Mobile Web 2.0 Productivity Step One: Buy An iPhone

As I have discussed, I have been exploring converting my successful Outlook/OneNote/MindManager based installed app to a set of web 2.0 applications.  I will be blogging this process here.

Given that I travel most of the time, the most challenging issue I needed to overcome was mobile access to my web 2.0 application set that I will be using.  Previously, I had a Windows Mobile 6 based phone (HTC Hermes/TyTN).  On it, I had an installed version of each app that I used on my desktop and an effective synchronization technique to get at my data on the road.  Often, my mobile phone is the primary mechanism for me to get things done.

Moving to web 2.0 productivity, collaboration, and workflow application means I need brutally good browser access from anywhere...particularly on my phone.  I've used Opera.  I've used Pocket IE.  However, nothing comes close to the usability and compatibility of Safari on the Apple iPhone.  For most tools that I leverage in this conversion, I will be blogging painfully detailed reviews.  However, in this case, I'd rather not beat a dead horse.  There are so many iPhone reviews out there, I will only be focusing specifically on Safari as a platform for accessing my web 2.0 application assets.

The Good

First, and most importantly, Safari has compatibility close to a desktop browser.  This means that javascript that is the cornerstone of so many of the best web based applications works wonderfully.  The incompatibilities are manageable and the rendering is "full fidelity".  I don't need to rely on mobile version of each website.

Second, the pan and zoom interface of the iPhone allows extreme usability.  While Opera has some rudimentary support for Ajax (like soonr's mobile ajax interface), the breakdown comes in seeing all the data on a complex application page.  It is very easy to "get lost" as you wander around a page on a 2-3 inch screen.  The iPhone's zoom and pan interface allows you to see the big picture and very rapidly go to the details and out again without a lot of menu interaction or overhead.

Third, the auto orientation feature of the iPhone makes it easy to optimize the 3 inch screen for the content displayed.  Depending on the application in question...or even the portion of the page in question, I can quickly and easily move from portrait to landscape.  The is interesting for two reasons.  Not only can I orient my phone to maximize column viewing (landscape) or maximize list item viewing (portrait), I can also optimize my data entry.  The keyboard layout in landscape mode is wide enough for easy two thumb typing.  While I haven't gotten up to the same speed as on the "real" thumb board of my TyTN, it is pretty usable.

Fourth, the auto complete feature of the location box (where you type the URL) makes it very productive for me to do knowledge work, research, and access little used applications that aren't in my mobile bookmarks.  As I type, the list of previously viewed pages appears between the keyboard and the location box.  That list is scrollable using the insanely good iPhone scroll gesture.  I can find any entry in milliseconds.

Finally, the page/tab metaphor gives me a persistent virtual workspace for my commonly used web 2.0 applications.  I can keep pages up for each application in my heavy use arsenal.  Having four or five of these around doesn't seem to make the iPhone slow or unstable (unlike Opera or Pocket IE on my TyTN).

The Bad
There are two primary drawbacks to the iPhone as a mobile Web 2.0 access device.  Both are minor, but very real. 

The biggie is EDGE vs. UTMS.  My TyTN and my 3G Laptop Connect Card are both blindingly fast.  EDGE is slow.  The recent ATT network upgrades were nice, but no substitute for real bandwidth. 

The jury is still out on the keyboard.  I will reserve judgment until I have reached my maximum proficiently, but currently, it isn't looking good.  The error correction in the iPhone is dramatically better than any other mobile device I have used, but that does not make up for the slowdown in wpm when using my TyTN or a Blackberry.

The Bottom LIne
Safari is life changing as a mobile productivity tool.  If you plan on using it as an access device for web applications, you just can't get any better in a phone form factor.

Comments

[AgentSully]

how will you handle to-do's and notes from Outlook that currently don't sync with iPhone? This is my biggest issue from a productivity standpoint. thank you.

[Erik Huddleston]

Good point. I'll be covering this in an upcoming post. The short answer is I will be using a web based list/task managment tool with an email gateway. I'm testing several, but am settling in on rememberthemilk. That post should be done in a week or so, so subscribe or check back soon.

[Van Daniel]

Good review; I can't wait until I can save the disposable income to grab mine. I am neither an Apple apologist nor an Apple hater: so as a general consume, Apple has blown me away. I have been using my good friend's anytime I am around them (a lot more now, har har), and I am in awe. Quite possibly the best designed piece of electronic thus far created in all of human history. I am not joking in that assessment.

One thing on typing: in took about thirty minutes, but my accuracy is near 100%, and with speed too. I like the keyboard alright. Maybe not the best keyboard ever, but it is the way it is to allow the product to be how it is. And I want one, just how it is.

Good review dude. If you have an extra iPhone... email it to me. =P

[Erik Huddleston]

Van Daniel,

Thanks for the note. It is certainly a marvel of human interface design and engineering. I agree the keyboard is good. Particularly the autocorrect. The big problem in this software rev is that outside of Safari, the keyboard is portrait mode only. So, dispite the fact I have gotten quite fast, I just can't approach the speed of HTC TyTN/Hermes with two thumbs. Hopefully in an upcoming software release they will enable landscape mode for the email application.
As an aside, the touchscreen is so dependable, I have no concerns about the lack of a "hardware" keyboard.

[lysdexia]

How about with you forefinger?

What are these 2.0 apps you speak of but never tell?

[Erik Huddleston]

lysdexia,

I've had some luck with my index and middle fingers. It isn't two thumbs, but it is pretty good.

On the apps, I have started posting about them. I just did a screencast of my experiences with mindmeister, the enterprise 2.0 mind mapping tool I use. It is readonly on the iPhone due to a similar but to gmail. I also use newsgator, which I have found crashes safari sometimes. I also use rememberthemilk (task management) and many of the google tools (including calendar). I will continue to post detailed reviews on those....

[Duane]

For small form factor typing it is hard to beat Graffiti. You can learn to do it mostly w/o looking, something pretty much impossible on small non-standard or virtual keyboards. Jot was a good alternative that worked on the larger screen area. There is no reason you could not do a Graffiti/Jot for iPhone.

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