JBB's Blog

Pacers - Heat Game 7 Eastern Conference Finals Prediction

Miami Heat win Game 7 over the Indiana Pacers 95-85

LeBron James: 27 pts, 9 reb, 7 asts

Pacers out-rebound the Heat by 4 but have 19 turnovers

Bold Prediction? Chris Anderson and Ray Allen both get double digit scoring

Great Business Solution: Table Tracker at Panera Bread

The other day I went to Panera Bread for lunch with a co-worker. After I finished ordering I was given an electronic device with a number on it. I didn’t think much of it at the time and just figured it was the normal buzzer that would buzz when my order was ready for me to pickup. When I sat down at a table I noticed a monitor nearby the kitchen. I became intrigued and started investigating.

I found that the device I was given was actually a table tracker. The monitor by the kitchen told the servers what table the person who ordered was sitting at. Genius. I became more intrigued and wanted to know how the tracker knew what table it was on. I found that under the table there were pieces of tape. This was how the tracker knew what table it was at! I began to mess around by placing the tracker on other tables while watching the monitor in the kitchen. It updated instantly!

A very cool idea and a great business solution. It really allows the waiting staff to locate the tables and deliver the order in a timely manner. The monitor in the kitchen was touchscreen and had a timer for each order that was placed. I wonder what the cost-benefit of installing the table tracker for a small restaurant like Panera is?

For more info visit their website: http://goo.gl/Pw1vi

5 Things I Will & Won’t Miss About My Blackberry

Things I’ll Miss about My Blackberry after My Switch to iPhone

1. First and foremost: the keyboard. This is a given because this is what Blackberry has always prided itself on and it’s also what has taken me so long to make the switch. There is just something about the Blackberry keyboard that makes it so easy to type. People keep telling me I will get used to typing on the iPhone but I just don’t see it being anywhere near as good as the Blackberry keyboard. Additional note: iPhone’s Autocorrect is absolutely terrible. Let me type what I typed and don’t change it unless it’s blatantly obvious.

2. The red notification light. Whenever I am away from my phone for a few minutes (which is sometimes rare) the first thing I look for is to see if the red light is on. The light has always signaled a new text message, email, Facebook message, etc. for over 5 years and it’s going to be really weird without it.

3. The ease of scrolling. As I’ve been using my iPad, I have found it pretty difficult to go back and make changes when texting. I don’t really like having to click on the exact spot I want to change. With the Blackberry touchpad it’s really easy to get from word to word without any hassles.

4. Shortcuts. Having been using a Blackberry for 5 years I have found easy ways to do things using shortcuts. Whether it is just simply hitting R to reply or creating new autotexts, it is just a really nice feature. New iOS has created shortcuts for texting but you can’t create a shortcut that has less than 3 characters. This is dumb because that is what shortcuts are for! I want to use u for you, r for are, y for why, etc.  

5. Email. I have numerous email accounts that are sent to my Blackberry. I know I can do the same with the iPhone but it just isn’t the same. I can’t send an image from my email on the iPhone. Instead I have to go to the image to send it. I can’t send multiple images on the iPhone. There are just way more options in Blackberry email than there are in iPhone mail.

Things I Won’t Miss about My Blackberry after My Switch to iPhone

1. Lack of updates. RIM has been struggling recently and I understand that but c’mon man! RIM has done nothing dramatic over the past 5 years to change the operating system. It’s tried adding features and some of them are really nice but some just don’t live up to the hype. Also worth noting that for a non-Blackberry expert it is way too difficult updating OS. My friends are always out of the loop.

2. Constant freezing. I have always had the newest OS for Blackberry or been close to the newest and lately my phone has been freezing entirely too much. It always seems to happen whenever I have a few things going on or when I really need to be using my phone. It’s annoying and it should not be an issue I have to deal with on a regular basis

3. “Sorry! We are closing this page because it’s too large to load.” This should never be a problem in 2011. Figure out something to make sure this doesn’t happen. It’s terribly annoying and it happens with some websites that aren’t even too large. Figure it out.

4. Lack of apps. iTunes App Store and now Android Market are killing Blackberry in apps. Not only are there way more apps for other phones, they are way better than the Blackberry apps. It’s embarrassing not having a simple app for your phone that millions of others have; and even more embarrassing when you do have that app and theirs is ten times better than yours.

5. Being that guy. I’ve always been the “Blackberry guy” after my brother first introduced me to them and I don’t mind it. But lately having a Blackberry has been almost frowned upon. Numerous new phones are being introduced that are likely to push RIM into a dark corner. I think it is now an appropriate time to push the Blackberry aside and move to the other side: iPhone. Hoping it all goes well.