Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
12 July 2010
Where Are All the Good Designers?
Apparently still in school!
I saw this today and was amazed by the level of quality and forward thinking that this guy (Andrew Kim) displayed in a recent design project called HTC 1.
I think HTC needs to look this guy up and offer him a job - or at least an internship so they can steal his designs :)
If you like a good design presentation, take some time to look through his concepts and the rationale behind some of his design choices. I'm not saying it all makes sense, but there are some pretty cool ideas - and I love his artwork/sketches.
As for the phone - I'd buy it!
09 July 2010
My HTC Evo 4G Review (Finally)
Sorry this took so long. I've had the new phone for over a month now and have had friends email me asking for the review. But with everything going on and the Fourth of July weekend, I'm just now in a good place to let it rip. So here it goes...
Sprint Service
My wife and I have been with almost every carrier there is. Sprint is as good or better than most. We pay around $120.00 total for two smart phones and unlimited everything (Except for voice. We share 1500 minutes and never come close). I do have to pay an extra $10.00/month for 4G which I can use if we travel to cities that have it...
Hardware
I have held HTC phones in the past which were small, light, had little screens and felt very cheap (Touch Diamond, Touch Pro, etc.) but HTC has definitely taken a turn in quality. The Evo is big, heavy and solid (which all appeal to me). I want something that has a nice large screen (since it takes such large pictures and 720p video) and something that feels well built. The Snapdragon processor is stinking fast - no lag time like I was used to on the Palm Pre. My only irritation is the screen - still sub par compared to the iPhone and requires protection with a BodyGuardz shield. However, I have been putting these on every device I purchase so I would probably even put one on the iPhone...
Camera
Amazing pictures - large, good color and lots of options to choose from. Quick operation with no "sit and wait" like I had on the Palm Pre. Easy picture management and easy share functionality with a menu of over 14 options.
Video
720p. HD video on a phone. Wow. But let's be honest - what phone is going to take crystal clear HD video? As for the quality I call it amazing for a phone - but definitely requires good lighting and moderate movement. For an interview in broad daylight you might have a hard time telling it was from a phone. But a soccer game at night and you're out of luck my friend. Again, good features, quick operation. The phone came set up to use Qik for all the video stuff but I haven't got it to work yet. Probably user error - just haven't really messed with it yet. Also - haven't tested out the video conferencing.
Android 2.1 OS
I'll admit I was a bit leery of switching to a Droid phone. I really like the stuff Google puts out, but had a hard time believing they could put out an amazing OS for a phone - something Microsoft still hasn't perfected. But I'm pleasantly surprised at the level of complexity, the simple UI and the available options (Apps typically available at the same time as they are for the iPhone). The other cool thing is that most newer Android phones will be upgraded to Froyo (Android OS 2.2) in the next few months. I've already read some articles on the speed and increased functionality with Froyo (including flash support) and I'm stoked.
HTC Sense
Basically - when you buy a phone (like a computer) the company that built it likes to put a few finishing touches on it - typically small software programs and UI upgrades that they feel will be helpful. In this case, HTC has built what is called HTC Sense - a UI that sits on top of the stock Android OS and makes it easier for the user to access content and use the phone. For those that love to tweak their OS and flash it every week or so - probably not necessary - but for the average user this is a nice touch and makes the phone that much more simple and straightforward. You basically get seven screens that you can edit to death. Add shortcuts, small widgets or full screen widgets. Mix and match - make it yours. You also have a nice shortcut that shows you all seven screens at one time for easy access.
Battery Life
I'm not going to lie - big smart phones require daily charging. However, I haven't seen a huge difference from my Palm Pre and on days when I use the phone on an "as needed" basis I can almost get 2 days of use out of one charge.
Cutting Edge Stuff
The Evo is revolutionary for reasons that I probably won't even take advantage of:
- 4G: I don't live in an area that has 4G so I have no idea what it can do. Looking forward to a trip to Chicago so I can test it out though...
- Wireless Hotspot: In a 4G zone the Evo can provide Internet access to up to 8 devices. Again - not in a 4G area and don't want to pay the price to access this functionality.
All together an amazing phone. I'm glad I bought it and can't wait to see what Froyo does to the speed and functionality.
06 July 2010
Who Invented the Internet Again?
Most of us can remember Al Gore saying:
I took the initiative to create the Internet...
If you don't remember it, or think that for some reason I'm making it up go here.
I don't know how many of us knew for sure that Al Gore didn't have a hand in it. But we certainly had a good laugh when the story broke that the Internet was really a tool created by the military. This tool grew to become a platform on which networks, businesses and people could build and interact. But no one person could really take credit for it.
So it was with great interest that I read the following article: The 10 Founding Fathers of the Web on mashable.com.
I love the twist the writer takes in not attributing the "invention" of it to a person or people, but instead the creation of ideas that greatly enhanced the use of the Internet.
Read it for yourself, but here are some highlights:
- Tim Berners-Lee: Created the World Wide Web (not the Internet). The use of web servers and HTML in the first browser. Currently works with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to oversee web standards and future of the web.
- Rasmus Lerdorf, Andi Gutmans and Zeev Suraski: The development of PHP - the open source programming language that allows for dynamic web content.
- Brendan Eich: Creator of javascript and currently the CTO at Mozilla.
- John Resig: Creator of jQuery - a javascript library that has opened up the power of javascript to countless designers with little programming knowledge.
23 June 2010
An End to Technology?
I got to thinking about technology this morning and came up with the following observations:
- Technology is only considered "advanced" by human standards. We come up with new things and we think that we're so intelligent. When in fact, God is the Creator of the universe and doesn't need a smart phone to stay connected.
- Technology is NOT a bad thing. Some may say because of my first point, there is no need to advance technology. But I suggest technology is from God. When you break it down, God created us, and we're attempting to create things. In essence, God gave us the ability to create advances in technology - suggesting He knew all along we'd wind up where we are. It's up to us whether we use the things we create for good or evil.
- Someday I'll be out of a job. Think about it like this: When we arrive in Heaven, all of our technological advancements will remain on Earth. God doesn't need our technology and we won't either.
- God has His own "technology." We don't begin to understand what is possible with God. For all we know our bodies will be capable of flight, we'll be able to communicate via thought transfer in the collective conscious or maybe we'll be able to transport ourselves to a place by simply picturing that place in our mind. Whatever the case - we're in for a real eye opener when we leave this Earth.
05 June 2010
Sprint. Customer Service. Lessons Learned.
I wasn't going to write this post at first because I knew the negativity, frustration and anger would come shining through.
But I think I'm finally over it, and capable of learning from it.
I'm part of a team that oversees an eCommerce site that provides customer service during the week. So I've been trying to apply some of the things I learned in this recent episode toward making our customer service for WiredChurches.com that much better.
My Scenario
As a Premier Level Sprint customer I'm allowed to upgrade my phone yearly with no penalties. However, due to my wife being listed as head (accidentally based on a Sprint error) neither of us were allowed to upgrade this year. This was corrected, but due to the error I wouldn't be able to get my upgrade for close to two weeks after the phone (HTC Evo 4G) came out. Since it was a Sprint error (and because it would kill me to wait an extra two weeks to get my phone) I began the process of having the "one billing cycle" problem corrected.
After numerous calls (some lasting close to an hour), multiple trips in to the local Sprint store and promises that turned out to NOT be true - I still don't have the phone.
Now I know some of you are saying, "Dude, chill out! It's just a phone and it's only one day past it coming out. Aren't you making a mountain out of a mole hill?"
To that I would agree - not that big of a deal. But it's the time and energy put into it (all the while being told it would be a simple process) that has me worked up.
Lessons Learned
So, after dealing with the massive and slow moving engine that Sprint is; I think I've learned the following things about customer service:
- Don't die by the process: I was originally told it would take a full billing cycle for the changes to be made - because this was the process in the "system." However, with it being a Sprint mistake - there should be an immediate fix that can happen outside that system. A supervisor or department head should have the power to go into a customers account and change whatever they want to change in order to fix problems that arise. It appears to be possible - but the journey to find this person and get them to make the change is much more difficult than it should be.
- Don't complicate the calling center: A calling center needs to work together as a team. Don't have multiple departments in multiple locations - each not understanding what the other does. I told my story at least 6 times throughout this process.
- Hire intelligent employees and train them well: Your front line employees need to be awesome trouble-shooters. In my case, the minute they understood the problem they should have been able to transfer the call to the department and person capable of clicking one button to fix the problem. In my case I had numerous front-line employees tell me nothing could be done - only to find out later that things could be done if you had the right person in the right department.
- Maintain a smooth-running business plan: A business needs a well designed business model with strict guidelines as to how their product, retail stores and corporate call centers network and interact. In this case the call center told me I had to go to the retail store to have the over-ride done on my account. In the store they said they didn't have the ability to do over-rides and that I would have to go through the corporate call center. All the while leaving me feeling lost and incapable of moving forward. Make sure you have things like this planned for and that there is a simple and documented process so that things like this can be quickly fixed.
I feel like I could add a few more - but they deal with things like being nice, assuming the best in your customers and stuff like that so I better leave them alone :)
Hopefully these observations will keep customer service at WiredChurches.com running smoothly as well as your efforts in providing support to your customers.
I'll let you know if I ever get to upgrade my phone!
04 June 2010
I've Had It Up to Here!
I've been silent for over a week now, but not because I want to be. Truth is, we're in the middle of a very large project - one that will change the face of our team and how we do what we do.
Sounds pretty ominous eh?
Actually, it's just different than anything we've done before. Instead of it being a project where something gets created or redesigned, we're actually attempting to remove or combine.
Why?
Because it seems like this is the typical pattern with most teams:
Each team member starts with a few regular tasks and has the margin to go above and beyond in their sphere of influence. But over time - we keep adding tasks until that is all the team member does - no more above and beyond. They simply become a clock puncher...getting their stuff done and going home.
And this has become true of us. We're all so tied down to tasks that we can't pick our heads up to dream again. So we're doing something about it.
In every setting this might look different, but in ours it looks something like this:
- Stop: There are things we have done for years that just don't need to be done anymore. Identify and cut.
- Combine: There are countless tasks that live independently of each other - but what if they could be combined? Identify and combine.
- Move: There are thing we do that take HUGE amounts of time and energy. But it is only because of the process. If there were a simpler way to do it wouldn't that be better? Identify and move.
- Grow: There are things we are doing that are "old school." We simply haven't grown into the technology that is available in that area. Identify and grow.
- Simplify: And in all things ask if there is a more simple way of presenting the content. Are our websites still too bloated? Have we let our media players get too full? Etc. Identify and simplify.
I've been pretty vague - partly because we haven't completely finalized our plan of attack. But when we do I'll post again and offer specific examples of each area.
Sound like fun? Give it a try in your environment.
25 May 2010
The Fight! Pre versus HTC Evo 4G
Enjoy :)
By the way, the problems he has with WebOS are not because he doesn't use WebOS very often. I have the same issues after using it as my primary device for close to a year. A little frustrating that the hardware can't keep up with an OS that has so much potential.
19 May 2010
Android Official
As of 1:00 p.m. today I became Android official by pre-ordering the HTC Evo 4G from Sprint.
Call it drinking the Kool-aid, jumping on the band wagon or jumping ship. I haven't really decided how I want to look at it so it doesn't matter to me.
But the truth of the matter is this: I'm joining a movement of sorts. What Google has done with the Droid mobile platform in the past two years is staggering to me. They've been able to develop a mobile OS that rivals the best on the market. They have a cloud computing and SaaS structure already in place to power Apps on their phones. And they intelligently offer them on a variety of devices with most carriers - thereby making it available to the widest possible spectrum of users.
All this and they keep moving forward with the speed of a company that has serious goals to meet. When I see that, I can't help but want to be part of it.
If it were all a flash in the pan - you'd expect to see the Droid market rise, level off and then either remain stagnant or actually drop. But instead it keeps moving off the charts. Here are just two stories from the past month or two:
I fully expect there to be bugs with the HTC Evo 4G just as there have been with every other mobile device I've owned. But I'm looking forward to seeing what it can do, and I feel like the sky is the limit based on the almost mind-boggling stuff Google has unveiled for the future of their mobile platform.
Can't wait until June 4th!
13 May 2010
HTML5 & CSS3 Are Coming!
Advances in web design and web strategy are often limited by the modern browser's ability to accurately render what we've created. Of course that's why we use hacks and a little elbow grease to make sure our sites look relatively the same in all of them.
HTML5 and CSS3 are nothing more than progress - the next version of that thing we're already using. But as it is with most things - you need the majority of the people to accept them before they can be widely used.
In this case - we need the majority of the browsers (if not all) to get on the same page and honor the web standards that will allow for true innovation and progress to occur in the area of web design.
Because of this I love it when I find little articles and/or tools that make it clear just how far we are along that journey.
This site built by the Asylum helps you to quickly and visually see what browsers support some of the new and fun stuff HTML5 and CSS3 offer: html5readiness.com
Have fun!
06 May 2010
Palm Pre: Failure to Launch
Those of you that have read this blog before probably know that I obsessed over the Palm Pre for close to 6 months before its arrival. I stood in line to get it and have now had it for close to a year. So here is my final review of the Palm Pre on the Sprint Network:
- Sprint plans: Awesome
- Sprint coverage: Awesome
- Sprint customer service: Used to be the worst but is getting much better
- Palm Pre hardware: Not great at all. Plastic that cracks easily, hard to protect, slider is easily damaged, battery is easily jarred which restarts the phone, screen is highly finger-print sensitive, on/off button sticks on my phone, have to use Palm certified recharging products or recharging won't start immediately.
- Palm WebOS: Great idea. The future is: Cloud Computing and Software as a Service (SaaS). Hopefully HP will squeeze every ounce of usefulness out of this genuinely innovative concept and make it useful on a variety of platforms (like a tablet perhaps?)
- Palm WebOS functionally: My Pre has never felt fast. There has always been a lag in the responsiveness of the tough screen and the ease with which programs will start and run well. Games take relatively long to load and I've had a few that won't start due to their size. I routinely see the "Too many cards open" warning which basically means a restart.
- Palm Follow-through: Very poor. When I bought the phone it came with the promise of any number of things like flash compatibility, video recording, mobile document creation, etc. We just received video recording in the last OS update but the other two are still MIA.
- Palm Touchstone: Awesome idea and works well. I'm assuming this will be a feature accessory for many new phones in the future.
- Connection troubles: I've noticed that the Pre has a problem figuring out whether or not to use the Sprint Network or the Wi-fi at times. If the Wi-fi is available but hasn't been authenticated (like at a hotel or restaurant) certain Apps (like Tweed) stop working. You have to either authenticate or turn off the Wi-fi in order to refresh Twitter. Seems like the phone should know that and force the App to use the Sprint Network.
- Over the Air (OTA) OS Updates: Awesome - works well - can't complain.
- OTA OS Updates (actual content): Nothing to write home about. Palm has the perfect scenario - the ability to fix bugs immediately and push it to every Pre out there. But instead they wait months to roll out updates that on my Pre seem to do nothing. Small tweaks and slightly different functionality, but nothing major. AND! Half the time I have problems after the updates! Decreased battery life, camera takes 3x longer to take the picture and locks up the phone after the shot, Google Maps takes a lot longer to open and rarely works correctly now, etc.
In Summary
Palm was failing big time so they stepped out of the box and went for it all with WebOS and the Palm Pre. On the one hand they hit it big. New technology that made Apple, RIM and Google go, "Oh my word...we better get on that..." But I just don't think Palm had the time and money to completely knock it out of the park - which became even more evident this past month when HP bought them out.
In this day and age, you have to offer a product with the latest technology out of the box. Chances are the consumer will only have your product for 24 months. In my case I feel like upgrading in 10-12 months. So you can't put out a product that is lagging and say, "We'll roll that out in Q2 next year." That business plan just doesn't cut it any more.
So I want to commend Palm for their effort. And I wish them well in the future as they partner with HP and look for new innovative ways to use WebOS.
But for me, I think I'm ready to try something new. I've held off on the whole Android craze because just like everything else Google does, it starts in the roughest of beta and remains there for a while until all the kinks are worked out. But once they get the kinks worked out - they seem to be able to use the latest technology and stay at the top of the game.
Because of this I feel like the most recent Android phones to hit the market have the perfect combination of a stable/consistent Android OS coupled with hardware that takes it to the next level.
The HTC Incredible and HTC Evo 4G have caught my eye and in June I just might pull that trigger.
This in part because I don't think I have the patience to wait until December to see what Microsoft Windows Phone 7 phones will look like and be capable of. So for now I'll leave you with the HTC Evo 4G and it's rich feature set...
28 April 2010
Technology Suggests Connectivity
Think about it. Each new gadget does more and more - which means you are connected to more and more. Early phones allowed you to talk on the phone - which happened once or twice a day (unless you were a middle school girl). But today's devices allow you to monitor things like Twitter which update every few seconds.
So what does that mean for us as users? Well it probably depends on what type of person you are. I've decided there are two big (and messy) buckets that we fall into as Uber-device users:
The Type-A User
This user keeps up with everything. After all, it would be a sin to miss a tweet from a friend or fail to respond to an email within 24 hours. Tweets are monitored ongoing, the Indox is under 50 and Facebook is an App you're in more often than you're in the restroom... (By the way - the "A" stands for "Attempting to be responsible").
This user keeps up with everything. After all, it would be a sin to miss a tweet from a friend or fail to respond to an email within 24 hours. Tweets are monitored ongoing, the Indox is under 50 and Facebook is an App you're in more often than you're in the restroom... (By the way - the "A" stands for "Attempting to be responsible").
The Type-O User
You own the latest and greatest device(s) that can take pictures and video, surf the Net, social network and run Productivity Apps like email and a word processor. But you don't really care. In fact you check Twitter and Facebook once and a while - usually if you see others checking it. Your Inbox is at 200 because you look at the subject line when it comes in and fail to do anything with it at the time - or later. You don't respond to texts or emails but if you see someone in the hallway you magically start spitting out answers to questions that you remember reading in texts and emails... (By the way - the "O" stands for "Oblivious").
You own the latest and greatest device(s) that can take pictures and video, surf the Net, social network and run Productivity Apps like email and a word processor. But you don't really care. In fact you check Twitter and Facebook once and a while - usually if you see others checking it. Your Inbox is at 200 because you look at the subject line when it comes in and fail to do anything with it at the time - or later. You don't respond to texts or emails but if you see someone in the hallway you magically start spitting out answers to questions that you remember reading in texts and emails... (By the way - the "O" stands for "Oblivious").
Of course a lot of this is driven by our personalities - so it can't be wrong...right?
The truth of the matter is:
Technology does NOT suggest connectivity. People are the filter through which connectivity happens or fails to happen.
Just talking out loud :)
Can you figure out which category I typically fall into?
22 April 2010
What the Shell, Dell?!
"Shell!" Like that? My son watches the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles religiously so I couldn't resist...
But seriously! What's up with Dell lately?
Wasn't it just a year or two ago that they were having legal problems, losing money and putting bad versions of their products into national superstore chains like Walmart and Best Buy?
Yet here they are playing with the big dogs - acting like they can keep up with the best out there today in computer, mobile and even tablet technology.
Last night I saw no less than 6 articles on new Dell products being released soon. Most are mobile phones. But there was also an article or two on their tablets called the Streak5 and the Looking Glass.
Here are just a couple of the articles on the mobile phones they unveiled yesterday:
- Mobile Crunch on the Flash, Thunder and Smoke
- Engadget on Dell Lightning
- Engadget on Dell Thunder
- Engadget on Dell Froyo
- Engadget on Dell Smoke
- Engadget on Dell Aero
The Dell phones run Windows Phone 7 or Android OS and seem to be in the running as far as specs go.
Needless to say I was a bit surprised last night with the flurry of activity.
Dell definitely wants back into the game - so should we let them? :)
Enabling the Love-Hate Relationship
It amazes me how many things in life invoke the love-hate relationship quandary. You know how it works, but I'll give you a couple examples just in case:
First, are the snowplows that come by during the winter months. I LOVE the fact that our streets stay plowed. But HATE the fact that they can't drive and typically scrape sod off my lawn...
Second is the street sweeper that comes through in the spring. I LOVE that all the dirt, sand and pebbles are gone from the long winter. But I HATE the fact that the sweeper breaks up the asphalt along our curb and makes an even bigger mess.
And I could go on and on (automatic sprinkler heads, electronic devices, technology, etc.) but I don't want to bore you.
So what are we doing with our websites and our web strategy to keep from enabling a love-hate relationship with those that visit us?I won't lie, we can't please all the people all the time. But for the most part, do we give people a sense of "zen" when they visit? Or do we so frustrate them, that the good our sites do end up being hated at the same time?
At Granger, we have a short list of things we know have the potential to provoke this response in people. We try to knock things off the list as soon as possible, but aren't always successful.
I guess the most important thing is to recognize them for what they are and work toward minimizing their impact on our visitors.
Do you struggle with this as well?
07 April 2010
Are You Kidding Me?
I have access to an iPod Touch for testing purposes since I own a Zune HD and need to see how development projects look on Apple platforms.
I don't typically use it that often, so when I went to the App Store to look for the new PayPal App I was greeted with an upgrade message like the following:
The Terms of Use have changed since your last purchase. Please review and accept them before proceeding.Then I noticed this at the bottom of the screen: Read more: Page 1 of 92.
What?! 92 pages of legal mumbo jumbo in order to use a service?
Wow...I find it amazing that someone could actually come up with 92 pages of legaleze to begin with (granted - this was on the iPod - so there are probably fewer pages if viewed on a laptop).
And (for all of my Apple loving friends) I'm not saying this is specific to Apple - I'm sure I've seen the same thing when activating other software.
But seriously, I find it interesting that the Terms of Service or Terms of Use can actually be more detailed than the application or software we are using...
So do we do the same thing? When building websites do we have more help documents and "required for this website" requirements than we do web pages?
If so - I think we need to pull back and ask ourselves if we like visiting websites with 10 different requirements just to view their content.
Maybe it would change the way we design and develop...
26 March 2010
What Were They Thinking #6: Jury Duty Process
Or maybe I should say, "What are they thinking?" since this isn't a past problem I had - it will be an ongoing issue until it is fixed...
I received a summons for jury duty. Not a big deal except for the fact that I'm going to be out of town at a conference at the same time.
So I started the process of getting an exemption.
The Problem: Not taking advantage of available technology to ease the pain of interacting with the court.
I called the courthouse and left a message. Next I had to wait for the Bailiff to return the call and let me know what I needed to do. Next she FAXed me an official court document - you know the kind - hard to read, copied 1000 times, written in legaleze so I had to spend the next 30 minutes trying to figure out which parts to fill out. Then I had to print off my supporting documents (conference registration and flight confirmation) and FAX everything back to the courthouse.
Needless to say - I'm not sure if it was right - and won't know if it was until I get picked up by the police for contempt of court. This, because they don't notify you UNLESS the deferral is denied.
The Solution: Catch up with the rest of society. Even the License Branch has started this process and you know that's progress!
We live in a new reality - people are connected and want to be able to take advantage of this option if at all possible. We'd much rather fill out a form online or submit paperwork via email than picking up a phone and using a FAX machine.
This gives me the opportunity to pimp an amazing online tool that we use at Granger. It has saved us hours of work and more than pays for itself.
It's called FormAssembly and allows you to create, implement and manage forms online. It has a sweet form creation tool and allows your submissions to be held in data so you can easily manage, archive or export them as needed.
When stuff like this is available - why wouldn't you take advantage of it?!
09 March 2010
The New Dork
It's a Tuesday morning and I'm cranking through 200 emails and checking things off my to do list. But when I came across this I just had to share...
Everyone needs a good laugh from time to time - even if it's at the expense of technology and "dorks" like us :)
Enjoy!
08 March 2010
Net Growth of Internet Usage 1998-2008
I'm not a HUGE stat lover, but I definitely understand the power behind numbers.
This interactive graphic from the BBC website made me take another look. It shows the use of the Internet over time. And it was just plain cool to see the increased usage as you moved from 1989 through to 2008.
Play around with it and see what interesting stats you come up with.
27 February 2010
I'm Looking For Someone
Leave it to Google to take their incredible search capabilities and put it to good use.
When the earthquake occurred in Chile, Google leveraged the capabilities they have in order to provide a platform to find people and make sure people who are OK could let people know that they are alive.
This is why technology exists. Or at least I hope it is why...
26 February 2010
State of the Internet
25 February 2010
We're Not as Fast as We Think We Are
Comcast pokes fun at those who still have dial-up connections and has even created a website dedicated to The Slowskys (those famous turtles that love the slow pace of their lives and Internet speed).
We joke about those who just haven't "graduated" yet, but do we really understand just how many there are out there?
Crunch Gear reports the following based various recent studies:
According to the FCC, about 93 million Americans don’t use fast, broadband Internet, citing cost and complexity as a factor in their refusal to enter the 20th century.Are you kidding me? That's nearly one third of all Internet users!
I live in a world where television shows and movies can be streamed in high definition to your television! On dial-up you're lucky to bring up most modern websites in under 5 minutes.
With this gap between serving the dial-up community and making use of today's technology ever widening, what are we to do?
At Granger, we chose to push the envelope with our website. Those on dial-up will probably be disappointed if they visit and definitely won't be able to access the media player, on demand services and things like that.
We based our decision on evidence that broadband use in our area is a lot higher than the studies suggest. But when your influence spreads and you become available to the world (via Online Church), it makes you think a bit more about it. And 1/3 of all Internet users is a big number...
At this point I don't have an answer, but I do pray that someday soon hi-speed Internet will be cheap enough and available to everyone. If not by cable - through upcoming technologies like Wi|Max.