As I was finalizing the show notes for this episode a bunch of news broke about the whole Google vs Microsoft situation with a Cease and Desist Letter from Google to Microsoft about the new Windows Phone YouTube App Microsoft released a couple of weeks ago.  Of course, that meant a shuffle of topics and we dive straight into that discussion at the top of the show.

We did take the time to mention an awesome giveaway for the new DrivePop Cloud Backup Solution being offered by friend of the show Rob Boirun of BurnWorld.com which we mentioned last week.  Thanks to Rob we have three unlimited accounts for the DrivePop service to giveaway.  Just head over to the WindowsObserver Facebook page as well as the DrivePop one and like them.  We will draw the three winners from those pages and announce them in two weeks on 30 May 2013.  Good Luck!

We continue with our news review by discussing the firmware updates released this week for Surface RT and Surface Pro which were among the Patch Tuesday security updates and the big update coming to Windows Phone 8 this summer.

Other items on our list include the end of Xbox points as a currency, using File History on Windows 8, the new BBC iPlayer for Windows Phone and the Lumia 925 announcement this week.

We talk about the confirmed Windows 8.1 update, the SkyDrive photo interface update, a great deal on the Dell XPS 10 Windows RT device, free touch or type covers for those in the UK who are buying Surface RT or Pro and the new Amazon Cloud Player for Windows desktop.

Then we bring things to a close as we talk about the big carriers joining forces against texting and driving, the US Navy’s X-47B making its first carrier launch, and the Instagram for Windows Phone Twitter account that really wasn’t official after all.

Finally, I attempt my show closing in Klingon but can thankfully point you towards the new Bing Translator update that helps you understand what I tried to say in Klingon.

Until next time enjoy the show and thanks for listening!

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Date Produced: 16 May 2013

Length: 41:28

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 40.2MB

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All of this episodes show links are available at our WiKi – Show Links: Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 90

I am pleased to introduce you to a new player in the home PC backup to the cloud world called Drive Pop which comes our way from friend of the show Rob Boirun of BurnWorld.com.  It offers some great options for some very, very competitive rates so I hope you check it out.

We then continue with the show talking about the World Wide Web marking 20 years of being around, a big registrar getting hacked and losing user data so we also talk about some suggestions for creating solid passwords.

There are then news items on PhoneSats in orbit, Google+ Hangouts getting new features, Star Trek Apps for both Windows Phone and Windows 8 released nearly simultaneously, other new WP apps for Tumblr, MetroTube, more hero apps for the Microsoft mobile platform and assurances from Joe Belfiore that WP 7.X users will also see updates to these big name official apps. Continuing on the Windows Phone news there is the release of WP 7.8 for Nokia Lumia 900 owners that is hitting the OTA airwaves this week.

Of course, we have some Twitter related news as we do nearly every week, Microsoft talking Windows 8 sales at six months as well as confirming Windows Blue aka Windows 8.1 coming out this summer for preview and how busy they are issuing take down notices to Facebook trademark infringing apps in its Windows Store.

When any news about Windows 8 comes out you can expect the Acer President, who has been very vocal about Windows 8 itself, to speak up about his views and he does so on the Windows 8.1 update.

We close things up talking about an IE8 vulnerability, the inadvertently revealed 8 inch Windows 8 tablet,  the recently announced Acer Aspire R7 with its unique design and new features in the Windows 8 mail app relating to the updates at Outlook.com.

Enjoy the show and thanks for listening!

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Date Produced: 09 May 2013

Length: 40:02

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 38.9MB

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All of this episodes show links are available at our WiKi – Show Links: Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 89

So in this show we start off with a small confession on how I messed up a BIOS flash on my wife’s PC that did not work using the Windows based BIOS flashing software. That meant a dead motherboard and an upgrade for her machine.  It is speeding along now with new motherboard, memory, processor and an SSD drive and she is happy – a required goal for family tech support folks!

We then talk about a new Microsoft Store in my hometown, going to space getting more expensive on VirginGalactic after their successful rocket powered test flight and all kinds of Windows Phone stuff such as more Instagram access attempts and a paid app for us while it is free for iOS users.

Then we cover the latest stats on Microsoft Surface sales numbers, Microsoft moving into the top 5 tablet vendors and the possibility of a second generation Surface device being unveiled in late June at Microsoft’s Build 2013 conference.

If you are looking at getting a Windows 8 based machine we tell you about a great collection of devices from cNet and even a discussion of whether you should get touch with that Windows 8 PC.

There is also lots of Microsoft related news around Outlook.com and its new Skype integration, a list of SkyDrive Apps for various platforms, an update to the OneNote MX App that lets you draw on capacitive screens, a beta of the office Facebook App on Windows Phone 8 and how to use SkyDrive to sync your documents and pictures between computers.

We wrap with a reminder of the busy times ahead with the upcoming #XboxReveal in May, E3 in June and a possible second generation Surface reveal in late June at Build 2013 in San Francisco.

So go ahead and enjoy the show and thanks for listening!

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Date Produced: 02 May 2013

Length: 43:23

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 42.0MB

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All of this episodes show links are available at our WiKi – Show Links: Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 88

Time to get caught up on this weeks tech news after an unexpected hiatus last week.  This show is on track to bring news about security whether it be Twitter’s need for two-factor authentication or Microsoft’s implementation of that additional security step last week for Microsoft Accounts.  Plenty of news about Xbox 360 from ordering pizza using your console to it being king of the hill now for 27 months in the US console competition and its future being announced on 21 May 2013.  We also have info about your chance to go to Mars in about 10 years, see an awesome Hubble image of the Horsehead Nebula and watch SpaceX’s Grasshopper make its biggest leap yet.

Then there is Facebook Home’s very lukewarm reception based on 50% of its over 10,000 reviews being marked 1 Star, privacy and IE, the Windows Start Button coming in Windows 8.1 and our friends at Soluto entering the business market with their monitoring and assistance software.

Throw in some items like the HostGator employee who rooted 2,700 servers, using Family Safety in Windows 8, Twitter shutting down the popular TweetDeck franchise, a new virtual voice based assistant named Indigo for Windows Phone 8 users and we have a nice set of highlights to this weeks tech news.

As always enjoy the show and thanks for listening!

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Date Produced: 24 April 2013

Length: 47:02

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 45.3MB

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All of this episodes show links are available at our WiKi – Show Links: Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 87

Thanks for all the feedback on our tweaked format that we tried out last week. Every piece of it was positive for the less rapid fire pace of the show so we will stick with that new format.

In today’s show we discuss XP’s final year of official support and what that means along with firmware updates for Surface, Microsoft Accounts getting two-factor authentication, Windows Store stats on the App Annie Blog, what Microsoft Blue really is about, Microsoft sells off their IPTV Mediaroom and Roku selling over 5 million devices.

We will jump into some social media items including how your past and present can come back to get you and the belief that social media makes over 80% of us less polite.  We then point you towards the new Channel 9 Windows Store App, some extensive free resources for Windows Phone developers and a great article about the Touch Hate that is out there in the computing world.

Of course, we have to discuss the craziness around the latest PC sales numbers and all that entails including what a PC is defined as, the impact on stocks and since Windows 8 is being blamed for all of it we talk about the great debate at ZD Net between Ed Bott and Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols on whether Windows 8 can be saved.

Finally we will run through what we have been talking about at WindowsObserver.com since the last show including the insatiable appetite Windows Phone users have for anything Instagram and their willingness to take risks to have it.

Enjoy the show and as always thanks for listening!

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Date Produced: 11 April 2013

Length: 48:33

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 46.7MB

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All of this episodes show links are available at our WiKi - Show Links: Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 86

In this show we discuss an iconic founders photo recreation, 40 years since the first cell phone call and making sure you observe World Back Up day for your data.  Then we jump into Facebook Home; Outlook.com getting the modern calendar update finally for the web experience; the reselling of MP3’s getting shot down; whether people really hate Windows 8 the most of any Windows OS; where to get a PC with Windows 7 on it; the inevitable Messenger/Skype merger approaching; Microsoft’s warns about Xbox points scam; Windows 8 Blue update and what it means to the future of Windows and Microsoft; Nokia Lumia 920 firmware update causing some connectivity issues; Microsoft Build 2013 in San Francisco sells out in three hours; getting your Google Calendar events in Windows 8; premium subscriptions for Microsoft Windows 8 games introduced to remove ads; Twitter gets it wrong at times; Outlook.com Insider program announced; Roku updating interface for many of their devices at no cost; Digg really wants to hear about how you use RSS feeds and Google Reader and I wrap up with the experience and simplicity of resetting the Windows 8 OS on a Microsoft Surface RT.

Enjoy the show and as always thanks for listening!

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Date Produced: 04 April 2013

Length: 50:30

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 48.5MB

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Some other areas of news to be discussed in this show is Surface tablet sales numbers; Enterprise tablet party over for Apple; more Google Reader and other service demise news; Google’s newest service announcement; Windows Phone adds a couple of new big name apps; updates for Windows Phone 7 Build handsets and and 7.8 update starts back up for WP 7.5 users; the update to the WindowsObserver WP App; Skype WP App update reintegrates with People Hub and gets some improvements; the support deadline we already knew about for WP8; my exclusive interview with developer of MeTweets which is about to get a major 2.0 update; Amazon in deep water with rocket engines and users; learning about the Windows OS Build number; ATT picks Lync for Enterprise Communications; Windows 7 SP1 mandatory update now; missing attachments in Outlook no more; Windows 8 and Windows Phone App preview site; the new Microsoft era of devices and services; who to blame when your PC gets hacked; using File History in Windows 8; Xbox 360 makes it 26 months as top console in the US; nearly 70% of people use two devices at once and one of the 20 people who changed tech – Samuel Morse.

Enjoy the show and as always thanks for listening!

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All of this episodes show links are available at our WiKi – Show Links: Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 84

Date Produced: 21 March 2013

Length: 40:43

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 37.4MB

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On top of those things we have our normal collection of news across the tech world which happen to include some other companies failure to plan for big surges of traffic, service outages for cloud based services and other sundry items from my RSS feeds.

RSS Feeds that I curate with Google Reader by the way!

No matter what please enjoy the show and as always thanks for listening!

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Date Produced: 14 March 2013

Length: 39:10

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 35.9MB

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We start this weeks show off with a cautionary tale of Microsoft Tech Support calls to your home (reminder – they do not make house calls) and then dive into news about Microsoft Accounts and the ability to make it an alias that keeps you connected to all of your Microsoft stuff.

The rest of the show includes news about Yahoo shutting down services; Google Hangouts getting a sign language interpreter; NASA’s Curiosity Rover; SpaceX overcoming challenges on their latest mission; Microsoft’s future technology vision, Evernote being hacked; Seagate ceasing production of spinning laptop hard drives; launching your Windows 8 App at a Microsoft Store; Nokia’s #2InstaWithLove push for Instagram App on Windows Phone; Office 2013 perpetual licensing restriction lifted; T-Mobile and AT&T fighting about their ads; Xbox Music Unlimited streaming limits; first impressions of the Power Bank Jacket for Nokia Lumia 920; Twitter dumps more apps from the TweetDeck portfolio; Disqus releases an exclusive Windows Phone App for their service; Kinect continues to innovate; Picasa Web albums shifting to Google+; Google+ implements massive cover photo on profiles; Yahoo Mail users still getting hacked regularly; Photosynth arrives for Windows Phone 8 devices; Facebook launching updated news feeds; Bing updates history view to modern look; Roku releases third generation streaming device; Google plans to compete against Amazon Prime; checking out NASA big pool; Sprint heading towards shared plans; in security Android is the new Windows; Windows Phone tip videos; ASUS Transformer AIO about to hit the market and running Modern Apps in a window with Stardock’s ModernMix.

Enjoy the show and as always thanks for listening!

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All of this episodes show links are available at our WiKi – Show Links: Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 82

Date Produced: 07 March 2013

Length: 45:31

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 41.8MB

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Welcome to Episode 81. We missed a show last week because I was attending the annual Microsoft MVP Summit in Bellevue/Redmond, WA so I kick this episode off talking a little bit about that experience and travelling with my Microsoft Surface RT for the first time.  I then tell you about an awesome power pack accessory for your Nokia Lumia 920 called the Brando Powerpack and then talk about all the Microsoft stuff that is being picked for readers choice awards at Engadget and Digixav.

Other items we cover include the pros and cons of using Microsoft Surface Pro’s in your small/medium size business, new wireless accessories coming out of MVC 2013, the growth of the Windows Phone Store and new features from Microsoft’s Channel 9 to show off Windows Phone features and Windows 8 Apps.  I spend some time gushing over the new official Twitter app for Windows Phone and talking about how Microsoft technologies are finding a purpose trackside with some of NASCAR’s racing teams.  There are also mentions of Windows and Windows Phone Blue and what that means for OS updates on the two platforms for Microsoft.

This past week also saw the release of Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7 and the reality of the fact that it is not available for Windows Vista and XP users making for another good reason to upgrade to a more recent OS.

We have several other items we discuss which you can see in the show links and we wrap up with the importance of a Microsoft Account to tie together all of the products and services you use under the Microsoft brand.

Enjoy the show and as always thanks for listening!

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Date Produced: 28 February 2013

Length: 47:06

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 43.2MB

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Welcome to Episode 80 where we bring you some more Surface Love on this Valentine’s Day edition of the show.  We kick off discussing release day for Surface Pro and some of the inventory challenges that were experienced around the country for its debut.  We then highlight some cool tweaks for your Surface devices that will give you extra rows of Start Screen tiles on your machines and then we dig into news from the past week.

Amongst those stories we mention tips for up and coming app developers, comparing storage space between a 128GB Surface Pro and 128GB MacBook Air and the latest big name app to arrive on Windows Phone – Spotify.  There is also word of some significant issues discovered this week with the new iOS 6.12 update that was released to Apple users and a couple of very popular Reddit Ask Me Anything with SpaceX and Bill Gates.

We have some updated numbers on Xbox’s progress over the last several months, the retirement of Windows Live Mesh, Home Depot dropping over 10,000 Blackberry devices as they move to the iPhone, some great Windows Phone tips, fixing the jumping laptop cursor bug and updates for your Surface RT including a firmware fix.

After that we hit on the remaining items of interest including Dropbox going Enterprise, Microsoft being ready for screens of all sizes according to their CFO and Amazon beating out Apple for the company with the top corporate reputation.

As always enjoy the show and thanks for listening!

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Date Produced: 14 February 2013

Length: 45:59

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 42.2MB

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Welcome to Episode 79 one that is definitely going to have a Surface Pro vibe to it because this show is chock full of news relating to the soon to be released device from Microsoft.

Between the Surface Pro starting to appear in Microsoft and Best Buy stores last weekend and the rumors started by our friend Dave McCabe of Surface Geeks of a possible Surface RT trade in program it has been hopping in the Surface Pro realm. OK, Dave was actually reporting on the story he was being told by an employee and it was later dismissed officially by Microsoft but it did fire up an otherwise mundane Sunday morning as we all waited for the Super Bowl to start. On top of all that the official press embargo lifted this week and so all the Surface Pro reviews hit the web late Tuesday evening and started their own reaction across social media.

There is also news about Office 2013, Twitter getting hacked and several other Windows and technology related tidbits along the way including a farewell to the Windows Phone App Flow column that Travis Pope has been writing for the site since November of 2011.

Enjoy the show and as always thanks for listening!

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Date Produced: 07 February 2013

Length: 48:30

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 44.5MB

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Welcome to Episode 78 or as we will affectionately call it Episode 7.8 for everyone waiting on the Windows Phone 7.8 update which started rolling out recently.

In this weeks show we cover a lot of news items like the special upgrade price for Windows 8 Pro coming to an end; our changing world of computing devices and how we define them; how to free up some space on your Surface RT; the Office 365 and Office 2013 consumer launch; Nokia intros their music streaming service; Super Bowl 47 and how to watch it; Microsoft closes the Times Square pop up store; Outlook RT being tested at Microsoft; the Kinect effects fades for Xbox 360; the Windows 8 launch may have been hurt by lack of touch screen devices from OEM’s; CNN has an official app on Windows 8; comparing Surface RT and a Chromebook on the road; Yahoo Mail has XSS vulnerability; no more unlocking your cell phones; difference between jailbreaking, rooting and unlocking phones; test your site on modern.ie for IE10 compatibility; your Microsoft licensing questions answered; Twitter doubled in size during 2012; another analyst tries to predict Surface RT sales; Google mobile sync protocols get six more months for Windows Phone but end tomorrow on the desktop; Microsoft should not put Office on iOS; Windows Phone desktop sync client gets updates; BlackBerry launches new OS and handsets; roll out of Windows Phone 7.8 begins; the first multi screen game arrives; Windows 8 Pro deal available for students beginning in February; Microsoft CEO labels Dropbox box a fine little startup; check out tweets world wide with Tweetping Map; PC makers are not learning from history and we announce our Microsoft Wedge Touch Mouse and Keyboard winner.

Enjoy the show and as always thanks for listening!

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Date Produced: 31 January 2013

Length: 43:31

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 39.9MB

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Welcome to Episode 77 where we talk about Microsoft’s tablet journey to Surface; Nikon’s updated cloud photo storage; Surface RT users experiencing strange update issue after January system updates and Microsoft will provide fix in first week of February; electronics free zones in your home; tech journalists explains why they will keep Surface RT instead of getting Surface Pro; Sony waits for Microsoft to reveal Xbox Next; IE10 for Windows 7 almost ready; LTE uses will grow to 1 billion in next three years; Big Bang Theory star creates new TV series about real life prodigies; license fee for Swedish tablet users; the arrival of convertible devices; AMD says they suffered from slow Windows 8 launch; Microsoft investing in Dell privatization efforts; great time to be a gadget buyer; Apple stock takes big hit after record quarter; Sony fined nearly $400K for data hack; Nokia officially reports fourth quarter numbers; Nokia will now start paying for Windows Phone licensing; mobile traffic doubled from 2011 to 2012; free online courses from universities for credit; ATT U-Verse suffers major outage; Surface Pro pricing is just right; Microsoft helps with your data privacy; WikiCancel helps you figure out how to delete accounts from various services; free URLScan tool from Microsoft; questions answered on Windows Phone App Flow; Surface Pro enters the spotlight and will be available on 09 February 2013; those Windows 8 upgrade prices and what they mean to you; help from Microsoft as you prepare to move to new Office related technologies and software updates; a Windows Store App for browsing Windows Phone apps on Windows 8 and replacing a desktop keyboard.

Enjoy the show and as always thanks for listening!

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Date Produced: 24 January 2013

Length: 41:51

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 38.4MB

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Welcome to Episode 76 our post CES show and we cover a lot of news items from this past week as the flow of daily news returns to normal levels.  Make sure you check out this weeks episodes of the Home Server Show and Surface Geeks, which were recorded last night to wrap up CES, as I talk with Jim Collison and Dave McCabe about the new tech we saw last week at the show.

After that we jumped into a lot of different items including  whether Surface needs a reboot; Windows 8 FTW in touch and mobility; employee confidence in Ballmer grows in 2012; Bing partners with Facebook in new Graph Search feature; analysts says only one million Surface RT devices were sold; learning about VPN’s; Quora publishes 100 best answers of all time; Windows Media Player DRM FAQ; new Xbox might be announced in March; Office 365 Preview will expire 60 days after official release of Office 2013; Start menu’s in Windows 8; Lastpass App updated for Windows Phone 8; learning from competition; SpaceX Grasshopper flight; critical IE flaw patched for IE6, IE7, and IE8; Nokia sells out the Lumia 920 in the Netherlands on day 1; cNet reporter resigns over DISH/CBS flap at CES; Windows 8 is helping retailers reach more customers; San Antonio library goes bookless; train on Cloud skills; change default app install location on Windows 8; Surface is cool says teens; GPS routes woman off track by over 800 miles; former Slingbox leader joins Xbox division; Microsoft HelpBridge App; Portico update available for HTC 8X on ATT; online security tips; CES doubles your traffic flow; Windows Dynamic theme catch-up; weathering the storms on Windows Phone App Flow; Microsoft is driving innovation with Windows 8; easy to install power related shortcuts for Windows 8 Start Screen; jail breaking Surface RT and Pokki’s Start Menu replacement and its app store.

Enjoy the show and as always thanks for listening!

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All of this episodes show links are available at our WiKi – Show Links: Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 76

Date Produced: 17 January 2013

Length: 45:44

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 42.0MB

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Welcome to Episode 75 – three quarters of a century! OK actually three quarters of a hundred episodes but it feels good to hit these unique numbers that end in 5 and 0. Just 25 more shows until we hit that really magical 100th episode.

With CES 2013 happening this week we of course talk about what we have seen out there but we also discussed some other news items that have popped up in the past week. Some of the things we cover include podcasting predictions for this year; what  your next form factor purchase might be; Microsoft gets some big business for Office; the experience of moving from an iPhone to a Windows Phone; Best Buy apparently lost $65K on iPhone sales in discount battle against Walmart; Jump Start training kit for Windows Phone 8 developers; Microsoft not happy about FTC decision on Google Antitrust investigation; dying Trekkie gets to see next Star Trek movie; Amazon begins AutoRip service; Windows Automatic updating FAQ; Nokia Lumia 820/920 phones launch in India; Fast startup in Windows 8 can cause issues in dual boot with other OS’s; avoiding the time suck economy; mobile shopping up 81% in 2012; Microsoft’s Xbox advertising helps crack code on interactive ads; Google restores access to mobile maps for Windows Phone users; check out IllumiRoom from Microsoft Research; consoles set to rebound in sales with release of next gen consoles; learn 5 things about wireless charging; Nokia enters the business infrastructure; see ya later Windows live Messenger; 100 million app downloads and 60 million licenses for Windows 8; Surface RT firmware update; Dropbox is official on Windows 8 now; Surface pro in depth peek; 24 months with Xbox 360 leading console sales in US; Nextgen Reader for Windows Phone getting updated for Windows Phone 8 and a reminder about our Microsoft Wedge Touch Mouse and Mobile Keyboard giveaway.  We also apologize once again for missing the first #ObservedTech Weekly Chat and invite everyone to the inaugural chat next week.

Enjoy the show and as always thanks for listening!

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Date Produced: 10 January 2013

Length: 36:28

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 33.5MB

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Welcome to Episode 74.

The @ObservedTech Twitter account has been revived and it tweets our episodes and show links when new editions are online.  Please follow there if you would like to get those notices in your Twitter stream.

We start this show off with thanks for your support as I was renewed a fourth time as a Microsoft MVP in the Windows Expert Consumer category and then we take a look back at 2012 for WindowsObserver.com.  We also announced our new weekly #ObservedTech Twitter Chat that will occur each Wednesday at 1:00 PM Eastern Time beginning on 09 January 2013. Here is the date and time converter for the first chat.

So after all of that we dived into this weeks pile of news stories to discuss and we began with Apple’s continued Do Not Disturb mode woes that happened again; mentioned the Vizio commercial for their All In One PC that had very sluggish screen images for some reason; comet spotting in 2013; an 18 point contract with a kid’s new iPhone from his Mom; a petition from Windows Phone users for some popular apps; GeekWire’s Todd Bishop beginning life with a Windows Phone instead of his iPhone; $100 to send a blind Facebook inbox message; touch screens – they’re everywhere; lame tech moments in 2012; WP Marketplace grows in 2012; David Jung’s first impression of Surface RT; get software gadgets on Windows 8; let’s talk Windows Store apps and functionality; WhatsApp getting robust enough to handle 18 billion messages on NYE; Fix It issued for IE vulnerability; Nokia Lumia 920 won 12 media awards in 2012; app recommendations for your new Windows 8 device; Polaroid to open Fotobars; free Xbox Live Gold for cloud save outage; counting down to E3 and Xbox next; peek in on Space Shuttle ATLANTIS; using default Windows 8 apps to communicate socially; Microsoft vs Google and it is not about browsers this time; Rob Margel’s Windows Help top 10 blog posts and a reminder about our Microsoft Wedge Touch Mouse and Mobile Keyboard giveaway.

Enjoy the show and as always thanks for listening!

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Date Produced: 03 January 2013

Length: 46:22

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 42.5MB

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Welcome to Episode 73 of the show. We once again streamed the recording live over a Google+ Hangout to YouTube and we added a chat room on our Live Events page so you can join in.  You will find the latest live stream embedded on that page along with the chat room.

Lots of stuff to cover today including Instagram having a class action lawsuit filed against them concerning recent terms of service changes they were making; SpaceX’s Grasshopper leaps to 140 feet; Microsoft and Google with the Battle of the Santa Trackers; Windows 8 PC sales lagging behind Windows 7; Amazon’s skyrocketing growth; Steven Sinofsky gets a teaching gig after Microsoft; top Twitter trends of 2012; HTC 8X Camera guide; Xbox Live games with achievements on iOS devices now; a trio of shout outs for links and mentions of WindowsObserver.com; Windows Phone growing globally and especially in Italy; learn Windows 8 from an 11 year old salesman; moving from Windows Live Mesh to SkyDrive; Facebook privacy settings and Randi Zuckerberg; File History in Windows 8 for backup; MVP technology and community in 2012; Boost Mobile to begin throttling data users; first MKV video player in Windows Store; Audible arrives in Windows Store with free audio book; Facebook to allow people to send you unsolicited inbox messages; last minute gift ideas; Nokia building a Windows RT tablet; Flickr gives a gift to everyone; Instagram alternatives on Windows Phone; Tweetro+ gets a holiday mark down; Kindle App for Windows Store updated and allows in app purchasing; Microsoft continues retail expansion with more Microsoft Stores and WindowsObserver.com’s Christmas Tech Hangout on Saturday, 29 Dec 2012 at 9 AM EST.

Enjoy the show and as always thanks for listening!

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Date Produced: 27 December 2012

Length: 37:07

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 34.1MB

This PODCAST is a proud member of the TechPodcast Network.

Welcome to Episode 72 and you might call this one the Microsoft Surface RT Retail episode but I promise I do talk about other stuff as well!

I start off introducing you to the Tech Podcast Network Roku channel for those of you who own a Roku which provides you another means to access this and many other great tech podcasts.

The show kicks off with a discussion of the recent retail expansion of Microsoft Surface RT into Staples and Best Buy here in the US. Suffice it to say that the retail presentation at both stores leave s a lot to be desired. Then we dive into things like Surface being more profitable per unit than iPad; possibility of Nokia pursuing a 10 inch Windows RT tablet; RhinoSoft being acquired by SolarWinds and making FTP Voyager a free program for all; WordPress 3.5 flying past 1 million downloads in just a couple of days; the official Adobe Reader App for Windows Store; App.net API improvements; why IE10 is good for your business; NASA’s Johnson Space Center goes Gangnam Style; Windows Live Mesh retirement in February 2013; Google pulling EAS support for accounts; more mature games coming to Windows Store including GTA IV; Google brings more integration to YouTube on Google+; Nokia’s PhotoBeamer App for Windows Phone 8; Rowi Twitter app update for Windows Phone flies; my Geek Gift Ideas for 2012; the Windows Phone 8 OTA update experience; a possible brightness fluctuation bug after the latest WP8 updates and a fix; my guest appearance on the Surface Geeks PODCAST Episode 9 and my plans for a post Christmas Google+ Hangout to answer all those tech questions about your new goodies!

Enjoy the show and as always thanks for listening!

• Download Episode 72
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All of this episodes show links are available at our WiKi – Show Links: Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 72

Date Produced: 20 December 2012

Length: 39:55

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 36.6MB

This PODCAST is a proud member of the TechPodcast Network.

Welcome to Episode 71 and a warm welcome to all of the Winsyde readers and visitors.

As I posted last week, Brad Sams and I arrived at an agreement for me to take over the Winsyde.com domain name as he moves back to NeoWin. It is good to have all of you all join us and our more than 17 years of being online bringing tech news of all sorts.

In the show we cover a list of recent news items including the upcoming budget Nokia Lumia 620; Microsoft swiping some tablet market share from Android and iPad in the next few years; AlphaJax arriving for Windows Phone; Xbox 360’s continued dominance of the US market; Navy fending off 110K cyber attacks per hour; apps to get you organized and moving through the holidays; Redbox streaming being delayed again; Amazon announces Kindle FreeTime for kids; touch screen computing on laptops/netbooks makes sense; WiFi security mistakes many people make; Google+ introduces Communities; how Windows 8 changes the way we search; YouTube coming to Virgin American flights; a Windows 8 engineers eight favorite Windows 8 features; find your Android and iOS apps on Windows Phone with App Switch; Microsoft will make Surface devices more widely available; Instagram and Twitter bickering; guest appearance on The Married Gamers podcast; we still have to deal with preinstalled software on OEM machines in Windows 8; why bringing the Start Menu back to Windows 8 is bad news; personalized update notifications from Nokia for your phone; CompUSA and CircuitCity brands disappear on 31 Dec; access SkyDrive via Windows Explorer on Surface RT; easily upload photos to Facebook from Windows 8 with Fu; Earth at Night 2012 theme released; Microsoft and Apple battling over $$$ which is preventing critical updates to apps on iOS and the release of a SkyDrive App on the Xbox 360.

Enjoy the show and as always thanks for listening!

• Download Episode 71
• Subscribe in iTunes
• Subscribe in Zune
• Subscribe to Observed Tech PODCAST RSS Feed
• Subscribe to Observed Tech PODCAST by Email

All of this episodes show links are available at our WiKi – Show Links: Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 71

Date Produced: 11 December 2012

Length: 39:46

Format: MP3, 128KBPS

Size: 36.5MB

This PODCAST is a proud member of the TechPodcast Network.