I liked the device a lot, particularly the display, the camera and some of the features of Windows Phone 8.  However, I found the size of the handset and screen simply too large for my way of working – constantly having to adjust my grip on the handset to reach the buttons or the extremities of the screen. Also disappointing was the breadth and depth of apps available in certain areas – particularly in the Social Business space.

I’m therefore excited that a Lumia 720 is arriving today at the McCottage to test over the next few weeks.  

Smaller, slimmer and lighter than the Lumia 920, the 720 is definitely a mid-range rather than range-topping device.  Nevertheless I have a feeling that this will be a much better fit for my working practices than the 920 was.   Look out for a report soon.

Version 4.1.0 of the IBM Connections app is now available from the Apple App Store and Google Play, including the following enhancements:

• Support for Community Files, Forums, and Bookmarks on SmartCloud
• @mentions for status updates (requires Connections server 4.5 and above)
• Target status updates to individual profiles or a community
• Support liking for status update comments (requires Connection server 4.0 CR2 and above)
• Single tap to view a file
• File usability enhancements for quick access to common actions
• Access file downloads from the launcher
• View Forum attachments
• Show most recently viewed Communities
• Enhanced viewing for Community description
• Enhancements to the URL for launching the app
• Performance and stability improvements

For me personally, the most important of these is the @mentions in status updates, which really does open up IBM Connections to be used as an internal Twitter-style tool.  @Mentions are key in encouraging interaction via the stream, and having them available via the app makes them vastly more accessible and powerful.

The other enhancement I’d pick out is ‘Enhanced viewing for Community description’ – we are using the community overview for all kinds of enhancements to communities (probably way beyond IBM’s expectations when they developed the feature), such as dynamic image maps, embedded video carousels and much more.  I haven’t tested the new app release yet, but I’m hoping that this will improve the integrity of these overviews via mobile devices.

Go get it now! (iOS | Android)

[Also, the Blackberry app was updated recently, though to an older release – 3.4.2)

Fantastic, simple, targeted, on-the-money and amusing advertising. ‘Nuff said.

Today is the partner day – the equivalent of BP Development Day at IBM Connect for those that have attended that event. It’s been a fascinating morning so far, with keynotes from the CEO and CTO, as well as updates on partner programs and more. I’ve been tweeting extensively, so follow that stream for more details.

However, as a first post from the event, I wanted to share this video, highlighting the Connections integration that Sugar and IBM have been working on. It is mightily impressive:

More >

Collaboration Matters sees Social CRM as one of the biggest growth areas in 2013 – Social Business platforms cannot just be a ‘destination’ but have to be fully integrated into all areas of the business. For every business, that includes helping the organisation and its employees serve its customers better.

As Sugar have said today, it is about ‘Every Customer. Every User. Every Time.‘. Focus on every customer relationship by enabling every user in your business to deliver exceptional service every time. By combining a CRM solution that is fully integrated into a social collaboration platform, formal and informal customer data can be added to the knowledge and people within your organisation to deliver amazing value to your customers.

I’m really looking forward to hearing more from Sugar this week and will be sharing it here as the week goes on…

Therefore, good friend Victor Toal and I thought it was high time for another NYC LotusBeers session.  The plan is to meet at 8pm on Wednesday, 10th April at The Pig ‘n’ Whistle on 2nd.  All are welcome!

Let us know if you can make it via email, DM or by leaving a comment.  Hope to see you there!

P.S. Given the re-branding effort, I wonder if these sessions should become known as IBMSocialBeerz?

iFix LO74499 is required for all IBM Connections 4.5 environments. Please download the iFix from Fix Central, then apply to the IBM Connections 4.5 server using the update installer.

Use this link to download iFix LO74499 from Fix Central

For details on how to apply interim fixes, please review the “Installing interim fixes” topic in the IBM Connections 4.5 documentation.

5.2.0.0-P8CPE-IF001 is a FileNet Content Engine iFix, required if your IBM Connections 4.5 environment is using Connections Content Manager. If you are using Connections Content Manager, please review this document for details on the issue that iFix resolves, and instructions on how to download and apply it:

Fail to check out a published document when Library is workflow enabled

System Requirements for IBM Connections 4.5 (including CCM)

Particularly note the support for IBM System i, the requirement for WebSphere Application Server 8.0 and the new support for DB2 10.1.