All -
Today, we have posted the highly-anticipated "SI-1" release that a number of you have heard about from conversations with REXsupport. We wanted to say a special thanks to two Jedi Knights from our user community, mgerbasio and cmacdonald, that played an important part in driving the requirements and nuances for the SI-1 release. Both went above and beyond in communicating their thoughts in a positive, proactive, and patient way - thanks a lot guys!
So what is the SI-1 release? SI stands for 'system integration" and SI-1 is the first of three defined SI projects that we have. SI-1's goal is to convert any blip that happens in one's life into a reference item, a task to accomplish, a goal to remember, without re-typing or cumbersome cut-navigate-paste. We see the BlackBerry
tm as a revolutionary and enabling tool for this approach because it is always with you and when configured properly, all one's communications flow through it, making it the perfect collection point for this real-time-life-integration approach - PC's are deskbound and therefore, quite limiting.
We are not the only ones with this thought. Our goal is very much in line with the goals of IBM's Activity-Centric Computing (
dyson-video.mp3) that is being highlighted in the newest Lotus Notes / Domino products, where activities like an incoming email, phone calls, or visited website URLs can be instantly transformed into a followup item within one's management system. David Allen (of GTD Getting Things Done fame) (see
www.Davidco.com) highlights having a follow-up system that is trustworthy and efficient, so the philosophy field on the activity/task topic is crowded. Our BlackBerry-centric observation is that wireless, always with you, computing technology is the key technology enabler that makes everything come together, but that's probably plenty of REXphilosophy for one day... lets move on to the details of the release...
Specifically, the SI-1 release adds click-menu based injection of work, tasks, and reference information from wherever it is found on the BlackBerry into todoMatrix and ideaMatrix. Seven data injection points from standard RIM BlackBerry applications / API's have been provided in the SI-1 releases of todoMatrix and ideaMatrix:
1) E-Mail Inbox / Outbox
2) Phone / Phonelog
3) Address Book
4) BlackBerry browser
5) Tasks applet
6) Memopad
7) Calendar
Starting with this release, a BlackBerry professional using todoMatrix and ideaMatrix can schedule or save information for later follow-up with a couple of easy clicks, setting alerts and other elements, and then return instantly back to the point of origin.
The second important piece of the SI-1 release is that we enhanced todoMatrix's and ideaMatrix's ability to trigger events such as instantly dialing a phone number, sending an email, or visiting a URL with the browser from our view-mode screens. We also added a number of smaller enhancements, remapped the [D] hotkey to be a instant done/notstarted toggle in todoMatrix (thanks stinsonddog for observing that every current BlackBerry unit has a dedicated DEL key and our mapping of the D-hotkey as delete was redundant), and fixed a few issues we had with double-byte encoding (Chinese) data (thanks pengrus).
Each injection point is a bit different and offers varying levels of capability, depending on the richness of the RIM provided API. RIM is opening up API's with new levels of the operating system - for example, a person using a Pearl with 4.2 will see a better injector capability from us in memopad than will a 4.1 person with an 8700, because of limits in the 4.1 level API.
As one sample, here is a six-screenshot-sequence from the e-mail injection point - the other application injection points are similar:
1) Start in BlackBerry E-Mail inbox -
2) Menu click and choose "Inject into ideaMatrix" (or todoMatrix) -
3) Select what information you want to inject -
4) Select a destination folder, keeping yourself well-organized -
5) Add any alert option or simply save it -
6) Instantly return back to your BlackBerry E-Mail inbox -
If you are a todoMatrix and or ideaMatrix user, download your free software upgrade wirelessly - the recommended procedure is found on our Frequently Asked Questions page at:
REXwireless FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions / Help
Lastly, since someone is bound to ask, the future SI-2 project is extending the integration to Microsoft Outlook-Exchange, Lotus Notes, and Novell Groupwise. REXwireless Software no longer releases planned availability dates. SI-3's details remain company confidential.
Enjoy!
--the REXguys
REXwireless helps gung-ho top-ten-percenters do more - a lot more - with their BlackBerry. REXwireless Software is an official BlackBerry Alliances Partner. Free software trials and video demos are available at REXwireless.com (
www.REXwireless.com)
REXwireless Software Products in Brief:
todoMatrix
todoMatrix is a world-class to-do / task management / project management application. todoMatrix can manage an unlimited number of personal and delegated tasks, organized by project drawers and folder, cross indexed by time and assigned delegate. todoMatrix is a favorite of professionals that subscribe to the "Getting Things Done (GTD)" methodologies of David Allen (see davidco.com).
ideaMatrix
ideaMatrix is an unlimited, free-form idea and notes management database and features REXwireless's quick free-form Indy*Search. ideaMatrix is a highly-flexible application and is used in many different ways. In addition to the ideaMatrix's primary mission of instant-recall "Post-it Notes" and ideas on your BlackBerry (Post-it is a trademark of 3M Corporation
3M | Post-it® | Home), top ten uses from a recent sampling of users included:
1) Customer Relationship Management Information [Sales Professionals]
2) Personal Journal / Accomplishment Log
3) Student Note Taking in Class [Classroom Education]
4) Comprehensive Conversations Log
5) Medical Reference Information for Doctors [Medical Industry]
6) Investment Opportunity and Note Tracker [Investment Professionals]
7) Time log / logging [for Lawyers / Legal Industry (and billable consultants)]
8) Fitness / Workout Diary
9) Diet / Food Intake Tracker
10) Light Reader for Book and Magazine Article Summaries
REXdesktop
REXdesktop is a web-based browser system that enables secure access to your REXwireless BlackBerry-resident databases and wireless synchronization using a broadband-connected Windows PC, Apple Mac, or Linux desktop.
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Important Notice:
The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images, and symbols are the exclusive properties of and trademarks or registered trademarks of Research In Motion Limited - used by permission. IBM, Lotus Notes, and Domino are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. Microsoft Outlook and Exchange are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Novell Groupwise is a trademark of Novell Inc. Post-it is a trademark of 3M Corporation. Getting Things Done and GTD are trademarks of David Allen & Co. And, last but not least, Jedi Knights is a trademark of LucasFilm, Ltd.
What can you say - its a brave new IP world.