WindowsObserver.com » All Posts

Bing Maps Aerial US and Bing Desktop Dynamic Theme Updates for 08 February 2012

Richard Hay — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:02:00 +0000

Our updates this week for these two themes have flip-flopped from last week in that the Bing Maps Aerial theme has six new images compared to only two last week and the Bing Desktop theme only gets two updates this week instead of the six new images last week.

Never is any sense to how many images we get in each of them when they get updated but they always seem to get updated with some great images.

Enjoy!

Bing Maps Aerial

Bing Desktop

Related Posts:

@WinObs Tweeted Links for 07 February 2012

Richard Hay — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:00:01 +0000

Related Posts:

OneNote Mobile For Android Released

Richard Hay — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The cross pollination of Microsoft software onto other platforms continues with the release of OneNote Mobile for the Android Market.

According to a post over at the OneNote Blog by Michael Oldenburg this means OneNote is now available on Windows Phone, iPhone, iPad and now Android.

If you’re already using OneNote on your PC, the mobile versions of OneNote let you take your notes with you — from simple lists and to-dos to full-fledged notebooks which you can share with your friends, family, co-workers, or classmates. With a free Microsoft SkyDrive account, you can easily sync all of your OneNote notebooks so they’re always up-to-date and accessible from your mobile device, your Web browser, or your computer.

His blog post highlights the following features for the app on Android:

Text formatting, images, and bulleted lists
To-do lists with clickable checkboxes
Quick photo capture with your phone’s camera
Quick access to recent notes
Store and access multiple OneNote notebooks
Sync to your free SkyDrive account for access anywhere
Offline access to your notes
Option to sync notebooks only over a Wi-Fi connection
Built-in spelling checker
Support for external hyperlinks
Table editing

There is a nice set of screenshots over in the blog post and a caveat when it comes to free and unlimited use.

Basically, the app is a free download and can be used for up to 500 notes at no charge. In order to go beyond the initial free 500 notes there is a one time fee of $4.99 to have unlimited notes. He does state that the fee is not required and you will still be able to view, sync and delete existing notes but you will not be able to edit or create new ones on your Android handset.

Related Posts:

Kinect Star Wars Game and Console Bundle Available 03 April 2012

Richard Hay — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:54:00 +0000

The delayed Kinect Star Wars game now has a release date and things look pretty solid that it is accurate. The game and a special edition bundle will be available on 03 April 2012.

This will also not be your run of the mill game release either. Microsoft will be offering a Xbox 360 Limited Edition Kinect Star Wars Bundle, which is available for pre-order from Amazon starting today, for the grand sum of $449.00 with pre-order pricing guarantees.

This bundle will come packed with Star Wars goodness including:

R2-D2 themed Xbox 360 console
C-3PO themed wireless controller
Kinect Sensor – but this one is white instead of black
Kinect Star Wars Game
Kinect Adventures which is the standard free game that is bundled with all Kinect for Xbox 360 devices
320GB Hard Drive

Now let’s do some math because when you initially look at that price tag of $449 it sure sounds like a lot of money but in reality it is a great deal for a Star wars themed console.

A normal Xbox 360 Kinect Bundle currently retails for $388.01 and that system has the console, Kinect sensor, Kinect Adventures game and a 250GB hard drive while the Kinect Star Wars game retails for $50. That is a total of $448 for your non-official bundle.

So you get the very cool Stars Wars themed R2-D2 console, a C-3PO gold controller, a white Kinect sensor, 70GB of extra hard drive space, Kinect Adventures and Kinect Star Wars for just $1 more.

Do I need to go further?

The bundle is a great deal if you do not already own one of the Xbox 360 Slim models and want to upgrade your current console to the Slim version and all the benefits that brings you.

Of course, if you want to pre-order the Kinect Star Wars game itself you can do that at Amazon as well for just $49.96.

Whatever your choice in a couple of months we are going to be swinging light sabers in homes all over the world!

Related Posts:

How Online Communications Are Closing the Generational Gap

Richard Hay — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:02:00 +0000

Today Microsoft and AARP have released the results of a research report they conducted which sought to find out how online communications and social networking are impacting family relationships.

What they found was the use of these various communications mediums significantly improved those relationships by allowing them to more easily keep in touch and up to date on what is happening with each other.

The survey responses were from individuals ranging in age from 13 to 75.

Some highlights from the survey include:

83% considered online communications as helpful amongst family members.
Teenagers indicated that the quantity (70%) and quality (67%) of communications with distant family members increased using online tools. Those 39 and over agreed at 63% and 57% respectively.
30% of those surveyed want their family to communicate more using social networking. The younger users wanted this more than twice as much as older respondents (52% vs 21%).
The opinions on which tools to use also differed significantly. 63% of those aged 13-25 preferred the use of text messages compared to only 31% in the 39-75 year old range.
When it comes to email 60% of those aged 59-75 prefer email, followed by those aged 39-58 (56%) and the younger generation 18-25 at 46% and 13-17 year olds at 36%. Almost a 180 degree flip between email and text messages.
30% of grandparents and 29% of teens/young adults believe that connecting online has helped them understand each other better.

When it comes to security and safety all groups wish they knew more about keeping themselves and their information safe online.

58% wish they knew more about how to keep personal information private
50% want to know how to safeguard their devices
Younger Internet users want more information than older respondents about using social networks safely (38% vs 27% respectively).

As a result of this survey Microsoft and AARP offer these tips to families:

Use social networks more safely:

Look for Settings or Options in services like Facebook and Twitter to manage who can see your profile or photos tagged with your name, how people can search for you and make comments, and how to block people.

Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want to see on a billboard.

Be selective about accepting friends; regularly reassess who has access to your pages, and review what they post about you.

Help protect sensitive personal information

Before you enter sensitive data, look for signs that a webpage is secure — a web address with "https" and a closed padlock beside it.

Never give sensitive info (like an account number or password) or call a number in response to a request in email or IM or on a social network.

Think carefully before you respond to pleas for money from "family members," deals that sound too good to be true, or other scams.

Parents and grandparents should have regular conversations with kids, keeping communications open:

Negotiate clear guidelines for web, mobile and online game use that fit your children’s maturity level and your family values.

Watch your kids for signs of online bullying, such as being upset when they are online or a reluctance to go to school.

Be the administrator of your home computer; use age-appropriate family safety settings to help you keep track of what your kids are doing online. For example, in all editions of the Windows 7 operating system, you can create separate accounts for each family member.

Pay attention to what kids do and whom they meet online. Revisit regularly.

Check out more resources from Microsoft for Safer Internet Day 2012

Related Posts:

@WinObs Tweeted Links for 06 February 2012 Part 2

Richard Hay — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:38:26 +0000

Related Posts:

Geeklist Takes Issue With Best Buy Super Bowl XLVI Advertisement

Richard Hay — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:18:00 +0000

One of the commercials shown during last night’s Super Bowl was from Best Buy. In it they highlight several individuals who created various technologies that we use each and every day. The laugh out loud part of the commercial is when the two Words With Friends creators are caught with their games on by the flight attendant while they are seated aboard an airplane that is getting ready to take off. Very creative use of main stream stories and buzz!

Here is the commercial:

In a press release this morning, Reuben Katz the Geeklist CEO and Co-founder, seems to take offense to the commercial in the way it highlighted these technology innovators.

"Our entire product is based on the ‘I create’ or ‘I built’ concept. It’s the best way for us to highlight great work by developers." Stated Reuben Katz, the Geeklist CEO and Co-founder. Geeklist launched in private beta last August and uses Achievement Cards to showcase great work developers have done. "This is the first ever Achievement-based platform, allowing us to see who built what, what technologies they used to build it and who they built it with,"

The press release goes on to draw a correlation between the “I created…” phraseology used by each of the individuals in this Best Buy commercial and the fact that one of the copyrighters for the ad agency which created the commercial, Crispin, Porter and Bogusky, is on the Geeklist private beta and apparently has been for several months.

So is this all sour grapes or a genuine concern that an insider used their knowledge from the site’s private beta to help write this ad content?

Related Posts:

Microsoft Flight To Take Off on 29 February 2012

Richard Hay — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:46:00 +0000

I am very glad we have that extra day this year so that Microsoft Flight can get off the ground!

According to a tweet from Xbox Live’s @MajorNelson, aka Larry Hryb, the Games For Windows Live flying simulation game will be released to the public on 29 February 2012.

The game has been tested over the last several weeks during a beta test by the software company.

According to a early January press release the game will use a freemium model once it is released. This means the initial download will be at no charge and additional elements of the game will be available as downloadable content some of which will be free and others that the gamer will have to pay for.

There is a lot of buzz around this upcoming release as many avid flight simmers have been looking for a new flight simulator ever since the Microsoft Flight Simulator team was cut at Microsoft as a cost savings measure.

Related Posts:

InMobi Reports Mobile Usage Numbers During Super Bowl XLVI

Richard Hay — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:10:00 +0000

According to a survey by InMobi, a mobile advertising network, that was conducted during last night’s big game nearly 40% of viewers grabbed their mobile devices to get more information about advertisements as they viewed them during the game. Respondents also indicated they would spend at least 30 minutes on their mobile devices during the course of the game.

Anne Frisbie, Vice President and Managing Director, North America, InMobi, comments: "Mobile is an amazing channel for reaching consumers when they are in a lean-back entertainment-oriented mindset. Savvy advertisers will allocate more dollars to mobile advertising, either in conjunction with TV ads or through mobile-only advertising campaigns during similar sporting events and key holiday weekends throughout the year."

InMobi also reported that twice as many of those surveyed used their devices during the first half of the game as those which did during the second half.

Some additional key findings from the survey which was answered by over 1,100 mobile users and distributed on InMobi’s mobile advertising network were:

45% estimated they would spend 30 minutes or more on their mobile phone during the game.
39% used their mobile device in response to a TV commercial during the game by doing one or more of the following: discussing commercials, getting more information about an advertised product, or watching TV ads again.
30% reported using their mobile devices most during commercials.
27% downloaded a Super Bowl app.

There is no indication on what was considered a mobile device so this may have included tablets as well as mobile phones, etc. I personally used both a Windows 8 based tablet and my Windows Phone during the game.

Related Posts:

My Picks for Best Super Bowl XLVI Commercials

Richard Hay — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:15:00 +0000

Let me start off by saying I think the commercials this year were not nearly as good as they have been in the past. Many of them lacked a hook to make them memorable. At a cost of $3.5 million for 30 seconds of air time that seems like a waste of money but I guess the proof is in the impact it has on future sales.

I also think that all the previews of the commercials over the days prior to the game made their broadcast during the match much less impactful as they appeared on TV.

There were some note worthy ones though and so I give you my picks broken down by quarter, half time and post game time frames.

1st Quarter

Jump in the cage and shut the door!

2nd Quarter

Nice job by VW in connecting to a very popular and viral commercial from last year.

Half Time

All I will say about this one is stick around for the end because you do not see it coming!

3rd Quarter

It is always nicer to share and not be a tease.

4th Quarter

Nice touch at the end of this to support rescue dogs.

Post Game

I was not expecting this after the game – it was better than some of the in game ads that were played.

Related Posts:

@WinObs Tweeted Links for 06 February 2012

Richard Hay — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:42:59 +0000

Related Posts:

Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 40

Richard Hay — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Episode 40 of the Observed Tech PODCAST – our Super Bowl Edition!

In this show we discuss the importance of backups; game exchange service Goozex; the upcoming WindowsObserver app for Windows Phone; Super Bowl commercials, early winner announcements and the big games numbers; Windows 8 already being on sale – not; a couple of key Microsoft departures; BetaBait app testing service; book your travel based on who has WIFI and live TV; the future of touch screen tech; Huffington Post starts a streaming news channel; it is Windows Phone not Windows Phone 7 or WP7; identify fake Facebook accounts and Microsoft’s Personal Data Dashboard.

As usual we wrap up with a look at the past week on WindowsObserver.com

Check out the notes below for links to all the sources.

Enjoy and as always thanks for listening!

Show Links:

Goozex
Giants Website Prematurely Reveals Super Bowl Winner [PIC] (Mashable)
Super Bowl 2012 By the Numbers (Mashable)
Wait, Windows 8 at Walmart already? (Ed Bott)
Stepto leaving Microsoft- One last reading from the Xbox Live Book of Enforcement (Geek Wire)
Like Testing New Apps? BetaBait Will Hook You Up (Mashable)
Travel Website Lets You Book Flights Featuring Wi-Fi, Live TV (Mashable)
Windows Phone app leader goes to Amazon Kindle team (Geek Wire)
Is This The Future of Touchscreen Tech? New Video Will Blow Your Mind (Mashable)
Can The Huffington Post Reinvent Cable News? (Mashable)
It’s time to stop calling Windows Phone ‘WP7′ (cNet)
How to identify fake Facebook accounts (cNet)
Microsoft Personal Data Dashboard lets you decide how Microsoft uses your data (The Windows Club)

WindowsObserver.com Week in Review:

Date Produced: 05 February 2012

Length: 40:45

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 37.3MB

This PODCAST is a member of the TechPodcast Network.

Related Posts:

WindowsObserver App for Windows Phone Version 2 Update Arriving Soon

Richard Hay — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:52:00 +0000

Note: This is a repost from earlier in the week that became corrupted in my WordPress database. The old post URL has been re-directed to this update.

Well the day is close enough now to share some details with you about the soon to be released update for the WindowsObserver App for Windows Phone.

I have tweeted a few times over the last several weeks as development has progressed, about the work and how neat it has been watching the ideas and discussions turn into reality. A company from Orlando, Neuralnet Systems, has been doing the design and coding of the app along with us all putting together the ideas for the apps presentation and UI. These guys do some great work and have been profiled here on the website in the past.

You may have noticed some recent changes here at the website such as new category icons and an overall shift in the base blue color we use, now hex code 004A7F, and you will see that color in the updated app as well as the category icons.

As I mentioned above, the app is very close to being ready for submission to the Windows Phone Marketplace and will be an upgrade from the last version which is Version 1.1. Since this app is a significant upgrade from the earlier version, which was built with the Follow My Feed framework, we are going to make this Version 2.0. It has also been built to take advantage of features in the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango OS update such as Fast App Switching, Secondary Start Screen Tiles and Background Audio Player.

So as a sneak peek here are some screen shots of the new app and I will give you some info about each element of the app as we go along:

Start Screen Tiles – the bottom six tiles are for the app. The last five are secondary tiles that take you directly to that categories/all posts listing in the app. The second shot shows the app splash screen.

The main pages of the app in the order they appear as you open the app.

The latest news shows the last four posts to the site
The categories page lists all posts and then each of the main categories which also match the possible secondary tiles you can place on the start screen from the settings page
The feedback page lets you send us feedback either via email or the Windows Phone Marketplace app review process
The settings page is where you can place the secondary tiles on the start screen and also check out the other great apps the guys at Neuralnet have available for Windows Phone.

Each page has a rotating headline banner at the bottom which rotates through the last 20 posts on the site. Tapping on that headline will take you to the posts reading page in the app.

These are the landing pages for the all posts and the four main category pages. These are accessible from the categories page or directly from the corresponding secondary tile.

The first shot here is of the podcast page in the app with the podcast streaming using the phones built in audio player which you control using the phones volume buttons. When you tap on a podcast to listen to you will see the Podcast is streaming… text and the share button to indicate it is loading.

The second shot is the reading page which is standard for all category pages when you click on a individual story link anywhere in the app.

The Share button you see in the app allows you to share the post or podcast your checking out with friends on your social networks or via email. The Feedback button allows you to send us an email with any specific feedback or ideas you might have.

So there is the preview of the app and some of the features you will be able to enjoy once it goes live. It has been a great experience working with the guys at Neuralnet on this app and we are all very excited to see what you all think of it as well. We are looking forward to hearing your feedback once it is in the marketplace.

Related Posts:

Expand Your Touch Apps Selection on the Windows 8 Developer Preview

Richard Hay — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:15:00 +0000

Well we have arrived in the month of February and that means the Windows 8 Consumer Preview is due out later this month. As I wrote about yesterday the preparations seem to be starting to bring the next step in the development process to the public and I can see the buzz starting to increase on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

Whatever the update brings us it is certainly going to add at least one element to the developing OS that we have not seen yet and that is the Windows Store. The Windows Store is going to be the marketplace for Metro style apps for Windows. Microsoft has been working with partners and hosting a contest to fill the store with free apps for the upcoming consumer preview. That will be a welcomed change to the static apps that are currently in the developer preview.

In fact the Windows 8 Developer Preview, which has been downloaded over 3 million times since it was released back in September of last year, has had a limited number of Metro/Touch apps on the system and no way to expand the collection which has been somewhat limiting in trying the metro side of the OS out. I spend the majority of my time in the developer preview on my Acer Iconia Tab W500 in the desktop area.

So the other day while I was browsing some downloads at the Microsoft Download Center I came across the Touch Pack for Windows 7 and decided to give it a try on the Windows 8 Developer Preview to see how it works.

The Touch Pack for Windows 7 originally came out in May 2009 and the current version available at the download center was updated in July 2011.

This touchpack was initially developed for OEM’s only and was available for them to include on Windows 7 systems that supported multi-touch. Since then it has been made available to everyone in the download center.

I downloaded and installed this set of six programs on my Windows 8 Developer Preview and I am happy to report they run quite well on the system. Granted they do not expand productivity one bit but they are fun to use and interact with to show off the touch capabilities of Windows 8.

The package includes the following applications:

Microsoft Blackboard, an intricate game of physics in which you solve a puzzle by creating a fanciful machine on a blackboard.
Microsoft Garden Pond, a tranquil game that takes place in serene Japanese water gardens.
Microsoft Rebound, a game in which you use your fingertips to control Tesla spheres with an electrical field between them to catapult a metal game ball into your opponent’s goal.
Microsoft Surface Globe, a program that you can use to explore the earth as a flat 2-D map or as an immersive 3-D experience.
Microsoft Surface Collage, a program that you can use to explore and interact with your photos and arrange them as a desktop background.
Microsoft Surface Lagoon, a screen saver and interactive water simulation, complete with a meditative rock arrangement and playful, shy fish.

So if you’re looking for a little something to occupy some time while waiting for the upcoming Windows 8 Consumer Preview then checkout the Touch Pack for Windows 7.

Related Posts:

Dropbox: Free Cloud Storage for Beta Testers

Terence Stephens — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:51:54 +0000

Dropbox, the popular cloud storage service, is offering 5 GB of free storage to users who test Dropbox’s current Beta applications.

Usually, this sort of news is announced via a press release, but instead, Dropbox distributed the information in the notes of the latest software build. This odd method of announcement makes this look like a fairly sudden decision revolving around the need for an immediate, large scale test.

It is important to note this is a Beta Test, and there are no guarantees that those doing the test won’t experience adverse effects upon the devices and date involved.

The purpose of this program is to test the automatic upload of one’s media files (specifically pictures and videos). The storage space is given proportionally with the amount of media stored. For the first picture uploaded, the user will receive 500 MB of storage. For each 500 MB used thereafter, another 500 MB is offered. The total amount maxes out at 5 GB.

I think this is a great way to test services and see how viral an announcement can go. I will definitely be signing up for the service; though I’ll initially only use it on an older computer I have sitting around. Additionally, I’m keeping very aware of the recent Megaupload debacle and won’t let this service be the sole location I store my data.

Do you plan on giving Dropbox’s beta test a try?

Related Posts:

@WinObs Tweeted Links for 04 February 2012

Richard Hay — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:24:36 +0000

Related Posts:

Is the Windows 8 Consumer Preview Arriving Soon?

Richard Hay — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:08:00 +0000

I am not sure when it is arriving beyond the confirmed time frame of late February but it certainly appears that preparations are being made for the launch of what will be a consumer preview.

The below screenshot is from a page on Bing (thanks to Liveside for the heads up) that appeared this weekend.

http://www.bing.com/?win8start=1

As you can see it has the Betta Fish image, this one is a video of the fish swimming across the screen, that first appeared in the Windows 7 Beta as wallpaper plus there are some links embedded in the image itself as well as links along the bottom of the screen.

It looks like Mary Jo Foley was correct when she wrote about a week ago that the expected February beta might be labeled the Consumer Preview. I say that because one of the embedded links in the page is linked to a Frequently asked questions page to get answers to your questions about Windows 8 Consumer Preview. Also the first visible link on the bottom of the screen frame is to a see what’s new Windows 8 Consumer Preview link.

I recall a Twitter conversation a couple weeks ago that referenced to a saying that was under promise – over deliver. Back in December the beta was announced for late February during a Windows Store preview press conference but now here we are in early February with preparations being made for the consumer preview. Maybe that means the consumer preview will be released to the masses earlier than late February.

I am going to venture a guess here and say mid February is when we will see the preview released to everyone.

What do you think?

If you comment and leave a date in your prediction the person closest to the correct release date will receive a Windows 7 mouse pad and sticker. Any ties will be broken with a random drawing.

Related Posts:

@WinObs Tweeted Links for 03 February 2012

Richard Hay — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:41:32 +0000

Related Posts:

Windows Phone Marketplace Continues to Expand

Richard Hay — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:40:00 +0000

Another sign that the Windows Phone platform is continuing to grow is its continued expansion into more countries world wide.

According to an announcement earlier today from Todd Brix on the Windows Phone Developer Blog the new locales are Argentina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Peru, and the Philippines. This expansion means that developers in those nations will soon be able to start developing Windows Phone apps and get them submitted and certified for inclusion in the marketplace.

Todd also reminds everyone with existing apps already in the marketplace that if you want to expand your apps to these five new areas you must log into the App Hub and either add them individually or select worldwide.

This brings the total number of markets that can access the Windows Phone Marketplace to 41.

Related Posts:

If You Are Fed Up With Facebook Changes then Check Out FriendIO

Richard Hay — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:22:00 +0000

FriendIO is a new alternative social media site that has been developed by a group of former Facebook users who grew tired of the constant changes to the social media giants website and services.

This new rival offers people classic social networking with strong privacy and popular features. "Friendio does not modify privacy settings, nor do we force people to create a scrapbook of their life," said Doug Freitag, the company’s President. The site’s slogan, "It’s all about you!" really sums it up. People can customize profile layouts, change the site’s theme to their liking, add music, insert Places, add company Pages and create their own circle of friends through custom lists. It’s simple, easy to use, and makes sense. It’s a way for people to further express their personal style, and share more about who they are.

The site already has an API for developers to take advantage of and create apps plus there is also a Like Button which can be embedded on websites and blogs.

I am a huge fan of having choices and letting people make their pick however, I think this fledgling company is going to run into some issues with the social media service they intend to replace.

It starts with things like apps, chat windows, like buttons and the layout of the site – especially if you use the Throwback Blue (FB) theme.

Here is a screenshot:

I am just guessing here but I think the FB in the themes title stands for Facebook – the color scheme certainly makes it look very familiar.

Now it is just a matter of how long it takes FB to chat with them about their social media site. What do you think?

Related Posts: