Microsoft is trying to kill public folders and make everyone go to SharePoint.  As far as mobile access to SharePoint went, it was rather bad.  Text only or a really small screen of the SharePoint page. Today I needed a way to make SharePoint pretty on an iPhone.  Basically more elegant than the text only version.  After some research, I found Moshare.  http://moprise.com/

Right now the program is free to download and use via the App Store.  I downloaded, installed and configured in under 10 minutes.  

The drawback I see is that all information is read only.  Which, let us be honest, if you are using your iPhone to access the site, do you really want to do more than read the info?  

Disclaimer: not every bank has this setup yet, my bank just happens to be leading the pack.  

I got my iPhone 4 about three weeks after it had been released.   I am finally one of the cool kids and I do not have a blackberry or windows phone anymore.  I installed my banking app and remembered someone telling me that their app allowed depositing of checks via the app by taking pictures.  Honestly, I thought this was the most useful thing to do with the camera and the iPhone in general.  

I get expense checks from time to time that are not direct deposited and my bank has no local branches.  Previous to the iPhone app, I had another bank locally, and I had authorized wire transfers between the two.  But this still required me driving a ways, depositing the check and then transfer the funds.  iPhone app comes along and this is not a problem any more.  I choose mobile deposit and take a picture of the front and back (which is signed with and labeled for deposit only into my account).  Funds are available immediately.  

To me, this is a game changer and should send banks into examining why they have so many branches when a smart phone could do a bulk of deposits for individuals.  Commercial deposits, well, not every solution is a good fit to every problem.   

I was one of THOSE people who held my breath for the new apple tablet dubbed the iPad.  I won't say I was obsessed with it, but I did follow the it awfully closely, devouring any kind of rumor about specs or leaks of its capabilities.  On the day of the launch, I had three tabs of my firefox open to different livebloggers who were at the event and I would cycle through them to see the product pictures or specs.  

In the interest of full disclosure, The Strickland Group is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner.  I have worked with and advocated for Microsoft technologies for more than half my life.  I was an early adopter of Windows 95, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows 7.  I used a Windows Mobile phone for years, though I have an iPhone currently.  I really wanted to love the iPad.

I think the iPad will be a great device for the average well-to-do consumer.  I'd even go so far as to say that when the common home user is looking to replace their XP laptop in a year or two, the iPad might be a good enough choice for them.  And at an entry point price of $499, it's not too shabby.  If you were to buy it as a top of the line e-book reader and that's all you wanted to use it for, it would be a great device.

However, despite all my efforts, I just don't love the iPad. Sure, it's not all bad - at least it's got it's looks.  Also, the websites they demoed rendered beautifully.  I believe it would be a pleasure to read the New York Times on the device.  But it's what the thing won't do that's stands out for me.

• No support for flash.  Are you kidding me Apple?  You're going to release an device that "puts the internet in your hands" that doesn't play flash.  Dumbfounded.
• No camera.  Would have been an amazing video conferencing device.
• No multi-tasking.  I can't listen to pandora while I'm surf?  I can't  pause a game I'm playing and go google something I just saw on TV? I can't keep IM going in the background? 

Oh well.  Holding my breath for iPad 2.0...