InformationWeek Daily Archives
05/20/2013 03:07:56 Daily, September 14Microsoft Outsources Its Back Office, Boosts Dividend
 | InformationWeek Daily - Friday, Sep 14, 2007 |
 Is "Sent From My iPhone" The Sign Of The Doofus?
Are you impressed when you receive an e-mail with the tagline "Sent from my BlackBerry"? A writer on Slate says it "sends a subtle signal to my correspondents that I'm getting a lot done." I found the statement startling, because that interpretation never even occurred to me; I think those taglines are just a waste of time.
Paul Boutin writes on Slate: "An e-mail that says "Sent from my BlackBerry" gives the impression that you're on the move but still chained to work, e-mailing from the elevator."
He adds: "An e-mail that says 'Sent from my iPhone' conjures an image of a doofus who wants you to know he has an iPhone."
Funny he should say that, because that's exactly what I used to think when I saw the "Sent from my BlackBerry" tagline -- I thought it conjured an image of a doofus who wants me to know he had a BlackBerry. Now, I just think it's just an unpaid advertisement for BlackBerrys, and I'm ever-so-slightly annoyed that the person sending it didn't take the trouble to turn it off.
Boutin's reasoning is symptomatic of a workplace culture that places more emphasis on effort than results. The salesman who works fifteen hours a day and brings in $1 million revenue is less valuable to the company than the salesman who works half as hard but brings in twice as much. And yet many workplaces think it's more important to work hard -- and be seen working hard - than get results.
Boutin is, himself, the best example of the value of results over work. I'm very impressed by his performance, not because he sends e-mail from the elevator, but rather because he's written a terrific article, comparing the user experience of the BlackBerry vs. the iPhone and describing why many users are better off with the BlackBerry.
What do you think? Are you impressed by a "sent from my BlackBerry tagline?" Do you think people whose e-mails say "sent from my iPhone" are doofuses? Let us know.
By the way, John Gruber of the blog Daring Fireball (the Lewis Black of Apple bloggers) notes: "One could, of course, simply change the email sig in the iPhone Settings app to read 'Sent from my BlackBerry'. Your colleagues will think you're working your [tail] off."
Mitch Wagner
|
|||||||
|
"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." -- Milton Berle
Microsoft Outsources Its Back Office, Boosts Dividend
Related Stories:
Accenture Headcount In India To Surpass U.S. Levels
Microsoft Offers New Wireless Mice To Go
Industry Group Releases Server Management Standards
The new specs will help to provide a consistent method for automated management of computer servers from multiple vendors.
Google Antes Up $30 Million For Moon Shot
In conjunction with that announcement, Google released a new version of Google Moon, the company's browser-based Moon viewer.
German Police Arrest 10 International Phishing Suspects
An 18-month police investigation led to the arrests of an alleged group of Russian, Ukrainian, and German phishers who were spending their loot on luxury cars and jewelry.
Apple Is Talking About An iCar, But Don't Place Orders Just Yet
Steve Jobs and Martin Winterkorn, chief executives of Apple and Volkswagen, respectively, met late last month in California to discuss the possibility of the iCar, the Associated Press reported.
Apple Expected To Announce European iPhone Deal Tuesday
While the company isn't providing specifics on its upcoming London press conference, analysts believe it's to launch the smartphone in the U.K., France, and Germany.
Microsoft Updates Windows Without User Permission, Apologizes
Over the last few weeks, without user approval, Windows Update has updated nine small executable files in both Windows XP and Windows Vista.
Rosenblum Sees Expanding Role For Virtualization In Data Center
The Stanford professor makes a compelling case at VMworld for virtualization as a panacea for data center woes.
Alcatel-Lucent Offers Another Grim Financial Report
Alcatel-Lucent replaced its previous prediction of an increase in revenue growth of about 5% with a full-year revenue growth forecast of flat or slightly up.
Voice Recognition Helps Doctors Get More Out Of E-Health
Some hospitals are using hybrid e-health record systems to improve patient care and lower the cost of medical transcription services.
Google's Co-Founders Park Private Jet At NASA Airfield
Google's co-founders are paying NASA $1.3 million to park their personal Boeing 767-200 jet next door to Google's corporate headquarters at Moffett Field.
Analyst: Palm Could Get Badly Needed Help From Former iPod Exec
The appointment of Jonathan Rubenstein as executive chairman of Palm's board could lift the smartphone maker from its current design slump.
IBM Creates Signing Avatars For The Deaf
Among its many uses, the Say it Sign it software could eliminate the need for human sign language interpreters at meetings and conferences, says IBM.
See InformationWeek's daily breaking news on your mobile device, visit wap.informationweek.com and sign up for daily SMS notifications.
Virtualization At The Desktop?
The BI Explosion
Backward Into The Future
At a trade show last year, a PR rep steered me happily toward an IP phone that came equipped with a camera and a display so you could easily have face-to-face conversations over the Internet. I don't remember exactly what the rep said after that -- I was too busy flashing back to the 1964 World's Fair, where AT&T touted its futuristic, just-around-the-corner Picturephone.
New Shopping Service From Sprint To Help Bankrupt Us Sooner
Now that we can use our Sprint phones to make online retail purchases, I can imagine Americans' credit card debt racking up faster than ever. Do we need to be able to buy things from our phones?
Indiana Wants Me: A Day At A CIO Symposium
Are CIO special interest groups worth the time? They are if they deliver the goods.
Data Leak Prevention vs. Enterprise 2.0
Can IT secure information and make it easier to share?
Qualcomm's Partners Get Reprieve From ITC
Qualcomm itself still may not import its own chips into the U.S., but its partners can. This is good news for several handset manufacturers and network operators.
Language Translation Tries To Keep Up With Global Business
I had two separate conversations this week that hint at how companies will more and more use computerized translation as a tool for global business.
The Newb's Guide To Apple
As I wrote our Apple buyers' guide, I was directed by a single question: What do I wish I'd known when I bought my first Mac, back in February? Since then, I've had an intense self-guided study in Apple products and services. Alas, I can't put all that knowledge in a time machine and send it back to myself. But I can pass it on to you.
The State Of The Linux Help File Nation
A few years ago, my biggest complaint about Linux applied to many things in the computer world: The documentation was uniformly lousy and scattershot. Since then, at least one distribution -- Ubuntu -- has set a fairly high standard of documentation. There?s still a few things I?d like to see done better, though.
World-Class IT Org, Or Outsourcing Fodder?
How does the world--your internal customers, your company?s paying customers, your various supplier customers--view your IT organization? As a can-do partner and service provider? Or as a chronic naysayer and excuse maker?
Path to Profit: Transform your Underwriting Processes
Help Your Hospital Avoid Collisions with Administrative, Operational, and Performance Hazards
ROI Case Study: SAS Business Intelligence and IBM
Best Practices for Secure Remote Access - A Guide to the Future -- Aventail Corporation
Featured Jobs:
U.S. Sentencing Commission seeking Information Technology Manager in Washington, DC
The IT Staffing Company seeking SAP HR Payroll Sr. BA in Princeton, NJ
ISES, Inc. seeking Sharepoint Maintenance in Princeton, NJ
McFadyen Consulting seeking eBusiness Project Manager in Vienna, VA
Openlink Financial, Inc. seeking Senior Technical Consultant in Uniondale, NY
For more great jobs, career-related news, features and services, please visit our "Career Center.
Try InformationWeek's RSS Feed
Recommend This Newsletter To A Friend
Saw a TechWeb feature you want to see again?
You are subscribed as #emailaddr#. To unsubscribe from, subscribe to, or change your E-mail address for this newsletter, please visit the InformationWeek Subscription Center.
Note: To change your E-mail address, please subscribe your new address and unsubscribe your old one.
| |||||||
