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The more these guys let us mix and match these channels, the more likely they'll still be around when the music stops.
Take a small recent event: Facebook's launch of an update for their application which runs on the BlackBerry.
Importantly, they dropped the button that lets you digitally poke people - my, did that idea get old quickly.
But they also did something clever. Now, users found that their Facebook messages also appeared in their email program.
This wasn't that unusual, since instant messages on services like Google Talk also appeared there.
But this Facebook thing was a bit of a first. And a bit of a historic moment, I suspect, in the evolution of all this web stuff.
First a bit of history. We all started out with email. That was how we communicated online.
We had work email. And home email.
Then instant messaging.
Then SMS or texting came along.
Then Facebook, Friendster, LinkedIn, orkut, twitter, Skype etc etc etc.
Now we have dozens of what we could call channels that we use to communicate with our friends, colleagues, relatives and enemies.
In the classes I teach, some students have about a dozen different windows open at the same time. And they have a couple of phones on the go too.
It looks messy, but actually it makes perfect sense to these people.
Email is obviously where most of us over the age of 25 do most of our communicating online.
Facebook is where a lot of people under the age do it.
Both are sorts of "clearing houses" for all our communicating.
People over the age of 25 use Facebook for communicating with intimate friends in a different way.
Or different people in an intimate way.
I've noticed Facebook users - at least in my sector - share information that is the sort of things they'd share in postcards, or at cocktail parties, or in once-a-year letters.
Facebook for them is less a clearing house than a posting house.
But then there's all the other channels.
Instant messaging is for stuff that can't wait - either because it's important or it's too inane to waste an email on.
Texting is usually for geographically specific stuff - just landed, home in an hour. Buy broccoli.
SMS cuts through all the clutter.
But the point is this: We have quickly adapted these channels to our needs, and those needs may vary, but for us they're specific, and they each have their own purpose.
There are some people I'd never SMS. And some people I'd message on Facebook that I'd never email. Some people I'd Skype but I'd never actually call.
Sounds bizarre, maybe, but it's just a reflection of the complex social webs we weave.
Which brings me back to Facebook on a Blackberry.
It might seem daft to have so many different channels, if actually they all are controlled from our email.
But the origin of each message is clearly marked. Our channels align but don't merge.
In other words, we keep all the channels we want, to reflect the complexity of our world and the kind of communications we have in it.
But if any company is going to be successful in the long term in this world, they'll have to allow those channels to be merged.
We want to keep our separate channels, but we don't want to have fiddle with them. For example, I may prefer to communicate with some people via Facebook - casual updates, a birthday wish, a picture that makes me realize they've just had twins - but not establish a long email exchange.
Twitter is an obvious reflection of this.
Some report suggested that people are signing up for it, but not twittering themselves.
So Twitter isn't a success?
No. It is. It's just a different form of communication.
Just like I might hold forth at a party and have everyone rapt by my tale-telling - it has happened, really - so do people follow the interesting, the outgoing, the prolific, on Twitter.
That they're passive in that doesn't matter. They're there.
It's another channel.
Twitter is a news channel for some people, an update channel for others, a lifeline for others, a distraction for others. The more channels we have, the more we'll find ways of using them.
The companies that get this and make it easy for us to use them in the myriad ways we haven't even dreamed of yet, will still be around to pick up the big bucks that, one day, will start to fall.
(c) 2009 Loose Wire Pte Ltd

If you're seeking a new smartphone in Indonesia, you might be considering a certain product from Nokia, Samsung, RIM or HTC - to name a few. But now there's another alternative worth trying: An Acer smartphone.

What?! Yes, that's right. Following a global launch in Barcelona earlier this year, Acer - the Taiwan-based company that is the third largest computer manufacturer in the world (by sales) after HP and Dell Inc. - is launching in Indonesia four smartphones called the Acer Tempo Smartphone Series. The devices will be distributed here through an agreement between the Acer Smart Handheld Business Group and PT Golden Victory Indonesia.

According to Kama Kahar, director of business development and strategic partnerships for the Smart Handheld Business Group, following the acquisition of ETEN and the creation of the Smart Handheld Business Group in 2008, the computer giant set out to demonstrate its commitment to providing mobile solutions across a range of products, from netbooks to smartphones.

"We are confident about entering the Indonesian market," he told The Jakarta Post at a dinner meeting in Jakarta last week.

"Acer smartphones will be offered through all Acer computer outlets here, so we can deliver high-quality after-sales service to our customers."

Targeting business-oriented and technology-savvy people, Acer Tempo smartphones run on the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system and are equipped with the new Acer UI 2.0. And especially for Indonesia's market, the smartphone comes with a pre-installed IDX Mobile application that enables you to monitor stock market movements on the go.

DX900: One device, two SIM cards

Acer claims the DX 900 (priced at Rp 6 million) is the world's first-dual SIM and dual-stand Windows Mobile smartphone supporting 3G and 2G networks. As well as addressing the needs of the many Indonesian consumers who have more than one SIM card, this capability is also ideal for frequent business travelers who can take advantage of it by using one SIM card for their home country and a local SIM when traveling abroad.

Powered by Windows Mobile 6.1 for Pocket PC Phone Edition and Samsung S3C 6400 mobile processor (533 MHz), this device has 128 MB SDRAM for user applications and storage and a 256 MB flash memory for the operating system and embedded applications.

Its CMOS camera offers 3 mega pixels auto-focus with LED flash, up to 2048 x 1536 and VGA resolution fixed-focus front camera for video calls and a display with 2.8 inch VGA TFT LCD touch screen, 640 x 480 pixel resolution and 65,536 colors

X960: Compact and slim

Do you need more than one device to organize your life on the go? No, Acer says. Designed for people who expect everything from their phone, the sleek Acer X960 (Rp 5.5 million) is the quintessential all-purpose performer. Running on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, X960 is equipped with a Samsung SC3 6410 533 MHz Processor with one DRAM and 256 MB flash ROM, 128 MB SDRAM, and offers widget-based navigation, making it ideal for quick access to online needs.

The X960 comes with preloaded software including Microsoft Office Outlook Mobile, Microsoft Office Word Mobile, Microsoft Office Excel Mobile, Microsoft Office PowerPoint Mobile;, MSN Messenger, Microsoft Transcriber, Windows Media Player 10 and Microsoft Reader (depending on the region).

As for its camera, this device has a 3.2 mega pixels auto-focus CMOS camera - up to 2048 x 1536 resolution - and 0.3 mega pixels fixed-focus CMOS camera for video telephony usage. You can enjoy any pictures you take in its 2.8 inch, 640 x 480 (VGA), 65,536-color, TFT-LCD display.

F900: Instant access to the Net

The F900 (Rp 6.5 million) has a new easy-to-use touch keyboard and new user interface. Users can enjoy the pre-loaded Google services - having the Internet in your pocket. Running on genuine Windows Mobile 6.1, this device has HSDPA, HSUPA, GSM/EDGE, GPRS/EGPRS, WLAN and Bluetooth connection capability.

Its camera offers 3.2 mega pixel resolution with auto focus and display with a 3.8 inch WVGA TFT LCD touch screen, 480 x 800 pixel resolution, 65,536 colors. The device's multimedia features include pictures & videos, camera/camcorder, album, streaming player and media player.

M900: Secure management device

Don't worry about data security. This device looks to be aimed at the business user, boasting a full QWERTY keyboard - with a sliding physical keyboard, fingerprint sensor and also sporting a bunch of multimedia goodness. An embedded biometric fingerprint sensor - so you don't need passwords or logins - secures the device and simplifies password maintenance.

The M900 sports a 5 mega pixel auto-focus camera with flashlight, up to 2560 x 1920 resolution and a huge 3.8 inch 800x480 flush screen. Just like other smartphones, the M900 (Rp 6.5 million) allows access to all contacts and files through synchronization with a notebook or desktop computer.

Will these devices be able to compete in an open market such as Indonesia? There are many robust business-oriented phones out there - Nokia's ESeries, RIM's BlackBerry or Samsung's Omnia, for example - so it will be interesting to see how the computer giant deals with the smartphone market and users.[via]

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