Chris Leckness is a Geek

Windows Phone 7 Missing Features?

Chris Leckness — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:08:48 +0000

I just caught a link to a Wikipedia page about Windows Phone 7 from @brentO that shows some missing features at launch. I figured I would give my take on them here. Please don’t expect too much insight as I am not really “in the know” on Windows Phone 7. I am an MVP still, but I have very little info right now. I am not a developer so I don’t have the insight from that angle either.

Also, keep in mind that I have been using an iPhone as my daily driver since Windows Mobile 6.5 was released. I am still a fan of Windows Mobile even though I don’t use it daily right now. I know this will sound fanboyish, but I am really, really hoping that Windows Phone 7 brings me back. From what I have seen so far, it could. Anyway, on to the list!

Microsoft said that when Windows Phone 7 is initially released, the operating system will not be “feature complete”. Microsoft said that it will complete features and add them through updates when they are complete with a high degree of quality.

Windows Phone 7 will not have backward compatibility with Windows Mobile 6.5 apps.

This is a good thing in my opinion. One of the stigmas that Windows Mobile had was the need to hard reset often. I am not going to say that it’s 100% the fault of 3rd party software, but I am going to say that it’s a large part of the problem. When people stuff their Windows Mobile 6.5 device with software that was designed to run on Pocket PC 2002, you are asking for problems. There was no strict guideline on the quality of applications in the past either. A developer could write an app that could have massive memory leaks and who would be to blame? Microsoft, it’s the fault of the OS. Right. I support this choice wholeheartedly.

Microsoft hardware specifications mandate that all Windows Phone 7 handsets include an electronic compass. However, the compass feature will not be working at release time, as the compass API is not complete, and software programmers will not be able to access it.

This is no good. If this is 100% true, it’s not a good sign.

The networking API does not give access to sockets, preventing Voice over IP applications such as Skype from operating on Windows Phone 7. At MIX10, Microsoft’s Istvan Cseri spoke about 3rd party access to sockets:

“We are offering HTTP and multiple flavours of web client frameworks and APIs for that…in this release, we are not going to have direct socket access…it is going to come at a later time.”

I personally don’t care much, but it could pose a greater issue than Skype down the road. I am sure this will be addressed.

IPsec virtual private network (VPN) security was supported in Windows Mobile, but will not be supported in Windows Phone 7.

Say goodbye to enterprise users? I am not totally up on what Microsoft is going after with WP7, but I am guessing it’s more consumer oriented people and less about business. Rim should be happy.

Microsoft has decided that data access via Removable SD Card and PC Tethering, both of which were supported in Windows Mobile, will not be supported in Windows Phone 7 in the interest of data security which appeals to enterprise users.

This kind of contradicts what I said to the VPN issue. I don’t have any comments on this.

There is no universal in-box to view multiple email accounts.

This is going to suck big time. I hope they have future plans to include multiple boxes/sources. Although I do know you can set up separate apps for checking email. A demo I have seen online showed a Gmail account and an exchange account with separate blocks. I would rather be able to check both accounts in one app though.

Although Windows Mobile 6.5 had full multitasking, Microsoft has decided not to allow 3rd party multitasking in Windows Phone 7 until as it stated they can execute it well enough in a fashion which won’t affect user experience which in this release they deem essential for its success. Windows Phone 7 will only allow one application to run in the foreground at one time, and no 3rd party apps will be allowed to run in the background, but the state of the application is saved so the application does not restart when the user returns to it unless they open more apps that require heavy system resources in which case the app will be notified of its termination and it can save its own state (if its developer implemented that).The lack of multitasking also prevents inter-application communication between third-party apps.

I see this a smart move taken right out of Apple’s playbook. Apple recently allowed limited 3rd party multitasking though. I will say that I do enjoy being able to use twitter and read email while still listening to Pandora on the iPhone, so this will bite a bit. For the stability of the devices running Windows Phone 7, I support the choice.

Windows Phone 7 will not support Microsoft’s Windows Rights Management Services, which controls who can read and edit Office documents.

I don’t know anything about this subject, so no comment.

The browser (based on the desktop version of IE 7) in Windows Phone 7 will not support Flash, Silverlight and HTML5 at launch. Though Flash has been confirmed to be coming to the platform, no such confirmation has been made for Silverlight or HTML5.

Microsoft will be crazy not to support both Flash and their own product. I am disappointed to see that this isn’t going to make it in at launch.

There is no Native Development Kit (NDK), used by software developers to create native apps. Mozilla cited this as the reason it will not bring Firefox for mobile to Windows Phone 7.

If Windows Phone 7′s own browser works well, who needs Firefox anyhow?

At launch, Windows Phone 7 will not have the ability to cut, copy, and paste. It will recognise telephone numbers and addresses, but Microsoft says the majority of users don’t need ‘cut, copy, and paste’.

This will take a lot of harsh criticism with all that Apple went through on the same subject. I personally don’t care, but I see this being a huge problem for some. I know a few people that were big complainers about the iPhone not having cut and paste that have since told me that they rarely use it now that they can. Yes. Some people cry for features they won’t actually use.

Bottom line, none of these items are deal breakers for me personally. The main ingredient that Microsoft needs to have when they launch is applications. They really have to get the support of the developers again. If they don’t, it’s going to be a hard sell in my opinion. A really good Twitter app, Facebook app, Pandora, email client, and web browser are essential for me. Although with Zune, I might not care so much about Pandora.

Do I heart Windows Phone? We shall see soon enough!

I upgraded my network, no more phone line!

Chris Leckness — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:32:04 +0000

I am finally in the “N”. This weekend, I decided to cut the cord on my Directv HD DVR. No, I didn’t quit Directv, I cut the phone line off. I found that I could eliminate the need to have a line connected if I were to network my receiver to net. In order to do this with the particular receiver I have, I had to have a have a connection to my network via the RJ45 jack on my receiver. Instead of running some cat 5 to my receiver, I would dump some cash. I headed to Best Buy. I figured they would have a solution to do this. Well, it wasn’t the simple solution I thought, but what I settled on works well.

I bought a Linksys Wireless-N Video Adapter. This is an access point that is programmed as a receiver for my home’s WiFi network. It has 1 port that goes from RG45 to RG45 to plug in the device that needs access. Since my Gamerlounge router is not 802.11 N, I decided to also upgrade it to another. Since the access point I chose was Linksys, I decided to get the matching router. I got the Linksys E3000 Wireless-N Router. I got home and hooked it all up and within 30 minutes, I was all networked in with my receiver and could now order pay-per-view with my remote without having to have dial tone to my box. This is just in time since ALABAMA FOOTBALL is coming up this weekend. Hopefully most of our games WILL NOT need pay-per-view though.

The one thing that I have noticed in addition to not having to have dial tone to my box is a PC application from Directv that allows me to watch my DVR content on my PC. Since I don’t use my 2nd gaming PC much anymore, I removed it and added it’s monitor to my main PC and now I can watch DVR content and do other things too! Now my wife is upset that I don’t ever have to come out of my office. I will come out, I promise.

Disclaimer: The Amazon links are affiliate links.

Creative Quitters!?

Chris Leckness — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 23:21:49 +0000

This week has been a week of interesting job exits. I will start with the funniest of them. Apparently some pretty cute office worker that was striving to be a broker overheard her bosses conversation. She said she heard her boss called her “HOPA” which she translated into, “Hot Piece of Ass”. She decided to quit in an excited fashion. She photographed 33 photos of herself holding a whiteboard with various dialogs and awesome facial expressions. Supposedly, she sent the slideshow to 20 coworkers. One of these coworkers mailed the photos to TheChive and they posted them online for all to see. In addition to quitting the job, she blew the whistle on the boss for many hours of playing Farmville at work… Almost 20 hours a week.

If this story is true, WOOT WOOT… Awesome. She’s cute, witty, and with the story public, she should have no trouble finding a job now. I kind of feel a little bit like Ike though. It almost seems kind of staged. Maybe free pub for Scottrade, Crunchgear, or Farmville? Who knows, but Ike’s take is funny. Head over HERE to check it out. Make sure to head over to theChive for the entire 33 photo dialog!

This story upends the funny one from yesterday though. Some flight attendant got pissed off and cussed out the passengers, then made a quick exit using the plane’s emergency slide. Quite a way to quit (or be fired).

On his way out the door, he paused to grab a beer from the beverage cart. Then he ran to the employee parking lot and drove off, the authorities said.

He was arrested at his home in Belle Harbor, Queens, a few miles from the airport, and charged with felony counts of criminal mischief and reckless endangerment.

Where have I been spending my online time?

Chris Leckness — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:56:00 +0000

Since I have not been very active in places you’d normally find me like Mobilitysite and YouTube, I figured I would share with any readers I might still have where I can be found when online.

As far as keeping my finger on the pulse of the mobile world, I still get 100s of emails with press releases and such. I don’t use Google Reader anymore though. No RSS reading whatsoever now. I had trimmed my RSS reading list from 800 sites down to 50-60 before I stopped altogether. I am friends with most of the sites I followed anyway and follow most of them on Twitter. I am not missing much since I get the hot news via email or Twitter.

I am now active once again in some communities:

I have also joined the WebDevils team and soon to help out with a local agency called Axcesswebtechnologies too.

One of the projects I plan to help with is AxcessTuscaloosa. This is a site that Julie has put together that is very similar to a project I gave up on more than 5 years ago called MyTuscaloosa. I think it’s time that Tuscaloosa people get together online more and Julie has put together a good foundation.

When I am not working/posting/reading one on one of these sites, I am not on the PC or I am playing World of Warcraft.

Ok, I Need some College Info and Tips

Chris Leckness — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:30:17 +0000

My daugher, Brittney, is starting her senior year of high school soon. She has made it this far with all A’s and 1 B. She took the ACT earlier this summer and scored a 26. She has a 2nd test scheduled and since we’re in the south, I don’t think she needs to take the SAT. At least I didn’t have to when I was in her shoes. She is pretty set on staying in Alabama, and pretty sure she wants to go to the University of Alabama (which is right here in Tuscaloosa).

My question for anyone reading me is this, when should we buckle down on trying to get her a scholarship or whatever. Did we wait too late or is now the right time? I pushed her to talk to a counselor at school last year but she is shy and didn’t listen. Do I need to go down to her school and talk to them for her?

Help me!!! I don’t want to risk losing out on an opportunity for her. I went to the US Navy out of school, so I am out of the loop on these type things.

Thanks!

Selling Harley, Sony DLSR, and more soon!

Chris Leckness — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:02:28 +0000

Just a heads up for anyone in T-Town or anywhere for that matter, I am selling my recently purchased Harley Davidson and my old Sony Alpha A100 DSLR on Craigslist. Here are the listings if you are interested. I am in the process of cleaning out my office and garage and plan to offload a lot of stuff I don’t use anymore. I haven’t decided if I am going to sell any gadgets, but we shall see.

If you are interested and not in Tuscaloosa, shoot me an email and we might be able to work something out.

Jailbreaking, Piracy, and other junk…

Chris Leckness — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:37:39 +0000

With all the chatter about the government changing some laws regarding jailbreaking another other things, I remembered an article I posted 8 months ago on Mobilitysite. I thought a repost would be in order. These article below is reposted and unchanged from my views 8 months ago. What do you think?

OK, I am not going to beat around the bush here. I am new to the iPhone world. While I have owned the original iPhone since the day it was released, I have only recently called an iPhone my daily driver. I now use my jailbroken iPhone 3GS every day unless I am reviewing another phone like I am now. I still carry that iPhone with me though. All that said, I have been in the smartphone game from the beginning.

In this article, I am going to discuss my views on what’s right and wrong in regards to altering your phone. I am going to use examples and my opinions are based on my own moral code and not necessarily what is truly right or wrong. To be honest, all modifications to a phone are wrong on some level. Every license agreement has some provisions within it that prohibits modification of the code. Despite those restrictions, we do it anyway and there are levels of wrong in all this.

For about 10 years, I have been pretty clean with “borrowing music or software”, but back in the late 90s, I might have partaken in some unsavory acts. I am not perfect by any means, but I do not feel downloading applications, games, music, movies, etc from a website or repository of illegal software is right. I know it’s out there, I know where to go, but I choose to buy the items I want or need now. Sure, stealing a song here and there might not cause someone to starve to death or incite riots in the streets, but if enough people steal their music, it will affect the industry negatively. Why do you think the RIAA is out there suing moms. Our younger generation is too desensitized to taking whatever they want off the internet. “But it’s there for the taking.” Right… so are those 50 pairs of shoes at the Shoe Carnival sidewalk sale while the worker goes inside to use the restroom. Anyway, I don’t do it and I don’t let my kids do it.

Now, the most recent questionable practice that I encountered often before I picked up the 3GS was ROMS for Windows Mobile Phones and PDAs. I took on a no thank you stance on this. I am not in the know so much on what happens in those circles, but what I think is that there are around 3 levels of ROM activity on some of these sites online.

Keep in mind this is my own assessment and these levels are by no means anything “official”.

The 1st level is casual. The casual level is really close to acceptable for me. In fact, If I used a single Windows Mobile device for any extended period of time, I would possibly take part in this level. The level I call level 1 basically are official ROMs ripped of the device it’s intended to work on, stripping the useless apps and processes, optimizing drivers, and then placing the same ROM back on the phone the ROM version was intended for. It’s all in the spirit of making their device run more efficiently. Nothing wrong with that in my opinion. No 3rd party software was introduced to the device that is not licensed for it. Only code modifications. This is, in my opinion, the same as buying a registry editor and hacking the registry to make things run better and that’s never been deemed wrong. But, licenses for most device operating systems have verbiage in the license agreement saying that modification of the code “is” wrong.

On to the second level. This is where I would draw the line personally. This level are ROMs that are taken off another device, modified to run on your device, and adding it to your device. In addition, this level could be a device licensed to run Windows Mobile 6.1, but a ROM from an unreleased version of that device that is Windows Mobile 6.5 is extracted and made to run on the device currently running Windows Mobile 6.1. The issue I have with this is that 6.5 was not licensed to run on this device. While this is relatively harmless, it still not right in my opinion.

The third level is straight up piracy in my opinion. This level is for those ROMs that are being cooked and including software from other OS version, cracked commercial apps, etc cooked right in. This happens in the Windows Mobile ROM community often. I think that some sites have cleaned out ROMs of this level from their repositories, but they are still easy to find.

I think the most valid example of this happened a few years ago in my own Dell Axim forums. Dell abandoned further development of the Axim. Users are locked at Windows Mobile 5, but someone put out a Windows Mobile 6 ROM for the Axim. Initially I shut discussion of this down on Aximsite. This caused some grief from many members and I lost quite a few members because of this choice. I felt the choice was right, but I was also scared of having any sort of legal action brought on my company by facilitating the development and growth of this ROM by allowing it to be openly discussed on the site. A couple years later, I decided to allow discussion, but never hosting or linking to where you could get the ROM. Whether I agreed with it morally or not, we support users that have Dell Axims and legit members needed help fixing devices after they had issues trying to use this ROM.

Taking this a step further, I upset some folks on another site when I was approached to host a custom ROM in that site’s name. I was not willing to put my site’s name on something I deemed wrong. Not only for the legal action that I feared, but the fact that I felt it was wrong.

Enter the iPhone!

Now we have other dilemmas in the mobile tech world to contend with. You have iPhone users, myself included, jailbreaking phones and unlocking phones. What is legal and what is not? Well, earlier this year, Apple filed a complaint with the Copyright Office stating that jailbreaking and unlocking are DCMA violations. They are right in some ways, but really, what level of “hacking” is jailbreaking. I put it in level 1 (casual) if we are going by the model I set for Windows Mobile ROMs. Jailbreaking an iPhone is really only modifying the code. This alone fine is6 in my book. Running unofficial, 3rd party applications is also fine in my book. These 3rd party apps are written by some really talented developers and are not “pirated” apps. For me, I only jailbreak to allow for customization of the iPhone UI as well as adding things to the phone that enhance it’s performance or functionality.

I am undecided about unlocking really. I have always been a against carriers locking a device into or out of their network. I don’t believe a carrier has the right to tell me what device I can or cannot run as long as the device is a proper device that can operate safely on that network. If I get a hot phone from AT&T at a discount and fulfill the 2 year contract, that phone is mine and when I take it to T-mobile, I feel I have the right to use that phone on T-Mobile’s network as long as it can operate correctly and causes no risk to the network. That said, I think I have to put unlocking into level 1 too. All you are doing is modifying the code within the software the phone is licensed to run. You are not stealing, just changing the code. Apple has argued that unlocking can be detrimental to a network though. They claim that hackers can potentially take out towers with DOS like attacks among other issues.

You can also argue that modifying the code on the iPhone is legal using these guidelines from copyright laws.

Courts have long upheld the notion that software modification as a means of reverse engineering to foster interoperability with related systems is not a valid offense or violati
on of the DMCA.
Neither PwnageTool, nor any preceding tool, nor any related tool distributes any copyrighted material.
Under fair use laws, you are allowed to modify and/or copy most copyrighted material SO LONG AS you do not distribute it.
Piracy, less commonly but more accurately known as theft of software, is illegal. Under no warped interpretation of copyright law, morality, or common sense are you allowed to take that which is not rightfully yours, so don’t do it. (Source: Hackint0sh)

I think I can agree with the unlocking and jailbraking views.

Let’s skip level 2 in the iPhone hack world and go straight to level 3. These are those that go out and download commercial apps for free when they are definitely not supposed to be free. This happens way more than you think. This is definitely not right. It’s straight up piracy. The blogs and forums that facilitate this are quite popular, telling me that many of the younger generation don’t have moral issues with piracy. It’s quite alarming. I recently read an article where someone interviewed a successful iPhone application developer and he claimed that 90% of people running one of their apps did not pay for it. Let’s say the app costs $1 and 5,000 people are running it. That would mean that he generated $500 in revenue for all his hard work instead of the $5000 he could have made for legit sales. Piracy took $4500 from this man’s income. If you think about it in that light, does it change your thoughts on the subject?

In summary, I think that iPhone level 3 and Windows Mobile level 2 and 3 are wrong enough where I wouldn’t participate in those type hacks ever. Where do you draw the line?

Like I said, I jailbreak, but I have no reason to unlock since I used AT&T anyway. I don’t see anything wrong with jailbreaking or unlocking and I doubt that any carrier or Apple will ever be able to prosecute anyone civilly or criminally for doing either. I can see their points on trying to squelch these since unlocking can lead users into the dark world of piracy, but it will never stick. I do think that Apple will one day find a way to stop jailbreaking and unlocking though. I also feel that Apple will figure out a way to allow us to skin, customize our iPhones. This would appease my desire to jailbreak. I initially jailbroke my iPhone to be able to customize, but I have since found some other great things that I can do with a jailbroken phone. Don’t worry, they are legal things.

If you choose to use custom ROMs on your WinMo phone or jailbreak/unlock your iPhone, PLEASE EXCERCISE CAUTION. Make sure to back up. Make sure to only download files from reputable sources. Understand the risk of bricking a device. Just be careful if you choose to do anything like this. Here are some resources here on iPhoneMVP to help should you choose to go ahead with jailbreaking and unlocking.

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to discuss your views on this subject in the comments. Keep the debate civil and don’t cast stones at others for their own views. Remember that these opinions in this article are my own, not everyone will agree with them.

HTC Windows Phone 7 Phone in the wild…

Chris Leckness — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:25:32 +0000

Engadget tipsters sent in this yummy photo:

It’s nothing much, but it does show Windows Phone 7 running on a mystery HTC Device. Also noted by the tipster is lack of the custom HTC UI, Sense.

In other Windows Phone 7 news, HP doesn’t appear to be interested in doing Windows Phone 7. They only plan to use their own OS now that they have Palm’s WebOS.

After confirming that no Windows 7 tablets from HP will be aimed at the consumer market, Mr. Bradley went on an interview with CNBC, and told them that his company now had no intensions making HP mobiles with Windows Phone 7 or Android. Instead, he went on, they’d be concentrating on webOS (recently acquired when HP took over Palm) as their mobile platform.

This makes sense, but it will sure be funny seeing an iPAQ without Windows Mobile.

Whew… Mark Ingram’s Trip was cleared by the NCAA!

Chris Leckness — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:49:40 +0000

Heisman Trophy winner, Mark Ingram was outed by TMZ yesterday for being at a high end draft party in Washington DC back in May. This could easily be grounds for NCAA investigation, but the report was quickly stifled since Mark consulted the University of Alabama compliance department to get approval from the NCAA to attend. He was told that as long as he provided receipts for his expenses, all would be ok.

The University of Alabama says Ingram is on the up and up. The Compliance Department tells us, “Mark asked if he could visit Joe Haden at his home in Baltimore. We checked with the NCAA and they approved this trip as long as Mark provided receipts for his expenses.”

The question I have is why did TMZ even run the story if they knew the trip was on the up and up? Did they know that millions of Alabama fans jaws would hit the floor when this scare started circulating around the interwebz? Well, it worked. When I 1st saw the headlines I was like, “OMG, Here we go again.”. We still have our fingers crossed waiting to hear about Marcell Dareus’ fate. He is being investigated by the NCAA regarding an agent party he attended in Miami. He is on the preseason SEC 1st Team Defense and we are definitely going to need him playing this year.

I am returning to Windows Mobile 6.5

Chris Leckness — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:20:52 +0000

I don’t have any issues with my iPhone, I just feel like it’s time for change. I started using the iPhone on the day that Windows Mobile 6.5 was launched. I didn’t jump ship to make any kind of statement or raise a stink, I did it because 6.5 and Microsoft let me down with the release. For years, I was loyal to my favorite OS, but 6.5 launch day was the day I decided to say, “Screw Loyalty”. It’s been quite some time now and the iPhone 3GS has served me well. I have zero complaints, in fact, my using the iPhone turned my wife and daughter into iPhone users too. Oops.

Anyhow, for various reason, I am going back to Windows Mobile for now. Here are my reasons:

Now that I have more available time, I want to get into forums and start answering questions again. Start interacting with the community again. Without using Windows Mobile, I can’t try things out in order to attempt to replicate issues people are having. I could just use the iPhone still and carry a WinMo phone around too, but you know what? I don’t want to carry more than 1 device anymore. That is one reason I am super excited about Windows Phone 7 – the Zune intergration. One less device to carry.
Windows Phone 7 has me excited again. I realize that it’s nothing like Windows Mobile of old, but still, I need to get used to using Microsoft products again.
I don’t need 100 apps. Part of what I liked about the iPhone was the quality and quantity of apps available. The are some really good, easy to use apps that I love. I downloaded 100s of apps in the past year, but in the last couple months, I realize that I only really use a few of them. Email, Twitter, Facebook, Pandora, and Yahtzee. I can do all that with Windows Mobile, Android, and even a dumb phone now.

So. I have made the choice to try using Windows Mobile again, what phone should I use? I have plenty of phones laying around. HD2? No… EU version doesn’t do 3G. HTC Touch Pro 2. Man, I wish I could use it, but again, it’s another EU model and no 3G again. I have some others too, but I have a few requirements that need to be met. It must work on AT&T 3G networks and it’s got to be fast. Slide out keyboard is optional, but I do prefer a slider.

THE VERDICT: LG Expo

I did an unboxing/Video 1st Look and used it for a couple days before I sent it to Steven to review. During that time, the iPhone 3GS was still pretty new to me and I didn’t give the Expo much of a 2nd look until now. I found a friend of my in the Boston area with one that he’s not using much anymore. Waiting for a price from him and I will snag it.

Wish me Luck!

Ps. What phone are you using?