International Mobile Experience: GOOD!

For this year's Thanksgiving, we decided to take a short vacation and spent 5 days in the beautiful city of Barcelona.  My last trip to Europe was about four years ago and the mobile experience is obviously much better today but to my surprise, it was beyond "better"... it was GREAT!

Before I begin to describe my experience, I want to address that while my experience is based on an iPhone 4  I do believe any eligible smartphone running other OS like BB should provide similar experience.

For starters, I noticed considerable amount of more WiFi connection everywhere I went this trip, albeit most are secure and I have no access, I managed to find a decent open network to stay connected (mostly from larger hotels like the Hotel Mandarin, Hotel OMM, etc.).  I was lucky enough to have free WiFi at the hotel where I stayed.  Within 4 days, I was able to take 4th position on foursquare of all Barcelona.

WiFi also provides another layer of comfort while traveling abroad.  I was able to use the SKYPE app and TANGO app to keep in touch with friends and family in Spain and back at home.  It was really amazing that at one point, I was having a drink at a small local pub and holding a video call with my pal Dan over Tango via the free WiFi in the pub (I'm sure the Catalans must thought I was a major geek but you really get a sense that you are now living in the "future").  I was thankful to have access to wireless internet without being charged $20/MB via AT&T's international rate.

Mobile apps helped the experience considerably.  I have always have had the habit of setting up a custom My Maps within Google Maps to set various pin-points we wanted to visit.  I was able to download a cool little app on iPhone called "MyMaps".  It allows me to save map tiles on my iPhone and import the custom maps I created from Google Maps.  Even though I had my 3G data and Cellular Data turned off abroad, while standing outside, I was able to get the embedded GPS chip to pickup my position making me ditch the fold-able maps.  This experience is very empowering...

Other things like dictionary apps and powerful camera/camcorder is very helpful as well.  When we visited a famous spot, La Sagrada Familia, my amazing Canon SD4000i had ran out of power.  Thankfully, my iPhone 4's decent camera and HD recording was able to step in and fill the void.

Since we only have access to one of those European wall-outlet adapter, every night, we struggle to decide which device to charge before going to bed.  Given the flexibility and the necessity to keep my iPhone powered up, priority was always given to the iPhone.  The lesson is to remember packing more than 1 outlet adapter moving forward.

Mobile Experience: Relying on an iPad Entirely for Business Trip

I attended a 2-day conference in Chicago this week for the first ever Mobile Commerce Forum (more on my feedback later) and I've decided to not take my work laptop to see how an iPad can fare.  I wanted to minimize my traveling weight and see just how the iPad can live up to its name. Along with the iPad will be my iPhone 4 which works out great for two reasons: 1). both devices can share one charger to further minimize my weight and 2). I'll be using SimpleNote app on both so I can update conference or meeting notes on either device and both are sync'd to the cloud.

Setup:  iPad 32GB, iPhone 4 32GB, SimpleNote App, Griffin Elan Passport

After spending two days at the conference with the iPad, I was very impressed with its battery life.  After a full day of turning it on/off, taking notes, surfing the web via WiFi, checking/sending emails, the tablet still has over 60% of battery life at the end of the day.  Typing on the iPad was a total pain in the ass, I really hated it.  I pretty much typed with two fingers and constantly struggle with spelling, caps, auto-correction and switching for symbols like (* or %).  I did noticed a lady several seats away from me brought her Apple Bluetooth Keyboard, I think she definitely 1-up'd me on that front.  SimpleNote worked out great for the conference; it would save a copy of my notes on the server so I can pull them up from my iPhone while walking the Exhibit hall to make edits or add more notes on the fly via my iPhone.  The iPad case I used was the Griffin Elan Passport which worked out really well, not only would it protect my iPad during the traveling, the card slots helped me organized all the business cards I had been collecting throughout.  The iPad helped me keep connected for almost all of my normal work (reading emails, reports, etc...) with one exception where I could not fetch a file that was on my laptop for a co-worker.  I still need to figure out a solution to the work file access in the future.

Overall, I was pretty happy with the iPad's performance.  It's light weight and long battery life (no Laptop I've been issued from work has lasted more than 3 hours at the conference).  I will likely bring my iPad along for future business travels.

Multi-Channel Retailers: Is Smartphone Friend or Foe?

Several weeks ago, in preparation for a company golf outing, I stopped by a local Walmart to pickup a dozen of golf balls.  When I finally decided which one I wanted, I launched the Red Laser app on my iPhone 4 to check if the price is comparable.  It turned out that most of the online stores are offering the same price or slightly less plus shipping charge.  Knowing this is a fair deal, I proceeded to check out.

Thinking back, I've run into countless times where I find myself doing this at Brick & Mortar stores.  I recall one time, I was looking at a pair of kitchen shear, the online price via Amazon was slightly cheaper but no sales tax and my PRIME membership shipping via 2-Day express convinced me to place an order via the Amazon iPhone App while standing in the store.

As a consumer, I feel badly about my behavior but I'm not sorry for being a smart shopper that is connected in the mobile/wireless world.  As an internet retailer (my full time job), I am baffled and felt helpless because mobile-enabled websites/applications will give consumers more opportunities to compare product prices from offline to online.  If you work for a national multi-channel retailer, you'll know what headache I'm referring to.  In order to stay competitive, retailers with local stores often run a separate eCommerce business with better online pricing than their offline retail location.  As you mobilize your eCommerce site for Smartphones, you better prepare your store managers for when customers bringing up the same product on their mobile device while asking for the online price in-store.

In the case if a vendor only has a small mom & pop's retail store, what can you do about of this? With a store lease, staff salary and other overhead, your in-store pricing might not be able to compete with direct discounters online.  Will your store offer enough value added services such as customer support and provide the instant gratification to convince your customers to buy from you?  Or is it better to find more ways to cut cost so you can price-match when the situation arise?  I really don't know whats the best answer to all of these questions.

Gmail Google Voice Integration: Call Phone Feature Live!

I've always called it and I'll say it again.  The future of Mobile is all about Google.  With Gmail and Google Talk slowly taking over people's desktop communication habits and Google Maps dominating mobile users search volume, its just a matter of time before Google unleashes everything to Android such as this sweet Google Voice + GMAIL + Google Talk integration now available on the desktop browsers.

I'd be a little nervous if I were SKYPE.  Here is a free tip for SKYPE... quit screwing around and enable your mobile application across all smartphone OSs and all carriers with video conference and a whole lot more.  If you don't have this worked out in the next 6 months... you might as well forget about it.

The iPad and It’s Profound Impact

Every once in a while, a unique product comes along, muddles up the mobile environment and changes the game; blurring the line amongst various appliances and interactions.  When the iPad first arrived to  the scene, I immediately dismissed it, my argument was a simple and utilitarian one: “The iPad was too big to be mobile but not powerful enough to compete with a netbook or an ultraportable laptop.”  I still find that statement to be true (especially so from a recent trip) but I’m starting to embrace the iPad’s ultimate impact.

As an iPad user, I find myself using the iPad frequently despite my negative feelings towards this inadequate device (as a computer substitute given its size).  The iPad bridges a gap for when I’m in a situation where a laptop would be cumbersome.  For instance, I often browse the iPad while on the couch in front of our television set or laying in bed.  It’s form factor and instant-on ability is why I find myself reading electronic Newspapers in the morning with my coffee at the breakfast table; prior to this, I’ve never brought my laptop along for breakfast to read the news.

As an online marketer and internet retailer, I’m starting to see iPads popping up the chart in the analytics software.  Within Coremetrics' Emerging Opportunities report, the iPad within 3 month of its inception made its way up to become the highest converting and grossing mobile device.  Again, in the beginning, I dismissed the iPad phenomenon thinking there is no need to invest in an unique iPad user interface since its large screen permits a full desktop web experience.  That is until I made the connection with my own usage to realize that while the iPad is capable of most desktop web experience, its smarter if retailers/marketers cater a dedicated device experience (either via mobile web or application) for the iPad users.

Knowing that iPad owners incremental usage and their willingness to engage and transact, I hereby urge all marketers and internet retailers to embrace and offer an enhanced user experience for iPad users.  Simple optimizations such as redirecting iPad users to an alternate website enlarging the text size/hyperlinks/buttons or changing Flash animation to GIF or HTML5 can probably improve conversion rate by a couple of percentage points.  As I’ve stated, the iPad is not quite a mobile device or a laptop, therefore its best that you cater an experience that is just in between.  If you are doubtful, take a look at your analytics software, see how your customers are using the iPad to engage with your brand.  Cheers!

Lacoste Share's their Mobile Experience

Mobile Commerce Daily has an article on Lacost's mobile experience to date where an exec shares their hits and misses with Mobile. The article is nothing crazy but I think its a good read if you work for a retail company and is trying to mobilize your commerce; the article does an adequate job of summarizing relevant points.  I'm actually in the process of creating a mobile experience for the company I work for, a national retail chain with web business and this article re-assures the paths I've taken.  In short, you can summarize the reading as:

1. Make sure you have content, don't just do something mobile and expect a good reaction
2. Check out your web analytics software to learn your current customer's mobile preference, devices
3. When creating an app, leverage all the functions from that smartphone to enhance the experience
4. iPad is gaining market share, popping up on the analytic software
5. Mobile changes the way in-store shopping experience goes
(read more here)

One of the things that I've been contemplating lately is how to think about iPad's recent penetration.  In the beginning, I thought of an iPad as an alternative to a netbook given its large screen real estate.  The iPad, however, is slightly faster and easier to access than a netbook (in terms of boot time, ready to go) but browsing on a desktop website is not all that great; for the moment, there aren't a lot of apps designed just for the iPad... It feels like iPad will need to get its own share of mobile strategy when the timing is right.  For the time being, I'm just focusing on creating a mobile web that is friendly to all smartphones.

Mobile Best Practice in Usability

Lately, I have been spending a good chunk of time at my 9-to-5 job researching and gathering the best mobile web practices in preparation of our own mobile website launch.  Its quite eye opening to see how creative and smart some of the top internet retailers is able to present an excellent mobile experience to their loyal customers.

In my own practice, I have been going down the path of visiting top retailers' websites and jolt down notes on things I liked, my overall consensus has been studying my desktop website metrics and present the most relevant and useful features to the mobile website with larger/finger friendly UI design.  The folks at Usability Sciences have 1-up me on this topic; they are offering  free Webinars around these topics; the latest one I attended was called "Mobile Best Practice in Usability" and what a great webinar it turned out to be. The presenter broke down the topic into smaller, but informative sessions (homepage, navigation, search, listing results) and showed examples of the good and the bad. It definitely reinforced my own thoughts and helped me think about the entire process in a much structured format. If you are tasked to mobilize your website, check out Usability Sciences free webinar series, I know I will.

(The screenshot is taken from Hotels.com, one of the mobile websites that I found to be very good at creating a solid mobile experience.  It seems like they have a solid understanding of their customer's needs and only presented what is the most useful and intuitive design - large buttons with good contrast in visual design, major functions like "Find a Hotel", "View Reservation" and "Customer Care" is presented clearly on the homepage.)

Big Day for CDMA: Sprint's First WiMax Phone & Verizon's SKYPE News

I'm generally not a big fan of the CDMA network because of its incompatibility with network outside of this country but two big news came out today suddenly changed the way I view these players.  The biggest news first: Sprint announced its first WiMAX smartphone powered by Android way ahead of others. In addition to the speediness of WiMax (for streaming media and all sorts of coolness), the actual device itself is super hot: Android 2.1, 4.3" screen, 8.1MP camera with FRONT-MOUNTED 1.3MP Camera (hello Skype Video via WiMax on the go!), WiFi, HDMI out and Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU.  I haven't felt this excited about a smartphone since the HTC Touch Pro and/or iPhone 3G.  This Android phone will kick some ass for  Sprint and I can't wait.

(Update: Wow, judging by Engadget's coverage and their user comments, I'm not the only one thinking this is a super-awesome phone, Sprint could have scored big this time around... question is, will this phone come out just before the whatever new iPhone is?)

Verizon on the other hand announced a partnership with Skype.  If I'm reading this article right, 9 devices spanning across different two mobile OS (Android, BlackBerry) will get Skype app and is going to be able to make VOIP calls over Verizon's 3G (EV-DO) network.  This is pretty bad-ass for you to make Handset-to-PC calls to stay connected with your international friends and family where ever you are in the U.S.  Your's truly once tried using Skype via Fring via Nokia N95-3 over ATT's 3G network at a local Starbucks and while I got it to work the result was choppy so I'm definitely interested in knowing how good this is going to be.

Kudos to both Sprint and Verizon on two excellent news that will sure improve their customer's total mobile experience!

My very own QR Code

I got my own QR Code for TheMobileExperience.com generated by Kaywa QR-Code Generator!

Source: LifeHacker

Mobile Marketing Showcase: Sprint-bCODE-Screenvision

If you live nearby a Screenvision theater and happen to be a Sprint customer, here is a little something to brighten up your day. Simply text "Sprint" to 22633 (or bCODE), you'll receive a discount text message that can be redeemed at one of the kiosks in the theater for various promotions (upgrades to popcorn for example).

Whats kind of interesting here is the appliance produced by bCODE known as MediaPlane 220 (video demo here). It acts as the translation medium to scan a digital coupon (via SMS) into a paper coupon for redemption. In this partnership, Sprint is providing a value-added service to its customer base while mutually benefiting Screenvision theaters as well as pushing the mobile marketing envelope with bCODE all at the same time. If you run a marketing service for a large retail company with multiple locations, this is something worthy of consideration.

At time of writing, there should be 500 Screenvision theaters fitted with this service (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Houston and Dallas). This number should reach to 900 by 2010.

Review: HP Mini Netbook 110 Series

Netbook is all the rage these days. Whats not to like: Cheap! Compact! Lightweight! and loaded with features. The perfect mobile experience! I'd even argue that with Intel's ATOM CPU clocked in at 1.6 GHz and 1GB of DDR2-6400 RAM, these things are often good enough to compete with a top of the line ultraportable laptops costing 6x as much from a year ago. Netbooks are making such a huge splash that electronics retailers have dedicated sections in store or on websites as well as seeing some of the best computer makers jumping into the scene (HP, Samsung, Toshiba, Sony, Asus, Acer, Dell and more...)

Yours truly got a hold of an HP Mini Netbook 110-1025DX which is sold for around $329 (Amazon $321). This Netbook happens to fit the exact bill for my purpose at the best price point. Depending on what you use your netbook for, you may want to consider all the options. To help you deicde, I will share with my requirement which is why I bought this unit:

Must have:
*CPU and RAM: Intel Atom CPU (N270 1.6GHz or faster), 1GB or higher
*I/O: Ethernet, WiFi, Webcam, Mic
*Screen: 10" screen with 1024 or higher resolution
*OS: Windows XP
Optional features (price influencers, 110-1025DX's features bolded):
*Storage: 16GBSSD, 32GB SSD, 160GB HDD or 250GB HDD (speed and battery life vs capacity)
*Battery: 3-cells vs. 6-cells (hours vs weight)

Overall, I was quite impressed with HP's Mini Netbooks 110 series. With the 3-cell battery, this netbook weights in around 2.6lbs and lasts for about 3 hours. HP did a great job with the keyboard design by giving you full size keys. The trackpad has a scroll bar built in with two buttons (one on each side) which takes a little while to get used to. Packed with 3 USB ports and 5-in-1 card reader, I had no problem connecting various accessories to this little powerhouse. I installed the usual set of utility software as my fullsize laptop and this little machine handled them just fine. Size wise, its about the size of a small text book and weights just a tad less than the MacBook Air. The AC/DC brick is even very small and light weight (about the size of a Snickers bar). I was really impressed with today's Netbook selections. Its cheesy to say this but "good things do come in small packages". HP Mini Netbook 110 series is definitely a cool mobile experience!

Smartphone will out sell Desktops by 2010

According to this Switched article, analysts believe by 2010, smartphone sales will exceed desktops. Hence the reason why Dell and Asus have taken the plunge in smartphone development. The way I see it is that full size computers will still be around but will be left with professionals who need its supreme processing power for specialized tasks. Smartphones, netbooks and tabloids will be evolved to the point where average consumers can do "most" of the daily tasks ie. simple spreadsheet, writing a letter or book report, ecommerce, bill paying and use any "cloud-computing" solutions.

Lexus Side Loading Apps to iPod Touch?

I just got back from the US Open 2009 (mobile site too, cool) out in Queens; we try to get to the Grounds Admission days at least once per year just to enjoy the scene. Lexus typically uses this event to introduce new models (last year it was the crazy IS-F sedan) and this year it was the IS-C convertible as well as the 250HS Hybrid sedan. When I was talking to a rep about a vehicle, she asked me if I would be interested in receiving a $1,000 off discount via email, upon agreeing, a rep pulls out an iPod Touch and launches an application which takes down my name, address and email. The application is custom designed to let the Lexus reps have quick access to input a lead and select any of their models to add me to their database. They had very nice finishing touches like all sorts of email extensions (gmail, aol, yahoo) so the rep can quickly complete the email field. I noticed the iPod Touch was connected to WiFi so they must be uploading the potential customer info live wirelessly (instead of saving to device and download later). I couldn't find this app on iTunes so it must be something they've developed for internal usage.

A very cool example of how Lexus is leveraging robust mobile experience for their employees to capture valuable customer leads in a stylish way!

Why Google will win the Mobile War?

Recently, I've come to the realization that ultimately, Google is going to be the big winner in the mobile space. The reason is because of the freedom Google has given to the smartphone community which allows room for vendors and users to shape their own mobile solution.

At the heart of this matter is the famous or infamous Android OS. A robust mobile OS with simple UI design, iPhone-isque appeal but preserves the grassroots of a PC in terms of ability in customization. Which is probably why it would even dominate the netbook market but I digress. When using Android, mobile manufacturers can use it for hardly any cost right out of the box or customize it for it's own branding and flavor. Already, HTC has been cranking out some slick integration on the upcoming Hero handset which one could easily argue that it rivals with iPhone's visual aesthetics; considering this is just one of the very many vendors to be involved in the perpetual customization of said OS. Android is in favor to becoming the de facto standard of smartphones.

When it comes to the hardware, we are starting to see a few popping up here and there; while the availability is scare (HTC and Samsung for now) and could use improvement, more player are expected to enter this space in a big way (Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Asus, Lenovo, etc.). One can make a strong argument that as of today, the handsets available are rather boring when compared to the iPhone, but this article is not arguing about today, its trying to predict the future. It’s just a matter of time before someone figures out a killer combination of application customization and hardware offerings. Google is banking on the collective efforts of an entire community to be innovative versus Apple or Palm's strategy of counting on their own team of talent to figure it all out (for Apple, the iPhone 3G[s] update is not saying a lot about innovation]. Unlike Apple or Palm where their OS and Hardware design will be limited by their creativity, Android’s open market competition will reward both the manufacturers and users by providing more powerful handsets to the marketplace, faster! Smart money will be on Google.

Keep in mind, I'm not discounting what Apple has done here; in three short years they've taken the iPhone and placed it on the map with a huge and influential footprint. Apple is the leader right now and they are definitely going to try and maintain that by producing what they “think” the consumer wants and market the hell out of it. With the uproar lately over its many app store approval process (some funny ones here), many of the tech industries thought leaders are starting to walk away from the mighty Apple. Something like this would probably be less severe in the Android world as the community together determines what is to be produced or not. On the other hand, I will acknowledge that Google’s mobile approach has been tried before by Symbian and Microsoft WinMo. What separates Google with the rest is their intent, by design, to provide "freedom" for every party involved. Unlike Symbian and Microsoft, Google has made it easy to work with Android; developers are encouraged to think outside the box, customize, and innovate. In addition, Google’s has been diligently working to perfect a suite of mobile tools that offers the same powerful functionality as seen on the desktop (Gmail, Gmap, YouTube, Google Earth, Google Voice, Google Talk). While Microsoft has made good effort in making its Office Suite available on Windows Mobile, the mobile experience is just not quite the same as offered by Google.

Google’s strategy is, inevitably, going to make them the biggest player of the mobile industry. In short, Google encourages the mobile community to be innovative by being flexible while focuses on leveraging their desktop experience into the perfect mobile integration.

Mobile Experience and the Sport of Golf

Lately, I've been bitten by the Golf bug again. I was really into this sport years back when I lived in the Golden State. This time around, I am surprised to find how this sport has advanced with technology, especially with the gadget market. The biggest gadget for this market must be the GPS-based rangefinders. Lots of hardware makers offer a dedicated GPS units with preloaded course maps to help you determine the distance between your ball and the flag. Big GPS players such as Garmin even has a serious go at this market as well.

I was more interested in the mobile applications for Golf enthuaists since most new smartphones now come with GPS already. So I took a look around the Apple App store and was able to quickly find a handful of Golf Range applications. The price range went from FREE to $34.99. Most of them will offer some form of course map (using Google Maps or else) and provide your distance to the flag. This is very cool for two reasons: 1). You can't beat the price, even for the most expensive application, its still a fraction of what you'd pay for a dedicated device and 2). You'd already have your iPhone 3G with you and you can avoid having to carry another dedicated GPS device.

For those interested, log on to the App store and search for "Golf GPS" and start to enjoy your game.

Chase Mobile Website Brings Great Mobile Experience

On my commute home this afternoon, I was reminded by my iPhone calendar that a Chase Bank credit card payment is near due. I decided to see if I can make my commute more productive and pay for this on the bus. Right after I typed in Chase.com to my mobile Safari, it auto detects the browser user agent and kicked me over to Chase.mobi. When I attempted to login, Chase Bank's routine security feature required an extra step to verify I am truly the account owner since this is a device I had not used previously. Normally on a desktop PC, I'd ask Chase to send me an email on the verification/activation code; in this cause, I wanted an uninterrupted user session, so I elected it SMS to one of my phone numbers on profile. Moments later, iPhone's SMS system promoted the activation code ridden SMS which floats atop of my browser screen. I memorize the 8 digit sequence and plugged it into the browser continuing to pay.

Once logged in, the mobile site is very similar but very stripped down from the desktop experience. You can quickly browse through your accounts (bank, loans or credit cards) and select some basic actions. I went right to the credit card I intend to pay, and selected the "make a payment" link. In the next five steps, I was able to pick the payment amount, payment date and payment source to complete my task. From beginning to finish, it took all about 3 minutes.

Keep in mind that I have already had my profile and payment setup from prior desktop experience, hence the smoothness in this example. I didn't venture off to see if I can update a new payment source or change my phone number through the mobile browser. All in all, I find Chase's mobile attempt very user friendly and will add tremendous value to the overall mobile experience for its customers. For whatever reason, I always find mobile applications in the financial sector extra empowering!

Scottrade Mobile is Here to Serve

In a typical we have asked and vendors have listened fashion, Scottrade has released a mobile trading site which conveniently makes it compatible to all smartphones with a mobile browser. Normally, I'd given preference over a mobile application but in this case, Scottrade has opened itself up to all of its customers with a smartphone browser, it addressed the mobile OS hurdle with one simple solution.

Customers of Scottrade can enjoy the following benefits while accessing m.scottrade.com:
* Stock and ETF screeners
* Market research and news, including commentary, analyst views and a brief market calendar
* Stock quotes and research, including charts, options, fundamentals, insider transactions, earnings
* ETF quotes and research, including news and charts, options, portfolio, expenses and Lipper rankings
* SmartTextTM, which summarizes complex charts and information into plain English that is easy to understand

In general, I love mobile applications or sites from discount brokerage firms; it really empowers everyday Joes with the ability to handle their financial needs on the go. This is the kind of stuff that really enhances total mobile experience.

A little cloud computing, very good Mobile Experience

I've decided to get back to the gym this season. This time around I've been taking my routines a bit more seriously than before by tracking my progress and switching them up in between days. Thanks to Google Docs and it's mobile browser support, it has been helping me keep track of my routines over my smartphones in the gym. Whether I am using my iPhone or G1, I can access Google Docs via mobile browsers and pull up a spreadsheet I am using to remind me what exercises to perform.

Not that this is anything groundbreaking, but it beats carrying a notebook and a pen around the gym; plus I am already using my phone as an iPod at the gym anyways. PS - another Mobile Experience related to working out: Just before heading out to the gym tonight, my G1's WeatherBug App sent me a Poor Air Quality alert; knowing that, I decided to stay indoors and ran on the thread mill instead of outdoors. Nice!

Write a Novel on Your Smartphone

Not sure what you use your smartphone for but this dude wrote a couple of novels (The Warded Man and sequel The Desert Spear) with his phone on his daily commute to a full time job. BoyGeniusReport covered an interview with Peter V. Brett on why he chose to use a smartphone and his weapon of choice.

The necessity of his long commute via NYC subway is what drove this mobile experience. His device of choice were HP iPaq 6515 and iPaq 910; these are not fancy smartphones but they mean business. This is an excellent interview where he shared his mobile experience.

[Read]

Review: E*TRADE Mobile Pro for iPhone

Couple of days ago, I posted an update on the new iPhone app from E*TRADE in which I was pretty stoked about. I got to spend some time with this app today and if I have to sum up the review in one word, it'd be "impressive!"

Granted, I am not a power user of all iPhone apps, but amongst the several dozens or so applications I've tried, I find E*TRADE's iPhone application one of the most functional & stylish to use. Beyond its beautiful interface design, this app is very intuitive. The horizontal tool bar up top is scrollable has a proper-sized shortcut icons to almost every function you can think of. The tool bar retracts and hides away when not in use and can be easily retrieve by swiping your finger across the "menu" arrow tab; you can access this shortcut menu from anywhere on the page even if you've already browsed a news article towards the bottom of the page.

As a basic stock trader, I find most of E*TRADE's desktop functionality available here(ie. streaming quotes, account info, transaction log, alerts, portfolio, quick transfer, etc...). E*TRADE Mobile Pro provides a full suite of trading functionality with news and market updates which makes it the best financial application for my iPhone. This app is solid and UI design is Apple all the way. Think of this as the iPhone "stocks" app on steroids. You can tweak this application to a large degree, everything from customize the dashboard to security settings is within your control. E*TRADE has shown tremendous committment to bring its features to the mobile arena (they launched a BlackBerry app before App World days); their effort and execution here makes it a wonderful mobile experience for all.

Verdict: I highly recommend this mobile application for E*TRADE customers with an iPhone or iPod Touch. Even if you are not a customer, you can still use a bunch of features which is more robust than anything else I can think of. You can't go wrong, since it is FREE.