Would you lease a software?

Not you as a private person. Your company or, better, your own company.

Typical interaction between a software provider and a consumer often belongs to one of the following ways:

1. Provider sells you a Box, you pay big bucks. Provider is happy.

2. Provider sells you a set of Boxes ("licences") and a expensive service contract, you pay very big bucks first and some bucks later. Provider is happy for a time.

3. Provider crafts a Software suited to your needs (at least promulgates it) and ties you with the maintenance service. You pay huge bucks now and big bucks for a while.

But a business never needs a software. Because it is not an asset. It is just a tool. And a specific tool can be utilized only by a specific professional. For example a wholesale FMCG company needs some furniture for its office. Does it need a saw and a hammer? No! It doesn't need even a carpenter who uses these tools to make tables and cabinets. It needs furniture.

In the cases "1" and "2" above a software provider sells me "saws" and "hammers". The last case gives me the desired service but for enormous price - it is rarely justified. And in every case I pay first and take all risks of later tool (software) use, efficiency and ROI. Why?! Because the current software market is a seller's market.

Aside from software - what tools do I buy for my company? That are proved to be used for a reasonable time by my staff for my primary business activities. For the rest I lease them or even order a professional service. For example: I am a wholesale company. Do I need a shiny box titled "SuperDuperCRM version 1.2.3 configuration XYZ" for my business? No, I need an up-to-date CRM system tailored to my current requirements (no more). While I interact with a large customer base (no longer). I.e. I need a service. And I ready to pay for the service at the rate I consume it. Obvious?

For every other subject it is obvious. We know - it's better to pay later. But for software we waste our money for shiny cartons. A hurtful habit.

So the question is neither technical nor financial. It is rather psychological. And the answer relies on habits. And (if the answer is "no") its change will boost software service market. All the current SaaS (software as a service) media buzz is because of it.

Tao Ma's IC inspired

The gadget is just a learning tool. But a similar device could be a glass to read between lines. You direct the device to a thing, the device requests the thing, it replies. And a "how-to" icon about the thing is displayed.

Bracelet cell phone calls you gently

Bracelet cellphone - an inexhaustible theme for designer exercises. Just a short glimpse over the Web:

liteon 2006 by Tao Ma

STM phone by Nikolas Nicolaou

On Time headset by Pedro Gomes

Strapup phone bracelet by Nokia

All these devices capture your attention to an incoming call in the same way - they vibrate. It is so easy to miss such a vibration in a day buzz. Even if the phone is in your pocket. And this noisy behavior of the elegant jewel is rude and irritating. The bracelet braces a wrist, what should it do on an incoming call?

It should squeeze your hand gently.

Problem - type while walking

To use a notebook computer you have to seat down. Then you can type. The same difficulty is for sliding qwerty compacts such as OQO.

But often you are standing or even walking. And wanting to write a note, to schedule an appointment or to record a contact. And there are no time or appropriate place around to seat, to unpack a laptop and to open it. The only working solution is a touch screen PDA and a stylus. Left hand hold the device, right hand write with the stylus. But again, scribing is slow and screen keyboard is terrible to use. Well, there are things like the kangaroo laptop holder, but this is usable in rare situations only.

Any ideas?

One-button mobile phone for children

Mobile communications for children. A worry point for parents - babies are to be in touch. A sweet piece for mobile operators and phone manufacturers - children are not fully captured by the business and can consume more traffic. So - the classic design exercise: mobile phone for children. It must be:

1. Suitable for users (very young people): simple, pretty, light, tough and safe;
2. Suitable for owners (very nervous parents): controlled, reliable and cheap.

The common root for all these properties is: being simple.

So - the small rounded rectangle with a single button: "Call". The idea of such a minimalistic one- or two-button communication Device is not new. Moreover it is actively exploited, especially as an emergency device - you press the button and the phone will connect you to the call-center. The proposed idea core is to adapt the Device class to the specific use.

• Shape and size. There are two size limitations: length (for the antenna to work) and volume (for the battery to store energy). Device length can be 8 cm (wavelength quarter) or even smaller for 900 MHz GSM - quite compact. Battery feeds just a transmitter - there are no bright displays or powerful CPUs, so its capacity (and volume) could be small. I suppose a small rounded brick would be the best shape - it can be pleasant, easy to personalize (important for youngs) and simple to manufacture. The Device housing should be cast solid - no holes, sockets or detachable parts. Thus enough durability, water-, dust- and dirt-proofness will be achieved. So even the battery can have no packaging therefore saving weight and manufacturing cost. To avoid SIM-card manipulations the SIM chip have to be integrated into the Device. The speaker and the microphone should use a surface membrane, thus eliminating garbage collecting holes.
  

• Controls. A button "Call the parent" - call a programmed number. The same button is used to hang up. Slightly advanced model can have several call buttons - for a specific number each. If the programmed number calls, the appropriate button will blink. For a rectangle case the best button shape is rectangle too. Ordered in a single column along the main axis of the Device face.

• Power supply (charger). No sockets. A short-length wireless inductive power transmission should be used (a split electric transformer). Field shape design, relatively low frequency and device sensor make this approach safe enough. Also this EM link acts as a communication medium (see below). It should be a "base station" to drop the Device for charging.

• Communication. Again - no sockets. The primary medium to control and program the Device is a contact-less base station. It is wired to the mains for power, optionally - to a computer. And - to a parent mobile phone via Bluetooth to program and control.

• Programming. To assign a phone number to a button and to free a button. To accept or reject unidentified calls. The simplest way ("call me") is:
  A parent dials the device number -
  - The Device detects the calling number and rings, all free buttons blink -
  - Press a blinking button; the calling number will be assigned to the button.

  More complex approach is an (Java) application for a parent mobile phone. The application connects the Device base station via Bluetooth and later - the Device itself via an proprietary power link protocol (see Power supply). The application uses an unique security code (such as SIM PIN code) to access the Device.

  In the last case the Device is programmed by the mobile network operator remotely. A parent uses the operator web interface to request a programming task and the operator does the job via SMS or so.

• Personalization. The Device has a simple and solid shape with flat sides. This makes it suitable to be decorated. The membrane "call" buttons could be signed by a pen and a thick soft transparent rectangle (provided with the Device) could be glued over to make a customized button.

• Service. The device have to be locked to a mobile network operator. Sure the operator will offer dedicated group tariffs for parents and children with the Devices. The Device can guess its location using network cell data (to avoid an extra GPS receiver). And the Device should track is it with the child or not (using location tags or a simple electric capacitance measurement). Parents are informed about this by SMS or by an operator location service and a Java application for a parent's phone.

Safety. The device is deeply personalized. A stealth biometric authentication (such as one being developed by Apple) pushes the personalization even more. Also the Device is so cheap that there are no reason to steal it or even to robber. So it is safer for children. Simplicity and tough construction make the Device not breakable. So accidental injury risk is less.

Network operator side. Because there isn't a SIM-card, the Devices are sold with a pre-programmed phone number. Because of the users nature, the Devices will be lost frequently. Thus many phone numbers are wasted. But these numbers can be reused fast - only the parents know the actual Device phone number so no one will call the lost Device.

The Device should observe some of common earlier proposed location tags: classroom, gym, theater, etc. So there won't be loud rings in a class.

The Device could be good and simple for parents. I.e. for money payers. I.e. could be sold in tons even in drug-stores.

Largest laptop problem - time to get it working

I bet that the most annoying misfeature of virtually every laptop is the start up time. Rolling out and connecting the power supply wires to a wall socket, waiting for OS to start requires about ... minutes. Even taking it from a bag takes some time. It hurts much operative style of mobile computing.

This is why PDAs are much superior to a conventional notebook PC in a mean of accessibility.

Let imagine a mobile computer that does not suffer from such a deficiency. First of all it have to be built from zero time start components. No HDD to spin up, but SSD. No back lit TFT display, but a passive display like e-paper. Low power consumption especially in sleeping mode. It permits to work on battery instead of mains power. And to use such a "hibernation" mode (instead of switching the computer off) and get it later on in a second.

For me the best existing creatures for this case are HTC Advantage and Shift models though I'm not a fun of their Microsoft internals.

Location tags for mobile phone

For a long time mobile phones have "profiles" for different environment situations. These "profiles" include ring type and volume, screen brightness and similar tunings for comfortable use in the specific situation. But you have to switch profiles manually - that makes them being a feature of little use. So there should be a way for the phone to guess the environment. Or the environment should tell it.

The most obvious way is to install small beacons that transmit fixed messages such as "here is an office room". These beacons or "location tags" have to be cheap, reliable and working for a long time without any maintenance. The simplest method to transmit the tag message seems to be Bluetooth. The transmission power should be low to to limit the tagging zone size and to save energy. In this case any modern mobile phone can be used - just install the appropriate software. A phone receives a tag message about the location and acts according to the phone configuration for the location. It may obey the tag unconditionally or prompt the phone owner.

Several tag types proposed from the scratch:

Tag type	Meaning	Location	Working distance	Priority	Shape	Power source
"with me", "street"	the phone is in a pocket or clipped to the belt	worn	low	lowest	belt clip, key chain pendant, button	electrodynamic (from walk shake), electrothermal (from body warmth), button cell
"bag"	the phone is in the bag (especially useful for women)	in/on the bag	lowest	higher than "with me"	detachable pendant, button, sticker	electrodynamic (from walk shake), solar cell (if the tag is located outside the bag), button cell
"room"	living room, office, classroom, theater, etc	fixed on a wall or a furniture in the room	large (use several tags to cover the whole compartment)	high	sticker, pass-through plug to a wall socket	solar cell (uses the room illumination), a wall electric socket (power mains, computer network, phone - the tag is transparent for the transmission, it just seal some energy)

Tag meaning can be programmed. So as the tag is just a tag, and the phone is told to recognize it in a specific way.

Tags can be sold by retail stores in sets of different tag types. These end-user tags have to be linked with the phone by the owner. For other phones they are meaningless. There are also possible commonly recognized tags: theatre/church, cafe, classroom, gym, etc. These tags could be silently scattered in appropriate sites by a vendor or an operator. Such a guerrilla marketing.

Really these tags could be useful for any wearable gadget that behaves location-specific.

What is this blog for

Well, from time to time every properly operating brain produces some ideas. Not related to your current job or even life. Some of them looks neat. Some of the last could have a real world application. And often it's not so easy to throw them away in a favor to daily vital doings. This looks like a feel of a young boy, who walked around, occasionally poke up a pebble and encountered a big window. The shining glass surface and the stone in his hand are becoming tied by some vibrant link that is asking spitefully: "throw it to the window, break it!" It is not so good.

The best way to get rid of a thought is to write it. Sure not every came idea. But one that seems implementable, useful and interesting. There will be no looks for analogs, though I'll thank if someone point me to them. No efficiency analysis, market demand research or ROI calculations. But I'll try to present these ideas as useful for people and (maybe) for designers and industry. Let someone other to get a soldering iron and to make the thing solid.

Note these postings are public but not public domain. They are copyrighted by the fact of publication.