The iPhone is gaining traction as not only the must have gadget of the year, but also as an effective tool for mobile professionals. Rather than continue gushing about a device that I am forced to love, I will continue to post new stories when I find new ways to justify its value beyond a killer iPod with phone and Web functionality.
When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone at Macworld earlier this year he immediately justified its position as a smarter, revolutionary phone for those who wanted the next generation multimedia and communications experience without worry of whether or not it was a legitimate business tool. Indeed it’s revolutionary. It will inspire change in not only the mobile industry, but in anything that runs an OS. The iPhone changed the game.
As an iPhone user who was initially disappointed with the lack of certain basic capabilities in addition to the blaring disregard for slaves to the Exchange regime, I am now driven to prove that the iPhone will be the business tool for the discerning professional.
Ismael Ghalimi invited me to be part of the Office 2.0 team and I was more than happy to jump onboard. Ismael is a visionary and is helping to change the way companies think about next generation office applications and workflow.
I’ve been deeply immersed in the Office 2.0 landscape, experimenting and documenting my experience with new and emerging technology and tools.
Last year, at Ismael Ghalimi’s Office 2.0 Conference in San Francisco, I was more than encouraged about the future of shifting from a traditional PC/server software-based architecture to an anywhere, anytime Web-based collaborative office. 2007 is the new 1984 – meaning Office 2.0 applications represent to consumers what Apple meant to PC users over 20 years ago.
The other day, I was reading Read/Write Web before heading up to Office 2.0 and Richard McManus posted some great questions to stimulate dialogue and create a forum for truly interesting market and technology analysis.
Does Office 2.0 represent a revolution, a paradigm shift? Or just incremental improvement on Microsoft Office?
What Office 2.0 apps and services best represent the paradigm shift of Office 2.0 to you?
Do you agree that Google’s web-based office apps are more evolutionary than revolutionary?
Aside from Google stealing thunder with its announcement of Google docs and spreadsheets, sessions starting at 8 a.m., and the wireless bandwidth, or lack thereof, at the Office 2.0 conference, there were some pretty exciting demonstrations and discussions. Plus, I got to sit next to Steve Gilmor and Vic Podaster for most of the show, and it was pretty cool to have them ask me which companies I preferred.
Demonstration pods adorned the hallways outside of the ballroom. For a list of participants, click here.
Congratulations to all of the winners. Just for the record, I also voted for SiteKreator, FreshBooks, and System One. Steve Gilmor and I talked about the favorites, and I think we’re both in agreement that our other choices didn’t make it to the top, but, that shouldn’t take away from the winners and the valuable apps they highlighted atOffice2.0.
Aside from discussing business models, technology, the state of Web 2.0, and the future of Office 2.0, it was also room-filled with familiar faces and friendly conversation among thought-leaders catching-up in-between product development cycles, company launches and events.
Office 2.0 is much more than a new way of enhancing in-office productivity and it’s definitely much more than highlighting current state of “everything 2.0” out there.
It is a significant milestone and testament to the state of the net, programming, an understanding of collaborative workflow, and an advanced way of seeking a way to simplify, streamline, enhance collaboration, and reduce the costs associated with day-to-day business.
Brian Solis is principal at Altimeter Group, a research-based advisory firm. Solis is globally recognized as one of the most prominent thought leaders and published authors in new media. A digital analyst, sociologist, and futurist, Solis has studied and influenced the effects of emerging media on business, marketing, publishing, and culture. His current book, Engage, is regarded as the industry reference guide for businesses to build and measure success in the social web.
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