Jade Mason

Awesome, thanks for the tip!

2009-10-20T09:35:36.666-04:00

Awesome, thanks for the tip!

the latest update from windows update for the IDT ...

2009-10-20T07:01:34.823-04:00

the latest update from windows update for the IDT audio fixes the mic problem. I just did it today.

Well, first I would agree that everyone's time is ...

2009-10-12T17:30:25.017-04:00

Well, first I would agree that everyone's time is worth something. Also, anyone can determine what they are going to charge or not charge for in terms of time, material, etc.

In theory, Angle Investors are supposed to want to help struggling firms or individuals who need capital and cannot get it through the traditional methods.

Therefore, it seems to make little sense to expect these people to have money to pay for advice. If you are going to expect to be paid up front, then you are acting as a consultant and not an investor.

In addition, Angle Investing in general I think is profitable for the investor because they are able to take a fairly large percentage of the business ownership and when it succeeds (if...) they are there to make a huge profit.

Granted, a lot of these ventures will likely fail but the whole point of an Angle Investor is that they can see the potential, are willing to fund the company and put in time in mentoring to help make the company a success.

If they do not want to do these things then perhaps they should invest their money in a more conventional manner.

I see, well thanks for your input and I just made ...

2009-09-21T20:39:42.258-04:00

I see, well thanks for your input and I just made the connection about your name not being Jade. I found your article searching through Google for Axim articles and I came across yours and I enjoyed reading it as well as your 25 cent article. As for programing I'm a big computer hardware geek and I very seldom but do play with design software i.e. Photoshop and Corel. I do want to start learning PHP and Actionscript but it seems overwhelming at times but I digress. Thank you for your quick update Adam.

I was finding less and less use for mine, so I wou...

2009-09-21T20:25:17.706-04:00

I was finding less and less use for mine, so I wound up flashing it back to WinMo 5 and selling it. The 6.1 improvements were very slight, and really nothing that made it suddenly worth using. From what I've seen reported of 6.5, I continue to be unenthusiastic about Windows Mobile in general. The upcoming version 7 and the Pink initiative seem slightly more interesting, but nothing that would compel me to buy a WinMo smartphone over, say, an iPhone, Pre, Android, or Blackberry.

If you are thinking of dusting off your own Axim, great! They are fun, especially as a development testbed for mobile apps. The biggest advantage of flashing to WinMo 5 or 6.1 would be the support for newer version of the .NET mobile framework. Even though I shrugged off the 6.1 update, it did appear to be more stable than the official Dell release of 5.0.

Hey Jade any recent activity with your dell axim? ...

2009-09-21T20:12:35.080-04:00

Hey Jade any recent activity with your dell axim? I just took mine out again after 2 years and it still has WM2003SE but I want to upgrade any feedback would be great! So now we have WM 6.5 coming and I want to see if it will work.

And you want to move to the country??? Gaaaaa...I ...

2009-09-08T11:21:31.988-04:00

And you want to move to the country??? Gaaaaa...I hate the country! Oh, how I would love to have that whole tv, high speed internet and home phone package for $100 a month!!

Another, even more low tech way to do this is to g...

2009-08-31T10:26:50.394-04:00

Another, even more low tech way to do this is to get a series of envelopes or jars and label each for your monthly expenses / savings funds. Each check, cash it out and put the money into the appropriate jar. The drawbacks here are 1) you end up with a lot of cash in your home, which is not entirely safe 2) you end up making several runs to the ATM to withdraw and deposit. On the other hand, you shouldn't need to charge anything to your credit card using this method, and your budgets are much more tangible. You are literally robbing the piggy bank each time you take money out of one of the other funds.

I agree Alcuin! I see nothing offensive about the ...

2009-07-15T23:55:11.612-04:00

I agree Alcuin! I see nothing offensive about the athiests plate choice. I would consider cuss words or vulgar innuendo to be offensive.

It's hard to beat a lawsuit over license plates fo...

2009-07-12T22:34:52.159-04:00

It's hard to beat a lawsuit over license plates for a pointless way to waste money.

I fear the world is a confusing, hostile place for...

2009-06-19T18:08:21.746-04:00

I fear the world is a confusing, hostile place for the mathematically challenged.

I just started a new blog about "The Dark Tower" t...

2009-05-12T21:59:00.000-04:00

I just started a new blog about "The Dark Tower" that I thought you might find interesting.

http://gunslingersandtowers.blogspot.com/

"Wizard and Glass" was my favorite of the seven books : )

There's something fascinating related to correlati...

2009-04-24T11:48:00.000-04:00

There's something fascinating related to correlation and causation called a Hidden Markov Model. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidden_Markov_model

The basic idea is that there are hidden "states" that indicate the probability that you'll exhibit a certain behavior or that you'll move to some other "state".

The Hidden Markov Model assumes that there's some other, hidden cause. For example: perhaps socks and nightmares are caused by the "hidden state" - Very Cold Room...

I watched Office Space last night and thought of y...

2009-04-14T14:40:00.000-04:00

I watched Office Space last night and thought of your post! I could just picture a group of guys from you office after week one taking that fax machine to some random field and killing it!

dont forget you can get whs through me for a large...

2009-03-30T10:24:00.000-04:00

dont forget you can get whs through me for a large discount...hodge

Excellent points! I think you are on track with t...

2009-03-19T13:17:00.000-04:00

Excellent points! I think you are on track with the idea that 3D will be the next big thing. Most vendors at CES were showing off concept 3D displays, and Disney has committed to offering a 3D version for all films produced this year.

If you want movies on the cheaper, get an Entertai...

2009-03-19T11:43:00.000-04:00

If you want movies on the cheaper, get an Entertainment book. Using the coupons I pay about $6.50 / ticket (rather than $10.50) + more for high profile new releases / IMAX / 3D.

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I suspect the big shakeup that's coming will be the 3D films. Did you see Coraline? I understand that it's pretty easy for a digital projector to go 3D - they can already cycle fast enough and it's just a matter of quickly swapping between rt eye / lft eye pictures and using a polarizer.

Otherwise, it requires two projectors.

In any case, I think 3D is going to be much more common in theaters, but not at home. Even if it's only 3D explosions and flying debris.

yI think with 90% certainty WM 6.5 will come with ...

2009-03-01T06:43:00.000-05:00

yI think with 90% certainty WM 6.5 will come with Zune integration. We have seen plenty of hints of this, in job postings and even statements by executives. They are just not ready to show anything of yet.

Regarding having to buy a new device to get the latest version of the OS, we know due to xda-developers you dont have to. You never said what you are running, but if its a modern device like a Fuze for example you will not have any problem.

I found your blog by doing a google blog search. I do one a few times per day, looking for the latest Windows Mobile news, and very often it I come across articles which I feel are slanted, and wish to add a dissenting opinion. Its what comments are about, are they not?

I think you are overreacting to my opinion. I don...

2009-02-28T20:46:00.000-05:00

I think you are overreacting to my opinion. I don't think WM is somehow instantly doomed with 6.5, I just think there is a lot of opportunity for MS to do more with this rev that would make it much more interesting. As it stands, it's a point rev that I can't make myself get excited about.

I think you are confusing evolutionary with revolutionary. The features you mention are an evolution, not a complete revolution. The one bit of innovation that I will concede to you is the online backup.

With regard to Windows Media Player, the version shown at MWC was the same version as in 6.1. Also, no Zune integration of any kind was displayed on the build shown at MWC.

In my opinion, there are two obvious opportunities for MS to innovate with 6.5: Zune convergence and Xbox integration. Zune convergence would seem to be the quickest win: give WM users the same experience that Zune users have. The Zune interface (both on the device and desktop) has received a lot of praise. The PS3 and PSP are a great example of integrating a set top box and a portable device. Imagine the possibilities if your WinMo phone was integrated to your 360!

I am not wealthy enough to purchase a new smart phone or PDA every year. I have to carefully weigh what the new product will offer me over my current product. In the case of 6.5, I'm just not seeing enough to warrant the cost to upgrade from my 6.1 device. If 6.5 offered Zune convergence so I could consolidate from a Zune + WinMo Phone down to just a WinMo phone, I might be more interested. If 6.5 allowed me to integrate with a Xbox 360 to download a portable version of my games to take with me on the road, it might encourage me to loosen my wallet. For now I'll continue to be happy with my current device.

BTW - The iPhone, G1, and BlackBerry are not even contenders for me. I don't have the cash to pay for an unlimited data plan, and all of those devices require it. Windows Mobile devices are the only devices that allow me to have a cheap, voice-only cellular plan and still use all of the features of the device over a WiFi connection. This is why I am sincere in comparing WM only to itself.

BTW - Out of curiousity, how did you come across my blog / this post?

BTW - Thank you, again, for this interesting conversation :-)

I doubt you really are comparing WM with itself, b...

2009-02-28T18:26:00.000-05:00

I doubt you really are comparing WM with itself, because of that was a case 6.5 is quite revolutionary.

Lets see - 6.1 did not have a real AJAX browser, 6.5 will.
6.1 did not have an app store, 6.5 will
6.1 did not have online back-up - 6.5 will
6.1 did not have finger-scrolling in the OS, 6.5 will
6.5 has a new today screen, now lock screen, new program screen, no settings screen control panel, likely new media player, large finger-friendly menus.

In fact, the list of consumer-facing changes are quite huge. Its only when you compare it to other platforms that it is clear that WM is catching up. In isolation, compared to WM 6.1, WM 6.5 is pretty desirable.

btw, by your definition, the iPhone is not touch compatible, as the multi-touch zooming feature is difficult to do with one hand.

BTW, larger screened WM devices like the 3.8 inch HTC Touch HD or the 4.1 inch Toshiba TG01 are pretty easy to use without stylus. I should know having lost enough of them.

BTW, I am not arguing against innovation, but against this pervasive anti-WM propaganda which catastrophizes the current WM situation. Just that WM is doing fine, except for bloggers like you who imply the OS is in deep trouble when its not.

Lets look at your conclusion:

"Microsoft really needs to do something to breath new life into Windows Mobile if they want consumers to upgrade to a new phone to get the OS."

I hope you can admit this is not the case. I will upgade to the Touch Pro 2 in a New York Minute, whatever MS does to the OS.

I should not have to explain that touch compatible...

2009-02-28T13:55:00.000-05:00

I should not have to explain that touch compatible means that you can operate all features of the product using one hand with index finger or thumb. I use WinMo 6.1 on my device on a daily basis. My device is touch screen only (no HW keyboard) and I simply can't use the windows mobile interface without a stylus.

As a side note, this is the most activity my blog ...

2009-02-28T13:37:00.000-05:00

As a side note, this is the most activity my blog has ever seen. Very exciting! Thanks for driving traffic my way :-)

Just as I've seen in the comments on engadget and ...

2009-02-28T13:34:00.000-05:00

Just as I've seen in the comments on engadget and other tech sites, you are steering this discussion away from what I feel is the real issue. The issue is not to ask how does WM compare with competitors in the mobile OS space, but how does it compare with itself? Even so, you argue for my point: the innovations you touch on were not developed by MS and presented as part of the OS. TouchFlo is an HTC only innovation, and not found on other WinMo devices. So if you want to compare oranges to oranges, then compare each customized flavor of WinMo from each vendor as a separate OS product. Lumping them into a single bin is deceitful.

Your argument seems indefensible, and I wonder what your motivation is. You argue that lack of innovation is a good thing and improves sales. You argue that consumers should be satisfied with the status quo and not expect better from vendors. Is this really your opinion? Or are you just trolling / flame-baiting / astroturfing?

Regarding unreferenced numbers, I thought every co...

2009-02-28T12:53:00.000-05:00

Regarding unreferenced numbers, I thought every commentator knew these facts, else how would you form an opinion about the performance of Windows Mobile in the market?

http://wmpoweruser.com/?p=2569

Since your point is about sales (and how lack of i...

2009-02-28T12:48:00.000-05:00

Since your point is about sales (and how lack of innovation will affect it) lets look at a actual real device (since you cant buy the OS).

Lets look at the newly announced HTC Touch Pro 2, which will be doing battle against the other "more innovative" devices.

Does it have a good browser - yes
Does it have accelerometer support - yes.
Is it fully touch compatible (whatever that means) - yes.
Does it have new and interesting features, like unified communication, facebook and youtube social network integration and business features like their new speakerphone and conference call software - yes.

A Touch Pro 2 is very different from an XDa II, and it is strange you do not realize this. Your comment about Surface makes it clear that you are in fact more concerned about the surface rather than the underlying features.

In the end, I dont buy an OS, I buy a device, and a package like the Touch Pro 2 is extremely compelling.