Posts tagged Windows Phone 7
As Microsoft leverages a litigation model to force Windows Phone 7 on the masses and penetrate the smart phone market and Apple prepares to roll out the much anticipated iPhone 5 to bolster their position within the market, take a look at the two companies’ stock prices in September of 2001 and September 2011:
Who do you think will end up on top, and more importantly, who is more in touch with their customer base?
Although the litigation model (or at least the threat of) may be Microsoft’s best chance to penetrate the smart phone market and become some sort of limited player within it, I find their litigation tactics a bit pathetic. They have lost their ability to truly innovate and not only connect with their customers in meaningful ways, but anticipate their future needs or at least influence them significantly.
Microsoft’s Mango (Windows Phone 7.5) release has closed some of the gaps but as soon as the iPhone 5 is announced on October 4th they will be back to playing catch-up.
There is a reason why Apple has seen a 5000% increase in their stock’s value in the last decade just as much as Microsoft has been flat during that same time period. In Microsoft’s case the story has become all too familiar…
Too little too late, I’m afraid.
Happy New Year! I wish you and yours an awesome 2011!
Since I promised myself I would limit my “connectivity” over the Holiday break, I am going to make this a very brief, rapid-fire list of predictions for 2011. So, without further adieu, here we go:
- No surprise here, but mobile apps will continue to proliferate at a record breaking pace. This will impact not only consumers, but the enterprise, in both the private and public sectors.
- Mobile security will become a #1 priority. In a rush to get apps out in 2010 security was an afterthought, in my humble opinion. 2011 will be the year where mobile application security will have to be addressed to reduce risks especially as enterprise apps are rolled out. I suspect the folks at Good Technology are going to have a banner year in sales.
- This is going to be a make or break year for BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7. Research in Motion (RIM) and Microsoft are WAY behind on the device and mobile application front and I don’t hear too many folks clamoring for a BB or a WP7 now-a-days. BB is better positioned, but they have an eroding user-base and their stranglehold on the enterprise is going to be seriously challenged (see Good Technology above) in 2011.
- Cloud computing will become a significant part of enterprise strategic planning initiatives for the vast majority of firms and agencies in the private and public sector (even in those firms and agencies that have resisted the Cloud in the past). The benefits far outweigh the risks.
- The vast majority of private cloud initiatives will fail, significantly underachieve, or never realize its full potential - all at a huge cost. I say leave it to the public cloud experts, work out the security concerns, and start focusing on aligning IT capabilities with mission (business) drivers.
- Public cloud providers (Amazon, Microsoft, Google, etc.) will have record cloud computing sales in both the private and public sectors.
- All eyes, in the Federal space, will be on the General Service Administration (GSA) and their Google Doc procurement (via the Alliant vehicle in partnership with Unisys). Should the deployment, migration to, or adoption of Google Docs somehow get “dorked-up” (highly technical term) Google may never win another contract with a Federal agency when it comes to their Google Docs offerings. Same goes for Microsoft with their Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) win at USDA. Remember, ALL EYES…
- With Federal CIO Vivek Kundra’s announcement of a “cloud first” policy as part of the 25 Point Implementation Plan To Reform Federal Information Technology Management Federal agencies must identify three “must move” services to be migrated to the cloud (the first of which to be deployed in the cloud within 12 months and the remaining two within 18 months). I expect (and highly suggest) the vast majority of agencies will identify/move their public-facing, non-secure websites (*.gov) to the cloud joining the likes of Recovery.gov and Treasury.gov (to name just two).
- As firms and agencies in the private, and especially the public sector, become increasingly “brand aware”, the concept of “user experience” will begin to drive how technology is designed, deployed, leveraged and ultimately used. Mark my words, user experience professionals will have an amazing 2011. It would serve most technologists to get smart on the broader points of user experience.
- In order to meet the ever-changing demands of whatever business you may be in and to take advantage of the power of cloud and mobile technologies, 2011 will force the private and public sectors to adopt some sort of Agile methodology for system development life-cycle purposes. This will take an incredibly strong project management delivery mechanism that is well versed in delivering solutions in short iterative cycles leveraging the latest technologies.
- Microsoft Kinect Proof of Concepts will penetrate the enterprise. Mark my words, this technology is going to change the world as we know it. If I were a half-way decent coder, I would would spend every waking hour coding for the Kinect. Microsoft was brilliant in making the code-base “open”.
2011 should be an awesome year! I look forward to expanding upon some of my predictions in the near-future and I can’t wait to revisit them later this year to see how accurate my “crystal ball” really is…
Have you just purchased a Windows Phone 7 and have NO idea how to configure the thing? Have no fear for the folks at pocket-lint.com have compiled 72 Windows Phone 7 tips and tricks to make first Windows Phone 7 a good one.
Here are just a few of my favorite tips and tricks:
36. Turn on SMS delivery confirmation
Want to know if the text message you’ve sent got there? You can turn on SMS delivery confirmation by going to Settings, swipe to Applications, Messaging and flicking the On toggle.
39. Delete search history
Been to a website that you perhaps shouldn’t have? Trying to cover your tracks? Well the delete search history option is found in Settings, Applications, Search. Click the big “Delete history” button and your tracks are covered. You can do the same to your entire Internet Explorer history in Applications, Internet Explorer.
41. Find a word on a webpage
Internet Explorer on Windows Phone 7 has a “find” feature that allows you to find a word on a page. Very Handy. Go to the web-page in question, press on the three dots, click on “find on page” and then type in the word you are looking for. You can then scroll through those instances on the site. To get back to the page without the search words highlighted, just press the back button.
49. Adding emoticons quickly to an email
Another keyboard shortcut that works when you are typing an email. Press on the smiley face and you get all the :) :( :-] faces you can imagine without having to type them out. It’s quick, it’s simple, and yes your mates will either love you for it or think you are a dork.
61. Merging your contacts
If you’ve got your contacts book filled with Facebook, Gmail and Hotmail, maybe even your work email, then chances are some of your core friends are going to be in your contacts book a couple of times. Windows Phone 7 is clever enough to “link” these contacts so they are shown under a single page. If it misses some, go into People, select a contact and then press the “chain” icon at the bottom of the page. You can then link further contacts to this page if you wish.
63. Accessing Zune controls outside of Zune player
You don’t need to be in the Zune player to access the music on Windows Phone 7. Tap the volume buttons on the side of your phone and down pops a miniature player window that gives you access to the play and skip buttons. If you’ve not got your headphones in, the music will start playing through the phone’s speakers.
66. Enhance Xbox Live connectivity
Get more out of the Xbox live connectivity by downloading Xbox LIVE extras. It’s a free download from the Marketplace and lets you have more access to your profile, letting you change your avatar’s style while you’re bored on the bus.
To completely honest, I have not touched the Windows Phone 7 as of yet and have been pretty happy with my iPhone 3GS, to date. That said, when the time comes to upgrade I am going to have a tough time deciding…
