Windows Phone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

"The excitement is palpable as the number of apps in the Windows Phone 7 marketplace edge towards 5 figures. WindowsPhoneapplists.com reports nearly 1200 applications have been added in the last 2 weeks, which is an acceleration on the usual 1000, and should guarantee we pass over the 10,000 mark today."

This is quite an accomplishment, and definitely bodes well for the future of Windows Phone. Only 4 1/2 months since it was released to the public, and developers have showered us with great applications faster than we could have imagined. I think the smartphone war is going to heat up significantly over the next year or two.

According to an update in his blog this afternoon from Eric Hautala, Microsoft's GM for Customer Experience Engineering the "Nodo" update that will include copy and paste is expected to be available in the later half of March. Mr. Hautala pointed out that "it's important that we learn all we can from the February update". He also indicated that the update had been successful for the overwhelming majority but some did encounter issues and for that Microsoft would like to take some extra time to learn how to deliver the update more effectively and reduce risk of issues popping up.

I for one, think Microsoft is making the right choice here. I'd rather wait and have a great experience with the new update than for there to be issues. There is far too much at risk for Microsoft to push out an update that hasn't been thoroughly and completed tested, especially after this first push of code that didn't make any noticeable changes to the phone. A failed "NoDo" update would be a huge setback to Microsoft's push for strong position in the mobile marketplace.

"The Love Clean London Windows Phone 7 app makes it easier for Londoners to report environmental crimes, receive feedback from London boroughs on progress and save London boroughs money...The system gives people an easy way to help their borough keep communities clean, receive prompt action when a report is sent and help boroughs direct their resources to the areas that need them most."

Stuff like this fascinate me - a new way for governments to interact with their constituents, and for people to act individually for the betterment of society. Gadgets and technological change has in some ways isolated humans from each other, but every now and again something crops up to bridge that gap again. I can't imagine that London's the only city that needs cleaning up, nor many others that are about to hold the Olympics, but this imaginative use of existing platforms and technology could serve as a model for a whole host of service improvements - if anyone's listening. Yeah, I can see the flip-side (for instance if something like this was available in pre-Glasnost Russia, or present day Libya), but I prefer to have some faith in the basic altrusim of mankind. The Love Clean London app is a free download from Windows Marketplace.

.

"We remain very pleased with the Windows Phone Marketplace ecosystem and are grateful for the time, patience and hard work that developers have committed to make it a success. We will continue to take feedback and take steps to make Windows Phone Marketplace and App Hub a more convenient, fun and rewarding experience for developers."

Microsoft has recently made some interesting changes to the Windows Phone Marketplace that will make it easier to publish apps. This is especially true internationally, where Microsoft has partnered with a Global Publisher, who will act as an intermediary between developers and the Microsoft certification process. In addition, the Marketplace Application Provider Agreement has been updated to include more licenses. Mostly though, Microsoft used this announcement as an opportunity to tout the great results for developers who use Trial Apps. "Nearly 1 out of 10 trial apps downloaded convert to a purchase and generate 10 times more revenue, on average, than paid apps that don't include trial functionality," said Todd Brix, Microsoft's senior director of mobile. Finally, Microsoft revealed some results from the Ad Control platform, which allows developers to create ad-supported free apps. At just under 10,000 apps (9823 as of this morning), the WP Marketplace is growing quickly and these changes can only help going forward.

"One of the mobile world's most popular fitness apps -- Runkeeper -- has finally arrived for Windows Phone 7. Runkeeper has been available on other platforms for a bit over two years, amassing more than five million downloads in that time."

If you're a jogger - or even if you take walks regularly - this app's for you. You can track your progress in real time via GPS, and save your favorite routes. I'm not sure if there's cloud integration yet for WP7 (it's available for iPhone and Androind versions), but if it isn't I'm pretty sure it'll get there in time.

"You are right, the NoDo update was suppose to be released on March 7th, but it has been postponed. We don't know a date yet, but Microsoft will push the update soon."

As a follow-up to an earlier post, it looks like the "second-half of March" time frame for the NoDo update definitely applies to all WP7 phones and not just a delay for those in Europe. According to a Microsoft Answers moderator, NoDo was initially scheduled to be released on March 7th. A date that falls in line with CEO Steve Ballmer's statement at MWC. Apparently, the update will be pushed soon but no firm date was given.

I wish Microsoft would give us more guidance as to which devices are giving them trouble with the update process. We know there are new devices that ship with the new software. Coupled with the impending release of CDMA phones which requires NoDo, its seems certain the hold-up is due to some devices not completing the update process without wiping the phone. Devices that are able to accept the update without issue should be given the update. Owners of phones that are having issues should be given a choice to wait for an in place update that won't wipe their device or be allowed to update with a fresh NoDo ROM image.

If given the choice, I'd probably wait but I know many people who wouldn't mind a hard reset in exchange for NoDo. What would you do?

"There’s a new app in the Marketplace from Microsoft and this is one of those fancy cloud apps but it’s for the masses."

One advantage of having portable devices, such as phones, being so flexible and powerful is that it allows you to get a lot of work done without having to go to the office. But it could also be a disadvantage.Spontaneous creativity can often be found when two or more human beings actually meet face to face in real life. And when you're at home all day, the opportunity for those meetings is greatly reduced.Enter Lunchbox.Lunchbox is an app that attempts to mimic those chance meetings by linking you with others that have a simlar interest, or "universe".When using Lunchbox, you would enter in a universe and then pick a time frame when you would like to happen to bump into someone who also is interested in that universe. It's a neat idea that's definitely worth exploring.The app feels a little incomplete for now, since people with similar interests may have trouble finding each other if they happen to write down different words for their "universe". But it's got potential. This isn't meant to be a review, so I'll leave it to you guys to give Microsoft some feedback on it.If it piques your interest, check it out in the Marketplace. It's free.

"After March 8 - one of the most prevalent rumored dates for Microsoft's "NoDo" update to Windows Phone 7 - came and went, many WP7 users were wondering what happened. The new word is the update is now coming in the second half of March."

Image courtesy of slashphone.com

Microsoft France has just posted in their blog stating the NoDo update will be coming in the second half of March 2011 which is contrary to CEO Steve Ballmer's announcement at MWC of an early March release. It is unclear if this new release estimate applies to all WP7 phones or what is the cause for the possible delay. Though one could speculate that the problems experienced in the recent updates may have played a role. Personally, I don't mind a delay if it ensures the update process will run smoothly. With the recent problems, it is imperative the NoDo update goes off without a hitch.

"Portal will enable expanded regional Windows Phone 7 application development, accelerate creation, availability & submission of regional Windows Phone 7 applications into Windows Phone Marketplace'Yalla Apps' presents regional developers with a new opportunity to monetize their applications and create new revenue opportunities across the world."

Are you a developer in the Middle East or Africa that has been waiting for the opportunity to create new and exciting software for Windows Phone? If so, you're in luck.

While official development support hasn't been rolled out to many regions yet, companies like Prototype Interactive have taken it upon themselves to give access to Windows Phone Development to those who previously didn't have the means.

"Yalla Apps" acts as a middleman, publishing apps for developers who have not been able to get certification themselves because of the region they happen to live in.

But that's not all. Yalla Apps also functions as a developer community, where developers could go to share code and expertise with each other.

Check out the link for more info.

Keeping your data in Sync can be a chore. For Google Users who are also Windows Phone users, getting not just your email, contacts and calendar but also your documents, RSS feeds, and voicemails can be even more challenging. Luckily, Lifehacker has come along and compiled a list of great apps that will allow you to manage all of these feats. I personally store my data with Google, and can say that the recommended apps are great for accomplishing all of these tasks. Hit the link and get downloading for all the Google fun!

This week's app round-up includes 4 apps that I think are really beginning to show the power of the Windows Phone 7 platform and the dynamic content that is starting to become available for the platform.

Included are a new Twitter client, a universal printing application, a contact sender for forwarding contact info directly from the people hub to other contacts, and finally a Groupon browser.

moTweets

First up is moTweets an application that has been around the Windows Mobile platform for awhile and has only gotten better with its addition to the Windows Phone marketplace. For Twitter users, this is the app for you on the Windows Phone platform. The application is clean, simple and easy to use. On first impression, the one feature that I think should be added is the ability to resize the text within the tweets.

Some of the interesting new features include the inclusion of location based info in your tweets and a ability to truly see what's going on around you. The "Near Me" thread enables you to not only see the tweets of those around you but their last mapped location. This could have some interesting uses in itself but for now it makes for a pretty cool visual.

Read more...

While at the Enterprise Connect 2011 show in Orlando this week I heard from a few friends working the floor that an independent developer will be releasing a Windows Phone 7 Lync Client shortly. Contained in this blog post is some limited info about the client, some screen shots, as well as, a video. I'm working on finding out more info and hope to have a follow-up post soon. This would be hugely helpful for you Microsoft Lync users. It appears to give a IM and Presence client on the Phone platform. It would not contain the "full fidelity" of the Microsoft version but it would be a great start. Read on and enjoy!

"Sugarwatch provides an easy to use intuitive way to record your blood glucose readings, insulin doses and activities. It provides warning indicators that show when you go beyond your ideal glucose range. Sugarwatch provides graphs that show you glucose trends over multiple days to help you identify changes you can make to your regime along with graphs that show averages and glucose mapped against activities. All the graphs you need to help you self manage your condition"

If you or someone you know is diabetic, you may want to give Sugarwatch a try. Sugarwatch makes recording glucose levels easier. It allow you to set a lower and upper ideal range. Once set, the application will highlight when you were out of range. There are also plenty of other entry fields which means this application allows for the recording of fairly detailed information. Once data has been inputted you can get a quick view of past glucose levels in graph form.

Sugarwatch is free and available in the Zune Marketplace.

I think there might be some interesting math in use over at ZDNet. In an article posted today, James Kendrick pronounced that based on his read of the comScore's rating on smartphone market share that Android remains at the top, but somehow, Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 is already in decline in its first quarter of availability. That sounds like "fuzzy math" to me.

A deeper look into the numbers reveals that Comscore is tracking a 1.7% share decline for Microsoft in the last quarter, however, this share loss is across the entire Microsoft mobile platform, including Windows Mobile.

My guess is that over the next few quarters as the Windows Mobile product "gets out of the system" that Microsoft's numbers will increase. It would be great to see if Microsoft and its carrier partners could come up with a method of converting those Windows Mobile users to Windows Phone 7, but until there is feature parity (copy/paste, multi-tasking, etc) I'm guessing that this number will continue to decline until the WinMo attrition number is usurped by the Windows Phone 7 net-new quarterly purchases.

Of note, ZDNet's original title read "Android on top in the US, Windows Phone 7 already in decline?" it now reads "Android on top in the US, Microsoft in decline". Is this really news?

Looking for a great review of the HTC Arrive? Check out the video review above provided by our friends at WireFly. The HTC Arrive looks to be a really nice device. It looks a little thicker than I would like but that is largely due to the slider keyboard and screen tilt features that the phones provides which similar to the HTC Tilt and the Tilt 2.

Sprint has done a nice job with their hub integrating Sprint TV and Radio but the one pieces that I found really interesting about this device is that it will ship with the Microsoft "NoDo" update. The Arrive will be available on the Sprint network on March 20th.

According to the reviewer the phone will also come with 25GB of "Cloud" storage. As far as I can tell this is unique to the HTC Arrive on the Windows Phone 7 platform.

For many basketball fans March signifies the month where their favorite team has a chance to prove themselves the best in the country in the NCAA tournament. For Windows Phone 7 fans, this signifies the month that their favorite marketplace hit 9000 apps! Matthew Miller over at ZDnet sees the connection though, and has a great post discussing his favorite apps for tracking your teams throughout the tournament, and setting up your tournament bracket. Hit the link for his March Madness picks.

"Seems us Samsung folk (I'm really beginning to regret leaving HTC) are still experiencing issues with the pre-NoDO update (take 2). Pulling the original release, this second attempt was meant to have fixed the teething issues, but alas there are still problems being reported."

If you have a Samsung WP7 phone like me, you may want to wait a day or two before attempting the update as there appears to be some chatter on twitter regarding errors resulting from the newly released update.

The first release of the update was pulled due to problems when applied to Samsung phones. Earlier today, Microsoft announced they had found and corrected the glitches and updates would resume soon after. But, it appears that once again, some Samsung users are getting error codes during the update. To make matters worse, some have claimed that attempts to restore the phone from backup fails during the restore process, leaving the user with no choice but to bring the phone back to its factory state.

Hopefully these cases are isolated incidents. However, as a precaution, I strongly suggest Samsung users hold off for now.

"Starting today, we plan to resume rolling out the February update to Samsung phones. Meanwhile, we're continuing to dispatch the update to other Windows Phone models. As has been the case, the software patch is being sent out on a rolling schedule. You'll see a message on your phone when it's available."

Microsoft has apparently found the glitch that affected the update process for certain Samsung models, and are now pushing out the first WP7 update to everybody (eventually). This rollout has obviously not been pain free and MS testing procedures probably not as comprehensive as it should have been, but better now than later when the more important NoDo update comes due this month. If you've got a Samsung, let us know how your update experience went.

"I recently blogged about Flashcards.Show Version 2 for WPF, Silverlight, and Windows Phone, which features the Flashcards.Show application. I'm not going to (again) review the app, but I do want to talk about how we developed the application and the design the code base to support multiple clients.

The first version of Flashcards.Show was a Windows (WPF) application. This app was originally designed by IdentityMine, and used a few Windows 7 features such as multi-touch and taskbar integration. While the first version was great, we wanted to increase its value by enabling users to share the decks that they are creating. Therefore, when we set to work on version 2, we sought both functional and technological solutions to enable ease of use for the deck-sharing scenarios, as well as ease of development and maintenance of the code."

Yochay Kiriaty gives a good tutorial on some of the things to plan for if you are looking to bring your application to many different platforms, such as Windows Phone, Silverlight, and Windows Applications. This is the vision that Microsoft has been touting for a few years now (3 screens and the cloud). Development tools are getting better and better at providing this functionality, but it still takes some planning up front to ensure the code that will be portable and compatible accross the different platforms.

"In this case the return of a beloved set of golf clubs - oh and a beloved mobile phone - were all achieved via the Find My Phone standard feature of Windows Phone 7."

Windows Phone 7 has a handy feature that allows you to track the whereabouts of your phone should you ever lose it. It uses a combination of Windows Live and capability built into the phone to allow you to:

• make your phone ring
• map your phone's location
• lock your phone and show a message
• erase your phone

Our Read link takes you to a story of how the service was used to recover a set of golf clubs that were stolen from a club house. Hopefully you will never have need for this service, but if you ever do it may prove invaluable in either protecting your privacy and/or recovering what is for most people an absolute indispensable asset.