Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 129 #OTP
Welcome to Episode 129 and on what we hope is our new scheduled day for recording the show – Wednesday’s. Well at least that is the plan until it needs to change. We Start Up talking about some retro-gaming that was dug up out in the New Mexico desert, Comixology ceasing sales via their iOS and Android apps after their purchase by Amazon, Amazon’s grab of some great HBO series for streaming, the demise of Google+, an Adsense accusation of unfairly banning publisher accounts that made money, slowing iPad sales leading to innovation in the hybrid PC market, increasing Internet speeds, Amazon Prime memberships being up despite fee hike and the possibility of them creating their own delivery network and this one is not drone based. Of course there are many other things we had our eye on this past week and they included the standard subject areas including Microsoft, Windows, Windows Phone, Office, Security, Cloud, Services, Hardware, Apps, Xbox and Social Media. In the Shut Down segment I talk about how some cable companies are opening up a channel for Netflix to stream on, the Office for iPad Product Guide, dual booting, Bing in the Classroom, teaching coding, developing for OneDrive, hackathons and their purpose, looking back on those cool Nokia phone from the past, Mary Jo Foley on the Yet Another Podcast and some space related news to close things out. Until next time enjoy the show and thanks for listening.
Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 128 #OTP
Welcome to Episode 128. We kick things off in this show by updating our experience with the Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview over the past week including several tips and tricks for the latest version of Microsoft’s phone operating system. In our Start Up segment I talk about renting gadgets, Google’s checking out of your incoming and outgoing Gmail, another big credit card breach, laptop battery warnings from Sony, sales tax on Amazon purchases for those of us who live in Florida, a Maxpad large screen Windows 8.1 PC/TV and Instagram reassigning a supposedly dormant user account to an employee. Of course there are many other things we had our eye on this past week and they included The Mobile First/Cloud First/Data First Microsoft, Carriers now backing a kill switch on phones, Nokia will become Microsoft Mobile when acquisition closes later this week, Microsoft picks up the Windows update release pace, More about Cortana, Windows business for Microsoft is far from dead, Enabling Enterprise mode in IE11, The cheap custom XP patches is not what you think it is, Using Windows 8.1 compared to Windows XP, More Windows Phone 8.1 features, Windows Store redesign, Built in Apps on Windows Phone 8.1 vice system integration, New Windows Phone Dev Center blog, Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 8.1 side by side, Dual SIM Nokia Lumia 630, Use SMS/Text to add calendar appointments in Windows Phone 8.1, The Me Tile in Windows Phone 8.1 has changed significantly, The new and improved calendar in Windows Phone 8.1, VPN on Windows Phone 8.1, Xbox Music update for Windows Phone 8.1 arriving soon, Windows Phone 8.1 Action Center, Windows Phone 8.1 Volume Controls, Devs can begin replying to Windows Phone Store App reviews, Favorite tweaks on Windows Phone 8.1 from a dedicated iPhone user, Windows Phone 8.1 grabbing attention of users, Microsoft Remote Desktop App for Windows Phone 8.1 released, PS4 vs Xbox One March sales update, Office 365 Personal now available, Office 365 IT Pro Network, Outlook.com users can now import Yahoo Mail to their accounts, Basic pricing tier rolled out for Azure, Intel’s take on tablets, Gross gadgets, All in One Media Keyboard from Microsoft, Lenovo FLEX 2 laptops, Asus VivoTab Note 8 review, Belkin’s latest beast of a router, Privacy and cloud computing, Ears for Microsoft Surface, Password Managers, Liking brands on Facebook and your legal rights, Twitter web profiles updated, Comcast bills and scammers, Building Windows App in Windows Phone App Studio, New Microsoft Specialty Stores opening soon, Buy instead of rent your cable modem, NASA JPL IT Director talks future of IT, Bing gets personalized cards, World Wide Telescope from Microsoft and Cortana-isms. Until next time enjoy the show and thanks for listening.
Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 127
Welcome to Episode 127. This is the show that starts off talking about lunar eclipses, Office 365 personal and the Windows Phone 8.1 developer preview. I recorded this show very early because I had already been up for a few hours watching the full lunar eclipse that was visible from my backyard. After sharing those images on my Twitter account, @WinObs, I finalized preps for the show and was pointed towards the news about Office 365 Personal being made available which was expected since their announcement a few weeks ago. Then instead of my normal Start Up segment I shared my initial observations of the Windows Phone 8.1 developer preview that was released Monday morning to a very enthusiastic Windows Phone fan base. The additions it brings to the OS rounds things off very nicely. However, those were not the only items on the radar to keep an eye on this week so some other areas I discussed include One Microsoft, Terry Myerson’s interview with Mary Jo Foley, End of custom Live Domains service from Microsoft, Interactive Live Tiles, Windows Phone 8.1 reviews, Evolution of the Lumia, Windows Phone 8.1 security and device management, Universal Windows Apps, Windows Phone 8.1 tips, Microsoft accepting Windows Phone 8.1 apps, Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.1 Update, Adding the power icon back on your Surface device, Tips and Tricks for Windows 8.1, Windows 8.1 Update gives you the UI for your device, IRS will pay for Windows XP updates, Before they loved it people hated Windows XP, The post Windows XP world and how we arrived at it, XP based servers still behind 6,000 websites, Risks associated with running Windows XP now, Office 365 continues to pick up new contracts and clients, Office Online available in Chrome Store, Updates to Word and Excel Online, More Phil Spencer information, Another Xbox One update rolls out, Facebook and their Messenger App, Facebook fights Newsfeed spammers, Twitter notifications on the web, Nearly half of Twitter accounts never send one tweet, Heartbleed and security, Windows Phone Bing apps lose the Bing in name only, Amazon buys comiXology, Best Amazon Mayday support calls, XP retirement slows PC sales drop, T-Mobile eliminates data charges for tablets and stops overage charges, Bing Translator plugin for WordPress, Washington state throws out PC’s full of personal information, Three charged with stealing Xbox information from Microsoft, Microsoft’s Scroogled campaign may be over and Laptops impacting coffee house revenue. Until next time enjoy the show and thanks for listening.
Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 126
Welcome to Episode 126. This is the episode where we bid a fond farewell to Windows XP, Office 2003 and we welcome Windows 8.1 Update which arrives today. We kick things off with info about the anticipated Windows 8.1 Update and what it means for Windows 8.1 users, having to rename your SkyDrive folder to OneDrive after the 8.1 Update is installed, the fact that the Windows 8.1 Update is a required update for users in order to receive future security updates and a short video from Scott Hanselman showing off the 8.1 Update changes and enhancements. I also reflect on the possibility that wearable’s are wearing out their welcome with users, whether Chromebook shipments are growing, T-Mobiles back step to keep corporate discounts for existing customers, a smartphone with ultra sound and why UPS trucks do not turn left. Of course our list of items we are keeping an eye on this week has many items on it including Microsoft’s turn around as a company, Video summaries of the Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 Build announcements, Free Windows for manufacturers, News items and announcements out of Build 2014, Windows Phone and Cortana, New Nokia Lumia Phones arriving soon, Windows 8.1 Update and Windows XP ending, Windows XP usage still above 25%, Governments pay to keep using Windows XP with support, Office 365 cross platform features, Office for iPad has 12 million downloads in first week, Xbox One updates and new features coming, Xbox Games with Gold offerings for April, Xbox One and a possible Xbox 360 emulator, Apps may not need Xbox Live Gold subscription in the future, Interview with new Xbox head Phil Spencer by Major Nelson, Internet Explorer 11 gains ground, Vine releases direct Vine Message feature, Jerk.com pursued by FTC for scamming folks, Microsoft warns companies on new standards for Adware detection/definition, OneDrive for Business now available as a separate subscription, Windows Store overhaul coming soon, Florida Devs new app contest to win a Dell Venue 8 Pro, Microsoft Press distro taking over by Pearson, Blogger tricks thief into returning her domain, MEC 2014 wrap up, Microsoft and Open Source, Cortana to rule them all, Windows XP Bliss photographer regrets not being paid more for popular image and seeing the International Space Station passing beneath the moon. Until next time enjoy the show and thanks for listening.
Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 125
Welcome to Episode 125 and despite it being recorded on April Fool’s day here in the US there is not one single April Fool’s related story in this show! However, there are plenty of news items from the past week including Microsoft huge announcement about Office for iPad and how quickly those apps shot up the popularity chart in the Apple App Store. The majority of tech sites were pretty positive about the announcement as well as how Satya Nadella did in his first public appearance as Microsoft’s CEO. As a result of the Office for iPad news and the continued perception of Satya Nadella’s performance as CEO Microsoft stock is approaching $50 per share and is at the highest level it has been at for many years. That has to be making shareholders very happy. I also discuss some of the other product areas we expect news about, including Windows 8.1 Update and Windows Phone 8.1, during this weeks Build Conference in San Francisco. That means next week will be a show full of stuff as well. It sure is a good time to be a Microsoft Observer! Other items we are keeping an eye on this week include More services pulling their support in third party apps, Amazon looking for avid gamers, Malicious apps and Android phones, Pebble watch will work with Windows 8/Windows Phone 8, Lenovo battery recall for Thinkpads, Ad supported video streaming from Amazon, Roku on TV’s, MP3tunes founder liable for $41 million for copyright violations, Microsoft takes privacy of your email one step further in investigations, More senior leadership changes at Microsoft, The evolution of email, Cloud First, Mobile First at Microsoft, Project Lite in the cloud, Office 365 gets a huge growth spurt thanks to Office for iPad, The Cloud War that is brewing, Dropbox and DMCA takedowns in private folders, Stolen Twitter accounts more valuable than credit cards, Protecting your social media channels from phishing, Malware infections rates double, Windows 8.1 deployments and security features, Windows XP has one week left, Windows Phone 8.1 is in OEM hands already, Hexic and Star Wars Assault Team hit all Microsoft screens at once, Microsoft cleaning up the Windows Phone Store, Tiny Planets PRO for Windows Phone, New Building Apps Blog coming soon, Xbox gets new apps on One and 360, Xbox One reputation warnings started to go out, Xbox Games with Gold for April includes Hitman and Deadlight Free, New Xbox Chief says gaming will be the core experience moving forward, Surface 2 making a name for itself, Surface accessories come and go, Facebook goes virtual and gest one billion mobile users as well, Twitter lets you tag others in pictures. Twitter thinks about changing Retweet to Share, Faithful Hacking, Dealing with old gadgets, Productivity tips from Scott Hanselman, New wireless mice from Microsoft, Elon Musk and taking on challenges when they might fail, T-Mobile says farewell to corporate discounts, Settlement credit for past eBook purchases and help with Sculpt Wireless Bluetooth mouse on Windows 8.1. Until next time enjoy the show and thanks for listening.