paoknow

Jan27

Thoughts on new Apple iPad

Posted at 10:26 PM • One Comment

Apple CEO Steve Jobs introducing the iPad

Typing on an Apple iPad

Well, “it” finally happened. Take a deep breath and say the new mantra: “iPad.” I guarantee most people will be a bit disappointed with Apple, but I am not that surprised by what it has and doesn’t have. Just like the iPhone, it will come in versions with added capabilities. Here are my initial reactions:

First reaction: no built-in camera. This will piss off so many people who wanted to video chat with the iPad. For the military this means no video teleconferencing on this first version. I predict though that Apple will release a later version that will include a camera. It’s just the way they do business. They are not going to give you the whole enchilada on the first go.
iBook app will be HUGE. Most people saw this coming. The way you can read books on the iPad will destroy the Kindle and any other eReader out there. Kids will no longer need backpacks. The paperless society begins now.
Gaming will change forever. All games on the iPad are by touch and everyone company will have to follow suit to stay competitive. The days of controllers are seriously numbered now.
iPad will replace many laptops. Many people were concerned about how they would type on the iPad. Well you either type on the iPad itself (on the go) or you can connect an external keyboard to with a kickstand. The touch factor though is what will really cause normal laptops to collect dust in department stores. Also expect a speech-to-text app from Apple to do away with typing all together.
TV, Radio and Newspapers are in trouble. Not too big a surprise here either. With the WiFi, 3G options available on the iPad, all forms of traditional media will be able to be viewed or experienced in a unique way on the new iPad. Major media companies who don’t develop iPad versions of their product will be stung.
Just a peek of what’s yet to come. There are a ton of features that people hoped the iPad would have, and I can already hear the whining as I’m typing this, “It’s not a phone,” “there’s no camera,” “it’s too small,” “it’s too expensive, etc… But like I said, Apple will release many versions of this and slowly add the things that people are begging for.

All in all, for the biggest winner I see for the initial iPad is education. Teaching, learning, reading, writing, creating will change drastically because of this device. I can see universities competing for admissions by offering iPads to incoming students. Every school book on the iPad? Libraries…it was nice knowing you…

Leave a comment about the new iPad, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Jan24

Will the Apple tablet make a mark in the military?

Posted at 9:42 PM • No Comments

Apple's biggest rumor

So, this week on January 27th, the moment we all have been waiting for will finally be here. Apple’s CEO and messiah in blue jeans, Steve Jobs, will step out on a dark-lit stage and do something that he has done over and over in his life: change the world…well… at least the computing world.

Anyone with with a tech pulse knows that the unveiling of the so-called “tablet” device will be announced and finally put to rest all the rumors that have been floating around the internet water fountain. It seems that the form factor of the device is the smallest issue in relation to what this storied slap of microchips will actually do. The fact that I work in the military, I naturally have been kicking around in my head if a tablet device is something that could benefit the military enough to implement on a large scale.

The military from my experience does not mass purchase anything unless it will increase productivity and mission accomplishment on a significant scale. So I’ve compiled a short list of some of the top rumored features of the Apple tablet and how it could be integrated into everyday military operations.

All Multimedia integration and synchronization. When I say ALL I mean ALL. If this rumor is true, and assuming you can get a data plan, then TV stations (AFN), online video, radio, audio, powerpoint slideshows, word documents, books, magazines, newspapers (Stars & Stripes), manuals and graphics can be streamed, saved and shared simultaneously on this device. It would virtually create a paperless military where printers would no longer be necessary. Trees would be saved. Video teleconferencing would be available anytime on-the-go. No more 50-page slide handouts. No more physical document routing. No more hard copy books or manuals for training, and email could be phased out by simply using texting apps. Huge cost savings here.
Improved touch interface and face recognition. For military purposes, this could allow more secure logins by adding fingerprint and face recognition software to go along with pins, passwords and smartcards.
More secure operating system. It is no secret that the Mac OS is less hackable than Windows. Though it would not completely replace Windows PCs in the military, it would add a diversity of systems that would lead to a more secure computing environment overall. A virus can only be written to infect one OS.
All-in-one form factor. The tablet in some areas of the military would replace desktops and laptops since it is rumored that the tablet will have the ability to plug in a keyboard and mouse. A warfighter would take this from their desk, throw it in their Humvee (with a protective cover), use the integrated GPS with battle tracking software, then he could report to his commander through a video call, all with one device. Again, huge cost savings by integrating so many functions into one tablet.
iPhone sycnronization. This is going off my hunch that the iPhone will takeover the Blackberry as the main military phone device. Coupled with an iPhone, the tablet or a Mac could share and sync ANY file, not just emails and their attachments like a Blackberry. This would make for an irresistible one-two punch for military efficiency.

Did I leave something out? Let me know. Tell me simply what you think about this proposition. If this new tablet is as revolutionary as all the rumors are saying, why wouldn’t the military want to jump on board? The security and efficiency factors of this device are hard to ignore.

On a side note, before I started this post I quickly Googled “apple, tablet, military.” Interesting enough, it seems there is a tech company called Xplore Technologies that has designed a tablet specifically for military use. You can check it our here.

It seems the military does want a tablet. When Apple announces theirs on January 27th, will Xplore still be on the negotiating table? Only time and a new tablet will tell…

Jan21

The Best Military Magazine of All Time

Posted at 11:11 AM • No Comments

ECHO Magazine Winter 2010

One of the major products that my public affairs office produces is a biannual magazine. I have to say for an office of four guys we have really outdone ourselves with this latest edition of the 5th Signal Command ECHO Magazine. Since my pride is overflowing, I am dubbing it “The Best Military Magazine of All Time.” Judge for yourself by viewing it here and let me know what you think about it by leaving a comment on this post.

We are keeping our fingers crossed for the upcoming Keith L. Ware Public Affairs Communications Competition

Larry, Jon, Edgar – We hit an aesthetic homerun with this one. You guys rock!

Jan16

Work Video: 44th ESB validates signal equipment

Posted at 8:47 AM • 2 Comments

Here’s a video I shot and produced on Jan. 12. It was super cold so my words kept coming out numb! The Soldiers interviewed great and I am looking forward to visiting them again.

44th ESB validates equipment for deployment from USA 5th Signal Command on Vimeo.

Jan12

Apple trying to make “net” gains in the military

Posted at 1:08 AM • 2 Comments

Apple in the military matrix

So, today I was in a meeting with some account executives from Apple.

Before I go any further with this post, I will admit up front and personal that I am a huge fan of Apple products. I’m writing this blog from my Macbook right now, and every key stroke rocks. There, I got the fanboy part out of the way so now I can tell you what happened.

Working in public affairs for a signal command I have had the pleasure of meeting with Apple folks on a couple of occasions. Our IT guys know I’m interested in Apple and always give me an invite when Apple is in town.

The bottom line for the visit was to probe our computer gurus on how we could get some Macs put on our military network here in Europe. While the military has purchased Macs for offline work, like the stuff I do in public affairs with photo, video and graphic editing, the topic of introducing Macs on the military’s Global Information Grid has always is a very hard sell. Most military IT folks are 98.999999% involved with the Windows platform and all its intricacies that the thought of bringing on a completely new platform like Apple is frankly hairsplitting for them.

As a public affairs guy in a room full of IT folks, I am just the customer or benefactor. As much as I or anyone else in our command would love to have a shiny iMac sitting on our desks, it is the IT guys that are ultimately responsible for the maintenance, troubleshooting, accreditation, security, and burden of supporting a new kid on the network block.

Some of the main points that the execs brought up were that introducing Apple on the military networks will provide a diversity of systems that lends to greater network security in case of a virus or the like. Macs are widely known to be less “hackable” but the argument is always because there are so few on the “waves” to be hacked compared to the lionshare that Microsoft currently enjoys. Another point they made was that the sheer ease of use, enjoyment and beautiful interface of a Mac will boost morale among servicemembers during the work day compared to a PC. I can personally say, “amen” to that, but I digress.

Both of these points were soon lost among our IT crowd when several key issues were brought up. The first major isssue is dealing with our Outlook .pst files that store all of our precious gold-like emails. From what I gathered, there is no native solution on a Mac that can read a .pst file. A third-party paid application must be used to make .pst file jive with a Mac. Then you throw in the next issue that deals with syncing the slew of Blackberries that so many of us in our unit use to a Mac, and when you couple that with the Outlook .pst issue then you’ve got, well…issues.

Another hot topic was the support and training for the Apple OS (Operating System). The execs had a few solutions to get some our IT guys trained on the OS, but I feel like they didn’t have a structured, deliberate and well-thought out plan that the military demands of its endeavors. The IT guys did not seem thrilled with the prospect of having to learn a new OS when they are gainfully employed with Windows. A fantastic suggestion from one of our technicians is to have the military’s IT schoolhouse in Fort Gordon, Ga. train Soldiers on the Mac OS alongside learning the Windows OS. That way, when and if Macs do start coming on our network playground, the IT Soldiers fresh out of Advanced Individual Training (AIT) will have a working knowledge of how to support their customers who are using Macs. I think a “pony up” move for Apple would be to pay for some of the training. This would definitely show that they are serious about supporting their cause.

The cost issue was also brought up. Many in the room felt that Macs are simply too expensive for our unit to get the most bang for our buck. I do think here the Apple execs did a good job of explaining that while it is true the hardware does cost a little more on initial purchase, the customer will save money in the long run on what they called, “total cost of ownership.” This means that their view that Macs are more stable and less prone to software and hardware malfunction means the maintenance costs will be a drastically lowered.

There were a few other topics, but I pretty much covered the deal-breaker issues of the conversation. The execs were very friendly, straightforward and did not try to pull the wool over our eyes about anything. They simply said that they want Apple to be usable option for military computing, nothing more, nothing less. Now here’s my two cents on Apple in the military.

I relate it to the M16 rifle. The military has been testing new weapons to augment or replace the M16 for several years. It still hasn’t happened. You would imagine that it would not be difficult to find or create a rifle that could out-fire and out-class the age-old M16. A rifle has very few parts and even less moving parts: a stock, a bolt, a charger, a magazine, rounds: fire.

Now compare that scenario with trying to bring on a new computer system onto the military network. I imagine though that once a new rifle is procured that the takeover will happen quite swiftly. But with Apple, it will a very slow, very complicated process that will take a lot of top brass urging to get it going.

In closing, even I as a furvent supporter of Apple products in my private life have a hard time dealing with the following question:

What heavyweight IT solutions can Apple bring to the military table that can’t already be provided by a Windows computer?

The cool factor is not lost on anybody, especially not me, and the diversity of systems is compelling, but if I step outside myself and look at day-to-day military operations, having a Mac at my desk won’t do much more that put a huge smile on my face. But I like to smile.

To me, the success of Apple in the military will probably not come from the possible solutions that a Mac can bring. The success will come from something or somethings a little smaller and little more “mobile.”

Yes, it starts with an “i”.

Jan8

New Years Reception in Mannheim

Posted at 12:28 AM • No Comments

Jan6

Cameras in military public affairs

Posted at 12:53 AM • 3 Comments

Photo courtesy of defense.gov

So it’s start of the new year in my public affairs office and the brainstorming has already begun as to how we can get more versatile and robust in our story coverage. The main theme that kept coming up is that we need to able to take good photos and video at a moment’s notice where ever we are, at all times. I can’t count how many times I’ve either been in a conversation or a situation or location where I thought, “Man I wish I had my work camera on me right now.” Or even worse, the general comes by and says, “Why didn’t you have your camera?” You know it has happened to you too.

Our shop is relatively small, we have a total of four counting yours truly, and more and more the demand for both photo and video coverage is mounting. According to our military training, two of us are photo guys, one is a video guy and the other is a graphics guy. I can shoot the heck out of a SLR camera such the military standard Nikon D1, D300, etc., and our video guy can rock and roll with those large DV and DVCAM video cameras. Both of us can fumble our way using the other, and sometimes one guy has to go out for a story or event taking both a still and video camera with him. This does not lead to good coverage.

First of all a still camera kit normally includes a big, hefty camera body, two or three lenses, a flash, extra batteries, a cleaning kit, a charger, extra memory cards, extra filters, and a nice-sized bag to hold it all. A video camera kit has a huge camera, a huge tripod, huge batteries, microphones, a light, and huge bags to lug it all around. Carrying around this load to get still and video footage is counterproductive, expensive and killing my back.

Don’t get me wrong, the quality and size we can capture with these cameras is off the charts, but I can’t remember the last time I REALLY needed that 10,000 megabyte ultra raw uncompressed shot so I could blow it up and hang it on a freeway (or autobahn) billboard. The majority of our still shots are used for the internet or newspapers and don’t go past four megabytes, and even those are only used for special projects or magazine covers for example. Beyond that, it is simply not convenient to always lug a camera kit everywhere I go so I don’t miss something.

Video cameras are even worse. You really can’t lug those around everywhere, so you only see them brought out to cover a pre-scheduled event or story. In this day and age with video becoming the most popular medium, it is crucial that public affairs offices have a solution to capture much more video, at a moments notice, where ever they may be. So here’s where I get to the point of this blog entry:

LARGE STILL AND VIDEO CAMERAS MUST DIE

There I said it, got if off my chest…feel much better now.

If you’ve read my first blog entry,PAO in the 21st Century, you will see that I say such and such MUST DIE in public affairs. I say that because in my opinion we cannot move forward and get better at what we do unless we break away from away from our traditional methods of PA and try something new. Technology these days is about pushing the boundaries of possibility.

I advocate that a good solution is to look into purchasing what is being called, “the dual camera.” The dual camera can shoot still and videos at high quality, even HD quality. And they are your typical point and shoot compact cameras that you would take with you on a vacation. I think you will see a slew of dual cameras hitting the market in 2010, since many of the top camera brands have already released a few models last year.

With technology allowing more and more features and capabilities to be stuffed into compact devices, the PAO can only benefit from this. With the dual camera, I can always have it in my pocket ready to capture anything that crosses my path. I can conduct an on-camera interview in HD and then turn around and snap a few shots of the action from one to 12 megabytes. Another point to make is that you will get more bang for your buck because you could buy one of these for everyone in your shop and it would still be less than buying one still or video camera kit.

My final point is that this solution will add a layer of versatility to public affairs that has never been there before. No they won’t take as good of shots or video, but with the dual camera you will never miss a shot again, ever, and that in my book is the deal breaker. Besides if you really need your huge cameras, they will still be in your office closet anyway, right? Happy shopping.

Jan2