Category Archives: Windows Phone

[CORRECTION] Skype for Windows Phone beta available. But, there’s a trick to get it

[CORRECTION]
My old friend Don Sorcinelli (@DPSJ) pointed out a trick to get the Skype for Windows Phone beta to download and install. First, here’s what does not work.

  1. Going to the Zune Marketplace on a desktop PC running Windows using the link provided by the Skype blog announcement
  2. Searching for Skype in the Windows Phone Marketplace app on the phone

What does work is following the link provided by Skype for the beta from the Windows Phone’s browser itself. This takes you to the app product page (that cannot be found using search within the Marketplace app) where you can install the Skype beta app. Here’s the link:

Skype for Windows Phone beta < - View this blog item in a Windows Phone browser and click on this link. Thanks to Don for pointing out my error. Continue reading →

ProClip car dashboard mounting hardware for iPhone 4 & HTC HD7 – Is it as easy to install as they claim?

My Griffin iTrip Auto for the iPhone, which had been flaky for about a year, became even flakier and lost its inline remote control function a few weeks ago. So, I replaced it with the Griffin iTrip Auto Universal Plus which does not have an inline remote control but has the advantage of working with other phones like my HTC HD7. The new problem was that I now needed some kind of car mount so I could touch the screen without holding the device (against the law where I live). So, I sent email to a bunch of friends asking for advice. It turns out that one of those friends works for ProClip which sells mounts for all kinds of gadgets. So, (Full Disclosure), my friend offered to send me the mount compotents to deal with my problem. ProClip claims that their dashboard mounts can be assembled and attached in minutes. Here’s what I found…
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Facebook 2.3 for Windows Phone: Nice update. But, only necessary for 10% of activities

Facebook 2.3 for Windows Phone appeared earlier today and looks great. It seems to run faster, has a cleaner look and feel, and a very nice Metro UI design that moves the user from an overview page to news feed to notifications to photos use the familar (to Windows Phone users) sidewards sliding gestures. The optional background images look good too. I initially considered not turning it on. However, I found it really adds a personal touch and will leave it on now that I’ve seen it. I wonder, though, if there is away to choose which images appear in the top banner.

The irony is that while it is nice to see a big update for the Facebook app, it is almost unnecessary on Windows Phone since 90% (or in my case nearly 99%) of Facebook activity can be handled from the Me hub (posts and notifications) and People hub (status updates).
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RunKeeper Fitness Reports enhanced

RunKeeper updated its Fitness Reports to provide more information. A premium account (RunKeeper Elite) is needed to view most of it. However, I found the the Total Distance information available for free accounts useful. It lets me look at my walking information in a variety of ways. You can see my totals sorted by day of week in the screenshot above.

The free RunKeeper mobile app is available for a variety of platforms. I use the version for Windows Phone to track my near-daily walking sessions.

Tech Peeve: Note to @WeatherBug – Stop issuing Tsunami Warnings when none exists

WeatherBug beat out other weather apps to earn its spot on my Windows Phone’s start screen because it provides the most accurate information.

The app has, however, one feature that really annoys me: It issues a Tsunami Watch/Warning when there is no actual warning. The “warning” is based on an informational alert from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center that clearly states This Statement is For Information Only. No Action Require. WeatherBug should be able to parse this statement and either not issue any alert (which pops up on my Windows Phone) or relabel it as a simple informational alert.

Hey, WeatherBug! Please fix this issue in your otherwise useful app!