Safewallet 3 review – Store passwords in a secure personal vault

published on 27/05/2013 by Remo Knops

Please note that SafeWallet is discontinued. I’ve switched to Lastpass Premium in combination with a Yubikey.

In this article I will review SafeWallet 3, an application that stores passwords in a secure vault (so you won’t need to memorize all those strong 16 character passwords) and synchronizes those across different laptops and smartphones.

It is simply one of those must-have applications that I’ll always install, and therefore is SafeWallet (formerly SBSH SafeWallet) listed on the what I use page. SafeWallet has been upgraded recently to version 3, which features a clever and more secure synchronization mechanism that keeps your stored passwords in sync on all devices.

Safewallet security – A closer look

On the SafeWallet website you can read more about the security of the application and service, for example the use of the AES 256, a military grade encryption algorithm.

“Unlike most online services, SafeWallet technology knows how to sync your data without your encryption key. This means your encryption key, i.e., your master password, is never sent to us, making it impossible to access your data for anyone but you.”

Because I wanted to learn more about this “sync data without sending an encryption key” I contacted Amit Regev, CEO of SafeWallet. Since we know each other for quite some time, he was open and willing to share more details about this unique part of SafeWallet:

“The user’s SafeWallet data is structured in blocks (the cards and folders). Each block is encrypted using the master password and is considered a closed-box, so no one but you can open the data in this box. The boxes are then ‘labeled’ with syncing related data, which has no connection or relevance to the data stored inside them. All of these blocks are then sent to the server side for syncing. After the initial synchronization, only blocks that are modified will be sent, so the actual syncing takes very little traffic (another important advantage compared to the older SafeWallet 2 version that used to submit the entire file to Dropbox each time).”

As for data storage,

“The SafeWallet account data is stored on both the devices and on the server, so you can still use it when offline – no need to be online to use your SafeWallet. You can also make changes to your data while offline and our new service will know how to properly merge those changes (something we couldn’t do when using Dropbox for our sync). Since the user master password is never sent to our server, the data stored on our server can’t be used in anyway, even in the event that someone manage to access our servers. Something that shouldn’t happen too – but even if, the data is not usable to any way, not even us.”

I’m not a security specialist, but it sounds like an excellent concept which -to me- shows conceptual similarities with incremental backups.

Safewallet for Windows 8, Apple iPhone & Android

SafeWallet has always been available on Microsoft Windows and multiple mobile platforms like Apple iOS and Google Android. SafeWallet 2, the previous version, also featured a Windows Phone 7 application. The support for Windows Phone is something that I personally miss (despite the fact that I understand the business reasoning of the SafeWallet CEO).

SafeWallet Password Generator

SafeWallet also features a password generator, which I simply use to generate new, strong passwords for online services that I use. You can set the password length, the use of upper case characters, lower case characters, numbers and special characters. Most of my passwords have a length of 16 characters or more, with use of all the previous mentioned character types. The result is a strong password, which for most important services I change every 60 or 70 days. 🙂

The password generator feature is also available on the mobile versions of SafeWallet 3, so you can create new and secure passwords on the go.

SafeWallet on Windows 8

I mainly use SafeWallet 3 on my Windows 8 powered laptops. You simply launch the SafeWallet application from the Windows 8 start screen and enter your account name (e-mail address) and password. You can create and edit cards in your SafeWallet and organize them in folders.

The SafeWallet window shows three columns. In the first column on the left you have the complete list folders in your vault. In addition there is a folder called favorite cards, however it is shown below the contents of the vault. Via tools, settings, you can change the favorite folders position to the top position.

In the second column you get an overview of the cards in a selected folder, and when you select a card in the second column the card contents will be shown in the third column (on the right). You can create new cards from templates or even create new templates.

In addition you can change the network and security settings for SafeWallet 3.

There is a great tutorial for importing a previous version of SafeWallet (even if it is just a mobile version). Please visit the SafeWallet FAQ in the support section of the website.

Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome extensions

During the installation process you can install SafeWallet extensions for most common web browsers, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. These extensions help you to quickly enter the credentials of your favorite websites or services. You can also quickly save the credentials to your vault directly from the web browser SafeWallet extensions. Personally I don’t have these browser extensions installed and just use the core of SafeWallet 3 on Windows 8.

SafeWallet on Apple iPhone 4S

I used my girlfriends’ Apple iPhone 4S to install SafeWallet 3 and get an idea of the user experience on this device. The user experience basiscally follows the same structure and functionality as the Windows 8 version of SafeWallet 3. You start with entering the username and password at the login screen.

In the bottom of the screenshots you can see a navigation-bar where you can browse through your cards and folders, or jump directly to your favorite cards. There is also an integrated browser included which has similar behavior as the browser extensions described earlier with the Windows version of SafeWallet 3.

In the final and fourth tab of the navigation bar you will see the settings screen. From there you can also use the password generator on the go. The last screenshot shows the about-screen of SafeWallet 3 for iOS.

SafeWallet on Android

SafeWallet 3 is also available in the Google Play store. Unfortunately I don’t have an Android powered device (like for example the HTC One) so I can’t do some real testing on this platform. Given the screenshots of SafeWallet on the Google Play store, I don’t think that the user experience on Google Android really differs from the SafeWallet-on-iOS use.

SafeWallet Control Panel (in the cloud)

You can manage the devices that access your SafeWallet 3 data directly from the SafeWallet Control Panel that runs in the cloud. You see the device name, device type, the last sync date and a button to remove the device from accessing your data.

In addition you can review the SafeWallet 3 revisions. Each revision is numbered with a unique identifier and the SafeWallet Control Panel shows the device type on which the revision has been completed and the last sync date. Finally you can revert a revision with a single click in your SafeWallet 3 Control Panel.

Concluding thoughts and wrap-up

SafeWallet 3 is a free must have application to securely store your important passwords and account information. Personally I do think that SafeWallet has an interesting security model compared to SafeWallet 2, SPB Wallet or Iliumsoft eWallet.

SafeWallet 3 creates free space in my head, because I don’t need to memorize the passwords for every product or service. Summarizing SafeWallet 3 is one of my most-used applications per day together with for example Microsoft Office 2013. Furthermore SafeWallet 3 helps me to create very strong passwords for new services I subscribe to.

While SafeWallet 3 is one of my favorite apps, there is room for improvement as well:

Unfortunately there are no SafeWallet 3 applications available yet for Windows Phone 7.8, Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 RT;
From a product life cycle perspective I do miss a “check for updates” option or an auto-update mechanism so that I will always be using the latest version of SafeWallet 3;

I’m definitely looking forward to run SafeWallet 3 on a Nokia Lumia 920 and the Microsoft Surface. I honestly do hope that the SafeWallet team will start with the development of a Windows Phone version, since personally I want to access SafeWallet 3 information on the go.

Don’t wait until tomorrow, and start using a well-developed, secure and free Windows application today. Download SafeWallet 3 here !

TouchDevelop – Programming on the go

published on 07/05/2013 by Remo Knops

Peter Heldens, Manager Microsoft University Netherlands, has written an article about TouchDevelop a little while ago. Peter is one of the TouchDevelop champions within Microsoft Netherlands, and provided me with the book “TouchDevelop – Programming on the go”. In this article I will have a look at the TouchDevelop book and share my opinion and first impressions.

[Read more…]

Windows Phone 7 Technical Preview – Developers test performance of WP7 applications on “real” phones

published on 21/07/2010 by Remo Knops

Windows Phone 7 development reached an important milestone yesterday, with the release of the Windows Phone 7 Technical Preview on prototype phones from Asus, LG and Samsung !

“Microsoft reached a major milestone with development of Windows Phone 7 and has devices loaded with the Technical Preview that will be sent to thousands of developers.”

Windows Phone 7 (series at that point in time) was first presented to the public during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this year. The focus of this first chapter in the Windows Phone 7 story was mainly on the new graphical userinterface and the hubs.

Microsoft outlined the second chapter of the Windows Phone 7 story at the MIX 2010 conference, where the more technical details were filled in. I would like to recommend the article “Videos of MIX10 Windows Phone sessions ” by Charlie Kindel on the Windows Phone Developer Blog.

The Windows Phone 7 Technical Preview is another chapter in the Windows Phone 7 story, since developers are now able to test the applications they have been building not just in the emulator, but on real prototype devices.

Windows Phone 7 reaches a major Milestone

Terry Myerson, Corporate Vice President of Windows Phone Engineering, published an article on the Windows Phone Blog in which he shares some additional information about the Technical Preview milestone:

“Before release of this milestone, the software has undergone extensive testing – in daily use by more than 1000 people at Microsoft who have been using WP7 as their only phone for the past several months, and the more than 10,000 devices in our test labs. We’ve been testing usability, battery life, network connectivity, and many other metrics for a long time. As a result of that work, I hope you will find the experience to be of surprisingly high quality.”

Furthermore you can read in the Windows Phone Blog article:

“Starting today, thousands of prototype phones from Asus, LG and Samsung are making their way into the hands of developers over the next few weeks. Combine that with the beta release of the Windows Phone developer tools, and I can’t wait to see how our developer partners take advantage of our new approach to smart design and integrated mobile experiences.”

In the context of the Windows Phone 7 Technical Preview I highly recommend the exclusive interview of Joshua Topolsky with Joe Belfiore, corporate VP of Windows Phone.

Image used with permission from Engadget article “Windows Phone 7 in-depth preview“

Windows Phone 7 Technical Preview coverage of well respected websites

The prototype phones with the Windows Phone Technical Preview have not only been making their way into the hands of developers.

A limited group experts and mobile technology websites received a Samsung -i8910 Omnia HD like- developer phone pre-loaded with the latest Windows Phone 7 Technical Preview as well, and below you can find a comprehensive list with reviews.

Mobius friends’ thoughts and experiences with the Windows Phone 7 Technical Preview

Matthew Miller, Joshua Topolsky & Chris Ziegler and Vincent Nguyen have really published some impressive in-depth monster reviews with lost of pictures and video’s. These are certainly worthwhile to read, despite you need to take some time to digg through very insightful reviews.

Other well respected experts put the Windows Phone 7 Technical Preview to the test

I was fortunate to meet Paul Thurrott during TechNet_Live last year, where he was a keynote speaker because of the book Windows 7 secrets !!

Paul Thurrott really covers the whole spectrum of Microsoft products and -services from Windows, Office, Windows Live to Xbox and Windows Phone, so it is certainly interesting to read his idea’s and first thoughts.

Overall conclusions and wrap-up

I must admit that I have spent quite some time reading through the reviews and the observations of fellow tech writers and friends. I think each review is worthwhile to read and gives you a great multi-perspective overview of the completely from scratch designed Windows Phone 7 (mobile operating system).

George Ponder, Editor of WMExperts, has summarized the consistent positives, negatives and unknowns throughout the reviews in a nice re-cap of the Windows Phone 7 Technical Preview. In general the reviews are very positive, which correlates witth my personal experience with earlier builds of Windows Phone 7, since I have been fortunate to get a close look and feel of Windows Phone 7 during two local Microsoft events:

Charlie Kindel provided me with a “private” Windows Phone 7 demo on the well known Asus prototype. Furthermore I had some hands-on time with the LG Panther prototype about a month ago during the Windows Phone Get Together Event. I concluded that “the LG Panther and Windows Phone 7 felt snappy, responsive and showed fluid motions.”.

If I look back at both times, you can realy feel the ongoing improvement and optimization of the platform. Sometimes it are just some little details that support this reasoning, and remark the comment of Terry Myerson, Corporate Vice President of Windows Phone Engineering about the stability of the Windows Phone 7 Technical Preview.

Combined with more and more awesome (concepts of) Windows Phone 7 applications, it clearly shows that the Microsoft Ecosystem is in the move. I’m definitely very excited towards the upcomming months and the launch of the retail Windows Phone 7 devices.

“I love Windows Phone”

LG Panther Windows Phone 7 Prototype @ Windows Phone Get Together Event, Netherlands

published on 29/06/2010 by Remo Knops

Last week I attended the very first edition of the Windows Phone Get Together event in Utrecht, the Netherlands. I think it is pretty unique to have an event in which a large company like Microsoft directly interacts and engages with end-users of their products.

You can read an extensive event report on MobilityMinded, and please put November 9th in your agenda when the next Windows Phone Get Together event will take place @ Microsoft Netherlands HQ.

Meet the local Dutch Windows Phone Team !

Maarten Sonneveld, Business Group Lead Mobile @ Microsoft Netherlands, opens the event with an introduction of the local Dutch Windows Phone team, and the Dutch Windows Phone Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVP), Jaap van Ekris, Mark Briggeman, Halil Yüksel.

Johan van Mierlo was visiting the Netherlands for a few days and was announced as well, as a USA Windows Phone MVP visiting the Windows Phone Get Together event. 🙂

Windows Phone Forum application – Aggregation of Dutch Windows Phone news

Windows Phone Forum application 1.0, that aggregates news and information from the Dutch Windows Phone Forums, the Blog of the Dutch Windows Phone team and its Twitter feed.

MobileLayers, the company of Halil Yüksel, has developed this application for Windows Phone, commissioned by Microsoft Netherlands. In the review of the Windows Phone Forum application 1.0 you can read more about the features and functions of this application.

Download the Windows Phone Forum application directly from the MobileLayers website.

Windows Mobile 6.5.3 – Now and the future strategic direction

Windows Mobile 6.5.3 will be strategically (re)directed towards the large business customers compared to the wider, more consumer-oriented offering of Windows Phone 7.

Windows Mobile 6.5.3 powered Phones (and its applications) will continue to exist and continue to be supported. Meet some of the latest Windows Mobile 6.5.3 phones: (1) Samsung Omnia Pro 4, (2) Sony Ericsson Aspen, and (3) HTC HD Mini.

It was great to hear some official news/information about the strategic direction of Windows Mobile 6.5.3, despite the intense focus on Windows Phone 7 !

Windows Phone 7 – A different kind of phone, designed for life in motion, with integrated experiences

HTC, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson, Dell, Toshiba, Acer, and Asus are original equipment manufacturers who have committed to build Windows Phone 7 devices.

Great news to see the hardware part of the Windows Phone 7 ecosystem take off, and I’m looking forward to some new fresh hardware designs that maximize productivity and efficiency of the Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system. Without giving any preference to anyone of the Microsof OEM Partners above, I would like to recall my excitement about the Dell Lightning Windows Phone that cleverly integrates a physical full QWERTY keyboard. 🙂

Furthermore it seems that you can expect the first Windows Phone 7 device(s) become available in the Netherlands via online retailer Coolblue around October/November this year.

Back in March this year I was fortunate to interview Charlie Kindel, Partner Group Program Manager for the Windows Phone Application Platform & Developer Experience, during the DevDays 2010 event in the Netherlands. The questions in the Q&A session of the Windows Phone Get Together Event showed some resemblance with the questions that I asked Charlie Kindel. The audience was a great mix of 90 people that approached Windows Phone 7 from different perspectives (customer, developer, technical decision maker, resulting in a highly interesting and lively discussion.

Developers who want to learn more about Windows Phone 7 development, could read the DevDays 2010 event report which addresses the sessions of Rob Miles, Microsoft Most Valuable Professional and lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Hull. The slide decks, recordings of the sessions and code samples on his website can really help you jumpstart development for Windows Phone 7.

Don’t forget to check out the PowerPoint Slides of Albert Shum, Michael Smuga, Chad Roberts about the Windows Phone UI and Metro Design Language, and the Engadget Windows Phone 7 complete guide !

Image used from Pocket Lint article “Windows Phone 7 and LG Panther hands-on, Fully-working prototype spied at Microsoft demo“

Hands-on time with a LG Panther Windows Phone 7 prototype

By far the coolest part of the Windows Phone Get Together event is the hands-on time with a (working) prototype of the LG Panther running a recent build of Windows Phone 7.

Everyone from the audience was allowed to get an idea of the real look and feel of Windows Phone 7, which is completely different than seeing it in PowerPoint SlideShows or YouTube videos. This is the real deal, and if you think about this, it is a very unique situation that Microsoft allows end-users to have some hands-on time with prototype hardware AND software !

It is very special and exciting to hold the LG Panther and make the first gestures through the Metro Windows Phone GUI, even despite the private demo of Charlie Kindel a little while ago. Overall the LG Panther and Windows Phone 7 felt snappy, responsive and showed fluid motions.

Unfortunately there was no copy of the Harvest, a 3D Xbox Live game on Windows Phone 7, loaded onto the LG Panther. Since the gaming hub has been one of the items that really impressed me during the MIX 2010 keynotes in terms of performance and power.

We were asked not to take pictures of the device, and of course I play by the rules of the game. There for I included the picture above of a Pocket Lint article, showing a very similar LG Panther (except for the color of the theme). 🙂 In the context of these Windows Phone 7 prototypes I would like to bring the Samsung Omnia i8910-based Windows Phone 7 prototype phone, to your attention that has been covered by the Engadget team.

Despite it is still uncertain if you will see successors of these prototypes on the massmarket it is very nice to see different hardware designs and formfactors. This partly answers the question that differentiation in terms of hardware is possible.

I’m really looking forward to the Windows Phone 7 devices from the mentioned Microsoft OEM Partners !

Concluding thoughts and wrap-up

I think it is pretty unique to have an event in which a large company like Microsoft directly interacts and engages with end-users of their products.

It is even a more unique situation that Microsoft allows end-users to have some hands-on time with prototype hardware AND software ! However I think this has been the coolest part of the Windows Phone Get Together Event for a lot of attendees. Furthermore it helps in the process of telling the story and spread the news in an open and transparent way !

The LG Panther prototype and Windows Phone 7 had responsive look & feel resulting in fluid motions. Furthermore I see more and more awesome (concepts of) Windows Phone 7 applications like BusTrack, used for real-time tracking of Chicago buses, or the good old Minesweeper ! 🙂 This clearly shows that the Microsoft Ecosystem is in the move, and I’m looking forward to the upcoming months !

Finally it was great to catch-up with old friends, the local Dutch Windows Phone team, and the attending Microsoft partners.

My compliments to Microsoft Netherlands and the partners Samsung & Coolblue for the excellent organization of the Windows Phone Get Together event, and see you all at the second Windows Phone Get Together Event on November 9th !!

DevDays 2010 – Looking back @ Charlie Kindel Windows Phone 7 Interview, Windows Phone 7 Development, Making the Social Connection & Giving Robots Life !

published on 29/05/2010 by Remo Knops

A few weeks ago I published a Windows Phone 7 related interview with Charlie Kindel, Partner Group Program Manager for the Windows Phone Application Platform & Developer Experience @ DevDays 2010, Netherlands on the MobilityMinded website.

DevDays 2010 is a large two-day event for developers on the Microsoft platform(s), and in this article I will share some information about the Windows Phone 7 related sessions.

Interview with Charlie Kindel, discussing Windows Phone 7 @ DevDays 2010

I was both fortunate and honored to have a 30 minute one-on-one interview with Charlie Kindel, Partner Group Program Manager for the Windows Phone Application Platform & Developer Experience, discussing various aspects of Windows Phone 7 (development).

It was an unforgettable and awesome experience, not only to interview someone who is completely responsible for the developer side of the Windows Phone 7 ecosystem, but also to feel and experience the persistence, commitment and determination of Charlie Kindel to make Windows Phone 7 a huge success.

As you can read in the interview I was fortunate to learn from Charlie Kindel about the underlying concepts and building-blocks of the upcoming Windows Phone 7 operating system. Some specific usage- scenario’s were still under research- or development (updates, copy-paste), which combined with the excellent media training of Charlie Kindel, left me with some open questionmarks.

However the close “private” demo got me really excited, especially Metro and the idea’s of content aggregation from different services or different locations on the phone. Also the productivity and efficiency improvements, like support for multiple Exchange accounts was great to see. Finally during one of the MIX 2010 keynotes I was simply blown away by the Xbox Live Game called The Harvest!

Charlie Kindel was one of the keynote speakers during the second day of DevDays 2010 as well, and I would like to recommend the recording of the session “Windows Phone 7 Application Platform”, which is available via Channel 9:

“Get a high-level overview of the new application platform and a complete picture of the developer story. Learn about the developer tools, the application frameworks, the support for Silverlight, and the support for XNA.”

Windows Phone 7 Development – Rob Miles

“Rob Miles is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional and a lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Hull, United Kingdom.”

Rob Miles is shown in his full glory in the picture above, while the description comes straight from his own website robmiles.com – Rob Miles on the web. And why not? Rob Miles is an experienced lecturer, with an awesome style of teaching, that is relaxed and funny. However he keeps you focused and has a great and deep understanding about developing in Silverlight and XNA.

You can find the complete video of the Windows Phone 7 Development session with Rob Miles on Channel 9, which again I can highly recommend. Matthijs Hoekstra, Developer Evangelist @ Microsoft Netherlands , who I meet at the DevDays 2010 as well, announced this session on Channel 9 as:

“Watch this show with the very funny Rob Miles. He talks about the new Windows Phone 7 tools, shows how you can emulate your accelerometers for your WP7 with an XBox 360 controller and much more.”

I will briefly discuss some of the demo’s that Rob Miles discusses and uses to explain the development concepts for Windows Phone 7.

PatternMatch Silverlight Game

The picture above shows the Silverlight based PatternMatch game, with a great summary at the bottom of the slide: “Silverlight makes “form based” games really easy to create.”

Rob Miles first shows us the code and its simple structure for the PatternMatch Game, and illustrates the Game works like it is intended. In the second part of the demo is the PatternMatch used to illustrate the navigation on a Windows Phone 7 device (including the start menu- and the back buttons, defined by the hardware specs).

Rob Miles finally briefly discusses the advantages and differences of Silverlight in comparison with the XNA design language.

StarLight XNA Game using XNA Accelerometer Emulation

Rob Miles grabs his Zune HD for this demonstration and elaborates a little on the background of why he wrote the StarLight game. In the Microsoft MSDN Library you can find even more extensive information in the article: StarLight: Writing a Space-Shooter Game for Smartphones.

“This article describes how to generate moving star fields, animated sprites, and scripted movements for game objects. A space shooter game illustrates how to develop these features for Smartphones.”

StarLight is ported to the Zune HD by Rob Miles to illustrate how to develop these concepts in XNA and even make use of the accelerometer if you like. However the educational purpose of this game is brilliant, and despite it was Rob’s joke I really do hope we can push him to bring the StarLight game to Windows Marketplace for Mobile or the Zune Marketplace. 🙂

Windows XNA “Game” Serving Gamepad accelerometer

An Xbox 360 controller is used in this demo, where Rob Miles shows of a Windows Phone XNA game that reads the position of the controller in X, Y, Z coordinates.

“Windows Phone programs can consume web services and read web pages. I connect the Windows Phone program to an XNA program that serves out X, Y and Z values read from the Gamepad.”

Despite I don’t have a formal background in computer science, you can think of some cool scenario’s or even business models that build upon the concept to read web-pages and web services.

WP7 Phone XNA Multi-touch Piano

The last demo that I would like to discuss is a multi-touch piano, build in the XNA design language and running on a Zune HD. In other words you could play the piano on the go on your Zune HD, however the educational reasoning is to learn embedding multi-touch into your Windows Phone 7 application.

You can find all the demo code samples on the website of Rob Miles in the article: “Devdays 2010 Windows Phone Game Development Talk“

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFZ0z5Fm-Ng

Making the Social Connection – Tony Krijnen, Daniel van Soest & Charlie Kindel

The video above was the introduction of the “making the social connection keynote”, with the music of Fatboy Slim – Right here right now song sounded impressive in the auditorium of the World Forum in the Hague.

I have seen Tony Krijnen and Daniel van Soest before when they provided a similar interesting technical session during TechNet_Live Netherlands, when I attended the new efficiency keynote with Steve Ballmer. Below you can see a brief overview of the mind-blowing demo’s of Tony and Daniel:

Facbook on XBox 360 in addition to Facebook in Browser and Facebook for Windows Phone;
Microsoft Outlook Social Connector in Microsoft Office 2010 , that brings social networks like LinkedIn or Myspace into your Microsoft Outlook 2010 / 2007 environment;
Building a game level for Xbox 360 in a plug-and-play way, without seeing a single line of code;
Windows Phone 7 overview, and demo-time with Charlie Kindel;

Jeff Wouters, Certified Microsoft Professional, has written an excellent story on his personal blog about the “making the social connection” keynote. So please check it out, and it was awesome to watch this session. Tony and Daniel keep up the good work, and I love the Windows Phone part ! 🙂

Miles, R., 2010, Slides Giving Robots Life with the .NET Micro Framework, DevDays 2010, p.18

Giving Robots Life with the .NET Micro Framework – Rob Miles

Rob Miles introduced himself and Oscar briefly on his personal blog, and you certainly need to watch the video on Tweakers.net as well:

“This time I’m taking my little robot Oscar and a bag full of sensors and bits and pieces. We are going to create some embedded devices on the fly and have some good old .NET Micro Framework fun and games.”

Rob Miles first shares his knowledge and experience to answer the questions “What is the .NET Micro Framework?” and “What can you do with the .NET Micro Framework?”. Both the software- and the hardware parts of these questions are addressed.

In summary: The .NET Micro Framework is designed for embedded applications (build in C#), that gives you the ability to control a wide variety of hardware from simple embedded controllers to connected data terminals.

The grand finale – Oscar, the Mini Robot rocks the stage !

The grand finale of this session is controlling a robot with the .NET Microframework based on the system architecture shown in the screenshot above. The Windows Phone 7 device interacts with the Robot Control Webserver, which communicates with the wireless modem in Oscar, the Mini Robot.

Please have a look at the Flickr Photostream, where you can see the hardware setup and the grand finale where Oscar bows to the public @ DevDays ! This was really an awesome session, and reminded me of the good old times when I played around with Lego Technic (which probably has been one of the first identifiers for my mechanical engineering education). 🙂

Overall conclusion and wrap-up

My compliments to Microsoft Netherlands for the excellent organization of such a large-scale event like DevDays, which was comparable with the Microsoft TechNet_Live event for IT Professionals and Technical Decision Makers. I think it is a great opportunity to learn, broad your horizon and expand your value network by getting in touch with colleague developers.

Second I learned a lot from the sessions about the development side of Windows Phone 7, despite I don’t have a formal background in computer science. I was possible to get a deeper understanding of the possibilities of the Windows Phone 7 platform in a kind of high-level conceptual way. Please don’t ask me to write code, but I could grasp some of the underlying logic. Thank you Rob Miles for the brilliant way of lecturing !

If you ever plan to visit DevDays or TechNet_Live you definitely need to visit the keynote with Tony Krijnen en Daniel van Soest. They really bring excellent live demo’s and show you some very cool real scenario’s for a wide range of Microsoft products (from Xbox 360 to Windows Server 2008 R2) with a lot of passion and energy. The “guest-appearance” of Charlie Kindel and an extensive Windows Phone 7 demo made it even more special.

It was very special to meet a lot of awesome, highly interesting people, and I had some excellent conversations with the people from Microsoft Netherlands on topics like Innovation and (corporate) Entrepreneurship !!Finally the interview with Charlie Kindel, Partner Group Program Manager for the Windows Phone Application Platform & Developer Experience, was an unforgettable experience. A great many thanks for the time and awesome demo !

I love Windows Phone !

About Microsoft DevDays 2010

DevDays 2010 is the largest Microsoft event in the Netherlands for software development and software architecture. Thousands of professionals yearly visit DevDays in order to get fully up-to speed about recent developments in their professional fields in two (Dev)days.

With lots of interesting keynotes, sessions and high quality speakers from all over the world this is definitely an event you need to attend if you are interested in developing on Microsoft platforms.

Windows Phones Launch Event Netherlands – Event Impressions

published on 26/10/2009 by Remo Knops

October 6th is an important day for Microsoft and Windows Mobile in particular due to the launch of the new brand Windows Phones, the new mobile operating system Windows Mobile 6.5 and two services Microsoft MyPhone and Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

I was fortunate to be invited by the Windows Mobile Team in the Netherlands to attend the local launch event at the Lute Suites in Amstelveen (near Amsterdam).

In his article I would like to share some thoughts on- and impressions of this successful event on a very cool location to launch new mobile technology.

1. Welcome and short introduction

The local Windows Phones launch event in the Netherlands starts with a short welcome followed by an introduction to Windows Phones and its new (marketing) campaign. I would like to quickly share some main points of this introductary part of the day.

Sometime ago people typically talked about the business market and consumer market as two totally different- and separated entities. However the ongoing trend is that the customer needs are changing and the consumer- and business needs converge. In other words you simply want one smartphone on which you use for business and personal things as well.

On the powerpoint-slide above you further see that three key concepts listed that drive Windows Mobile 6.5: (1) connect to people, (2) get stuff done and (3) meet my needs. In these concepts, which are a little more explained in the powerpoint slide below you can cleary see an excellent balance between productivity and efficiency vs. personalization and fun.

“

IMPORTANT REMARK:

During research on the three screen strategy the is currently driving Microsoft I did a Google search with the keywords: “three screen strategy windows phones” and found a valuable powerpoint presentation originally designed by Vesa-Matti Paananen, Mobile Business Group Lead & Marketplace WE Marketing @ Microsoft, and is titeled “Mobility in Microsoft’s Three Screen Strategy & Windows Mobile 6.5“. It’s certainly interesting to read, and shows similarities with the presentations / workshop content that I was fortunate to see in real life. 🙂

Back on topic. After the general introduction you were able to attend three different workshops each covering a specific perspective of Windows Phones. I attended workshop 1 and workshop 2, since these were the workshops closest to the technical aspects of Windows Mobile.

2. Workshop: A technical look on Windows Mobile 6.5

The first workshop is hosted by Maarten Sonneveld, Business Group Lead Mobile of Microsoft Netherlands. The workshop starts with explaining the details on the Windows Phones branding inline with the outlined concepts in the previous section.

2.1 Connect to People (orange pillar)

The main message is that a Windows Phones has the best programs onboard to connect with colleagues, friends and family. For example think of excellent support of e-mailaccounts within Pocket Outlook (where all core PIM information is stored in one single application). But also Windows Live for Mobile or Microsoft Facebook for Mobile are great examples of excellent software to stay connect via Instant Messaging (IM) -and remark the voiceclips functionality- or Social Networks.

Furthermore Maarten Sonneveld, Business Group Lead Mobile of Microsoft Netherlands, discusses new Windows Mobile 6.5 features: (1) lockscreen, (2) new todayscreen, (3) new start menu. These features heavily contribue to a more optimized GUI for touch “control and on-device-navigation”. It might be interesting to compare the “HTC Touch2 review – Windows Mobile 6.5 and TouchFLO 3D combined !” and “Windows Mobile 6.5 on the HTC Snap – Impressions and thoughts” on these features. 🙂

2.2 Get Stuff Done (blue pillar)

After a demo the workshop is continued with capturing the value of Windows (Mobile). At first Windows Mobile has the best Microsoft Exchange synchronization avaialble, ad I must admit this is the key feature why I love my Windows Phone. Furthermor on my Windows Phone I can create and edit documents with the Ofice Mobile Suite on my Windows Phone.

Windows Mobile 6.5 takes advantage of the new Internet Explorer 6 (for Mobile) resulting in a more robust browsing experience and getting more transactions done on the internet. Very cool was also the MSN Money widget, based on the Intenet Explorer Mobile framework, that fist saw appear on the HTC Touch2. You an also create your own widgets, if you like.

Microsoft did also announce the Microsoft MyPhone, a free backup and restore service, for Windows Phones. Joris Jan Goos, Product Manager Mobile Services of Microsoft Netherlands, provides us with a demo of the Microsoft MyPhone, and shows of the new premium services. Good friend and colleague Paul Willen has covered these premium services really well in an article on www.mobiltyminded.com.

2.3 Meet My Needs (green pillar)

The last pillar covers the possible personalization aspects of Windows Phones. Back at CTIA Wireless 2009 not only Windows Marketplace for Mobile was announced, but also a number of partnerships with leading designers -like Mizrahi- that create cool (background) themes for Windows Phones.

Furthermore you can enhance your Windows Phone to your personal needs and demands with your favourite third party applications that make your Windows Phone even more powerfull. Windows Marketplace for Mobile makes the search for-and installation off these applications easier than ever before. In the next workshop the Windows Marketplace for Mobile will be covered a little more extensively.

Windows Phones are available from different brands, in different formfactors, and in different types of devices. This diversity in Windows Phones provides the end-users an optimal choice to choose a Windows Phone that best fits their personal needs and -demands.

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3. Workshop: The world of applications for Windows Mobile and Windows Marketplace (for Mobile)

The second workshop is hosted by Peter Broekroelofs, CTO and co-founder of application developer Service2Media.

Peter starts with a short introduction about Service2Media and its customers, and remarkable is the fact that Microsoft is one of their top technology partners. On the company website you can read that Service2Media was the first with Windows Mobile applicatons in the “Dutch” Windows Marketplace for Mobile:

“De Telegraaf – a dutch newspaper- news application is the first Windows 6.5 app in the Dutch Windows Marketplace app store. Other applications that will be developed for Windows Phones are Buienradar, NS Reisplanner Xtra and Rabobank CashMS.”

The concepts of these applications are discussed during the workhop, but more interesting is the discussion about the main drivers for the development of mobie applications. At first it is the technology that enables new opportunities.

For example alsmost every Windows Phone today in the Netherlands is sold with a flafree data subscription, that makes it possible to stay connected as long as yo have cellular coverage. Furhermore smartphones are becoming more and more powerful with different connectivity options (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth), a GPS-receiver and even accelorometers.

Another driver is the availability of application stores like Windows Marketplace (for Mobile) to provide visibility to reach the masses, easy on-device installation and easy secure payment. I was able to cover these aspects for Windows Marketplace for Mobile in a few articles: “Windows Marketplace for Mobile coming to Windows Mobile 6.1 and 6.0” and “Windows Marketplace for Mobile – Payments and Operators“

Finally Service2Media and Windows Phones triggered the people who attended the workshop to be creative and think about an application concept. The best concept would be awarded with development of the application and a place in the Windows Marketplace for Mobile, which is quite an opportunity especially if you are creative or have a background in software development.

4. Workshop: Organize your life with a Windows Phone – Tips from a professional lifestyle coach

The third workshop was hosted by Lorraine Simoons, professional organizer and life-style coach from SO Organized.

The title of the workshop is “private and work in balance with 12 simple tips“, and Lorraine shows that despite you are working hard on your personal carreer you can still have sufficient time for to spend with the people or things that are valuable to you.

The method is based on 12 tips framework, and one of the key approaches in the workshop is that technology -like Windows Phones- is a must-have partner for organizing and balancing your life !

If you are interested you should spent some time reading on the SO Organized website or Loraaine Simoons’ blog !

5. Launching partners show off new Windows Phones

It was very cool to have these workshops with theoretical approaches, interesting and flashy demo’s, but also good questions and open discussions.

In addition there are four launching oem partners present at the Windows Phones launch event, to show their latest Windows Mobile 6.5 powered devices to the mobile tech-community in the Netherlands.

5.1 HTC (Benelux)

The first Windows Phone on the Dutch market with Windows Mobile 6.5 pre-loaded on the device is the HTC Touch2. Despite that the HTC Touch2 is positioned in the middle segment it is very powerfull and packed with technology and features.

At a very competitive pricepoint this is certainly an interesting device to “push” the Windows Mobile 6.5 market. If you are interested, you should check out the review of the HTC Touch2 on www.mobilityminded.com.

In addition there was a nice surprise, which is shown in the picture above: the local announcement of the latest powerhouse HTC HD2 by Mark Moons country manager HTC Benelux. This is certainly a device that makes the heartbeat of every geek rise immediately, and I was fortunate to have a short hands-on.

5.2 Samsung Mobile

The second OEM is Samsung Mobile, who announced a free Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade for the Samsung Omnia II and the Samsung Omnia QWERTY.

Samsung Mobile had also a special new device in their suite, which is shown in the picture below. It is the Samsung Omnia Pro B7330 which will be a Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard device, and honestly I can’t wait to get my hands on it!

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5.3 Sony Ericsson

Early september Sony Ericsson announced the Sony Ericsson Xperia X2, and at the Windows Phones launch event I was able to have a short demo of this Windows Phone.

5.4 LG Electronics

The final OEM partner present at the Windows Phones launch event is LG Electronics, with their latest Windows Mobile 6.5 device the LG GM750 with the S-Class interface. This device will be exclusively available via Vodafone only.

5.5 Other launching parters

While the previous launching partners are the device manufacturers there are also other partners involved in the local Windows Phones launch. I mut compliment Microsoft Netherlands for this approach since it provides the whole porfolio of partners involved (which reflects the underlying business model to some extent).

Mobile operator KPN provided a short workshop on their latest developments, while also the largest retailer of Windows Phones – Belcompany- was present at the Windows Phones launch.

In addition various application developers were there as well, and for example I talked with one of the founders of the Buienradar application.

6. Concluding thoughts on this event

At first I’m very grateful that the Windows Mobile team of Microsoft Netherlands invited me to attend the Windows Phones launch event in Amstelveen. Furthermore I would like to thank Weber Shandwick for the exceptional organization, communication and willingness to help.

It was also great to see such a diverse portfolio of launching partners, and I would like to thank each one of them for the excellent device demo’s and takng the time and patience to answer my questions. The presented or announced devices show the potential of Windows Mobile, and the richness of the platform is for example reflected in the different GUI’s developed by the OEM.

Finally I would like to recommend a video (in DUTCH) of Mobilyz.com website, who attended the event with a professional video crew. I think the video is a nice summary and wrap-up of this article that reflects a succesful Windows Phones launch on October 6th.

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