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I have to say that the Blackberry is a device that I have had a love/hate relationship with for a long time, for reasons that a lot of people on this board can relate to. Productivity tool, electronic leash, or both? I think the jury is still out on that one.
Bluetooth headsets. Why is something that is so simple in regards to intended use so hard to use from a reliability and consistency perspective? Maybe it's just me, but I would rather just drag around a wired headset and plug it in. At least I know it will work. And I don't have to charge it!
Weak laser pointers - a presentner may think the audience can see where he is pointing but often they cannot.
Right now it is Flash websites. Flash is so cool but not compatible with smartphones. I designed my website in Flash and it's awesome...but now I have to re-do the whole site ($$$$$$) in HTML so my target market, who are executives and connect to everything via mobile, can access my company site.
Oddly enough, I would say intra-company “email”. More specifically, over-reliance on email sent from one employee to another, within the same building or campus, as a means of issue resolution.
At one company I was at ten or so years ago, people in planning (in building 1) would communicate with product marketing managers (in building 2) via email on demand requirements and factory loading. Response times to deal with a given issue would often take weeks to resolve when you allowed for the time delay in the back-and-forth responses as well additional people from other groups that might be involved. As a result, customer demand requirements and factory loading were usually out of synch. When I mentioned the idea of getting eyeball-to-eyeball with their marketing counterparts to work out issues in a more effective and time-efficient manner, the people in planning thought I was joking. After all, they had always used email.
Given their response, I had no choice but to mandate the “non-use” of email for issue resolution and force the planning department to meet eyeball-to-eyeball with their respective marketing folks at least once per day. And if they needed folks from engineering to participate, then they would all have to get eyeball-to-eyeball for timely issue resolution. Email was relegated to being a record of events, action items, and subordinate follow-up.
As a result of this new procedure, time for dealing with planning/marketing issues dropped from weeks to days to hours. Customer response increased markedly and factory loading had a higher level of expectation and control.
Simultaneously, the same process was initiated between all of the operational engineering departments (building 1) and the design engineers (building 2). The result was greater DFM & DFT compliance and a substantial reduction in prototype and manufacturing cycle times. As other groups became involved, we were able to create a truly cross-functional team environment that involved nearly all of the 1,000 people at the company.
As with that company, too many in this computer-centric generation use email to “throw the ball over the wall” and let it be someone else’s problem (and sometimes wrongly assume there is someone over there to even catch the ball). Machines (computers) are only a tool as good as the people who use (program) them. In the end, they are only a tool. It is people that have to resolve issues and they can best accomplish this through eyeball-eyeball meetings. While I will concede that video Skype can accomplish this as a back-up if geographic distance proves to be problematic, face-to-face sessions go a long way in establishing productive business relationships that will positively impact a company’s overall performance.
Apple Software (iTunes, AppStore...) I find it embarrassing that Apple allows their engineers to provide such an unprofessional piece of software. Almost impossible to search anything - not able to bookmark or save anything... on and on. Great looking hardware - terrible software.
--Lauren; I have my second Plantronics Voyager Pro, and I must say that it is the best Bluetooth on the market. My first one lasted 4 years, this one lasted only 2 years (replacing it now). For clarity, connection speed, and easy of use, the Voyager Pro is the way to go. The cost is also not too egregious, $79.00 on line. One of the best features is the ability to speak softly (as long as there is no environmental noise) and have the person hear you perfectly. Simply my experience!
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