VS05 Launch

Dec 14, 2005 | blog

Typical Microsoft event, though larger than previous events in Minneapols. They supposedly had over 4000 people sign up for the event, though with the snowstorm that came through today it did make many people late. It was crowded, something I can’t normally say for Minneapolis event for Microsoft.

Anyway, it was typical marketing fluff in the beginning followed by some semi-technical/executive overviews of the major benefits of Visual Studio 2005. I liked it and picked up the free version (Standard) at the end of the day. Nice day out of the office!

VisualStudio 2005 Launch – MPLS

Dec 13, 2005 | blog

Well I’ll be at the Microsoft VisualStudio 2005/SQL 2005 Launch event in Minneapolis, MN Tuesday. About 3-4 people from my office will be there, can’t wait! While at the event, I’ll be trying to blog, mainly just for the heck of it (everyone else does).

See ya!

Exchange SP2 “Push Mail” Solution

Dec 9, 2005 | blog

I’ve been researching Microsoft’s push-mail solution and have came to the conclusion that their solution is quite adequate for the task at hand. The differences when compared to the Blackberry solution are noticeable, but once up and running will be seamless to the user.

Microsoft’s requirement for a HTTP request to remain open for x number of minutes and then re-issue the request if no change is returned obviously mandates an unlimited mobile data package added to a user’s mobile phone plan.

This is a key difference, because the user needs to know what to request from their carrier to support the phone, unless the carrier is providing the email address and provisions the service specifically to support the new push solution.

Even though the system is technically not a “push” solution, the end result is indistinguishable from the Blackberry service, with more device options (more on that later).

Cool stuff.

Windows Mobile 5

Oct 23, 2005 | blog

Been investigating Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC Phone Edition, and I must say that as soon as more devices are on the market, I’ll have to pick one up.
The new operating system has many changes from previous versions, mostly in stability and UI enhancements. The most striking addition is the soft keys at the bottom of the screen. These have been on most cell phones for awhile and make the PPC more usable for a phone than it was in the past.
Another new "feature" for WM5 is the requirement of ActiveSync 4.0. This version of AS seems to have some issues with creating a partnership, and also with different Windows XP configurations! MS needs to address this as a #1 priority.
Other neat updates are WMP 10, better Bluetooth support, better WiFi support, better connectivity for tethering as a modem, and much more in the network department.
At the most basic level in the OS, a major change was to move to non-volatile storage. This is also similar to what most cell phones have been using for a long time. Everything in memory is not lost if the battery goes dead. In previous incarnations of the OS and its supported devices, there needed to be constant power applied to the memory. That is a nice change – it also has the positive affect of making more power available for the same battery capacity. Previously in WM, the system had to reserve a certain percentage of battery life to keep the memory contents over a 3 day period – and would even tell the user that the battery was empty when it was not, just to support this requirement. Now, that need is not there and that remaining power can now be used by the user for additional run-time.
Finding all the new features will take time, but there are a slew of people investigating the new OS and posting all over the enthusiast sites about tweaks and settings that improve the OS.
Lots of fun.

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