My Thoughts On IT…

Steve Ballmer announced that January Update to Windows Phone 7 yesterday during his keynote at CES. This morning a link has gone live with the details about the update an how you can install it  ( link  below). For people who have already purchased a phone, I suggest that you make this update which will come through your Zune Software when you are prompted. This should happen in the next couple of days.

There are 3 key features which make it an important update:

1) Copy and Paste – This is the most eagerly awaited feature that was requested by consumers since the launch.

2) Faster Apps – There has been a number of improvements to the time it takes an application to start or resume

3) Easier Searching for apps – The marketplace allows you to search for music as well as apps and games. At launch there was a lot of feedback that it was really hard to search for apps or games, because the music titles were so vast in the Zune Marketplace. You can now directly search for apps and games.

The build is also a whole lot faster in a number of areas.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/features/january-update.aspx

It looks to me like 2011 is going to be an amazing year in technology and very good in particular for Microsoft. I have come to this conclusion because of all the great technology the entire industry is releasing. There is a lot of innovation happening at a very rapid pace and there are two items Microsoft has just released that exemplify this. They are the Kinect and Windows Phone 7. This past holiday break my family had the luck of receiving both of these products. They were both huge hits with the kids and adults alike.

We received an Xbox Kinect from Santa. This device is amazing! It is a completely whole new game experience. Everyone had tons of fun playing games and dancing. Even Grandma had to get in the action and play some games. The Kinect watches your body move and it either evaluates your dance moves or it uses these movements to control a video game. Not only was this amazing fun but it was also a great workout. This is a great new gaming experience but more importantly this is a technological advancement that will transform some of the ways that we will interact with computers in the future.

I purchased a new Dell from the Microsoft store in Oakbrook, IL. No not a PC. I have the new Dell Venue Pro smartphone which runs Windows Phone 7. Wow – this phone is a great device. It is hard to remember the world before cell phones. It is even harder to remember when cellphones couldn’t text. Today even low end cellphones have the ability to email and surf the web. This smartphone does all of that and more with ease. Browsing the web on my new phone is a delightful experience. No really, you have to try it. The experience on the Dell Venue Pro is fast and snappy and fun. I also enjoyed trying all the different applications on the Marketplace. The excitement and thrill of exploring this new technical tool reminds me of the feelings I had when I first got into computers back in the early 80’s. The Dell Venue Pro is truly the pinnacle of where cellphone technology is today.

Take a look at the industry’s latest products; from the just announced Intel core vPro processor family to the Kinect to Windows Phone 7 to new products announced at the Consumer Electronics Show. The technical innovations and societal advancement we can see in today’s products are truly inspiring and will only help drive the things we will see released in the next few years to even greater heights. I am excited to see what 2011 will bring. It continues to be a great time to live and to work in technology.

Dell Venue Pro Unboxing Video

I picked up a couple of Windows 7 smartphones this holiday season and I have bee very impressed with the quality and responsiveness of the phones. Here is a 2 minute unboxing video of the phone to show you what comes included and what you can expect the experience of opening the box to be.

Included in the Box

• Dell Phone (8GB storage, 4.1” AMOLED capacitive touch screen, 1ghz processor, 5 Megapixel camera, WiFi, GPS, and BlueTooth, UMTS / HSDPA (2100/1700/900 MHz)
• Lithium Ion Battery
• SIM Card
• USB Wall Charger
• Micro USB Cable
• Stereo Headset with Microphone
• Product Documentation

Microsoft is releasing an updated version of my favorite Antivirus program. It is my absolute favorite antivirus program for three reasons:

The new version Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 revamps the heuristic scanning engine, adds Windows Firewall integration as well as network traffic inspection.  This means that it will be even better at detecting malicious programs before they touch your system. It uses the Windows Filtering Platform architecture to accomplish this. This network subsystem is in Windows Vista and Windows 7 but not available in Windows XP so this new network traffic inspection is only available in the newer Widows OSs. Another new feature is the integration with IE where it prevents malicious scripts from running in memory where the previous version only detected these scripts when they were saved to the hard drive.

If you have been a user of Microsoft Security Essentials – don’t worry it will auto update to the new version. If you haven’t used it before but would like to give it a try you can download it from: http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/ Enjoy!!!

BTW: if you are looking for antivirus for your corporate environment. The licensing agreement restricts it’s use for companies with over 10 machines. If you organization has over 10 machines then Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 is the corporate version of this program that you should use. http://www.microsoft.com/forefront/endpoint-protection/en/us/default.aspx

Microsoft is releasing an updated version of my favorite Antivirus program. It is my absolute favorite antivirus program for three reasons:

The new version Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 revamps the heuristic scanning engine, adds Windows Firewall integration as well as network traffic inspection.  This means that it will be even better at detecting malicious programs before they touch your system. It uses the Windows Filtering Platform architecture to accomplish this. This network subsystem is in Windows Vista and Windows 7 but not available in Windows XP so this new network traffic inspection is only available in the newer Widows OSs. Another new feature is the integration with IE where it prevents malicious scripts from running in memory where the previous version only detected these scripts when they were saved to the hard drive.

If you have been a user of Microsoft Security Essentials – don’t worry it will auto update to the new version. If you haven’t used it before but would like to give it a try you can download it from: http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/ Enjoy!!!

BTW: if you are looking for antivirus for your corporate environment. The licensing agreement restricts it’s use for companies with over 10 machines. If you organization has over 10 machines then Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 is the corporate version of this program that you should use. http://www.microsoft.com/forefront/endpoint-protection/en/us/default.aspx

I replaced my John Deere 48” residential riding lawn mower with the Gravely 54” zero turn mower in 2008. It reduced my mow time by two thirds. Specifically it dropped from 3 hours down to 1 hour to mow a little under 3 acres.

One of the main reasons I bought the Gravely 2554 XL lawn lawn mower is because it could also be a snow blower. I have been pretty happy with the snow blower attachment except for a problem throwing the main attachment belt off when under heavy load (i.e. deep snow). I have fixed that problem and have detailed it here in hope that I can help others get rid of that annoyance. 

The tension pulley is the important item here. I moved the spring off of the post on the right side to the left side side and rerouted the belt accordingly. In the pictures below you can see I have it ziptied to the left side of the snow blower arm. I may do something more permanent this summer but for now this is working great! Due to a blizzard yesterday I had the chance to try this on some three foot snow drifts and it chowed through it perfectly. Previously it always would throw off the belt with this kind of exertion.

The cost of this mower is a little higher than my frugal side likes but the performance I have been able to get from this machine is worth every penny. Now that I can go through the deep stuff without having to reseat the belt – it is close to perfect!

http://www.gravely.com/

http://www.gravely.com/Consumer/zeroturn/xl/Pages/default.aspx

Web and cloud may be all the rage, but many developers are still doing hardcore client development.  If you are among them, this Boot Camp is for you! In this full-day event, we will explore how to maximize your impact on the Windows client.  Our interactive sessions will include topics from throughout the Windows development platform.  We will look at application compatibility and transitioning your applications to Windows 7, integrating with the Windows taskbar, developing for IE9, utilizing the cool functionality in the Sensors and Location Platform so that your application better responds to its current environment, leveraging the multi-touch capabilities (especially in kiosk scenarios), and creating Silverlight 4 out of browser applications. This event is a unique opportunity, partnering classroom learning with hands-on-labs and leveraging experts to advise you so we can help you “win” with Windows 7.

This is a 2-day deep dive program to help prepare you to deliver solutions on the Windows Azure Platform. We have worked to bring the region’s best Azure experts together to teach you how to work in the cloud. Each day will be filled with training, discussion, reviewing real scenarios, and hands on labs. Snacks and drinks will be provided, however we advise you to make your own lunch arrangements prior to the event. You will need to bring a computer loaded with the software listed below.  AGENDA: 1.    Intro to Cloud Computing and Azure;  2.  Web Roles; 3.  Messages and Queues; 4.  Using Azure Tables;  5. Using BLOB Storage;  6. Worker Roles;  7. Diagnostics and Service Management;  8. SQL Azure; 9. Connecting with AppFabric; 10. Cloud Computing Scenarios; 11.   Available Resources.  What do I need to bring:  During the boot camp you will have opportunities to practice what you learn with labs. Having all of your software ready will make it easier to dive into the yummy goodness of exploring the labs. The lab files package will be given to you during the event .If you want to have everything loaded into a virtual PC that would be even better. In order to run these labs you will need to bring:  Power strip or extension cord;  A computer or laptop:  Operating Systems Supported: Windows 7; Windows Server 2008; Windows Server 2008 R2; Windows Vista Service Pack 1; Windows Vista Service Pack 2  -  Microsoft Visual Studio 2010,  SQL Server 2005 Express Edition (or above);   Install the SDK and Tools

The  Holiday Season is upon us and it is time to think of the people we love and what to put under the Christmas tree for them. What better than an Xbox or a new Windows Phone? Well there is a great store that just opened in Oakbrook Illinois that can help you with your shopping needs. I was at the store for it’s grand opening on November 4th and it is a great shopping experience.
https://store.microsoft.com/Locations

Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT). Things happen—especially when you’re touching so many computers when deploying Windows 7. For example, you might deploy a faulty device driver that previous Windows 7 from starting. A user might permanently delete important files when preparing for installation, and you need to recovery them. For many of these one-off problems, DaRT provides a set of tools that you can use to troubleshoot and repair them.

I have been showing DaRT lately and customers really want to get their hands on it. It is hidden pretty well so I have detailed how to download it. First you need access to Technet, MSDN, or the Volume Licensing Website.

On TechNet and MSDN you get it from the Subscribers download page:
Here is the link for TechNet. (Not a TechNet Subscriber? Join today…)
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/securedownloads/default.aspx

In the search products pane type “Desktop Optimization Pack” ( it lists under servers)

Download whole MDOP pack. The MDOP pack has 5 Programs in it and DART is one of them.

Hope that helps – Enjoy!