Ampers & Dot

A year back I wrote a post about my 2009 Tech Resolutions. Well what’s the point of resolutions if I’m not accountable for them? So today I want to look back and see how well I did. Then, assuming I don’t get too depressed from my ‘09 performance, I’ll make a few new resolutions for the upcoming year. Let’s dive right in:

2009 Resolutions:

• Keep better control over my RSS feeds. This is a big win for me. Over 2009 I was much more flexible with my RSS feeds, in that I cut off of feeds that were too noisy (or too stale) and added feeds that were either more personally focused or specifically relevant. This has made my RSS reader cleaner and easier to manage, while delivering better content than ever.
• Help at least five people quit AOL. I helped three. So that’s not too bad.
• Make 40-50% of tweets replies. I just checked and I’m around 25-30%, about half my goal. It’s a good wake-up-call to see this resolution and something I’m going to try at again.
• Sign up at least three friends to Twitter. I likely helped sign up 20+ people in ‘09, so this was a nice over-performance. Though with mainstream media’s constant spotlight on Twitter, this was fish in a barrel.
• Contribute more in online Forums. Huge failure here. If I contributed 5% in ‘08, then I was likely at 2% in ‘09… I’ll need to keep working on this one.
• Buy ZERO computers. Another big failure. Enough said.
• Redesign my website. Potentially the biggest failure on the list. This will remain a priority in ‘10 (see below).
• Use more features of Facebook and LinkedIn. A small success! In 2009 I started using these networks much, much more. I’m still no power-user, but I’ve uploaded pictures, kept my profile current, and interacted with friends and colleagues.
• Write more conversational blog posts. Another moderate success! I definitely wrote significantly fewer posts in ‘09 (as predicted) but my post-to-comment ration went from 1:2.4 to 1:3.1 - I’m proud of that and would like to keep seeing that number climb.

That’s a relatively successful year! So here’s what I’m planning for 2010:

• Buy ZERO computers. None. Not even one…
• Redesign my website. Just do it. (Ok, now on to new ones:)
• Drop to one Netflix disc. I started 2009 with three discs, but thanks to Netflix Instant (and Xbox 360 integration) I’ve been able to cut back to two. Netflix Instant is an amazing feature and I plan to rely on it only more this year. This will be pretty contingent on Netflix adding more available instant movies, but I don’t see that being too big a problem.
• Evangelize the cloud. I’ve begun relying on Microsoft’s Live Mesh and it’s amazing. Syncing files between multiple computers (between work, home desktop, home laptops, etc (see resolution #1)) Mesh has changed my life. With that and Dropbox, I aim to set up friends and family with these tools - to rely less on faulty external harddrives and more on online options.
• Be more open minded about mobile OS preferences. In 2009 I blogged a LOT about Windows Mobile, some about Android, and a little about BlackBerry… oh, and just a little about the iPhone. I mentioned Palm’s Web OS twice and Symbian almost never. In 2010 I can’t imagine losing interest in Windows Mobile - but I’d like to get more involved with other platforms too as this will help me perfect my mobile expertise. For example, there were dozens of complaints about the iPhone that I didn’t even know about until I got one…
• Engage more online. This is a bit of a leftover from last year, but with greater context. I want to interact with followers more on Twitter, friends on Facebook, connections on LinkedIn, comment more on blogs I read, and answer more questions in forums. The whole point of social media is the “social” part - time for me to contribute more.

So that’s it. Let’s see how well I do.

Have a happy and techy 2010!

Today, October 6th, is a huge day in history: Microsoft released Windows Mobile 6.5 to the masses. But you already knew that, right? No. Of course you didn’t. And that’s what today’s post is about…

Loyal readers know well that I’m a Windows Mobile user - and I have been for the last six versions of the mobile operating system (Windows Mobile 2003, Windows Mobile 2003SE, Windows Mobile 5, Windows Mobile 6, Windows Mobile 6.1, and now Windows Phone (apparently what they’re now calling Windows Mobile devices from WM6.5 and on)). So obviously I’m a bit excited about the today’s official release of the new build.

But apparently, I’m the only one.

I’ve previously criticized Palm and RIM for soft-launching devices and not stirring up interest the way Apple does, but we’re not talking about a single phone here, we’re talking about a full Operating System, bound to run on 30+ phones by the year’s end. Microsoft even did the right thing: they set a firm launch date (that didn’t overlap with an Apple announcement) and even told a few people about it in advance (go figure!). But today, the big day we’ve all I’ve been looking forward to, I have to ask: where’s the delivery?

In short: it’s just not there. And the sad part is that I just don’t really have an excuse for the lack of enthusiasm from the tech community. Here’s the best rationale I can do:

• The masses love the iPhone. The iPhone is awesome and has stolen all of the mobile thunder for the year (yes, it did come out two years ago, but has gained enough momentum to steamroll the competition).
• The big blogs love the iPhone. Both Gizmodo and Engadget took the opportunity of Windows Mobile 6.5’s launch to bash the new build. Thanks guys. I’m not saying WM6.5 is perfect (in fact, I’m not saying a thing about it in this post - that’s coming later), but how about a little bitartisan reviewing?
• The tech-geeks have moved to Android. As I said recently, the Linux-based Android handsets appeal more to the geeks. While Windows Mobile has always been great for techies due to highly customizable and hackable Windows CE core, Android has linux. Game over.
• Windows Mobile users often don’t know they’re using Windows Mobile. The biggest problem with WinMo is that it’s just so poorly branded. Most (and yes I do mean “most”) people who own Windows Mobile Phones likely don’t know what version they’re using, couldn’t tell you if it’s 5.0, 6.0, 6.1 or 6.5 - let alone if it’s even running Windows Mobile! But it’s not their fault, no one ever told them.
• Microsoft doesn’t really market Windows Mobile. Ever seen an iPhone ad? Wait, here’s a better question: ever not seen an iPhone ad?! Enough said.

So as today comes and goes, with little hype and a lot of disappointment, I think Microsoft should take a good hard look at the results of the launch and reevaluate how they address the next version of Windows Mobile.

Better yet, Microsoft should take lesson from their own playbook: spend money marketing a product, it can work. Hell, with only $80m spent on Bing, you can take a sizable chunk from Google. Google! I just hope they take a fraction of that and put it towards mobile platforms to go up against the other players quickly creeping in on their marketshare. Hell, it’s worked for Apple just fine.

But hey, let’s not get too down on them today. Let’s celebrate Windows Mobile 6.5’s release - and then start the countdown all over again to Windows Mobile 7.

Update: oh. I found the marketing material

Android, the Google-developed/Linux-based mobile OS, debuted last fall as yet-another platform in the ever fragmenting war over smartphones. Going up against Apple, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Symbian, and now Palm’s WebOS - Android was positioned last year as an “open source” operating system that could run on almost any hardware.

Unlike Apple, that has one OS and one device, or Windows Mobile, with multiple OSes for various devices, the promise behind Android was that it was a flexible, lightweight, and robust platform (seems like an contradictory adjective list, no?), that could run on barebones dumbphones as well as super-powered, touchscreen, smartphones. The surprise however, is that for the first 10 months of Android’s existence, it was only available on a single device: the TMobile G1 (warning, that link has annoying music playing in the background).

The G1 (or HTC-manufactured “Dream”) landed on TMobile late 2008 and introduced Android to the masses. Now this is tough for me to say, because I’m potentially one of the biggest HTC fans out there, but the G1 is actually a pretty flawed piece of hardware. I previously documented the problems with the hardware design (hint: it has to do with buttons), but beyond the lacking functionality, the G1 just doesn’t feel that great in the hand. It’s a bit clunky and big, but not very sturdy feeling. Its sliding screen feels a little cheap and the keyboard is just junky.

So what does this mean for Android? The answer should be: “Nothing”. But as this was the only piece of hardware out for Android’s first ten months, it means that Android became associated with the G1 - and not in a totally great way.

Now I’m not saying that Android has a bad image - most gadgeteers are quite fond of Android - but what I’ve seen for the better part of this year, is constant speculation on Android’s future. The common statement I’ve heard is that “it’ll be great to see what happens when Android makes it onto more devices”. And I agree. Android has loads of potential, but we won’t really know how it will pan out until more phones run Android.

Fortunately, that time is fast approaching.

Last month TMobile released a second Android handset, the MyTouch 3G (also manufactured by HTC, named Magic) - a device similar to the G1, but lacking a keyboard (argh! I’m not getting into this today). And now, a few weeks later, the floodgates have opened. Before the year’s end, there will likely be a dozen available Android handsets. That’s a big increase from ONE.

So what does this mean? Here’s my take:

This is good for Android because:

• More devices means more consumer adoption. Not everyone wanted a G1, but now there are choices. Really, something for everyone.
• More carriers means more consumer adoption. Not everyone wants TMobile. With Sprint selling the Hero this fall and Verizon and AT&T playing up rumors of new devices, there will be an Android device available to all big US carriers.
• More consumer adoption means more developer adoption. The more Android devices out there, the more desirable it will be for developers to build great apps - making the phones that much better for consumers. It’s cyclically awesome.
• Android is no longer just for geeks. Yes, I said it. I work in Kendall Square in Cambridge, arguably one of the geekiest places in the world - I see more G1s here than anywhere else. Correlation may not be causation - but I’m just saying - the G1 is geeky. New Android handsets are slick and more appealing to the mass market.

But also bad for Android because:

• Fragmenting the platform makes development difficult. Developers constantly complain that Windows Mobile is tough to develop for, because there are many different screen sizes, processors, hardware specs, etc. With each change, developers have to build/tweak to get their apps to work correctly.
• More devices means more confusion. If you have an iPhone, you know it’s an Apple iPhone. There’s no mistaking that. But the more varied devices that run Android, the less consistent the brand recognition. The less brand recognition, the less brand loyalty. Ultimately, more devices dilutes Android.
• Android isn’t geeky anymore. It’s the “Google Phone” or “Linux Phone” - over the last year, I’ve always loved talking to G1 owners who have built their own apps, customized their interface, or hacked it to play Doom - but as Android makes its way to the masses, it looses its geek-cred.

Well in the end that’s 4-3 in favor of this being a great thing for Android and I’m excited about that. I think it’s a great platform and at very least is driving the smartphone market to become ever stronger. Is Android ready to take down Apple? No. But is it going to be fun to watch the platform expand? Absolutely.

We’ve all seen the commercials: white background, hipster jingle, soothing voice, and a hand swiping through an iPhone application explaining how whatever your wildest dreams might be, there’s an app for that. As Apple claims: there are “Apps for Everything“.

Before I get to the rant section of today’s post, I should preface with the fact that I think the App concept is fantastic and has revolutionized the mobile industry in a great way. iPhone app development is cheap, quick, and relatively easy, drawing out hoards of developers making it a strong marketplace where there truly is an app for just about everything.

The app-ification of the mobile industry is even better. Following Apple’s Shaq-sized footsteps, Blackberry has App World, Windows Mobile has a Marketplace, Palm has its App Catalog, Android has App Market, Nokia has Ovi, and Motorola has App Warehouse (ok, that last one was fake, but if Motorola had a platform, its apps likely would be sold from a warehouse). Although I’m vehemently against the fragmentation of development platforms (expect a blog post on this sometime soon) I’m still glad to see mobile platforms deservedly gain developers’ interest because it means more fun and function for consumers.

Now of course, not all the apps are that great, or useful, or appropriate… (you all know that iFart and 30+ noise emulating clones exist, I’m not even going to link to it because they don’t deserve it), but amazingly, that’s not what I’m going to rant on today. Instead, I’m going to rant about feature apps - applications that enhance the phone’s functionality.

Here’s the back story: earlier this week my friend Matt took me to a Red Sox game (thanks Matty!) and we had pretty awesome seats (seriously, thanks!), right down at about field level. In between innings we decided to take a few pictures. Matt pulled out his trusty iPhone (the most popular camera in the world) but wanted to take a picture of a player deeper in outfield. The iPhone’s camera is pretty good, but it has no zooming ability. But not to fear, Matt showed me that “there’s an app for that!” and loaded up a third party application that zooms in the camera, “and for only a buck - well worth it”. Although I agree with him, that only a dollar seems fair for an application that adds such a great feature to the phone, I’m less enthusiastic about it being a third party app.

My question: why doesn’t Apple include these much-needed features into the standard build of the operating system instead of selling them?

As indicated by third party developers, the phone is fully capable of these features, but for some reason or another, aren’t included in the standard build. Is it because Apple makes more money for every time it sells an app? Man, I hope not. If there were security or stabilization issues, then why would Apple release an app to the public at all? If it’s a copyright problem, that third party developers came up with an idea and won’t sell to Apple, well that shouldn’t be a problem for them either (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, go watch Pirates of Silicon Valley. You can borrow my copy if you want…).

Oh, wait… (and here comes the punch line) taking good third party ideas and building them in is exactly what Apple is doing. In the annual iPhone upgrade, Apple is indeed baking some of the most popular apps to give users the features that should have been there all along. Here’s a good list of “15 Apps Rendered Obsolete by the iPhone 3GS“. #10 on the list: Camera Zoom.

Ultimately Apple’s seems to be slow on improving its operating system because independent developers are doing the work instead, a detriment, and cost, to consumers.

So the next time you wonder if “there’s an app for that” - instead maybe you should wonder why it’s not already standard.

This is another post about Palm, Windows Mobile, and the iPhone and ok, yes, the title’s a bit of a stretch, but all the “Take a bite out of Apple” jokes are used up…

But for my 19th straight post about today’s smartphones, I wanted to address the new marketing campaign from Sprint targeting current AT&T (specifically iPhone) customers. As seen here, Sprint is basically throwing a pretty firm punch at the iPhone, touting the Pre’s superior capabilities to run multiple applications simultaneously, recieve push notifications, and not cost a boatload more than it should.

The ad smartly goes right after its main competition, without apology or shame. And you know what? It works.

So I finally got to play with a Pre this week and I was pretty impressed. It’s small and sleek, has a pretty screen and fun user interface, and is all around totally gadgety. But here’s my take: none of that matters nearly as much as Sprint’s ability to market the device. I’ve said this so many times, but the iPhone is an awesome gadget, but is wildly successful because of Apple’s incredible marketing. And, as I’ve asked many times before: why doesn’t the competition do this?!

As you’ve heard me make that argument before, you’ll likely not be surprised where I’m going with this… why doesn’t Microsoft do this with Windows Mobile!?

WinMo fans have always taken pride in their phones’ ability to function beyond the iPhone - for a fairly exhaustive list, check out this link. Why isn’t Microsoft talking about this? All the arguments for the Pre in Sprint’s ad above, also apply to Windows Mobile, a platform that’d been around for years before the iPhone, but you’d never know it because no marketing teams have cooked up the messaging yet.

The point I’m getting at, is that I respect Sprint’s aggressive marketing campaign and I think it’s absolutely necessary. The iPhone has been selling like multi-touch-hot-cakes and it’s taking chunks out of its competitors’ market share every quarter. Only two years ago the iPhone was brand new, zero units sold, and now there are over twenty million units out there. It’s time to start fighting back.

I mean come on, Microsoft, Apple lobbed you a softball with its “Copy and Paste is a Pretty Incredible Thing” ad - go stand up for yourself and let the people know that you’ve been doing that Pretty Incredible Thing within Windows Mobile for the better part of a decade.

I try to steer clear of writing about marketing here (because that’s what I do during the day) but there’s been one big topic bothering me for too long not to address: product launches.

As a total gadget geek, I do my best to always know when the newest and gadgetiest devices are coming out. I read lots of blogs and forums, and go to networking events, and even email and talk to industry experts whenever I can to stay ahead of the curve (I’ll never argue that I have a healthy interest in gadgets… it’s really almost problematic). Over the years of tracking gadgets, I’ve watched dozens of products come and go.

Usually, at least with the cooler gadgets, there’s a fair amount of online buzz long before the device is ever released into the public. For example: any upcoming Windows Mobile device usually has WinMo enthusiasts talking in forums for about six months before it ever hits shelves. With any gadget, the big tech blogs usually speculate on a release date far before one is actually announced. This gives the fans something exciting to read and speculate about to pass the time until the gadget is actually real. (It’s a strange obsession, I know.)

But that’s where things get screwy: launch dates. Why do we have to speculate? Shouldn’t we know? Shouldn’t the company selling the gadget promote the date on which you can actually buy it?

Most recently, there’s the hype around the upcoming Palm Pre. The Pre actually looks pretty cool. It’s this season’s iPhone competitor featuring a brand new OS, obligatory touch screen, and a very Palm-like keyboard. Check out more details on the official Palm Pre site here. Also, while on that site, please notice the “Coming Soon” text on the left. That’s right: we don’t know when the Pre is going to be publicly available. Why not?

Honestly, I have no idea. There’s actually a LOT of speculation around the actual launch date, including a hint from this morning that it might launch as soon as NEXT WEEK. We could be a week away and not know it? That seems ridiculous. Wouldn’t Palm want to get people excited - maybe build some buzz about an upcoming launch… maybe some marketing to build the hype? Well they’re trying… but without a launch date.

See, I think launch dates work. They get people excited, build the online and offline buzz, and get people to line up for your product (which perpetuates the hype and gains even more news coverage). Like the iPhone. (Of course Apple did this right, marketing is one of the things it does best.) With each iPhone there was substantial buzz around the launch date - to the point that people stood in line for DAYS.

When the Google Phone launched, it too had a firm launch date - and people lined up! Overall, the G1 sales have been rather low, but there was still enough hype around the launch to get crowds lining up. Why isn’t Palm doing this with the Pre? Seriously, I want to know!

We could be five days away from the Pre launch. If this were a new iPhone, fanboys would already be packing up their camping gear to wait in line. This is supposed to be Palm’s chance at a resurrection - you’d think they’d let people know about it.

So here’s my question: does a gadget get more coverage without a launch date - having fans and blogs constantly speculate? Or is it better to have a firm date, announce the date, and have people stand in line to build the hype?

Maybe it’s that I’m just impatient, but I think that having a real, confirmed date is just much more exciting. What do you think?

This week played host to one of my favorite annual events: Mobile World Congress. Each year at MWC, mobile device manufacturers preview their upcoming toys; showing off new features, crazy concepts, and basically making me salivate with gadget envy.

The big story in my mind this year was the preview of Windows Mobile 6.5, but because that wasn’t quite as exciting as I wanted it to be… I’m going to talk about something completely different that unexpectedly caught my attention: the GSM Association pushing for the standardization of Micro USB for mobile phones!

The quick rundown, is that nearly all of the big phone makers are on board to outfit every device with the same connection type. You’d only need one charger for multiple devices - if you were traveling and lost/forgot your charger it would be very easy to find a usable replacement - at the office and you’re phone’s dying, of course someone has a charger that fits - and a myriad of other reasons that this is just awesome.

Of course, it’s worth noting that I said “nearly all of the big phone makers”… not “all”. The one blaring exception of course, is Apple.

Apple will likely opt to stick with its proprietary Dock Connection for the iPhone, meaning that consumers will continue to be forced to use cables which cost boatloads and can pretty much only be found at Apple stores. You know what? This bothers me.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m an Apple fan. But no matter how pretty the devices are, Apple’s stubbornness with its hardware has always driven me bonkers. Here are my three biggest gripes:

• One button mouse. Look, I get it: Apple designs simpler machines. Then why do I have to hold down a button before clicking every few minutes? Isn’t that actually LESS simple? Apple has known that a secondary click option is necessary, but instead of creating hardware that allows this - they give you a work around that complicates things and slows down work.
• Non removable batteries. This one is just pure extortion. Simple fact: over time batteries degrade and lose their ability to hold a full charge. Apple knows this. Yet, iPods, iPhones, and some of its laptops house batteries that can’t be removed by consumers. Of course you can PAY Apple to do it for you… but once a battery is dead most people just replace their iPods/phones instead.
• Price. NO details needed here. No one can argue Apple’s hardware is cheap. But with Apple stores selling Apple products, all with the Apple name, all proceeds go to… you guessed it: Apple.

Really, what it comes down to for each of my grips is indeed, stubbornness. It’s Apple being “Different” - keeping up its unique image (and keeping 100% control over hardware sales). But would changing any of these things really change Apple? Not even a little bit. Apple will always have cool looking, sleek devices that others try to emulate. It will always have the Apple Fanboys. And most importantly: Apple will always be unique.

So Apple’s unwillingness to standardize to Micro USB doesn’t surprise me, but it just adds to the list. Apple will continue to own its market by being the only one producing Apple-capable products - and it will similarly, continue to drive me bonkers.

This week, after nearly a year of anticipation from Blackberry junkies, TMobile finally released the Curve 8900. This model (code named Javelin) is a nicely improved follow up to the hugely popular Curve, giving TMobile a contending Blackberry to fight off AT&T’s Bold and Verizon’s Storm. Now all three carriers have exclusivity to a new, next-gen Blackberry - giving “crackberry addicts” from each something pretty to play with.

Blackberries Storm (VZW), Javelin (TMOB), and Bold (ATT) - Courtesy of Engadget

Before I dive in to a rant - I want to address the Curve 8900 and how much of an upgrade it is over the original Curve.

• Better screen - Kevin at JK on the Run even uses the word “love” in bold, when describing the 480×360 display. I can’t even begin to tell you how many pixels that is in such a small space - but let’s just say: PRETTY.
• Incredible form factor - As Sascha Segan from PCMag says it’s the “best of the past three models”. It’s smaller than the original Curve, but with the chicklet QWERTY pad. As slim as the Pearl, but with a Bold size screen. This thing has it all - and is TINY.
• Better Camera - the 3.2 megapixel camera is better than the original Curve, plus has video recording.
• WiFi - Yes, it’s Edge only… but TMobile is still pretty much EDGE only anyway- so the important thing is that the 8900 also has WiFi.

So there- I’ve made the case that this is arguably the best Blackberry on the market (depending on your preferences). So why the post? Because chances are you haven’t even ever heard of this phone. And that really bothers me.

When AT&T launched the Bold this fall there were Blackberry nuts (sounds like a crappy cereal found at Whole Foods…) lining up waiting to fork over $300 WITH contract.

When Verizon launched the Storm you’d have thought it finally had an iPhone, based on the lines at retail stores. VZW spent more promoting the Storm than a governmental bailout (too soon?). But it worked. There was so much buzz around the Storm that people actually got excited to talk about Verizon!

So what the heck happened? Why didn’t TMobile promote the 8900? At all? It’s just sort of there. Even now, months later - Verizon still has a section of its homepage dedicated to the Storm. AT&T has the Bold featured (in between iPhone glamor shots) on its wireless page. TMobile? Nothing.

At the time of this writing - to find the 8900 on the TMobile site you have to go to the phone page, select “Blackberry”… then go to PAGE TWO! Do they even know they have this phone?

I think TMobile missed a big opportunity here and while I have some theories (that all include the Google Phone and/or Steve Jobs), I can’t figure out why there was no push.

I often complain about the lack of marketing for Windows Mobile devices - that there’s never a consistent or clear message, no branding, and overall no marketing support - but this isn’t a problem with Blackberry devices. People love them. They’re buzzworthy. “Blackberry” is almost a colloquialism for email device. So why not push it?

No excuses. So here’s an endorsement: the TMobile Blackberry Curve 8900 is an AWESOME phone.

There: I’ve just done more than TMobile’s entire marketing team.

If you’ve stopped by here before you likely know that I’m a bit of a Windows Mobile enthusiast. I have the ability to refute nearly any argument of the iPhone’s superiority and counter it with a robust list of things that WinMo can do that other devices still cannot (copy and paste is the least of the problems).

One argument I find myself in often is about the iPhone App Store, because on one hand - it’s amazing. You just tap a button on your device and you find yourself an almost limitless list of programs and games. On the other hand - it is indeed limited and overly regulated and seemingly overrun by stupid fart applications (seriously: if you’ve downloaded one of those then you should be ashamed… and chances are that you have downloaded one).

Well, although Windows Mobile is working on its own App Store (Skymarket anyone?) I’ve still had the last five years of WinMo use during which I’ve been forced to download applications the old fashioned way. This has been great because there are almost no limitations to what can be built, but also leaves a bit to be desired when trying to actually find new games. The problem with no central repository is that you’ve got to hunt them out.

Over the last half decade of Windows Mobile use I’ve played dozens and dozens of games - some have been awful, some have been great. So as part of my good Windows Mobile Evangelistic dead of the day - here’s a list of games I actually play on my phone. I’ve weeded it down to a manageable list - and please not that none of these involve any type of farting application (seriously iPhone… you should be ashamed). Let’s do it:

(Please note: although every game listed below also has a Windows Mobile standard version (non-touch) - the links to .cabs are for Windows Mobile Professional 6.0+ and please use at your own risk)

Crosswords (aka xWords — aka Scrabble)

Crosswords is an almost perfect recreation of Scrabble. You can play against a computer (with multiple difficulty settings) or against others locally (no online play… but that’s ok). It’s really truly a great game - my ONLY complaint is that the dictionary isn’t OSPD4 and doesn’t recognize a lot of fancy Scrabble words. You can override the dictionary to still play these words, but there is no option to “Add to dictionary”. Otherwise it’s a perfect game. Direct link to .cab here

Astraware Casino

I have played every casino game made for Windows Mobile and absolutely none compare to Astraware Casino. There are 11 games all built into the casino (Blackjack, Texas Hold ‘Em Limit and No Limit Poker, Video Poker, Video Derby, 3 Card Poker, Roulette, Craps, Baccarat, Slots, and Video Keno) as well as rewards for different achievements (like “First blackjack” or “Win $50,000 on a single bet!”) that keep this game fun and engaging for a long time. It’s not free… it’s $15 - but there is a free demo period built into the game (.cab available here). Play the demo and then happily hand over your money. Also - this game is beautiful on VGA screens.

Dopewars

Yes, the popular Graphing Calculator game has been ported to other mobile platforms… and the graphics haven’t changed much. Fortunately neither has the game play - it’s still fun! Let’s first put the drug thing aside - and look at this game as a classic buy low/sell high day trading game. It’s just fun. This version also has the ability to edit names, values, and descriptions of “items” - so if you’re uncomfortable with the seedy underbelly concept - you can change everything into stocks (or is that even sleazier these days…?). Anyway, it’s 100% free - download the .cab here.

Kevtris - The only Tetris clone you’ll ever need

There are many, many Tetris like games out there. Kevtris is by far and away the best. And the free-est - which is a great treat. I don’t play it much anymore (now that I have a Touch Pro which crippled the arrow buttons…) but this game plays well and looks great on every phone I’ve owned. Download the .cab here.

Now I know I already put in Astraware Casino, which is $15 bucks… but this list wouldn’t be complete without the other games that are actually worth paying for:

Bejeweled 2

100% everything you’d expect to be in Bejeweled 2. The full game. Unfortunately comes at the full price of $15 - but well worth it if you like the gem-swapping gameplay. There’s a free, but limited, demo - available here.

TextTwist

I played this game so often on my last phone that I permanently dented a few spots on the screen from tapping the letters so often. I’m a bit of a word-game nut, so this one might not be your cup of tea- but I just can’t get enough of it. Download the (unlimited…!) demo here. Or pay $15 for it… your choice.

And that’s pretty much it.

I’m not saying there aren’t better games out there - I’ve paid for a handful of others that really disappointed me and downloaded a few dozen free ones that REALLY REALLY disappointed me - but the ones listed above are what I play. What else should I play?

Anyway- once Skymarket is alive we’ll have a better repository of these things (that will hopefully be free and unregulated… but there’s no way in hell that will happen). So in the meantime - go crazy - download everything - play them all. And Enjoy!

It’s that time of the year - when we plan to do a bunch of things throughout the rest of the year, that we’ll probably give up on in a few weeks. The Resolution Phenomenon explains why Google search volume for “Gym Membership” and “Quit Smoking” spike significantly every January 1st. But hey, I’ll play the game too - and we’ll see how closely I can stick to my 2009 plan.

So as a devout technology enthusiast, my 2009 tech-related resolutions are to:

• Keep better control over my RSS feeds. I subscribe to a few hundred feeds. This is overwhelming, but through batch processing, speed reading, and skimming so quickly that I don’t really gain much, I’ve learned to deal with it quite well. In 2009 I aim to keep my subscription list clean (remove any feed that isn’t providing value) and under the 1000+ line.
• Help at least five people quit AOL. This really should be on everyone’s list this year, as part of making the world a better place. It’s not that I have a problem with AOL, it’s that I have a serious problem with people paying for email. To me this is like paying for air. AOL knows that it needs a new business model and is adapting to keep up. But while it does this, I just can’t go on knowing that people are paying for the service. If you also want to help friends, family, and other loved ones leave AOL, check out AOLeave.com
  
• Make 40-50% of tweets replies. Twitter, by nature, is more communicative than any other social computing form I know (and I know them all…). Instead of just shouting out to the world, Twitter provides the ability to have conversations with many people: ask questions, get help, answer questions, give help. Unfortunately I’ve found that as I’ve started following more people, I’ve lost focus. By reading a lot of tweets, I don’t actually interact with as many any more. So my 2009 resolution is to aim for 40-50% of my tweets to be replies- AND to have them be to more people, not just the same few over and over. I follow so many awesome people - it’s high-time I get to interact with more of them.
• Sign up at least three friends to Twitter. Look, Twitter is going to hit it big in the coming years. Its reach will extend beyond the early adopters (2007) tech and marketing types (2008), in 2009 Twitter is going to reach out to more of the mainstream - and I don’t want my non-early-adopting-tech/marketing friends to be on there too.
• Contribute more in online Forums. I’m pretty active in a number of tech forums (few coding forums, many Windows Mobile forums, and a handful of misc. discussion boards), but in previous years “pretty active” has meant reading a lot… in 2009 I’d like to give more back to the forums that have helped me so much - I’ll do this by answering more questions and contributing where possible.
• Buy ZERO computers. I don’t need another one - but I haven’t needed one in a while and that hasn’t stopped me… so I’m finally to a point where I can no longer justify buying another. In 2009 I will add NO computers to my home collection. You know… unless there’s a really good sale on some netbooks…
• Redesign my website. It’s time for a new look (and possibly has been since I launched this design…). No idea when I’ll actually get around to this one. But in 2009 I will redesign this site, as well as a handful of others that I oversee. Oh, and I want to do it myself - get back into the fun of CSS.
• Use more features of Facebook and LinkedIn. I research social technologies for a living, but use them rather weakly. I’ve still never uploaded pictures to Facebook, or written a recommendation on LinkedIn. In 2009 I want to get better at using both - and connect with more great people on each. Let’s start now: Zach on Facebook - Zach on LinkedIn.
• Write more conversational blog posts. Ok, I’m not going to delude myself into thinking I can write more. I’m just not a high volume poster. I tried that… and it didn’t really work. So in 2009 I want to write better posts - ones that make people think - and then respond. In 2008 my Post-to-Comment ratio was about 1:2.4 - I’m actually pretty happy with that, but I’d like to see it grow to 1:4 by the end of 2009. But of course I can’t do this one without your help.

And that’s it for me. I think that if I complete each of these resolutions by the year’s end I will have had a happy tech year and will be a better person because of it. So what about you? What are your tech resolutions?