Handheld Usability

Book Description

Offering an overview of usability, testing, and information architecture for EPOC, WAP, PDAs, handhelds, and handsets, this how-to guide dives into the details about medium-specific issues and design strategies.
* Discusses designing for the current wireless platforms: cellular phones and PDAs
* Covers both stand alone as well as Web-based application design
* Contains a case study of a usability test

Download Description

"Handheld devices cannot be designed simply as copies of their desktop counterparts; they have smaller displays, trickier input mechanisms, less memory, reduced storage capacity, and less powerful operating systems. Understanding the specific challenges of technology on the move is the first step towards designing great products for handheld devices. Handheld Usability is a practical, hands-on guide to designing interfaces for handheld, electronic computing and communication devices, including e-mail pagers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and mobile telephone handsets. This book will give you the skills you need to: Understand the types of handheld devices and their differences Design user interfaces for handheld devices Design user interfaces for the wireless Web (WAP) Prototype user interfaces for handheld devices · Conduct usability tests on prototypes and live, handheld product applications Don't reinvent the wheel! The lack of standardization in interface design doesn't mean that you have to start from scratch every time. This 'plain English' guide will help you to plan your own usability tests as part of the design and development process, and let you learn from insights on design gained from real life experience. With so many handheld devices to choose from, usability can be a very powerful distinguishing factor. Well designed products mean happy users, and satisfied customers become loyal customers. With the help of Handheld Usability you can give the customer what they want, and get it right first time."

Customer Reviews:

The worst usability book ever..........2006-01-10

I truly cannot recommend this book to anybody who has any knowledge about UI design. Not even if you don't have experience in designing for handheld devices. This book has nothing to offer for you. If you are just starting to study usability, there are far better books out there.

I bought this book when it came out due to fact that there are no books about handheld usability. I had high hopes that it would provide new information about the area. Instead I found out that it was merely a copy paste book, which had nothing to offer. Many of my colleagues read the book also and none had anything good to say about the book.

Scott Weiss probably noticed that there are no books about the subject and decided to make money. With a price as high as 60$ he is probably succeeding.

Was helpful for my final year dissertation.......2004-01-10

This was the only book specific to handheld/mobile devices that discussed usability testing.

It is divided into short, concise sections that are easy to read and understand. The sections form a good basis on how to approach designing and testing a system. It has some very good pointers. The only thing was that it was too short!

The book was very, very helpful but it wasn't long enough and doesn't provide working examples. It just tells you the points that you should be considering when you are building a usable system. It doesn't go too in depth on any of the sections either.

Essential.......2003-10-14

Zipf's law states that common words are very common, and that uncommon words are combinations of uncommon words. For example if you start typing the letters `th' then you are probably trying to write the word `the' rather than `theologian'. Applying this simple insight to mobile phones gave us predictive text entry, where a small dictionary allows the phone to guess the word that the user is most likely trying to enter. For example if you press the keys `82' while entering a text message on a modern phone, the phone will predict `the' as your word. This invention allows QWERTY-snobs like me to approach the speeds of Finnish teenagers in tapping text messages on a mobile phone.

Such innovation is just amusingly clever on a PC, but on the small screens of handheld devices, it is essential. A good user interface converts a small device from a limiting gadget to a useful tool. European consumers' `wapathetic' response to WAP-enable phones was due to over hyping by the telecommunications industry, but also poor usability of the devices.
So a textbook on the topic is certainly appropriate.

Handheld usability defines handheld devices as highly portable machines that can operate with no cables and can be operated within one's hand. In addition, they must either allow the addition of applications or support internet connectivity. So the book's focus includes handheld computers (such as Palm-powered machines and Pocket PCs) and mobile phones (with WAP, i-mode or email connectivity) but excludes devices such as music players.

Naturally the discussion includes details of devices that are obsolete. Such is usually the case with any discussion of the details in information technology. But the principles are timeless and the practices will remain practical.
Perhaps the most useful chapter is the one on prototyping. Weiss' advice is that this should be done with a pen and several pieces of paper. For example the designer would draw the first screen on the paper. The user would then say what he or she expects to see on interacting with each element of the "screen". During this feedback, the designer would draw the next screen, and again ask the user what he or she expects. This technique is of course cheap but I was surprised by its effectiveness. No doubt Weiss' clients also found it useful.

If your team is designing applications for handheld devices, consider hiring Weiss. If you cannot afford that, buy his book. You cannot afford not to.

Review appeared in British Medical Informatics Today, Issue 41

Too bad.......2003-03-05

Don't buy this book.
I cannot find any usabiltiy testing technique in this book. Just explain what PDA and Palms are and all thing we already knew. Alsom appendix is too long.
I don't want to know Palm history. Why author explain detail about each funtion of Palm or PDA?
Save your money!

You'll find better elsewhere, and nowhere........2003-03-05

I am an experienced interface designer who has never designed for a handheld. So, when I faced a new project that would be deployed on a handheld, I looked here to further my education. This is the only book I could find that is specific to handhelds.

Book Description

Here’s how to get as smart as your phone

Your Series 60 smartphone is one really cool gadget. Here’s how to take advantage of 101 reasons why they call it “smart.”

This is no boring user’s manual, but the key that unlocks tricks you never guessed your phone could do. Find out how to blacklist unwanted calls, set your camera features on “fast draw” so you never miss a shot, create your own ringtones, send video, encrypt data on your phone, install and remove software, and so much more.

Get expert advice on buying a smartphone, configuring it, and transferring data from your old phone
Send automatic text message responses to callers
Replace your phone’s wallpaper with your own images
Create an e-book you can read on your phone
Quickly locate files and multimedia
Super-size your caller ID
Use shortcuts to fast-forward, rewind, or play back vodeo
Connect to your PC via Bluetooth or infrared technology
Lock your memory card and back up data stored there or in your phone memory
Open Zip files on your phone

Customer Reviews:

Superb Book!.......2005-02-24

I'm a corporate IT professional and smartphone user. I've been looking for a Series 60 smartphone book as a basis for training our staff and helping them become more efficient. For the longest time there was nothing...and then I discovered this. I can't express how happy I am with this book. It's much more than a "Missing Manual." In fact, it's incredibly rich and useful, and the add-on applications it covers illustrate how to get even more "smartness" from smartphones, a point that the manufacturers haven't yet adequately communicated to the general public. Superb book!

UNBELIEVEABLE!!!.......2005-02-23

I saw this book last week at a tradeshow in Cannes, France (3GSM World Congress) and I was blown away. I never realized the extent of how similar to my Windows PC my non-Windows smartphone (Nokia 7610) is! The book outlines cool tricks like copy/paste and also gives tips on applications users can buy and install to their phone after they begin using it. Believe me, the price is minimal for the value included in this book!

Computation in Cells and Tissues: Perspectives and Tools of Thought (Natural Computing Series)

Average customer rating:

Computation in Cells and Tissues: Perspectives and Tools of Thought (Natural Computing Series)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3540003584

Book Description

This book deals with key issues in the emerging interdisciplinary area involving cellular systems, computational modelling, and biologically inspired computing. This highly multidisciplinary book offers a unique blend of topical contributions that are written by biologists, computer scientists and mathematicians with non-expert readers in mind. It reflects important trends and developments in this exciting field of science.

The volume can serve as a textbook and reference book for advanced students and computer scientists, biologists, and mathematicians.

Cellular Neural Networks and Image Processing: The Science of Cellular Local Rules

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Cellular Neural Networks and Image Processing: The Science of Cellular Local Rules
Tao Yang
Manufacturer: Nova Science Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1590333357

Average customer rating:

A very simple introduction to the Treo 600 and a bit of the 650
TREO Fan Book - Your Brain on Silicon
Six Stars - I love my Treo
Nice gift for Treo owners
nifty mobile computer

Treo Fan Book: your brain on silicon
Jeff Ishaq
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596008163

Book Description

What's tiny enough to fit in your pocket but mighty enough to serve as your full-featured mobile phone, your Palm-powered organizer, your wireless email, text messaging, and web-browsing tool, and even your digital camera? Why, it's your all-in-one Treo smartphone from palmOne! And you can master the revolutionary little device in no time flat with the new Treo Fan Book. Not much bigger than the Treo itself but jam-packed with all the information you need to learn about each and every feature and capability of this combined phone/PDA, Treo Fan Book is a full-color, reasonably priced treasure trove of tips and tools to make instant experts of even smartphone neophytes. More than 200,000 Treo's have already shipped, and the popularity of the powerful, pint-sized device is growing. This quick and accessible guide to the bestselling smartphone is the perfect choice for yourself or gift for the Treo aficionado in your life. Author Jeff Ishaq can help anyone become immediately Treo savvy. A Palm OS® Certified Developer who has been producing software for Palm OS devices since their inception in 1996--and who develops popular shareware for the Treo 600--he is well known amongst the Palm community, and he has been named a Handspring Developer's Community Host for his participation in their Treo 600 community. Ishaq has an approach and writing style that will make learning the Treo quick, painless, and fun for all. Designed for new and eager Treo users, this unbeatable reference guide contains just the information you need (including the basics, such as using the phone, finding your way around the organizer features, and surfing the web)--and then plenty more that you want (things like mobile living with the Treo, such as using it as an MP3 player; selecting available accessories; and taking advantage of countless troubleshooting tips). The Treo Fan Book helps you make the very most of your new, do-all gadget.

Customer Reviews:

A very simple introduction to the Treo 600 and a bit of the 650.......2006-03-16

Sprint, at least, offers a thick, albeit electronic (PDF), user manual for the Treo 600 and 650. Granted it is terse and obviously intended for the user who has some understanding of Personal Digital Assistants (PDA).

"Treo Fan Book" is intended for the absolute beginner with no prior Palm device experience. It succeeds in that purpose.

Beginners, in fact, will appreciate the often clear instructionss on using the basic functions.

The book was obviously just being finished when the Treo 650, because it references the device only in passing. Many of the function descriptions are too minimalist and could have been assisted by illustrations. For example, there is a reference to a "Power"S button, but the author never tells precisely what he is referring to.

The book was published in 2004 and with its scant information to the Treo 650 (which has since had a ROM update which introduced a number of new features, including DUN (Dial-Up Networking",) "Treo Fan" is now very much out-of-date.

In reality, there is little information here that couldn't be found in the Treo manual or in the many forums and web sites devoted to the Treo.

Overall, "Treo Fan" has limited value to the Treo user who will now most likely be starting with the 650 or 700w (Windows Mobile version). Best to look for another guide.

Jerry

TREO Fan Book - Your Brain on Silicon.......2006-03-01

The description of this book is both vague and misleading in that it only addresses the Treo 600 and products which have since been relaced on the market with the Treo 650 and Treo 700w.

Moreover as an owner of a Treo 650, 99.9% of the content is both irrellevent and obsolete. Consequently, I am extremely dissspointed that Amazon was not clear in its description and offers/recommends this book and would like to return the book for a complete refund.

Six Stars - I love my Treo.......2005-01-03

I just love my Treo.

Even a smartphone needs a smart user to take advantage of all of its brilliance--especially when that phone is as jam-packed with features as the Treo. To master all of the Treo's phone, email, Internet, photographic, and organizational capabilities, you need this pocket-sized guide! As the only Treo guide authorized by its maker (palmOne), this one goes way beyond the manual to demonstrate the tricks and techniques that aren't divulged anywhere else. With Treo in your hand and this guide at your side, you can work as you read, mastering one topic quickly and then moving on to the next. Each tip or technique takes just minutes to complete, which means you can use what you learn immediately and watch your skills improve every time you pick up your handheld. Use this guide just as you do your Treo itself--when you need it, to do precisely what you want with your smartest of tools!

Signed,
Erica Phillips
(I love my Treo, do you love yours?)

Nice gift for Treo owners.......2004-12-15

This is a short, compact, introduction to both the hardware and software of the Treo. It walks through all of the external features, the software, and all of the gadgets and gizmos you can add on. In addition there are some pointers to useful third party software that you should have a look at.

The walkthrough of the basics of the system software are good enough to be a standalone book that would preclude other book purchases. This is definitely a good gift for new Treo owners, but people with PDA experience may want to have a look at it as well.

nifty mobile computer.......2004-12-08

Are smart phones the harbinger of what future cellphones might be? Ishaq seems to think so. He devotes his book to the Treo family of smart phones, which is now just over 2 years old. Impressive functionality, that greatly exceeds most cellphones. He points out that the very first Treo 270 in May 2002 was one of the first to be able to surf any site on the web, not just those with pages specialised for phones. All later versions were able to also do this, of course. Whereas the typical cellphone of later 2004, as I write this, still lacks the ability. And from what I can gather, external to the book, don't expect it anytime soon in such phones.

The basic tenet of the book is that the Treo is a mobile computer, that can be wirelessly plugged into the phone net. Some users will revel in all the nifty little options. But if you're the sort who thinks a conventional cellphone is just fine, you may want to check out the different viewpoint espoused by the book.

Nokia Smartphone Hacks: Tips & Tools for Your Smallest Computer (Hacks)

Average customer rating:

Loaded with useful information and intermediate to expert advice
A SMART HACK!
75 fun and handy hacks
If you DON'T have a Nokia, you may want to read this book!
A must-have for any Nokia phone user

Nokia Smartphone Hacks: Tips & Tools for Your Smallest Computer (Hacks)
Michael Yuan
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596009615

Book Description

Nokia's smartphones pack a powerful computer into a very small space. Unlike your desktop or laptop, your smallest computer can be connected to the Internet all the time, and can interact with the world around it through its camera, voice recognition, and its traditional phone keypad. Nokia smartphones combine these features with impressive storage options and a host of networking protocols that make this smallest computer the only thing a road warrior truly needs.

If you're still cracking open your laptop or pining for your desktop while you're on the road, you haven't begun to unlock your Nokia's full potential. Nokia Smartphone Hacks is dedicated to tricking out your smartphone and finding all the capabilities lurking under the surface. Learn how to:

Unlock your phone so that you can use it with any carrier
Avoid and recover from malicious mobile software
Watch DVD movies on the phone
Use the phone as a remote control
Use the phone as a data modem for your notebook
Check your email and browse the web
Post to your weblog from your phone
Record phone conversations
Choose mobile service plans
Transfer files between the phone and your computer

Whether you want to use your smartphone as your lifeline while you're on the road, or you're just looking for a way to make the most of the time you spend waiting in lines, you'll find all the user-friendly tips, tools, and tricks you need to become massively productive with your Nokia smartphone. With Nokia Smartphone Hacks, you'll unleash the full power of that computer that's sitting in your pocket, purse, or backpack.

Customer Reviews:

Loaded with useful information and intermediate to expert advice.......2006-09-02

If you have a Nokia series 40 or series 60 phone, this book is indispensable. Every chapter has something even a old hand with Nokia phones will not know. Codes to find the phones version and address information, ways to customize the menus, and alternative programming and settings. In all, this book is "the manual that didn't come in the box."

A SMART HACK!.......2005-12-01

If you're a Nokia smartphone user, then you know by now that hacks are especially useful. Author Michael Yuan, has done an outstanding job of writing a great book that brings all of those powerful hacks to all Nokia smartphone users.

Yuan begins by showing you how to use hacks to understand the basic characteristics of your smartphone and its related mobile network services. Next, the author shows you how to connect your smartphone to the Internet and to nearby computers. Then, he covers how to use , manage, and even develop smartphone software. The author continues by dealing with how to prevent malicious programs from infecting your phone, and how to recover from them if they do. In addition, the author next covers interesting hacks such as speed dialing, recording phone conversations to digital files, and using calling cards. He also discusses everything you'd want to know about data exchange and synchronization between smartphones and PCs. Next, the author covers how to use a smartphone as a data modem to provide Internet access to computers anytime, anywhere. Then, you will learn innovative hacks to use the profile, ring tones, and graphics and fonts on the phone display. The author continues by showing you how to develop your own mobile web site, use mobile portals and search engines, and post to mobile photo blogs from your smartphone. In addition, the author covers various ways to set up e-mail and instant messaging on your smartphone. Finally, you will learn how to take good photos and video clips with your phone camera, and share them with friends across the world.

So, if you do not have a Nokia smartphone already, the author of this excellent book will show you how to use some of the hacks as a nice buyers guide to help you choose from hundreds of combinations of devices and service plans. With that in mind, read on "dude" and start this most excellent adventure!

75 fun and handy hacks.......2005-09-30

Who knew there was so much to do with a smartphone? This book presents 75 hacks on a wide variety of topics around the cellphone. You can find out how to use your phone as a remote control for presentations. Running your own scripts, creating your own themes, reading blogs, sendmail mail through gmail and much more. Definitely a must have for Nokia Smartphone owners.

If you DON'T have a Nokia, you may want to read this book!.......2005-09-18

I don't own a Nokia, but I've been brainstorming/daydreaming about "the next killer app" for cell phones. I picked up this book to gain some insight into the workings and capabilities of what is basically a portable always-on computer/communicator. I was particularly excited by the section on blogs, RSS feeds, and - best of all - the "mobile photo blog". I may end up getting a Nokia just to try out some of the features described here! Well written and illustrated. Certainly worth the price.

A must-have for any Nokia phone user.......2005-09-02

When I first heard about the book, I honestly wasn't excited. I've been very disappointed by my Nokia 3650 dumbphone. (the os is slow, ugly and hard to use and the bluetooth is nearly unusable, etc...) I haven't yet gotten to the point of replacing it, but when I do I planned to get anything but a Nokia. Naturally, I really saw no point in having a book about such the wretched Nokia 60 series phones.

As I was flipping through the book, I was quite surprised by how much the phone could do that I didn't know about. I read through some of the hacks and was so intrigued that I took the book with me to lunch and played with it a while. Since then, I've been trying to download some of the applications mentioned and have been playing with the phone non-stop. The book has definitely brought new life to my 3650.

The book is a mixture of advanced usage tips and cool applications that can make a Nokia phone much more useful. Normally I wouldn't want to see general tips in a Hacks book, but Nokia does such a poor job at providing information about how to use their phones, that most of the coverage of the standard stuff was brand new to me. I had no idea how to store numbers on my sim card or quick dial from it, for example. Maybe I'm slow, but I was happy for that coverage.

Despite only having 75 hacks, I got a lot of value out the book. I would recommend it to anyone with a Nokia phone that wants to get the most out of their phone. If this were a $40 book, I don't know that I could recommend it. But for a $16 book, it's an easy buy for any Nokia user. I think I've seen faceplates cost more than that. If you aren't sure, go browse through it at a local store. Like most hacks books, the value (or lack thereof) will be quickly evident.

Average customer rating:

Collision-Based Computing

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1852335408

Book Description

Collision-Based Computing presents a unique overview of computation with mobile self-localized patterns in non-linear media, including computation in optical media, mathematical models of massively parallel computers, and molecular systems. It covers such diverse subjects as conservative computation in billiard ball models and its cellular-automaton analogues, implementation of computing devices in lattice gases, Conway's Game of Life and discrete excitable media, theory of particle machines, computation with solitons, logic of ballistic computing, phenomenology of computation, and self-replicating universal computers. Collision-Based Computing will be of interest to researchers working on relevant topics in Computing Science, Mathematical Physics and Engineering. It will also be useful background reading for postgraduate courses such as Optical Computing, Nature-Inspired Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Smart Engineering Systems, Complex and Adaptive Systems, Parallel Computation, Applied Mathematics and Computational Physics.

Resource Allocation in Next Generation Wireless Networks (Wireless Networks and Mobile Computing)

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Resource Allocation in Next Generation Wireless Networks (Wireless Networks and Mobile Computing)
Yi Pan
Manufacturer: Nova Science Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1594545839

Unconventional Computing 2005: From Cellular Automata to Wetware

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Unconventional Computing 2005: From Cellular Automata to Wetware

Manufacturer: Luniver Press
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Binding: Paperback

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From Utopian to Genuine Unconventional Computers

ASIN: 095511702X

Book Description

THE BOOK BRINGS TOGETHER WORK FROM A MULTIDISCIPLINARY CORE OF SCIENTISTS WHO ARE WORKING IN THE FIELD OF UNCONVENTIONAL COMPUTING. THE GOAL WAS TO PROVIDE A COMMON GROUND FOR DIALOG AND INTERACTION, TO HIGHLIGHT THE LATEST ADVANCES, AND TO DISCUSS THE MAIN DIRECTIONS FOR THE FUTURE. TOPICS INCLUDE PROGRAMMING OF CHEMICAL SYSTEMS, EVOLVING LOGICAL GATES IN LIQUID CRYSTAL, IMAGE PROCESSING IN CHEMICAL MEDIA, REACTION-DIFFUSION ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS FOR COMPUTATION AND PATTERN GENERATION, RULE MIGRATION IN CELLULAR AUTOMATA, MULTI-STATE QUANTUM AUTOMATA, DNA COMPUTING OF SHORTEST PATH PROBLEMS, AND ARTIFICIAL CHEMISTRIES. THE PAPERS COLLECTED IN THIS BOOK PROVIDE A GOOD OVERVIEW OF HOT RESEARCH TOPICS IN THE VIBRANT FIELD OF UNCONVENTIONAL COMPUTING.

Going Wireless: Transform Your Business with Mobile Technology

Average customer rating:

M-Commerce, L-Commerce, things communicating with things
Surprise - the world is going wireless :-)
Emerging Technology - New Opportunities
A good book on new business opportunities
Awesome book! Exciting! Riveting! GET IT!

Going Wireless: Transform Your Business with Mobile Technology
Jaclyn Easton
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0066213363
Release Date: 2002-03-19

Amazon.com

A surprising array of sophisticated electronic applications that have no need for a tethering umbilical cord are already transforming the way we live, work, and play. Going Wireless analyzes many of these personal, professional, and leisure-time operations now in use by organizations ranging from Sears to the Dave Matthews Band to the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, and projects ways their descendants could become even more ubiquitous. Jaclyn Easton, a Los Angeles Times columnist who profiled e-commerce pioneers in StrikingItRich.com, looks here at how the Internet revolution is evolving into a wireless reality. "Have you ever waved a Speedpass wand to buy gas at a Mobil station? That's wireless," she writes. "Did you ever rent a car with a global positioning system giving you directions as you drove? Did you know that clothing manufacturers are now sewing wireless technology into garments to track the item through both the supply chain and the retail chain?" In a manner that allows her to address weighty concepts without losing those of us who admit to being challenged by technology, Easton examines ways companies are using wireless technology externally to serve their customers and clients and internally to support their employees and suppliers. She additionally devotes a section to new businesses ("tracking what matters to you most"), markets ("Generation Y-erless"), and challenges (including privacy and security). The result is both provocative and enlightening. --Howard Rothman

Book Description

Going Wireless delivers the unexpected by showing how wireless is transforming every type of enterprise from micro-businesses to multi-national conglomerates.

Award-winning technology journalist Jaclyn Easton begins with an in-depth look at owning your customers and clients through mobile commerce -- whether your company focuses on consumers or business-to-business.

From there you will learn about the advantages of wirelessly fortifying your mobile workforce of itinerant executives, sales personnel, and field service technicians as well as how wireless is dramatically redefining customer service, marketing, and advertising.

Going Wireless also delves deep inside the corporation. First you'll find out why most companies are "handsizing" in addition to deploying wireless technology to rejuvenate warehouses, supply chains, procurement procedures, data collection, competitive intelligence, and much more.

The best part is that these scenarios are supported by over 40 brand-name success stories, including:

How Sears saves millions by wirelessly enabling 100 percent of their appliance repair technicians;

How the Gap proved that by sewing wireless technology in their clothing they could reduce labor distribution costs by 50 percent;

How McKessanHBOC -- a Fortune 40 corporation -- used mobile technology to entirely eliminate all their manifest imaging costs.

While most people associate wireless with cell phones and Palm handhelds, you'll also learn that wireless has been around for over 100 years and has spawned mobile options you've never heard of and is being used in ways you've never imagined.

This makes Going Wireless the perfect book for executives and managers who need a comprehensive overview of the wireless options that can make their companies more competitive, more productive, and more profitable.

Download Description

"PerfectBound e-book exclusive extra: Going E-book: A Roundtable. Going Wireless delivers the unexpected by showing how wireless is transforming every type of enterprise from micro-businesses to multi-national conglomerates. Award-winning technology journalist Jaclyn Easton begins with an in-depth look at owning your customers and clients through mobile commerce -- whether your company focuses on consumers or business-to-business. From there you will learn about the advantages of wirelessly fortifying your mobile workforce of itinerant executives, sales personnel, and field service technicians as well as how wireless is dramatically redefining customer service, marketing, and advertising. Going Wireless also delves deep inside the corporation. First you'll find out why most companies are ""handsizing"" in addition to deploying wireless technology to rejuvenate warehouses, supply chains, procurement procedures, data collection, competitive intelligence, and much more. The best part is that these scenarios are supported by over 40 brand-name success stories, including: · How Sears saves millions by wirelessly enabling 100 percent of their appliance repair technicians; · How the Gap proved that by sewing wireless technology in their clothing they could reduce labor distribution costs by 50 percent; · How McKessanHBOC -- a Fortune 40 corporation -- used mobile technology to entirely eliminate all their manifest imaging costs. While most people associate wireless with cell phones and Palm handhelds, you'll also learn that wireless has been around for over 100 years and has spawned mobile options you've never heard of and is being used in ways you've never imagined. This makes Going Wireless the perfect book for executives and managers who need a comprehensive overview of the wireless options that can make their companies more competitive, more productive, and more profitable.

Customer Reviews:

M-Commerce, L-Commerce, things communicating with things.......2006-03-08

Mobile commerce offers the hope of faster access to information for the consumer. M-Commerce builds on both internet and wireless communication devices. Internet servers push small applications to WiFi devices and these applications, in turn, make information requests through WiFi portals back to the server. The WiFi interface improves speed to acquire information for the consumer increasing the likelihood of a purchase; the WiFi interface can submit billing information for payment processing with one tap to confirm credit card usage for bill payment; a confirmation code is displayed on the WiFi device and used to validate pickup of the merchandise; and speed is the motivating factor like the fast food chain in time performance. If by the middle of the decade, "the only way to reach your customers is via the internet, you'll be limiting your customer base". M-commerce brings the store to the consumer wirelessly and it assists the consumer in price comparison. The consumer can talk directly to the WiFi device reducing time to navigate menu selection. Sophisticated voice recognition software will eliminate the need to display all available choices. Instead, the software will use context and subject matter as it relates to voice interpretation too determine choice.

Location commerce is the result of the law. All cell phones or devices capable of making a call must be capable for an external call center too pinpoint a caller within a few feet. Position based commerce will become the primary source of new business referrals. As the consumer moves from one zone to another information is served up to the WiFi interface from local based directories. The user will enter in what they want and a list of services based on proximity will be offered through their PDA. National chains will be able to offer localized pricing of their products and services. The localized directories will be able to determine availability and make referrals to other stores within a certain mile radius, if the product is unavailable. The idea is that the quicker you get your customer the merchandise, the more you will sell.

A decentralized Transportation Wifi network potentially offers a massive opportunity. Suppose, each car was installed with a WiFi device that could communicate with car around it, accessing: speed, breaking, turning, and sudden stops. Potentially, the Wifi device could stop all accidents involving abrupt slow downs in traffic. Additionally, the auto wifi device could communicate with Wifi portal along the road querying for restaurant prices and availability, sleeping arrangements and prices, and music downloads. Billboards being replaced by high speed Wifi portals and massive internet servers bring services too consumers on the road.

Surprise - the world is going wireless :-).......2005-04-05

Surprise - the world is going wireless. Well it's not really a surprise. In the U.S., we're just behind the times. In fact, in most respects related to wireless / mobile connectivity, the U.S. places third behind Asia, and Europe. But, never underestimate America. We've come from behind before and we can do it again. The problem is that the U.S. is PC centric and up until now this has lead to lackluster interest in smartphone and advance mobile communications.

With the oncoming rush of Wi-Max and related technologies, the time to embrace wireless is NOW. Easton's book will help you open your mind to the future of wireless and the possibilities it represents. The book highlights that without going wireless we are still "tied" to our desks - even with laptops. Throughout Going Wireless, next-generation applications are shown, not for technology sake, but for their distinct potential in business.

Divided into three sections, Going Wireless is a most compelling read:

SECTION 1 - USING M-COMMERCE TO OWN YOUR CUSTOMERS AND CLIENTS

SECTION 2 - THE WIRELESS WORKFORCE CONNECTS THE ENTERPRISE

SECTION 3: NEW BUSINESSES, NEW MARKETS, NEW CHALLENGES

For even more information, check out Going Wireless' website.

Michael Davis, Byvation

---> To swing for the fence, entrepreneurs must avoid the shark-infested red water and sail into the deep blue sea.

Emerging Technology - New Opportunities.......2004-02-05

Easton takes a very difficult subject and pieces together how wireless will make our lives simpler and faster still. We can get what we want, when we want it. We can make an order from a wireless hand held device and pick it up within minutes.

This book is made to order if you want to see where wireless is going. Easton is well researched and writes to inform.

A good book on new business opportunities.......2002-07-14

The book presents a wide range of business cases as well as scenarios where wireless technology is used or can be used. The author sometimes gets too excited about the potential of the technologies involved but she proves that, at least in some areas, wireless is revolutionizing business, creating business value by providing convenience, mobility, agility and improved data accuracy.

Awesome book! Exciting! Riveting! GET IT!.......2002-06-28

I probably sound like a paid endorser, but the truth is, this book is fantastic. It's written beautifully, contains riveting stories, and is packed with insights, ideas, trends, and more. It's written for anyone in business ready to cash in on the future. Wireless is the next big trend. This book shows you how to surf it to the bank. Get it. Get it right now. -- Joe Vitale, author of way too many books to list here, ...

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