen, or (b) create a new sub-item or branch. The ink gestures didn't work.

Conclusion: When I need to ink, I'll drag the window back to the Tablet PC screen.

Quick Links, Dec 26

Ok, so I'm working this week after all ...

Positions

• How to Select Collaboration Tools ... Sue writes about the challenges involved in selecting tools to support collaborative activities within the enterprise. Key problems: (a) different vendors have different bundles of functions, and (b) is best of breed or single integrated product the best? Some ideas are given to make selection easier (and of course I'd argue that you should read the 7 Pillars to arm yourself with a framework. IT World Canada


• The Future of Email ... IDC says that email remains king, although it is facing new competitors. Line56 mentions IM ... I hope the underlying report talks about collaborative workspaces too. Line56


• Glenn on Software Clients ... Glenn argues a similar line to the one I took in Collaboration Software Clients, Part 1 last year: that the software clients we use for information consumption and publishing should be integrated. furialog (Hat tip to Kent)


• Microsoft on ECM ... Microsoft has a new white paper out on ECM. Peter de Haas

Vendor Moves

• Four Palm Smartphones in 2006 ... Palm will release four new Palm smartphones in 2006, starting with the Palm 700w (powered by Windows Mobile 5.0) in January. palmBlast


• Google IM + AIM IM ... As part of the 5% acquisition of AOL, Google and AOL agreed to implement interoperable IM networks. Google Talk is powered by the XMPP protocol, AOL Instant Messenger by a proprietary one. Stowe is pleased. Corante


• BlackBerry and BMW ... BMW is adding address book integration between the BlackBerry 8700 devices and the new 2006 range of cars. The integration permits call placement through BMW's iDrive or the Multifunction Steering Wheel. automobile.com

Solving the Tablet Dual Monitor Problem, Dec 26

Eric Mack, the most famousist of Tablet PC acronym makers has said at numerous times (to me at least) that he can't get his Tablet PC to drive an external monitor and then be able to rotate the Tablet screen for writing at any angle. Here's what you normally get:

Caption: Toshiba Tecra M4 on the left, Philips 20" flat panel on the right. Tecra M4 displays fine, image on the Philips is upside down. Alternate theory: one screen displays properly for NZ users, the other for US ones ;-)

Last week I took delivery of the Toshiba Multi-Dock II, a rather expensive but very helpful accessory for the Tecra M4 (it's about 15% of the price of the Tecra). See the product tour to learn more about it. In essence, you connect the Tecra M4 to a panel which can then be hung on the Multi-Dock, un-hung and snaked out for writing, and swivelled within 5 seconds from portrait to landscape mode and back again. It's really neat ... and due to the external monitor port on the back end, it solves the dual monitor problem.

Caption: The images on both the Tecra M4 and Philips 20" display the correct way up.

And when you rotate the Tecra to get portrait mode -- for example to get more screen height real-estate to work on a MindManager map -- the image on the Philips is left unrotated.

Caption: Tecra M4 has been swivelled to portrait mode, and the image on the Philips monitor is left unchanged.

Finally, when it is time to ink, you merely lift the Tecra off the Multi-Dock and lay it on your desk. There is a built in angled platform, which is great for ink work.

The Multi-Dock has solved a number of real Tablet PC usage problems for me ... I will leave the Tablet as a Tablet from now on, and not as a standard laptop. The Multi-Dock is very much worth the apparently high price.

I wonder if Eric will get one ... :-)

Office Closed through January 23 2006

The Shared Spaces offices will be closed through Monday January 23 2006. That means there will be no further postings here until then. This year has been very full and rewarding, in ways that I didn't foresee at the beginning of the year. Thanks to all who made it so. Given that it is the middle of summer down here in New Zealand, that means it is time for a vacation. I won't be checking email or RSS until then, so if you have an urgent matter that requires my attention, please leave a voice mail at +64 3 317 9484.

Have a blessed Christmas and restful New Year.

Quick Links, Dec 21

Vendor Moves

• A Shrinking Verosee for Skype ... Verosee announced that its collaborative workspace add-in for Skype has shrunk in size by 80%. The installation previously required a 99 MB download and install, which many people (including me) thought was too large. It is down to 23 MB now. Verosee


• IBM Acquired Bowstreet ... IBM acquired Bowstreet, Inc., a provider of tools to enable the effective use of portal technology within the enterprise. IBM


• Workaround Coming ... RIM said that details of its workaround technology will be disclosed shortly. iTnews.com.au. It remains bullish about its prospects in its patent infringment case with NTP (Bloomberg), although it is annoyed that NTP seems to be slowing down the US Patent Office review (ComputerWorld). Good on Dan for helping us keep perspective on all of this.


• iAnywhere XTNDConnectPC ... iAnywhere released version 5.4 of XTNDConnect PC, its synchronization software for mobile devices. Adds support for Windows Mobile 5.0 devices, and some others. Available immediately. prnewswire


• OSAF Chandler 0.6 ... The Open Source Applications Foundation released an early version of 0.6 of Chandler, a personal information management client. OSAF


• ZohoWriter Beta ... AdventNet released the beta of ZohoWriter, its online word processor. Earlier releases were the alpha. Changes: revised UI, enhanced usability, and other. Available immediately. zohowriter


• Hyland OnBase 5.0 ... Hyland Software released Version 5.0 of OnBase, its enterprise content management offering. Includes a new collaborative workspaces module, called OnBase Collaboration. Available immediately. SDAAsia


• Near-Time.net ... Near-Time released Near-Time.net, a hosted collaboration service for web users. Includes weblogs, wikis, calendaring, and more. Current in preview mode. Near-Time.net

Other Random End-of-Year Stuff

• Gizmo ... Gizmo is a cross-platform voice-over-IP solution, like Skype, but built with open source. Techcrunch

Quick Links, Dec 19

New Blogs

• Marc on Groove "12" ... Marc from Microsoft is blogging about the forthcoming Groove "12" product. Blog posts cover the client, client features, and infrastructure components. MSDN Blogs

Positions

• Analyst Self-Appraisal ... Dan gives kudos to the team at Robert Frances Group for publicly critiquing their performance and predictions from the past year. He wants to see it done more widely. Mobile Enterprise Weblog


• Trends in Communication, Collaboration, Content Management ... Peter writes about the trends he sees in the communication, collaboration and content management spaces. CollaborationLoop


• Eric Links MindManager and Notes ... Eric has worked out how to link a MindManager map to a Lotus Notes document, albeit in a roundabout way. He wants Mindjet to enable Notes DocLink support directly in MindManager. Do you agree? Please leave a comment on Eric's post if so. Eric Mack Online

Vendor Moves

• Kerio Supports Entourage 2004 SP2 ... Kerio Technologies announced that the latest edition of its email server, the Kerio MailServer, supports Microsoft Entourage 2004 SP2 for the Mac. SP2 adds better support for multiple calendars, Active Directory, and folder delegation. Available immediately. prnewswire.com


• Netviewer and MindManager ... Netviewer is offering a free web conferencing add-in for users of Mindjet MindManager Pro 6, to enable multiple people to work on MindManager maps at the same time (the free edition permits one person to edit, others to view). A for-fee full edition offers the ability to transfer control to others in the shared session. NetViewer


• Openwave and Thumbspeed ... Openwave Systems announced a strategic reseller agreement with Thumbspeed, enabling Openwave customers to offer the Thumbspeed instant messaging client to mobile users. The Thumbspeed client works on Java, BREW, Symbian, Windows Mobile, and Palm devices. Openwave


• ShoreTel Converged Conferencing 5.6 ... ShoreTel released Version 5.6 of Converged Conferencing, its web and audio conferencing platform for enterprise customers. Available immediately. BusinessWire