I admit that I had my doubts but then noticed that it is the number one selling application in several countries. I was reluctant to use it last night because I had to be up this morning to take my car into the shop. I set my normal alarm as a back up and decided to give the appplication a shot.

The way that it works is that it will wake you in a 30 minute range based on when you would like to wake up but, no later than the time you enter. You place the phone at the head of your bed and go to sleep. When I woke up this morning I was absolutely astonished at how refreshed I felt. For someone that has been getting very little sleep lately, this was the best 99 cents I have ever spent! I thought about putting off this rave review until I had two or three nights of awesome sleep but, the amount of energy that I have right now could not be ignored.

Seriously, I have responded to all of my emails, taken the car in, have had breakfast and coffee and am the first one in the office. For you iPhone users, there are other similar applications out there, some higher priced, but this is the one that I have and it works great so far.

As it became time to upgrade again, I decided to make, what I thought would be, the leap. An article on Tech Republic about CIOs and their weakening resistance highlighted the fact that the trend seems to be changing. It appears that more and more are finding out about the capabilities of the iPhone and it’s applications. I quickly learned to navigate the iPhone and all of its tips and tricks almost as soon as I had it connected to service.

As a Project Manager, I used my Treo and Blackberry for four main purposes; phone calls, email, task management, and calendaring. Any other function was more or less extra-curricular. The iPhone is a productivity powerhouse. Sorry business dudes. So, for the time being, the iPhone is lacking the email push functionality but is amazing in so many other capacities that I am thrilled that I made the switch.

In addition to the functions that I used my phone for in the past, the iPhone boasts a more intuitive and more efficient user interface. This is a big bonus because it allows one to add entries and navigate items faster. I actually use a couple of task management tools (I will be covering in more detail at a later date) that have more functionality that I have ever seen in a handheld version of a task management application.

Additionally, some of the available note applications extend your generic note pad to the extreme. Imagine categorizing, filing and password protecting notes, making your note pad used more frequently than just on occasion. Or, taking snapshots of your notes to upload them to have them transcribed. Recording voice memos, which recently came out on a firmware update, has been available in free third-party applications and can really be a time saver.

Also, if you are a contractor or you simply have the need to track your time on a project, you can do all of that from the phone as well. As a matter of fact, the project management and task management software that I use on a daily basis integrate with the phone.  As long as I stay off of the games, I know that I have been much more productive as a result of the iPhone.

Are you a business girl or guy that formerly uses a BlackBerry or Palm device and have switched over? What do you think?

A Called Strike

Originally uploaded by AZHardball

First let me begin by saying that MLB and MLB Advanced Media have done a fantastic job of integrating and developing new and cutting-edge technologies. They really have an immense understanding of their fan base and what their fans want. This was illustrated by the overhaul of MLB Live product that was sunset by MLB.TV. While MLB Live allowed fans to interact with each other during live streaming games, the new MLB.TV features extras such as picture in picture and DVR technology. Good stuff, but I am here to talk about MLB At Bat 2009 for the iPhone.

MLB At Bat is an iPhone application that debuted as At Bat Lite in the beginning of 2009. The Lite version was basically the 2008 version of the hot iPhone app that provided live game scoring. I saw this as a must have for all baseball fans that happen to have iPhones. While using it they would push a notification that the full version would be available by April, 2nd.

Software Project Management is a bit of a hybrid between art and science. Where am I going with this you might ask? Stay tuned. Ever-changing dependencies, software issues and challenges often make it difficult to deliver a project on time and on budget. This is why good project managers take the following into consideration:

• Project Scope

• Project Communication

• Risk Management Planning

• Quality Management Planning

• High Performance Team Members

• Project Time Line

• Project Budget

When and if proper planning is performed, a project is delivered on time and on budget to the delight of stakeholders, customers and consumers. MLB At Bat 2009 was delivered early and it’s out right now. You can get information about the application at MLB.com or in the iTunes application portion of the iTunes Store. Not to shabby of a job from a software project manager’s point of view.

While there are an interesting number of people complaining of the price point of 9.99 for the year, let me help put things into perspective. The application boasts live scoring, streaming video, pitch tracking and will stream live audio available for every game, for every team. The only alternative that allows all audio, both home and away teams, for every game is XM Radio.

The absolute cheapest XM Radio receiver that I could find is $50 and you are looking at around another $100 for the subscription of the service. I am not sure what other cost comparisons I could really do to illustrate the value more clearly.

To MLB and MLB Software Development Team, kudos to you for a job well done. Baseball fans, check it out if you have not already.