If you missed out on one of the elusive beta codes when Microsoft’s My Phone sync service when it was first released, lament no more. It’s finally become available for everyone, and with the latest update to the mobile client, it’s really starting to look like a viable option for syncing your phone, sans PC.
Tag Archives: microsoft
Quick Look: FaceBook Goes Native on WinMo
Before we were rudely interrupted, Microsoft released the first native Windows Mobile application for Facebook. Unfortunately it’s compatible with WinMo 6.xx, and up. Which may still count a lot of people out on this one.
As with other FB clients I’ve tried, even Facebook mobile offers a simplified interface, and supposedly access to all of the major functions that Facebook users want.
Since the latest update to Facebook, that intentionally made it more of a live stream, rather than a static, always needed refreshing, sort of social service! How does MicroSoft’s offering stand up? Quite well actually…
Are You Cool Enough?
The advertising war between MS and Apple has provided much amusement and quite a few laughs over the years. With the advent of the “I’m a PC” campaign we saw MicroSoft seemingly take off the gloves and start to crack back at Apple’s “Mac / PC” comparison adds.
I just loved the feel of this ad, and the joy at a great deal!
How ever cool a device is it only really satisfies if it matches the users needs, not social standing!
My Phone Client gets an Update!
If you’re like me. and have tried the Windows My Phone service out a little bit, but decided that it’s still a bit half baked, undercooked, to be a viable stand alone syncing service for your WinMo phone you probably didn’t set it to update automatically. Besides the fact that you are going to need an unlimited data plan, to support this function, there might be a few tricks that you are missing if you don’t manually sync regularly. One feature that a lot of people have missed is the fact that any updates to the phone side app, are notified, applied at the end of the syncing process.
Now this is not insider info, I noted a tweet this afternoon from @MSMyPhone, dropped the information, so I manually synced when I got home and Viola, an update to be sure. Not sure what it fixes exactly, and the only thing I could find about it at the MyPhone Blog or user forum was this mention,
The update fixes an issue with regards to syncing documents to the device.
Please install the update and everything would work fine.
Thanks
Ravi
Microsoft My Phone Team
Update: http://myphoneteam.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!500D40C76E07BE24!192.entry
So there you have it, you know as much as I do about this now 
Microsoft My Phone, In Pictures!
Microsoft’s new My phone sync service, is still in Beta and it is well at best, offering up a variable service, for many users. The inconsistency seems to be at the online end of the service, not the phone end. I signed up for the Beta as soon as it was announced, and finally today, after a tweet from MyPhone, I went and tried to sign in again, and I was in. When Doug did his quick look a couple of days ago, he didn’t really talk about the time it takes to do your initial set up, and sync, and for me patience is a virtue, that i don’t have for the most part, So if it was going to take an interminable amount of time I’m very likely to cancel the process and write it off as a work in progress and come back when it gets less fail worthy. What actually happened for me was very similair to what a lot of people are experiencing, my data is synced, and there, but the online portal is not translating it the way it should, so it becomes a WinLose situation, I’ve successfully cloud synced my phone, but the ways I can manipulate that data online is my digital Achilles’ heel. So here’s a graphical timeline of the initial set up and sync, for your “I want to know if it’s worth taking the time to worry about this” pleasure.
Microsoft SmartPhone, The Rumour Mill!
Well this one has been going around for ages, that Micro$oft would eventually come up with it’s own hardware to deliver it’s Windows Mobile OS on, and somehow couple it with the Zune MP3 player to create the ultimate WinMo device. I always find myself having a little chuckle at the cynical optimism of tech writers, whether they be from large syndicated news networks, or rather less well known publications.
To set the stage, a blast from the past, that did nothing to dampen the rumours of a Micro$oft WinMo phone
Albeit a rather tongue in cheek look at a Micro$oft device, more of a boomerang than a sleek phone, there is still a lot of wondering and speculation as to whether Micro$oft will ever release a mobile device, or Zune Phone. A post earlier in the week at CNBC.com, seems to suggest that this is actually about to happen, and soon.
Windows 7 for Free… Well some pain included!
Everyone’s waiting for the new version of Windows to emerge, and hoping it will erase the Vista fiasco, as XP did to ME. Recently it came to light that if you attended certain conferences, you would go home with an advance copy of the operating system.
Who isn’t ready for Windows 7? That wiser, stabler, more streamlined OS with Vista’s good looks but an even prettier Start button and an alleged 15-second boot time? Heck, even Bill Gates is excited to get on to the next version. You can get your hands on a “pre-beta” version of Windows 7 by attending the Professional Developer Conference (PDC) in LA October 27 to 30, or the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC), also in LA shortly after, from November 5 to 7. Go get them, and then report back to us with some new info. [Vista Blog;]
So if you’re available, and have the connections, you can get your Windows Fix. Although what sort of fix it is I can’t say, cool or retro, I am really hoping that there’s a light at the end of this tunnel.
Whether this be an alpha or beta, it’s going to be a coup for Microsoft, but will the OS live up to the hype? With the advent of the “netbook” and a move by Apple to run one OS on all of it’s devices, will Windows 7 be the Windows Lite that has been rumoured. A Microsoft OS with a much more efficient and compact core. I suppose we’ll find out next month, but if you had the next big thing, how would you present it. I hope this is an example of how not to do it!
Will a corny video be the herald of the newest Windows OS?click the image above to go to the you tube page. Microsoft’s not really calling us all Kevin Bacon wannabe’s!
The I’m A PC, Monkey Dance!
The “I’m a PC” line of commercials, are a refreshing move by Microsoft, and highlight the strength of the platform. Let’s face it most people cut their computing teeth on a Micro$oft based system, and system loyalty, whether it be driven by apathy (sticking with what’s familiar, not wanting to experience a new OS learning curve, or discount years of specialisation, and therefore expertise). Then they go and spoil it with this! Click on the image below, or the link to go to the I’m A PC page and view the Ballmer shenanigans.
http://imapc.lifewithoutwalls.com/?icid=realpc
The over the top styling’s of Ballmer don’t do a lot for me, although the Seinfeld/Gates advertisements left me cold as well.
When it comes down to the nitty gritty though, you must applaud the quality of the overall marketing package, that M$ have put together, and I will have to admit at this point that I’m a PC. I have to admit that M$ have done the best job ever of presenting their platform as cool and rugged, and the stereotype of the computer geek, proliferated in the Mac ads is far away from the images Microsoft are presenting now.
Now we are seeing a slicker, cooler and well much more rugged presentation of the PC/M$ OS. Depicting a much better metaphorical representation of what the OS can do for you ie; open a window to the world. The Windows revolution, or more pertinently, make over, is obviously designed to overcome the years of, well, undesirable impressions, of PC users. You know get a cool haircut and a netbook and you’re up there in the mobile tech world.
With all of the info seemingly focused on highlighting M$’s huge market share, and the proliferation of netbook PC’s, that are somehow dependent on an almost superceded OS.
I’m still sporting XP, upgrading to Vista, is not an option, it doesn’t, or isn’t as user friendly, IMHO,
The fact is though, we are not seeing Windows Mobile development, in any significant way, "slowly slowly catchee monkey" seems to be the ethos there.
I thought I do a construct of an Apple/PC advertisement, but Microsoft have done it.
Have a look at the "I’m a PC website"
The Story continues and befuddles!
This new Microsoft campaign, is really vague, and I suppose that is what gives it power, and draws attention to it. All of us are expecting a defining statement, where as, we get tidbits. What is fascinating is where this will go? The tag to the latest inclusion to this Microsoft saga was about “connectivity” and the failure of Seinfeld and Gates, to really connect with the family they are billeted with, may amount to some innovative ease of personal networking, initiative.
I’m only guessing here, I really don’t get where this is going, obviously we are going to have to follow a long string of commercials, which may be the culmination of Bill’s childhood dreams to be a Hollywood star, to realise the culmination of this media campaign.
Anyone else getting a Woody Allen vibe from Bill in the already posted videos?
For me, I want the news and I want it now, and this sort of campaign leaves me nothing to work with, or look forward to, or want to have. It’s as fake and uninformative as the Knock Off pictured above.
It would be nice if Microsoft would be straight up and tell us what they’ve got!
