I'm working today from the waiting room at Emerson Hospital as my husband has knee surgery - not major, repairing a torn meniscus. It's actually an ideal working environment; the area is huge, lots of seating, lots of space, and there's even a work area with desk level counter and chairs, a pc set up and extra room for others to use laptops, tons of bright natural light, filtered water dispenser, Keurig machine,vending machines, and a big, clean restroom. And, it's super quiet. Thankfully, wifi is super fast,too. At first, it didn't appear that way - my initial signal strength was very low, and I began to panic. I used to tether my phone but now you have to pay for that, and our company plan doesn't support tethering. I also used to have a wifi hotspot but it was really flaky - it disconnected a lot, and it had a max of 3 hrs of battery life.And, even though it was company paid, it wasn't cheap. I was really happy my son sent me a link to this nifty little device http://www.businessinsider.com/karma-hotspot-review-2013-2?op=1
I've read some reviews on another site about the customer service, or lack thereof, provided by Clear, the company that makes Karma. But, these were older and there's hope that this has changed. Anyway, I like the idea of rollover data usage, and love the idea of free data. And, it's cheap enough to buy on my own, and even buy one for my college age kids to have just in case. I've got mixed thoughts on the requirement to login with Facebook. I realize they won't post on my page, but I don't like having the accounts linked. I like to use different emails for different things that I sign up for and, as George Costanza says, it's awkward when your worlds collide. Wondering if any of you have used this or would purchase it, or if you use your phone as a hotspot? I just can't wait for ubiquity of wifi - Chrysler's been making internet available since 2008 in its cars!
PowerBuilder - the beta for 15 will be announced soon, and so will the roadmap for the product. I know that folks are waiting for any news on SAP's commitment to the product. I've been upbeat and positive in my communication because I want to communicate to our customers that we have support for the product from senior management, and support for developers overall is very strong. I understand that it's frustrating to wait for the details, and that you need information to support an ongoing commitment to the product. That's why we've been working on our success stories and trying to keep our momentum going with meeting with customers at user groups. In a couple of weeks, Dave Fish and I will be going to the JDS Solutions User Conference - http://www.jdssc.com/. They sell a comprehensive solution for mid-size retailers, and have customers across all industries, including New Balance, US Capitol Visitor Center, San Diego Zoo and Camp Coleman stores. We are also working to get some detailed technical info and step by step examples of how customers are successfully PowerBuilder and Appeon together. You can always call and get us on the phone with your management as well.
Quite a few PowerBuilder customers have asked about making their apps available via SaaS platforms and we're working with them to find the best path. Some are using Amazon, others Azure, and others are interested in SAP solutions like Netweaver. As we work with other groups internally, we are able to leverage their expertise to help you build your solutions. And, as Microsoft partners, we can also help you pursue the Azure option. While many customers have expressed interest in using other SAP technologies and several are exploring HANA now,we're very well aware that many apps are well suited to the two-tier architecture they were written in and need for us to focus on core product support, such as updating support for databases and operating systems. And, we know that there is no faster or easier way to make these apps mobile or run on iOS than with Appeon - if you're working on an Appeon project, or you're interested in joining the beta, please let me know. appeon will also be supporting HANA, too.
