Backstage at MED

Why I’m feeling good about Bing

I know I work for Microsoft, so I might be biased, but please tell me how Google search is better in this one specific case?

Google’s seem to have more ads! while Bing’s has the useful left nav bar and the easy math that they’ve already done to remind my family that they have 6 days to get me presents ;)

there are others features that are unique that you can see here : http://www.decisionengine.com/Default.html

So what do you think?

Omniano “The Band” for" Windows Mobile

Ever wished you could use your mobile device to play musical instruments? Check it out! it’s a Piano, a Flute and a Drum Kit all in one app.

Watch the video demo here :

Someone named Sheon from Korea made this and released it on his blog.

Make sure you download and install v1 (http://sheon.tistory.com/20) before overriding the exe file for v1.1.2. (http://sheon.tistory.com/21)

Windows Mobile 6.5 Developer Tool Kit released on MSDN!

* CLARIFICATION *

This is NOT the full SDK. This tool kit complements the actual Windows Mobile 6 SDK that you can download from here :  http://bit.ly/CBHWc

Woohoo! it’s finally done!!

The Windows Mobile 6.5 Developer Tool Kit adds documentation, sample code, header and library files, emulator images and tools to Visual Studio that let you build applications for Windows Mobile 6.5. This document contains important information about this package. For general information about writing software for Windows Mobile, please see the Windows Mobile Developer Center. The Windows Mobile 6 SDK must also be installed in order to use any of the Windows Mobile 6.5 Gesture API or samples. Windows Mobile 6.5 Developer Tool Kit comes with the following Emulator Images:

• Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional Square Emulator
• Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional QVGA Emulator
• Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional WQVGA Emulator
• Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional VGA Emulator
• Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional WVGA Emulator
• Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard Square Emulator
• Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard QVGA Emulator

Available locales:
0804 CHS Chinese Simplified
0409 USA English
0407 GER German
040c FRA French
0410 ITA Italian
0c0a ESN Spanish

A new set of APIs is being introduced that will enable application developers to take advantage of the new Windows Mobile 6.5 touch gesture framework. The gesture APIs allow an application to handle touch gesture input and provide a visually consistent experience with the rest of the device UI. Note that the gesture APIs are only available on the Windows Mobile Classic and Professional SKUs. The headers and libraries are installed in the Windows Mobile SDK\Pocket PC\ folder. Samples that make use of these APIs are installed into the Windows Mobile 6.5 Developer Tool Kit\Samples\ folder.

Get it now from here : http://bit.ly/hyjP4

Remember to install this first : http://bit.ly/CBHWc

Kinoma Releases new update with Social features

adding support for Twitter and Facebook status update support.

Checkout the new list of features :

Go buy it now at : http://kinoma.com/play/

and follow their twitter accounts @kinoma and @kinomatips

Twikini 1.0 released, now with special pricing for starving bloggers!

CJ just pinged me to let me know Twikini has hit v1.0 and it’s final. Woohoo! here are the new updates in v1.

Official version 1.0 (May 20, 2009)

• New: Added Public timeline. Now you can read tweets from total strangers!
• New: Fast account switching - now you can quickly switch between multiple Twitter accounts without reentering the password.
• New: 2 new themes - Lounge and Cool Water.
• Improved: Start up time will be faster because we eliminated one unnecessary Twitter API request for authentication.
• Improved: Finally fixed the auto refresh issues. Auto refresh should work whether your device is turned on or in standby.
• Improved: Added a 2-minute option for auto refresh.
• Improved: The title bar of the tweet dialog will show you which account you're tweeting from (to prevent accidently tweeting from the wrong account).
• Improved: You can now manually delete the image cache from Options.
• Bug fix: Fixed problems with tweets in languages like Thai, Russian, Chinese, Japanese etc. You can tweet in whichever language your device uses (not just English).
• Bug fix: Fixed problems with encoding special characters like ? and % in tweets and DMs.
• Bug fix: "&gt" and "&lt" were showing up in the timeline instead of > and <.
• Bug fix: If you were in the Sent Items view, it would not refresh after you sent a DM.
• Lots of performance tweaks and miscellaneous improvements.Note: although this is the "final" v1.0 release, Twikini will continue improving just like before. We have more features to add and lots of ways to improve further.

and the new “pricing model”.

• $4.95 (value shopper)

  Get Twikini plus any other Trinket Software app for just $4.95. That's saving more than 50%, and our other apps are also useful, fun and well designed just like Twikini!

  Continue

• FREE! (starving blogger)

  If you have a blog or website and post something about Twikini, we'll give you a free copy. Tweets on Twitter don't count.

  Continue

• $9.95 (business user)

  If you use Twitter for work or to grow your business, and find Twikini to be a valuable tool, please consider this option. Your increased support will encourage improvements and expedite new features.

  Continue

Go download yours now, and give CJ some props for making this fine app!

http://www.twikini.com/Twikini/Purchase.aspx

Smackdown Setlist

Thanks everyone for coming to the Smackdown at TechEd 2009 today. as promised, here’s the list of applications that we showed off.

Live Mesh

Kinoma

Spb Mobile Shell 3.0

Spb TV

Fart Machine

Eduify

Facebook Mobile

Mobile Manager for Netflix

Dasher

Pocketwit

Internet Explorer Mobile (not available for download)

Fake Call

Ride Charge

MyPhone

ZeeMote

Peggle

Mobile LOB Accelerator

Official Facebook App for Windows Mobile

Now available! Go download it quick!

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/en-us/downloads/facebook.mspx

Direct Link : http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/8/C/98C5A4DF-1C12-421F-9384-34C5360E8736/Facebook_v1.0.0.7.CAB

Windows Mobile Twitter Apps

Alright, here’s a list of the 8 9 (currently) Twitter Applications for Windows Mobile that I know of. if you’re one of the authors, send me updates and if you’re building one, send me a copy too! Will update this list frequently.

#1: TinyTwitter (http://www.tinytwitter.com/)

Features: Very functional, GPS,  quick.

#2: Pocketwit (http://code.google.com/p/pocketwit/)

Features: Very pretty, GPS, Maps support, URL shortening, twitpic, search.twitter, themes

#3: Twobile (http://www.infinitumsoftware.com/twobile)

Features: Twitpic, GPS, URL shortening

#4: CETwit (http://www.kosertech.com/blog/?page_id=5)

Features: Twitpic, GPS, URL shortening, retweet, skweezer, ping.fm

#5: Twitula (SkyDrive)

Features: functional, better UI

#6: Twit Today (http://dalelane.co.uk/page.php?id=1047)

Features: homescreen plugin

#7: Twikini (http://www.trinketsoftware.com/twikini/)

CJ from Trinketsoftware is a master developer. he churns out apps amazingly quick and his latest is Twikini. it’s a very lightweight, simple, yet powerful twitter application for Windows Mobile devices.

checkout screens here :

#8: peSHIr (peSHIr Blog Post)

Jarno Peschier from peSHIrTweets just released another Twitter Client because he wanted it to work for him. download directly from SkyDrive. His program Icon is Hilarious :) UI is a little basic though.

Features: URL shortening, Web shortening, GPS and Fuel Frog (track fuel usage)

9: Quakk (http://www.anthonyburns.co.uk/Quakk/)

Quakk was originally released a while ago (February 2009) and is the latest on my list of twitter apps. I like it because, again it’s simple and fast. Built on NETCF 2.0. It shows you what kinds of apps can be built using C#.

Features: BARE BONES Simple. Tweet, @replies and DMs.

Text Input with one finger and no clicking : Dasher

This came though a Facebook post by Vittorio Bertocci and it’s fascinating! it’s a form of typing without having to click or type anything using just one finger. You navigate through “books” of letters in sequence allow you to write a sentence by navigating through letters. checkout the video here :

Read up the whole project here : http://www.dasher.org.uk

they’ve also built a Windows Mobile / CE version that you can play around with here : http://www.dasher.org.uk/Download.html

It works amazingly well. you should give it a go. here are two screenshots from my Touch HD :

Twikini – Latest Twitter app for Windows Mobile

Adding a another twitter app to my Top 5 list.

#7: Twikini (http://www.trinketsoftware.com/twikini/)

CJ from Trinketsoftware is a master developer. he churns out apps amazingly quick and his latest is Twikini. it’s a very lightweight, simple, yet powerful twitter application for Windows Mobile devices.

checkout screens here :

Application Updates on Marketplace, are now free :)

Most of you must have heard about the news today about what we’re announcing at CTIA. Here’s a quick summary:

1. Designer Themes, working with Isaac Mizrahi and others.
2. Online theme editor
3. Application partners – Gameloft, Facebook, Myspace, Accuweather
4. Marketplace Refunds
5. Marketplace Carrier billing
6. Free application updates

So that means, for the first year, $99 for 5 Applications, $99 for each additional application. Unlimited free upgrades for each application. See, we do listen.

More links to other news:

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN3036207520090331?sp=true

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12261_7-10207621-51.html?tag=newsLatestHeadlinesArea.0

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9130755&intsrc=news_ts_head

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090331-700017.html

http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/31/microsoft-announces-windows-marketplace-partners-tweaked-polici

http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/297510/facebook_app_return_policy_come_windows_mobile

http://www.moconews.net/entry/419-ctia-microsofts-marketplace-will-have-carrier-billing-facebook-wallpape/

http://www.techflash.com/Facebook_Netflix_EA_among_new_Windows_Mobile_apps_42170142.html

Oh and about the Marketplace thing…

Good news coming soon. :)

follow @wmdev for updates.

Stylus be gone!

This is how I roll these days. In order to ensure I do my part to make our products better, I've decided to toss out my stylus and survive on using my finger. That way, i) I won’t get confused anymore which I should be using, and ii) I feel every little nuance of using the finger to operate my phone. things like smaller hit targets, super narrow scroll bars etc.

This will allow me to give accurate feedback to our development teams as they stabilize the new OS.

Join me?

Geez! Talk about FUD

Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. this is what OUR community is doing to us these day. I wonder how someone who claims he’s respectable can connect two completely unrelated sources of information into something negative towards Microsoft.

Read : http://msmobiles.com/news.php/8126.html

What does a marketing exercise to promote the flow of ideas and creativity correlate with paying for the operational costs of maintaining a marketplace?

Wow I say.

Ed, if you’re reading this, please pick on something that makes more sense. Ask us why we’re charging for updates, give us your honest and direct feedback about how unhappy you are with it, but drawing wild unrelated conclusions is unprofessional.

on a side note, Magnify did this for FREE. get your facts straight.

Pick a fantasy app and win a Fuze

The Internet Geek Girl is running a quick voting exercise around the Fantasy Apps activity at #SXSW recently. Go over to her blog to find out more details and vote away. You might just win an AT&T Fuze device.