Windows Mobile for Australia

Windows Marketplace for Mobile – Updates go live

wmOz — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:56:31 GMT

There have been a set of upgrades go live on Windows Marketplace for Mobile through today – full details are on the updates is available on the windows team blog.

Summary of the updates;

1. Developer Portal improvements & stronger anti-piracy protection

2. Browse & Buy applications from the PC

To come later this month is extension of the service to Windows Mobile 6 and 6.1 customers.

DonK

HTC Snap – 6.5 Upgrade for Australia available

wmOz — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:18:52 GMT

If you’ve purchased an HTC Snap in Australia in the last few months you can now get the official Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade from HTC - http://www.htc.com/au/supportdownloadlist.aspx?p_id=262&act=sd&cat=all

Before you apply the ROM update I’d encourage you to install the MyPhone client (http://myphone.windowsphone.com) so you can back up your SMS’s, photos, documents, music, videos. Once you’ve updated to 6.5 just run the MyPhone client (it’s native to all Windows phones) and you’ll get all that info sync’d back to your phone. Just make sure you’ve got an appropriate data plan.

So the Snap now joins the HTC Touch Diamond2 from Telstra in the Windows Mobile 6.5 camp.

As soon as we hear of more ROM updates becoming available we’ll blog about it.

DonK

Technorati Tags: HTC Snap,Windows Mobile 6.5,Update

Western Australia – Day Light Savings changes : patch for Windows Mobile

wmOz — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:01:58 GMT

Our friends in WA decided that their trial of Day Light Saving was just that, and back in May the referendum decided not to implement it permanently, http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/16/2572628.htm?section=australia.

There is now a patch available to bring a Windows Mobile device in line with the decision. Two options;

1. MSI file - which can be installed from your PC can be found here (note, your device has to be connected to your PC to do this, and if you have multiple devices you have to do the same process for each device)

http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/8/9/6892CA30-45CD-40D5-8E14-3A0755A07D00/WindowsMobile-KB975353.msi

2. CAB file (to install it directly on to your device)

http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/8/9/6892CA30-45CD-40D5-8E14-3A0755A07D00/WindowsMobile-KB975353.CAB

If you’re experiencing any “calendar out by 1hr” symptoms in Australia we would recommend you apply this patch first.

DonK

Technorati Tags: Windows Mobile,Day Light Savings

Windows Marketplace update

wmOz — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:22:00 GMT

Todd Brix from the Product team in Redmond has posted an update on the countdown to launch for Marketplace on Oct 6 (US time) – check it out here http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windowsphone/archive/2009/09/30/windows-marketplace-update-countdown-to-launch.aspx

Worth calling out is target to delivery 6 & 6.1 support is November, and that phase will also bring PC based catalogue & shopping experience.

I’d strongly encourage any of you with apps ready to read his section on speeding the app submission process, and as always feel free to ping us here in Oz if you’ve got queries.

DonK

Master CodeMason – the winner is chosen

wmOz — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:10:31 GMT

At the Mobility Smackdown session at TechEd Australia we held the final of the Master Codemason competition. All three finalists had won tickets to TechEd, and were present at Smackdown to demo their applications.

The three finalists with photo’s from their on-stage demos

Luis Ortega with The Follow me Clock

Robert Crago with Musicradio

Darko Radiceski with AAMHatcheye

Once all three had demo’d their app, we opened voting to the audience. Thanks to the Win7 Netbooks, we were able to use Survey Monkey and get live voting. The results from the floor were

We were then able to award the “Master Codemason” certificate to Darko Radiceski for his application AAMHatcheye. Loke Uei Tan (Snr Technical PM Windows Mobile) and Don Kerr (Windows Mobile Product Mktg Mgr) presented the award to Darko.

(Loke Uei Tan, Darko Radickeski, Don Kerr)

CONGRATULATIONS to Darko – next step for those of you reading the blog is to buy the winning application for on Windows Marketplace for Mobile, post October 7 in Australia!

DonK

HTC Snap – ActiveSync setup, if not on Telstra MMES Plans

wmOz — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:26:51 GMT

The HTC Snap has been out for a while now through Telstra. The default configuration is set to take advantage of the new flat rate data plans – know as Microsoft Mobile Enterprise Solution (MMES) http://www.telstraenterprise.com/productsservices/mobility/officemobility/Pages/MicrosoftMobileEnterpriseSolution.aspx

We’ve been hearing that some customers are experiencing “difficulty” in setting up e-mail with the SNAP, so here’s the guide to getting Exchange ActiveSync setup if you’re not on the new Telstra plans (MMES).

Setting ActiveSync to connect through the “Internet” Connection

Press Start
Select ActiveSync
Press Menu
Select Add Server Source
Enter your Email address
Press Next
Enter your User name, Password and Domain
Press Next

The device will automatically download the Settings from the Exchange Server

Proceed directly to Step 10 if the Auto Configuration is successfully

If the device cannot complete the Auto Configuration, Enter your Server address, ensure “This server requires an encrypted (SSL) connection” is checked and press Next
Press Menu
Select Advanced

Ensure the Connection: sliding panel is set to “Internet”

Press on OK if prompted and once you have read and understand the Warning Message

Press Save
Press Finish

By selecting Internet in Advanced Server Settings, ActiveSync will connect through the Connection which is defined in the Connection Settings of the device to Automatically Connect to the Internet.

DonK

It's official - October 6

wmOz — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:22:09 GMT

The latest and greatest version of Windows Mobile, rebranded now as the Windows Phone is going to be officially launched on 6 October according to the windows phone blogsite. http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windowsphone/archive/2009/09/01/windows-phones-are-coming-on-october-6th.aspx

I have to say that personally I am really looking forward to this release, despite having used the iPhone for the last three months. I miss the ability to multitask, change my battery, and really cool features like high resolution digital camera with flash.

Of course the Windows Mobile Marketplace won't have as many applications as the iPhone App Store, but this is more an opportunity for companies like mine, rather than a hindrance to the platform.

The biggest advantage of course is that most (smartphone owning) people recycle their phones on about a 9 to 12 month time period. Which means that there will be a whole bunch of users ready for Windows Phone version 7 when it comes out, including all those who have been using the iPhone for the last year or so.

So if you've been hankering for the latest version of Windows Mobile, and just don't want to buy a fruit phone; or if you have a great iPhone, and really want the features of the latest version of Windows like a high Res digital camera, qwerty keyboard, or replaceable battery; then you just have to wait for three more weeks until October 6.

Technorati Tags: Rog42,Windows Mobile,Windows Phone,iPhone

Smack!Down 2009 App Demo #2 - Microsoft Tag

wmOz — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:16:35 GMT

I love MS's new implementation of tag technology, and there is so much you cam already do with the new Microsoft Tag that you, well, just can't with std QR Codes.

Firstly it's pretty hard to find tag reader applications for phones to read 1 or 2D barcodes. For the MS tag simply point your phone (WinMo, iPhone, Blackberry, Symbian S60) to http://gettag.mobi download the application. Of course on the iPhone you'll have to get it from the App Store.

Done!

To create tags, head over to Microsoft Tag website, login with your LiveID (you'll have to create an account initially), and create to your hearts content.

There are 4 tag types you can create:
1) Dialler - save a phone number and the tag scanner will be prompted to dial this number directly from reading the tag. This is great for service and support options. If you sell a product, simply place a tag sticker on the product which directs users to dial your service dept without needing to remember a number etc.
2) Contact details. Scan the tag and you're prompted to save all of the contact details directly onto your phone. The obvious application here is on your business card and resume. Also on product or service catalogues.
3) Plain Text. Scan the tag and your offered a plain text message. This is great for everything from discount coupons to game clues, even simple "how to" instructions for product assembly etc.
4) URL - the most powerful of the four. Pointing a tag to a URL allows content (audio, video) distribution as well as anything you can put on a website. Scan the tag and hear the next track from an artist, or watch a short "how to" video, or even be connected to a prepopulated shopping cart.

As you can see, this is immensely powerful technology from a user perspective, but there's even more for the marketer/merchant/service provider.

Because the tags contain link information, i.e. they direct the phone to content on the web, you can dynamically update the information (e.g. your contact details etc) as it changes, without having to update all of your printed media. So you can tie a tag to a particular service or product, then change the information about that dynamically based on market conditions. Change your phone number? No need to reprint and distribute your business cards. Change the discount on a book? No need to reprint all your billboards and flyers.

You can also assign different tags to different campaigns, then report in real time on those tags. So e.g. You could do a busstop campaign for a movie in two regions, with two tags, then see the relative success of the campaigns, even dynamically change the price in one region to drive up acceptance.

The tags bear a resemblance to QR Codes, however, there are some significant differences:
• The MS tag stores information in colour (although you can now print them in black and white) - this allows you to store more info in the tag, in a smaller size tag.
• The MS tag can be overlaid on another image.
• As mentioned the MS tag stores info on the web. Whilst this does give the benefit of being able to dynamically change infomation, and report on actual scans a lot easier, it does restrict you to phones with Internet access. Actually this isn't as constraining as first thought, as there are a lot more phones with Internet access than phones that can read QR codes. Personally I believe that the dynamic nature of the MS tag far outweighs this constraint.

Currently the MS tag program is in beta, so tags are free to create and report on. Microsoft has yet to release details of how it will charge for the services once it's released.

Definitely download the reader, and create a couple of tags to try out the service.

At the Smack!Down we gave away a phone to the first person whom could install my contact details on their phone. The winner (with an iPhone) had to download the reader, and read a tag onscreen. The while process (about 37secs) was much quicker than bluetoothing, infraredding, or typing in said contact details. Just imagine the power of that to sell beer?

Smack!Down 2009 App Demo #1 - Microsoft MyPhone

wmOz — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:08:45 GMT

At this year's Top Gear inspired Smack!Down we demonstrated a number of applications that make the Windows Mobile Platform a compelling technology enabler.

The first of these is the relatively new, and more importantly, free service from Microsoft: MyPhone.

MyPhone provides an automatic backup of your entire Windows Phone, including photos, videos, and SMS Text messages. You can set it to sync automatically (I always set mine to sync at about 2am) or perform a manual sync if necessary.

There are a couple of cool applications of MyPhone, besides the rapid and complete restoral of your phone. 1st you can access whatever information you've backed up from the web. Yep, someone sms'd their phone number to you, and you left your phone at home? No problem, just login to MyPhone and search your backed up texts. Awesome! Of course the same goes for that photo you took of the whiteboard in the last workshop, or that quick video interview you grabbed at last weeks conference.

2nd is changing phones: Fire up your new Windows Phone, connect to Exchange and your PIM (email, calendar, contacts, tasks) is sorted; install MyPhone, restore, and all your data, including things that were on a removable card, are now restored on your new phone. Voilà.

To install just head over to http://myphone.Microsoft.com/install download the cab file and execute directly on your phone. You will need a Windows LiveID to access the service from your phone and the Internet.

You will, of course need a phone with Internet connectivity, and I'd recommend at least 3G.

The only challenge I experienced with the service was the limited storage space. 200MB seems like a lot for a phone, but it turns out that the service keeps a separate instance of every device you've connected. This means that when you connect a new phone there is automatically a duplicate copy of all the photos, videos, etc on the web (after the inital restore and first backup). With a couple of videos, it doesn't take long to fill up 200MB.

You can manage this online of course, but I personally found it really challenging to click through reams of links to delete the appropriate info.

This, by the way, is why my demo failed in the Smack!Down :-)

Still, if you have a Windows Phone, this is an application & service you can't afford to ignore. I personally find it far superior to MobileMe, or the iTunes constrained philosophy for the iPhone.

Technorati Tags: Rog42,MyPhone,Windows Mobile,Windows Phone,Smackdown

Can You Stomach the Smack!Down?

wmOz — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:21:14 GMT

As you can tell from the other videos we’ve released over the week, no other breakout session at TechEd comes close to the energy, interactivity and pure fun, than the Smack!Down. Some (speakers) have commented that it’s not a “real” session, because it’s not “serious.” I say that it doesn’t get more real than when you’re having fun.

In fact, having fun, is almost a prerequisite to learning. I mean we tend to remember what was fun, and what hurt. I go with the former. Who can forget setting up the phone as a Wireless Modem, with BA warning you to avoid downloading “donkey stuff?” I still have people telling me the “only” thing they really remember about TechEd07 was me eating a Blackberry for Breakfast in our “Pirates” Smack!Down.

And although there are prizes to win in the Smack!Down, not everyone wins one. No, to win the really big prizes takes commitment, an iron will, not to mention an iron stomach. Welcome to the Smack!Down…

Technorati Tags: Rog42,Smackdown,Windows Mobile,Microsoft,TechEd

TechEd kicks-off: How to win Smackdown entry tags

wmOz — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:36:38 GMT

TechEd Australia 2009 is off an running, it was real busy on the expo-floor tonight, it was great to see the Window phone stand getting lots of people dropping by to see what we have on show, and a good crowd at the Intro to Windows Mobile 6.5 session too.

Smackdown is coming again at TechEd 2009 – Friday 1.45 in Central A is the place, and as is the tradition there will be a small number of special entry tags for specially allocated seats at Smackdown. Three skilful listeners at the session tonight walked away with an entry tag each.

How can you get one?

1. Enter the Forza Motorsport challenge – quickest time each day wins.You can enter at the Windows phone or the Jabra stand.

2. Attend one of the Mobility sessions and answer the questions correctly.

3. Be spotted with a Codemasons’ Guild sticker on your person – random allocations each day.

4. Present evidence that you’ve completed a Windows Mobile HOL at the Windows phone stand – a limited number of tags are up for grab each day.

So drop by the Windows phone stand, play the Forza Motorsport challenge, attend a mobile session or HOL –> all to get a coveted Smackdown entry pass.

DonK

Technorati Tags: TechEd Australia,Smackdown!

Windows Phone @ TechEd : HOLs & Interactive Theatres

wmOz — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:19:57 GMT

Here is part 2 of answering the question

"I want to get across as much of Mobility & Windows Mobile as I can this year, what are the sessions I should attend, and how do they fit together?"

Along with the break-out sessions at TechEd, there are also Hands-on-Labs(HOLs) being run, plus on the Showcase floor there will be some smaller/shorter sessions in the Interactive Theatres.

Here’s a listing of the sessions in the Interactive Theatre, so you know which Mobility ones to look out for.

Day	Time	Session ID	Title	How it fits	Speaker(s)
Tue	18:30	THB001	Introducing Windows Mobile 6.5 - what's new for Windows phone	This will give you the 101 about Windows Mobile 6.5 and you’ll see it in action too!	Don Kerr (Microsoft) – yep DonK in action
Wed	15:00	THG004	Introducing Windows Mobile 6.5 - what's new for Windows phone	Re-run of Tuesdays session about Windows Mobile 6.5 and you’ll see it in action too!	Don Kerr (Microsoft)
Thur	15:00	THR004	SCMDM top Gotcha's and "Simplot a customer's tale"	Some System Centre Mobile Device Manager experts will take you through a few common schoolboy errors and how to avoid them. Then a customer example of getting MDM up and running. This is for the Management guys & girls.	Warwick Brown, Chris Hatzis (Simplot), Andrew McMurray(Microsoft), Wayne Phillips (Airloom)

Here are the Windows Mobile specific Hands-on-Labs

HOL ID	Title	Abstract/Overview
WMB01-HOL	WMB01-HOL Building Real-World-Ready Applications for Windows Mobile with the Microsoft Device Emulator 3.0 and the Device Emulator Manager Automation API	Mobile applications must run within a far more dynamic environment than that faced by desktop applications. Assuring that your application remains stable and reliable within this dynamic environment requires that you include environmental changes in your application test plan. In this lab, you learn how to use the Device Emulator 3.0 and Device Emulator Manager Automation API to develop automated test scenarios that verify your application's reliability under a wide variety of environmental conditions including power changes, abrupt loss of connectivity, phone calls, SMS messages, and much more. Upon completion, you will be armed with the knowledge necessary to create mobile applications that remain stable in the most dynamic of mobile environments.
WMB03-HOL	Hands-on with Widgets for Windows Mobile	The last few years have shown the world the power of having a full-fledged Web browser on a mobile device. From content providers building dedicated mobile sites to cheaper mobile data tariffs, mobile devices have ushered in a new era of content and experiences available on the go. A new programming paradigm called mobile widgets has emerged in response to these recent trends. Widgets enable Web developers to develop application-like experiences that run outside of the existing Web browser, but are powered by the same technologies [HTML, JavaScript, and CSS]. Gone are the days of building WAP sites. By leveraging the capabilities of a fully-fledged browser on Windows Mobile, Web developers can now build rich experiences for mobile devices without resorting to native/managed code. In this lab, learn about how to design, build, and deploy Widgets for Windows Mobile. Learn how to use the widgets APIs and apply best practices to build usable, performant, and delightful widgets.
WMB04-HOL	Integrating the New Mobility Features of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 with Windows Mobile	SharePoint Server 2007 improves worker productivity and effectiveness through simplified collaboration and document sharing. Historically, these features were only available to users with a desktop or notebook computer. As the workforce becomes increasingly mobile, maintaining an effective workforce requires that users be able to collaborate from their mobile devices as well. In this lab, learn how to set up a SharePoint site, make it available to mobile devices, and access that site from a Windows Mobile device. Upon completion, you will know to set up and use the Mobile Features of SharePoint Server 2007 to provide mobile users with the benefits of SharePoint long available to the rest of the workforce.
WMB06-HOL	Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 SP1 Deployment	Learn how to configure Active Directory for Mobile Device Manager and install the three key Mobile Device Manager server roles. This lab takes you through installing the Enrolment Server and validating the Enrolment Web Service functionality; installing the Device Management Server and validating Mobile Device Manager 2008 Device Management Installation; installing Gateway Certificates, Gateway Server setup, Gateway Certificates validation, validating Mobile Device Manager 2008 Gateway Server functionality; and opening required ports in the Gateway Server for Managed Devices

DonK

Technorati Tags: Windows Mobile,TechEd

Windows phone @ TechEd Australia : The session overview

wmOz — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:52:30 GMT

TechEd is nearly on us again and again Mobility (Windows phone, SCMDM, Security, Development) has a strong list of sessions at TechEd 2009 Australia, we wanted to address the question of

"I want to get across as much of Mobility & Windows Mobile as I can this year, what are the sessions I should attend, and how do they fit together?"

Once you have registered for TechEd 2009, you will be able to plan your schedule via the Session Builder tool. If you select "Mobility" from the "Track" options you will be presented the list of sessions - but to help you out in advance, here are some with comment on how they all fit. This is your "Windows Mobile guide to TechEd 2009".

Day	Time	Session ID	Title	How it fits	Speaker(s)
Wed	17:00	DEV260	Distributing & Monetising Windows Mobile Applications through the Windows Marketplace for Mobile	Kick start your grasp of the opportunity that Marketplace brings as a developer to reach millions of Windows phone users, and make some money too. Developer session 1.	James McCutcheon (Mobile MVP) Loke Uei Tan (Technical Product Manager – WM Product team Microsoft Corp)
Thur	08:15	DEV310	Make some Magic! Shake, Flip & Flick your application for Windows Mobile 6.5	Get a depth understanding of the new gestures API & more in Windows Mobile 6.5 and spark your applications. Developer session 2.	James McCutcheon (Mobile MVP) Loke Uei Tan (Technical Product Manager – WM Product team Microsoft Corp)
Fri	08:15	DEV370	Channelling your inner sexiness & other developer tricks for Windows Mobile	Liven up your application for Windows phone, find out the ways & means to have a great looking application running on Windows phone. Developer session 3.	James McCutcheon (Mobile MVP)
Thur	11:30	MGT305	System Center Mobile Device Manager Architecture & Policies for Windows Mobile	Come and hear from a customer who has deployed SCMDM, and an SCMDM expert on how to architect and deploy SCMDM in the real world. Management session 1	Warwick Brown & Chris Hatzis (Simplot), Wayne Phillips (Airloom)
Thur	17:00	MOB201	Telstra’s Microsoft Mobility Solution	Been looking for a fixed rate Exchange email or managed device plan for your organisation? Learn how the Window Mobile specific data plans from Telstra are designed and the technical requirements to implement them. If you’re involved in either Exchange Direct Push or System Center Mobile Device Manager, this is the session for you.	Rick Anderson (Microsoft), Garron Leslie (Telstra)
Thur	09:45	SEC306	Windows Mobile for Government – Common Criteria certification	Is Windows Mobile really secure? Windows Mobile 6.1, System Center Mobile Device Manager (RTM and SP1) have received EAL4 certification under Common Criteria. The licensed evaluation facility will explain the evaluation scope and the functions included in the evaluations, and show you how these two products combine to provide a secure mobile solution. A must attend session for any mobile security people.	Aleks Lubiejewski (Stratsec)
Wed	09:45	UNC201	Introduction to Exchange 2010	The session to find out what is coming with Exchange 2010, and the enhancements on Windows Mobile with Outlook Mobile. The #1 session for the Mobile Mail crew.	Johann Kruse (Microsoft), Roger Lawrence (Rog42 Enterprises)
Fri	13:45	UNC212	Mobility Smackdown!	The session of sessions for Mobile @ TechEd - a "must attend" for all parts of the Mobile crowd, with plenty of excitement to end the Mobility stream. In 2008 over 600 people crammed into this session, and the room next door shut down with all the noise we made – watch out for the special entry tags!	The Smackdown Crew

This is the order as it stands today (5th September), but stay tuned for another post on the Hands-on-labs and Interactive Theatre sessions for Mobility.

DonK

Technorati Tags: Windows Mobile,Smackdown!,TechEd

Scarcity

wmOz — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:32:40 GMT

Scarcity is a well known, and thanks to Social Scientists, proven, characteristic of influence. The scarcer something is, the more people will desire it. I always find it intriguing that in taste tests people actually find the scarcer choice tastier. They don’t just want the food more, or will pay more for it, but the food actually, subjectively, tastes better.

When you derive that scarcity through competition, you just ratchet up the desire. It seems we’re wired for survival, keenly sensitive to scarce resources. Thsi is the very principle that auctions use to drive people to spend way more on something than could otherwise be charged (this is also why I’ll never buy a house on auction).

For the craziest contests though, and the only ones held in breakout sessions at TechEd, there’s only one session….

…The Smack!down

Rog42

Technorati Tags: Rog42,Microsoft,Smackdown,TechEd,Windows Mobile

All the Toys

wmOz — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:31:24 GMT

There’s a lot that happens at TechEd in Australia, which to non-geek may seem, well, boring. At least that’s what my wife says. In the Microsoft ecosystem, however, it’s the conference that is chock full of the latest technology. You can get down and dirty with servers, and wireless networks, operating systems and databases.

Of course you have to be a rather large bank to afford all of this technology. Chances are, if you work for said bank, you’re working with 3 year old tech anyway, as their procurement processes lumber to catch up.

But there’s only one session that actually demonstrates the latest gadgets. Toys which you can afford.

Welcome to the Smack!Down.

Rog42

Technorati Tags: Rog42,Smackdown,Windows Mobile,TechEd,Microsoft,Gadgets,Toys