tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48547305198690255362024-03-18T03:58:11.056-07:00Reggie's RamblingsMusings on life and technologyReggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.comBlogger260125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-38030913764365483102016-11-02T05:22:00.003-07:002016-11-02T05:22:57.021-07:00IPhone 7 vs Galaxy S7I had a friend recently ask on Facebook if anyone had an recommendation between the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Apple IPhone 7/7 Plus. I spend a lot of time reviewing and testing phones so I thought I would write down some of what I have learned. They are both great phones and this article is not meant to push one over the other but rather to show that it depends on what you are looking for in a phone. With that said here are the pros and cons of each.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Advantages of IPhone 7/7 Plus</h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Battery Life. IPhone simply has more dependable battery life. By dependable I am basically referring to stand by time (that time when your screen is off). It's very easy to use your S7 for a few weeks and then, one day, you turn off the screen with your battery at 70% and wake it up two hours later with your battery at 55%. This is not really the phones fault; it's the fault of the OS. The S7 has good battery life but the way the Android OS is structured means that apps you install can leave behind services that run all the time. Recent updates to Android have tried to address this and Google itself has said they realize this is a significant problem and are trying to fix it.</li>
<li>Battery Usage Reporting. To go along with battery life the reporting of what is eating your battery is 1000% better on IPhone. Both systems have an area that lists apps that have used your battery along with a usage graph. However on Android the data never seems complete and much of the usage is hidden behind cryptic process names like "Android System". I've been in technology for 30 years and very often can't figure out the Android battery usage meter. With IPhone it's very simple and will actually tell you how long each app was on screen. Truly useful.</li>
<li>Apps are better. Yes the Google Play Store has tons of apps but the apps in the Apple App Store are normally much better. There are certain apps that simply don't work on IPhone (like lock screens or replacement text messaging apps) but apps like Facebook, Twitter, etc are typically better on IOS.</li>
<li>Voice interactions. This is a big one for me as I really enjoy interacting with my phone using my voice especially with my headphones. There are many use cases. You are at a soccer game listening to music and you want to text a friend or you want to find out if that local diner is still open. Ok Google can be made to work on the Galaxy S7 but out of the box it uses a voice assistant called S-Voice. S -Voice is terrible compared to Siri or Ok Google. As I said you can get Ok Google to work on the Galaxy S7 and that mitigates this a bit but I've found Siri to be a bit better in this regard.</li>
<li>Always On Voice Wakeup. This one is a no brainer. With this feature your phone is always listening for a special phrase to wake it up and give it commands. With the Galaxy S7 you can customize the wake up phrase so you can use something like 'Hey Jarvis' if you wanted to whereas with the IPhone you have to use the phrase 'Hey Siri'. The problem is that the S7 only supports voice wake with S-Voice and, as I said before, S-Voice is terrible. You don't want to use that. This makes voice wake on the S7 a non starter.</li>
<li>Messaging - Both platforms have tons of messaging apps (Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, etc, etc). What really sets the IPhone apart here is iMessage. Apple has added iMessage apps and they are crazy. Not only can you send animated gifs but there are over 1000 apps that you can play with your other IPhone friends right inside iMessage. You can send move times, sports scores, even create your own JibJab gif with your own face. Very fun.</li>
<li>Security and updates - Apple's IOS is known to be a bit more secure than Android with more frequent updates. I've already received 3 updates to iOS 10 just in the last 4-6 weeks. With the Galaxy S7 you will not get updates that often and it may take months to get on the latest OS (Nougat).</li>
<li>Faster - Whether it's looking at Antutu scores, GFXBench scores, or SunSpider scores the IPhone are simply faster, sometimes by a lot. </li>
</ul>
<h3>
<b>Advantages of the Galaxy S7</b></h3>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Camera - The S7 does have a better camera, slightly. DxoMark scores the S7 camera at an 88 and IPhone 7 at 86. What this means is they are both great but the average user will love them both.</li>
<li>Always On Display - This is like the old Nokia Glance screen. You can set things like calendar and notifications to show on the screen even when the screen is off. This is a useful feature and allows you to see if you have missed a call or text just by glancing at your screen with no need to actually turn the screen on. This feature doesn't work with every app; in fact it really only works with Samsung apps but it is useful.</li>
<li>Gear VR - The Galaxy S7 has a high enough display that it works well with the Gear VR headset. This means that you can use the headset to play games in VR space. This is fun and compelling.</li>
<li>Flexibility of Android - Android is more flexible allowing some things that IOS simply doesn't allow. One example is changing out lock screens or having apps that automatically change your wallpaper on a schedule. Another example is having a launcher that includes an app drawer. This makes it much easier to organize your app icons.</li>
<li>Widgets -- This is a feature of Android and not specifically the S7. Widgets are cool though I don't typically use them. This are basically small mini apps that sit on your 'desktop' .</li>
<li>Wireless charging - The S7 supports wireless charging. This does help to declutter your nightstand.</li>
</ul>
<h3>
Things That Are Basically The Same Between The Two</h3>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Waterproof - While the S7 is touted as being IP68 certified and IPhone 7 is only IP67 certified, tests have shown that the IPhone 7 actually survives in deeper water than the S7. I wouldn't want to test this personally but this appears to be a push.</li>
<li>Headphone jack - Yes Apple removed the headphone jack on the IPhone 7. They include a set of headphones in the box that work with the phone and an adapter that allows it to work with any headphones but quite a few folks are still a bit dismayed at this choice. It doesn't bother me because moving from analog to digital headphones should bring better quality aidio and more features and we are already seeing IPhone 7 compatible headphones come on the market. This may seem like a negative against the IPhone 7 but I consider it a wash at the moment. </li>
<li>Third party keyboards - Both platforms support 3rd party keyboards but Android has many more choices. The other thing to be aware of is that at the time of this writing third party keyboards on iOS are not allowed to present the voice dictation button. I really dislike this as voice dictation is something I use from time to time. </li>
<li>Chromecasting - We love casting videos and movies to our Nexus Players or Chromecast devices and that works from either device.</li>
</ul>
<div>
I've left out many things like mail apps, etc that basically come down to personal preference. As I said at the start of this article they are both great devices but if I was pressed to pick a device for my mom it would be an IPhone. The experience is just more dependable and in most cases better.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-3777594573765651282015-04-20T09:01:00.002-07:002015-04-20T09:01:43.517-07:00Windows Phone App Gap -- The RealityI consider myself a Windows Phone guy. I used a Samsung Focus, a Lumia 920, and recently I've carried a 1520 for over 1 year. I've told myself that there is no significant app gap. I say that because I look at my phone and see both a Twitter and Facebook icon. However there is more to the story.<br />
<br />
Here are a handful of apps that I use both on my Lumia 1520 and my Galaxy S5. I've tried to list a few areas where the Windows phone variant falls down.<br />
<br />
<style type="text/css">.nobrtable br { display: none } tr {text-align: center;} tr.alt td {background-color: #eeeecc; color: black;} tr {text-align: center;} caption {caption-side:bottom;}</style><br />
<div class="nobrtable">
<table border="2" bordercolor="#0033FF" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" style="background-color: #99ffff; border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"><caption>App Gaps</caption> <tbody>
<tr style="background-color: #0033ff; color: white; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-top: 5px;"> <th>App</th> <th>Gap</th></tr>
<tr class="alt"> <td>Mint</td> <td><ul>
<li>Can't refresh data while using different app</li>
<li>Much slower</li>
<li>Worse UI, less info in Alerts and Advice section</li>
<li>Doesn't have an Investment section</li>
</ul>
</td> </tr>
<tr> <td>Facebook</td> <td><ul>
<li>Can't edit groups. Group admin not available at all</li>
<li>Much slower to pull up comments and likes on posts</li>
</ul>
</td> </tr>
<tr class="alt"> <td>Twitter</td> <td><ul>
<li>Doesn't use in twitter browser, much slower</li>
<li>Doesn't support quoting retweet</li>
<li>Can't reply, retweet, or favorite when looking at a pic</li>
<li>Notifications simply don't work in many cases</li>
<li>Much harder to see trending topics</li>
</ul>
</td></tr>
<tr class="alt"> <td>Flixster</td> <td><ul>
<li>Can't see movies that are streamable from Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc</li>
<li>Much slower</li>
<li>Can't browse DVDs by genre</li>
<li>Can't filter/sort DVD by </li>
</ul>
</td></tr>
<tr class="alt"> <td>Redbox</td> <td><ul>
<li>Much slower</li>
<li>Very often fails to work correctly/doesn't load movies</li>
<li>Quit comparing as Winphone app simply wasn't working</li>
</ul>
</td></tr>
<tr class="alt"> <td>eBay</td> <td><ul>
<li>Many notifications do not work</li>
<li>Ability to review offers not available</li>
<li>Can't browse by category</li>
<li>Selling didn't work nearly as well</li>
<li>harder to see unread messages</li>
<li>Couldn't find reminders in Winphone app</li>
</ul>
</td></tr>
<tr class="alt"> <td>Bleacher Report</td> <td><br />
<ul>
<li>Not available</li>
</ul>
</td></tr>
<tr class="alt"> <td>Banking apps</td> <td><br />
<ul>
<li>Vast majority not available</li>
</ul>
</td></tr>
<tr class="alt"> <td>Audible</td> <td><br />
<ul>
<li>Stats not supported</li>
<li>Variable listening speed not supported</li>
<li>Badges and listening time trackers not supported</li>
</ul>
</td></tr>
<tr class="alt"> <td>iHeartRadio</td> <td><br />
<ul>
<li>Much slower</li>
<li>Doesn't support alarm clock (my wife loves this on her G3)</li>
</ul>
</td></tr>
<tr class="alt"> <td>Fidelity Investments</td> <td><br />
<ul>
<li>Doesn't show portfolio gainers and losers upon login</li>
<li>Doesn't show portfolio news on login</li>
<li>Doesn't show pending transfers</li>
<li>Doesn't do heat maps or alerts</li>
<li>Doesn't support bill paying or check deposit</li>
<li>Many more issues</li>
</ul>
</td></tr>
<tr class="alt"> <td>ESPN</td> <td><br />
<ul>
<li>Much slower</li>
<li>Other than being dog slow it doesn't seem so bad :)</li>
</ul>
</td></tr>
<tr class="alt"> <td>Amazon & Google Music</td> <td><br />
<ul>
<li>Doesn't exist</li>
<li>CloudMuzic works for Google music but not great</li>
</ul>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
I could go on and on but you get the picture. Yes, there are many apps that do not exist in the Windows phone marketplace but even the apps that are there are generally quite bad when compared to their Android or IOS counterpart. I'm a Windows phone fan and want it to succeed but there is an app gap and don't let anyone tell you there isn't.<br />
<br />Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-47792223975180922172014-03-28T07:03:00.004-07:002014-03-28T07:03:53.309-07:00Why College Athletes Should Not Get PaidRecently we have <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/27/sports/ncaafootball/a-victory-for-athletes-as-university-employees.html?rref=sports/ncaafootball&module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=College%20Football&action=click&region=FixedLeft&pgtype=article" target="_blank">heard about the ruling</a> from the National Labor Relations Board allowing the Northwestern football players to unionize. Many have argued that the players are "forced" to play for a school that is making millions from their effort and for a coach that is also making millions. So why not give the players a cut of it? While I'm not an expert on the matter I think I've got some pretty strong arguments why this shouldn't be allowed. <br />
<br />
I'm sure that D-1 college athletes have expenses that are directly related to their sport. Insurance comes to mind. Travel expenses also. I'm sure the school covers most of these and they should cover all of them. <br />
<h4>
Scholarship</h4>
College athletes are getting paid in several different ways. First, let's consider the scholarship. For many schools this amounts to a tremendous amount of money where an out of state student tuition with room and board might approach $50,000 annually. When you factor in the future monetary benefit of having at least a partial degree then the compensatory amount goes up dramatically.<br />
<h4>
Exposure</h4>
<div>
The next way a college athlete gets paid is in exposure. This benefit will apply to some more than others -- Julius Randle receives more and benefits more from exposure than Jon Hood (both from the UK roster). To understand this benefit let's look at the goals of these players. Take Andrew Wiggins for example. Coming out of high school he was not old enough to go directly to the pros. That leaves him with a few options such as play in college, play overseas, or don't play at all. It's easy to see that the first option with all of it's national TV time and exposure to NBA recruiters greatly increases his value to the league. Where would Wiggins be drafted if he flipped burgers for a year or played in Israel until he became old enough? Would he still go #1? The difference between pick #1 and pick #10 can be millions and at least part of that can be directly attributed to the Kansas Jayhawks and the exposure they provided to him. Providing a stage for a star to dance on is valuable compensation. What kind of payday did Doug McDermott earn with the stage that Creighton gave him?</div>
<h4>
Training</h4>
<div>
Another method of compensation for these athletes is training. Again, remember that the NBA has an age limit and rules that specify that US players must be at least 19 and one year removed from their high school class to be eligible. So, again, let's look at the options a kid has during that 1 year they are spending after high school before they are eligible for the NBA. They can play college ball, flip burgers, or play internationally. Which one provides them the best training and coaching to prepare them for the NBA? Let's say a kid decides to flip burgers for the year but hire Rick Pitino as a personal trainer and coach? Assuming he even could hire him what would it cost? When basketball and football players get years of weight training, strength training, coaching, and psychological training (got to get their minds right!) all for free then that is a very valuable form of compensation. Look at all the basketball and football pros that were relative unknowns in the college ranks but through the coaching and training provided they are now making millions in the professional ranks. Still think they are not getting paid?</div>
<h4>
What About Other Sports</h4>
<div>
Now for a minute let's talk about other sports. At most schools football and basketball pay all the bills. I saw a stat recently that said something like 19 sports at the University of Kentucky are completely reliant on monies from basketball and football for their very existence. So if you start paying (as in handing them a check) basketball and football players, these schools will have no choice but to either raise tuition on everyone or cut back on these other sports or scholarships for these other sports. As a parent of a kid who got a partial softball scholarship I would be pissed to be told that my child couldn't get that scholarship or she had to pay a higher tuition because the school had to pay their football players a weekly wage and then watch some of those football players go pro and earn millions. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-89909231641203881452013-07-20T14:56:00.000-07:002013-07-20T14:56:01.044-07:00Why you should consider a Windows Phone for your next phone - part 3In <a href="http://www.reggieburnett.com/2013/07/why-you-should-consider-windows-phone-part1.html" target="_blank">part 1</a> and <a href="http://www.reggieburnett.com/2013/07/why-you-should-consider-windows-phone-part2.html" target="_blank">part 2</a> of this article I have covered several aspects of Windows Phone that I think make it really shine. I'm sure I could also write a similar article about IOS and Android but I'm digging Windows Phone these days so I'll leave that work for someone else. In this last installment I'll cover a few remaining elements that I really like.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Battery Life</h4>
<br />
Probably the most important thing to me when talking about a mobile phone is battery life. It hasn't been long ago that we carried "feature" phones, flip phones, candy bar phones, etc and they lasted days and days on a charge. You really couldn't do much with them besides make a call so the long battery life was understandable. These days with processors getting more powerful, screens getting larger,and apps and games getting more demanding it's harder then ever to get that battery to last.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5aySxOuQjgXJd6NhP3PqPc7i0MY3oLWS1wIZkp0olKN7jAGvy7Qwk57DqfQQPWdepqlaleLJJNyhrfLl0Bxe0183YpaB6BrVoLXh9RLe8BUtpc8FwfkfSTcDzmsblvKCXIOTFxkZdvqB/s1600/wp_ss_20130720_0001.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5aySxOuQjgXJd6NhP3PqPc7i0MY3oLWS1wIZkp0olKN7jAGvy7Qwk57DqfQQPWdepqlaleLJJNyhrfLl0Bxe0183YpaB6BrVoLXh9RLe8BUtpc8FwfkfSTcDzmsblvKCXIOTFxkZdvqB/s320/wp_ss_20130720_0001.png" width="192" /></a>There are many factors that contribute to battery life such as how long the screen is on, how many apps are running in the background, how strong your cell signal is, etc. Many of these you really can't control such as cell signal and screen on time. I mean we need the screen on when we are using the phone right? All platforms take really different approaches to limiting how apps run in the background although Windows Phone and IOS are the most similar. Essentially when you hit the home button on your Windows Phone then the app is immediately "frozen" in it's current state. Apps can register to have an action run on a periodic basis in the background but there are tight constraints on how often it can run, how long it can run, and how many of these "agents" can be installed at one time. The entire point of this is to preserve battery life and user experience. Those of us that have had laggy Android experiences can appreciate it.<br />
<br />
So the battery life on Windows Phone is always good, right? Well, not always. Like any other platform you can have apps that do bad things and eat battery. However I will say that battery life on IOS and Windows Phone is generally acceptable and I find myself not really worrying about the battery life on those devices. By example I had a very hard time getting my Galaxy S3 to drain at less than 4% per hour even when doing nothing whereas I often see my Lumia draining at 2% per hour during times of very light use. There is also the peace of mind knowing that games and apps are not running in the background when you don't want them to. So often I hear others talk about forgetting to kill an app on Android and it eat all their battery.<br />
<br />
So while it's not amazingly better I do think that battery life (at least on the Lumia 920) is generally very good.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Voice Commands</h4>
<br />
Voice commands are things that I really like. I like to text by voice and look up directions by voice. Windows Phone has a voice system built-in that is very cool but very under utilized. The key part is that apps installed in the system can register a grammar set that is used to activate the app. This grammar recognition is done on the phone. By letting apps register their own grammars it gives the system unlimited expansion. Let me give you an example:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidSaA0GDZfA1CmjYCvPg6tDlIWx2bhs1hwnsIJ3GU19z1M00U-GF8_DJWAv4vxRI-EK_PaM9aDZ5qIgHRDkkK2MZEYPj41BmPxMUyiHcCB7mHZy6nHhzwuH_XPgIBP1F5D0Wtou26DTWh9/s1600/wp_ss_20130720_0003.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidSaA0GDZfA1CmjYCvPg6tDlIWx2bhs1hwnsIJ3GU19z1M00U-GF8_DJWAv4vxRI-EK_PaM9aDZ5qIgHRDkkK2MZEYPj41BmPxMUyiHcCB7mHZy6nHhzwuH_XPgIBP1F5D0Wtou26DTWh9/s320/wp_ss_20130720_0003.png" width="192" /></a><br />
The Best Buy app installed on my phone has some actions registered. One of them is "find nearest store". So you can activate the speech system and say "Best Buy - find nearest store" and the Best Buy app will launch and do just that. Nifty.<br />
<br />
The ABC app has keywords to take you to certain sections of their news app. Twitter app has phrases to start a new tweet. <br />
<br />
Where this is being under utilized is that apps are not continuing the interaction by voice. This is actually a fault with many voice assistant apps on all platforms. Many will let you dictate by voice and then ask you if what is on screen is correct. Man, if I was free to look at the screen I likely wouldn't be using my voice to start with. Once an app has been triggered via voice it needs to complete the interaction verbally. <br />
<br />
The Twitter app should be activated with "Twitter, send new tweet". It should then show the new tweet screen but then respond with "ok, say what you want to tweet". It then listens and converts to text what you say (yes we know this is always accurate) and then reads it back to you. If ok, asks if you want to tweet it. You know the rest.<br />
<br />
This is a small issue as developers are free to add this capability on their own. The key part is already there and that is the central voice system that allows apps to extend it very easily. The *only* platform that has that is Windows Phone.<br />
Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-39718459846071392442013-07-19T09:52:00.000-07:002013-07-19T09:52:17.080-07:00Why you should consider a Windows Phone for your next phone - part 2In <a href="http://www.reggieburnett.com/2013/07/why-you-should-consider-windows-phone-part1.html" target="_blank">part 1</a> of this article I outlined a few of the reasons why I am really starting to enjoy my Windows phone. In this followup I'll continue that and describe a few more of those reasons. I'll reiterate here that this is not a review of Windows Phone 8 nor is it a treatise on why it's the best phone OS. I happen to think that each of the 3 major phone systems are great and have their target audience. I'm only intending to outline what makes me smile about Windows Phone.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<h4>
Office and Sky Drive</h4>
<br />
The next area I'd like to highlight is Office. Like it or not, the world runs on Microsoft Office. My company slings around Excel and Word documents. My daughter complained the other day that she didn't have Office on her computer and that meant she couldn't interact properly with her college professors. Office runs business, plain and simple. And Windows Phone has Office built right in.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-yaO8JsAfXIFmHwOymP4N4BikNbvGG7CNN_EH2LTDEx7-QLou7loTvSOAMHo5GY7532dVhiMIvs226sN_OcTwKZ_8ULM5GJWsAL7rhHvW-aa_MrQRAA39dw-kSz6ZEqmP5zboCbj8O_r/s1600/wp_ss_20130719_0008.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-yaO8JsAfXIFmHwOymP4N4BikNbvGG7CNN_EH2LTDEx7-QLou7loTvSOAMHo5GY7532dVhiMIvs226sN_OcTwKZ_8ULM5GJWsAL7rhHvW-aa_MrQRAA39dw-kSz6ZEqmP5zboCbj8O_r/s320/wp_ss_20130719_0008.png" width="192" /></a>Samsung and the other Android phone makers often do include office suites that do a remarkably good job with office compatibility however all it takes is one bad experience with formatting or losing a page or two in your power point for you to realize that "almost 100% compatible" can be very frustrating. <br />
<br />
You combine Office with the seamless integration with SkyDrive and you get a very nice mobile workplace. I'm not spending much time talking about Office as it really "just works" and is one of the best spreadsheet and document editor experiences you'll find on a mobile phone. Where it really shines is when you mix in SkyDrive. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh_DEgJJnmFSqjuhwfr3OZ1yMSZeSM5WX-a4ewa400vOpNn_70IEUdBGKcAfrzXhpB9vHNlHZCj1JqLraddxrASdQhc213lkZ6VbtHkS2QHPYTOA3D-mbRlk3kXN1dAshVWUrC17QEBpIt/s1600/wp_ss_20130719_0009.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh_DEgJJnmFSqjuhwfr3OZ1yMSZeSM5WX-a4ewa400vOpNn_70IEUdBGKcAfrzXhpB9vHNlHZCj1JqLraddxrASdQhc213lkZ6VbtHkS2QHPYTOA3D-mbRlk3kXN1dAshVWUrC17QEBpIt/s320/wp_ss_20130719_0009.png" width="192" /></a>When you open up Office on the phone you are met with a Recents list that spans documents on your phone or in the cloud. No differences are made and opening a document from the cloud will check that you have the latest before opening and automatically save it back to the cloud when done. You don't ever have to worry about manually syncing a folder. Trying to set up something similar on my Galaxy is harder. You can install an office suite (like KingSoft) and even open documents right from sites like Dropbox however saving the files didn't appear to push them back to Dropbox automatically. Yes, I could setup some auto syncing of Dropbox with a folder but none of this is automatic and can be challenging for a new user (like your mom!) to setup. And, even once you got it running, you still have something that is "mostly compatible" with Office.<br />
<br />
Being 100% compatible with Office and seamless integration with the cloud makes Office and SkyDrive a killer story for Windows Phone 8. Windows 8.1 is making the story even sweeter with even better integration of SkyDrive with Windows on tablets, laptops, and desktops. Installing Office on these other computers now means that you can edit your Office files wherever you are without any concern about breaking compatibility or that you are editing an older version. Peace of mind is worth a lot!<br />
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<h4>
Photo Integration, Automatic Uploads, and Live Tile</h4>
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Windows Phone does a great job of pulling photos together from several different sources into a single location. Everyone manages their photos in a different way. On my Lumia you can go into the Photos app and choose Albums and you'll see all the photo albums I have on my phone, on my SkyDrive, and on Facebook all in one location. No need to open each of these apps separately. And, while it hasn't been utilized a great deal, I think other apps can take advantage of this as well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvvp8e_244U2j4KXyOcrjn4fvBMWsRvVd_Pr6kNHYms67Q1iHOHeZI99CxNqBVlltlBOwHkenytOAfLp1N-SJ7Rk5K03ENIkmYoir_WVMea-YlHCOyTl1Moo84O_HTZOAGLixQ6AGYYpB/s1600/wp_ss_20130719_0011.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvvp8e_244U2j4KXyOcrjn4fvBMWsRvVd_Pr6kNHYms67Q1iHOHeZI99CxNqBVlltlBOwHkenytOAfLp1N-SJ7Rk5K03ENIkmYoir_WVMea-YlHCOyTl1Moo84O_HTZOAGLixQ6AGYYpB/s200/wp_ss_20130719_0011.png" width="120" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFSskTcW6GMalVRXAmXfq0lalQ0NV1hOOPLyed_kQTp4ee5vhM9sp32lfzhgv-lj7X5QVdISl_2pemudEUFe1QE0MX_EetGvQL-4YXw0JCassTWohlsnoP6Aovm391LfR-VUjkRCZw_Yy/s1600/wp_ss_20130719_0010.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFSskTcW6GMalVRXAmXfq0lalQ0NV1hOOPLyed_kQTp4ee5vhM9sp32lfzhgv-lj7X5QVdISl_2pemudEUFe1QE0MX_EetGvQL-4YXw0JCassTWohlsnoP6Aovm391LfR-VUjkRCZw_Yy/s200/wp_ss_20130719_0010.png" width="120" /></a>The next call out here is automatic, full resolution, upload of your photos and videos to SkyDrive. It's a ton of fun to take a bunch of pics, come home and grab some dinner (while your phone uploads all the stuff you shot as soon as it hits your WiFi), and then grab your Surface RT or tablet and swish through all the shots you got right there on SkyDrive.<br />
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The last thing I want to mention here is how the Photos app updates the Live Tile. It's always fun to unlock you phone and see a fresh, rotating, set of pictures from your camera roll right there on the Live Tile. <br />
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<h4>
Facebook Integration</h4>
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There is a lot to say about Facebook integration in Windows Phone so I will just highlight a few of the areas that I particularly enjoy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNIVrLSV_5wSyuIhgPcvD96oE_DhL8f_ARbZgWLVmBv_3lenGTdSf3c9WSXnokyId-4FEbcyo91YugHHQwKNdZ55g7U8qNbRuvMmkvQMfhe-t5ZGbijSeKtRFWE40QqCIfed0Q60-ij6F/s1600/wp_ss_20130719_0013.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNIVrLSV_5wSyuIhgPcvD96oE_DhL8f_ARbZgWLVmBv_3lenGTdSf3c9WSXnokyId-4FEbcyo91YugHHQwKNdZ55g7U8qNbRuvMmkvQMfhe-t5ZGbijSeKtRFWE40QqCIfed0Q60-ij6F/s200/wp_ss_20130719_0013.png" width="120" /></a>In the Me tile I can post a status update to all of my social networks at one time. I can update my status on Live Messenger, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn all at one and in one place. This is great time saver. Yes, I know that Android has apps that can do this but anything integrated and built in is better in my book. Also in the Me tile I can Facebook check in and see all my Facebook and Twitter notifications and interactions. Very handy!<br />
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I've already highlighted that I can see all my Facebook photo albums just by opening the Photos app and looking in my albums. However, as you can see in the photo above, the Photos app has a What's New section that shows you all the photos that your Facebook friends are posting. Want to see that cool photo your sister posted this morning? No need to open Facebook. Just open Photos and hit What's New and there it is!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSxnmAtCz5i3Vtlh2_L7Zd67r-Hn7xdk8n2Wy5ZbIopd8hfGIvEoZiAQWKxpkSYoustZ97JS-RR7l959RVe5afhGwwH5PZhyphenhyphen0EWmSqL_S2mnvYSQ5aKnXqvI1i4KVUFA7eU5WASkZ-chJ/s1600/wp_ss_20130719_0012.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSxnmAtCz5i3Vtlh2_L7Zd67r-Hn7xdk8n2Wy5ZbIopd8hfGIvEoZiAQWKxpkSYoustZ97JS-RR7l959RVe5afhGwwH5PZhyphenhyphen0EWmSqL_S2mnvYSQ5aKnXqvI1i4KVUFA7eU5WASkZ-chJ/s200/wp_ss_20130719_0012.png" width="120" /></a>One pet peeve I have of the Facebook app on Android is that I keep having to search for my family members I want to tag. No so on Windows Phone. Right from the picture I can choose share to Facebook, then click the add tag button to see a list of most recently used tags. No need to search. Love this feature! And if I want to do something more complicated I can always just crack open the Facebook app.<br />
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The last thing I want to mention about Facebook integration is one of favorites. I originally didn't think I would like it but boy have I changed my mind. Windows Phone allows you to specify that an app will control what the lock screen looks like and Facebook supports this. When you install Facebook and run it the first time you are given the choice to have Facebook manage the lock screen and how it should look. Now, every time I wake my phone I'm greeted with a new photo right out of my Facebook photo albums. I really can't tell you how many times I've chuckled or smiled at a photo that was on my lock screen. It rotates them many times throughout the day too so it's always fresh. <br />
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<h4>
Contact Handling</h4>
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Contact handling on Windows Phone is really quite nice. It has all the same features you would expect such as grouping contacts from Facebook, Google, and others into a single directory, the ability to set custom ringtones for a contact, and edit details like birthdays, spouses, etc. However there are a couple things that really make it stand out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RDtqQa5W10NYifhMwNMt45_oKQ9qv8IbtX5-Wde7Tv8BP8ZqbSJjxGY-YBwwHMsanOwhGVMhzE_XR5o0NHVrDTQQJGYMeTk_YSmU3Pi4LganLRizdpQ7iGpFodcwGKC1AM7M-2UIWNA_/s1600/wp_ss_20130719_0014.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RDtqQa5W10NYifhMwNMt45_oKQ9qv8IbtX5-Wde7Tv8BP8ZqbSJjxGY-YBwwHMsanOwhGVMhzE_XR5o0NHVrDTQQJGYMeTk_YSmU3Pi4LganLRizdpQ7iGpFodcwGKC1AM7M-2UIWNA_/s320/wp_ss_20130719_0014.png" width="192" /></a>The first is contact grouping. You can create groups of contacts with a given name. Once you have the group you can then go into the group and email them as a group, SMS to them as a group, or see what they have been posting to their Facebook or Twitter accounts as a group. You can view their shared photos as a group. You get all the same functionality as when you are looking at all your contacts but it is filtered down to just that group. This can be very handy! <br />
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And my favorite is contact profile pics from social networks. Yes, I know that some Android phone makers have done this for Facebook but I have never seen anyone do it with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn and have that information flow everywhere in the system including SMS and email. It's very cool to get a phone call from your wife, see her picture full screen on your phone, and realize that she has changed her profile picture. Yes, I can manually set her contact photo to anything I like but I enjoy getting having my contacts set their profile pictures.<br />
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And that wraps up part 2. In the next (and likely last) installment I'll finish up going over my favorite features with two of the best, battery life and voice commands. Talk to you soon!<br />
Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com112tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-34594137822685453932013-07-19T08:19:00.000-07:002013-07-19T08:19:32.227-07:00Why you should consider a Windows Phone for your next phone - part 1Back in November of 2012 I gave out a warning that I didn't think that Windows Phone would survive. I'm still not certain it will but I am more optimistic today than ever before. I've been carrying a Lumia 920 as my daily driver for most of the last two months and really have no strong desire to go back to my Galaxy S3. So I decided I should write a lengthy article on what is keeping me on the Lumia as it might be helpful to others. First let me say that you really can't go wrong with any of the current flagship devices, the IPhone 5, Galaxy S3/S4, or Lumia 920/1020 so this post is not at all about decided which one is better. I would say that each one of them is better for different types of people. I'm only writing about what I like about the Lumia 920.<br />
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<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJlN1XdyHtqQmuhox0xKk0AfNUxsWoL9mGXQy1iG4UvpNqlGjlEaB7NJucDieXbyT1uQqElMAMGCDnsVj9jgKBgHk5o6VAT8O97mWpLWKG0SVw6QBr-JWX5lFzkppyHmp2ZfuyZlPfM6A/s1600/nokia-lumia-920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJlN1XdyHtqQmuhox0xKk0AfNUxsWoL9mGXQy1iG4UvpNqlGjlEaB7NJucDieXbyT1uQqElMAMGCDnsVj9jgKBgHk5o6VAT8O97mWpLWKG0SVw6QBr-JWX5lFzkppyHmp2ZfuyZlPfM6A/s320/nokia-lumia-920.jpg" width="320" /></a></h3>
<h4>
Build Quality And Size</h4>
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The Lumia devices are extremely well built. They don't have removable back plates and, like the IPhone, feel solid through and through. The color is baked into the phone so dropping it and even taking a gouge out of the body will not leave you with a scratch that is discolored.<br />
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The height and width of the 920 are fine but the device really is thicker and heavier than is necessary. This is due in large part to the built-in wireless charging. While I prefer the thinness and weight of my Galaxy S3, I don't find it a deal breaker on the Lumia. It spends most of it's time in my pocket and I don't spend hours at a time holding the device to my ear. <br />
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<h4>
Phone Dialer and Integration</h4>
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Two things that I really like about the phone dialer is the tight integration of visual voice mail and the ability to see phone numbers I have looked up by business name rather than number. First, visual voice mail is simply a swipe away. Just tap the phone icon and swipe over the voice mail section. Some Android phones may have something similar but I didn't really see it on my Galaxy S3 (which still does visual voice mail but it's a separate app from the carrier).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWw2pEIWOSuzeBE_Q8VRUYzbHc6ZFeqc9X3bu0Pws2Gj6Vf1x_I9TPJC2x_EaRqockORJEkpN4D_K6dmc7f6OVolh268TZnFVKv-R_BfAj_bPiOf_V2NGicNBISR7dvHyyycbjOe5Bub2/s1600/wp_ss_20130719_0001-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWw2pEIWOSuzeBE_Q8VRUYzbHc6ZFeqc9X3bu0Pws2Gj6Vf1x_I9TPJC2x_EaRqockORJEkpN4D_K6dmc7f6OVolh268TZnFVKv-R_BfAj_bPiOf_V2NGicNBISR7dvHyyycbjOe5Bub2/s200/wp_ss_20130719_0001-1.jpg" width="120" /></a>The second thing I really like is how Windows Phone saves the name of a location I looked up to call in the call log. On most phones when you use maps to look up a business to call, the entry that appears in the call log is just the number. Later you will look at that number and not remember who you called. With Windows Phone you will see the actual business name in the cal log making it very clear. One other small thing I like about the call log is how I can call back the number which just a simple touch of the phone icon next to the entry. I know with the Galaxy S3/S4 you can swipe one direction to call and the other to text but there is something I prefer about a simple touch over a swipe motion.<br />
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One thing that Windows Phone is missing is a T-9 dialer. It can be nice to just pull up a dial pad and start dialing the name of the person you want to call. You can do this with Android but it's missing on WP8.<br />
<h4>
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<h4>
Maps</h4>
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While Google Maps is an excellent product, there are two features about Nokia Maps on Windows Phone devices that I really want to highlight. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1UiEZy2dLR-VMJcvIBhBRDdAbiWRG3jh-cjp9RfBzwnjb3vYFx-KHumEsk1yjeCD6rPhmlRP9fx4C9vX6mSscIzInPBvV_OfHBjBPhj0oCJUGTXAFXvSkhnSDF2nt4o8NBtSDhuuSx548/s1600/wp_ss_20130719_0002.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1UiEZy2dLR-VMJcvIBhBRDdAbiWRG3jh-cjp9RfBzwnjb3vYFx-KHumEsk1yjeCD6rPhmlRP9fx4C9vX6mSscIzInPBvV_OfHBjBPhj0oCJUGTXAFXvSkhnSDF2nt4o8NBtSDhuuSx548/s320/wp_ss_20130719_0002.png" width="192" /></a>The first is offline maps. In this connected world it's easy to think that offline maps are not important. However just a few weeks ago my wife was taking my daughter on a college visit. She was driving on local surface streets and discovered she had not cell coverage in that area. Her "blue ball" had kept moving but her maps would not update. She was lost. She had to stop and ask directions. Yes I am aware that Google maps has (had?) some type of offline map caching but it's not like Nokia maps where you can pre-download entire states and countries of mapping data that is always available to you even when you are offline. This even includes local business names. It's really impressive to show your friends that you can turn off all WiFi and cell service to your phone and *still* look up the directions to a local restaurant and navigate without any issue. <br />
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The second one is really small but shows the completeness of the maps. I've heard Google make noise about "inside maps" so I did the following quick test. On both my phones I zoomed in on my local mall, Rivergate. On my Galaxy S3 I could see the outline of the entire mall and the names of the 3-4 major retailers on the corners of the mall. On the Lumia I could see all that *plus* every single shop on the inside of the mall too. The complete directory with every shop correctly sized and placed. Very cool to also show your friends that you have the mall directory in your pocket. You start getting questions like "what kind of phone is that again?"<br />
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<h4>
Music</h4>
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Music is one area where I think Windows Phone 8 really shines right now. There are plenty of apps for playing your music. The Pandora app (now that it is finally here) is probably the best implementation of Pandora I have ever seen. I also have Spotify and iHeartRadio installed. I am using an app called CloudMuzik to access my Google music cloud. And while I'm not a subscriber, Xbox Music is baked in and is an excellent alternative to Spotify. I have also heard that Amazon is bringing an Amazon Music Cloud player to WP8 very soon. The point is that unless you depend on Amazon Cloud player for your music you will really not have any trouble rocking your tunes. That being said, I want to call out two things that really make it shine for me. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJH785cHwxNfcCXhxkQPEwNFBwEaI5GSDFDHTDYN3OqbmJXBfeextsdgV-_YwhCoevt_7F2g6ViY63QbxDblYaavDmqNMYLQ9-QMDdzZdiAjdT3K3po_Uoldy6U5u_xSnQPaBX_r-OQDZC/s1600/wp_ss_20130719_0004.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJH785cHwxNfcCXhxkQPEwNFBwEaI5GSDFDHTDYN3OqbmJXBfeextsdgV-_YwhCoevt_7F2g6ViY63QbxDblYaavDmqNMYLQ9-QMDdzZdiAjdT3K3po_Uoldy6U5u_xSnQPaBX_r-OQDZC/s200/wp_ss_20130719_0004.png" width="120" /></a>The first is an app, Nokia Music. I have been a Pandora user for a long time and I really love the service. However I find myself using Nokia music more and more. The main reason is there are no commercials! And speaking of commercials it is important to point out Pandora is ad-free on WP8 until 2014. While Nokia doesn't allow you fine-tune by removing songs you don't like, they do provide lots of pre-built mixes and allows you to create your own from a set of artists. You can also take these mixes offline *all for free*. This offline capability is really nice as I recently found out on my trip to Tech Ed. I was about to board one of my flights and wanted to keep listening. So I just tapped the mix I was listening to and told it to take it offline. Within just a few minutes I had 3 mixes offline that gave me between 1-2 hours of non-repetitive listening while on the plan. Very nice! Yes, I know that Spotify can do this too but Nokia Music does it for free!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxl7RrmP9u_51N4rTCBKF8Q-08cd4AIT2GISEOy7RrHo-MS3HLe1NmqgFTxrDb6ISwtA0BbGZcpNp1Z1xHm-RHDwKUekuXEvr9WKAEDdjVYgHG2g89N0_v9jtkw_8IPPHcv_0w2ppuKVq/s1600/wp_ss_20130719_0005.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxl7RrmP9u_51N4rTCBKF8Q-08cd4AIT2GISEOy7RrHo-MS3HLe1NmqgFTxrDb6ISwtA0BbGZcpNp1Z1xHm-RHDwKUekuXEvr9WKAEDdjVYgHG2g89N0_v9jtkw_8IPPHcv_0w2ppuKVq/s200/wp_ss_20130719_0005.png" width="120" /></a>The other thing to call out about Nokia Music is their Music+ offering. For $3.99 per month you can skip as many tracks as you like in your mixes and you can get lyrics to all the songs. While this is not as good as the on demand ability you get with Spotify, it is also less then half the price. Nokia Music, Pandora, and Spotify make my Lumia a musical powerhouse.<br />
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The second thing I want to mention about music is the controls. No matter what app is playing background music you can get access to controls to play, pause, and (if supported) next and previous tracks just by pressing either of the volume controls and the controls slide down from the top. Yes, I realize that on Android the controls are generally available on the lock screen and in the pull down shade. However, anyone who has used Android has discovered that lock screen music controls are not a given. Pandora didn't have lock screen controls for some time on my GS3. In any case, I think the music situation on WP8 is very nice and easily able to satisfy all comers.<br />
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That's it for part 1. In the next installment we'll look at a few more features that make Windows Phone an excellent choice for your next phone!Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-65423049386009103222013-02-07T20:45:00.003-08:002013-02-07T20:45:43.126-08:00How Microsoft Can Save Windows Phone 8Windows Phone is running a distant third. We know this and we know why. Apps. There aren't any and don't believe Microsoft when they talk about 46 of the top 50 apps are there. When your friend starts playing SongPop or Ruzzle you find out those apps are not in the WP app store the fact that CNN is there is not really relevant. It's a difficult problem to solve. Platforms need apps to lure users. Apps need developers to create them. Developers need the platform to have a significant number of users to make it worth their time. And that completes the circle. But there is a way to break it and I think Microsoft has already been doing this.<br />
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Now I am not aware of Microsoft's plans or actions here so if they are already doing this, great. If they aren't they need to start today!!<br />
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The basic idea is <b><i>"fund and completely manage the development of all leading apps on competing platforms and, for a period of time, identify new popular titles and port those as well".</i></b><br />
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The main difference in my idea here is that MS needs to actually completely handle the port <b>and support</b> of the apps. Simply providing the money for the port is not enough because you may be dealing with dev shops that don't have the experience needed or, more likely, don't have the bandwidth. But how would this work? Here are some thoughts.<br />
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<br />
<ul>
<li>Microsoft could put contractors under NDA so they can share code and assets from the publisher</li>
<li>Microsoft would make the app free in the marketplace for a period of time. The publisher didn't do the app in the first place so they aren't missing something they didn't have in the first place.</li>
<li>Microsoft would handle all reported bugs and issuing updates to the program.</li>
<li>The publisher obviously has control over whether the port is done -- it is their property. Some publishers may have philosophical reasons why they don't want to support the platform.</li>
<li>The app would still be published under the publisher name. To the outside world it would appear that the publisher did the port.</li>
</ul>
<div>
I don't know how much of this Microsoft is already doing but this is one approach that would help provide some of the missing apps for the platform.</div>
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Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com65tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-100612834437398162013-02-07T19:41:00.002-08:002013-02-07T20:05:42.221-08:00Another Reason Windows Phone 8 Is A WinnerBy all technical reviews Windows Phone 8 is simple, elegant, and beautiful. And yet statistically speaking no one is carrying one. There are many intertwined reasons for this such as no significant developer support and no significant retailer support. Check out your local Best Buy and see what you think about the WP8 display, if there is one.<br />
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This is really a shame because by and large the bulk of the smartphone public out there doesn't really care about the specifics of their phone. My proof of this is how many phones are out there still loaded with Gingerbread. These people don't customize their dialiers or install replacement SMS apps. They expect their phone to "just work" and they tolerate many of the Android devices because they are cheap. Heck, many of them don't even know their phone is running Android. It's just a phone and something that plays Temple Run or Angry Birds.<br />
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But Microsoft is well positioned to make a serious run at these people. There are many great things about WP8 but I think there is one feature that really has the potential of being a game changer for the platform.<br />
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<b>App Specific, Contextually Aware Voice Commands</b><br />
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The next frontier is voice. Sure, we have Siri and Google Now and they are great first takes but voice recognition is getting good enough that we should be able to start really using our voice to casually use our phone. In order to do this all the apps on the phone really need to be able to respond to my voice. Apple and Google took one approach while Microsoft took a different path.<br />
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Siri and Google Now (and Samsung S-Voice for that matter) are server-side technologies in that they are essentially searches. With Siri the voice recognition is done in the cloud and then the search is processed. With Android 4.1 and later the recognition is done on the phone but it still leads to essentially a search. In both case the results of this search can be customized and returned in intelligent cards such as sports scores or a quiz of a given fact. There is some local integration such as asking the phone to navigate to a given point of interest but this still amounts to a simple search that the maps app simple responds to. There is a better way in my opinion.<br />
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With Windows Phone 8 applications can specify verbs to which they will respond. This is entirely controlled by the developer of the app, not Microsoft This is a very powerful concept. With this structure a user can voice control every app on her phone assuming those apps are enabled by the developers with voice actions. To experience this power take a recent Android phone, bring up Google Now, and say 'tweet This is a tweet using my voice'. What you'll get is a Google search because Google Now has no idea what to do with it. With Windows Phone 8 it is possible today to install a Twitter client that has the voice verbs baked in and send your tweet entirely by voice. Or bring up a book in a book reader. Or bring up the weather. Or start the next level in that cool game. Any app you have on your phone could be upgraded to easily support these voice verbs.<br />
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The best part is that the recognition is app specific with a very small dictionary. This should, in practice, make the recognition very accurate. <br />
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Voice is the next frontier and Microsoft has a very compelling story for integrating voice into apps. They should promote it.<br />
<br />Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-76052686689916192302012-11-12T07:21:00.001-08:002012-11-12T07:21:50.819-08:00Windows Phone 8: A Dire PredictionWindows Phone 8 just isn't going to be enough. Paul Thurrott is starting to see it and so am I. In a recent <a href="http://winsupersite.com/windows-phone/and-biggest-barrier-windows-phone-acceptance" target="_blank">article</a>, Paul said he had a "nagging feeling" that Window Phone OS was just not going to take off. He's right about that and I'll explain why.<br />
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First, let me explain that while this is just my opinion, I think it is a very well informed opinion. I am a geek, nerd, and self-proclaimed mobile-phone enthusiast. Over the past 3 years I've carried a Samsung Focus, IPhone 4, Samsung Galaxy S2 (with about a dozen roms installed) and recently a Lumia 920. I've benchmarked them, tested them, setup use cases for them, and written about them. I read dozens of mobile blogs. I'm not a fan boy of any single platform although I do want WP8 to succeed just for competitions sake.<br />
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I realized that WP8 was in trouble yesterday when I went to my local Best Buy store. I strolled through the mobile phone center where there were dozens of people looking at phones, standing in line, and upgrading their lines. I heard several people utter the words "GS3" or "iphone". I then went by the AT&T cabinet only to find that the Lumia 920 was not on display at all. They had some in the drawer but the 900 was on display. No Windows Phone signage at all. None. There were big displays advertising the GS3 that was released over 6 months ago but not a single sign for the 920 released just the day before. <br />
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I showed my wife the 920 and she liked the look and how photos were well integrated. Overall she was impressed and I seemed to be well on the way to making her a convert. Then I mentioned the lack of apps. No instagram, no pinterest, no bingo bash, no redbox, no mint, no pandora (yet). Her response was swift. Oh, that will never work. So it looks like she might be getting a GS3 on black friday. And I might be with her.<br />
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Windows Phone is a very creative attempt at a new OS so Microsoft deserves credit for that but Microsoft is fighting a battle I don't think it can win. Phone sales are made in only two ways: by brand or by price/availability. Apple has the brand people sewed up. That leaves the price/availability crowd and Android has a strangle hold on them. Walk into a Walmart, Best Buy, or Radio Shack and check it out. All Android. There will be a single IPhone display (they don't need any more than that) and may be a single Windows phone display or Blackberry display but the rest will be Android. And many of those devices will be free or $1 or $.01. These are the phones that people buy because they are cheap and because they come in all shapes and sizes: physical keyboards, small screens, large screens, on screen buttons, hardware buttons, etc. The only way to get a large group of these buyers is to be on the shelves.<br />
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The only way for Microsoft to get significant shelf space is to (1) make it more expensive for OEMs to use Android and (2) give OEMs the ability to really customize WP8 at the software level. They are working on number 1 with their patents. Some Android makers already pay Microsoft a royalty on every device sold. But I'm not sure about number 2. <br />
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Microsoft, in their attempt to control the experience and preserve battery life, has so limited what is possible on their handset that I can't see OEMs being interested long term. This would have been ok several years ago when our expectations were lower but we've seen the other side and we don't want to go back. <br />
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Just look at some of the customizations that Samsung was able to create for the Galaxy S3. Voice control of camera, music app, and more all without some special keyword. Just say louder and the music app gets louder. Just say snooze and the alarm will snooze. I don't think that's even possible on WP8 today. What about a geo-reminder service? Not possible in all cases as WP8 only allows a single location tracking app at a time. What about turning the phone over to mute it? Possible? I doubt it. What about scheduling an app to run at a specific time? Don't think it's possible either. This is not to praise the GS3 or Android. I am just pointing out that for Microsoft to succeed they need to target Android and to do that successfully they really needed to open up WP8 and make it possible to develop very cool experiences. Sadly, they haven't done that.<br />
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They will get some big time apps ported to WP8. I suspect Microsoft is paying for much of this in the same way that Nokia is paying for free versions of Words with Friends and Draw Something. Meanwhile Android continues to improve its UI, Google Now is already better than Siri in many ways and getting better with every iteration, and as more and more apps moves to GCM, the battery life story on Android will get better and better.<br />
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It's a real shame because I like Windows Phone 8 and want it to succeed but on it's current trajectory, I just don't see that happening.<br />
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<br />Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-26256259322838262402012-10-21T13:28:00.000-07:002012-10-21T13:28:05.619-07:00What WP8 Needs To DoI recently read a good post from Phil Lozen on why Windows Phone really should be targeting Android and not the iPhone. You can find that article <a href="http://thedigitalmediazone.com/2012/10/18/why-bashing-the-iphone-is-a-waste-of-time-for-windows-phone-fans/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheDmz+%28The+DMZ%29&utm_content=FeedBurner+user+view" target="_blank">here</a>. I basically agree with the assessment but it's so important to outline the areas where Windows Phone 8 really needs to improve to succeed.<br />
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<b>Distribution of Inexpensive Phones</b><br />
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Any trip to your local Best Buy, Radio Shack, or Wal-Mart will show you a long line of inexpensive Android phones. On a recent trip to Wal-Mart, I saw 8 phones ranging in price from free to $149. No Windows Phone devices at all. Discerning buyers have already voted with their dollars but there is "another billion" users out there who are still using "feature" phones. These customers don't really care about a nit or two of screen brightness or a ghz here or there in cpu speed. They want a phone that will work, have decent battery life, and is *cheap*. Nokia and HTC are off to a good start with preorders of their new devices coming in at $149 and $99 respectively.<br />
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However Microsoft has to find a way to get shelf space. They can't supplant Android through online ordering. Sow how do they do that? Well, Phil outlined a strategy of tightly connecting WP8 devices to your home computer running Windows 7 or 8. This should be combined with building excitement with young people through new game experiences and XBox 360 integration.<br />
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<b>Take Market Share From RIM</b><br />
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RIM is dying. Everyone knows that the Blackberry was the traditional business phone but it is going the way of the dodo and it's market share is up for grabs. So how does Microsoft take that market share? First, make sure WP8 is the very best messaging platform. Communication is the core tool for mobile professionals. Email and SMS have to be rock solid. Can you say auto loading of HTML messages, in-line replies, and better quoting? Second, VPN has to be available in WP8. Professionals simply have to be able to connect to their remote workplace. And, finally, the battery life on these devices needs to be acceptable. Of course, if some salesperson is watching movies on the plane then she will need to charge but under normal usage such as Office document editing, emailing, and phone calls, the phone needs to comfortably last the whole day.<br />
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<b>Be A Platform</b><br />
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Android and iOS provide two opposite extremes when it comes to mobile experiences. Android is basically the wild west where almost anything is possible but apps and experiences are connected so loosely that you have a hard time having that cohesive feeling. The iPhone and iPad are very tightly controlled and provide a nice sandboxed environment for their users but many find it too confining. Even iOS diehards will admit that having an iPhone means you live the Apple lifestyle. You do it "the Apple way".<br />
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Microsoft should find way to chart through this gap. Users want, and need, a more tightly controlled environment to insure quality in their experience but what is the harm in allowing alternative browsers or alternative SMS apps on the platform? I should be able to install a custom Emoji keyboard and have Emoji characters throughout the system. In short, MS should be able to provide me some controls and barriers to protect my sandbox while still allowing developers to customize the experience through alternate applications.<br />
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They should not define the experience completely but instead define the framework for the experience. They are doing some of this through the new contracts in WP8 but we'll have to see how far that goes.Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-62049678727153518112012-10-05T10:38:00.003-07:002012-10-05T10:38:24.887-07:00Setting It StraightI've been pondering why this election is so divisive and filled with so much hatred. And the more I think about it the more I think Steve Forbes had it right. More and more people are either looking at Obama as their "savior" or as their "provider". Some look at him as the savior of personal rights such as a woman's right to an abortion. Other's look at him as their provider. I actually heard one caller into a call in show say that they "were not rich but there were going to be because they had Obama". To them Romney represents the rich white guy who for so many years was the embodiment of all that was wrong with this country.<br />
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These two candidates, as most candidates these days, are very similar in execution but very different in ideology and who you vote for is really based on what ideology to which you subscribe. Yes, they are both politicians and both have lied and will continue to lie when it suits their purpose. To use a stupid example, how many people have started out on the TV show Survivor saying they were going to finish the game not lying to anyone? What happened to those people? They were stabbed in the back and voted off. Every single time. The one who wins is the one who lies and crafts the best support system. It's sad but it's the way it works.<br />
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I truly believe both of these men are good men and normally would not lie to you in normal course however they are playing the game the way the game is played these days. It's hard to blame them for actually trying to win.<br />
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Again, it comes down to what you view as the proper involvement of government in your life. <br />
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If you think government should play a large role in your life then you should vote for Obama. If you think that America is not truly exceptional and is "just another country" then you should vote for Obama. If you think that all good things flow from government, that we should move even more responsibilities away from the states and to the fed (even though this is unconstitutional) then you should vote for Obama. If you think jobs are created by government or by the middle class then you should vote for Obama. If you think $8 gas (you do know his Sec of Energy called for this right?) would help the middle class, then you should vote for Obama. If you think the fed has to be involved in some way to things done (I really like the comments on twitter about Romney wanting to do away with culture because he wants to end the PBS subsidy) then you should vote for Obama. If you believe that we need to keep talking about racial divides and racial inequality then you need to vote for Obama. If you think there is no problem continuing to borrow money to run our country then you should vote for Obama.<br />
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If, on the other hand, you think, like our founding fathers, that while some level of government is necessary, it is a necessary evil and that our government at all levels needs to work very, very hard to get out of the way, then you should vote for Romney. If you believe that more of your tax money should go to your state and local governments instead of to the fed then you should vote for Romney. If you believe that fair and free open markets will always produce better products then you should vote for Romney. If you believe that while we have not always agreed, Israel is one of our strongest allies and that we need to have their back in the middle East then you need to vote for Romney. If you think the president is elected to meet with state leaders and not parade around on The View or Letterman, then you should vote for Romney. If you think that a regulated and properly controlled capitalistic society is superior (I know China does!) to communism, fascism, and statism then you should vote for Romney. If you think that the best way to show racial equality is to stop acting like there is racial inequality and just treat everyone equally (no affirmative action, no quotas) then you should vote for Romney. If you think that we really do need to start getting serious about balancing the federal budget (Clinton thought it was important!) then you should vote for Romney.<br />
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In any case, please vote this November. It is your duty and it looks like both candidates will need all the votes they can get.<br />
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<br />Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-24964920813782682112011-12-09T18:43:00.000-08:002011-12-19T12:17:24.607-08:00You always have to consider the sourceThis is not really an opposing view. I own an iPhone 4, a first-gen Samsung Focus, and a Samsung Galaxy S II. I recently read Charlie Kindel's <a href="http://ceklog.kindel.com/2011/12/09/i-won-a-samsung-galaxy-s-ii-my-review/">post </a>on the Galaxy and thought it would be good to offer an "alternative" viewpoint. I'm certainly not an Android fanboy. I carried an iPhone 4 for nearly 1.5 years and have been trying so hard to like my Focus. To be honest I haven't even decided if I'm going to keep the Galaxy or go back to my iPhone. With that said, he's my counterpoints. [As with all devices, different phones can have different characteristics so my experience doesn't always equal your experience.]<br/><br/><strong>Battery Life</strong><br/><br/>Charlie writes that battery life was unacceptable on his Galaxy. I had completely the opposite experience. My first gen Focus was always near dead when I went to bed at night whereas my Galaxy has terrific battery life. I run with wifi on all the time and GPS on nearly all the time. I charge it every night and it comes off the charger at 7am. I usually have between 30-40% battery left when I go to bed around 10. Now,it is possible to install certain apps that kill battery life. I installed a Craigslist app that sucked the life out of my phone. That's when I installed Advanced Task Killer. That took care of those issues.<br/><br/><strong>Task Manager</strong><br/><br/>Yes, the freeze drying multitasking of iOS and WP7 does solve the issues of rogue apps killing battery life but true multi-tasking is also very cool in many cases and after using the phone for nearly 3 weeks, I have absolutely no issues with ATK running in the background. Every so often a graphic appears on the screen listing how many apps it killed.<br/><br/><strong>Email client being slow</strong><br/><br/>Charlie points out that his email clients were very slow. It's possible that Charlie has much more email than I do. I have a very large corporate email box (uses IMAP and not Exchange) and my GMail account has 1796 emails in the inbox (I know, I know). My email clients are very snappy. However, I can't help but discuss the positives of email on Android. On Android I can set emails from certain senders to always show inline images. I can set my email client to notify me with sound during the day but to not notify with sound at night when presumably I'm sleeping. Android also has linked inboxes just like WP7. I also have a choice of email clients.<br/><br/><strong>Home Screen Flexibility</strong><br/><br/>Here Charlie almost sounds like an Apple fan boy explaining to his readers that they don't really need the flexibility. Of course I assume he finds an nearly endlessly scrolling list of apps on WP7 better. Hmm. Yes, the Live Tiles on WP7 is interesting (so long as you can actually find apps that do live tiles. Looking at your Facebook). But with Android you don't have to use widgets. You can if you want, but don't have to. If you want all your games on screen 1, all your utilities on screen 2, all your media apps on screen 3, you can do that. That's the point, it's up to you. With WP7 you *might* be able to find an app to create folders for your apps but really it just lumps all the apps into a single list. Nice.<br/><br/><strong>Cohesion in UI</strong><br/><br/>Charlie claims there is no cohesion in the UI. Well, that's simply an opinion. Is the UI on Android as nice as iOS? Nope. I would say it's not as good in some places as WP7. But it's entirely subjective how important that is to you. It is clearly very important to Charlie.<br/><br/><strong>Apps Crashing Phone</strong><br/><br/>I'm certainly not going to doubt that Charlie saw what he saw. I haven't installed the apps that he did because I have had no crashes. Now I've never seen a WP7 app crash the phone but I regularly see the apps crash. Netflix, Flixter, several others. You start them, they come up, boom and they are gone. Now that isn't Microsoft's fault but it does speak to overall app quality which does reflect on the platform.<br/><br/><strong>Email and Calendar Info on Lock Screen</strong><br/><br/>Charlie talks about having email and calendar info on lock screen. That is a nice touch. Of course, what he didn't tell you is that there are several lock screen replacements that do exactly that for Android. Oh wait! You can replace the lock screen on Android? Yup! You want an iPhone slider? Done! You want a round wheel that you have to spin to unlock? Yup, got that too! You want to draw some pattern to unlock? No problem! You want any of that on WP7? No, the users don't really need that. Yeah...<br/><br/><strong>Notification Pulldown</strong><br/><br/>Charlie really likes the notification pulldown in Android and he's right to like it. I really enjoy coming back to my WP7 phone (yes I carried my Focus for several weeks) and not seeing anything on my tiles and missing something important. It's real fun to see on my tile that I have 4 unread emails, click it to go to the mail app, read one of the mails and then get distracted only to come back and find that the live tile shows nothing new. I guess I have to remember that I had 3 more unread mails to read.<br/><br/><strong>Bad Name</strong><br/><br/>He says 'Samsung Galaxy S II from AT&T' is the worst name ever. Really? He's really reaching here. How does that compare to 'Samsung Focus Flash from AT&T'. By my count it's exactly the same number of letters. Of course, the second is _so_ much better. Like I said you have to consider the source.<br/><br/><strong>Calendar Defaulting and Pin Contact To Home Screen</strong><br/><br/>Well, it is the "default". Change it if you want. I agree with Charlie that it would be nice to be able to pin a contact to the home screen.<br/><br/><strong>Tilt To Zoom</strong><br/><br/>Since you can dismiss the instructions after you see them once it's very hard to call them a problem. And he is right that it is very slick.<br/><br/><strong>Buttons (and Camera button)</strong><br/><br/>I actually prefer the single mechanical button of iPhone. It's very easy for me to pick up my iPhone 4 with one hand, wake it and unlock it with my thumb, and begin to use it. With the Galaxy (and the Focus for that matter), it's much harder. The wake button is up near the top of the phone on the right. With the phones being bigger it's hard to "one-hand" it. Charlie says that the search button is inconsistent in some cases and he's right about that. However, there were many times I heard my Focus declaring from my pocket that it couldn't hear what I was saying. With the Focus it was very important that you put the phone to sleep before putting it in your pocket. That has never happened with my Galaxy. The menu button is nice because it provides a very consistent place to get settings for where you are at. It helps to keep the UI from being cluttered. Yes there are different approaches like swiping to a screen to your right or having small dots in the lower right that bring up a menu. They all work reasonably well.<br/><br/>Charlie misses his physical camera button from WP7 and I agree that is nice. That's one of the reasons I flashed a custom ROM to my phone. Most of the custom ROMS now use one of the volume buttons as a camera button. Works just like the iPhone with iOS5!<br/><br/><strong>Navigation</strong><br/><br/>Charlie says that navigation on the Galaxy is as good as or better than WP7? Please. WP7 tap-n-turn navigation is a joke. I haven't tried out the $4.99 app for navigation but the built-in one requires you to tap the phone screen to hear where you are or your next turn. Really? That's broken. Yes, it was a licensing issue. Yes, I expect that the next major release will fix it. I tried to use it. Really I did. My Galaxy did a perfect job wherever I went. My Focus was very silent unless I kept tapping it. Oh, and on my Galaxy I was streaming Pandora in the background and my daughter was reading a book and texting a friend in the foreground. Does the WP7 nav app talk to you if you tap the screen and its' in the background? I didn't check that.<br/><br/><strong>Apps</strong><br/><br/>I don't know WP7 for Apps. They are coming. In fact, I have several app ideas I want to work on (I told you I was interested in the platform succeeding). However, there is a difference between a platform you want to succeed and one you want to use every day. With Android I can make it do almost anything. Even my Cisco VPN at work. No problem. It's darling when people say on WP7 they don't need an Amazon Cloud player app because they have Zune. Folks, Zune is $10-$15 per month and my Amazon Cloud player on my Galaxy streams my own music for free.<br/><br/>Now, I've touched on most every point Charlie made. Here's some points he didn't make.<br/><br/><strong>Storage expansion</strong><br/><br/>The current crop of WP7 devices generally come with 16GB of storage with no option to expand. My Galaxy came with the same 16GB on board but then I popped in a 32GB class 10 microsd card for a total of 48GB storage. Hmm, an iPhone with that much space would cost me nearly $400 and you can't even get it with WP7. Ouch!<br/><br/><strong>No Need For A Computer</strong><br/><br/>Everything is done over the air. Everything. I can even download and burn a new ROM without ever connecting to a computer.<br/><br/><strong>Voice Control and Dictation</strong><br/><br/>Both phones have speech to text capabilities except with Android it's part of the keyboard. With WP7 it's clearly something the app dev can enable but it's not part of the keyboard. This means that with Android everywhere you can enter text you can speak it. With WP7 that is not the case.<br/><br/><strong>Skype and Swype (sorry had to do that)</strong><br/><br/>Both are available on Android but neither is available on WP7. Enuf said.<br/><br/><strong>NFC, 1080P recording, dual core CPU, Gyro sensor</strong><br/><br/>Just a few of the things that WP7 phones do not have. Well, a few of them might have a gyro but most do not.<br/><br/>I guess I've written enough. I didn't work on WP7 or work for Microsoft so my write up here is truly unbiased. I own and have used all 3 devices. WP7 is a good first start and when WP8 hits it may very well be ready for prime time. Having Charlie review an Android device would be like having Steve Jobs (RIP, Steve) review Android. I can pretty much guess what he would say. :)Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-77211195315662676302011-11-30T10:13:00.000-08:002011-12-19T12:17:24.533-08:00Do you really need to pay for a phone again?I've carried an iPhone 4 for the past 18 months (since it came out). It's been a great phone but I recently picked up a Galaxy S II from Wal-Mart. It's also a great phone but the best part was the price which was free! Well, I paid $106 with tax but they handed me a $100 gift card which I promptly used to buy groceries.<br/><br/>Given the quality of this phone and the price I paid it really got me thinking about the current state of mobile phones in the market. Back in 2007 when the iPhone was first released, we didn't really have the post-PC market we have today. Most of the "smart phones" were not all that smart and we really did just think of the phone as a phone. (Those who think WM6 devices were smart need to really reconsider that position). Because of those dynamics you didn't see the aggressive pricing you see today from the major players. Today, manufacturers such as HTC, Samsung, LG, and others are fighting daily for your business.<br/><br/>The other factor here is that the market has finally caught up with Apple. Check back tomorrow for a piece on that topic. You don't have to buy an iPhone to get a very good smartphone experience. While Apple suffers from the law of diminishing returns, greater competition drives features and quality up while pushing prices even lower. (Now if we could just get that at the gas pump)<br/><br/>Today we have so many great choices. Yes, the iPhone 4/4S is a great device but so are the Windows Phone 7 devices and the multitude of great Android phones. I also own a 2010 Samsung Focus (WP7) that I plan to use for development purposes.<br/><br/>We used to think of "free" phones as old inventory and last years product. Well, here's a quick rundown of the features on the Galaxy S II:<br/><ul><br/> <li>Dual core 1.2Ghz CPU (this thing is crazy fast)</li><br/> <li>4.3" Super AMOLED screen</li><br/> <li>All the sensors you could want including a gyro and compass</li><br/> <li>Expandable memory (I'm looking at your WP7)</li><br/> <li>8meg camera, 2meg front camera</li><br/> <li>1080p video camera</li><br/> <li>HSDPA (4G speeds). not LTE but really who cares</li><br/> <li>Flash support. You don't really get it till you see it work. oh yeah!</li><br/> <li>Great battery life. With light to medium use I can get nearly 2 full days!</li><br/> <li>The customization of Android</li><br/></ul><br/>Last year's tech? Hardly. This thing frankly rocks hard!<br/><br/>Given that Black Friday comes around every year and there is quite often other special days during the year when retailers like Wal-Mart and Amazon "sell" their current devices for either free or $0.01, I ask you again, do you really need to pay for a phone again? I'm not sure you do.Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-68048432459949531802011-09-27T12:28:00.000-07:002011-12-19T12:17:24.458-08:00MySQL Connector/Net 6.4.4 has been releasedMySQL Connector/Net 6.4.4, a new version of the all-managed .NET driver for MySQL has been released. This is an update to our latest GA release and is intended for full production deployment.<br/><br/>Version 6.4.4 is intended for use with versions of MySQL from 5.0 - 5.5<br/><br/>It is now available in source and binary form from <a href="http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/6.4.html">here</a> and mirror sites (note that not all mirror sites may be up to date at this point of time- if you can't find this version on some mirror, please try again later or choose another download site.)<br/><br/>The release is also available for download on the My Oracle Support (MOS) and will be available from Oracle eDelivery.<br/><br/>This release includes several bug fixes including a fix to using Windows authentication. Please review the change log and documentation for a review of what changed.<br/><br/>Enjoy and thanks for the support!Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-23848501427484898842011-09-13T12:05:00.000-07:002011-12-19T12:17:24.346-08:00Forum for MySQL InstalerA few days ago we announced the availability of our new MySQL Installer for Windows. While it's a great first edition we know that you are going to have questions and we wanted the community to be able to help. So we have created a new forum for the community to be able to discuss questions and issues with the new installer.<br/><br/>You can access the new forum <a href="http://forums.mysql.com/list.php?169">here</a>.<br/><br/>So, go forth and post!Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-73779432651662494002011-09-08T08:53:00.000-07:002011-12-19T12:17:24.150-08:00Welcome to the world, MySQL Installer for Windows!Well, our baby is born! Some time ago we analyzed the feedback from users and customers and determined that far too many of our server installs were failing. We have the best open-source database on the planet but no one can see that if we can't get it properly installed. Clearly something had to be done.<br/><br/>So, the new MySQL Installer is born. It's a Windows application that comes delivered in a bundle along with a version of the database server, applications like Workbench, connectors, samples, and documentation. It includes some customized configuration screens that help with setting up the proper configuration files.<br/><br/>One of the great benefits of using the new MySQL Installer is that it comes with all the products very tightly integrated such as automatically creating connection entries in Workbench for the freshly installed server. Our goal with MySQL is to have you up and running in 15 minutes. With the new MySQL Installer, we've got that down to 3 minutes!<br/><br/>The best way to see all the greatness that is MySQL Installer is to download it yourself. You can grab a copy <a href="http://dev.mysql.com/">here</a>.<br/><br/>You can also see the Oracle press release on it <a href="http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/press/485067">here</a>.<br/><br/>Thank you for trying out our new MySQL Installer and please let us know what you think!Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-42728758118308429562011-07-07T08:29:00.000-07:002011-12-19T12:17:24.029-08:00MySQL Connector/Net 6.4.3 GA has been releasedMySQL Connector/Net 6.4.3, a new version of the all-managed .NET driver for MySQL has been released. This is a GA release and is intended for full production deployment.<br/><br/>Version 6.4.3 is intended for use with versions of MySQL from 5.0 - 5.5<br/><br/>It is now available in source and binary form from [<a href="http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/6.4.html">http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/6.4.html</a>] and mirror<br/>sites (note that not all mirror sites may be up to date at this point of time<br/>- if you can't find this version on some mirror, please try again later or choose another download site.)<br/>The release is also available for download on the My Oracle Support (MOS) and will be available from Oracle eDelivery.<br/><br/>** New features found in 6.4 include (please see release notes for more information) **<br/><br/>* Windows Authentication*<br/>This release includes our new support for Windows authentication when connecting to MySQL Server 5.5.<br/><br/>* Table Caching *<br/>We are also introducing a new feature called table caching. This feature makes it possible to cache the rows of slow changing tables on the client side.<br/><br/>* Simple connection fail-over support *<br/><br/>We are also including some SQL generation improvements related to our entity framework provider. Please review the change log that ships with the product for a complete list of changes and enhancements.<br/><br/>Enjoy and thanks for the support!Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-61543583303870339732011-07-07T08:25:00.000-07:002011-12-19T12:17:23.988-08:00MySQL Connector/Net 6.2.5 GA has been released (legacy)MySQL Connector/Net 6.2.5, a update to our all-managed .NET driver for MySQL has been released. This is an update to our legacy 6.2 version line. All new development should be using a more recent product such as 6.4.3.<br/><br/>Version 6.2.5 is intended for use with versions of MySQL from 4.1 - 5.1. It is not suitable for use with MySQL 5.5 or later.<br/><br/>It is now available in source and binary form from [<a href="http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/">http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/</a>] and mirror<br/>sites (note that not all mirror sites may be up to date at this point of time<br/>- if you can't find this version on some mirror, please try again later or choose another download site.)<br/><br/>This update includes more than 45 fixes from 6.2.4. Please review the change log that is included with the product to determine the exact nature of the changes.<br/><br/>Enjoy and thanks for the support!Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-74639678262386649952011-06-30T10:09:00.000-07:002011-12-19T12:17:23.960-08:00MySQL Connector/Net 6.1.6 (legacy update) has been releasedMySQL Connector/Net 6.1.6, a update to our all-managed .NET driver for MySQL has been released. This is an update to our legacy 6.1 version line. All new development should be using a more recent product such as 6.3.7. <br/><br/>Version 6.1.6 is intended for use with versions of MySQL from 4.1 - 5.1. It is not suitable for use with MySQL 5.5 or later.<br/><br/>It is now available in source and binary form from <a href="http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/">here</a> and mirror sites (note that not all mirror sites may be up to date at this point of time<br/>- if you can't find this version on some mirror, please try again later or choose another download site.)<br/><br/>This update includes more than 35 fixes from 6.1.5. Please review the change log that is included with the product to determine the exact nature of the changes.<br/><br/>Enjoy and thanks for the support!Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-67608535713290530202011-06-30T10:00:00.000-07:002011-12-19T12:17:23.909-08:00MySQL Connector/Net 6.4.2 RC has been releasedMySQL Connector/Net 6.4.2, a new version of the all-managed .NET driver for MySQL has been released. This is a Release Candidate and is intended for testing and exposure to new features. We strongly urge you to not use this release in a production environment.<br/><br/>Version 6.4.2 is intended for use with versions of MySQL from 5.0 - 5.5<br/><br/>It is now available in source and binary form from <a href="http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/6.4.html">here</a> and mirror sites (note that not all mirror sites may be up to date at this point of time<br/>- if you can't find this version on some mirror, please try again later or choose another download site.) <br/><br/><strong>New features found in 6.4 include (please see release notes for more information)</strong><br/><ul><br/> <li>Windows Authentication -- This release includes our new support for Windows authentication when connecting to MySQL Server 5.5. </li><br/> <li>Table Caching -- We are also introducing a new feature called table caching. This feature makes it possible to cache the rows of slow changing tables on the client side. </li><br/> <li>Simple connection fail-over support -- We are also including some SQL generation improvements related to our entity framework provider. </li><br/></ul><br/>Please review the change log that ships with the product for a complete list of changes and enhancements.<br/><br/>Enjoy and thanks for the support!Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-7113708921633721342011-06-23T12:37:00.000-07:002011-12-19T12:17:23.860-08:00MySQL Connector/Net 6.3.7 has been released<!-- p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica; min-height: 16.0px} span.s1 {text-decoration: underline ; color: #23398b} -->MySQL Connector/Net 6.3.7, a new version of the all-managed .NET driver for MySQL has been released. This is a maintenance release to our existing 6.3 products and is suitable for use in production environments against MySQL server 5.0-5.5.<br/><br/>It is now available in source and binary form from [<a href="http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/6.3.html%5D">http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/6.3.html]</a> and mirror sites (note that not all mirror sites may be up to date at this point of time<br/><br/>- if you can't find this version on some mirror, please try again later or choose another download site.)<br/><br/>Please review the change log for details on what is fixed or changed in this release.Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-14699050796626990722011-06-10T07:59:00.000-07:002011-12-19T12:17:23.812-08:00MySQL Connector/Net 6.4.1 beta has been releasedMySQL Connector/Net 6.4.1, a new version of the all-managed .NET driver for MySQL has been released. This release is of Beta quality and is intended for testing and exposure to new features. We strongly urge you to not use this release in a production environment.<br/><br/>Version 6.4.1 is intended for use with versions of MySQL from 5.0 - 5.5<br/><br/>It is now available in source and binary form from [<a href="http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/6.4.html">http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/6.4.html</a>] and mirror<br/>sites (note that not all mirror sites may be up to date at this point of time<br/>- if you can't find this version on some mirror, please try again later or choose another download site.)<br/><br/>** New features found in 6.4 include (please see release notes for more information) **<br/><br/>* Windows Authentication*<br/>This release includes our new support for Windows authentication when connecting to MySQL Server 5.5.<br/><br/>* Table Caching *<br/>We are also introducing a new feature called table caching. This feature makes it possible to cache the rows of slow changing tables on the client side.<br/><br/>* Simple connection fail-over support *<br/><br/>We are also including some SQL generation improvements related to our entity framework provider.<br/><br/>Enjoy and thanks for the support!Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-2864253967528043822011-04-25T13:16:00.000-07:002011-12-19T12:17:23.774-08:00MySQL Connector/Net 6.4.0 Alpha has been releasedMySQL Connector/Net 6.4.0, a new version of the all-managed .NET driver for MySQL has been released. This release is of Alpha quality and is intended for testing and exposure to new features. We strongly urge you to not use this release in a production environment.<br/><br/>Version 6.4.0 is intended for use with versions of MySQL from 5.0 - 5.5<br/><br/>It is now available in source and binary form from <a href="http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/6.4.html" target="_blank">here</a> and mirror<br/>sites (note that not all mirror sites may be up to date at this point of time<br/>- if you can't find this version on some mirror, please try again later or choose another download site.)<br/><br/><strong>New features in this release (please see release notes for more information)</strong><br/><br/><em>Windows Authentication</em><br/>This release includes our new support for Windows authentication when connecting to MySQL Server 5.5.<br/><br/><em>Table Caching</em><br/>We are also introducing a new feature called table caching. This feature makes it possible to cache the rows of slow changing tables on the client side.<br/><br/>We are also including some SQL generation improvements related to our entity framework provider.<br/><br/>Enjoy and thanks for the support!Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-59608434113954121592010-10-21T10:08:00.000-07:002011-12-19T12:17:23.721-08:00MySQL Connector/Net 6.3.5 maintenance released<div><br/><br/>We're happy to announce the latest maintenance release of MySQL Connector/Net 6.3.5.<br/><br/>Version 6.3.5 maintenance release includes:<br/><ul><br/> <li>Fixes to some installer bugs related to .NET Framework 4.0</li><br/> <li>Fixes for several other bugs</li><br/></ul><br/>For details see <a href="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net-news-6-3-5.html">http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net-news-6-3-5.html</a><br/><br/>MySQL Connector 6.3.5 :<br/><ol><br/> <li>Provides secure, high-performance data connectivity with MySQL.</li><br/> <li>Implements ADO.NET interfaces that integrate into ADO.NET aware tools.</li><br/> <li>Is a fully managed ADO.NET driver written in 100% pure C#.</li><br/> <li>Provide Visual Studio Integration</li><br/></ol><br/>If you are a current user, we look forward to your feedback on all the new capabilities we are delivering.<br/><br/>As always, you will find binaries and source on our download pages.<br/><br/>Please get your copy from <a href="http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/6.3.html">http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/6.3.html</a>.<br/><br/>To get started quickly, please take a look at our short tutorials.<br/><br/>MySQL Connector/NET Tutorials<br/><a href="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net-tutorials.html">http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net-tutorials.html</a><br/><br/>Blog postings and general information can be found on our Developer Zone site.<br/><br/>MySQL Developer Zone<br/><a href="http://dev.mysql.com/usingmysql/dotnet/">http://dev.mysql.com/usingmysql/dotnet/</a><br/><br/>.NET Forum<br/><a href="http://forums.mysql.com/list.php?38">http://forums.mysql.com/list.php?38</a><br/><br/>Blog<br/><a href="http://planet.mysql.com">http://planet.mysql.com</a><br/><br/>Connecotor/NET Documentation and details on changes between releases can be found on these pages<br/><div><br/><ul><br/> <li><a href="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/changes-6.3.x.html">http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/changes-6.3.x.html</a></li><br/> <li><a href="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/changes-6.2.x.html"></a><a href="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net.html">http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net.html</a></li><br/> <li><a href="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net.html"></a><a href="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net-news-6-3-5.html">http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net-news-6-3-5.html</a></li><br/></ul><br/></div><br/>If you need any additional info or help please get in touch with us by posting in our forums or leaving comments on our blog pages.<br/><br/></div>Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4854730519869025536.post-82660083311739957402010-09-09T08:46:00.000-07:002011-12-19T12:17:23.702-08:00MySQL Connector/Net 6.3.4 GA has been releasedWe're proud to announce the next release of MySQL Connector/Net version 6.3.4. This release is GA (Generally Available).<br/><br/>We hope you will make MySQL Connector/Net your preferred set of .NET components including our ADO.Net library and other Microsoft .NET frameworks components such as our Visual Studio plugin and Entity Framework for MySQL.<br/><br/>We are dedicated to providing the best tools for your MySQL database .NET applications.<br/><br/>Special thanks go to all the great MySQL beta testers that provided valuable ideas, insights, and bug reports to the Connector/Net team. Your beta feedback truly helped us improve the product.<br/><br/>Version 6.3.4 provides the following new features:<br/>- The ability to dynamically enable/disable query analysis at runtime.<br/>- Visual Studio 2010 compatibility<br/>- Improved compatibility with Visual Studio wizards using our new SQL Server mode<br/>- Support for Model-First development using Entity Framework<br/>- Nested transaction scopes<br/>- Other improvements and bug fixes!<br/>For details see<br/><a href="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net-news-6-2-4.html">http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net-news-6-3-4.html</a><br/><a href="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net-news-6-2-4.html">http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net-news-6-3-3.html</a><br/><a href="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net-news-6-2-4.html">http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net-news-6-3-2.html</a><br/><a href="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net-news-6-2-4.html">http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net-news-6-3-1.html</a><br/><a href="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net-news-6-2-4.html">http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net-news-6-3-0.html</a><br/><br/>If you are a current user, we look forward to your feedback on all the new capabilities we are delivering. As always, you will find binaries and source on our download pages.<br/><br/>Please get your copy from <a href="http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/6.3.html">http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/net/6.3.html</a><br/><br/>To get started quickly, please take a look at our short tutorials.<br/><br/>MySQL Connector/NET Tutorials<br/><a href="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net-tutorials.html">http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net-tutorials.html</a><br/><br/>Blog postings and general information can be found on our Developer Zone site.<br/><br/>MySQL Developer Zone<br/><a href="http://dev.mysql.com/usingmysql/dotnet/">http://dev.mysql.com/usingmysql/dotnet/</a><br/><br/>.NET Forum<br/><a href="http://forums.mysql.com/list.php?38">http://forums.mysql.com/list.php?38</a><br/><br/>Blog<br/><a href="http://planet.mysql.com">http://planet.mysql.com</a><br/><br/>Connector/NET Documentation and details on changes between releases can be found on these pages<br/><a href="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/changes-6.2.x.html">http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/changes-6.3.x.html</a><br/><a href="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net.html">http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net.html</a><br/><a href="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net-news-6-2-4.html">http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/connector-net-news-6-3-4.htm</a><br/><br/>If you need any additional info or help please get in touch with us. Post in our forums or leave comments on our blog pages.Reggie Burnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16121184149308010375noreply@blogger.com1