My Digital Life

The week of February 12th in My Digital Life

The 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona Spain is in full swing this week with plenty of mobile product announcements. First off, Microsoft officially announced Windows Mobile 6.0 and specifically mentioned that T-Mobile USA plans to provide an upgrade to the DASH. Will T-Mobile provide an upgrade for the MDA, probably not since they mayl release their version of the HTC Hermes with Windows Mobile 6.0. Microsoft has also unveiled a new Windows Mobile 6.0 portal here.

There is a lot of good information out there on Windows Mobile 6.0, the key take away is that this is an evolutionary step with over 10,000 improvements across the board. Jason Langridge provide a good high level overview on his blog. In typical Microsoft fashion, the version names have been reinvented:

• Windows Mobile is now Windows Mobile Classic for the Pocket PC platform (touch screen, no phone)
• Windows Mobile Phone Edition is now Windows Mobile Professional for the Pocket PC Phone platform (touch screen, phone)
• Windows Mobile Smartphone is now Windows Mobile Standard for the Smartphone platform (phone, no touch screen)

It is clear that the product naming folks at Microsoft work hard to keep their jobs...

Brandon Miniman has published a good overview of Windows Mobile Standard on pocketnow.com.

Live Search for Mobile has officially been released by Microsoft, Google Maps released a Windows Mobile mapping application as well and now Nokia is in the game with Smart2go application for Windows Mobile. When Nokia builds an application for Windows Mobile, you know Windows Mobile is mainstream.

On the Windows Vista front, I made a lot of progress last week updating the applications I use (see my current list here). I thought I had solved my modem problem by stopping the Venta Fax service, however Vista is still aborting. More research has revealed that there is a newer Intel driver from Windows Update, however my modem must not be reporting itself correctly as an Intel 536EP modem since the update is not being downloaded, the Vista driver is not available on the Intel website which is bizarre. For $18 (including shipping) I can get a new Intel based modem at newegg.com that correctly identifies itself with Windows Update, that maybe the way to go to avoid blue screen frustration.

Apple has not yet released their new version of iTunes which fully supports Windows Vista.

This week:

• My Spectec SDIO GPS review should be published on pocketnow.com.
• I will working on my review of the Transystem iBlue 737 Bluetooth GPS receiver.
• I have had time to upgrade my D-Link DFL-210 router to the latest firmware, hopefully I will have time this week.
• Continue my application testing on Vista.

My Vista application list February 8th

Yesterday I had a very good day with Vista. I found a post about corruption in the WMI repository and the salvage seem to solve several problems (see my post). I was able to install SQL Server Express, Office Accounting Professional 2007, Business Contact Manager for Outlook 2007. Adobe Photoshop Elements recovered from a catalog failure and started to work. I had found a post on the Adobe forum about corruption in Photoshop Element catalog when performing a Vista upgrade. I was planning on un-installing Elements, searching for the catalog and making sure I deleted it, but I decided to try one last time. Magic, I got the catalog error, Elements rebuilt the catalog and it looks to be working fine. Elementst detected that my media files had been moved to the new Vista picture location and readjusted the catalog accordingly. Vista has a different location for pictures and videos, although Vista creates an shortcut that mimics XP's picture and video location, there seems to be some discussion on the Adobe forum about Photoshop Elements having a problem with using the shortcuts on Vista. I am also disappointed with Adobe's product support, I opened a case last weekend and have yet to hear from them. Not very good customer service...

Applications that work

1. Office 2007 - Vista compliant application
2. Office 2003 - Seems to work without any problems
3. Money 2007 - an update is available and it works well.
4. SQL Server 2005 works fine with SP2. SP2 is currently a Customer Technology Preview. You also have to follow the security procedure found here if you upgraded your database.
5. Office Accounting Professional 2007 - works well.
6. Business Contact Manager for Outlook 2007 - works well with Office Accounting 2007 and integrated database.
7. Nuance's Paperport 11 released an update which can be downloaded and works well. The update process is little cumbersome since you have to uninstall the old versions and then have to terminate multiple processes including SQL Server to enable the install to complete successfully.
8. ECTO blogging application seems to work well.
9. SmartFTP requires version 2.0 build 1002 or later.
10. ImgBurn version 2.1.0 works well.
11. Acronis 10.0 True Image Home backup works well.
12. Adobe Photo Elements 5.0 - An Vista update to 5.0.2 is available. The catalog was corrupted, salvaging the WMI repository seems to have allowed Elements to rebuild the catalog.

Application that seem to work or I have not fully tested

1. iTunes 7.0.2 - I ran the utility provided by Apple and it seems to work better but not 100% of the time, a reboot usually gets it going again.
2. TyTool 10r4 to extract files from a series 1 Directv Tivo seems to work fine but I have not tested DVD file structure creation.

Application that do not work

1. VentaFax 5.71 - It causes the Intel 536EP modem driver to abort the system. They are working on a Vista solution, however no date yet.
2. Office Small Business Accounting 2006 (SBA), Not supported on Vista, move to Office Accounting 2007.

Driver issues:

Currently none.

If I remember right when XP was released I had many more problems with drivers and applications than what I have found with Vista.

My Vista application list February 6th

I am reorganizing this list into four categories. Application that work, that seem to work, that don't work, and driver issues.

Applications that work

1. Office 2007 - Vista compliant application
2. Office 2003 - Seems to work without any problems
3. Money 2007 - an update is available and it works well.
4. SQL Server 2005 works fine with SP2. SP2 is currently a Customer Technology Preview. You also have to follow the security procedure found here. I have it working with SBA and a Windows XP workstation in a workgroup environment
5. Nuance's Paperport 11 released an update which can be downloaded and works well. The update process is little cumbersome since you have to uninstall the old versions and then have to terminate multiple processes including SQL Server to enable the install to complete successfully.
6. ECTO blogging application seems to work well.
7. SmartFTP requires version 2.0 build 1002 or later.
8. ImgBurn version 2.1.0 works well.

Application that seem to work or I have not fully tested

1. iTunes 7.0.2 - I ran the utility provided by Apple and it seems to work better.
2. Office Small Business Accounting 2006 (SBA), No update available yet, this does not bode well for small businesses who want to upgrade. I submitted a support incident since it does not work reliably and the user interface drop down windows do not work correctly.
3. TyTool 10r4 to extract files from a series 1 Directv Tivo seems to work fine but I have not tested DVD file structure creation.

Application that do not work

1. Adobe Photo Elements 5.0 - An Vista update to 5.0.2 is available, I can't get the main User Interface to display although the application shows up in the Task Manager process window. I filed a support incident but have yet to receive a response.
2. VentaFax 5.71 - It causes the Intel 536EP modem driver to abort the system. They are working on a Vista solution, however no date yet.

Driver issues:

Currently none.

If I remember right when XP was released I had many more problems with drivers and applications than what I have found with Vista.

The week of February 5th in My Digital Life

Apple has finally officially commented about iTunes and Vista on their web site. Here is the link to a document on how to install iTunes 7.0.2 on Windows Vista. This document also points to a utility you can download and run to reset file permissions. I will try it this week and turn User Access Control back on. Apple is apparently a couple of weeks out from having a version which is 100% compatible with Vista and Microsoft has supposedly been helping them.

I had two disappointments over the week end. The first was with Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0; I applied the 5.0.2 update to resolve Windows Vista issues but Elements still does not run correctly. It seems to initialize, but the main User Interface never gets launched yet the process is still runs. I opened a support case with Adobe. The second is with Venta Fax 5.71, a Windows service which monitors my SunRocket signature number (distinctive ring), receives a fax and forwards it via email; it worked very well with XP, however it looks like the service was causing a problem with the Intel EP536 modem driver. Since I stopped the service, my system has not had a blue screen. I contacted support, they are working on a solution however no time frame was given.

I upgraded to the production version of Microsoft OneCare security/pc management application. The installation turned off the Vista firewall. With the OneCare RTM firewall, the only problem to date has been with SQL Server. I had to manually add SQL Server to the allowed list of applications. The firewall seems to be working fine, however it still does not integrate with Vista's security center.

I filed a support case with Microsoft for Small Business Accounting 2006 (SBA) and Windows Vista. SBA drop down selections do not work correctly and any attempt to select an entry causes SBA to abort. It is a good thing I can still use SBA on my XP laptop and connect to SQL Server on Vista.

Microsoft released the Vista Windows Mobile Device Center last week, I have not tried it yet.

Google Maps released a Windows Mobile application similar to Windows Live Mobile. I will have to compare them.

This week I plan on:

• Complete my Spectec SDIO GPS review for pocketnow.com.
• Install Outlook 2007 Business Contact Manager (BCM) on Vista and configure a shared BCM database that I can use from my laptop.
• Continue my application testing on Vista.
• Upgrade my D-Link DFL-210 router to the latest firmware.

Friday and there is good news with applications on my Vista system

It is the Friday after the official launch of Windows Vista's. My upgrade from XP to Vista has been a bit of an ordeal, but things are starting to fall into the place. It is clear that all the software vendors had plenty of time to develop the necessary updates to make the latest version of their application run smoothly on Vista. Here are the updates to my original list.

1. Office 2007 - Vista compliant application
2. Office 2003 - Seems to work without any problems
3. iTunes 7.0.2 - No sign of an new iTunes update for Vista. I thought Apple was the king of software development.... 7.0.2 requires User Access Control to be turned off in order to authorize computers with the iTunes store and play protected music. It still does not work 100% of the time. From a support email I received, Apple is aware of the issues and will release an update after 1/30/07.
4. Money 2007 - an update is available and it works well.
5. Office Small Business Accounting 2006 (SBA), No update available yet, this does not bode well for small businesses who want to upgrade. I submitted a support incident since it does not work reliably and the user interface drop down windows do not work correctly.
6. SQL Server 2005 works fine with SP2. SP2 is currently a Customer Technology Preview. You also have to follow the security procedure found here. I have it working with SBA and a Windows XP workstation in a workgroup environment.
7. Nuance's Paperport 11 released an update which can be downloaded and works well. The update process is little cumbersome since you have to uninstall the old versions and then have to terminate multiple processes including SQL Server to enable the install to complete successfully.
8. Adobe Photo Elements 5.0 An update to 5.0.2 is available, I just downloaded and installed it.
9. ECTO blogging application seems to work well.
10. SmartFTP requires version 2.0 build 1002 or later.
11. TyTool 10r4 to extract files from a series 1 Directv Tivo seems to work fine.

On the driver side I only had two issues which caused blue screens:

1. The ATI video drivers for my X1600 were in beta, but now have officially been released. I will report back on stability but so far so good.
2. My Intel based modem card seems to work fine but throws exceptions periodically. I have not found a new driver yet.

At the end of the week I am feeling much better about the upgrade, although I am still running with User Access Control off. The graphics are make working with Vista a delight and I love the gadget bar. I will update this post as I try out new applications.

Vista applications on my system

1. Office 2007 - Vista compliant application
2. Office 2003 - seems to work without any problems
3. iTunes 7.0.2 - requires User Access Control to be turned off in order to authorize computers with the iTunes store and to play protected music. It still does not work 100% of the time. Apple is aware of the issues and will release an update after 1/30/07.
4. Money 2007 - an update is available and it works well.
5. Office Small Business Accounting 2006 (SBA), it does not work reliably, the user interface drop down windows do not work correctly.
6. SQL Server 2005 works fine with SP2. SP2 is currently a Customer Technology Preview. You also have to follow the security procedure found here. I have it working with SBA and Windows XP workstations in a workgroup environment.
7. Nuance's Paperport 11 does not work well in multi page mode with my Epson 1650 scanner, although the scanner's driver works with Vista and the scan and fax application..
8. Adobe Photo Elements 5.0 does not work with Vista. This is a real disappointment, although Adobe is working on an update.
9. ECTO blogging application seems to work well.
10. SmartFTP requires version 2.0 build 1002 or later.
11. TyTool 10r4 to extract files from a series 1 Directv Tivo seems to work fine.

I will update this post as I try out new applications.

The week of January 29th in My Digital Life

This week is all about Windows Vista, Bill and Steve have completed their launch in New York, the webcast live feed had its issues with sound, but it must have been great to be in Times Square when all the monitors surrounding the square lit up with Windows Vista and Office 2007. That's what a $100 million in advertising will buy you. Anyway, regardless of what will be spent on marketing,Vista is a great operating system. The Aero graphic are stunning and I would recommend that anyone purchasing a new computer, make sure it comes with a graphics card that supports it.

There are some things to be mindful of. I would not recommend upgrading your current computer to Vista unless you are a techie and have the time to spend to fiddle with settings. Microsoft has said that they expect only 5% of users to upgrade and 95% to purchase new systems. I took the upgrade route and I am still fiddling. The problem is that not all the programs behave correctly with the Vista's security enforcement. The biggest of these security enforcement features is User Access Control (UAC) which alerts you of any change an application tries to make to the core of the system, Some slick applications like Apple's iTune on XP did some slick things to enforce their Digital Rights Management (DRM). Vista and UAC specifically does not allow and does not report the infraction. Turning off UAC has solved most of my problems, although this is an important security feature that should be left on. Apple support emailed me that they plan to release an update soon after January 30th.

Tomorrow, I will be at the launch event in Washington, DC and will report on Wednesday. I am also going to start a list of applications I use on Vista and whether they need an upgrade, work partially or fully.

The week of January 22nd in My Digital Life

I am travelling this week and my blogging will be limited. I am only travelling with my MDA, iGo Sierra Bluetooth keyboard, iPod, Sony W70 camera and an assortment of GPS receivers (I will talk about those later). I only brought two chargers with me, the Gomadic dual charger I reviewed on pocketnow.com and the Sony battery charger (argh!!, why can't they figure out a way to charge the camera's battery internally). The Gomadic charger is great, it charges everything else. I am also using the iGo Sierra keyboard on my lap using the information binder found in every hotel room. As I mentioned in my review of the keyboard the fact that the PDA holder is separate from the keyboard makes it hard to use it on ones lap, however using the binder enables you to type on your lap, although the keyboard does feel a little springy but definitely usable. My MDA's battery started dying on me just before we left, so I am hobbling along making sure I plug it in every opportunity I get. Less than year, not too good (it is already down to 54% and I am just writing). I will have to look at 3rd party batteries when I get back to see if anyone has come out with a higher capacity battery in the same form factor. I brought along 3 GPS receivers, my old Pharos iGPS-360 with the Bluetooth sled, the new Transystem - iBlue-737 GPS Bluetooth receiver I am reviewing and the new Spectec SDIO GPS I am also reviewing. So far I am very impressed by how fast the Transystem - iBlue-737 GPS receiver acquires the signal. It is too bad the Spectec is no mini SDIO to fit in my MDA. I am using my wife's Dell Axim X51v and will borrow a Treo 700w to perform some tests with the Windows Mobile Live Search application. The Spectec SDIO GPS is very small and has a micro SD slot which is a great design feature to store maps. This week: * I will continue writing about my Vista upgrade experience and getting iTunes 7.02 working. * My review of Sunnysoft's Pocket Backup 4.0 should appear on pocketnow.com. * I will be working on the upcoming SBSH Pocket Breeze 5.2 release. * I will be working on my GPS receiver reviews. * And hopefully will have enough time to blog... I am using Word Mobile (larger entry area and spell checking) and PocketSharp MT to post...

At the end of my first week with Zune

Here I am traveling south bound on I-95 using my laptop tethered to my T-Mobile MDA via Bluetooth using the EDGE network. It works fine running around 50Kbps (dslreports mobile speed test) while traveling at 65MPH. I can't wait for HSPDA fromT-Mobile. Unfortunately I am listening to my iPod since there currently is no good way to integrate Zune with my BMW sound system other than using the auxiliary input, however this method does not provide steering wheel control or text display. The other method of using an FM transmitter provides sub standard audio quality, especially in urban areas where FM stations are grouped close together, is not acceptable.

I think there has been a good amount of press about Zune in the past week and that is good. You need to get the name out there, OK the reviews were not glowing but I don't think they were terrible. The Zune team might not think so as Cesar Menandez wrote "Zune Reviews: Too Harsh?...", however I think most of the reviews I have read offered balanced criticism. Matthew Miller from ZDNet wrote "Is the press being too harsh on the Microsoft Zune?" and seems to blame part of the problem with the launch. I have to agree with him, although on the other hand I also I think Microsoft was afraid of a huge launch which would magnify any misstep and could have killed the whole brand. As a first release with the Apple iPod as your competitor you have to soft step into the market, develop your brand and later attempt to squash your competitors. Something Microsoft has shown it can do well. Another interesting article on CNET news is an interview with Bill Gates with some comments about Zune, connected entertainment, and wireless. He points to wireless as a major differentiator against the iPod. I agree, however there is a lot of work that needs to be done for it to be useful. He also points to integration with the car as a major use. I could not agree more, this is were I use my iPod the most.

After seven days my conclusions for individuals looking to purchase an iPod or a Zune are that if you are interested in the following features:

• Large screen to watch videos
• FM Radio
• Subscription service
• Integration with Xbox and Media Center

Then Zune is for you, otherwise I still think that the iPod is king for now. The question for me is; do I wait for the planned software updates or sell my Zune on eBay and wait for the next generation? According to Microsoft they do not plan any major updates before spring, seems like a long time.

Is Zune dead on arrival?

Is Zune another Microsoft Bob. This is the premise of an InfoWorld article found here. For those who are unaware of Bob, it was an attempt by Microsoft to revolutionize the user interface by using wacky characters and home metaphors. That effort went no where. Although I think the situation with Zune is quite different, this is an interesting article.

Zune was developed by the same group that developed the Xbox and we all know how that is turning out. The success of the original Xbox was due to heavy discounting and the killer game "Halo". Next came the Sony PS3 delivery fiasco and Microsoft's almost perfect release execution of the Xbox 360. It will take a Microsoft fumble before Sony can gain back its previous dominant market share. The general consensus is that Sony's PS3 will garner a 50% market share at best and Microsoft's Xbox 360 will garner 40% at a minimum. Not bad for version 2.

Can the same scenario be laid out for Zune. If the first release of Zune is able to gain a decent market share, let's say in the 10% range and Apple's stumbles releasing a future wireless/large screen iPod. The Xbox scenario might be repeatable. Unfortunately those are currently big ifs. To gain a 10% market share Zune needed a differentiator, WIFI, sharing and a larger screen could do it, however WIFI and sharing are looking to be fairly useless and the larger screen is nice but graphic rendering such as album art needs work. All of these can be fixed with a software update, hopefully Microsoft is already working on it. Clearly there is a long road ahead, who would have thought that Sony could have stumbled.

However there is one significant difference between the Sony and Apple wars. The iPod has created a huge ecosystem. Just this week Apple announced a deal with Air France, Continental, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, KLM and United Airlines to equip their aircraft with in seat iPod docking features which will allow the iPod to charge and play using the seats video and audio functionality. WOW!

I like Zune quite well, the problem is that there is not enough of a differentiator for me to give up the iPod's ecosystem. I mostly use the iPod outside the house and traveling. I would say that 70% of my use is in my car, I have integrated my iPod into my BMW's sound system. The sound quality is so good that I dumped my CD changer. Where is Microsoft on this front, FM transmitters just don't work very well. (BTW; here is a link to an excellent Wall Street Journal video on in car iPod installations). The next 20% of my use is while traveling. In addition to listening to music, I watch videos (although the iPod screen is really too small), and backup my digital camera's memory card. The last 10% of my use is outside doing yard work and riding my bike with a Bluetooth adapter and my Motorola HT820 Bluetooth headphones. The only differentiator for my usage pattern is Zune's larger screen to view videos, unfortunately I don't watch enough videos to justify keeping Zune.

I also use my Windows Mobile T-Mobile MDA, with the iTunes Agent add in, around the house in conjunction with my Bluetooth headphones, maybe Microsoft should incorporate Zune into Windows Mobile; that would give me a big reason to dump my iPod.