Eric Ries on "Minimum Viable Product"

Eric Ries, author of the blog "Startups Lessons Learned," and a guiding light in what's become a popular movement in Silicon Valley - going lean.

  

Minimum Viable Product Webcast

Here's a webcast with Eric Ries, who teaches startups and product developers about the development process, especially the way to use the "minimum viable product" approach. It is worth a listen if you do product development. 

What is a "Minimum Viable Product," and Why Do You Care?

If you are not in the product development business, you probably don't care what a "minimum viable product" is, and how it relates to creation of new products. If you do have responsibilities for product development, minimum viable product is a method for creating products faster, and at lower cost, by prototyping and beta testing.

More on "Minimum Viable Product" in Product Development Process

 In the product development process, the "minimum viable product" is that version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort. Think of it as a "beta" released initially to a rather small number of power users, to test features, find bugs and prepare for a "full production" product.

The idea is sort of like "prototyping." One wants to quickly figure out what features everybody wants, which features nobody wants, and find out fast.

Ebook Readers are Toast, Informa Says

Though some will question the prediction, Informa Telecoms & Media predicts dedicated e-book readers will lose favor to multi-purpose tablet devices.

According to the latest forecasts from Informa Telecoms & Media, sales of smartbooks are expected to rapidly grow from 3.65 million in 2010 to nearly 50 million in 2014, representing over 50 percent of all embedded device sales.

This growth will be driven by a shift away from dedicated devices like e-readers, towards multifunctional portable devices like the iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab. These smartbooks merge the best features of both smartphones and netbooks, plus they have the always-on connectivity of a cellular device.

InformaTM :: What's New

How Big a Threat Do App Stores Pose to Search?

"The App Store is replacing the web search engine for mobile device users, at least for some searches," argues Dan Frommer, Senior Staff Writer of Business Insider. The long-term issue is just how much search volume (and therefore ad revenue) might be at risk.

Apps are good for some content, such as games, camera apps, productivity software and utilities, for example. Lots of people might also argue apps are suitable replacements for traditional websites, though many users with smartphones and decent browsers might simply say they prefer access to the "full" version, not the mobile-optimized apps, which remind some users of the older WAP-style, text-heavy experiences. That is mostly going to be a matter of end user preferences.

There might also be a developing difference between iPhone and Android users. Many iPhone users might not realize they can save bookmarks that essentially provide "app" functionality. Many Android users probably figure out pretty quickly they can do so, and can simply substitute an icon that is a "bookmark" for an icon that represents an "app."

The point is that some subset of searches on mobile devices is going to be different than search on desktop computers, which puts Google's core search business at a bit of risk. The example Frommer points to is users going to the App Store looking for a shortcut to "Facebook," when they could use a browser, go to Facebook and then simply create a bookmark.

But there are other ways to make search a lot easier on a touchscreen device. Voice-activated search is one of those alternatives.

The choices likely will be most relevant for popular web sites, games and other content experiences. Apps will be viable there, but it is somewhat hard to see general search functions being substantially replaced by apps.

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Can Smartphones Replace Credit Cards?

Forrester Research says one big question remains for transaction providers eager to equip smartphones with payment features. But are consumers ready to ditch their plastic?

According to Forrester analyst Emmet Higdon, the test is less one of the technology involved, but the user interface and whether or not 'consumers' current love affair with smartphones is enough to change card payment behaviors that date back more than 50 years.

Can Smartphones Replace Credit Cards?

Live Streaming Grows 648% Over Last Year

Over the past year, the amount of time American audiences spent watching video for the major live video publishers (Justin.tv, USTREAM, Livestream, LiveVideo, and Stickam) has grown 648 percent to more than 1.4 billion minutes.

By comparison, the amount of time American audiences spent watching YouTube and Hulu increased 68 percent and 75 percent, respectively, over the same time period.

Though the amount of time spent watching live video is still only a small fraction of the total time spent watching online video, its sharp growth indicates viewers’ growing comfort with the content.

comScore Voices - The comScore Blog

Android Grows Rapidly as Platform for Mobile Web Browsing

Android devices have gained about 17 or 18 percentage points of market share over the last year in the mobile Web browsing market, says Quantcast.

Apple's iOS has lost share.

Smaller Cable Networks at Risk of Being Squeezed Out?

More small "cable channels" are going to have incentives to seek carriage on Apple TV, Google TV, Amazon or Netflix if cable and telco networks start to bump them off line-ups in favor of more-popular channels.

AT&T allowed its contract with Crown Media to lapse, essentially dropping the Hallmark cable networks when the deal expired at midnight on Sept. 1. According to JP Morgan Chase analyst Imran Khan, “there has been no sign of progress toward reaching a deal,” suggesting that AT&T might not bring those stations back to its U-verse pay TV service.

Content owners ultimately will be the decisive factor in pushing more content to online distribution, and being dropped from multichannel video basic line-ups is the sort of thing that will drive the moves.

Smaller Cable Networks at Risk of Being Squeezed Out?

Angry Birds Lite for Android Now Available

Angry Birds Lite is now available at Android Market. It appears to require Froyo (version 2.2).

Google to Launch Own Music Service

Music industry interests unhappy with Apple's role in distribution might be cheering Google plans for a download store and a digital song locker that would allow its mobile users to play songs wherever they are.

Google's Andy Rubin, the brains behind Google's Android mobile operating system, has been leading conversations with the labels about what a new Google music service would look like, Reuters reports.

Rubin, Google's vice president of engineering, hopes to have the service up and running by Christmas, two of these people said.

Apple and Google to clash in music space by Christmas | Reuters

FCC Wants More Input on Wireless, Managed Services

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline and Wireless Bureaus are seeking further public comment on issues related to specialized or ‘managed services and mobile broadband, at least partially, and perhaps largely, because Verizon and Google have reached their own agreement about how to implement network neutrality on Verizon's fixed networks, but have agreed not to apply the rules to wireless access.

The FCC wants further input on the exemption of new managed services from the "best effort only" Internet access agreement. In essence, Google and Verizon have agreed to what network neutrality advocates have asked for on the fixed networks. That virtually ends discussion about Internet access and network neutrality.

But the mobile network now emerges as the area where policy advocates will focus their energy, and many will not be happy with the exemption for managed services, though the policy foundation for prohibiting such services seems quite weak. Lots of services, such as private network services or cable TV or telco TV routinely use the same physical facilities, but represent different services from "Internet access" and in fact are regulated using entirely different rules.

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Apple Doubles iPad Production: Android is the Reason

Apple is manufacturing two million iPads each month, but production now is scheduled to ramp up to three million a month.

Android tablets may be the reason. Apple wants to make sure people can walk into an Apple store looking for an iPad and walk out purchase in hand.

Apple Doubles iPad Production As Android Tablet Threat Looms

Apple TV Deal with Disney, Fox Not Exclusive

Apple TV's plan to stream some Fox and Disney content for 99 cents does not have universal support, judged by the content companies that are not participating.

However well the offer is received, it will not be exclusive to Apple. The same content could be offered by Google, who supply the broadcast networks with content, hate Google, Amazon, Netflix or others.

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