For the past two months, I have been using myView, a new realtime viewing app for the iPad put out by Advantage Software. Their website describes myView as "a revolutionary realtime viewing system" compatible with a wide variety of devices, including iPads, iPhones, Macs and PCs. Advantage Software points out that by offering a more versatile realtime viewer, reporters can "protect their careers and better serve their clients." Realtime reporters who care about quality of their output want a refresh feature, so "Editing changes are instantly refreshed on Macs and PCs." Ease of use is a big draw , so the statement "Simply connect your computer to a standard router, and you're ready to go" is appealing. On the myView FAQ page is the question, "Is myView easy to use?" and the answer, "Yes. MyView has an intuitive user interface that your clients can begin using immediately." Also, 'We make it easy for you to introduce your clients to this exciting new technology by providing the client software free of charge."
Be Bold - Be Gold!
Best practice is defined as a technique or methodology that, through experience and research, has been proven to reliably lead to a desired result. I've never wanted to build my reputation on what everyone else is doing. "Good enough" has never been my goal. My experience and research reveals poor quality realtime writing and connection issues are common complaints by realtime users, so my best practices have been to perfect my realtime skills, and present them with my own equipment for no-excuses realtime. The opportunity to offer realtime on the sleek, amazingly popular iPad was tempting, so on November 6, 2011, I purchased Advantage Software's product, myView. And because Advantage Software offered a specific TrendNet router for $79.95 and stated "We cannot provide support for third-party routers," I also purchased the recommended, supported router.
The Right Stuff
Anxious to get going with myView, I bought a couple iPads, loaded the app, and tried it out at home. Everything connected just fine. I wrote a bit, noted that it worked, and packed up the iPads to use the next day. I fault myself here for not writing longer on my initial trial. At this point, I truly believed I was armed with The Right Stuff to shock & awe my clients at the next day's deposition. However, I always trust my gut instincts, and those gut instincts told me not to fly without a safety net. Turns out this was a great move on my part ...
Great Expectations
Realize that in my world, realtime is an everyday occurrence. I'm an independent freelancer working on high-end cases with litigators who expect perfection from their trial team members. I consider myself a member of that trial team. In my world of no-excuses realtime court reporting, even the slightest problem can seem a disaster. My clients expect realtime services to be instant, flawless, and without interruption.
Euphoria (eu.pho.ri.a): A state of intense excitement and happiness
On my first day using myView for the iPad, I had five realtime users for the first use of myView. Three had their own iPads! They were thrilled to learn they could use their iPads for realtime! We quickly downloaded the app, and I provided my own iPads for the others. Everything appeared to be great, with excellent feedback from the fans of the crazy popular iPad. Just in case ... I set up a netbook with Bridge running and set it off to the side. I asked my partner to stick around for a while ... again, just in case. We started the deposition, and excitement gave way to euphoria at the thought of kicking it up a notch in the realtime world!
Chagrin (cha.grin): Distress or embarrassment at having failed or been humiliated
Imagine my chagrin when, one by one, the iPads around the table started to disconnect. Thank goodness I trusted my instincts! Thank goodness my partner was still there to fire up the Bridge netbooks and supply everyone with a reliable realtime feed! Thank goodness my safety net was running in the background and instantly available!
So what happened?
Two months, four routers, two version updates, and countless hours of testing later, my experience tells me is that the myView app is fraught with disconnect and display issues. Other reporters who pride themselves on no-excuses realtime have contacted me to commiserate because they are experiencing the same issues, so I know I am not alone. As they share their frustrations, it's noted ... but be very clear that this review is of my own experience and no others.
Ver 1.51 real-world performance test, December 6, 2011
In December 2011, I covered a one-week CART assignment that was perfect for further testing of myView. I was able to sit in the very back of the classroom, and I had plenty of space to set up my equipment. I was able to spend many hours during this week putting myView through the paces in another real-world performance test. To sit in the back, I used a small mixer and placed mics in the front of the classroom, along with a netbook loaded with Bridge for my student - my usual CART setup. But that way, I could write and test at the same time without disrupting the class. On the first day of testing, I set up my iPads using myView with both the Advantage Software-supported and recommended TrendNet router and also switched out later in the day to the Cradlepoint router.
The iPads disconnected continually throughout the day, each one at different times, with both routers. I'd read on the Advantage Software website, in their help forum, that another reporter who was experiencing disconnect problems found a fix by purchasing a $99 AirPort Express router from Apple. So yes, I immediately went out and bought that router for the
second day of testing. I was hoping that what worked for her would work for me, but unfortunately, I experienced the same disconnection issues. The iPads would disconnect at different times using the Apple router, seemingly even more than with the TrendNet or Cradlepoint routers.
The jerky movement of the screen during scroll-back continued each day. Not that it made a difference, but I set up one in portrait view, one in landscape view. Although the display does not have sharp text, I will say that despite its somewhat fuzzy appearance, the user interface is basically fine. No major complaints. You can't change the font or the size or the color. It's not great, but it is okay. By the way, refresh is not currently available, despite the Advantage Software statement on their website that "Editing changes are instantly refreshed on Macs and PCs."
Ver 1.60 real-world performance test, December 19, 2011
On Monday, December 19, I set up my iPads during my realtime job, anxious to test the new version as soon as it came out. Ver 1.60 was released by Apple just before noon. iPads automatically update, so I was able to start myView during lunch. Disconnections continued throughout the afternoon, as well as the jerky movements of the screen in scroll-back position. This time, instead of scrolling backwards, the screen scrolled forward a line at a time. Interestingly, I could scroll back easily enough on one iPad, but the other one would never hold at the place I scrolled back to. As soon as I lifted my finger, it would jump back to the current line I was writing, kind of like a "follow always" in our CAT software. I tried hitting the "Follow" button on the iPads to catch them up, but this resulted in locking up both iPads. I had to quit out of all programs and start the router again to get the iPads to reconnect. One iPad remained connected for the rest of the day. The other one cut off midafternoon.
The Webinar
In the middle of this myView experience, on Tuesday, December 13, 2011, Advantage Software conducted a myView webinar. Of course I attended! There was a fleeting mention of some users reporting disconnects, but the issue was basically glossed over. More time was spent on extolling the virtues and ease of use of myView. During the webinar, I hooked up myView with the recommended TrendNet router. I lost the myView connection several times during the live webinar. I called Advantage Software tech support during the webinar to see what they could offer. Literally, it was sympathy.
Reliability vs. First-Mover Advantage
A company can be their own worst enemy when they rush a product to market before its time. Reporters feel pretty much helpless when they can't troubleshoot connection problems, and software that's unreliable in real-world use is embarrassing when it doesn't work as promised. That's what happens when a company values a first-mover advantage over reliability of product. This can be a deal-killer for not only current customers, but future ones. When a company releases a product with the promise that it will work, users should expect something good. I not only expected something good, I expected something extraordinary. I am sorely disappointed that I still do not have a working app for the iPad. In my opinion, myView is a beta product still in test mode with no assurance of reliability.
The Right Tool for The Job
Throughout the time I attempted to use myView on the iPad, I've continued to offer realtime to my clients with the rock-solid setup of my own netbooks loaded with Bridge software, outputting wirelessly through StenoCast. The Bridge/StenoCast Wireless setup worked the first time and every time for me. It has never let me down. In the world of high-end realtime court reporting, where perception is everything and clients don't care why something isn't working, the right tool for the job remains Bridge on my own netbooks.
Performance and reliability trumps being first to market
Because it had been out for a full five months before I tried it, I expected the myView app to be good for realtime, great for lightening my load from netbooks to iPads, and fabulous for impressing my realtime clients. In practice, it's none of these. I believe I gave it a fair shot over the last two months. This isn't an app that makes me want to offer it again for public consumption because of the continued disconnection issue, and that's fatal.
The Last Words
"Of all the new economy's supposed 'rules,' the notion that nothing is as important as being first to reach scale may be the most widely accepted. It's also wrong."- Jim Collins
"Too often, we quickly jump ahead to the new thing, failing to get good enough at the important thing." - Seth Godin
"I never hesitate to use products that will take me to the next level in my realtime offering, but this app isn't one of them. The whole experience has been frustrating and unpleasant. What should have been an easy realtime experience has become an ordeal." - Mary Ann Payonk, RDR-CRR, CBC, CCP
