Friday, January 29, 2010

Pondering the iPad

Aside from the presentation on Wednesday, I was also looking forward to seeing what new product Apple would release at their media event.  If all of the rumors were to be trusted, we could expect a tablet computer that could cure all disease, save the world from destruction, and would allow for easy integration into our digital lifestyles.  What we got was something else entirely.

I want to get this out of the way before I go any further.  Contrary to popular belief, I don’t own every Apple product ever made.  I don’t have the Apple logo tattoo.  I don’t have a shrine to Steve Jobs in my basement.  I do like the occasional shot of apple-flavored Kool-Aid, but only because I find it refreshing and delicious.  While it may seem to some that I’m an Apple fanboy, I’m not.  I’ve come to that realization over the past year, noting many areas that I’d like to see Apple improve not only their products, but some of their practices.  That being said, the idea of an Apple tablet computer didn’t interest me at all.  Until yesterday.

I have yet to watch the full video from the presentation.  Wednesday night was the earliest opportunity I had to dig into the details a bit more and talk to a few people to get their impressions of the new device.

After a spirited Twitter conversation, and reading reviews and thoughts of the iPad, I had written the device off for my own use.  Apps are limited to those found in Apple’s App Store (as opposed to being able to freely install anything I’d feel like installing on a typical computer), no Web-cam, no multitasking, no replacement value for any device I already own.  I didn’t need it.  It was too restrictive.  I didn’t have this and it doesn’t do that.

I quickly found my feelings for the device changing.  Between some more conversation in the hallway at work and listening to other thoughts on the device, my interest is turning around.  I also stopped focusing on what the iPad couldn’t do and turned to what it can do.  While it still doesn’t replace anything that I have or fit into any area of my life that isn’t already covered by an iPhone or laptop, I can think of many people who’s lives it does fit into.

 
• The Traveler - With a screen that’s larger than a smartphone as well as many GPS units on the market, this may be a perfect device to take with you in the car or on a hike.  Not only can you find your way with it, but you’ll be able to entertain yourself and others along the way.
 
• The Educator (and the Student) - There will be a time in the future when paper books will no longer exist.  I’m not going to venture a guess as to when this will happen, but we’ve already seen the beginning with the Kindle and Nook.  Take that a step further with a device like the iPad.  Teachers can have their plans and itineraries on them while their students can use them as text and workbooks.  When working in groups, the tablet style is much more inviting than that of a laptop, making conversation and technological tools great partners rather than awkward neighbors.
 
• The Businessperson - Right after my hallway chat, I found myself needing to print out a booklet for an afternoon meeting.  With a device like the iPad, that could go away.  Relying on email and the built-in PDF reading capability, countless reams of paper could be saved.  Drawing from the earlier student “group-work” example, I have a feeling a tablet device would be received better in a meeting environment than say, a smartphone or laptop.  I’ve tried using a laptop in face-to-face meetings before.  The key word there is tried.  Not only was it an awkward experience for all parties involved, I felt like I was alienating a person that I wanted to share ideas with, simply because of the monitor that was propped up in between us.  Imagine running an app like Bump on an iPad during a meeting, and quickly exchanging information in an interactive way.
 
• The Doctor - Saw this one coming a mile away, didn’t you.  Monitor patient information as well as get any other type of info you’d need on something that’s slim and relatively lightweight.
 
• Families - One minute it’s a digital photo/movie frame, the next minute you can pick it up and take it with you to read the latest news or share photos with family members.

All that being said, I’m excited to see where this device goes, and who takes it to new heights, whether it be developers or consumers.  Regardless of the vehicle, I can see many paths that the iPad can take, and most of them point upward.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Hungry Geek - Reviewing Chipotle’s iPhone App

Earlier this year, I discovered Chipotle Mexican Grill, a wonderful restaurant with a bare-bones menu, great interior design, and most of all, great food. As soon as I learned about their iPhone app, I knew I'd have to try it out.

After a month passed of me having the app on my phone and not taking advantage of it's time-saving graces, I decided to take the plunge a little over a week ago. A friend of mine (and a client) had set up a lunch meeting and settled on Chipotle as the meeting place. This was the perfect time to test out the app. Not only could I test out the before-mentioned elements, I could add a second order to the app, not only testing it's ability to keep items straight, but to also test the interaction with the restaurant once we got there.

An in-app experience
With my stomach and taste buds anticipating the research reward that lie ahead, I launched the app. The interface was very intuitive, giving me options to view the menu, to place an order, find the nearest location and learn more about the company. Having been there before, I knew what I wanted, but looked through the menu anyway. When I found my menu item of choice, I pressed the "order" button. I expected to have my selection carry through to the next phase of the process. This, however, wasn't the case. I still needed to make a menu selection from within the "order" section of the app. I'm holding out hope that this will be corrected in a future version.

From that point on, the process was very smooth and intuitive, which is a great thing if you're looking to put burrito to mouth in a short amount of time. After I had set up my order, I put together the order for my friend and proceeded to the checkout.

And how will you be paying today?
At this point of the lunch selection process, I had two lingering questions about the remainder of this process. The first question dealt with payment. I was hoping that I would be able to pay for everything from within the app, although paying in person wouldn't be the end of the world (it would just gum up the entire process). My first question was quickly answered when I was asked for my CC info. One down, one to go.

I'm here to pick up an iOrder.
After a short drive, we were at the restaurant, ready to experience the second leg of the experiment. My biggest concern now, was how cumbersome the in-store experience was going to be. One of the last messages in the checkout process informed me that I could go right to the checkout to pick up my order. That's when my overly-nice nature kicked in and said "what about all of the other equally hungry people that I'll be cutting in front of?".

As it turned out, there weren't that many people in line that day, so by the time I got close enough to the front counter, I would have been just as well off ordering in person. Regardless, I indicated that I was there to pick up an iPhone order, and was then instructed to wait by the cash register. A minute (less actually) later, my order came out, neatly bagged and ready to go.

Takeout takeaways
It wouldn't be a true experiment if I didn't learn something, so here's my breakdown:

• This app is truly intended for larger, takeout situations.


• While there were a few hiccups in the ordering flow, the overall UX from the app was smart and enjoyable.


• While the "interface" with the restaraunt itself was good, it could be a bit better. Maybe include an iPhone order line or "outside order" line.


• Chipotle makes a darn good burrito.

Friday, June 20, 2008

In The Attic

A recent conversation with a co-worker regarding the iPhone 3G got me thinking about the Home Screen layout.  As I was telling her about the new iPhone calling plan prices and it’s (supposed) lack of built-in SMS it made me realize, the SMS button, as well as others, are somewhat in the way.

With the ability to move home screen icons around as you wish, there is one missing component (in my opinion).  What if there are standard iPhone icons that you don’t use or need?  Sure, you could move them to another screen, creating an island of misfits, but is that the best use of your nine precious Home screen iterations?  That’s when it hit me.  The attic.

Pack it up and put it away.

Boxes seem to be the main object that fill peoples attics and more often than note, they’re filled with things that we don’t use often.  After looking at the home screen of the iPhone, some people may see just that; tiny boxes filled with things they don’t use or need.  You could throw them away, but who would want toss out such treasured memories as stocks, SMS, or that whiz-bang calculator?  Why not put them in a location that doesn’t cause them to get in the way.

Movin’ on up.

When you make your home screen icons dance, you’ll notice that you can drag them from side-to-side, creating a new screen, or down into the “dock” area.  As they say, the only direction to go is up.  Why not create an attic for icons?  If they are needed in the future, let the user pull them back down and if not, leave them to collect dust.  Now where did I put those photos…?

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Breaking the mold.

As an avid user of Apple’s iMovie, I met the iLife ‘08 announcement with both awe and trepidation.  The newest version of iMovie is more than an upgrade.  It’s a rebuild.  From the ground up, top to bottom, brand-spankin’ new.  What has changed is the way that people will edit movies with this software.  Gone is the timeline.  Say hello to snippets and “skimming” (which is a cool feature, regardless of how new the interface is).

The question is, did Apple make a mistake with this redesign.  If you frequent Apple fan sites, you might think so.  After reading and listening to much debate, I’d have to disagree.  This is not their top-level professional program.  That distinction is left to Final Cut.  It’s designed for the consumer, the average consumer, the one that wants to quickly throw together a video or two and show their friends and family (or the whole world if they upload it to YouTube).  This is what I mainly use it for as well, although from time to time, I’ll get a little crazy with the Cheez Whiz.

After looking at the time it takes me to set up a normal clip in iMovie HD versus what it could take me to set one up in ‘08, I think I’ll take the plunge, letting the pieces fall where they may.  If nothing else, it’s taking a fresh look at an “old” process and possibly making it a better one.  Ain’t progress grand?

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

iPhone Review #68,998

A little more than a month ago I purchased my “dream phone”, a 4GB iPhone and have been impressed on a daily basis by what I am able to do with it.  When the iPhone was first announced in January of this year, I began to salivate over the possibility of a phone that I might actually like, let alone one that would be easy to use.  Before I get into the review, I’d like to take a brief trip down memory lane…

I remember it like it was yesterday.
I was one of the few that stood in line on launch day to get their hands, or at least lay their eyes upon this mythical device.  After an hour in line, I walked out of my local AT&T store clutching my loot like it was pure gold.  From the moment I opened the box, I was amazed.

Apple always seems to nail the little things, the small details that most take for granted.  I however,  seem to relish these miniscule items and am in awe of them with each product I buy.  After lifting up the iPhone boxes cover I sat, dazed looking at the shiny jewel that laid before me.

Nestled in it’s acrylic tray, like a Rolex or fine piece of jewelry, the iPhone was ready to be activated.  Underneath the phone and tray, Apple had neatly packed a slimmed-down AC adapter, USB/20-pin connector, and a mounting dock.  Oh yeah, I seem to remember an instruction pamphlet in there as well. 

After pressing the sleep/wake button, I placed the phone into it’s dock and began the activation process.  Again, a wave of awe as I enjoyed activation from the comfort of my desk chair as opposed to standing around in a wireless store waiting for the dots to be connected.

Once the activation had been taken care of it was time to sync and customize the phone, again a seamless process.  After talking to a friend that had recently activated a phone with Sprint, I found out that it took him almost a half an hour to format an image correctly so it could be used with the caller id.  I told him that it had taken me a minute to do the same thing with the iPhone.  That was almost the end of our conversation.

Day-to-day use.  How does it stack up.
The iPhone is the first smartphone that I’ve owned so I can’t compare it to anything else on the market.  I will say that before I bought it, I did look at offerings from Palm and Blackberry, but just didn’t like the way that they worked.  I also didn’t like the interface setup, which is a huge selling point for me.

I can say without hesitation that having a device that allows me to stay connected to the people that I need to be connected to at all times is a great feeling, especially when trying to get a business off the ground.  I have sent many e-mails from the passenger seat of our car as my wife, son, and I drive down the interstate.  As a phone, it rocks.  As an e-mail device, it rocks.  As an iPod, it rocks.

Shortcomings and glaring issues.
As much as a “fanboy” that I am, I do have a few items that I’d like to see improved on the iPhone, preferrably by a software update or two.  The first item is the calendar application.  I have waited a long time to be able to sync iCal with a device as seamlessly as I can sync with the iPhone, however not all of iCal’s features show through on the phone.  I wish there would be the ability to have multiple calendars on the phone as there are within iCal.  Also, the ability to add meeting attendees and integrate contact information and address mapping would be a great benefit.

The other main item that I wish was different is the e-mail application.  A bulk delete/move feature would be well-used as would the ability to add new folders to an IMAP account (such as Archive and Action Items).  The camera could use some improvement to, but just having a camera on me at all times is a benefit that I didn’t have before.

Does it live up to the hype?
From someone who didn’t think that Apple would make a phone in the first place, this device suites my needs to a “T”.  I look forward to getting many years of use out of it and hope Apple is able to continue to innovate with other products similar to the iPhone.