microsoft – Terence Eden’s Blog

Safelinks are a fragile foundation for publishing

@edent — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 12:34:10 +0000

Microsoft loves you and wants to protect you. So every time you receive an email with a link in it, Microsoft Outlook helpfully rewrites it so that it goes through their "safelinks" system.

Safelinks allow your administrator, or someone at Microsoft, to stop you visiting a link which is malicious or suspicious. Rather than going to example.com, your link now goes to safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=example.com.

Hurrah! If you accidentally click on a naughty link you won't cause chaos and ructions.

Except, there's a tiny problem. People like to copy and paste links that they receive. Someone sends an email which says "here's the link to that report you asked for" which then gets copied into a document or a web page.

For example, I was reading this official document from the UK's Department of Health and Social Care. Slap bang in the middle is a link to another report:

That forces everyone who visits that link to go through Microsoft's proxy. That might protect users if a link later becomes suspicious. But, more likely, it will be used in analytics to further profile users who click on links. It also undermines a user's ability to see the final destination of a link unless they can manually URl-decode content in their head.

It appears that every large organisation which uses Microsoft is prone to this failure. Lots of UK Government departments publish content with safelinks:

The US Military too:

It's all over Twitter:

And there are hundreds of academic works infested:

Look, I get why people do this. They copy a link from an email, paste it in, click it, and it works. No one writes raw HTML by hand, nor should they have to. Our WYSIWYG tools work really well and hide all the mumbo-jumbo. Copy editors look at text; not hypertext. It's only nerds like me who hover over a link before clicking on it.

Perhaps I should stop worrying? Perhaps it is OK that Microsoft intercepts the clicks from people all around the world? Perhaps they can competently run a proxy which detects and blocks inappropriate content? Perhaps they won't ever abuse that facility?

Here's my prediction. In the next five or so years, Microsoft is going to accidentally shut off *.safelinks.protection.outlook.com and a million copy-and-pasted links across the web are going to break.

Think I'm over-reacting? A decade ago, Microsoft got rid of their MS Tag product and, shortly after, all their proxy links were shut off. Similarly, other proxies like McAfee have shut down with little warning.

Or maybe Microsoft's sub-domains will be hijacked?

Either way, if you work in digital publishing, please make sure that your links point directly to the content that you want; not to Microsoft's safelinks service.

New Outlook doesn't unhide your taskbar - two quick fixes

@edent — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 11:34:58 +0000

I quite like the new Outlook for Windows. But it has a couple of annoying bugs. One of which is, when it is maximised it doesn't let you unhide your bottom task bar.

I've set up Windows so the taskbar disappears whenever my cursor isn't at the bottom of the screen. When my mouse touches the bottom, the bar appears. Lovely! But Outlook breaks this functionality - which I'm pretty sure existed back in Windows 95.

Microsoft have received several complaints about this⁰, but done nothing.

Anyway, here's two way you can fix it. Neither are particularly good, but they do work.

Don't maximise

Rather than pressing the big square icon in the top right of the window, just drag the edges of your window to be as big as possible.

This is a stupid fix. Your window is now the same size as your screen but technically isn't maximised. So the taskbar doesn't get stuck behind Outlook.

Use an external screen

This problem only occurs on my laptop's screen. So I plugged in an external monitor and moved the Outlook window to there.

When maximised, Outlook doesn't prevent the taskbar from appearing.

What causes this problem

I'm pretty sure the New Outlook uses "fullscreen" rather than "maximise". That mode is often used for things like games where you don't want a taskbar suddenly appearing.

But the root cause is Microsoft's decision to ignore customer feedback. Look, bugs happen. That's just a fact of life. But absolutely no-one from the MS team is looking at customer complaints. Being "feature-driven" is great - but you need to close the loop to see if those features are working for customers.

For examples, see "new outlook client : Windows 10 taskbar will not unhide" and "New Windows client blocks the taskbar from unhiding" ↩︎

Buying obsolete keyboards - Microsoft 4000

@edent — Sun, 03 Oct 2021 11:34:31 +0000

The MS 4000 keyboard is the best typing experience that I've ever found. I have one in my home office, one in my work's office, and one spare.

But, at some point in the last 18 months of working from home, my work keyboard has gone walkabout. Oh well, a good excuse to buy a new one! Except - sadly - Microsoft have discontinued it.

Don't get me wrong, you can buy a "4000" branded keyboard - but it is a radically different design. And change is scary. So I'm buying up old models on eBay. If you have an old-verson MS 4000 in good condition, please let me know - I may need to stock up!

I've previously written about the cosmetic changes to the Microsoft 4000 keyboard - all mostly changes to what was printed on the keycaps. But the new MS 4000 is radically different.

This is what the new LXM-00004 looks like - it's worth noting that the UK layout is radically different to the US layout (click for massive image).

Here's where I think it is deficient compared to the old model:

No scroll jogger. I use this all the time.
No back / forward thumb buttons. I don't mind losing these, although they were handy.
Calculator is now far away from the num pad. The calc button has been replaced with search. WTF?
Context menu button is now on the left, rather than the right. That would be handy, except...
Right hand context menu is now an "Office 365" key. Pointless. No idea if it can be remapped.
Num Pad's "clear" button is where the "equals" button used to be! That's going to be so easy to accidentally hit.
No more ⭐ button. I used that as a programmable button all the time.
5 of the programmable buttons have been replaced with media controls. While it's nice to have track-skip buttons, I'd rather have something I can set myself.
PrtScn button has moved. As has Delete.
The markings for ¦ and | buttons have swapped.

There are a few good points:

LED on Caps and Num locks. Much more sensible than clustering them in the middle.
Dedicated Emoji key 😁. I currently use alt+E to launch my Linux Emoji picker.
Removal of the weird text on the F keys! Which means F-lock is always on. Nice!
A few extra accessibility ridges on some keys.
The Delete key is bigger and above backspace - which makes a bit more sense.

I'm sure at some point all my old keyboards will break and I'll have to get one of these. But, for now, I'm holding out. If you have an old 4000 that you no longer need, please let me know!

Run Internet Explorer 5 in your browser!

@edent — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 11:04:54 +0000

This is a slow, and very silly, way to experience an ancient browser. I'm aware that you could spin up a virtual machine, or pay for a browser testing service. But there's something nice about running a browser in a browser. Like wheels within wheels and fires within fires.

Using Copy's v86 it's possible to recompile x86 code to browser native WASM.

This means you can load up Windows 98 in your browser! (There are a bunch of other operating systems available)

Before going any further, open up a new tab in your modern browser and visit https://relay.widgetry.org/. This is the Internet proxy that your browser within a browser will be using. As I write this, the security certificate has expired - so you'll need to manually add an exception. Hopefully this step won't be needed in the future.

Next, run the networking.bat file to connect to the internet.

Next, double-click the Internet Explorer icon.

Success! You can now visit pages which don't use https. This browser is too old to support modern encryption. In fact, it's so out-of-date that it'll fail to work on all but the most simple of pages.

It crashed fairly regularly.

So, there you go - IE 5 in the browser.

It's a slow, annoying, and somewhat painful process. Which, to be honest, is just how I remember it.

Ten Years Later - Was Elop Right?

@edent — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 12:25:17 +0000

A decade ago, Stephen Elop made the announcement that Nokia was adopting Windows Phone 7 as its platform of choice.

Being the mobile nerd that I was, I live Tweeted the press conference.

Let's take a look back to see what Elop and I got right or wrong.

Nokia killed off Meego - their new Linux platform. I was never that enamoured with it - but it could have had a promising future. The Balmer-led Microsoft was not as keen on Linux as the modern MS, so it's hard to see this as anything other than MS "disrupting" mainstream Linux adoption.

Windows Phone 7 didn't last. I was invited to review early version of the platform. And, while I liked the innovative UI, it wasn't close to its rivals at Apple or Google. It was obvious - to me at least - that Android was the superior platform and had the momentum behind it.

If you had a Mac, you could code for both Android and iOS (and others). But Microsoft's short-sighted decision to only allow development WP7 app development on Windows machines didn't encourage developers to code for WP7. You needed a Mac to make iPhone apps. Now MS expected you to buy a Windows laptop to code for their minority platform. That didn't fly.

As far as I recall, they didn't reveal any handsets. They basically told the market "Stop buying Nokia phones. Anything we release now will be unsupported shortly." That didn't encourage developers, customers, or retailers.

I got a Nokia Lumia to review in December that year. It was shit.

The Mobile World Congress show was the day after this announcement. If I remember correctly, the Nokia stand was weird that year. Dozens of phones which had no prospects. It did nothing to build hype in the platform.

There was no momentum. If they could have shown the secret phone that they'd been developing - and announced a launch date - it would have been a "wow" moment. Instead... nothing!

It is hard to launch a new device - especially in secret. But announcing a concept means nothing without something tangible to go with it.

Elop was right. Nokia would have been "just another" Android manufacturer. Instead, it became "just another WP7" manufacturer. I can see the arguments for both, but I would have loved to have seen a heavyweight Nokia as a counterbalance to Google.

And that's what happened. Why would HTC or Samsung or anyone make a WP7 phone if Nokia is Microsoft's preferred partner? Android was free and had fewer restrictions. Small companies like OnePlus would eventually find success with Android, in a way they could never have done with WP7.

I was wrong on this one! At the time, Blackberry was a surprising hit in the European youth market. Elop clearly didn't see them as a threat - and he was right. It was a dwindling platform with an uncertain future.

Blackberry - belatedly - jumped to Android. That wasn't enough to save them. It may not have been enough to save Nokia either.

Again, Elop was right on this. Nokia needed to continue its strategy of connecting people who had never been connected before. But splitting the company's focus between WP7 and "rest of market" wasn't a great plan. To be fair, Symbian probably wasn't the platform for that strategy either - but at least it had proven itself on low power devices. Something WP7 couldn't demonstrate.

Another page out of the MS playbook. And, to be fair, it probably kept Nokia going for a while. The mobile tech patent system was horrible (and probably still is). But did it encourage anyone to work with Nokia or MS? Or did it drive them to platforms with bigger pockets?

It was not. Nokia launched a fairly vanilla WP7 experience. There were a few Nokia touches - but they were crap:

Look, you can read the history of Nokia and see what happened to them. It was a brave an interesting choice to go with WP7. It would have been brilliant to have a three way ecosystem with iOS and Android. To be fair, WP7 could have been a contender. It had big corporate backing and was more future focussed than the ageing Symbian platform. The last few Symbian phones were awful - see my review of the N8. They were on a burning platform and needed to jump.

Could Meego have got anywhere? It was too encumbered by Nokia's desires and processes - it would never have been taken up in the same way Android was.

But, at the time, the smart money was on Android. Not just because Google were cool, but because WP7 had done nothing to disrupt the mobile market. They took the same 30% charge as other mobile platforms - so there was no financial incentive for devs. While Nokia has a huge marketing machine, Windows was a huge drag on the brand. Windows was something you were forced to use and regularly gave you a BSoD. If it had been the "Xbox Phone" that could have been something interesting - but it wasn't.

Was Elop an Microsoft plant sent to destroy Nokia? Probably not. But the board obviously thought that someone with strong links to MS was necessary to Nokia's future.

Nokia basically doesn't exist as a consumer handset brand any more in developed market. It is doing OK with basic phones in developing markets - but even there Android is the desired platform. Nokia is still successful on the radio and R&D - and perhaps that was the plan all along? Get out of the cut-throat handset business and sell big radio hardware to big mobile networks.

Either way, Elop's gamble didn't relaunch Nokia's handset business. And lots of people - including me - are still a bit sad about that.

Tech Review: Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop

@edent — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 14:24:42 +0000

I love my MS 4000 keyboard. it's one of the best pieces of hardware developed by Redmond. It has some drawbacks, sure, no USB ports, weird function keys, no backlight - but the real problem with it is its heft. It's a chunky-monkey that's really only suitable for leaving in a fixed location. It's far to big and bulky for a laptop bag - and life's too short to type on a non-ergonomic keyboard.

So, time to try the inelegantly named "Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop" - a wireless keyboard with separate number-pad and mouse.

Typing

Let's start with how the keyboard is to type on. It's close to perfect! I'm comparing this to my venerable Microsoft 4000 keyboard.

The split and rise of the unit is a delight. Feels really easy on the wrists. They keys don't have a lot of travel - it's more like a laptop that a traditional keyboard - but it's responsive and light.

It's relatively slim - about the width of a MacBook Pro.

The rise is quite gentle. While I would have preferred it to have been a bit steeper - it keeps the heft of the unit down, so it's slim enough to fit in a normal laptop bag.

The riser is removable - it clips on with magnets - if you prefer a regular incline.

The layout is fairly traditional for the main part and should be easy enough to get used to. The numberpad had moved to its own, separate unit - so there's a weird cluster of positioning keys - home, end, arrows, etc.

As you can see above, the calculator key is present - which is useful. Of less use is the function switch. On most keyboards, the function keys do double-duty as media keys. By using a dedicated function key, you can switch their use. So F5 refreshes the screen, and Function+F5 launches a search window. With this keyboard, you have to flick a switch, hit the key, and then remember to flick it back. It's a little annoying.

Wireless

Microsoft has never liked standards. Rather than going with Bluetooth - which would have been available on all modern computers - they've bundled their own proprietary wireless dongle. DO NOT LOSE THIS DONGLE! If the dongle is lost or damaged, you cannot get a replacement - your only option is to buy an entire new set! I spoke to MS about this and they say that's for "security". They will, however, send a replacement set if you're still within the warranty period of your purchase.

This would have been so much easier with Bluetooth, you'd be able to swap between machines without worrying about a tiny, fragile adapter.

The dongle itself is a bit on the large side - far larger and wider than most cheap BlueTooth, WiFi, or other wireless keyboard plugins.

It does jut somewhat alarmingly out of the side of a laptop.

And, sadly, proprietary dongles like this are often prone to sniffing.

Microsoft - please use BlueTooth next time!

Power

If it were my choice, this device would have a rechargable battery - with a standard USB connector for power. Microsoft have chosen to use 2 AAA batteries in the keyboard. The mouse takes 2 AA batteries. Both keyboard and mouse have nifty magnetic doors hiding the batteries. The numberpad has a battery compartment which can only be accessed by a screwdriver. The battery? A CR2430 coin cell!

It would have been great to have everything at least powered by the same type of battery - but that doesn't fit in with Microsoft's design philosophy, apparently.

There is also no power switch on the keyboard or numberpad. They go to sleep automatically when they can't detect the wireless signal. There is a power switch on the mouse. Because why not.

According to The Verge, the battery life is "3 years for the keyboard, 6 years for the number pad, and 1 year for the mouse."

So, hopefully you won't get caught short and have to remember exactly which style of battery you're supposed to be replacing!

Mouse

The mouse is fairly weighty. There are two thumb buttons available - one is a "back" button, which can easily be remapped to something more useful. The other is a "Windows" key - to open your start menu.

Although it has a bit of a tilt to it, I've gone back to my vertical mouse.

Linux Compatibility

Plug and play - no drivers needed. Keyboard and mouse both worked flawlessly.

Downsides

It's not all sunshine and roses, however. The aforementioned Function Keys have a tendency to stick in their downwards position. Mine came with a stuck F2 key - which meant I couldn't type a capital C. I quickly jiggled the key loose and I could type normally again.

There are no "Favourites" keys - other than the calculator. I usually have a row of keys dedicated to launching frequently used apps or websites. Unlike the MS 4000, there are no dedicated zoom or back/forward shortcut keys.

There's this weird plastic... flap? Tag? Thing? Just by the Escape key.

At first I thought it was a guard to prevent accidental clicking - but it might be a manufacturing defect.

Speaking of the Escape key -it's really loose and rattles around when pressed.

There's no LED to tell you if Caps Lock is on - to save on battery life, one presumes. I guess it's unrealistic to expect a backlight under the keys either!

Cost

Overall, this is a great keyboard - marred only by some regrettable hardware choices. It's slim, light, easy to type on, and simple to set up.

The full keyboard, mouse, munberpad set costs around £65 from Amazon.

If you can do without the mouse - the keyboard and numberpad alone costs around £50.

Cosmetic Changes to the Microsoft 4000 Keyboard

@edent — Sat, 24 May 2014 10:35:49 +0000

I've written before about my love for the MS 4000 Ergonomic Keyboard. It's the only keyboard I'm comfortable typing on for extended periods of time.

Sadly, one of mine has started to get a bit old and frail - the letters are rubbing off and the keys are getting a bit spongy - so I sprang for a new one.

On getting the new one out of its box, I couldn't help but notice that it had undergone some fairly substantial cosmetic changes. All the keys are in the same position, and the functionality remains the same, but it looks different.

This is an utterly nerdy post which will be of no interested other than to keyboard aficionados :-)

Even at a cursory glance, it's obvious that substantial changes have been made.

No markings on the keyboard case like "favourites" and "zoom" - only the keys have markings.
The font used on the keys feels subtly different. It's not a substantial change.
Most markings are now centred on their key - but not all.
Several icons have been changed - such as context menu, mute, etc.
Some keys are now missing a textual description - like "backspace" and "shift"

On to the control block!

The fully spelled-out "page up" now becomes a Homer-Simpson-esque "Pig Up?"

The biggest changes are in the lower left corner.

The dedicated Windows key has lost its physically indented roundel - which is a shame as that's a useful way for touch typists to know where they are. The Flag logo has also been updated to the Metro style.

The word "tab" disappears, and the icon gets a minor update. Shift goes and also gets a new icon.

Let's take a look at the number pad.

The Microsoft logo has been updated.
All the key labels are now centred.
The backspace key (top right) now has a different icon than its bigger brother.
The arrows now look like chevrons.

...and that's just about it. The only physical change is to the Windows key, all the other changes are cosmetic. I'm not a big fan of the abbreviations, but centring all placements seems sensible.

The keyboard is still a joy to type on and still works perfectly with Linux.

You can buy the Microsoft Natural Ergo Keyboard 4000 on Amazon.

The End of MS Tag

@edent — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 14:41:00 +0000

Three years ago, I wrote about the deficiencies in Microsoft's Tag system. It was painfully obvious even then that MS had no desire to back the "standard" they'd tried to create. They couldn't even be bothered to leverage the then-new Windows Phone to get the reader into customers' hands.

Their terms and conditions at the time said

We will also use commercially reasonable efforts to make these basic features available until at least January 1, 2015, and provide two years prior notice before we terminate the basic features or the entire Microsoft Tag service.

Well, they've just given their two years' notice. They've offloaded the entire service off to ScanBuy:

Through August 19, 2015, you will be able to continue to log into your existing Microsoft Tag service account, use existing Microsoft Tag codes, generate new Microsoft Tags, and run reports as usual. Scanbuy plans to support Microsoft Tag Technology on the ScanLife platform beginning no later than September 18th, 2013, and to offer transition and migration services to Microsoft Tag customers who choose to migrate to the ScanLife platform.

I've got nothing against ScanBuy - but why would anyone carry on with this ridiculous platform now? What's to stop ScanBuy in the future abandoning it, going bust, or radically changing the pricing structure? Nothing.

With QR codes, you have an open standard where the destination is controlled by you! There's no relying on the largesse of multinationals to keep a service running.

Xbox 360 - Confessions of a First Time User

@edent — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 08:01:30 +0000

After an entertaining discussion at BarCamp Berkshire about video games, I decided to treat myself to an Xbox 360. After several happy years with a Nintendo Wii, I was keen to see what the new state of the art was.

I picked the current top pick console and, I must say, while the games are great the console is somewhat of a disappointment.

I picked the limited edition Xbox 360 320GB Star Wars Kinect Console with Kinect Star Wars - Limited Edition (Xbox 360).

Yay! Star Wars!

Hardware

It comes with a 320GB hard disk, a Kinect, optical audio, HDMI port, fully tricked out - and a composite video cable!

I was bemused when looking through the packaging. This is meant to be a flagship console, and yet it's expected that I'll show this off on my huge TV via a crappy little low-resolution cable? A bog standard HDMI cable is a quid! Why not throw one in the box? Same with an optical cable, the console has delicious 5.1 surround sound - and yet the console comes with only a stereo cable.

It's an odd blemish on an otherwise fine bit of hardware.

Controllers

The controllers are also odd. I had naively expected that they would charge via USB. The console has an abundance of USB ports, so surely the Xbox controllers - like those of the PlayStation - can be charged via them?

Well, yes and no. The controllers don't come with a rechargeable battery pack. Although Microsoft very generously provides a couple of cheap AA batteries. There is a charging port on the controller - but it's not a standard USB recepticle. It's a weird proprietary port.

This is typical Microsoft - make things slightly inconvenient for the user in the hope that they'll buy an overpriced accessory. The controller could have so easily come with a built-in battery pack and charged via a normal micro-USB socket.

Dashboard

So, after wiring the whole thing up, what are the first impressions of using the Xbox dashboard?

What. A. Mess! I'm sure that if you've been using the 360 since launch it all seems familiar - but there are just so many options! I know that it's more than just a games console - but there's such a jumble of ideas that the whole effect is one of confusion.

Actually, the first thing I noticed was that my home screen was playing an advert! I've just spent over three hundred quid on this, and you're showing me adverts? Adverts which when accidentally selected scream out at high volume? Not cool.

Here's a screenshot of the home page:

It's dominated by a huge advert compelling me to upgrade my experience (because the default isn't any good, I presume) then two adverts on the right. Sidelined on the left are things I actually want to do - play the games that I've purchased.

Yes, please do alert me to new things I can do - but does it have to be this crude?

There appears to be no way to customise the dashboard. I want my homescreen to have quick links to iPlayer, my downloaded games, and whatever's in the drive. That's not possible. It's almost Apple like in its insistence that This Is The One True Way. Very frustrating.

Kinect

The Kinect is marvellous fun - and a great technical innovation. Even better, it just about works even in my lounge. I'm 2 metres away from the TV and it does a good job of detecting me. It works really well in games it is designed for,

However, the Kinect is poorly integrated into the main Xbox features. Perhaps you recognise this quote:

The machine was rather difficult to operate. For years radios had been operated by means of pressing buttons and turning dials; then as the technology became more sophisticated the controls were made touch-sensitive--you merely had to brush the panels with your fingers; now all you had to do was wave your hand in the general direction of the components and hope. It saved a lot of muscular expenditure, of course, but meant that you had to sit infuriatingly still if you wanted to keep listening to the same program.

That extract from The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy is scarily accurate.

I can be sitting watching a programme on iPlayer, shift my body a little and the Kinect wakes up and asks me to wave at it - using an annoying little graphic in the corner of the screen.

I just wish there was a way to turn it off when not in use.

iPlayer

Oh, one last word on the iPlayer - the Xbox 360 doesn't adjust its refresh rate to match the playback rate of material. So you get 25fps showing at 60fps which causes all manner of weird jerkiness. Most unpleasant.

(NB I have a new TV, so it may be that I have to fiddle with some options to get the picture back to a normal state of fluidity - but a media player like the 360 should just do this automatically.)

Games

I'm properly loving Portal 2 - the other games are also fantastic. There are just three flies in the ointment.

First is the loading times. On my Wii, I've ripped all the games to a USB hard disk. The load times are virtually gone, no waiting between levels, or anything like that. I had assumed that with the Xbox's huge internal hard drive, the majority of games would take advantage of being able to cache their content. That doesn't seem to be the case. Games take ages to load from DVD. Even the downloaded games, like the ridiculously fun Fez, make me wait for a chuntering drive. I almost wish that the 360 came with an SSD rather than the lump of spinning metal it uses for storage.

(As a very minor disclaimer, I have a friend who works for Xbox who gave me a copy of Fez. Cheers J!)

Secondly, there's the issue of updates. The first time I switched on the console it wanted to connect to the mothership and update its software. Which it did. Twice. Every game I slip into it interrupts my first play experience with "This game needs to be updated NOW!" I understand why updates are needed - but it's really disruptive and doesn't create a great first impression.

Thirdly, personas (personae?).

So, I've set up a GamerTag for myself. My wife has also created some kind of Xbox account. How easy is it to start a co-operative game of Portal 2?

Now, I'm not sure if the following is a problem with Portal, or just the way Microsoft makes the 360 works. Anyway, here's the experience when we try to play....

Ok, click on "Play Portal 2". Easy enough...

Wait for a loading screen. Game will start soon...

Oh, another loading screen. Still, good to know who owns the copyright for these things. That'll improve my gameplay experience.

Yes! We're in the games and ready to... oh! No. My mistake. Still waiting to load.

Ok! Finally, let's hit that start button and crack on :-)

What the bloody hell is this? Not once in setting up my Xbox have I ever been asked to set a cloud storage device. I've no idea what it is, or why I would want one. Worst still, there's no "remember my selection" so I have to see this pointless screen every time I want to play.

The hard disk is not a speed demon. I'm sure it helps keep the console cool & quiet - but it means yet another loading screen for me to sit patiently through.

Now I can select the sort of game I want to play.

Fine, have this as a sub menu, rather than on the main screen. Whatever. Click.

Yes. Yes. Splitscreen. No, please don't give me some way to remember my preferences, that would be far too convenient. Hang on! I don't have a premium subscription - why are you even offering me online play?

Now I have to find my second controller. That's my fault for leaving it in the bathroom though (don't ask).

The sign in process for the second player is fairly pedestrian, but a bit long winded. That's it? No, have to absolutely super-duper confirm that was the profile I intended to select. Nyagh! Another of these bloody cloud things! No no no! Go away, just save on the HDD forever and NEVER ASK ME AGAIN!

We are exhausted at this point and the 360 allows us to take a nap while it access its memory banks. Oooh! A loading screen!

Oooh! A different loading screen! Wha? But? I...? Is this it? YES! After sixteen hours of setting up, we're finally ready to play.

In seriousness, it's a dozen button presses, and about 3 minutes of my time wasted. It's not a huge amount in the grand scheme of things - but it's a continual annoyance.

Overall

I'm being deliberately nit-picky. I love the console (and the R2-D2 sounds whenever it's switched on). The games are such good fun, and the Kinect is a marvel.

But... But... The overall feel really disappoints and confuses me. Is this a games console, or a video player? It mashes the two together in an uncomfortable way. The Metro UI looks lovely - as it always does - but highlights its shortcomings by having dozens of sub-menus to plough through. It's an expensive bit of kit - yet it's slathered in adverts which, to my mind, reduces its premium feel.

I've not yet tried my free month of Xbox Live Gold Membership - at this point, it just feels like it would be another long download and offer very little in return. It seems odd that I can only pay for movies if I've already paid my monthly membership fee. I can download games without paying. And why can I watch iPlayer without subscribing to Gold, when trying to watch 4oD requires the premium subscription? All very inconsistent and hard to understand.

I can customise my avatar - and even pay for the privilege of wearing a branded T-Shirt - yet I cannot customise my dashboard to suit my needs.

That, I think, is the root of the problem. Parts of the 360 feel like it has been designed for Microsoft's benefit; not mine.

Do Adverts Really Use 75% Of Your Phone's Battery?

@edent — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:32:53 +0000

No.

(N.B. I work for a mobile advertiser - but this is my personal blog. This post isn't written on their behalf. Naturally I'm biased.) (N.B. I'm in India and jetlagged to hell - this may not make any sense!)

Wild headlines abound - but very few people seem to have read the original Microsoft sponsored paper.

The 75% claim is based on...

one app,
running on the very first Android hardware (Magic & Passion),
not disclosed whether the phones were running Android 1.5 (what they shipped with) or an updated ROM,
based on the first thirty three seconds only of the app lifecycle,

There is no doubt that running adverts opens a 3G connection - and that takes energy. And, if your app is calling data every minute - that takes more energy.

But most apps aren't coded that way.

And, even if they were, most phones keep a data connection open anyway for push email.

The energy used by downloading, say, a dozen adverts over a 30 minute session of Angry Birds is dwarfed by the total energy used by the screen, and the sound, and the music playing through your bluetooth headphones, and the vibration of incoming text messages.

Now, a sucky tracking SDK which turns on GPS, makes constant polls over the network might drain your battery a bit. But that doesn't seem to be what these guys have found.

Profiling the apps' only at their startup - rather than the continual playing of a game seems disingenuous at best.

Changing the Microsoft 4000's Zoom Keys in Ubuntu

@edent — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:30:15 +0000

I'm in love with my keyboard! The Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 is a dream to type on. Large, well spaced keys, split keyboard, and a whole host of extra media buttons. There's only one tiny problem. Two of the buttons don't work in Linux - specifically, the keyboard scroll buttons. This is a long standing bug in Linux, but luckily it is fairly easy to fix.

Using Florian Diesch's tutorial at Ask Ubuntu, I've come up with this simple guide to get your keyboard working.

Update For 14.04: Don't follow this guide, please use this guide on AskUbuntu.

Open a terminal. Sorry, this is all going to be command prompt based!
Install the program evtest
```
sudo apt-get install evtest
```
You will need to find which input "event" corresponds to your keyboard. Run the following command
```
sudo evtest /dev/input/event5
```
When you press the scroll key on your keyboard, you should see an output like
```
Event: time 1325072953.278713, type 4 (Misc), code 4 (ScanCode), value c022e
Event: time 1325072953.278729, type 1 (Key), code 109 (PageDown), value 1
Event: time 1325072953.278752, -------------- Report Sync ------------
```
If you don't, cancel (using CTRL+C) and try another event number. Start at event0 and work your way up.
Let's see what the keys are currently mapped to. Type the command
```
sudo /lib/udev/keymap -i input/event5
```
(or whatever "event" number you need). You should see an output like
```
scan code: 0xC022D   key code: zoomin
scan code: 0xC022E   key code: zoomout
```
We need to create a file which contains the new keymapping. To do this, type
```
sudo nano /lib/udev/keymaps/microsoft-4000
```
Insert the following two lines into the file
```
0xC022D pageup
0xC022E pagedown
```
If you would rather scroll line-by-line, you can use
```
0xC022D up
0xC022E down
```
Save the file by pressing CTRL+X.

Now, let's implement the remapped keys. Type

sudo /lib/udev/keymap input/event5 /lib/udev/keymaps/microsoft-4000

Your scroll buttons should now be working! If not... errr... try again?
Assuming it is working, we need to make this permanent so that we don't have to type in a command every time we reboot. To open the keymapping file, type
```
sudo nano /lib/udev/rules.d/95-keymap.rules
```

Scroll through the file until you see

#
# The following are external USB keyboards
#

LABEL="keyboard_usbcheck"

Past in the following line

ENV{ID_VENDOR_ID}=="045e", ENV{ID_MODEL_ID}=="00db", RUN+="keymap $name microsoft-4000"

The line needs to be above

GOTO="keyboard_end"

Save the file (CTRL+X).

Reboot.

Hey presto! Your keys will now obey your commands.

Xbox QR Code - Proof that MS Tag is Dead?

@edent — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:28:25 +0000

I've never been a fan of Microsoft's proprietary 2D barcode system. With the latest news that their tag reader and creator will support QR codes, it looks like the writing is on the wall for the multi-coloured blobs.

Further evidence of this can be found on Microsoft's latest XBox poster which contains a rather prominent QR code.

Here it is in more detail.

When scanned, it goes to a Google URL shortner!

If Microsoft's own marketing department doesn't have faith in the MS Tag - or their own QR creator - why should anyone else?

Lumia Review

@edent — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:52:44 +0000

It was the best of phones - it was the worst of phones...

I want to start this review by saying three things:

I got this phone for free - thanks Nokia!
I'm an extremely demanding mobile user. I recognise that I am an edge-case; what I find annoying, you may not.
I've tried to stick to actual bugs, not just "it does things differently."

Sergeant Elop's Lonely Phone Club

Imagine, of you will, you have just purchased a brand new copy of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on vinyl.

It is beautifully designed, an astonishing work of art. You play side one and it is sublime - perhaps the perfect start to any album.

The you flip the disc to side two - and it's Justin Bieber. A screeching, horrible, tune free noise that damages your calm and makes you want to smash your stereo.

That's the Lumia 800 from Nokia. It's Finland's first Windows Phone 7. It's beautiful and infuriating in equal measure.

The Good

There is much to praise the Lumia - and WP7 - for. So much potential - and nearly all of it squandered. But, we'll get to that... Let's start with what I love.

Beauty Is Skin Deep

The phone is gorgeous. Like a futuristic pop-tart. Sleek, shiny, and midnight black. It pulls off the incredible feat of being discreet and eye catching. A pure monoblock. As enigmatic and attractive as the monolith from 2001.

There's just one problem. We're in 2011.

A Brand New Operating System

Windows Phone 7 is different from all other phone operating systems before it. Sure, it has icons, widgets, lists, long presses, swipes, and ... you know what? It isn't different. It isn't a new paradigm. What it is, is gorgeous.

It's a sparse and elegant experience. Fast and user friendly.

The "Metro UI" is really easy to use, gentle on the eye, and a clever way to organise a phone.

Speed Demon

This is one of the fastest phones I've used. It's startup speed rivals that of BlackBerry. In day to day usage, I never found that it stuttered or slowed down - even while having several apps open at once.

Our Friends Connected

You can add in all your disparate social networks into your phone book. So, when you look up a contact, you can easily see their last status message, their Facebook photos etc.

Just like Vodafone 360 did years ago...

But, unlike 360, it works really well. It seemed to match up all my Twitter, Facebook, and address book friends without hassle.

Getting The Basics Right

Call quality was excellent. Good speaker phone. Fine reception. Basically, it works as a phone.

The camera is quick to focus and produces outstanding images.

Ok... ok... If you want to use it as a basic smartphone, the Lumia will do you fine. It browses the web, plays music, links all your social networks together, and looks beautiful while doing so.

It is basically fine - until you scratch beneath the surface.

The Bad

I thought that the Nokia N8 was the worst phone ever made by Nokia. The Lumia may come a close second.

I've been posting a running commentary on Twitter of all the niggles I have with the Lumia.

Here are the highlights - and slightly more in depth explanations - of every bug and annoyance I found. I have suffered, so that you may not.

Let's start off with a gentle one...

For a very modern operating system, WP7 has a fondness for outdated UI elements. I can't think of the last time I used a floppy disk.

That was the warm up. What would you say to a phone that you can't switch off?

I have since discovered that this only happens when the phone is plugged in. Maybe I'm unusual but, before going to bed, I switch off my phone and let it charge overnight. I've had several WP7 fans say that I should switch my phone on to flight mode (go in to settings, scroll through) or switch my phone on to silent if I don't want to be disturbed during the night.

There's just two problems with that. Firstly - why doesn't the phone tell me that I can't switch it off? Secondly - it's impossible to switch the phone on to silent.

Silence Is Golden

This may fall under the "just how I am used to it" school of errors, but bear me out. On every phone I've owned I've had three sound profiles that I can toggle through.

Ring and vibrate - what the phone is normally set to.
Vibrate - when I want to be notified, but having a loud ring isn't appropriate.
Silent - I don't want to be notified (I'm in a meeting).

With the Lumia, I can toggle between Ring+Vibrate and Vibrate. There's no way to get the phone to go silent without diving through a maze of menus.

In fairness, this is a problem which has affected recent Android phones - but there are multiple (free) widgets which solve it.

Screen Issues

The screen on the Lumia is a mixed bag. When it's displaying white text on a pure black background, it's perfect. When there's a white background, the screen seems - to me - to have lots of artefacts on it. The Lumia's screen is at its worst when dealing with greys, and solid blogs of colours. It suffers from lots of vertical banding which is really quite unpleasant.

I've scanned in the screen looking at a fairly normal grey image. While the scanner has overemphasised the problem (and my greasy finger prints!) you should be able to get an idea of how the problem manifests.

Browser Bugbears

Internet Explorer is a reasonable browser - but very buggy.

The URL bar keeps disappearing. I've had this a couple of times. The URL bar just vanishes when you're using the web. As far as I can tell, there's no way to bring it back.

The scrolling for the web browser sometimes stops responding.

Meeting You, Meeting Me

It's really hard to accept meeting invites on the Lumia. On my Exchange email, it works perfectly. For some Gmail invites, I have to click a link and go to Google Calendar on the web. The Lumia doesn't recognise .ics files - so there's no way the email client can talk to the calendar.

But, worse is to come. I asked someone at Microsoft to send me a meeting invite to my Gmail account. While the invite worked fine on the web, the Lumia gave me literally no way to answer the meeting invite - as this video demonstrates.

Crapware

This is Nokia's flagship phone - so you think they would have taken more care with it, wouldn't you? As well as a buggy OS, they've filled it with... let's just say "non-premium" apps.

Some apps, like this one from BA, need updating as soon as you switch on the phone. Sadly, you can't click a button to update - you have to go into the app store.

The greatest opprobrium is reserved for TripAdvisor. I know that deals like this take a lot of time and money to organise - but they really could have done better than this pathetic effort.

Still, at least they let you easily uninstall the bloat.

Things Go Better When We're Together

Microsoft may - or may not - be buying Nokia. One thing is for sure, they're working closely together. What's weird is why they've decided to duplicate some of the services on the phone.

I'm all for customer choice - but here, it just seems confusing.

Finally, Nokia seems to have its own app store. Once again, we see just how little Nokia care for UX.

Paperback Writer

The keyboard is a very strange beast. It's mostly fine, but has some oddities.

Weirdly, the word "Lumia" isn't in the Lumia's dictionary. So there's a little red squiggle ever time you write it. Or other common words.

That said - the in-line spell check is very nice. I miss it on my Android - I think I first saw it on the BlackBerry many years ago.

My Baby's Got Me Wrapped Up In Chains

We're living in a post-PC age. Unless you're Microsoft. You have to connect to a Windows PC to update software, copy across music and videos, change the BlueTooth name of the device, or even subscribe to podcasts.

What's worse, is you have to install the Zune software if you want to get music or photos off the device. You can't send via Bluetooth, you can't just shove in a USB cable and drag them off. You have to install the 100MB behemoth that is Zune, restart your PC several times, fire up the software, wait for it to detect your phone, then let it sync before you can get your photos out.

Of course, you could email your photos off the phone - but the UI for that is terrible. There's no way to select multiple images, so you have to attach each one individually.

It seems that any time you want to do something to your phone, you have to connect it to a PC running Windows.

Let's Talk About Text, Baby

Do you ever use read receipts for SMS? Perfect for seeing when someone has received your message. In every other phone on the planet, the read receipt is integrated in to the SMS app - so you can see at a glance which messages have been received.

With WP7, you get a long list of phone numbers which have received a message. It doesn't even do the simple task of showing you the name of your contact.

No Thanks

I hope that what I've shown you is a litany of bugs, errors, gotchas, and foul ups. I don't think any of the points I've raised are unfair. I like to think that I judge other phones just as harshly - see my treatment of BlackBerry and of iPhone and of Android.

I know this is a brand new OS - but you don't get credit for trying.

If you are prepared to stay in the walled garden, and put up with the bugs, the Lumia is a decent device. But there are devices which do more, cost less, and have more apps on them.

I'm not giving up on Windows Phone 7. It is still a work in progress. There is a great deal of potential here - and I look forward to seeing what the future brings.

For now though, avoid the Lumia. Wait until Microsoft fixes the bugs and until Nokia decides release a phone that they are happy with. Because, honestly, I don't think anyone at Nokia can believe this is the best that they can do.

Windows Phone 7: Mango. So what?

@edent — Wed, 25 May 2011 15:18:21 +0000

I was recently invited to the Windows Phone 7 Mango preview (no, I didn't get a free phone) - here are a few thoughts.

The first thing to note is that WP7 still looks gorgeous - the front tiles (aka widgets) are smart and add a real feeling of fluidity to the phone.

Juicy

The second thing is rather more depressing. Windows is still playing catch-up. It's a standard joke that neither the iPhone nor WP7 had copy-n-paste on release - what's not a joke is the number of "new" features that Microsoft announced are things which have been around for years.

Groups of contacts. I don't know about you, but I was able to group contacts on my ancient 6310i.
Multi-Tasking. You know, like all those Symbian phones had years ago.
Facebook events now appear in your calendar. Again, just like on BlackBerry, Android, etc.
Music pauses when you receive an SMS - the phone reads the message to you and you can use voice recognition to compose a message. Nice that it's all integrated, but hardly revolutionary.

Cognitive Dissonance

Compare and contrast the following two statements made by Microsoft.

The way in which people browse the web on a phone is different to how they browse the web on a desktop PC.

...and...

Windows Phone 7 uses Internet Explorer 9. The exactly the same rendering engine as desktop IE9. So pages look the same on both Desktop and Mobile.

While it's admirable that there's just one set of quirks for developers to code for - and potentially the same exploits on both - I can't help but think this is misguided. Do users really want all pages to render the same, or would they rather have a mobile specific rendering?

Here's a sample image provided by Microsoft.

Forget your troubles, come on, get 'appy

And so, finally, on to apps.

Where WP7 really excels in in 3D. The sample BA app had a 3D seat checker which, while gimmicky, was incredibly smooth.

With a claimed 18,000 apps, WP7 has overtaken BlackBerry and is catching up on the other platforms. There are just two flies in the ointment.

Private Apps

If you're a big business and want to put "employee only" apps on to your employee's phones, you can! Well, you upload the app to the marketplace, set it as private, then distribute a secret URL to your employees. Anyone with that URL can download the app - so if an email accidentally gets forwarded...

It's a rather unsatisfactory kludge. Why not allow developers to deploy direct to handsets? (I know, I know... it breaks the MS control.)

Developer Tools

So, you're competing with Apple iPhone. Presumably you want to attract iPhone developers to your platform, right? So, why aren't WP7 development tools available on the Mac?

Windows 7 runs perfectly on a Mac. Buy a licence. We've no interest in making our tools available on other operating systems.

That is, almost verbatim, the answer I received. I can understand not making the tools available on Linux. But iOS developers can only use a Mac. Why should they have to fork out for and install an entire OS just to run WP7 development?

Microsoft Office is available on Mac - so someone in Redmond has an eye on that market.

It just seems silly that you'd ignore all the iOS developers.

Overall

WP7 is a great platform. It's finally catching up with features that other phone users take for granted. The hardware and software work well - especially when tied in to Microsoft services like Xbox and Sharepoint.

I'm just left with a feeling of "so what?" As a platform, there's nothing I can do on there that can't be done on other devices. Yes, the 3D XNA / Silverlight thing is nice - but any better than OpenGL?

As a consumer phone, it's perfectly acceptable. For Xbox gamers, this is the only phone to consider.

As a business device, it ticks many of the right boxes. If you're heavily invested in the Microsoft way of working (Sharepoint, Office 365, Outlook), you'd be hard pressed to find a better phone.

But for everyone else, there's no "wow" factor. Nothing that makes me think "I have to get this phone because it does something nothing else does."

Perhaps I'm being slightly cynical. The hardware and software is great - it's nice to see them catching up with all the other phones. WP7 is a welcome addition to the ecosystem, even if it isn't driving forward innovation.

MS Tags vs QR Codes

@edent — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 08:00:26 +0000

I don't want this to be seen as an anti-Microsoft rant. I'm a great fan of Windows Phone 7, my Microsoft 4000 keyboard is the only device I'm comfortable typing on, and my Xbox hardware is still going strong years after release. I'm also heartily impressed with Microsoft's continuing support of the Creative Commons. True, I don't use Windows at home - but I don't blindly devote my life to knocking them unfairly.

But I do have serious concerns about Microsoft's attempts to enter the 2D tag market. While talking about QR Codes on Twitter, the Online Community Manager for Microsoft Tags sent me this message.

It seems that Elliot spends his entire time trying to convince QR users that MS Tags are the next big thing. But are they really? Not everyone is convinced. I'd like to take you through why I think that Microsoft's tag strategy is misguided and why you should avoid using them.

Example MS Tag

Indirect

I've spoken before about the perils of indirect codes. Essentially, an MS Tag contains just a number, the reader then has to connect to the Internet, query Microsoft's servers, then return the information to you.

This is worse than a QR code and raises the following questions:

What if Microsoft's database goes down, gets corrupted, is switched off, or is generally unavailable?
Can Microsoft profit from your data?
When Microsoft starts charging - what happens if you don't pay?
If a customer is roaming, or doesn't have internet access, how do they get the content? A QR card containing a business card can transfer contact details to your phone even if you don't have an Internet connection.

One positive feature of using an indirect code is that you can update the destination information. You can log on to Microsoft's servers and point your code at a different URL, that way, you don't need to reprint your tags. Of course, you can do this with a QR code as well! If your QR code points to example.com/ScanMe - all you need to do is update your .htaccess file to redirect the scanner to a different page.

Controlled By a 3rd Party

With a QR code it is you who are in control. When you relinquish that control, you open yourself up to a world of uncertainty. Take a look at these two clauses from the Microsoft Tag Terms of Use

we may change this Agreement, the API or any Service at any time and for any reason, with or without notice. Such changes may include removal of features, addition of new features or the requirement of fees for previously free features

So, once your MS Tag is getting a few hundred scans a day, Microsoft can send you an email saying

"Nice campaign you're running there. It would be a pity if anything happened to it. Shall we say $10 per scan?"

Or, take a look at this fine piece of legalese.

THE API AND SERVICE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO TAGS AND REPORTS, ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT AND/OR ITS RESPECTIVE SUPPLIERS MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE SUITABILITY, FUNCTIONALITY, ACCURACY OR AVAILABILITY OF THE SERVICE OR TAGS, OR THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE DOCUMENTS, REPORTS AND/OR RELATED GRAPHICS PUBLISHED AS PART OF THE SERVICE OR IN CONJUNCTION WITH ANY TAGS FOR ANY PURPOSE

Now, I know that all services disclaim liability. But a QR code isn't a service. It's a specification. No one can suddenly revoke it. It will never stop working because a company goes out of business or simply decides to retire a service.

More Expensive To Print

This isn't a trivial point. A QR code works best in black and white - but you can use colours if you want. MS Tags require a complex colour printing process. That's expensive if you're printing out fliers, photocopying leaflets, or simply ordering business cards.

You can hack MS Tags to make them readable in black and white - but it's not officially supported.

I'll agree that the basic QR code is nothing much to look at - but that doesn't mean you can't make them as visually interesting as MS Tags if you want.

Limited Availability

I'm a big fan of Windows Phone 7. You would think it would be natural to ensure that every WP7 device has an MS Tag reader. I asked Oded Ran, Microsoft UK's Head of Consumer Marketing for Windows Phone, if that was the case.

I understand better than most the realities of bringing a device to market. It's a constant battle over which features have to make the cut. It just seems odd to me that Microsoft didn't insist on a tag reader to be installed. True, there are readers available in the Windows Phone 7 app store - but it strikes me a glaring omission not to capitalise on the new platform. The MS Tag reader wasn't even available at launch. I'm sure Microsoft have a high level of confidence in both platforms, but it's a worrying gap.

While Microsoft claim that they're available on more phones than other readers, I find that hard to believe. What's more, because the code is proprietary, you're once again reliant on Microsoft to release a reader for your platform. If MS makes a business decision not to support, say, Bada, you literally cannot reach those customers. You can see the full list of supported phones at gettag.mobi - Bada isn't on the list - and there's no indication of when or if it will ever be available.

Once again, the open standard wins through. Readers can be created by anyone for any platform.

Not as Recognisable

It's pretty cool that MS Tags can be merged into images like these. But how do you let users know that it's a scannable image? You either need an extra graphic or text explaining which image can be scanned. A QR code has a distinct look which is easy for a customer to recognise.

Continuing Support

It's hard introducing a new technology to a crowded marketplace - but once again, Microsoft haven't done themselves any favours with developers. The MS Tag support portal is eerily quiet and littered with unanswered questions. True, there is only a small team working on this - but it still strikes me as a bit of a half-hearted effort.

Final Thoughts

QR Codes are an open and published standard (ISO/IEC18004). There are no patent or royalty fees to pay. Ever.

I struggle to see what MS Tags bring to the party. Their one strength - their attractive multi-coloured nature - turns out to be a considerable weakness in terms of cost to print and longevity. What happens when those colours fade in the sunlight?

Everything else about them strikes me as a huge risk. A closed proprietary standard which exists solely on the whim of Microsoft. At any time Microsoft can turn it off or start charging you money for campaigns which are already live. Those are two huge risks which simply aren't present with QR codes.

Overall, I can't find any clear advantage when using MS Tags.

Think I'm wrong? Please let me know in the comments below.

Hate Microsoft - Love Windows Phone 7?

@edent — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 15:23:22 +0000

I'm not the biggest fan of Microsoft. Both my original Xboxes now run Linux, I've converted my laptop and computers to Ubuntu, and I generally laugh in the face of Microsoft's increasingly desperate attempts to stay relevant.

So it was with great mirth that I went along to a BizSpark event a few weeks ago. Microsoft were going to be showing off their latest "innovation" - Windows Phone 7.

I went along expecting to hate it and, instead, found myself curiously drawn to it.

Take a look at the emulator for an interactive demo.

I played with the demo hardware and software and had my expectations blown away. I'll be honest - I expected crap. I had horrible memories of the stylus oriented Windows Mobile 6. The phone which would display an hourglass if you had the temerity to receive a phone call while playing solitaire.

Windows Phone 7 (WP7) was a million miles away from the old Microsoft experience.

Pros

The user interface is refreshingly simple and fun to use. It's like nothing else I've tried before and I really think that Microsoft has outclassed both Android and Apple.

Pushing so much information to the homescreen really makes you want to use your phone constantly. iPhone only does this half-heartedly and Android does it without much animation or UI consistency.

App Store. One excellent feature of the MS app store is the "Try Before You Buy" model. Rather than a developer putting out a free, limited version and a "pro" version they can publish a single app. They can restrict the features and functionality of the "demo" version until the customer makes the purchase. Or, after a set period of time, the demo version can become non-functioning. Or have reduced function. Brilliant.

Gaming on this device will be huge. It looks like it will be simple to port games from the Xbox to WP7 - that gives it a great competative advantage. Tie in Xbox Live (or whatever it's called) and you'll get gamers buying the same game twice - once on the console and once on the phone. The 3D power of the phones was stunning.

Cons

There are some serious shortcomings in the Windows Phone 7 vision of the future which Microsoft urgently need to address.

Expand the development options. If you want to write for Windows Phone 7, you'll need Windows installed on your computer. Given that Android allows you to develop on Windows, Mac and Linux, it doesn't make sense to make developers buy a new operating system. Especially as iPhone development is tied to Apple.
Open it up. I love the idea of integrating my phone with my Xbox live account - but I don't have an Xbox! Open it up so that my Wii or PS3 gaming experience can be pushed to the homescreen.
The same goes for mail and IM - don't restrict it just to Exchange and MSN. Openness is hard for Microsoft, but it will attract more customers to the platform.
Have a firm, public roadmap for enhancements which all manufacturers stick to. Android is currently being stifled by manufacturers like HTC who refuse to update the software on their customers' devices.
Revenue share for developers needs to be better. At the moment it's the same 70/30 split being offered by Android and Apple. It needs to be lower for two key reasons.

Attract developers to the fledgling ecosystem.
To avoid any accusations of a cartel. To have all three major platforms "independently" converge on the same revenue share deal looks suspicious.

Now What?

I've played with the prototype hardware and I'm impressed. The software is really good. Much better that Microsoft's usual standard.

It has to be.

Microsoft are betting their mobile future on this platform. Win6.5 failed. Kin failed. They can't afford another high profile failure like this. Mirosoft are putting their best people on this project and, as far as I can tell, are revisiting their Xbox strategy; SPEND SPEND SPEND.

By the time the phones launch (holiday season 2010) you won't be able to move without seeing an advert. They will crank up their media machine to 11. Just like the original Xbox, they will buy their way in to the market with a view that - like the Xbox 360 - the real prize is several years away.

I hope they succeed. Not because I have any love for Microsoft, but because Nokia, Apple, and Google will all have to raise the quality of their software and hardware to compete against Microsoft's marketing expenditure.

I'm a Linux geek - and I think Windows Phone 7 is the best thing to come out of Redmond in a very long time.

Microsoft's New Marketing Campaign

@edent — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:07:44 +0000

I wander around the world in a perpetual state of confusion. Why is the world the way it is? Why do people make bad decisions? Why - when there are so many better alternatives - do people choose the worst of all possible worlds?

Rather than getting bogged down in philosophy, I refer to the reason people choose Microsoft Windows to do anything public facing.

Advertisers obviously care enough about their message to craft 30 second videos, they invest millions on infrastructure to support showing them. Then they take a totally unsuitable and unstable method for playing them back - why?

It's a phenomena I repeatedly see. Advertising screens around the world which are really only displaying one message.

They're saying "Windows - The Worst Way To Get Your Message Across".

However, it's not just Windows which has the problem - each of these three photos show a PC which has failed to POST correctly. So they are stuck - forever displaying their inadequacies to thousands of passers-by. (Click to embiggen)

My real rant isn't about Windows - it's about the design and thinking behind such advertising screens. It would appear that each screen is driven by its own PC. What madness! The cost of hardware - let alone software - must be phenomenal.

At the moment, each screen displays exactly the same content as its neighbour. There's no reason why a single computer couldn't be used to drive all the screens.

I say exactly the same - the screens get progressively out of sync as the day goes on. Presumably the separate PCs don't communicate with one and other.

The next thing that bothers me is the use of Windows.

These screens aren't using an embedded version of Windows - they're using XP. Now, XP is a fine OS - but it is bloated in terms of what is needed. All that is needed is a small embedded device which can be loaded with video files and set to play back.

It doesn't need a desktop OS. It doesn't need anything more complicated than a display, video codecs and an Ethernet port. This is the sort of thing for which Linux is perfect.

So, why? Why has this system been allowed to develop? Every day I see another screen which is broken, out of sync, or crashed. Why has such a fragile and expensive solution become so prevalent?

The majority of these photos show TFL advertising screens managed by CBS Outdoor. I really do wonder if they ever wander through the tube and see what a shoddy experience they are delivering.