I finally did it. I traded my truck-based SUV that carried 4 bikes (and smelled like it carried as many or more racers of said bikes) for a luxury crossover with leather seats, navigation, and a rear back-up camera. I love it. I would live in it if it had a kitchen and a bathroom. It’s just that awesome in its 0 to 60 in 6 second, 300 horsepower loveliness.

One specific feature that I love is the Intelligent Key. All I have to do is have the fob on my person (or in my purse) and I can open the doors, start the car with the push of a button, and lock the doors when I get out. It even knows if the key is inside or outside the car, and won’t let me lock it inside. But for all its whiz-bang technology, the Intelligent Key is, well, still just a key.

It makes me think of a concept I first heard about from my professor in graduate school, Janet Murray. When a new technology comes along, there is a period of time before the paradigm shift occurs, where the new technology is still applied in old ways. Think about the first Internet web sites. They may have had hyperlinks but they still closely resembled the printed page. Only later did the true interaction and communication possibilities become evident and even mainstream.

That’s where the Intelligent Key is today in my opinion. If it’s smart enough to know when the key is inside or out, or when I (with the key) come close, why can’t it automatically unlock the doors when I near, and lock them when I walk away? Why can’t the same key that opens my car open my garage, my front door, and my locker at the gym? Why can’t we replace the analog notion of a metal key inserted in a slot with mechanical tumblers, into the digital notion of a code that belongs to me and travels with me everywhere I go? Maybe one day our “keys” will really be a public/private encryption key that we can code into all the locks in our lives. Only then will the paradigm have truly shifted and the keyring become obsolete.

Because of our work with CapMed, Microsoft has chosen PointClear as a HealthVault Consultant (at the time of this writing, there are only four in the world, including us).

You can see the directory on Microsoft’s site here:

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/healthvault/cc136753.aspx

How can we help you use Microsoft HealthVault to expand your business and build your brand with consumers?

That giant intake of breath was what you just heard when I saw Jing, a new project by TechSmith that is basically SnagIt on steriods. You can capture images and create videos, annotate them, and then share what you just created. It is wonderful, especially for this girl who was really missing her SnagIt when she went totally Mac a few weeks ago.

Check out the video.

From ‘Google to Offer Health Records On the Web’ in today’s Wall Street Journal (page D1):

HealthVault, launched in October, offers a number of personal health record options. One called icePHR from CapMed, a unit of Bio-Imaging Technologies Inc. that was an early developer of personal health records, allows users to designate specific information to be available to responders in case of an emergency. Users then print out instructions on how to access the record on a wallet-size emergency card. The service costs $10 a year per family.

You may find the article here (subscription may be required).

We at PointClear helped CapMed develop their online PHR products, icePHR and onlinePHR, and we are extremely proud of CapMed and excited about the press they are getting. Congratulations, CapMed! Woohoo!

Now, how can we help you achieve the same level of success? Contact us and find out.

On the eve of Valentine’s Day I got the coolest gift ever - an iPod touch. My current iPod was a 2004 model, which I maintained was perfectly fine and I didn’t need another one, thank you very much. But I hate to say, I would toss the old one out the window at 70 mph, the Touch is so cool.

Right now I’m watching a Timbaland video, downloading Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, and checking my email. The gesture based zoom and scroll is nothing short of amazing. It immediately connected to our wireless network and I was rolling.

Yep, I’m in love. Of course with the man who gave it to me. But I think I’m in love with the iPod Touch too. Shh, don’t tell him.

I usually ignore news sensations. I change the channel whenever they mention Brittney Spears. But, today, like everyone else in the great state of Alabama, I am glued to the Weather Blog at ABC 33/40. That’s because it’s supposed to snow. If you live in a climate where it snows regularly, go ahead and chuckle. In Alabama, when it snows, first all the soccer moms get out in their Volvos and buy all the milk and bread. Then, the whole place shuts down. I wouldn’t really care, in fact I would be rejoicing in the event, except I’m supposed to fly out tomorrow morning for a week of cycling with my teammates in San Diego. Where it is warm. And never snows. And they have bike lanes.

The weather blog is pretty cool, though. I really like the candor of the meteorologists, and the fact that they really explain the science behind the forecast. Usually I don’t trust the weather forecast much. It never seems to be accurate. But I am putting a fair amount of stock in this snow forecast, because I’ve been able to read all the background information. There is so much more they can share on the blog than on the air. If only they had these when I was in school. I would have known for sure if I needed to do my homework, or if we were in for a snow day.

I read Mark Hurst’s Good Experience newsletter every time it comes, because it always has good and funny information. But the thing I look forward to most each year is his gift guide and almanac. Well thought-out and full of interesting information. Check it out.

As the only child of a parent who is ‘older than 50 but less than 100′ (Mom, I hope this is vague enough), I have a particular interest in my role as caregiver in the use of technology to help me help my Mom more efficiently, while maintaining her privacy and independence. There is a burgeoning market of hardware and software (the latter of which is of particular interest to us at PointClear) that helps caregivers monitor various tasks and events–from whether or not certain medications are taken at the appropriate intervals to whether someone needs assistance because of a fall in the home. More importantly, it gives folks who are living independently a sense of security that help is always available–even if they aren’t able call for it. The obvious issue to overcome is concern about loss of privacy. Apparently, the trade-off is worth it for many seniors, according to this recent article in the Wall Street Journal:

When John Fowlkes’s adult daughter suggested installing an electronic monitoring system in his apartment to oversee his well-being from afar, “I was very skeptical,” he says. To Mr. Fowlkes, 86, who has an active social life including an 80-year-old girlfriend, the idea evoked thoughts of Big Brother.

Work and Family columnist Sue Shellenbarger learns about new home-monitoring technologies that may allow doctors and families to track the medical condition of seniors from afar.
Mindful that a younger friend had fallen at home and lain on the floor for hours before anyone came to help, Mr. Fowlkes, of Raleigh, N.C., gave in. To his surprise, he found the setup “makes you feel more secure.”

source: Wall Street Journal, November 29, 2007; Page D1
Link to article (may require log-in)

Here is a video that compliments the article:

On this topic, we are all very excited about Halo Monitoring, Inc., a company in Huntsville, AL, and a finalist in the Alabama Launchpad competition. Halo has some very exciting products that they will bring to market in the near future in this space. You can listen to a very interesting conversation between Halo’s CEO, Chris Otto, and ClearCast’s host David Karabinos in our Podcast series here.

I was catching up on 37Signals blog entries tonight and saw one about a book called Testify! How Remarkable Organizations are Creating Customer Evangelists. I scrolled through the list of companies in the table of contents (free PDF version) to see if there were any I recognized. Second to last on the list was TechSmith, makers of SnagIt, Camtasia, and UserVue among others.

I am a huge TechSmith fan. I use SnagIt almost every day. I also own Camtasia and UserVue. I use those less frequently but not because they aren’t good, because they are. The nature of my job means that I’m capturing onscreen images for designs and bug reports constantly, making videos of interactions less frequently, and conducting full-blown usability tests with video of customer use as needed.

I’ll tell you why I love TechSmith, aside from their great products. One thing cited in Testify! is that TechSmith allows 30 day product trials so customers know what they’re getting. This is true, and very helpful, though not a novel concept. Last year, I decided to try UserVue to see if it was a good fit for a project involving 10 one-on-one remote user interviews. I did some pilot tests with it and all seemed well. The only glitch I discovered was after my trial ran out. UserVue works by coordinating a conference call for you between yourself and your user. You input both numbers and then the software calls you. The issue was, I don’t have a landline. I use cell phones and Skype exclusively. I called TechSmith to see if the product would work with Skype. They didn’t know, so they extended my trial, asked me to try it, and then report back on what I found. Now THAT is customer service!

Yes, UserVue works with Skype. And it’s a good thing, because UserVue is the most powerful tool I’ve found to show clients what is wrong with their sites and interfaces first-hand. It’s so much more compelling for clients to see a user struggle and hear them complain through captured audio and video, than to hear about it from me.

So, thanks TechSmith! I’ll join the evangelist circle, gladly.

I’ve just finished customizing a new web site with SquareSpace. And I must say, the interface is very nicely done. It has an intuitive administration area and a smart view of the actual site to help you make edits both places. I was able to set up the site, change template, tweak colors with CSS, create a restricted area, and a contact form within about an hour.

Last year I worked with a friend on a fairly complex site for a club with members and various permission levels. We used Joomla, and while the price was right, the learning curve was steep. SquareSpace is costing me $12 per month but it’s worth it. Time is money and I’d rather pay a little bit to be up and running quickly.

I love the way SquareSpace lets you add different kinds of pages. For the level of account I have, I can add regular pages, blog pages, amazon wish lists, contact forms, photo galleries, discussion pages, search, blog archive, links, and more. I’ve also used WordPress for sites similar to the one i’m working on, but Wordpress is not nearly this robust. Again, WordPress is free, and this is not. But, I think the functionality of SquareSpace is worth the price.

Check it out free for 30 days: http://www.squarespace.com