Where's the meat?

If today’s airline industry were a sandwich, the meat would be missing.

In 1963, a coach ticket on United Airlines from Washington to Denver included appetizers such as a lobster cocktail, an entree of chicken with rice and broccoli, and chocolate cake. Today, on almost any airline, you might pay $400-$700 for a seat AND, if you sit in the front half of the plane, you might be lucky enough to buy an $8 sandwich before they run out.

The taste of airplane food has been the victim of jokes for many decades. But even the most unsavory meal - sorry “snack” - is now a luxury on a 5-hour flight. I had an unfortunate experience on a cross-country flight last week. Rolling down the aisle was the infamous snack cart with “gourmet sandwiches” awaiting. Alas once the flight attendant reached my Aisle 42, she informed me that they had run out of food and only had drinks. My stomach may have missed a meal… but the airline missed something much bigger.

Going cashless has certainly helped airlines reduce operational costs in their on-board food operation. But they’ve missed the opportunity to ultimately avoid hungry, dissatisfied customers because they aren’t using the mobile handheld technology to the fullest potential. Mobile software applications can be used to capture and analyze data to deliver a more accurate prediction of passengers’ needs.

Now I realize bad weather, mechanical delays and other variables can skew data with regards to supply and demand. And this certainly is not the time for financially strained airlines to over-supply perishable assets. But in my opinion the real meat of their success still lies in keeping passengers fed and satisfied.

A mobility software application might not be able to bring back the lobster, but may give a better idea of how many meals to put on a plane. Have you had a similar experience? Let’s hear about it.

Boxers or briefs? The big iPhone-Windows Mobile debate hits the workplace

Microsoft may lead Apple in the enterprise world as far as volume, but when it comes to ‘the cool factor,’ iPhone is the Clint Eastwood of Smartphones. Mix this “gotta have one” consumer epidemic with the disappearing wall that used to separate personal PDAs from work PDAs, and where does that leave the future of enterprise purchasing?

Ask a CIO, and Windows Mobile would be the enterprise de facto standard because of its security, open standards with enterprise ISVs, and carrier flexibility. But where’s the excitement? Consumers just cannot resist the oohs and ahs of iPhone’s Apps Store, iTunes privileges, ultra-simplicity, touch interface and slick accelerometer.

Both platforms are making a decent effort to adjust to the other one’s superiorities. Apple released a Software Development Kit in June that supports Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and Flash enablement. Microsoft is spending $300 million on a new marketing campaign to hype the ‘hip.’ And touch interfaces are emerging on several Windows Mobile devices, such as HTC’s Touch Diamond. Other OS players—Symbian, RIM BlackBerry, Linux, Palm and Google—are making a bigger splash than in past years, and there are rumors that Verizon will make a hybrid of some sort.

I saw a recent Forrester Research study showing that today, 54% of businesses manage and support Windows Mobile, but IT decision makers expect this to hit 87% by 2013. For the iPhone, that number will jump as high as 43% by 2013, up from only 12% now. CIOs worry about the security, manageability and repair nightmares of splintered platforms and devices. But if the iPhone continues to break into the enterprise, IT departments may find themselves tightening up on their mobile device management policies.

The debate is really one of boxers or briefs. Or maybe even a “boxer-brief.” Consumers and IT professionals, where do you stand?

Why are more businesses considering field mobility services?

Gina Gallo, President of Stratix, explains in this Motorola video. Click here to view.

Stratix-Vangard partnership to speed enterprise mobile applications

A new Mobile Voice Platform can help businesses cut mobile transaction times in half, reduce errors and cut operational costs - Click here to read the full story.