- Posted by christhi on February 26, 2009
Why is it is ready
1. Large Screen. Look it is much easier to communicate with a larger screen. Nuff said.
2. Excellent User Experience and Interaction Design. Much easier on the those non-technical users: read reduced training and increased productivity.
3. GPS and Mapping. It just works and as good as any car-based GPS I've used minus voice.
4. 10’s of thousands of downloadable applications many of which can be used for business such as Microsoft Tag, Jaadu Remote Desktop, etc.
5. Exchange Support. Not perfect but its there.
6. Web Surfing. See points 1 & 2.
7. Wi-Fi Support. No more lugging laptops to coffee shops.
8. Social Networking easier for the traveler. I no longer have to be at my desk to tweet or blog.
9. MobileMe support for those without Exchange.
10. International Language Support.
Why it is NOT
1. Ease of typing – lack of tactile keyboard.
2. Battery Life. 4 hours! Come on.
3. Apple Store is not really made for business applications – restricted application approval impedes production as well as limits enterprise mobile management solutions.
4. iPhone Application Development is not agile enough. Managed code please.
5. Limited Calendar Features – Such as meeting creation. Sort of hard to create calendar events when you can’t invite anyone from your organization
6. Lack of Enterprise Volume Pricing. Still too expensive for most orgs, especially these days.
7. Lack of Central Administration Tools. See Windows Mobile.
8. No cut and paste. Can live without this but it would be nice.
9. Security: Lack of Remote Kill Option. Apple come on.
10. Native Popular Office Application Support such as Powerpoint without converters such as Acoolsoft PPT to MPEG-4 or iClickr (http://www.senstic.com/iphone/iClickr/iClickr.aspx). Too much of a headache.
- Posted by christhi on February 4, 2009
Ø MIX09 is coming! Register by Feb 13 and Save $400!
When you register by February 13, you’ll receive $400 off the conference price – that’s a full conference pass for only $995.
Sure, not quite as sweet as the last offer, but still a tremendous savings. That’s an extra $400 to help offset hotel or airfare costs.
To take advantage of this offer, go to registration and select the "Register for the event using an RSVP Code" option.
Enter the RSVP code MIX09offer to receive your discounted conference pass.
- Posted by christhi on January 27, 2009
A great article just got posted Tuesday on IT Business Net by Matthew David titled, “Microsoft’s Silverlight Tightens the Screws on Adobe’s Flash?” The story highlights three different areas where he perceives Silverlight has advantages over Flash, including:
ü Microsoft’s offering of a full plate of developer tools to be used in conjunction with Silverlight;
ü Silverlight was built for devices and should hit Mobile in 2009, and
ü Microsoft has a more sound business foundation than Adobe.
In the article, David states, “A weakness of Adobe Flash is its inability to easily create complex solutions, test the solutions and manage the code used in the development process.” As a result, Microsoft has an advantage over Adobe because of its developer tools especially those around ALM, meaning Silverlight developers can use other programs, such as Visual Studio 2008 and Visual Studio Team Suite, to seamlessly create applications in a very productive way. On the Mobile front, David states, “Silverlight as a technology has been developed for deployment to many different platforms. In contrast, Adobe is spending millions retrofitting Flash to work on the ultra-conservative CPU’s found in even the most powerful mobile phones.” He predicts that because Silverlight was created with the ability to run across several platforms, 2009 will usher in Silverlight for Mobile operating systems and leave Flash behind.
Microsoft’s SilverLight tightens the screws on Adobe Flash?ITBusinessNet
January 20, 2009; by Matthew David
http://softwaredev.itbusinessnet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=630745
- Posted by christhi on January 19, 2009
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Creating SilverLight 2 LOB Applications with Blend 2 SP1
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| General |
| January 24, 2009 02:45 PM - 03:45 PM Room: TBD |
| Christian Thilmany, Microsoft |
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Microsoft Expression Blend 2 SP1 is the glue that brings together the designer and developer workflows (and with SP1 now produces SilverLight 2 Applications). It natively supports Visual Studio 2008 projects and allows designers and developers to work on the same files and resources allowing each to leverage their strengths in the application design process. In this session we will show how Expression Blend uses the power and flexibility of XAML to help deliver line of business applications (LOB) to both the desktop and the web via WPF and SilverLight using advanced controls such as the DataGrid and Calendar. Blend allows the designer to use their complete range of skills, leveraging libraries such as the RSS syndication feed, vector and pixel art, animations and data binding while seamlessly integrating into the developers workflow.
http://houstontechfest.com/dotnetnuke/HoustonTechFest/Sessions/tabid/56/CodecampId/1/SessionId/67/Default.aspx
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- Posted by christhi on January 13, 2009
For those note familiar with Phizzpop, this is where Minneapolis Design Agencies faceoff to see who can come up with the best UX design through presentation and demo. I'll be there helping our agencies setup but I would look forward to meeting anyone interested in the show. We should see some agazing concepts.
PhizzPop Tour: Minneapolis
Event Date: 01/15/09
Event Location: Solera – 3rd Floor Event Center
Time: 5:30 p.m.
900 Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55403
612-338-0062
Minneapolis, in January . . . you’d better bring your coat!
Get ready to take it off shortly after arriving though, because Microsoft is partnering with MIMA, the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association, to put together a very hot Design Challenge competition.
Request your tickets today. Space is limited for this exciting event.
For details http://phizzpop.visitmix.com/main/TourEventsHome.aspx
- Posted by christhi on January 6, 2009
For those dying to see the new Visual Studio 2010 IDE now that it has been announced (at PDC 2008) that it is being written in WPF. This applies to both to the visual “chrome” and the code editor. We’ll share more information at the upcoming TechEd EMEA and DevConnections events, but for now, here’s a screenshot:
- Posted by christhi on January 4, 2009
Front Runner for Innovate On: User Experience is here! As software evolves and users become more sophisticated, great functionality alone is not enough. Customers demand compelling and engaging user experiences and Front Runner for Innovate On: User Experience is here to help. If you’re looking at evaluating the latest User Experience technologies (Silverlight, WPF) and platforms (Vista, Internet Explorer 8) Front Runner offers a set of technical benefits to help you through the process. If you’re ready to build or grow your User Experience practice the program offers a set of marketing benefits to help you reach your goals. If you’re interested in learning more, check out Front Runner for Innovate On: User Experience today!
Sign up has been streamlined and you should be able to access your benefits quickly.
- Posted by christhi on December 17, 2008
I'll be presenting at the newly re-scheduled Houston TechFest on January 24th at the University of Houston. In my session I will be chatting about how to build RIA Business Applications using Blend 2 SP1, WPF, and SilverLight.
Session Abstract:
Microsoft Expression Blend 2 SP1 is the glue that brings together the designer and developer workflows (and with SP1 now produces SilverLight 2 Applications). It natively supports Visual Studio 2008 projects and allows designers and developers to work on the same files and resources allowing each to leverage their strengths in the application design process. In this session we will show how Expression Blend uses the power and flexibility of XAML to help deliver line of business applications (LOB) to both the desktop and the web via WPF and SilverLight using advanced controls such as the DataGrid and Calendar. Blend allows the designer to use their complete range of skills, leveraging libraries such as the RSS syndication feed, vector and pixel art, animations and data binding while seamlessly integrating into the developers workflow.
Register today at http://www.houstontechfest.com/dotnetnuke/default.aspx - the schedule will be updated shortly. We had to reschedule the orignal event from September 13th, 2008 due to Hurrican Ike.
- Posted by christhi on December 16, 2008
MS Live Labs Releases Seadragon Mobile iPhone app
There are have been rumors of us creating solutions for the iPhone and I've had many folks approach me with questions of its validity. I think this is a great move for us and in no way invalidates the importance of the Windows Mobile platform. "Playing nicely" with other platforms is something we are doing very well as of late and this is, in my opinion, aonther giant step in that direction!
To summarize, Microsoft Live Labs released a demonstration of Seadragon Mobile, http://livelabs.com/seadragon-mobile for its first mobile platform, the iPhone, on Saturday Dec 13. For background, Microsoft Live Labs has been experimenting with Seadragon technology on different platforms to validate the experience for as broad an audience as possible. This technology is an experiment from Live Labs, and in the future the group intends to bring it to Windows Mobile as well. Seadragon is a way to see incredible detail from graphics and photos, regardless of the size of the screen, size of the file, or bandwidth of the network. At the core of its mission, Microsoft Live Labs is an applied research organization which advances the state of the art of Internet technologies and enables new scenarios for users. Bringing Seadragon technology to other platforms including Photosynth, Deep Zoom in Silverlight, Microsoft Surface, the recent release of Seadragon Ajax http://livelabs.com/seadragon-ajax/, and now the Seadragon Mobile viewer for the iPhone, are examples of Live Labs delivering on its mission and continuing to release and test the validity of its experiments with end users to collect feedback on the models and influence the next generation of Microsoft products and services.
While the Seadragon Deep Zoom technology used in Live Labs’ application for the iPhone has the same technological roots as Silverlight Deep Zoom, Silverlight Deep Zoom was not used for the Seadragon application for the iPhone. There is yet no comment on whether SilveLight will or will not be ported to the iPhone at this point.
FAQ
What is Seadragon Mobile? Seadragon Mobile is an experiment from Microsoft Live Labs in bringing Deep Zoom imagery to new platforms. Deep Zoom imagery is a way to see incredible detail from graphics and photos, no matter the size of the screen or size of the file—a multi-gigabyte image would display just as fast as one taken with a camera phone.
What specifically can end users do with the Seadragon Mobile viewer on the iPhone? The Seadragon Mobile iPhone app is a demonstration which will allow end users to view a collection of approximately 50 sample images using Seadragon technology zooming capabilities as well as view Photosynth collections in 2D on their iPhone.
Why is Microsoft Live Labs developing for the iPhone? As part of the Microsoft Live Labs core mission, we aim to test the validity of new technologies and models with end users. We have been experimenting with Seadragon for some time now on a variety of different platforms and have already developed versions for the PC, and for Microsoft Surface. The iPhone is just one of many platforms we are experimenting with to deliver the power of Seadragon technology to as many people as possible.
Why isn’t Microsoft Live Labs developing Seadragon Mobile apps for Windows Mobile? The Seadragon Mobile iPhone app is a demonstration from Live Labs, and the technology requires the GPU processors supported by the iPhone. This release is meant to be an experiment on Seadragon’s first mobile platform and does not mean Microsoft intends to productize this specific experiment. Since initial prototyping of GPU on the iPhone, Windows Mobile has brought popular phones to market with GPU such as the HTC Diamond. GPUs on the HTC phones represent continual innovation in the Windows Mobile space by our OEM partners. Similar to other Live Labs experiments and to demonstrate the validity of the technology on mobile platforms, in the future, Live Labs intends to bring Seadragon technology to Windows Mobile. As we’ve seen in the past, Live Labs has developed other technologies for Windows Mobile including Deepfish, a mobile browsing experience.
How do you compare Seadragon Mobile to other technologies available such as Apple’s ZUI in the iPhone or their Opera Mini browser; the zoom technology for phone interface Zumobi? Seadragon Mobile is a zooming interface which essentially solves the problem of searching and scrolling through reams of information on the Web by fluidly moving through large amounts of data as fast as possible. In contrast, other domain-specific applications and Web browsers aren’t optimized for displaying large images over slow connection or allowing for quick and intuitive manipulation that the Seadragon Mobile experience delivers.
Does this mean that Microsoft Live Labs will continue to look for ways to develop apps for the iPhone in the future? Live Labs has no commitments at this time to develop future iPhone apps. For this specific iPhone app release, bringing Seadragon technology to a variety of other platforms including Photosynth, Deep Zoom in Silverlight, Microsoft Surface, the recent release of Seadragon Ajax http://livelabs.com/seadragon-ajax/, and now the Seadragon Mobile viewer for the iPhone, are examples of Live Labs continuing to release and test the validity of experiments and demonstrations with end users to collect feedback on the models and influence the next generation of Microsoft products and services.
How can I get Seadragon Mobile? You can install Seadragon Mobile two ways, either by accessing the App Store on the iPhone or on your computer through iTunes at http://www.itunes.com/app/seadragonmobile.
Does Microsoft’s efforts to build an application for the iPhone over Windows Mobile mean the company does not believe in future success of the platform?
We’re very excited about where we’re at today; several anticipated Windows Mobile phones hit the market in Q3 and Q4, including the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 and Samsung Omnia, and we expect them to drive strong sales across the holiday season and into 2009.
Windows Mobile has launched 30 new phones this year alone from different handset makers, mobile operators featuring various form factors, including the Samsung BlackJack II, HTC Touch Diamond, and Palm Treo 800w.
Live Labs is a research organization that has always experimented on multiple platforms. Their offering for a competitor to Microsoft does not represent a shift in their strategy or the company’s.
- Posted by christhi on December 1, 2008
In the coming months I will be blogging about how one can incorporate ALM or Application Lifecycle Management practices to world of User Experience design and development. Until now there really has not been a windfall of material on this topic so I thought I would address it a bit given the fact I just spent the past year completely focused in this world. I will also be speaking about it at Mix 2009 in Vegas alongside Chris Bernard so I hope you will join us (http://2009.visitmix.com) in person or online.
ALM means different things to different people so I will be addressing UX and ALM from several angles, from human process implementation to workflow to its manifestations in tooling. ALM's benefits are just becoming clear as the tools mature alongside that of software engineering practices. With UX becoming so important in software development we have now reached an empass where we must also include those processes specfically geared towards producing better user experiences into the overall lifecycle. Afterall, UX is as important as implementing and testing the software itself.
For my first passage in this series, I am briefly introducing a solution to one of the reasons ALM has not been as accessible in the UX world: change management or at its most basic level source control. Although Visual Studio and its IDE extensions have allowed almost any third party source control software to play nicely in the interface what has been missing is source control for Microsoft's UX tools. Not until Expression version 3.0 will source control extensions be added to Expression Studio and thus the general concensus has been to either only use Visual Studio or use something like the Team Foundation Server Explorer as a stand alone tool to get your SilverLight solutions into the source control repository. SilverLight and WPF designers and developers had to first launch TFS explorer or go to VStudio if they wanted to check-in any source or do any form of "work item management" or "task/bug management". Well I have good news! Now with the updated release of the TFS 2008 Power Tools for October you can now get source control and work item access straight from Expression Studio. In fact any common dialog provides the context menu to do so! The new power tool provides a windows shell extension that will allow to you check-in/check-out and even manage work items right from common dialogs and ergo right from Expression Blend itself for example.
To download the power tools simply go to: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/tfs2008/bb980963.aspx - NOTE: make sure and select custom install and select the shell extension otherwise it won't get installed and you won't see the following context menu from Expression Studio. Enjoy. Later I will go into more detail on how this can be leveraged in your day to day UX design and development activities. UX can now take a front seat in the world of ALM!!
