Having a business revolving around mobile phones, and being such a tech. & handheld equipment fan I can’t help but have an opinion and a prediction for the short/mid term future.  

Opinion

Having recently followed the Samsung Galaxy S IV release and listening to many of the opinions about it one thing comes to mind: they are focusing on the wrong feature.  Bigger and brighter screen, faster processor, more pixels, and more sensors are all improvements on this linear strategy, as if more was better.  The only place where more is better and the one place where these companies are not focusing on (or we can´t see a result in yet) is on battery life.  All the new features count for nothing if my battery doesn’t last a whole day.  Yes, it varies depending on how much use you give it, some days my battery lasts 12 hours but those are the days when I´m busy with something else; a paradox since everything points to try and keep you stuck to your screen as long as possible.

Apps suffer this same limitation, you have augmented reality, location based, health apps amongst others but they are really a pain to use.  You have to be conscious of when you want to use one of them: open, use, close.  God forbid you let one running, you will be out of juice in no time.  

Prediction

Having watched a video about The Super Supercapacitor one near future solution has been planted in my mind: maybe our technology is not advanced enough to extend battery life but how about shortening … considerably shortening the recharge process of our batteries?  Apparently, with this carbon based supercapacitor we would be able to recharge a mobile battery in record time: THIRTY SECONDS.  

The super supercapacitor is made of all organic grapheme - “a single layer carbon, one of the strongest ever known and its completely flexible.”  You want an even crazier idea?  How about having the plastic in our phones replaced with grapheme; not only completely biodegradable but would also act as a battery making our phones even smaller.

http://t.co/OBey3RiH
I just read an article stating amoung many things, on one side, that there are no decent or good startup programers in Spain. A counter opinion was that there are extremely good programers if you are willing to pay them adecuately. Finally, after a meeting between programers and CEOs the conclusiones were that programers are looking for:
- a solid project
- recognition (not offering 3% for a startup based on programing)
- sensibility (a programer need to be motivated)
And two final thoughts were shared: “programers can choose if they want to work in a startup” and “a starup is not a good place for a programer”.
These are the points that call my attention, and I feel like they have missed the point completely.

First of all, for many startups “paying a correct price” is not an option. Granted, if you are a working and promising company then pay as much as possible and more to your programers as they are your engine. But most startups don’t have that luxury. Startups need programers before they are able to get funding, before it can generate. Startups need good programers when we can not afford them.

Regarding the programer thoughts, 1) they need a solid plan. Well, my and many startups are as solid as my crystal ball allows them to be. Some days its clear and others its murky but thats how startups work. You mean solid in the scence that we have a better possibility of getting VC funding or other type? What your CEO brings to the table should at the very least be this quality, as a programer should bring innovative ability to program. What startups are looking for are qualities past this step. Furthermore, working on a startup to achieve funding is not the correct way to approach a business. Working to get a great product, convinced that we are going to succeed because a VC wants to fund us or our client base will grow and have a natural expansion is what I consider to be the correct way. 2) Programers want recognition, not getting offered a meere 3% for a program based startup, well, here you are half right. Yes, team up wih someone who appreciates your work, but when you only put in your work while other partners have put in work and money you can not expect too much. Also, you have to be aware that when you get offered 3% (embarrasing) the rest of the partners are not keeping 97%, they are planing on using most to raise capital. This is what they are suppose to do. 3) Programers need sensibiliy from their CEOs demostrated through motivation. Startup material uses the new challenges and uncertaintee of startups as motivation. We don’t go around asking our personal, investor or clients to motivate us, be sensible towards our need. A strartup material programer should be humanly motivated by themselves, specially at startups when pivoting is common, when many times one is sailing in the dark. We will do our best to motivate you, motivate ourselves, but if being in a startip is not enough of a motivatoin then you are not a descent startup programer.

Regarding the two thoughts, programers being able to choose if they want to be in a startup or not, and that a startup is not a good place for a programer, well thats exaclty our point. Programers can choose and should be very specific about what they want but what startups want, need and can’t find are programers who feel like their place is at a startup, taking risks, developing something from scratch, self motivating and able to put in the time and sacrifice for a brigther future. They should demand and expect to be treated relatively equally, equal pay and equal reaponsibility, to each their own specialty, but expect to suffer as well.
A startup programer is not an employee, a startup programer should be a partner in crime.

Aléjate de mi.

Aléjate de mi.  Esto no va ser fácil.

Pero no te necesito.  Créeme.

Sí, te llevaras una parte mía.

Pero es tan solo una parte.

No necesito a nadie por ahora.

Estos días siento que desvanezco.

A veces quiero escucharme reír.

Me has visto últimamente?

Hace tiempo que deje de reír, cambie.

En alguna parte esta lloviendo.

¿Me dices una cosa que te acuerdas de mi?

Yo recuerdo que me gustaba reír, y

Todos os detalles que hacen un recuerdo.

A ti te gustaba mis momentos serios.

¿Qué te acuerdas de mi?

Sabes, pensé que alguien se daría cuenta.

Alguien diría algo si desaparecía.

No me puedes ver, no?

Ven coloréame, pinta mi mundo.

Ven … ven … VEN!

Píntame un cielo nublado, las calles mojadas y árboles abatidos.

Coloréame embarrando tus labios,

Enredando tu cabello.

Ven y escríbeme, relata mi ser.

VEN! … VEN! …

Escríbeme un cuento triste, de soledad e indiferencia.

Relata a alguien ajeno, serio y … distinto.

Dime solo una cosa que te acuerdes de mi.