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Posted by Keefer Lucas on 09-06-2001 06:57 PM:

Proxy This!

quote:
Originally posted by flips13

That is correct, but if you have a wireless connection at a whopping 14.4, do you really want to download all those images from non-handheld friendly sites?

The proxy server allows for the possibility to "optimize" image files for the PDA platform. If your software basically said "download no images, period" you'd get a really fast download without any muscle flexing needed from the proxy server.

You know, I discovered Avantgo almost a year ago, and since that time I can't say I have added any really cool apps to my VDX, aside from my OmniRemote module. Where have all the new and cool PDA apps gone? Everyone touts the 10,000+ apps for the Palm PLatform, but from what I have seen there are 2500 variations on the Dopewars Game, 2500 different calculators that are more or less the same, 2500 wacky databases, and an equal number of mail apps that exist simply because Palm doesn't allow you to sort email into different directories or download multiple accounts.

Seriously, how many programmers would be out of work if the developers at Palm or Handspring packaged a simple email client that would synch multiple accounts and sort messages into directories? Take a page from Microsoft...build core functions into the damn operating system or risk losing your marketshare. Third party developers be damned!

Posted by flips13 on 09-06-2001 07:07 PM:

Re: Proxy This!

quote:
Originally posted by Keefer Lucas
The proxy server allows for the possibility to "optimize" image files for the PDA platform. If your software basically said "download no images, period" you'd get a really fast download without any muscle flexing needed from the proxy server.

But when web development goes bad, you have a problem. How many times do you see sites that use only images for navigation and then, to top it off, do not use "alt" tags with their images? For those of us that may choose to surf the site "sans-images", that site just became worthless.

__________________
www.jphillips66.org

Posted by Keefer Lucas on 09-06-2001 08:28 PM:

Re: Re: Proxy This!

quote:
Originally posted by flips13

For those of us that may choose to surf the site "sans-images", that site just became worthless.

Ah, but that site is effectively worthless to you now. Do PDA rendered imagemaps retain their linkages? Would a large imagemap driven nav graphic retain any of its "ledgability" when reduced to 140x140?

To those developers that insist on using imagemaps for essential site navigation I have two words: F*** 'em.

Posted by flips13 on 09-06-2001 08:44 PM:

Re: Re: Re: Proxy This!

quote:
Originally posted by Keefer Lucas
Ah, but that site is effectively worthless to you now. Do PDA rendered imagemaps retain their linkages? Would a large imagemap driven nav graphic retain any of its "ledgability" when reduced to 140x140?

To those developers that insist on using imagemaps for essential site navigation I have two words: F*** 'em.

What about when individual images are used as "nav buttons?" I think those retain their linkages.

__________________
www.jphillips66.org

Posted by flips13 on 09-06-2001 08:52 PM:

If we keep this up...

If we keep this up, we'll have as many posts as some of these guys.

__________________
www.jphillips66.org

Posted by Keefer Lucas on 09-06-2001 10:48 PM:

Re: Re: Re: Re: Proxy This!

quote:
Originally posted by flips13
What about when individual images are used as "nav buttons?" I think those retain their linkages.

I've turned off the images in several pages that used the cutesy icons; the text is adaquate for navigation.

Posted by Keefer Lucas on 09-06-2001 10:49 PM:

Re: If we keep this up...

quote:
Originally posted by flips13
If we keep this up, we'll have as many posts as some of these guys.

I believe some talented bloke once wrote "time is on my side".

Posted by flips13 on 09-06-2001 10:57 PM:

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Proxy This!

quote:
Originally posted by Keefer Lucas
I've turned off the images in several pages that used the cutesy icons; the text is adaquate for navigation.

But that still does you no good if the developer did not use "alt" tags.

__________________
www.jphillips66.org

Posted by yardie on 09-07-2001 05:48 AM:

Re: AvantGoing...Going....

Yo Keefer!

What is going on with all your doom these days? DO you invest in teh stock market? Hvae you been burnt with the dotcom meltdown the past year? I have yet to see a news release that say AvantGo is in any trouble... Ditto for Handspring. As far as I care, stock price means nothing.

quote:
Originally posted by Keefer Lucas
While we are on the topic of best Avantgo news channel (see string below) its also a good time to consider how much longer Avantgo can even stay in business. It is unquestionably a great service, but the company's stock price has deterioated to near penny status (Motley Fool has closed its bulletin board on the company as they don't want to promote penny stock trading).

I can't help but wonder what a post-Avantgo world would look like. My guess is that we would get a Microsoft oriented replacement app that would be yet another nail in the Palm OS coffin.

Frankly, I'd much rather pay $20 annual subscription fee for Avango than see it go out of business.

Posted by yardie on 09-07-2001 06:04 AM:

Re: If we keep this up...

Whoa!

I am surprised that I am in the top 10! I really need to get a life

quote:
Originally posted by flips13
If we keep this up, we'll have as many posts as some of these guys.

Posted by Toby on 09-07-2001 06:10 PM:

Re: If we keep this up...

quote:
Originally posted by flips13
If we keep this up, we'll have as many posts as some of these guys.

Hmmm...that must be a new feature. I would have thought somebody would have mentioned it by now. Rather surprised I'm in the top 10, but if that's how the counts fall...

Posted by Keefer Lucas on 09-07-2001 09:54 PM:

Re: Re: AvantGoing...Going....

quote:
Originally posted by yardie
Yo Keefer!
What is going on with all your doom these days? DO you invest in teh stock market? Hvae you been burnt with the dotcom meltdown the past year? I have yet to see a news release that say AvantGo is in any trouble... Ditto for Handspring. As far as I care, stock price means nothing.

Trust that both Handspring and Avantgo are currently updating contingency plans for what to do if (note that I wrote "if" not "when")their stocks are delisted by NASDAQ.

Also trust that as their market cap and stock price dwindles (and they are rapidly dwindling) management necessarily becomes preoccupied with cash flow and fiscal operations issues when they would greatly prefer that time and energy be spent on product development, innovation, etc.

"...stock price means nothing" is an understandable statement when discussing companies like Sony, GE, Compaq and HP....their marketcaps can drop another 50% and they will still all be worth in excess of $10B. Handspring and Avantgo are rapidly running out of liquid and nonliquid assets.

I would describe the situation for both companies as "precarious" and trending toward "grave". Thats not to say that either can't stage a joyous and triumphant comeback.

Posted by WM5051 on 09-08-2001 12:08 AM:

The joys of the Internet

As we all know the Internet has given everyone a voice. The question comes down to which voices should you listen to. I prefer my own.

-Financials
AvantGo made their revenue numbers in Q4 2000 and Q1 2001 (when the economic downturn we are in started and several other well established companies missed their revenue projections). They barely missed their numbers in Q2 2001, but they did reduce their costs significantly - a sign of improving business practices. It also means they can last longer on their existing capital (over $50 million) They did have a 15% reductions in workforce (layoff), but that was almost par for the course in today's economy. They claim they are still on track to be profitable on schedule.

All of this information is on their site in their investor section.

-AvantGo Enterprise vs. AvantGo Mobile Internet (AMI) Service
25% of AvantGo's revenue comes from AMI (what we use) and 75% comes from Enterprise Sales (What companies like Ford use internally). I do not think the serevice is going away any time soon. The AMI service has over 3 million registered users. That is many more than Omnisky, Palm.net, YadaYada and Vindigo put together! It is also the largest example of their Enterprise product at work. They make Enterprise sales to users of the AMI product.

All of this information is on their site in their investor section.

-Stock price
YEs this means something, but what? For now, not much. Everyone (mostly) is hurting. Wireless is new and was overhyped. Whoever lasts through the next few months will have the opportunity to make major strides. If you want to worry about someone, look at Omnisky. They closed today at $.55, They are not profitable, they have several lawsuits against them and they are running out of capital. I would not want to be a company looking for additional capital in this market.

-AvantGo Customers
So who are AvantGo cutomers? Well, Ford and other large companies are the enterprise ones. And every site listed on their Web site are the AMI customers. Do they bill them all? No. Are they starting to? Yes. Details on this are harder to find, but it is obvious they are making money somehow from their financial statements. They claim it is from distribution products. The Newsletter they send out to users and other products make them money. And don't forget those banner ads. Affluent, tech savey audiences make up advertisers' dreams. Could they start charging end users? Yes, and judging from the surveys that have gone out (seee other discussion threads on these), they probably will, but if they are smart they will never give up a version of their free product.

All of this information is on their site in their investor section.

-Proxy servers
The AvantGo proxy servers help compress and distribute the content. The proxy servers manage caching and help lower the time it takes a user to sync. Without them your sync servers would take much longer. They also help format the content for OS (Palm vs Pocket PC) and color (grayscale to 16 bit).

This information is in the AvantGo developer's guide.

- AvantGo Advantage
AvantGo touts what they call the Dynamic Mobility Model. This means you can sync and surf.

Take a look a the average user. You have an Internet connection whether it be 'free' (supplied by your employer)or paid for. No one is likely to give that up. Now, by adding their software (free) you get an additional service using a connection you already have. Great. Now you can look at the NY Times on your PDA at a very low cost, if any. I can view that information anywhere regardless of wireless coverage. Parking garages, airplanes, elevators, parks, ANYWHERE. Now, all I need wirless for is small, TIMELY updates. Flight Status, portfolio updates, looking up a phone number. These are where wireless will succeed. With AvantGo and my cell phone I only use 5-15 wireless minutes a month. That cost me $40 for the cable and a fraction of my monthy $35 wireless fee. Omnisky would cost a great deal more for hardware and the monthly service fee for unlimited minutes. Then, I would be wasting money on minutes I do not need.

That is all I really have to say, which was probably too much. I told you I like to listen to myself.

Posted by Keefer Lucas on 09-08-2001 01:46 AM:

And Yet

And yet there remains a strong possibility that the issue will be facing a NASDAQ delisting by the end of October.

Posted by Keefer Lucas on 09-19-2001 07:20 PM:

Re: And Yet

quote:
Originally posted by Keefer Lucas
And yet there remains a strong possibility that the issue will be facing a NASDAQ delisting by the end of October.

Uhhh, better make that September.

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