Why I am using a PC again.. iPad wins over Surface RT and the Jabber bright spot

Some of you may remember that when I changed jobs I also changed OS systems, switching to a MAC. Well I am now switching between both MAC and Windows regularly which actually turns out to be a positive thing, let me explain. MAC’s coexisting with PC’s is becoming more the norm in most enterprises it seems.I have very few companies I work with that don’t have elements of both in their organizations. So using and understanding both has been a big learning curve for me but at the same time its helped me understand the different issues this brings.

A few things I learned in this experience are Office on a MAC is terrible (no really, just terrible), there is no great Visio substitute on a MAC unless I want to pay for it myself (not happening, I am cheap), and the constant Windows updates being one of the reasons I tried so hard to move to MAC still bug the crap out of me. In the end some of the important stuff I needed to do ended up on a virtual PC running on my MAC which worked but I felt it was ruining my MAC experience. So I settled for second hand PC hardware . I am using my PC as a desktop work machine and all mobile requirements I have are on Apple devices. The PC has some double duties for demos as well when required. Overall though this seems to be working really well. It’s a lot of devices to manage but considering my role I have some unique requirements which makes it somewhat of a requirement to work with and understand different platforms.

BTW I am writing this on a Windows 7 PC and am just about to reboot with another 59 updates. sigh..

Okay, 2 reboots later and I am back.

To be fair it’s a new build on my PC but in saying that I have updated this PC more times in two days than I have my MAC and iPad (iOS 7 upgrade included)combined in three months. Just saying.

In all of this I have found a new admiration for my iPad which I do love. iOS 7 certainly added some good new features which make it easier to multitask. My Surface RT basically sits on shelf uncharged, unloved while my iPad goes with me everywhere even if I have another compute device. Outside of the keyboard on the Surface RT which was handy the iPad (with a Logitech BT keyboard) is a superior device or maybe I should say eco system. The biggest issue with the Surface RT (and Windows Phone for that matter which I still own) is the lack of apps, hence my eco system reference. There were also a few performance issues I encountered with the Surface RT but at the end of the day lack of apps is still the main issue. Surface Pro probably would have been a better device since it can load legacy apps but I don’t have one and therefore I don’t care to go there. iPad wins for me and I can see clearly now why enterprises are choosing it.

Now with all that said I did use my Surface RT quite extensively when I worked at Microsoft. This was mainly because nearly all the apps I used were Microsoft applications. Lync, Skype, Office etc. So if this is your world it is possible to deal with Surface RT even with the app choice limitation. The problem I found was once I stepped out of the Microsoft applications choice was pretty limited. When I was not working I was actually using an iPad. It was my dirty little secret. Merely because the apps I liked were not on the Surface RT. Even reviews of the newly released Surface 2 mention this in nearly everyone one I read. It’s a real issue that Microsoft will need to address for real success on either Surface or for that matter Windows Phone.

With iPad the only limitation I have found is the lack of Microsoft Office apps (not exactly a surprise) but there is a work around for that. IOS 7 brings the Apple productivity apps for free. Although these aren't the equivalent of Office they are good enough for light work. I can envision lots of different job functions getting away with just an iPad and the right apps. There is no denying that BYOD is at critical mass. An IT support model where the user buys their own device and supports it. Basically you have just outsourced OS/application updating and device support to Apple or Google (didn’t want to leave Android fans out in the cold). What company wouldn’t in some manner think this was attractive? I can certainly see in the future where a company just has a compute allowance for users. I can remember early attempts at this by some companies back around 2005 but I see it as more achievable now.  I have not run into a large company doing this yet but I am sure they are out there or will be soon.

Anyway, these are my thoughts and pains of dealing with multiple OS’s and devices.The bright spot in all of this has been Jabber. Across all my devices I have had the opportunity know to give Jabber a solid workout. Jabber focuses more on the personal side of communications bringing together devices and software for the end-user while having deep integration into WebEx for web conferencing. While I know a great deal of you will argue every company wants everything in one application, practically this is not always optimal. This is due to the large variation of features that both personal communications and conferencing encompass.Having come from Microsoft where Live Meeting Service is still often used for larger events instead of Lync, it proves to me that just one application tied to one service delivery infrastructure can be a limitation. Jabber provides a  solid middle ground of tying services together for the end-user whether the service is coming from the cloud or on-premise. This is really cloud on your terms for communications which is the flexibility companies are looking for and has given me a new perspective on delivering UC services.

BTW If your interested in signing up for early releases of Jabber here is the signup on Cisco communities:

 https://communities.cisco.com/community/technology/collaboration/eap_signup

VoIPNorm

Project Workplace

I have tweeted about Project Workplace a few times in the last few weeks. If you haven't visited Project Workplace and have any interest in enterprise video and collaborative spaces its worth a few minutes to check out. This is a continuously updated website that lays out the format for collaborative spaces right down to seating positions to get the best experience.

http://www.cisco.com/assets/sol/tp/workplace_app/index.html?page=home/

It also has a section on best practices to help with things like lighting levels and reverb.

Enjoy.

VoIPNorm

WebEx Connect and CUPS IM and Presence on a Windows Phone

Cisco has yet to release a Windows Phone client but there is an alternative open stands XMPP client to at least do Instant Messaging and Presence. I rarely us anything beyond IM & P on my smartphone device even when I had the ability to do so with other UC clients so this fits my needs nicely. This will most likely work with a Cisco Unified Presence deployment as well but I have yet to test that. I have used it with WebEx Connect successfully and it functions just fine although its not the prettiest of clients as you will see below. Its really basic which some people may actually like.

Jabbim will work with any XMPP based service and happens to be one of the few existing XMPP clients available on Windows Phone. To set it up for WebEx Connect your administrator will require that a DNS SRV record is in place so that the service can be located by the client but other than that if WebEx Connect has been enabled for your organization you should be good to go. I have included some screenshots below which show the basics of the client and the setup.

The trickiest pieces is to ensure you have the right server record for the account settings. For WebEx Connect users, use the DNS SRV record in the form of c2s.<your org>.com.webexconnect.com. The other settings are just general user name, domain, password etc. Port for WebEx Connect does not need to be changed.

Like I said earlier its not pretty but it is effective. This shows Cisco’s commitment to open standards and XMPP for both the Connect service and CUPS. Having the option for third party clients without having to require additional plugins is a nice to have.

Update: Thanks to a peer @ Cisco I have since tried a few more apps and settled on IM+. Seems to be a much nicer looking client and I am already using it on my iPad. Only draw back is the free version has Advertising. All the XMPP capable clients can be found here:

http://xmpp.org/xmpp-software/clients/

Gotta love open standards.

VoIPNorm

Device Review: Cisco DX650 - The Desk phone just got a lot smarter

When I first come across the DX650 it wasn’t clear to me what the use case was and I was more interested in the list price which as everyone points out no body pays anyway. While working for Microsoft I was heavily focused on their own ecosystem of products that getting time to evaluate a Android device just wasn’t at the top of my priority list (and maybe frowned upon somewhat:). Although other desk phone manufactures are using Android as a phone OS it’s a locked down version that somewhat obscures Androids real capabilities. The DX650 has the capabilities to lockdown the user to only the preloaded app’s but the part of power of any Android device is the Google Play Store. Which I will cover more a little later.

I am not going to chant through all the technical details of this device as there are quite a few. Below is the main product video which is about an hour long run through of the entire device which is much nicer than me writing about it here. Look out for David Scott, he really knows his stuff on the DX650. David is a product manager at Cisco so he gives some great insight into the product and its configuration inside CUCM.

DX650 on TechWiseTV

Also here are some links to some more tech spec which should cover the deeper technical questions.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/voicesw/ps6788/phones/ps12956/ps12959/solution_overview_c22-726842.html

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/voicesw/ps6788/phones/ps12956/ps12959/solution_overview_c22-726841_ps12956_Product_Solution_Overview.html

My view

I have been using the DX650 for a few weeks now. It’s a interesting product with some compelling use cases. Probably the most interesting of which is remote worker/telecommuter and VDI access. There are others like remote video enabled contact center agent but that’s an entire post all on its own.

Remote worker

I have been a telecommuter/remote worker for a good part of 7-8 years now. At Microsoft and now Cisco I have never been allocated desk space and my previous employer before either of those mentioned I telecommuted at least one day a week. Seattle traffic sucks btw. So having a solid work at home solution for communications is very beneficial. A PC/MAC with soft client although good short term for longer term home worker there are better solutions. Obviously a highly mobile worker at their desk less than 25% of their time is not going to benefit as much as say a knowledge/contact center worker.

I have tried a host of solutions over the years from PC with soft client to personal telepresence video solutions and now the DX650. While those other solutions have their place the DX650 seems to be better suited to someone like me that needs a communications solution but my company may not be willing to spend large amounts of dollars on something more high end like an EX90/EX60.

One thing I noticed and this might just be me but even now working at Cisco, if the remote device only does voice it doesn’t get used and I go back to a soft client which has more functionality. So in other words if the device doesn’t have integrated contacts, calendar integration, video etc., it turns into a dust collector. The only time I used a voice only device is if someone calls and my MAC wasn’t up and my cell phone was MIA. So to me a well integrated desktop device is way more functional and therefore more likely to get used than just a normal desktop phone (in my opinion). I have found using WebEx on the DX650 is the new audio conference for this device. 

There are a few things that make the DX650 so compelling in this situation:

• Easy access to video
• Secure always on connection with VPN if required
• Integrated WebEx and Jabber
• Access to the Google Play store to add additional functionality

There are others like Wifi, Bluetooth etc but the ones above really stick out. Below is the DX650 with a personalized wallpaper image. I am actually using a Logitech USB headset with it but this could be a Bluetooth device just as easy. This is the logon screen which requires a pin to unlock. It gives me a quick view of event, voicemail etc without having to unlock the device.

Below is my customized start screen, I have added a RDP client from the Google Play Store and placed a calendar widget on my start screen. No Angry Birds as yet! This is a screenshot btw. When I first started writing this post I was taking photos of the screen before it dawned on me that there must be away to take screenshot. Of course there is with Android ICS. Volume down button and lock button pressed simultaneously dummy.

You will also notice a WebEx app. This was way more capable than I first thought it would be. You can do most things from generating the invitation, to starting and hosting the meeting from the DX650. Below is a photo of a screen sharing session with my home PC.

So if I happen to be on my MAC working jumping on a WebEx no longer ties up my MAC to keep the content front and center. This is an issue with always using a MAC/PC to attend virtual meetings because once you switch off of the content its pretty easy to loose focus or have an issue finding the right window again.

Below is the contacts which can be imported from a variety of places but you'll notice that some are showing presence being imported from Jabber.

Finally calendar integration.

So really well integrated communications platform, much more akin to a smartphone but with a better quality user experience for voice and video. I even loaded Twitter!

Remote desktop/VDI Experience

Let me first give a bit of a description of my setup. I have MAC running VMware Fusion that is running a Windows desktop. I wanted to test out RDP running from the DX650 so I loaded a free RDP client from the Google Play Store on the DX650 than launched a RDP session to the virtual desktop. I also have a Bluetooth Keyboard paired with the DX650 because typing on screen just didn’t make sense for this.

Below is the logon screen during the RDP session:

Logged into the RDP session and running Jabber. Not that this is it real use case but basically this is way to run any legacy Windows app just add your flavor of VDI into the mix such as VMware or Citrix.

During my RDP testing I only added a keyboard and used the on screen touch to drive the interface but a mouse could be added as well as using a dual display. Having a communications device that can produce high quality voice and video as well as run a VDI session overcomes one of the biggest limitations to VDI. Real time media within the VDI session. Although there are plugins there is always some limitation around the underlying OS or the quality isn't great depending on the hardware, it just seems as though removing the media from the VDI is a more sensible approach.

Obviously this removes the need for another device to run the VDI session and having a separate communications device.

The Power is in the Apps

As I pointed out earlier part of the power of this device is in the apps delivered through the Google Play Store. I was able to create an RDP session just with a simple app download. So this makes for a powerful communications device. If I just look at my device I can access Twitter, Google Hangouts, Enterprise HD Video & Voice, Webex, email (Exchange and Google), calendar, VDI, RDP etc etc all with the use of apps. Some are DX650 specific and others are typical downloads from the Play Store. So making the desktop phone relevant again for various use cases but also a communication hub for the user.

Hell, if Samsung wants to put a internet connection in a fridge we should expect more from communications devices. Taking advantage of the established Google Play Store makes a lot of sense to provide a richer experience for the user.

Does it run Lync?

No it doesn’t. Mainly because Microsoft controls which hardware and software Lync can load onto that they have tested. It can however run a number of other UC clients that run on Android.

Conclusion

The DX650 is not your ordinary desktop replacement. Thinking that you would replace every users phone with a DX650 probably isn't going to happen at most organizations but with the right use case it may make sense versus the cost. This is an intelligent device that takes communications to a new level. Everyone seems fixed on using a tablet for everything that maybe this device can do but like I mentioned in a tweet, no one wants to see nose cam every time you make a video call especially in the contact center. I also haven't ventured into CEBP and how Android apps combined with the device could really skyrocket use cases like telemedicine (should be renamed to collabhealth) but I will leave that for another day.

VoIPNorm