By Joe Puckett, director of recruiting and training at PC Helps

The Rave:
One of the ongoing frustrations with the iPad has been that, for a mobile device, it has been extremely dependent on being attached to a traditional computer through a wire. The most frustrating evidence of this was that there was no way to do the initial set up on an iPad except through a wired connection to a computer running iTunes. Quite time consuming if you are provisioning dozens of iPads. Day-to-day synchronizations, updates and imports were also wire-centric.

That all changes with iOS 5. Wireless activation and iTunes Wi-Fi sync go a long way towards making an otherwise delightful device capable of going it alone.

Part 2 in the series: Cutting the Cord with iOS 5.

The Rant:
Today’s forecast — cloudy. Tomorrow’s forecast — even cloudier. Google wants your data in their cloud. Amazon wants your data in their cloud. Microsoft wants your data in their cloud. With iOS 5, Apple makes an offer of putting your data in their cloud that you have to actively refuse if you don’t want it there. You want to back up the data on all these iPads, don’t you? Well, then, just accept the default of backing up through iCloud and all your problems melt away. What? You have security concerns about having a big company like Apple (or Google, Amazon or Microsoft) handle the security of your data? You think the HIPAA people or whatever compliance body governs your industry expects you to take personal responsibility for the security of that data? You will never get to be an IT cool kid thinking that way.

The Conclusion:
That iOS 5 enables the iPad to be more of a standalone device definitely moves it in the direction of being enterprise-worthy. That the default for using that newfound independence includes keeping data that may be proprietary, sensitive or regulated in the cloud may rub up against a corporate sore spot.

***

Read Part 1 in the series: iOS 5 is like going to the gym — no pain, no gain.

About the author: Joe Puckett is PC Helps’ director of recruiting and training. He grooms the talent here, and creates our internal and client-facing corporate training courses. A 15-year PC Helps veteran, Joe is the one to ask if you ever have a software question.

It was a 20-slide beast of pasted-in Word tables, slapdash formatting, and more than a dozen randomly customized slide masters. She was frustrated.

“If you get an alarmist virus warning message, don’t click anywhere. Seriously, DON’T CLICK ANYWHERE AT ALL. Instead, hit Control+Alt+Delete on your keyboard, select the Task Manager, Applications tab, and force quit the Internet Explorer or Firefox browser application. Restart your computer, tap F8 repeatedly when you see the Windows splash screen, choose System Restore, and select Last Known Good Configuration. If you’re lucky it will work.”

It’s a little verbose, but I’ve had to repeat it so often I’m seriously considering it.

When I read a recent piece on Gigaom about Google’s new Teach Parents Tech site, the idea made complete sense to me.

The service allows you to send videos that demonstrate how to complete more common computer tasks. Among the clips offered: How to change your wallpaper, change the computer time, share photos, set up an e-mail auto responder, etc.

Instead of having to drive over to Mom’s to show her how to resize large photos to send via e-mail, I simply can send her an instructional video*. It saves me time and gas, and, more importantly, it enables Mom — or Aunt Mary or whomever — to resolve her computer quandaries on her own and get to the more important things. (Like mass-mailing 500 pictures of your cousin’s new baby.)

When I am not writing, I work as a tech support consultant. Reading this piece brought to mind a call I had this week. The caller had a PowerPoint presentation dumped upon her after a colleague quit. It was a 20-slide beast of pasted-in Word tables, slapdash formatting, and more than a dozen randomly customized slide masters. She was frustrated.

“I work in finance. Creating tables in PowerPoint is not my strength,” she explained. “Fixing this presentation on my own will take me days, and possibly longer.”

But the simple fact was: It was her problem now, and she had to find a way to fix it quickly.

Google’s service wouldn’t be the answer for her, but the fact that her company offers tech support (through us, of course) definitely saved her a little a sanity — and her company some money in terms of less downtime and lost productivity.

The Good: Forrester says the Tech Spending Downturn is Over — Huzzah!

Support requests can be sent only through e-mail, to which Google can take up to 48 hours to respond. Yes, two days.

Computerworld magazine reports that the tech spending downturn is over, according to a report released by Forrester. The research firm predicts that IT spending in the United States will increase by 6.6 percent in 2010, after falling 8.2 percent last year.

Even if Forrester’s predictions are correct, it will not necessarily mean a full recovery, according to Computerworld. Spending for 2010 will still be less than in 2007 and 2008. What’s more, the mag warns of the possibility of a double-dip recession – that is, a growth spurt, followed by another decrease of 3 percent to 4 percent. Cross your fingers.

The Bad and the Ugly: Lessons in Customer Service from Google

The tech media has begun rivaling the tabloids in its ruthlessness. Witness the current crop of articles about Google, whose almost-flawless reputation has taken a beating lately because of its customer service missteps regarding the Nexus One phone.

In an article in Wednesday’s New York Times, writers Jenna Wortham and Miguel Helft report that the people who purchased the new device have no phone number to call for customer support; requests can be sent only through e-mail, to which Google can take up to 48 hours to respond. Yes, two days.

In a piece published by CNN, the roster of customer complaints included “spotty 3G connectivity, a high early termination fee, poor customer support from Google and problems with the touch screen.”

Over at InformationWeek, writer Antone Gonsalves notes that complaints of so-so coverage are usual with any carrier, but “getting the runaround is not.” Nexus One users call T-Mobile, are then told to call the device manufacturer HTC, which then tells them it’s T-Mobile’s issue.

Google has responded with a statement saying it promises to resolve the issues. We hope so, for its customers’ sake.

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Not everyone knows what a mouse is, or what a gigabyte is, or how the Internet works.

To people who have used computers since the 1990s, this is an unnecessary dialogue. Doesn’t everyone know what a mouse is?

No, not everyone does. Nor does everyone know what a gigabyte is, or how the Internet works, or what a virus does, or the difference between Office 2003 and Office 2007. It’s called the digital divide, and it’s still an issue.

Granted, the digital divide really isn’t an issue in most office environments — you can expect your colleagues to have experience with computing and the Internet. But the fact that it still exists, even when computers are so inexpensive and ubiquitous, should remind us that we are not all at the same level, and it’s not always for lack of interest or aptitude.

I’m on this kick because I recently had the opportunity to spend a few hours with a half-dozen senior citizens teaching them basic computer skills*. We covered a range of topics, including search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo; e-mail, including attachments, replies, forwards and address books; and how to avoid being scammed.

While explaining e-mail, I mentioned in passing the utility of spam filters. Spam naturally led to mentions of phishing, malware, spyware and CAPTCHA programs. But I was way ahead of myself. I had to stop, back up. I realized they didn’t know what spam was. The challenge was explaining in a way that was jargon-free, and not condescending.

In a post I wrote last week, I talked about the importance of help desk staff knowing how to explain technical terms in plain language, and how such a skill can can encourage IT/business alignment.

Here’s what I think should be mandatory for all IT personnel: Spend a day or two teaching people who have never, ever used a computer. It would do wonders for IT/business alignment — plus give staff some much-needed perspective.

*I found the opportunity through the nonprofit Greater Philadelphia Cares, which uses volunteers for dozens of projects. For information, visit the organization’s web site (www.philacares.com).

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One reader asked Baker if she was “jealous much?” Another comment accused her organization of hypocrisy.

Ribbonize: (verb, derogatory) To remove universally familiar software menus and put in newfangled, Microsofty ribbons.

On Sept. 22, Computerworld magazine ran a piece titled “Mozilla plans to ‘ribbonize’ Firefox.” A week later, the magazine ran another piece, this one with the headline “Mozilla denies it will ‘ribbonize’ Firefox.”

What gives?

It seems the original Mozilla documents on which Computerworld writer Gregg Keizer based his story were “worded kind of poorly” (that came from Mozilla’s mouth, and was reported by Computerworld).

Keizer simply reported what he read, which is what reporters do. Mozilla, however, was unprepared for the backlash.

According to Keizer’s second piece, Firefox users voiced their opposition with Mozilla, and on the Computerworld comment boards. (A sampling: “Has Microsoft sent Jim Jones type enforcers around squirting Microsoft Kool-Aid down the throats of the Mozilla folk?”)

Mozilla is standing behind its promise not to ribbonize. It will, however, “streamline” the popular browser. Expect a minor upgrade in the March 2010 release.

Browser Soup: (noun, derogatory): A stew of browsers in one “frame,” where each browser has its own set of features, etc., that behave differently.

On Sept. 28, former Mozilla CEO and current Mozilla Foundation chair Mitchell Baker panned Google’s new Chrome Frame plug-in as “browser soup.”

“For many people,” Baker wrote in her blog, “Chrome Frame will make the web even more unknowable and confusing.”

Comments in response to her post were abundant. One reader asked Baker if she was “jealous much?” Another comment accused her organization of hypocrisy: “You’re doing exactly the same thing (possibly even more so). Google just beat you to the punch, and Google has a lot of really popular websites that will help the widespread acceptance of this plug-in.”

I will keep checking back. Soup is always better a few days later. (Jen Darr)

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